Chapter 171 - Chapter 1: History Unraveled
The arrival of spring in the Royal Capital of Sertoria is heralded by clusters of yellow daffodils blooming on the riverbanks of the river that flows north-south to the west of the Royal Capital. Locals celebrate the arrival of spring by hanging two or three stems from their eaves as decoration.
These flowers bloom in the Royal Capital from late March to mid-April.
The large, pale yellow flowers certainly evoke the arrival of spring, but due to the Spring Festival being in May and the plant being poisonous, they are not widely used in major events or rituals, making them a rather subdued presence in terms of customary familiarity.
However, regardless of such adult circumstances, when patches of the riverbank became covered in a yellow carpet, children knew that the warm hours for playing outside were getting longer, and they delighted in being led by their mothers to pick the flowers.
A clump of these yellow daffodils, divided from a parent plant, was also planted in the Royal Palace garden, and this year too, they bloomed all at once with large yellow flowers.
"Harris. You finally returned around the time the daffodils bloomed, but I hear you came back empty-handed."
In the audience chamber waiting room, Victor, the Commander-in-Chief of the Kingdom Army, was teasing Harris, the Secretary to the Archbishop in the Royal Capital, who had a face like he had bitten into a bitter bug.
"Not only empty-handed, but I was turned away without even reaching the entrance. It would have been much better to get inside and be empty-handed. My judgment was naive. I wasted money. I apologize."
Harris, usually so assertive, humbly bowed his head.
"Well, well, it's good enough that we found out the methods we've tried so far didn't work. Now we can avoid making the same mistakes in the future. You'll be looking for new clues again, won't you?"
Evans, the Prime Minister, personally handed Harris a chilled beer. Harris thanked him and, as if to boost his spirits, drank half of it in one gulp.
"Ah, about that. Actually, there's a new clue. I came here today to talk about it."
The King and Victor, who had been smirking, intending to tease the usually assertive Harris, exchanged glances.
"What? You've already found something?"
Harris nodded at the King's question and said,
"It came from the Nakanohara Archbishop. Rejoice, the catalyst was Priestess Jeanne."
Hughes, the Captain of the Royal Guard, let out a whistle, and laughter spread among those present.
Lately, Priestess Jeanne has been involved in the resolution of almost all the matters that those in this room, removing their hats, have been huddling together to discuss. And the person herself knows nothing about it.
"Priestess Jeanne always seems to be helping us."
"After all, she's the King's guardian deity."
"Isn't she just a listener for complaints?"
The King's words, as he thought of Priestess Jeanne's face and said she deserved a first-class medal for her achievements, were turned into teasing remarks towards the King by Evans and Harris.
"Harris. Did you hear about the Primordia fortress?"
"Ah. Victor told me. Of course, I won't talk about it at the church. No, I can't talk about it."
When the King asked, Harris comically covered his mouth with both hands.
He certainly couldn't say, even if his mouth were torn, that the King approved it and the former Queen commanded it.
It would be a shame to spoil the effect, which has spread to the nobles of Engrio as a threat from the Demon Lord, and is serving as a check on the honeymoon relationship between the King of Engrio and the Ruined Town.
"Volunteers from various countries came and caused a great commotion, but I sent them back, telling them to come again next spring."
"Next spring..."
Harris's eyes sharpened. Although he seemed to have given up on defeating the Demon Lord with his own hands, his comrades knew he intended to participate in some way.
"Ah, next spring. If this year's offensive and next winter's offensive go well, I'll issue the call for the assault. Be ready for that."
"Understood," Harris replied in a single word.
"Harris. Are you still going to participate in the subjugation?"
When Victor asked, he waved his hand lightly.
"No. I'll leave the main force to Prince Roberts and Prince James. Ah, Evans and Hughes. You two are also part of the main force, aren't you?"
"Yes. We will humbly join, however little we can contribute."
Evans bowed respectfully, and Hughes nodded.
"Do your best. I plan to participate as a diversion or in the rear guard. Victor, I'm counting on you for logistical support."
"I understand. Protecting the heroes who charge in is our role as the Kingdom Army. We will do it thoroughly."
The subjugation of the Demon Lord means charging into the cave where it resides.
Historically, several small units, ranging from a few to a dozen people, would charge in, and those who reached a direct confrontation with the Demon Lord would subjugate it.
