Translator Corner

Minasan oideyasu. This is Yukkuri demasu!

Yukkuri here.

This is just temporary cover chapter until

Larvyde return, okay?

Also, should I call Human Race as Hume just

like FFXII?

DISCLAIMER: There is no

guarantee that my translation is 100% correct. Please correct me if I was

wrong.

Author:

Dozeumaru(どぜう丸)

Translator:

Yukkuri Oniisan

Editor:

So-Chintzy

Enlightenment Arc

Chapter 1: A Tale of Two Cities F

Author’s

Note: This is a work of fiction. Yukkuri’s Note: Likely placed since it deals

with refugee situation. (Sensitive matter for sensitive people)

I left the dispute clean-up to

Juno and her group. In order to accomplish our original objective of meeting

with the leader of this refugee community, we traveled further into the settlement.

Then, after we followed the young man guiding us, he finally lead us to a

remarkably large tent similar to a Mongolian yurt.

We entered the tent and saw a

large Human male inside, sitting down cross-legged with both of his hands propped

against the floor as he bowed his head down. It was a pose that could e often

seen in Jidaigeki,[1] and

was how a retainer would behave towards his lord.[2]

The large man looked to about 30 years old, but if I was to describe his

appearance, then he gave off a similar impression to that of a Native American.[3]

His large burly figure was lightly dressed, which was common to the people who

came from the warmer northern region and his face was painted with what looked

likes symbols or charms.

Behind him, there was a girl who wore

a similar attire to him and was sitting in a similar pose, too. Her age was not

that much different from Liscia or Roroa. She was not that sophisticated, but she

was a girl that gave off a simple cute feeling. Both of them had similar features

on their faces, so perhaps they were siblings.

「Thank

you for visiting us, Your Majesty, the Great King of this Country.」(Man)

「Yes……

Can you stop with that Great King? I’m not really fond of that phrase.」(Souma)

I sat down in front of the man. There

was no chair, so I sat directly on the carpet that was spread over the floor. As

a j.a.panese, this was something that I was familiar with. Judging from the

sensation, the carpet was affixed to a board. So it seems that the carpet wasn’t

directly spread over the bare ground. Liscia sat down next to me. Owen, Hilda,

and Carla, who had returned back from the Castle, sat down behind us.

「Fumu…… Then,

how should I refer to you?」(Man)

「You may

simply call me King or Your Majesty.」(Souma)

「Then

I shall do so. My name is Jirukoma[4].

I have been entrusted with the leader position by this refugee community. For

helping the people of this community at the incident that happened not long ago,

let me express my grat.i.tude from the bottom of my heart.」(Jirukoma)

Jirukoma made a very deep bow as

he said these words.

「I am

the one who is acting as the king of this country, Souma Kazuya. Then, the ones

who rescued them are the adventurers that had been dispatched as guards Please

direct your grat.i.tude towards them.」(Souma)

「I

can’t do that. The deployment of the adventurers itself is due to the support

from the King. We are also thankful for the continuous support of goods.」(Jirukoma)

「Then

I will accept that grat.i.tude…… However, I didn’t come to this place today to

hear words of grat.i.tude.」(Souma)

「………」(Jirukoma)

Jirukoma’s expression tensed when

he heard my words. The significance of my visit should be obvious to Jirukoma. After

all, this discussion about “that case” had been repeated numerous times by the envoys

that I had dispatched.

「I came

to demand your decision. You have heard the “recommendations” from the envoys,

correct? Then, which one will you people choose?」(Souma)

「!

That is-」(Komayin)

「Stop

it. Komayin.[5]」(Jirukoma)

「However,

brother(anija)!」(Komayin)

The girl tried to stand up, but Jirukoma’s

hand held her back. So this girl’s name is Komayin. Just like I had thought,

they were siblings. Jirukoma sharply rebuked Komayin.

「Our

words will decide the fate of all the people of this community. Do not be

imprudent.」(Jirukoma)

「…… I

understand.」(Komayin)

Komayin who had stood up half-way,

sat back down. For a moment, the two bodyguards behind me were also on alert,

but since Komayin had calmed down, they too backed down. The air inside the

room became heavy. Perhaps becaise she was concerned about the situation, Liscia

raised a question.

「Souma,

can you explain the situation please……」(Liscia)

「……

Fine. I want to resolve this refugee problem. If the status quo continues, then

it would not end well, both for our country and for the people who live in this

place. That’s why I compelled a certain decision for the refugees.」(Souma)

「Decision?」(Liscia)

I nodded.

