After-Story Chapter 18: The Former Cold-Blooded Prince's Kingdom Rebuilding Chronicle (Part 1)

“We’ve returned, haven’t we?”

“Yes, we have,” Julius confirmed with a nod to Tia, who whispered beside him.

The two were standing in Lasta, the former capital of the old Kingdom of Lastania. This city, which was small for a capital—only about the size of a regional town in the Kingdom of Friedonia—was the homeland of Princess Tia, which had been under the domination of the Great Tiger Empire. Now, it had finally returned to the new Kingdom of Lastania.

Though it had been under the rule of the Great Tiger Empire, Julius had abandoned the city early on, deeming resistance futile. He had taken only about forty followers (including residents from outside Lasta) with him when he fled to the Kingdom of Friedonia, leaving the remaining residents to submit to the Great Tiger Empire. Fuuga and Hashim, who subsequently ruled the city, did not engage in destruction or mass murder, and the chaos from the coup that followed Fuuga’s defeat did not reach this city near the border.

Because of this, the city remained exactly as it was when they left it. Gazing at the city, Julius spoke to Tia.

“However, we must leave soon. I apologize, Tia, but this location is too remote to establish a capital.”

“I understand. You are now the King who will govern many people, Lord Julius.”

As a result of the continental reorganization, Julius was granted one-third of the vast Great Tiger Empire and was tasked with reestablishing the ‘Kingdom of Lastania.’ Scholars in later years would refer to this nation as the ‘New Kingdom of Lastania,’ or they would call this nation the ‘Kingdom of Lastania’ and distinguish the former Kingdom of Lastania, which was only a regional government within the Eastern Nations Union, as the ‘Old Kingdom of Lastania.’ (Here, for clarity, we will refer to the current nation as the ‘New Kingdom of Lastania.’)

For Julius to govern the New Kingdom of Lastania, the old capital of Lasta was far too remote, and its facilities were inadequate. Establishing the capital here would require an enormous cost, so Julius and Tia had decided on a different city for the capital.

The most likely candidate was Fuuga’s former castle, the Great Tiger Castle of Haan, but the castle was reduced to ashes in the recent coup, and the city suffered catastrophic damage from rebel looting. Restoring it would require immense effort, and it would also be problematic to establish the center of governance in a place heavily influenced by the previous regime.

The location Julius and Tia chose was…

“Wedan Castle will be the center of this nation from now on, won’t it?”

“Yes. I have received consent from Lord Ichiha.” Julius nodded at Tia’s point.

The place Julius and Tia chose as the capital of the New Kingdom of Lastania was Wedan Castle, the former residence of the Chima family. The Chima territory was situated between major powers, and successive heads of the Chima family had protected the land by leveraging diplomacy and siding with powerful forces. This meant that the region was also a vital transportation hub.

Julius had obtained permission from Ichika, the successor to the Chima family, to develop the area around Wedan as the capital and planned to govern the New Kingdom of Lastania from there.

So why, then, were the two of them visiting the former capital of Lasta today?

“Juliu… I mean, Your Majesty. The repatriation of the refugees is complete,” Jirukoma said, approaching and reporting.

Julius nodded. The purpose of their visit was to bring back the forty or so people who had evacuated with Julius to the Kingdom of Friedonia. Since they had chosen to share the fate of the Lastania Royal Family even in dire straits, Julius made a point of rewarding them appropriately. Though most of the refugees desired to continue serving the Royal Family.

“Thank you for your service, General Jirukoma.”

“General… hmm, I still can’t get used to that title,” Jirukoma said, scratching his cheek awkwardly at Julius’s words.

Jirukoma holds the rank of General, leading the military within the New Kingdom of Lastania. Jirukoma had argued that his wife, Lauren, who had served the Lastania Royal Family for a long time, was more suited to the position, but since Jirukoma and Lauren have many children, Lauren decided to focus on child-rearing for a while and entrusted the position to Jirukoma.

Jirukoma intends to hand the position back to Lauren when she is ready to return to work after child-rearing, but since they continue to have children, that prospect seems distant. He is truly the ‘Big Daddy’ of the Kingdom of Lastania. Perhaps a day will come when he is enshrined as a married deity overseeing blessings of children and safe delivery.

Julius spoke to Jirukoma. “You should get used to it quickly. I have gotten used to being called Your Majesty, too.”

“That may be true for a former Prince who is now King, but I was just a refugee. I still can’t believe I’m the head of a nation’s military.”

“Then find someone more capable than you. If you do, I will demote you.”

“Hahaha. When you put it that way, it makes me want to cling to this position.”

The two exchanged lighthearted banter. It seemed their relationship remained unchanged despite their elevated statuses. Princess Tia smiled sweetly as she listened to their conversation.

Then, “Tia. And Your Majesty,” a voice called out.

Turning around, they saw Tia’s parents, the former King and Queen of Lastania. The two smiled gently as they walked toward Julius and Tia. The former King took Julius’s hand and shook it firmly.

“We are truly indebted to you. Both for your time in this country and during your time in the Kingdom of Friedonia. And the fact that we were able to return is thanks to you.”

“Father-in-law…”

“There is no longer any doubt that we can entrust the country and Tia to you. Therefore, as originally planned, my wife and I will remain here in Lasta.”

Tia’s eyes widened at the former King’s words. “! Is there no changing your minds? Father, Mother?”

The former King and Queen smiled gently at Tia’s question. “The steering of the new nation should be left to the young ones. We intend to live peacefully in this familiar place so as not to be a hindrance to His Majesty’s governance.”

“Don’t worry, Tia. This is not a permanent farewell. Rather, we plan to visit the capital frequently to see Dias.” The former Queen added, stroking Tia’s head.

This had already been discussed previously, and although Tia had vehemently tried to persuade them to live with them in Wedan, the two adamantly refused to budge. Thus, Julius had accepted their will.

“The Royal Residence is safe. We have restored and placed the furniture that Fuuga’s forces sent to the Kingdom of Friedonia inside. We have also assigned guards and servants, and the residents, though they had to obey Fuuga, still revere the Lastania Royal Family. You should be able to live as you once did.”

“We are grateful, Your Majesty Julius. …My son-in-law.”

“Please come to Wedan anytime. Tia and Dias will be delighted.”

“Oh. Of course.”

Then, with fond farewells, Julius and Tia returned to Wedan Castle. The former King and Queen, who remained in Lasta, waved for a long time at the receding Wyvern gondola.

“So, Your Majesty. What do you plan to start with?” Jirukoma asked Julius in the gondola on the way back.

He wanted to know what Julius planned to do first upon returning to Wedan Castle for the relaunch of the New Kingdom of Lastania. Tia also looked at Julius with a face full of curiosity.

“That’s a good question,” Julius said, touching his mouth as he considered. “First, we need to impress upon the people that the Kingdom of Lastania has been reestablished. And after that… following Souma’s example, I want to gather capable personnel first.”

“Personnel… will they gather?” Tia tilted her head at the question.

The corner of Julius’s mouth softened at her gesture. “Well, I don’t think it will be a problem. We have already received applications for service from unexpected individuals and have hired them.”

“Unexpected individuals?” Tia asked again.

Julius grinned. “Yes. They are a bit troublesome, but they are interesting people.”