Maturity of the King

After her Coronation Ceremony, Yuuri was sent home by Shinou-heika.

She continued living her normal life, Field Trip to Tokyo Tower included for her Social Studies class.

But that one trip got her new friends...but a trip that changed her life forever.

Because of what she was, she kept her Escudo Sword with her as a precaution even when Princess sent them home. She wants her sword with her AT ALL TIMES.

Then came their second return after their traumatic ending, because out of guilt, they wanted to do what they could, for a crumbling country...and she asked Clef for Ruling Advice and what she should, can, cannot and shouldn't do as King because of her...situation that got the Mage baffled.

Clef gladly helped her because she helplessly admitted this was WAY over her head. She was an ordinary girl turned into a country's monarch it was driving her crazy, and that was BEFORE Princess Emeraude summoned them! She had no one to turn to about this at home.

So Clef tutors her while they deal with attacks from three invaders...pound some sense into them...put up with Hikaru's psycho half...and deal with the ultimate enemy born out of the people's fears...with Hikaru being the new Pillar and she gladly abolished the Pillar System to end the eternal tragedy of the world.

Again, she kept her sword within her magic.

Their guilt resolved, they can now move on with life.

Even at home, Yuuri can summon her sword, as a reminder she strongly wished to keep it with her, and use her magic.

At any rate, she won't tell Hikaru and Fuu.

Because they are now technically citizens of Cephiro, they retain their gained powers as Knights.

However, she is second only to Hikaru in strength now, considering...but she doesn't mind. She wants her life LESS crazy and she can use less stress, being a King in another world, dammit. At least Hikaru didn't have to deal with ruling a country!

But she wondered...if she can control WHEN she wants to come...and considering how the other world dresses...she bought herself cute dresses and shoes, and sealed it all within her magic and not her closet.

She cannot control when she wants to come even without a shred of doubt in her heart.

"Maybe there's something I'm not doing right..." she frowned. "Ah well, I better keep up my grades."

...was her thought.

One on test day, she looked at the kanji of her name.

'Enduring Lapis Lazuli'.

Lapis Lazuli is a blue gemstone. Rich blue in color.

It must have been a foreshadowing of what she would be.

The Magic Knight of Water in Cephiro. Even before Cephiro happened, when she gets angry, her magic was STILL water-oriented. Her sword and armor blue in color, as is Selece, her Rune God.

Ah well, blue is a cute color anyway.

But upon taking Swimming Lessons in P.E that day, she felt a familiar pull when classes was over and she decided to stick around just incase...

"King shows up in a swimsuit. Oh boy..."

xxx

She also ended up in a rather...hot spring?

"This could be the bath house." she thought as she rose to the surface for air.

A different bath house this time as she got out.

She remembers what the one in Shin Makoku looks like so wait...

WHERE IS SHE?!

Shuddering at appearing in enemy territory as the other world was rife with discrimination, she quickly changed her clothes with a snap of her fingers, appearing in a cute white blue with white off-shoulder frills, and white flats and matching hairband and she was instantly dry. Carefully peeking out of the bathroom doors, and carefully walked around when she heard voices by the corner,

'Don't rush, she's in a safe place.' that was Conrad, so that made her feel safe.

'I SHOULD be rushing, she came out in the bathroom!' Wolfram, her fiancee-by-accident snapped. 'She could have no clothes!'

'I'm always well-prepared, but who'll dress her? Gisela isn't here!' Gunther wailed, 'And Anissina's chasing Gwendal, again!'

Yuuri sighed.

And does Gwendal have a suitor suddenly? THAT grumpy Gwendal?!

'Worry not because I came prepared this time.' Yuuri deadpanned, showing up, startling all three of them.

'Yuuri!'

'Heika!'

Indeed, she was wearing clothes. A cute blue dress, not in her uniform this time.

'I'm glad I'm not in enemy territory when I got in a different bathroom...I freaked out you know!' Yuuri grumbled with an armfold much to the sheepish looks of the older men while Wolfram was dumbstruck. 'W-what?' she balked at the way he looked at her.

'That's a cute dress Yuuri.' ever-perceptive, her godfather who snickered at how his brother looked at her.

'Mom won't ever let me own shorts or pants. Always a dress or a skirt, I want to wear pants at least once in my life.' Yuuri drawled with an amused armfold. 'Ah well. Where ARE we if you guys deem this place safe?'

'This is Gwendal's Family Castle.' said Gunther. 'We are in Voltaire Province.'

'Gwendal's house huh...speaking, the man's hiding from his suitor huh? Must be some lady if that old grump's running away...' Yuuri marveled in amazement.

'Well...there's a story behind that...' Gunther coughed. 'Just that if she asks you to test something for her, run, and don't look back.' he warned with a shudder.

Yuuri felt she should NOT ask...

xxx

In her makeshift office...

