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Vol 03 Chapter 92-2: New Year II

「Interesting.」

I finished reading the first volume of ‘Continental Crossing’ written by Akira. The first volume is about the Scarlet Empire.

It includes the reasons Akira’s parents started their journey, along with episodes from their travels, informing about the customs, culture, practices, geography, and history of the Scarlet Empire. According to this book, dragons and qilins actually exist.

I’d like to visit it, though it’s probably impossible.

「Thank you. This paper is really convenient… it’s been a great help. And to think you’re giving it to me for free…」

「Don’t mention it. It’s a pride for our country to produce such excellent books.」

I had been providing Akira with paper for free, along with a residence and servants to ensure he could write comfortably.

On Earth, ‘A Travelogue of the Three Continents’, ‘The Travels of Marco Polo’, ‘The Journey to the West’, and ‘The Record of Buddhist Practices Sent Home from the Southern Sea’ are famous1. Akira’s ‘Continental Crossing’ is undoubtedly a book that rivals, if not surpasses, these.

Even if I make a mistake and this country falls, Akira’s books will surely live on.

Supporting him means I continue to live through his books. My existence will be remembered in future generations.

「But… one thing that bothers me is that it’s hard to read. The more you progress, the more it expands and gets in the way.」

「But isn’t that just the nature of a scroll?」

Yes, that’s an inherent feature of a scroll. What I’m suggesting is to move away from the scroll format.

「Why not try making it into a book?」

「A book?」

「Yes. Cut the paper into uniform sizes, bundle them together, and then punch holes to thread a string through. If you add a hard cover, it also protects the book. This way, it won’t be cumbersome, and you can use both sides of the paper.」

Coming from modern Japan, where I’m accustomed to booklets, scrolls just can’t compete in terms of readability. Plus, books take up less storage space.

Books are far superior. Well, scrolls do have a certain cool factor.

「That would be more efficient, indeed. Why didn’t I think of that… Impressive.」

「Haha.」

It’s just borrowing from the wisdom of the past.

「By the way, Akira. What do you think of Ismene?」

「Hm? She’s a good person. Why do you ask?」

「No reason.」

That reaction… Ismene… you might need to put in some effort.

◇

「Nikolaos, how are you doing? Have you gotten used to life here?」

「Yes. The food isn’t much different from Kirisia, and the climate is mild… it’s not a bad life.」

Not bad, huh… The fact that he doesn’t resort to flattery like saying ‘it’s the best’ is typical of him.

「What I appreciate most is not being pelted with eggs every time I step outside.」

Should I lament the low civility of the Kirisians or how annoying you can get… Probably the latter.

「By the way, where does my king stand?」

「In terms of what?」

「The heliocentric or geocentric theory… Tetra-sama seemed to support the geocentric theory.」

Hmm, she supports geocentrism, huh? Considering the technology level of this world, one would conclude that geocentrism is correct. It’s expected.

Knowing her, she’d probably say,

「Why even entertain the perverse idea that we’re the ones moving and not everything else? Just accept what you see as it is.」

Hmm, what about me… Being in another world, I wouldn’t be surprised if geocentrism was correct here. But still…

「I lean towards heliocentrism.」

「Wow! As expected of Almus-sama! I always thought you were knowledgeable for a barbaric Adernian. You’re the greatest king!」

The greatest king, huh? Thanks. Sorry for being a ‘barbaric Adernian.’

Nikolaos, buoyed by finding a person who supported him, didn’t notice my wry smile.

I think I’m beginning to understand why he’s a target for egg-throwing.

「It’s good to have someone like you around. This country is less civilized compared to the Kirisian countries. By the way, how do you think we can create an Adernian script?」

「Adernian script? Indeed, it’s inconvenient to have a language without a script. If I were told to make do without Kirisian script and use Persian script instead, I’d probably go mad. But that area is not my expertise…」

It seems he’s not strong in this area either, being a science type. In this world, the distinction between sciences and humanities isn’t clearly defined yet, so I thought he might be able to tackle it.

Everyone has their strengths and weaknesses.

「I apologize for not being able to assist. However, I believe there is something more important than creating a script.」

「Something more important?」

「The calendar.」

The calendar? Is there something odd about it? I have no idea…

「Most people in this country haven’t noticed, but there’s a slight discrepancy with the actual seasons… about forty days off.」

「Hmm, now that you mention it, could that be the case? I don’t pay much attention to it.」

The current calendar was created five hundred years ago. A forty-day discrepancy means an eight-day shift every century. Yeah, that would be hard to notice.

「When I see such discrepancies, it irritates me…」

「So, you’re suggesting we revise the calendar?」

Well… the people of this country have lived according to that shifted calendar, seemingly without issues. The plebeians likely plant their crops based on the seasons they feel, not the calendar.

「Revising the calendar could significantly impact the citizens… it’s not something we can change easily. But, I’ll consider it.」

「Understood. Then I will prepare it.」

This guy really doesn’t listen to others…

◇

「Hey, Iarl. There are two important things I need to discuss with you.」

I summoned Iarl. Upon hearing there were important matters, Iarl’s expression became serious.

Iarl looked tense.

「First thing… How about getting married?」

「Wha!?」

Iarl’s eyes widened in shock.

「I’m sorry, my king. I hold you in the highest regard and swear my loyalty to you. If you command me to die, I am prepared to do so. But my love is that of a subject towards his king, not a romantic one… And considering you already have Julia-sama and Tetra-sama…」

「What are you talking about?」

I don’t want to marry you either.

