The Eve of the Coronation

The brief peaceful time passed, and at last the Alsarm army arrived at the Royal Capital.

In the end, the Secretary of Military Affairs and his faction were never sighted again.

It was presumed they had taken a different route than the Alsarm army to reach the Solar Union.

The people of the capital welcomed the Alsarm army.

After all, it was renowned as the Kingdom's strongest army, and their mere presence was reassuring.

With Mani as the commanding officer and the capital's army still being reorganized, many people must have felt uneasy.

She was working hard and public safety had improved, so her reputation should recover given time.

Yohane and the others had moved to where Princess Tianis was in the capital to greet them.

Princess Yupe and Lady Anatia were also nearby.

"What an incredible cheer. It's like a parade."

"It's less about popularity and more about them being reliable. The King is absent, the Secretary of Military Affairs is absent. The people aren't stupid. They've probably noticed."

"Well, as long as the Alsarm army is here, it's basically a safety guarantee. What a relief."

"Yupe. Father is planning to give you a proper scolding as well. Even I was surprised when I heard the gist of things from Tianis. As for your self-awareness as royalty…"

"Anatia's nagging is starting again…"

Princess Yupe flattened her ears with an exasperated look.

He felt like he was starting to understand the relationship between these three.

The Alsarm army that had been invading the Solar Union appeared quite exhausted despite maintaining their formation.

Because of this, after entering the castle, they would take a rest.

Duke Baroba joined them immediately.

"Father!"

"I'm glad you're safe."

Lady Anatia embraced Duke Baroba.

It had probably been a while since they met face to face, and they must have been worried about each other after everything that had happened.

Duke Baroba gently stroked her head.

"Princess Tianis. And Princess Yupe. I am deeply sorry about His Majesty."

"Duke Baroba, it wasn't your fault. Thank you for fighting so hard for the Kingdom. I'd like to hear the latest situation."

"It hasn't changed much from my report. After that, we captured three fortresses and conquered two cities, but… we received orders to return while struggling to advance further."

"You were almost at their capital. But this should have dealt them considerable damage and bought us time."

"We did deal damage, but their movements are not normal. The cities all employed scorched earth tactics that held us up for long periods. The reason we struggled to advance was because people calling themselves Apostles stood in our way. Their main force isn't their army, but these so-called Apostles."

The Apostles of the Church of the Sun God.

Believers with terrifying power.

Though the true Apostles should be few in number.

"In any case, the soldiers must be tired. Please rest for now, Duke Baroba. It's not too late to decide things after that."

"Then if you'll excuse me… It seems you've been supporting my daughter."

"No, I only cooperated a little."

Duke Baroba addressed him as he was leaving.

He should have been commanding on the front lines the whole time, yet he showed no sign of fatigue.

He was like an anchor supporting the Kingdom.

"Please continue to lend my daughter your strength. She's intelligent but still lacks experience. She'll likely stumble in unexpected places."

"I'll do what I can."

Duke Baroba nodded and departed.

"That was nerve-wracking. I was bracing myself thinking he was going to lecture me. Anyway, I'm going back to my room to rest."

"Do your work first."

Whether she heard or not, Princess Yupe quickly disappeared as well.

"She's my own sister, but it's complicated to admit that even someone like her being around is helpful… She's still quite popular in high society though. She looks like a proper royal princess, after all."

"She's improved a lot though. Before, she wouldn't have even shown her face."

"Maybe so… I'm glad I didn't restore her succession rights. If something happens to me, I'd feel more secure with the throne going to Anatia-neesan rather than Yupe-neesan."

"I'm not suited for it."

Lady Anatia denied it with a wry smile.

She probably intended to support from behind the scenes.

"With Duke Baroba's return, the coronation will finally happen."

"Yes… I'm getting so nervous my palms are sweating. We'll give the Alsarm army about three days to rest, then begin the day after."

"Preparations are more or less complete."

They had already sent invitations to major continental nations including the Empire and Spartia.

They had considered holding it privately. That opinion was strong. But Princess Tianis ultimately decided against it.

One reason was to clearly oppose the Church of the Sun God.

She wanted to use it as an opportunity to directly assess which nations would support that cause.

At the same time, hopefully create some degree of cooperative framework.

So far, the invited nations were leaning toward attendance.

"This will be Queen Tianis's debut."

"Yes. I hope we can project an image of a new Kingdom."

"It's difficult, but the benefits would be great if it succeeds. Let's do our best, Tianis."

"… Yeah."

And the day of the coronation arrived.

The Kingdom's coronation began with envoys from each nation watching.