Chapter 4

Another year passed, and Todd turned nine.

His younger siblings were also growing steadily.

Compared to any route in the game world, they should all be leading quite happy lives.

Takeru was no longer bullied by his older siblings, and Enesia had become much more gentle than before.

Edward had further honed his intellect, and his win rate in intellectual games was now just barely over 60%.

In another year, he might become unbeatable.

While feeling a sense of crisis, Todd secretly looked forward to the day when Edward would become too much for him to handle.

In the game, Todd would usually start gaining weight around this time due to his appetite.

However, the current Todd was continuously subjected to the harsh training of the Ryenbach, and he spent nearly half of his free time on mock battles and strength training (the other half was spent on theoretical and practical magic studies).

Due to the intense use of his mind and body, his physique had become slender and muscular.

While he might not be able to match Edward, he could be called a handsome man without any exaggeration.

Over the past year, Todd had grown remarkably.

True to his royal blood, he possessed exceptional talent in both swordsmanship and magic.

Seeing Todd's rapid progress, the head court mage, Slain, smiled, and the commander of the royal guard, Ryenbach, laughed heartily, saying that it was worth the effort to train him.

The reason he was cutting into his free time and pushing his body to the limit was to prepare for the day when he would pilot a mobile armor.

Mobile armor is a weapon that can achieve superhuman durability and mobility by casting magic on materials made from monsters and metals.

However, it is controlled by a human, and its power and speed are proportional to the physical abilities of the pilot.

Therefore, to become a powerful mobile armor pilot, physical training is essential.

As a result, knights, who possess a certain level of physical ability, are more valued as mobile armor pilots than mages, who can attack with magic.

The magic soldier unit, which was once a prominent branch, is gradually becoming obsolete.

However, magic is not becoming unnecessary.

Magic is essential for creating mobile armor and its predecessor, enhanced armor.

In the future, mages will increasingly take on roles as support staff and manufacturers rather than combatants.

Todd was training in magic to take the lead in creating mobile armor.

--- I want to create mobile armor with my own hands.

For Todd, who had played "Augustus ~The Supreme Throne~" extensively, the desire to create and operate mobile armor as soon as possible was very strong.

In terms of swordsmanship, he had received a seal of approval from Ryenbach, who said that he could now match any new knight.

In magic, he had successfully advanced to the second tier, which is a new level that only experienced mages can use.

Let me explain a bit about magic in this world.

The basic elements are fire, water, earth, and wind, known as elemental magic. With a few exceptions, these are what are generally referred to as magic.

Each elemental magic can unlock new effects once a certain level of proficiency is reached.

This is called the second tier, and mages who can use these new powers are allowed to serve in the palace.

The effects obtained at the second tier vary by element:

- Fire: Body enhancement

- Water: Healing

- Earth: State preservation

- Wind: Enchantment

Mages have the ability to deliver powerful attacks from a distance.

However, it is difficult to maintain the concentration needed to cast spells continuously.

Once targeted by knights, mages are often captured due to their lack of physical endurance.

Therefore, mages with a certain level of talent usually start by learning fire magic, which has the highest attack power and provides enough speed to escape from enemies once they reach the second tier.

After gaining a reputation on the battlefield, they typically learn water magic to heal and support from the rear.

However, Todd chose to learn earth magic from Slain, not fire magic.

Despite the teasing and nagging, he reached the second tier by the time he turned seven and, at his current age of nine, has successfully advanced to the second tier in wind magic, which he learned next.

It seems that Slain, the head court mage, disapproved of Todd's choice to use earth magic, which has fewer applications, and frequently advised him to study fire magic.

Slain likely thought that Todd's resistance to normal magic studies was a typical rebellious phase.

Even though his evaluations were low, Todd did not bother to correct them.

He knew that in the future, wind and earth would be more necessary than fire.

He doubted that anyone would understand if he explained that even water magic would be a third priority in the end.

Considering the future, it was not enough for him to just be able to use magic.

Ideally, he would have already begun recruiting earth mages from neighboring countries like Rinfelt and Akitsushima.

However, this was difficult at his current stage.

Even as a prince, his allowance was limited.

To use the country's budget on a large scale, he needed to demonstrate the effectiveness of mobile armor and enhanced armor to his father.

The only thing he could do was to use his pocket money to buy materials and catalysts and try to create enhanced armor on his own.

All of this was for the future, for the sake of the future of Rinsugaya.

However, his evaluations had recently started to decline.

The direct cause was the comparison with Edward, who had made a brilliant debut in society and demonstrated superior intellect.

"Compared to the elegant and refined Prince Edward, how is Prince Todd? He may be smart, but all he does is get injured in mock battles and buy strange things with his allowance. It's all very odd."

"Creating things like a lowly alchemist? Undergoing training that leaves scars on his body? Such things are not what a royal should do."

These were the general opinions of the nobility.

Recently, many were considering shifting their support from Todd to Edward.

When he heard that Iris, who disapproved of Enesia playing with Takeru, was leading the movement, he couldn't help but chuckle.

His father, who wanted Todd to inherit the throne, had scolded him multiple times for a royal to be getting injured.

His mother had sighed and told him that such actions were pointless and that he should focus on fire magic instead.

However, Todd had no intention of changing his actions.

Edward was more suited to be king, and there were many things he could do in this world only if he remained unburdened.

Ideally, he would like to pay attention to his surroundings, but he no longer had the luxury to do so.

--- When Todd turns thirteen, that is, four years from now, an incident will occur in Akitsushima.

