WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Episode 20 of How a Realist Hero Rebuilt the Kingdom, now streaming on Funimation.
As the first full season of political isekai How a Realist Hero Rebuilt the Kingdom reaches its climax, Elfrieden's King Souma Kazuya is faced with an enemy from an old war. Season 1, Part 1 was focused on Elfrieden's war with the Principality of Amidonia. When Elfrieden successfully took Amidonia's capital city of Van, they were compelled to return the territory by an international treaty. Amidonian citizens soon came to prefer the leadership of King Souma and his court, and Episode 20 saw the principality formally request to become annexed by the kingdom.
This staggering redrawing of borders has been the most significant territorial change in the series, but it was covered by a few short minutes of exposition. Did Souma make the right choice? What happened to Amidonia's Prince Julius? And who is Gatsby Colbert, Elfrieden's new finance minister?
Prince Julius received word of an uprising in the Amidonian city of Galua. Elfrieden's Prime Minister Hakuya Kwonmin told Souma that Julius had brutally put the rebellion down. Souma thought that this was "the wrong way to use cruelty." Souma typically thinks of cruelty as a leadership tool, using his favorite philosopher Machiavelli to justify the occasional use of cruelty. When Souma criticized Julius' cruelty, did he feel sympathy for the rebels or a colder political disagreement with how Julius had handled the situation?
Souma's cruelest choices have included his civil war with the duchies and his execution of corrupt nobles -- two entities with considerable political strength. Souma could have been critical of Julius' cruelty because it targeted a relatively weaker enemy -- he was 'punching down' at a civilian army. His motivations were also different; Julius crushed the rebellion to maintain his power, while Souma executed the nobles to protect his family. On the other hand, Souma went on to add that Julius' response was "only going to make public discontent increase," which could imply a more utilitarian disagreement.
Ultimately though, there were too many rebellions for Julius to overcome, and the prince was forced to abdicate the throne. Consequently, Amidonia's General Herman Neumann fought off The Republic of Turgis, who tried to take advantage of the power vacuum. Part 1 ended with Elfrieden's war against Amidonia, which depicted various compelling battle scenes, but these later battles have not been animated. The anime is a political drama after all, and perhaps animation studio J.C.Staff did not want to stray too far from what the series is truly about. Also, previous battle scenes involved Souma personally, and showing Souma's reaction rather than the battles themselves was a more authentic depiction of his perspective on the events.
Herman and Amidonia's finance minister Gatsby Colbert sent Souma an official request for annexation by the kingdom of Elfrieden. Souma characteristically weighed the pros and cons of approving the request, ultimately deciding to join the two nations under the Elfrieden banner. One drawback he didn't mention specifically was the possibility of former Amidonian citizens resenting Souma's rule due to the principality's longstanding grudge with Elfrieden for taking their territory. Many Amidonians wanted to take land from Elfrieden, but instead, it would all be given away.
Souma received Gatsby and Herman in his throne room, hiring the former to be Elfrieden's new finance minister. Souma clarified that Gatsby would be the finance minister for all of Elfrieden, reminding him of his mantra that he wants to take advantage of people's talents "no matter who they are." Another unspoken benefit to Gatsby's hiring could be preventing discrimination. Elfrieden just received thousands of new citizens, so hiring a skilled former Amidonian to a key position could send the message that its new citizens are just as much a part of it as its old ones.
Amidonia’s disillusionment with Prince Julius transpired almost exactly as Souma’s court had anticipated in Episode 14, to the extent that Hakuya was concerned it was going too straightforwardly and "some other will" was at work. Unbeknownst to Souma, Gatsby had been working with Amidonia’s Princess Roroa on an unspecified plan to make him “answer for what you’ve done,” as she vowed in Episode 13. Roroa also described Souma as "just the kind of opponent I need" in Episode 18. Herman presented Souma with rolls of carpet as a gift, and Roroa emerged from them to propose to marry him.
The extent to which the upbeat princess’s designs are truly dangerous has always been ambiguous, especially since the anime’s Part 2 trailer revealed the comedically awkward proposal scene. Is the proposal a ruse concealing a violent undercover mission, or does she hope the marriage could have an honest diplomatic advantage in terms of ensuring Amidonian people are represented in the court? If Roroa and Gatsby’s plan poses a real threat to Souma’s regime, his trust in Gatsby may come to a sad, sudden end. At the very least, it's likely that Gatsby’s role in the annexation request was motivated by Roroa, and that she was the “other will” Hakuya feared.
The Mankind Declaration forbade the acknowledgment of any border changes made in conflict, but Souma has managed to effect an international change that's recognized in Episode 20. With the ripple effects from the war with Amidonia finally subsiding, its annexation will present him with a whole new set of challenges. At least this time, there will be a period of relative peace in which to engage with them.
