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Vol 01 Chapter 36: Yet, the Earth Moves Around the Sun

Natural Philosophy. In simple terms, natural philosophy is the idea of theoretically elucidating phenomena occurring in nature.

In Kirisia… especially in Alto, the slave system was highly developed. Since all work was done by slaves, the citizens of Alto always had free time.

So, they thought of ways to kill time.

That is, they began to search for knowledge. Why is fire hot, why does water turn into ice when cooled, why did the sun and moon rise and set regularly… They delved into phenomena that were previously deemed ‘ordained by the gods,’ seeking to elucidate them. They discussed these matters which turned out to be quite enjoyable.

That was how natural philosophy developed.

Nikolaos was a natural philosopher from Alto.

He got married at seventeen, and by eighteen, he had his first daughter. Now he was thirty-eight years old, with children aged twenty (eldest daughter), twelve (second daughter), fifteen (eldest son), ten (second son), and eight (third son). He owned ten slaves.

His specialty was astronomy.

That is, deriving the regularity of the movements of the sun, moon, and stars, grasping the nature of the universe, and thereby understanding fate.

In current Kirisia, it was believed that the Earth was spherical… a planet, and that the moon and the sun orbited around it.

Initially, Nikolaos supported this theory. However, as he continued his research, he suddenly realized something.

「Huh? Aren’t these calculations off?」

What that meant was that when placing the Earth at the center—according to the geocentric theory—the calculations didn’t add up or became extremely complex. Thus, he began to consider that perhaps the geocentric theory might be incorrect.

Nikolaos eventually developed a new theory.

Namely, that the sun was at the center of the universe, and all celestial bodies except the Moon orbited around the sun. Only the Moon orbited around the Earth.

He named this theory the heliocentric theory and presented it.

However, the response from the public was lukewarm.

He was treated as a madman by those who held the fixed idea that the celestial body inhabited by humans, a race chosen by the gods, must be the center of the universe, and he was harshly criticized.

But he could have sufficiently retorted to that.

「You say that humans, a race chosen by the gods, must be at the center. But can’t you consider this? It wouldn’t be odd for the sun, the symbol of all that’s good, to be at the center.」

However, he was refuted by supporters of the geocentric theory. Why? Because his theory had a fatal flaw.

If the sun were at the center, then annual parallax1 should be observable. But in reality, annual parallax1 could not be observed.

In terms of observations, the geocentric theory had an advantage over the heliocentric theory.

He argued that the reason annual parallax could not be confirmed was due to the Sun being too far away from the Earth, but his argument was not accepted.

He would have been better off conceding at that point. Science doesn’t progress without mistakes. The natural philosophers of Alto also understood this.

However, he did not give up and continued to assert his theory.

Naturally, he became unpopular.

「He’s so annoying, isn’t he?」

The slander against Nikolaos eventually spread to his family.

「Damn it!! Why can’t everyone understand!! My theory is perfect. Damn, these hard-headed fools dominated by their fixed ideas!!」

Nikolaos crumpled up a sheet of calculations and threw it away, then punched his desk hard with his right arm.

But lashing out at inanimate objects would not convince the natural philosophers of Alto.

「Nikolaos-sama, you have a letter.」

「Hm?」

Nikolaos received the letter from a slave. The material of the letter was peculiar. Thinner and lighter than parchment, and white.

◇

「Dear Brother, how are you?

I am well. It seems my decision to relocate to Claris and then start a business in Lezado on the Adernian Peninsula was the right one. The reason is something I acquired there called ‘paper.’ You, with your sharp mind, will surely see its usefulness. The barbarians of Adernia are not to be underestimated. When I returned to Claris to restock, I heard rumors about you. Rumors about you are spreading throughout Kirisia. I think you are right in your beliefs. But perhaps it’s time to stop. I can’t bear to see you treated like a mad fool. You have a family, don’t you? Someday, your ideas will be acknowledged. It might take hundreds or even thousands of years… but that’s okay, isn’t it?

The Adernian Peninsula is a good place. It’s warm, and the food is quite good. And being able to use plenty of salt is great.

Life on the Kirisian Peninsula must be difficult, right? In the Adernian Peninsula, no one knows you. If you wish to relocate, I would welcome you.

Until next time. I look forward to a good response.

Sincerely,

Ainz of the Ainzworth Trading Company, Lezado, Adernian Peninsula.」

◇

「Hmph.」

Nikolaos crumpled the letter and threw it on the floor. He had no intention of giving up.

「Nikolaos-sama, your meal is prepared.」

Another slave informed him.

「I’ll be right there.」

Nikolaos stood up and headed for his meal.

「Hey, what happened to Kroll?」

「He’s out. Really, playing around until this hour… We’ll have to scold him when he gets back,」

Nikolaos’s wife said with a laugh. The Nikolaos family decided to wait for their youngest son, Kroll, to return.

After a while, the door opened, and Kroll came back.

「I’m home…」

「Why are you so late? And that bruise?」

Kroll had a large bruise on his face. On closer inspection, his clothes were also dirtied with soil.

「I just fell. I’m going to wash my hands.」

Kroll said that and left as if fleeing.

Could falling cause a bruise on the face? No, that’s unlikely. That was undoubtedly the result of being punched. But why was he punched…

Nikolaos thought about it. He glanced briefly at his eldest daughter.

She was not yet married, but it was about time she should be. However, what if because of him, she couldn’t marry?

It wasn’t just the eldest daughter. In the future, his children could be ostracized because of him… because of his actions…

Nikolaos weighed his own goals against his family’s well-being.

And then…

「Hey, everyone. I actually have a suggestion.」

TN1: The annual parallax is the apparent shift in position of a star viewed from Earth, as observed at opposite ends of Earth’s orbit around the Sun. This effect is a direct result of Earth’s movement through space, allowing astronomers to measure stellar distances through triangulation. This phenomenon was also used in our history to discredit the heliocentric model proposed by Copernicus.