The seal on the Yamata no Orochi, which had been in a long slumber in Akitsushima, will be broken, and several cities will be destroyed.

The enhanced infantry led by Halt Iijima will then eliminate the Yamata no Orochi.

Halt Iijima, who defeated the monster that the knights could not handle, will be recognized for his development skills and be promoted from a low-ranking researcher to the head of a research institute.

The effectiveness of enhanced armor, which was previously considered a strange weapon, will be confirmed, and Akitsushima will begin mass production, significantly increasing its military power.

In the process... mobile armor will be completed in Akitsushima.

Depending on the response of the King of Rinsugaya, war with Akitsushima may break out.

If war does break out, it will be disastrous.

The kingdom's soldiers will suffer a crushing defeat against Akitsushima's enhanced infantry and mobile armor, and will be forced to fight a two-front war against the neighboring country of Rinfelt, which will take advantage of the situation to attack.

In the battle against Rinfelt, Ryenbach will die while protecting Todd, and Todd will barely escape.

The kingdom will be forced to sign an unequal treaty and follow the path of a defeated nation.

Rinsugaya will be weakened, and it will lose much of its territory, people, and wealth before it can develop mobile armor by kidnapping Akitsushima researchers and forcing them to develop it.

To survive... and to prevent the evil hand from reaching those in Rinsugaya, Todd must do everything in his power to prevent the Akitsushima route from happening.

Another important point to remember is that "Augustus ~The Supreme Throne~" is a flawed game.

There is another possible bad ending.

--- A king may be born among the mountain people in the Erandor Mountains, which are located to the east of both countries.

The mountain people live in tribes and clans and are a horse-riding people, similar to ponies on Earth.

From children to the elderly, everyone can use bows and perform light cavalry maneuvers such as back shooting and standing shooting.

Few possess magical talent, with the exception of prayer masters.

Although they are destined to decline as enhanced armor can match the speed of horses, they currently pose a significant threat to the kingdom.

They frequently raid, but due to their lack of unity, the kingdom can handle them without much difficulty.

However, if Totila, the tribal king, unites all the clans and the mountain people become a cohesive force...

Depending on the response... the Kingdom of Rinsugaya may be erased from the map.

This is known as the clan extinction ending, where no one is saved.

Before the development of mobile armor, the kingdom will be ravaged by the highly mobile light cavalry.

Totila's large army will march on the capital, and the king will be captured after a battle.

In exchange for a large ransom, the king will be released, further weakening the kingdom.

Taking advantage of the situation, Rinfelt will attack and capture the capital.

The royal family will be executed, and their heads will be displayed in the public square...

To avoid these two bad endings, Todd is taking action.

There are two main things he needs to do:

1. Travel to Akitsushima and, if possible, recruit Halt Iijima along with his subordinates.

2. Deal with the mountain people in the eastern mountains and prevent Totila from becoming the tribal king.

Without Halt Iijima, Akitsushima will not increase its military power, and the likelihood of territorial expansion will decrease.

He will have Halt Iijima develop enhanced armor or, ideally, mobile armor for the Kingdom of Rinsugaya.

He understands what Halt Iijima is interested in, so if his predictions are correct, the chances of Halt Iijima joining his side are high.

If he can recruit Halt Iijima, the technological revolution in Akitsushima will not occur, and the military power that was supposed to increase will remain as it is.

Conversely, the military power of Rinsugaya will increase, and the gap between the two countries will become even larger.

This will make it easier to avoid war.

Next, regarding the mountain people.

As mentioned earlier, the mountain people act in small units based on their clans.

If they can be defeated before they unite and function as a single army, the threat can be eliminated.

To achieve this, Todd intends to make his father recognize the power of enhanced armor.

If he can use enhanced armor to subdue the barbarians and prove its effectiveness in combat, his father will likely approve of mass production.

Even if Totila does not become the king, the mountain people will still be a thorn in the side of the kingdom.

Eliminating them now will prevent future problems.

In the game, Edward is allowed to go out when he turns thirteen.

The player is then forced to play catch-up, preparing various defenses and setting traps to counter the mountain people's invasion.

However, Todd, who is two years older than Edward and has more freedom due to being somewhat neglected, can act proactively.

He can act before Totila becomes king and before enhanced armor becomes prominent in Akitsushima, pulling all the strings.

The days of training with Ryenbach while honing the state preservation of earth magic and the enchantment of wind magic were frustrating, and his anxiety grew day by day.

Realizing that creating enhanced armor on his own was impossible, he quickly gave up on that idea.

Instead, Todd spent his time deepening his relationships with his siblings and their mothers.

For Todd, who had a strong sense of family, this time was invaluable and precious.

Thanks to this, his relationship with Edward remained good, and Takeru and Miyahi did not seem to be struggling.

Since he and Miyahi had few common topics, their conversations often revolved around her homeland, Akitsushima.

He compared these stories with his game knowledge to check for inconsistencies.

Training Takeru, who had excess energy, became a regular part of his routine.

These busy but precious days with his family came to an abrupt end one day.

--- On the day he turned ten, he finally received the long-awaited permission to go out.

Todd begged his father and Miyahi to use her family connections to travel to Akitsushima.

(Now... it's a race against time.)

His destination is the Boso Peninsula on Honshu, where Akitsushima is located.

The special weapons research laboratory for yokai, where Halt Iijima will be demoted, is his target.

Todd rushes to this outpost, established to deal with the yokai, which are unique to Akitsushima.

---

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