The 'main force' refers to those believed to possess the power to defeat the Demon Lord, like the Seven Heroes of old. These are individuals designated by the King, whose territory is where the Demon Lord revived, and also include recommendations from kings of other nations. Traditionally, several groups have been selected.
The 'diversion' unit's role is to charge into the cave before the main force, lure out monsters, destroy traps, map the inside of the cave, and provide information to the main force.
The 'rear guard' unit's role is to charge in after the main force, guard against potential attacks from the rear, and rescue the main force if they fall into a difficult situation.
Logistical support, of course, aims to support the charging units, prevent outside monsters from entering the cave, and handle the recovery and evacuation of injured personnel. Since powerful monsters inhabit the area around the cave, continuous combat ensues, requiring military command capabilities and logistical management skills. Traditionally, this role has been handled by the commander of the country where the Demon Lord resides.
"By the way, to return to the topic, what was the information that came from Nakanohara?"
The King asked Harris.
"You must have read the report I already submitted, but the mountain survey I participated in was blocked by a barrier. Re-examining ancient documents stored at the Medioland Royal Capital Grand Church and various attempts to dispel it on site all failed. Now, there's talk that Priestess Jeanne's Light magic might be able to dispel it in one go. Such a thing was written in an ancient document handed over by a ghost found in an ancient tomb in Nakanohara."
Everyone present knew about Jeanne's Light magic. Moreover, among the Jaegers, combined with its effect in winning night battles, a mysterious legend has secretly spread that those who bathe in its light before battle will return alive. Since Jeanne herself uses it everywhere, surprisingly many people know about it.
"I asked the Nakanohara Archbishop to investigate whether it can actually be dispelled. The Nakanohara Grand Church also has an altar like the one on the mountain. If the barrier beyond that can be dispelled, then the mountain's barrier might also be dispelled. Once the provisional investigation in Nakanohara is complete, I will participate in the main investigation. I apologize, but I have a vague idea of what lies beyond the barrier, but I cannot say now. However, I will definitely speak when the time comes."
This matter had already been discussed.
The King merely nodded slightly, and no one tried to reprimand him for it.
"However, is that Light magic really such amazing magic? I hear the Jaeger Unit finds it quite useful for night battles."
Victor tilted his head.
"It is one of the ancient magics that the First King used, which is currently believed to be unusable on this island—and probably in this world—by anyone. Since its effect is for illumination, only its convenience is recognized, and it's not talked about much, but in terms of rarity, it is extremely valuable. Of course, this fact itself isn't widely known, and I didn't know it until Eleanor-sama taught me."
Hearing Evans's answer, Victor still tilted his head, murmuring, "Hmm."
"I hear that people from Nakanohara have always had many users of unusual magic. The First King also came from Nakanohara. Is there some connection?"
"There might be, if you say so."
"Is Jeanne perhaps related to the royal family by blood?"
Evans's answer to Victor was no.
"Victor, do you know the First King's name?"
"I believe it was William-sama."
"No, that's what he was called after his coronation. I mean his name before that."
"There was such a thing?"
"Yes. Harris, you know it, don't you?"
"I believe it was Guillaume-sama..."
"That's right. Guillaume-sama."
"That's an unfamiliar name," Victor said.
"Indeed. He was from the continent."
Victor's eyes widened at those words, and he instinctively looked at the King's face.
The King nodded, saying, "That's right."
"But weren't those born on the continent unable to use magic?"
What Victor said was the prevailing theory. It is said that one cannot use magic unless they were born on the island and have lived there for several years.
"There are exceptions. There is a region on the opposite shore of Primordia called Sertogne. For some unknown reason, it is said to be the land where ancient people who lived on this island fled to. Only those from that region are said to be born with the ability to use magic."
This was the first Victor had heard of it.
"Actually, it's not widely known, but the First King was, so to speak, a returnee who came back from that region. I investigated Priestess Jeanne's background, and her deceased parents' ancestors were returnees from the continent. There are many such people in Nakanohara. In fact, it was the First King's will to have those who wished to return settle in Nakanohara."
"I'll take over from here," the King said.
