The Queen's Coronation

The pursuit of the fleeing Cordovan soldiers began.

Here, the insufficient cavalry strength of their own forces prevented them from maximizing their military gains.

They let most of the enemy cavalry escape. Even so, a small number were caught by the beastkin who had been lying in ambush behind them.

As for the infantry, their numbers steadily dwindled through the pursuit. The final casualty count was approximately five thousand. They also obtained nearly the same number of prisoners.

The remaining enemy forces abandoned the territory they had invaded and retreated into Cordovan territory. Stopping the pursuit at the border, the allied forces began constructing a simple fortress.

On the grounds where the battle had taken place, Serge learned why Carla couldn't be counted as part of their fighting strength.

She was healing the wounded with magic regardless of whether they were friend or foe. Because she used her magical power for this, she couldn't use magic for combat.

None of the allied officers had died. To be precise, Carla had resurrected even those who had died. Of course, this required an enormous amount of magical power. And she couldn't resurrect every common soldier.

"So resurrection magic really does exist…"

Though Serge was impressed, he was busy walking around distributing supplies.

To the front lines, reinforcements from Manesh that had finally arrived—though belatedly—were sending supplies.

Ria and Carla stood before the wounded enemy soldiers and prisoners, giving a speech.

"Gentlemen, you have several paths before you."

It was Ria who raised her voice. Some enemy soldiers gazed at Carla, who stood close beside her as if snuggling up to her, worshiping her like a goddess. They were probably the ones she had healed from the brink of death.

"First, you can choose death as you are, but I don't recommend it."

Ria shrugged as if joking. Some enemy soldiers smiled with just their expressions.

"There is also the path of being released and returning to your homeland. Probably most of you will choose this. However, we cannot permit you to keep your weapons. We will provide minimal rations."

Many showed surprised expressions at this. Normally, prisoners of war were either detained until a prisoner exchange or sold as slaves. Yet she said she would even provide them with rations.

Because the battle had ended quickly without dragging on, the allied forces had food to spare. Ria had proposed releasing the prisoners to make use of this.

Of course there were many dissenting opinions, but in the end it was included as one of the options. The intention was to deliberately release prisoners and spread propaganda within Cordova.

"The third path is this: you will serve as slaves of our nation for three years, working to clear and cultivate development land. After three years, you will become free citizens. You may keep the land you cleared as your own, or sell it and do whatever you wish. You are also free to return to Cordova."

This was also an extraordinary proposal. If she was going to enslave them, she could just do it without asking. Yet she was deliberately limiting the term, and even giving them land when it ended.

Wasn't this essentially immigration? Or perhaps part of a population growth policy?

"Among you are surely second and third sons of farming families, or those from low-income urban backgrounds. If you have no hope even if you return to your homeland, I recommend this option."

Since Cordova's army also served as a countermeasure for vagrants, this was quite attractive. Especially the fact that, unlike Cordova, they wouldn't be drafted into war.

"And the last path—this one is selective."

Ria's gaze swept over the soldiers. Only a few soldiers didn't flinch under her powerful stare.

"I, Ryuke Riana, am recruiting soldiers for my personal guard. I want any daredevils among you to apply."

Even if they weren't daredevils, if they were men, they couldn't help but take notice when told that.

Especially the men who prided themselves on their martial prowess—their eyes lit up. If they hadn't witnessed Ria's superhuman fighting, they might have thought it was a good offer.

"My personal guard is truly dangerous, so I only seek genuine warriors. That is all."

Ria had thoroughly provoked them.

As a result, more than half the soldiers still returned to Cordova.

Manesh soldiers escorted them to the border and released them there. They hoped these men would spread their side's political message throughout Cordova.

Additionally, nearly half chose to become slaves. They would be sent to Manesh's development lands. Since the area had golems being experimentally introduced, the environment wouldn't be that harsh.

And as for Ria's personal guard, approximately one hundred soldiers remained. It goes without saying that Ria proceeded to break the pride of every one of those daredevils.

After completing the postwar processing and returning to Manesh, one month had passed since their departure.

The victory against Cordova had a tremendous impact, and most of the surrounding nations sent envoys announcing they would join the alliance. Cordova's infamy had reached its peak.

However, it was troublesome that many of these ambassadors came to say similar things.

"By the way, we have heard that Your Highness does not yet have a spouse. If it pleases you, our nation's prince is of suitable age to be a groom…"

To such offers, Ria answered politely.

"Unfortunately, I have no interest in men. If it were a wife, I might accept…"

"… Pardon?"

Not a single ambassador was able to immediately propose offering a princess.

In such cases, Ria typically met with ambassadors in her private chambers, and she always had Carla and Shizuna present.

"You see, I already have a wife."

She said, indicating Carla.

"And a mistress."

She said, indicating Shizuna.

"So I have enough women for the time being. I don't even have time to dote on my beautiful wife and adorable mistress."

Carla maintained her composed expression without faltering, but Shizuna turned bright red and looked down.

Unlike Carla in her knight's attire, Shizuna was dressed in a gown like a noble's daughter.