「Either

discard their homesickness and become this country’s citizens, otherwise, leave

this country.」(Souma)

　◇　◇　◇

The refugees that were chased out

from their homelands when the Demon Lord Realm appeared. Their genuine wish was

to repatriate back to their homeland and return back to their old lives. However,

at the current state, that prospect can’t be fulfilled. The last large scale

invasion towards the Demon Lord Realm ended in failure and only left fear in

the hearts of the people. Even the largest major power of the Humanity Side, the

Grand Chaos Empire, hesitated to send out another invasion. Right now, it only

focused on preventing the Demon Lord Realm from expanding any further towards

the south. This was the current situation.

Perhaps, even if we a.s.sume that the

current conditions will improve in the future, it won’t happen tomorrow or the

day after tomorrow. It will also be impossible to achieve in just several months.

Achieving it in several years is also too difficult. It might take dozens of

years, or perhaps we will need to be resigned t the reality that it may take

hundreds of years to accomplish. Then, during that time, what will the refugees

do? If they only wish to return to their homelands, then would they keep

staying in foreign countries as a stateless people?

…… This is impossible. This distorted

situation w ould surely become a source of

problems in the future.

「The

former King Albert took an att.i.tude towards tolerating their stay. I too, in

order to deal with the mountain of other problems, had accepted that position

until today. Even if it was only in small quant.i.ties, I had provide aid and

suport.」(Souma)

「………」(Jirukoma)

「However,

now that the other problems have been resolved, I could no longer ignore tackling

this problem. Even for us, we can’t continue to provide aid indefinitely and we

are also troubled with the refugees staying here illegally. We have tolerated

it up until now, but hunting and gathering without permission were originally

illegal activities. If I permit these illegal activities then it will surely provoke

the anger of our citizens.」(Souma)

The reason for this was they were

not citizens of this country. Up until now, they received an air of sympathy since

they had lost their homelands because of the appearance of the Demon Lord Realm.

However, air is still air. When it will eventually drift away, no one knows. Their

wish of repatriation won’t come true. If we continue to support these

non-citizens and tolerate their illegal activities, then voices of

dissatisfaction would arise amongst the citizens in the future. In the worst

case, it might turn into a violent conflict.

「That’s

why I compelled the people living in this place to make a decision. Give up on

returning back to their homelands and live in this country as citizens, or don’t

give up on returning back and leave this country for another country. I came for

them to decide this.」(Souma)

「Souma,

that is……」(Liscia)

「This

might be heartless. However, this is necessary. In the end, a country is like a

very huge person. She will easily love someone who loves her, but to love

someone who doesn’t love her? Her heart isn’t that generous.」(Souma)

That’s why, while the air of

sympathy still exists right now, I want to promote the integration. This

country is a country of many races. Compared to a nation that is dominated by a

single race, there is a pre-existing basis to receive them. ――― However, that

depends on whether or not the refugees accept on becoming citizens of this multi

racial country. I had spoken about this earlier when pointing the flaw in the Humanity

Declaration, a feeling of nationalism that is too strong will become the source

of rebellion.

「If

perhaps, your people, are determined to return to your homeland no matter what

and don’t have any sense of belonging to this country, then I…… will have no

choice but to deport your people.」(Souma)

When he heard my words, Jirukoma clenched

his teeth.

「……

We just…… want to return to our homeland.」(Jirukoma)

「I

understand that feeling. I don’t mind if each person simply holds that feeling

inside their heart. If the situation improves, then when the situation for the

repatriation arrives, we won’t mind if you return back to your homeland……

However, at least while you are in this country, I want you to identify

yourselves as citizens of this country. If you can’t then… this country is not

a place for you to stay.」(Souma)

「………」(Jirukoma)

Jirukoma was at a loss for words.

In exchange, Komayin stood up.

「You

don’t understand anything……」(Komayin)

「Stop

it, Komayin!」(Jirukoma)

「No brother(anija), let me say it! You are this country’s king, right? You have

this country as yours, right? The sadness of people who have parted with their country,

what do you-」(Komayin)

「I

understand it all.」(Souma)

Komayin shouted out in

exasperation, but I looked straightforwardly into her eyes and spoke up.