Realizing his misunderstanding from my expression, Iarl’s face turned beet red.

「I’m sorry. I heard that among the upper class, such relationships between men are sometimes indulged…」

「I have no such interests.」

Even if I did, you wouldn’t be my choice. I’d prefer a beautiful boy.

「So, you were talking about marriage?」

Iarl asked again. I nodded.

「Yes. How old are you now?」

「I will be twenty-six this year.」

「Being unmarried at that age is quite problematic, isn’t it?」

Most Adernians marry in their teens. It’s too late to be unmarried in your twenties.

Though those involved in political marriages might marry and divorce frequently, even into their mid-thirties.

Still, being unmarried is not good.

「There’s a marriage proposal for you. You don’t have someone you love, do you?」

「Unfortunately, I have never been in love in my life…」

That’s pitiful. I’ve been in love twice, and both times it worked out.

「Who is it?」

「I haven’t decided on a specific person yet, but I want you to marry a daughter from the former Dibel faction.」

「The former Dibel faction?」

「Yes. Given the current situation, it’s not favorable, is it? We need to unify the country internally. I think it’s about time we forgive them.」

In truth, most of the patricians haven’t sworn loyalty to me. Their main concern is their own territory.

This is the same for both the former Dibel and Aris factions. So, it’s better to reconcile with the former Dibel faction rather than letting the Aris faction get too comfortable.

「Well, it’s not urgent. Think it over. And the second thing, this is an immediate concern.」

「What is it?」

「I need you to go to King Zoldias’ Country.」

King Zoldias’ Country is located to the west of King Evile’s Country. Most of its territory is mountainous, making agriculture quite challenging.

However, their soldiers are notably strong. And recently, they seem to be doing well, especially in counteracting King Gilbed’s Country’s southern expansion policy.

「Is it a countermeasure against King Evile’s Country?」

「That’s right. We need to put pressure on King Evile’s Country.」

A classic strategy in diplomacy: make distant alliances to counteract nearby threats.

As for why I’m not going myself… Firstly, an alliance is unlikely. Returning without any results would only please King Evile’s Country. Secondly, both King Evile’s and King Belvedire’s Countries are between our country and King Zoldias’ Country.

Even if I managed to secure an alliance with King Zoldias, it wouldn’t mean much if I couldn’t return.

「You’ll leave in two months. There’s preparation to be done. You’ll be staying there for a long time, at least a year. Your presence alone in King Zoldias’ Country will serve as a form of pressure.」

「Understood. I’ll start preparing. And I’ll think about the marriage proposal… I have one request, though.」

Huh? A request from him? That’s rare.

“What do you need?”

“I would like to be given a nomen. I already have one, however, is a plebeian one, used by many…”

In the Adernian Peninsula, names typically consist of three parts: the Praenomen (first name), Nomen (family name), and Agnomen (branch name).

For example, Tetra’s full name is Tetra Aris. ‘Tetra’ is her personal name, and ‘Aris’ is her family name. The absence of a branch name indicates that she belongs to the most prestigious family within the Aris clan.

Similarly, Julia’s full name is Julia Rosais, signifying she’s from the most distinguished family in the Rosais clan.

On the other hand, Raymond’s full name is Raymond Rosais Novatus, with ‘Novatus’ being his branch name, indicating that he is the patriarch of a branch of the Rosais family.

Initially, people only had personal names, but as the population grew, names became longer to avoid confusion. Unlike Japanese, where combinations can create nearly infinite variations, Adernian names have their limitations.

「That’s a fair point. Having a common surname can indeed be problematic in diplomatic affairs.」

I’ve already granted nomen to Ron, Roswald, and Gram, as they are patricians with territories. They also expressed dissatisfaction with their previous nomen, especially Lulu.

They received the nomen Ron Aemilius, Roswald Fabius, and Gram Calpurnius, my inspiration for their nomen comes from a certain country that shares similarities with the Adernian Peninsula, not only in terms of geography, but also in culture, and climate.

The reason I haven’t given Iarl a nomen yet is that he doesn’t own any land. I was willing to grant him a vast territory, but he refused, likely because managing land would be burdensome given his roles as a diplomat and a domestic official.

「How about Claudius? It’s a distinguished one, in the past a very important family bore this nomen.」

「Iarl Claudius… I like it. From today onwards, I will be known as Iarl Claudius.」

Iarl smiled happily.

 

TN1: These are four world-renowned travelogues.

‘A Travelogue of the Three Continents’ (Nihon Kairan Jikki) by Ennin Is a detailed account by the Japanese Buddhist monk Ennin, who traveled to China during the Tang Dynasty. The full title, “Record of a Pilgrimage to China in Search of the Law” (Nittō Guhō Junrei Kōki), reflects his journey across China, visiting sacred sites and observing various practices and cultures.

‘The Travels of Marco Polo’ is a classic travel narrative by the Venetian merchant Marco Polo, detailing his journeys through Asia, including the court of Kublai Khan in Mongolia and China, over a 24-year period in the late 13th century.

‘The Journey to the West’ is a Chinese novel attributed to Wu Cheng’en, and it’s considered one of the four great classical novels of Chinese literature. It fictionalizes the real-life adventures of the monk Xuanzang, who traveled to India in the 7th century to obtain Buddhist scriptures. Akira Toriyama used this novel as inspiration to create ‘Dragon Ball’.

The Record of Buddhist Practices Sent Home from the Southern Sea’ by Xuanzang is the actual account by the Buddhist monk Xuanzang of his 17-year journey from China to India and back in the 7th century