Yuuri dealt with paperwork that she magically translated by having Wolfram touch her desk. Adamant by staying by her side? He'll have to work! When he did, she linked languages together, that they can all see japanese glowing translations.

'Whoa!' Wolfram gasped out.

'This is a rather ingenius way of learning, Yuuri.' Conrad approves! 'But for you to master magic like this so quickly...'

'Stuff happened...hey Gunther, all these are triple-checked right?' Yuuri asked worriedly. 'Some of the stuff here are asking for budget for this and that projects, nobody's skimming off the top and pocketing it by ahem, lying about budget needs?' Yuuri asked Gunther sternly whose eyes glinted with a dark smile. 'The last thing I want is conning the national funds through fraud!'

'Oh yes, we've triple-checked your majesty!' Gunther promised her. 'Gwendal is the most strict in funding allocations so we investigate these claims! They're alright for approval now.'

'Phew...and these spring tax records are lower than what's expected as noted here...are the farms doing alright in all provinces? At least taxes that came from businesses are doing OK.'

'We've had a bad drought last year, so these figures are understandably lower just for now when they normally make the cut. We can overlook things like this as long as it's a fortuituous event.'

'Mm. I'd like to visit the farms sometime and ask what everybody's doing...when's the rainy season here?'

'That's three months from now but hopefully there's no another drought this year...'

Yuuri kept asking the right questions when she sees papers that needs her approval, astonishing two brothers and her royal tutor, because she doubts everything she reads and asks their affirmation and all else, so some paperwork got smoothened out, and some on pending...for investigation.

'Phew! All done!' Yuuri sighed in jubilant glee that she can finally take a break.

'Good work, Yuuri.' said Conrad, offering tea. 'You've gotten mature when before...'

'Try dumping kinghood on a clueless teenager who learns a country's depending on her.' Yuuri deadpanned tiredly. 'With that kinda pressure worse than cramming for Entrance Exams for College, you'd crack a book too about stuff like this!'

'The rumored Exam Hell in Japan I take it?'

'Yup.'

'How hard can that be?' Wolfram asked her.

'Originally, in ancient times, these are only Japan's letters.' Yuuri showed hiragana floating in the air. 'But due to influence from another country, Japan's writing system was completely revamped, that 2000 years later, everyone's required to at least, know over 3000 words just to read a damn newspaper!' she showed kanji words she knows and they can agree that's PLENTY. 'Compared to that, language lessons in this world are easy, to say the least!'

'Ah, so that's why heika learns literacy quickly...with that kind of education, indeed, our school life here is much easier, a mere breeze...' Gunther frowned at the language education comparison via difficulty levels. 'But why the strange way of writing?'

Yuuri had to explain the mechanics of kanji.

'Oh...'

'Yup, so when we write, what may look like a short phrase to you is actually a sentence.' said Yuuri. 'In Entrance Exams, the hardest languages to score a pass in, is Language, Math, English, Social Studies and Science in that order of extreme-difficult to somewhat nasty.' she shuddered. 'Getting into High School was bad enough as it is!'

'Heee...oh yes, we have an important matter.' Gunther had a sudden 'I remember now' expression and he looked serious. 'There is unrest among the Humans, such that we may cross swords before long. In any case, they appear to be preparing for battle.'

'Preparing for battle...is their motive investigated? Number of men, weapons, supplies, assassins, magic users?' Yuuri fired away anxiously. 'Moreover what about our side in that regard? I hope it's not something as stupid as, hey, their king is a little inexperienced girl so invading is easy as pie?' she growled, annoyed at the notion. 'I admit I'm a newbie but still...'

'We have agents looking into that as well.' said Gunther grimly. 'We are waiting for word back from our spies.'

'I see...for now, diplomacy attempts while we get everything and everyone ready on the sly.' Yuuri ordered. 'I want our men well-supplied with the latest equipment, our logistics well-organized and stocked, re-training our men and field doctors! What about evacuation sites for citizens incase they attack us in our home field? Are the sites stocked with food, water, medicine and beddings? In times of peace we have to stay sharp and well-fit so incase the worst happens, we're always ready.' she instructed.

'And with Houseki around, I want our men to carry Maseki to counteract the effects its mere presence causes since only purebloods are affected while half-bloods like myself and Conrad have our human side as protection against Houseki...maseki will also help our magicians boost magic usage in human territory as a bonus so I hope that's easily accessible.'

She hasn't forgotten how Houseki affected Wolfram and his men when Adalbert used the rock on them before.

'Yes, we will arrange for those immediately.'

'Someone's shaped up I see.' Gwendal came in.

Lord Gwendal von Voltaire, oldest son of the previous Maou, with his ash-gray hair so dark that it might almost be called black and sullen blue eyes that not even the most beautiful woman can coax into good humor, totally looks like the best choice for the position of Maou. His voice is so low it sounds like it comes from his hips.