「You

should have heard about this. I am a person that was summoned from a world

different from this one. Furthermore, it is a perfect one-way ticket, you see. I’m

different from you guys who can still have hope, even if it is just a little. There

is no way for me to return. That’s why I understand the sadness of parting with

your homeland.」(Souma)

「Gugh……」(Komayin)

「Homesickness……

sure is hard to get rid of. In my world, there is a saying 『Home

is where you reminisce when you are far away.』[6]  What an

accurate saying, but it was only after I lost it that I noticed how precious home

was to me. It’s easy to say that this is how things go, but it’s not that easy

to be satisfied with it.」(Souma)

「Souma.」(Liscia)

When I spoke out the grief inside

my heart, Liscia softly linked her hand with mine.

「However……

I have Liscia and the others. There are people that are supporting me on my

side. There are people who care about me. I responded to their feelings and worked

feverishly. Thus, before I was aware of it, I had started to think of this

country as my own. If I parted with this country, then perhaps I would have the

same sadness like I felt when parted with my homeland, at least that’s what I

believe.」(Souma)

In the end, homeland is “a connection”.

A connection with a location and the people who live in it. The only thing that

could replace it, is another “connection”. Komayin feebly sat herself down and hung

her head down. She might not accept this immediately. However, stubbornly

refusing to move means not being able to move forward.

「That’s

why I wanted to give you what Liscia and others had given to me. If you can love

this country and become its members, then this country will receive you.」(Souma)

「To

be specific…… In what way will she receive us?」(Jirukoma)

Jirukoma’s eyes became more

intense than ever. It was as if he was ascertaining my true intentions.

「I am

aware that it is extremely rude to ask about this, even when you have told us

that “she will receive us”. However, we had seen and heard the cruel reality

before we reached this land, exactly what “receiving the refugees” means. A

country that exploits us in harsh workplaces like the mines as cheap labor. A

country that forces us to the frontlines as anti-Demon Lord Realm soldiers. We

had received this kind of treatment repeatedly.」(Jirukoma)

「Yes,

typical… but I can only see those as idiotic measures.」(Souma)

「Idiotic?」(Jirukoma)

「Ah,

yes. First, it’s idiotic to send refugee to the frontline. National defense is the

core of a country. If they make the foreigners bear this role, then eventually the

country will surely face a grave national crisis.」

There were many precedents even in

Earth’s history. For example, the Western Roman Empire. To counter the invading

Völkerwanderung Germanic people, they invited Germanic people to peacefully

migrate as Germanic mercenaries, which become the main force of the army. As a result,

it caused the Germanisation of the army and the chief of the Germanic

mercenaries, Odoacer, to overthrow the country. Then, in China, during the Tang

dynasty era, An Lu Shan, of mixed Sogdian and Göktürk ancestry, was granted

supreme authority. Because of this, he instigated a rebellion, which shortened the

dynasty’s life.

「Furthermore

treating the refugees like slaves was also an idiotic measure. This would only stir

animosity from the refugees. What would they do if the resentful refugees plot

a rebellion or terrorist acts? Weren’t they only growing seeds of calamity towards

their own country?」(Souma)

「Then……

How about the policy of the Grand Chaos Empire?」(Jirukoma)

Jirukoma immediately looked

straight at my eyes while asking. So I scratched my head.

「……

It’s a policy that’s so Maria-dono-ish.」(Souma)

A considerable number of refugees

also entered the Empire. The policy that the Empire adopted was to offer the undeveloped

plot of land to the refugees, the area that the refugees developed would then be

recognized as their special temporary residences. In other words, building a refugee

village, and then letting the refugees manage it for themselves. If they were

able to be self-sufficient, then it wouldn’t hurt the Empire’s pockets and if

the refugees repatriated back to the north in the future, then they would leave

a now developed piece of land behind. There wouldn’t be any losses for the

Empire either way.

……Well, something like that, was what

Maria-dono might have said to persuade her people. As expected from someone called

the Holy Maiden, she is a kind-hearted woman. In her heart, perhaps she felt true

compa.s.sion towards the refugees. To make them achieve self-sufficiency without

severing their affection towards their homeland, they were able to stay in the

Empire. Perhaps if they didn’t return back to their homeland, not only they

would possess land inside the Empire but they would also naturallybe able to

integrate themselves as citizens of the Empire. Or so was what she might have had

in mind.