"B-but then, what about an heir?"

The flustered ambassador asked.

The succession issue that nobles naturally worried about had already been settled.

"I plan to adopt Manesh's prince. Once I assume the position of Archduchess, it will be formally announced."

Since it was originally Manesh's territory, adopting their prince as her successor was a reasonable arrangement.

As expected, no nation would give their daughter as a bride to a woman who had no possibility of producing an heir. It would have been interesting if there had been one.

"Even so, I'm far too busy. I don't even have time to flirt with my wife."

Ria grumbled, but everyone around her was busy too. Not just Carla—Shizuna was also training alongside the men who had newly become Ria's personal guards.

What Shizuna had requested from Valis was the acquisition of a new skill.

It was something Ria and Carla already possessed as Gifts, but something ordinary humans couldn't obtain: [Limit Break].

A skill that allowed one's ability values to surpass human limits. She was striving to master this skill through combat training.

As a result, Ria couldn't have fun tormenting her exhausted self at night.

"We're finally back from the battlefield, yet it's even busier than before…"

"Give up. That's what being a ruler means."

Guinevere laughed at Ria, who was desperately wrestling with documents. Though Guinevere herself had a mountain of papers beside her as well.

Such days passed, and just when Ria had finally learned to delegate her administrative work to others, something she had been eagerly awaiting arrived.

A messenger from Casalia.

First came the advance party: thirty knights leading three thousand cavalry. The one commanding them was a familiar face.

"Reyas!"

From the group of cavalry lined up in the plaza before the palace, Casalia's vice knight commander appeared.

He knelt on the spot and gave Ria the deepest bow.

"Your Highness appears unchanged…"

"No, I've changed quite a bit."

Her appearance had changed considerably. Above all, even her eye color was different now.

"I'm sure there's much to discuss. For now, please come inside. Tell everyone else to be at ease."

Saying this, Ria had Reyas stand.

Their eye levels were different. Since Reyas hadn't changed, she must have grown.

"Understood. Then, just one more person."

Reyas raised his hand and called out a knight's name.

"Fione, come!"

The one who came from the group was a small-statured knight. It made sense—when the helmet was removed, long black hair spilled out.

A girl. Around the same age as Ria. Tall for a woman, though not as tall as Ria. She could certainly be called a beautiful girl, but her eyes were intense. It looked like she was glaring at Ria.

No, was she actually glaring?

Ria didn't recognize her, but had she perhaps done something indirectly wrong to her?

… She had too many things that could apply, so she couldn't tell.

Since her level was quite high, it would be troublesome if she held a grudge.

"I am Fione Uran Crystera. I shall serve Your Highness, staking my very life upon it."

No, no, rather than staking her life on serving, that look in her eyes seemed more like she was staking her life on killing her.

Reyas had the girl who had knelt and made this declaration stand. The Crystera family was an earl house if she recalled correctly, so for a young lady from such a family to become a knight must have taken considerable effort to gain her family's understanding.

"She will serve at Your Highness's side as a liaison with the knight order. As she is close in age to Your Highness, please use her without reservation."

"Please treat me well."

That greeting seemed to carry fighting spirit, perhaps even killing intent.

In truth, she worked as a capable secretary.

"Fio, get me those documents."

"These?"

In no time at all, they had reached the point of using nicknames. Their chemistry rivaled that with Lulu.

She was probably someone who could clearly separate personal feelings from work. She often met with Guinevere as a liaison, and Guinevere's evaluation of her was high as well.

If you excluded Shizuna who shared her bedroom, Fio, who accompanied her for both paperwork and troop reviews, was arguably the person she spent the most time with.

But even so, the intensity contained in those eyes watching her was concerning.

"What was Carla up to today?"

"Her Royal Highness Consort Carla—"

Fio spoke in a freezing tone. And with "Royal Highness Consort" no less.

"—should be visiting the orphanage today."

Ah, that's right, she remembered now. The orphanage that had taken care of her during childhood.

"By the way, Shizuna-sama should be reviewing Manesh's Third Army."

It felt strange for Shizuna to have "-sama" attached, but she was now officially recorded in the family register as the Second Consort. It had been decided that calling her a mistress forever wasn't appropriate, though the phrase "queen's wife" was odd in itself.

But Ria understood from Fio's attitude now.

She probably disliked homosexuality. Well, it couldn't be helped. That was a perfectly normal value system.

"Fio, listen."

So Ria spoke to her gently.

"I understand that homosexuality is hard for you to accept. If you find it unpleasant, you can request a transfer."

In response, Fio reacted intensely.

"That's not it!"

It was a strong denial.

"I… I admire Hime-sama!"

It was a confession of strong affection.

"M-me?"

Overwhelmed by her intensity, Ria found herself pushed back. This was the first time she had received such pure affection from a woman.

"But, Fio, it always seemed like you were glaring at me…"

What had that been about?

Fio's eyes darted about. But then she stared at Ria with renewed intensity.

"I was being foolish."

And then Fio's confession began.

How she had been drawn to Ria's freedom back when she was at Casalia's court.