'I have to.' Yuuri snorted. 'So who's the idiot stirring up trouble?'

'It's Cavalcade.' said Gwendal.

'Cavalcade? It can't be.' said Gunther incredulously.

'No, they're using Sondergaard as a front, but Cavalcade is providing the funds. If you do not believe the intelligence provided by my spies, then you will have to do an independent investigation.' said Gwendal flatly, putting a large map on the table. He's pointing at a large continent separated by an ocean from the area that looks like Shinma Kingdom. Two of those color-differentiated countries are probably Cavalcade and Sondergaard. Judging by the first thing Gwendal said, she guessed the people of Cavalcade are planning to attack the Mazoku.

Gunther adopts a stereotypical smart-person tone.

'But how can Cavalcade have the leisure when they're so preoccupied with their pirate problem? Ships from Taurog are coming under attack, so the report of aid from Sondergaard and Hildyard is...'

'On the surface. But reports say that a percentage of the resulting damage has been returned to their country.' Gwendal quipped.

'So it's a make-believe piracy while secretly funneling goods for more funding and access to resources?' Yuuri frowned.

'Seems like it.'

'Getting ready for war when clearly strapped for cash if they're resorting to piracy, are they idiots? They'll bleed themselves dry.'

'Not our problem but theirs, but we cannot overlook what they're planning.' said Gwendal. 'So your war orders I overheard by chance are on the go?'

'As much as it pains me to approve that, yes.' Yuuri grunted. 'I want everyone well-prepared, in good shape and well-stocked so nobody catches us with our pants down.' she ordered. 'Regarding on who goes, I want all men around Wolfram's age under Militia Status to protect the cities, towns and villages while the older men will go to the front lines with us if war really can't be avoided if Diplomacy went crappy. The Militia has an important task...protect the women and children, and build well-hidden evacuation sites with nearby access to water.'

Then Yuuri took a deep breath before exhaling.

'And do we have assassins?'

'...we do.' Wolfram gulped at the question.

'Sometimes to avoid war, books back home said cut the head off...that means we cut off the warmongers and those who control the funding or provides the money. Deal with the competent army generals as well so idiots will be put on authority and idiot leaders often make bad decisions in the battlefield, stuff we can exploit.'

'That can be arranged.' Gwendal said with a nod.

'So many stuff to do, so little time...and who's our diplomat?'

'No one for now, but we also have something in mind.' said Gwendal. 'We the Mazoku possess a legendary weapon which cannot be wielded by any save His Majesty the Maou. It is said that once invoked, it has enough power to burn the world to nothing...though in reality maybe a small city...in any case, the fact remains that it is a legendary sword: the mightiest ultimate weapon in all of history. Even its name...'

'An ultimate weapon?'

'Yes, Your Majesty, it is the sword Morgif.'

'The last to invoke it was His Majesty Basilio von Rochefort, the Maou eight generations ago. It was later lost, its whereabouts unknown until just recently when it was discovered in Van de Via Island.'

'Van de Via?!' Gunther squawked. 'Isn't that a barbaric place with a volcano in there?!'

Yuuri looked thoughtful.

Volcano = Onsen!

Eureka!

'Awww don't be like that, Gunther~' Yuuri purred in delight. 'My kind back home are fond of volcanoes, however dangerous.'

'That's crazy! Why on earth are your countrymen fond of volcanoes?!' Wolfram sputtered out.

'Three words! Hot Spring Baths!' Yuuri squealed in glee. 'After this retrieval mission we can enjoy ourselves! Besides, despite the danger a volcano brings, the ash they produce causes lands to become fertile so no doubt Van de Via is a fertile island but nobody knows that. It has farmland potential...'

'That's in a human territory.' Gwendal quipped. 'Let's not tell them of that agricultural boon, shall we?' he said with a snort.

'Oh yes, one final question before we get everything done Gwendal...what is Miss Anissina's occupation?' that got the men choking in fear.

'She's an inventor...but her inventions always explode so they're short-lived...' said Conrad weakly.

'I have a task for her.' said Yuuri. 'I want her to invent a well-functioning water purifier. A gigantic machine that purifies salt water from the ocean into clean, potable water for farming and consumption, as well as creating salt for food flavoring and food preservation. We can't just rely on wells and rivers after all and in times of drought, seas and oceans have plenty to spare.' she said. 'That is an important mission she must take seriously and plan the design carefully so it doesn't blow up. Money doesn't grow on trees, please emphasize that.' she told them seriously before looking mischevous. 'Besides, that means with her so busy, you guys don't have to hide from her anymore.'

'Heika!' the men choked out.

'We leave tomorrow morning after breakfast. Anything else to worry about?'

'None for now and these,' said Gunther, giving Gwendal a thick wad of paper. 'Is for Gwendal to look over. Pending Investigation since they're somewhat concerning.'

Gwendal twitched.