"The story gets a bit complicated, but there's a legend surrounding the First King. His mother was born in that land and married into one of the Medioland royal families. However, her husband passed away early, leaving her a widow. Afterwards, there were apparently proposals for remarriage, but she refused them all. As a result, she must have felt uncomfortable and returned to Sertogne. The First King, who was not yet an adult, was taken with her. He later returned after reaching adulthood. As Evans just said, on the continent, there is a country called the Kingdom of Sertogne, which is descended from the ancient people of this island. His mother was a royal family member of that country."
"What!" Victor involuntarily exclaimed.
"At one point, the then Crown Prince of Medioland visited Sertogne. There, he met the First King after he had come of age. He probably went to bring him back after he reached adulthood. That was the catalyst for the First King's return to the island. After staying as a guest of Medioland, for some whim, he moved to what is now Nakanohara and became a hunter. This is my personal speculation, but he might have made some secret pact with the then King of Medioland. And he was dispatched to a small lord in Nakanohara. The hunter role was probably a disguise. The First King was a virtuous person, beloved by everyone in Nakanohara, and became a caretaker among his fellow hunters. The rest, as you all know, is history."
Victor now looked at Hughes, who nodded. It seemed that Hughes and his comrade Jones, who was in Nakanohara, were in charge of investigating Priestess Jeanne's background.
"Priestess Jeanne's parents' ancestors were also serfs. Records of their migration from Sertogne remained in the church. Since they could use magic, they were probably serfs of a higher class. In other words, they were not royalty. However, they are descended from ancient people."
"I see," Victor sighed.
"Is that why there are so many people with unusual names in Nakanohara, not just Priestess Jeanne?"
Victor asked, and Evans nodded.
"That's right. When the First King was elderly, there was a period when he invited people from where he used to live to come to this island. Most of those he invited were from the serf class. This country abolished aristocracy and class systems. The First King, despite being a former royal, lived a considerably free life in the countryside, which could be called a severance package sent by his mother who returned to her homeland, and was close to hunters and farmers. The poverty of serfs on the continent was incomparable to that on this island. He must have wanted to let the serfs he once lived happily with live as free citizens in this country."
If there were serfs who wished to immigrate, he would pay the local lord of the time to buy them out. The First King cleared a large area of forest in southeastern Nakanohara and created several villages. He had them live there, but in the recent war, some of those villages were attacked by the Engrio army.
"However, Engrio has also been inviting mercenary comrades from their homeland on the continent to immigrate ever since they first acquired territory on this island. Therefore, Sertoria—especially Nakanohara and Engrio—has a fair number of people with names that don't sound like they belong to this island. And that is one reason why many people from the Nakanohara District are users of unusual magic. For example, Marcelo of Marcelo Company is one such person. As for names, Bishop Catherine is another. As you know, serfs are tied to the land. The Kingdom of Sertogne was previously divided into five countries, so there would have been marriages between royal families. Consequently, the ancient blood might have remained strong in some royal families and serfs in Sertogne. Of course, after coming to this island, some moved around, including to the Royal Capital, so interbreeding would have progressed. However, families who have lived continuously in the same assigned village for a long time might have a strong ancestral bloodline. Priestess Jeanne's parents are an example. Unfortunately, the war caused significant damage, and the residents have largely changed now."
"In that case," Victor asked,
"In that case, are there people who use Light magic in that country called Sertogne?"
"There are none. Currently, most magic users in Sertogne use very common elementary magic, and there are only a very few intermediate mages at most. It's just like the islanders of Uminohara. Perhaps the Goddess's blessing is weak? The First King was born on this island and lived here until he was about eight years old. Although he came of age in Sertogne, he is considered an islander when it comes to magic. This is merely my speculation, but Priestess Jeanne was born on this island, inheriting ancient blood so strongly that she can be called a descendant of the ancients. She became a priestess, said to receive the most blessings from the Goddess. She grew up under the education and influence of Bishop Catherine and Priestess Jennifer at the orphanage, and then began subjugating monsters. It might be the result of all these factors combining that she was granted Light magic."
After a brief silence, Victor spoke.
"Evans. Does Priestess Jeanne know about this?"
"Well, I wonder. If she asks, then yes, but it's not for me or Hughes to talk about. We were investigating Light magic with Eleanor-sama and just happened to stumble upon the returnees from Sertogne. Of course, those who know, know. But it's just a 'so what?' kind of thing, isn't it?"
"That's true," Victor said, and everyone present nodded.