What I was doing right now was

the exact opposite, forcing the refugees to abandon their affection for their

homeland and integrating them as citizens against their will. However,

「I am

sorry, but…… the Kingdom couldn’t perform the same policy.」(Souma)

「Why?」(Jirukoma)

「It’s

dangerous.」(Souma)

To make the refugees develop the undeveloped

land and achieve self-sufficiency, certainly this wouldn’t hurt the Empire’s

pockets. As long as the Empire’s power didn’t wane, then the refugees would

abide the Empire and also feel a debt of grat.i.tude. If this condition continued

for hundreds of years then they also could be expected to smoothly integrate into

citizens of the Empire…… However, we can never predict the tide and ebb of future

events. The power we have today, might be lost tomorrow, such is the world of

men. Perhaps, if the Empire’s power weakened, then what will the refugee will

do?

「Since

it is land that they had developed with their own sweat and blood, then wouldn’t

they consider that land as their own? If it’s still the generation that wished

to return to their homeland, then there will be no problems. Rather than the

land that they had developed, their emotional attachment to their homeland is

still stronger. However, what about the next generation? Will the ones who are

born in that land, a generation that never lived in their ancestor’s homeland,

accept the reality that the land that their ancestors had developed with their

own sweat and blood as just something that the Empire had rented to them? Wouldn’t

they instead believe that that land is their own?」(Souma)

In Earth’s history terms, there

was an example in the Serbians’ case. When the Ottoman Empire conquered the

Serbian Kingdom, a large number of Serbian people escaped to the Habsburg

Empire (Dual Monarchy of Austria-Hungary).[7]

The Habsburg Empire positively received the Serbians and made them develop the

frontier land near the Ottoman Empire, which turned them into Grenzers or

frontiersmen militia (part farmer, part soldier) that guarded the cordon sanitaire.[8]

The Serbians continued to develop the frontier while battling the Ottoman

Empire. This harsh environment gave birth to a strong consciousness of autonomy

amongst the Serbians, which became a fertile ground for the growth of

nationalism.

Finally the rise of the ideology

of Serbian nationalism,「Great Serbia」, which brought about the Sarajevo Incident, the

trigger of the First World War, and as a result, leads to the dismantlement of the

Habsburg Empire. Furthermore, because of the Serbian nationalist policy that

emphasized the Serbians primacy, it ignited the nationalism of other ethnic

groups, such as Croatian nationalism. Thus, the gruesome atrocity-filled

conflict (the Yugoslav Civil Wars) happened.

The refugees might be composed of

a mixture of races, but through joys and sorrows, a spirit of brotherhood was

born. This spirit was how the refugees distinguished themselves from the

others, something that was similar to nationalism. The Grand Chaos Empire had

brought the coal that could trigger a huge fire into their own abode. Jirukoma frowned.

「Does

Your Majesty think that the Empire’s policy was a mistake?」(Jirukoma)

「No……

I don’t mean it that way. It’s a different way of thinking. It’s only that Maria-dono

chose that policy by believing in the best outcome, and I didn’t choose that

policy out of fear of the worst outcome. Just that.」

I remembered when I a.s.sessed the Humanity

Declaration, the Empire tends to choose an option with hidden high risks to get

a high return. Compared to our Kingdom, rather than the return, we chose a

policy that put importance in controlling the risk. Either choice was not

superior to the other. This was something that could only be known in the

future, whether or not either of these choices were suitable for the era.

「Then

Your Majesty, then how will you treat us? Giving up on returning to our

homeland and becoming the citizen of this country, or leaving the country, not letting

us cultivate land, but also don’t not turning us into slaves or soldiers……

Then, what in the world are you telling us to do?!」

Jirukoma raised his voice for the

first time. Even Komayin was trembled by his menacing att.i.tude. For a few

moments, I exchanged a look with Jirukoma. And then,

「……Owen.」(Souma)

「Yes

Your Majesty.」(Owen)

「The

you-know-what.」(Souma)

「As

your wish.」(Owen)

I ordered Owen to fetch me a long

cylinder. It was twice the diameter and five times longer than that of cylinders

used for graduation certificates. Inside the cylinder, there was a large roll

of paper. I then unfolded that paper in front of everyone’s eyes. Jirukoma and

the others opened their eyes wide when they saw what depicted on the paper.

「This

is…… A city?」(Jirukoma)

「Yes.

This is the new port city that will soon be completed. Its name is 『Venetinova』[9]」(Souma)

What I had shown was the

blueprint for the new city 『Venetinova』 that I had established as the cornerstone of transportation

and commerce to accelerate the distribution of goods.

