I'm getting distracted (I'm meant to be looking for something in particular) but:
'[Hilmes] had previously lived in exile across various lands—Rum, Maledania, Galatia, Zalf, Kazar, and Dastad—yet, ironically, he had never visited Lusitania.'
Dropping this here so I remember to come back and properly try to figure out where these places are.
Rum I assume is drawn from the Sultanate of Rum? I need to check the original Japanese for the spelling of these as this is a Google Translation of a Chinese fan translation which can sometimes warp names quite a bit.
Kazar might be based on the Khazar Khaganate?
Galatia is likely this.
Maledania... Mauritania maaaaybe? Unless the Japanese puts it closer to Macedonia.
I dunno about Dastad and Zalf. Any thoughts?
Also, this:
'a thought crossed Silvermask's mind: had Militsa been a man—had she become the King of Maryam and commanded its armies—perhaps the kingdom would not have fallen.'
This actually feels kind of progressive for Hilmes. Though it's based on Irina's words about how Militsa resisted the Lusitanian invasion and held Akleia for two years, which is undoubtedly what Arakawa drew on in her portrayal of Militsa and the fall of Akleia.