How she had admired the figure who could openly declare her preference for women—something one normally couldn't say publicly.

How she had wanted to be even a little closer and decided to become a knight.

How she had regretted not conveying her feelings before Ria left on her journey.

How she was once again moved by Ria's stance of taking a woman as her wife despite being a woman herself, and allowing no objection to it.

And how she had been jealous of the two women who had become Ria's wives all this time.

Fio poured all this out as if expelling it from herself, and at the end, added in a very small voice:

"I love you."

Honestly, Ria was overwhelmed.

This was the first time a girl had told her she loved her so directly.

"Fio… do you like women?"

That's why she ended up asking such a foolish question.

"The only one I like… is Hime-sama."

So straightforward.

It was different from the strength Carla possessed—a single-minded devotion.

"I love you."

Fio told her while staring straight at Ria, tears welling up in her eyes.

Ah, damn it. She was adorable.

Ria stood up, reached out to Fio's cheek, and brought her face close.

She kissed the tears that had gathered in her eyes.

Then she embraced her gently, softly, as if handling something fragile.

"If you stay with me, you won't be able to have children. Well, even if you have an affair and have children, as long as you come back to me, I don't mind…"

"The only one I like… is Hime-sama."

In Ria's arms, Fio had made herself small.

She should take responsibility. Ria made her decision.

"Once the coronation is over, become my third wife."

She felt Fio give a small nod.

A duke-ranked noble from Casalia arrived bearing a letter from her father along with the crown, and preparations for the coronation began.

Since Casalia had sent a massive army of thirty thousand along with him, even selecting an encampment site was a challenge.

Many royals from surrounding nations gathered for the coronation, so she had to arrange their reception as well. Since Ria was fundamentally not one to put on airs, she tried to meet with anyone who came to see her.

As expected, the workload had increased too much, so Fio managed her schedule.

"If you cut back on training time, things would become much easier."

"That's the one thing I can't do."

Various minor incidents occurred, but the coronation day arrived without issue.

The duke placed the crown on a stand before the throne. The procedure was for Ria, dressed in male attire as always, to place it upon her own head.

Rather than sitting on the throne, she turned to face the courtiers, the kings of various nations, and the ambassadors, raising both hands.

"Long live Her Majesty the Queen!"

Guinevere shouted enthusiastically. Everyone joined in the chorus.

Archduchess. That was Ria's official position.

When a member of the royal family left the line of succession, duke was normally the highest rank they could attain. This was exceptional.

She had heard how difficult the negotiations her father had conducted were, but all she could do was bow her head toward Anaias.

Now, the nation's name.

Originally, they had planned to use Manesh's name as the base, but since Duchess Guinevere of Manesh would continue to exist, that would be inconvenient.

They considered calling it the Cordovan Archduchy with the intent of conquering Cordova, but Cordova's name simply had too bad a reputation.

So they decided to use the name Ogress.

It was a name derived from ogres, who were sometimes called barbarians. But by deliberately using it, they demonstrated harmony with other races.

To the nobles of surrounding nations, they formally recognized their autonomy.

From now on, territories would take the form of "the _____ Territory of the Ogress Archduchy." They would need to establish overall laws and organizations, but that would be done gradually.

The self-governing cities of Shashmeer and Jaeburg would have their elected mayors treated as earls for one generation only.

Incidentally, at this time, Vargas was granted the rank of baron.

It would have been awkward for the Archduchess's wife's father to remain a commoner.

The Ogre King and representatives of the beastkin also received noble titles.

At least under Ria, this demonstrated their intention to obey the Archduchy.

Without sitting on the throne, Ria stood and began her speech.

"In the past, I conquered the labyrinth city and received a revelation from its master: the Millennium will arrive within ten years."

This was a fact that, until now, only a small number of people had known. The courtiers stirred greatly.

After waiting for the commotion to settle, Ria continued.

"The primary purpose of establishing this Ogress Archduchy is to survive that Millennium."

This was a clear national vision. And it was a reason that no nation, no person, could oppose.

"However, before that, there is a problem that must be dealt with."

Yes, what lay before them was not the Millennium.

"The evil nation of Cordova, which has invaded other countries without just cause and brought about war—we shall destroy it. And we shall return the territories to their rightful lords."

In the audience chamber now were nobles from countries that had been destroyed by Cordova.

Tears glistened in their eyes.

"Cordova is a great nation. However, we are united under one will, and we have the support of the Kingdom of Casalia. We have every chance of victory. All that remains is your efforts."

Here, Ria drew Kotetsu and pointed its tip toward the heavens.

"We shall bring the hammer of justice down upon Cordova! Victory shall be ours!"

Yes, they were justice.

Being able to believe that would become their strength.

Someone murmured "Victory" in a small voice.

Others followed, and the voices grew louder.

The morale throughout the court was rising.

With this, could they somehow defeat Cordova? Was she still not anxious?

There would always be anxiety. But she must not let it show on her face.

In an atmosphere like a battlefield, Ria shouted once more.

"Victory!"