WARNING: The following article contains significant spoilers for Episode 16 of How a Realist Hero Rebuilt the Kingdom, currently streaming on Funimation.
How a Realist Hero Rebuilt the Kingdom is a political isekai about King Souma Kazuya and his court trying to make the kingdom of Elfrieden a better place. This naturally involves a great deal of hard work, including plenty of strategizing, paperwork and negotiation. Perhaps the series could even be said to romanticize tireless labor; Souma has a magical "Living Poltergeists" power that allows him to put his consciousness into various inanimate objects, and he uses it to possess quills so he can complete more paperwork. After the negotiations with Amidonia to return their city of Van, Episode 16 allowed the series' various leaders and diplomats to turn to less taxing engagements.
Jeanne Euphoria, a negotiator from the Gran Chaos Empire, returned home to her sister, Empress Maria Euphoria. Meanwhile, Souma and Princess Liscia returned to Elfrieden for a celebration of various adventurers. Though Souma, Liscia, Jeanne and Maria had some respite, neither group forgot their leadership duties. In the midst of this reprieve, Elfrieden also saw a reappearance from King Souma's most unusual ally.
After returning from Van, Jeanne updated a calm but content Maria on the negotiations: The return of Van to Amidonia is almost complete. After hearing this, Maria's smile broadened and she said, "Now that's enough of work mode!" as she embraced her sister. Jeanne was embarrassed, calling Maria's behavior inappropriate and childish, but she soon sat down to keep her company.
Maria asked about Souma's nature, her wording focusing on him as a person rather than his policies. Jeanne called him, "The kind of man who keeps a bed in his office, same as you," a brief line that encapsulates what a workaholic Souma is. The notion that Maria is just as tireless makes it all the more meaningful that she has taken this opportunity to unwind -- to an extent. Jeanne discussed Souma's intelligence and innovation but soon steered the conversation to his plan for a secret alliance with the empire, to which Maria laughed with relief at how much the two governments' relationship had improved since Souma's arrival. Even when Maria is trying to exit "work mode," the sisters can't help but exchange vital intel.
Maria seemed perfectly happy with the interaction though, excitedly looking forward to meeting Souma in person. Perhaps Maria believes in work-life integration, a philosophy which may have benefits for someone who seems to enjoy her work as much as Maria does, but could spell misfortune for her and her empire if she ever becomes exhausted due to a constant focus on her responsibilities. Maria even lamented, "Everyone outside of the family treats me like the empress," possibly frustrated that her people see her only as the venerated "Saint" of her nickname, and not the human being underneath. Perhaps Maria welcomed Jeanne's continued discussion of imperial business because she really doesn't know how to take time off.
Just as Maria wondered about meeting Souma, the scene transitioned to a benefit banquet for adventurers at Elfrieden's Parnam Castle. Princess Liscia Elfrieden took the stage before rows of adventurers and thanked them for saving Elfrieden lives, presumably during the war with Amidonia. Liscia apologized that Souma couldn't be there, but this wasn't entirely accurate. Master Mascot, the life-size puppet Souma sometimes possesses with his "Living Poltergeists" ability, was sitting with his adventurer friends from Episode 7.
The adventurer Yuno, believing Master Mascot to be an adventurer who wears an outfit, pressured him to drink with her, and the other adventurers piled on with more tankards. Master Mascot reacted nervously, apparently because he was worried that not being able to drink would blow his cover. In an amusing twist, however, it turned out that Souma actually was wearing Master Mascot as a suit for once, allowing him to partake -- although how he managed to drink through his mask remains a mystery. When Souma ultimately collapsed, Liscia knelt to attend to him, much to Yuno's surprise.
Yuno balked at Liscia, calling her by her title as if to underscore how unexpected it was that a princess would kneel to attend to a mere adventurer. Perhaps the relaxed nature of the celebration meant that Liscia felt like she didn't need to be a "princess" in this situation. Having said that, Liscia is also a soldier, so perhaps her priority of circumstance over status is not so unusual. Not only that, but Liscia still had guards move Master Mascot out of the celebration, fulfilling a royal responsibility as one of Souma's protectors. It seems that, like Maria, Liscia can't leave her work behind even when she tries to.
Liscia wondered why Souma bothered attending in person, to which he responded, "What choice do I have? Even I need to socialize sometimes." Souma's wording makes it seem as though he at least recognizes that he doesn't schedule time off for himself as often as he should. Even this socialization he afforded himself is part of an important ceremonial obligation, honoring the adventurers for their service; his choice to arrive as a guest of honor rather than the one doing the honoring was his compromise to himself. Ultimately, finding this compromise between tireless dedication to one's kingdom and important recuperation might be Souma and Maria's greatest challenge.