「When

I came to this country, I commenced the construction of this new city at the

same time as the development of transportation network. Recently it had reached

a state where it is suitable for habitation. Although, I must say that the

residential district and the commercial district are still being constructed

and only the trade harbor had been finished. In the future, I plan to increase the

number of various facilities and develop it into a city that become the

forefront of culture. Then, before long, I will taking applications for its

residents……」(Souma)

I explained while looking at

Jirukoma and Komayin’s face.

「So

you plan to take us, the refugees, as that city’s residents.」(Jirukoma)

「‼」(Komayin)

Jirukoma and Komayin gulped down

when they heard my statement.

「If

you give up on returning to your homeland and become this country’s citizens,

then I will give you your residence. There will be a lot of jobs. You may

become day laborers or even shop employees. I will also continue the aid

delivery for a while, just like I did for the Mystic Wolf Tribe who opened the

brewery inside Parnam. When you become citizens of this country, as long as you

work honestly, then you will not feel the hunger or the cold. An arrangement to

provide such a situation, lies in this place.」(Souma)

「This

is……」(Jirukoma)

The expressions of Jirukoma and Komayin

were shaken…… Even for myself, I was wondering how Jirukoma and his people

looked at me right now. A savior that extended a helping hand in times of

tribulation…… or, a devil that tricked with the sophistry of sweet words. Then

Jirukoma and Komayin spoke almost at the same time.

「Could

something this wonderful exist!?」「How could there be a thing this horrible!」

Jirukoma and Komayin looked at

each other. Although their words overlapped, the pair was surprised to see that

the other had a completely different evaluation of my plan.

「What

are you talking about brother(anija)! This is completely a 『giving

a treat to make the dog wag its tail』!」(Komayin)

「Komayin,

His Majesty could be said as granting a footing for our livelihood. There is no

need for us to toil the land like in the Grand Chaos Empire.」(Jirukoma)

「That’s

why, you want to give up on returning to our homeland!? Does brother(anija) not feel any regret!?」(Komayin)

「All

we have to do is cast away that regret and we will able to live without fear of

hunger and cold weather. This is what His Majesty had told us.」(Jirukoma)

So the a.s.sessment of the siblings

was divided into two…… Well, such things can happen.

「It’s

understandable that your opinion differs. I personally think that this proposal

is quite wonderful on one side but also quite cruel on the other side. Even

when seeing the same object, it is not necessarily the case for people to have

the same impressions. Whether or not they feel that this is a hospitality or a

misfortune, depends on their viewpoint.」(Souma)

「「………」」(Jirukoma)(Komayin)

I sighed and then placed my hand

on top of the map.

「This

is the best that I can do right now. I don’t expect you to take this hand that

I held out right away. The future ahead is something that depends on your

decision.」(Souma)

When I made this remark, Jirukoma

groaned bitterly.

「……Among

this community, there are people that are persistently fixated on returning to

their homeland.」(Jirukoma)

「Are

they…… like the imouto-san?」(Souma)

「That’s

not true! Komayin is, her mind is soft! Just now, she is just thinking about

the people who live on the settlement, the ones who can’t give up their

affection for their homeland, and speaks on their behalf!」(Jirukoma)

「B-brother(anija)!」(Komayin)

「And

I thought that she really meant it. Just now when she mentioned that ‘it’s

horrible’, I see that you said that just out of consideration for those people’s

feelings. You…… really understand the people’s grief.」(Souma)[10]

「Kugh……」(Komayin)

Komayin fell into silence. Did I hit

the nail on the head?  Then, Jirukoma corrected

his seating posture and bowed very deeply towards me.

「We

are greatly indebted towards Your Majesty’s “kindheartedness”. This is something

that I couldn’t decide with my own discretion, so I want to discuss it first after

gathering the people of this community.」(Jirukoma)

「…… Even

after I had said that I came to demand for a decision?」(Souma)

「I

understand. However, so that the hand that Your Majesty holds out to us is able

to reach as many people as possible, I want to persuade them. Even if…… The

refugees become divided.」(Jirukoma)

「……」(Souma)

The refugees become divided. In

other words, expelling the ones who won’t accept……, right……. So, it had reached

this point. Even if I hurry, the results won’t change. However,

「There

is not much time left. Even if we could delay the citizens’ applications, we

couldn’t delay the “season”.」(Souma)

Winter will soon come. If they

didn’t prepare for it, there might be people who will freeze to death. The

people with the weakest resistance, the children and the elderly, will be the first

ones to die. If it is possible, I want the refugees’ transfers completed before

the winter arrive. Hence, I wish for their decision to take this hand. Jirukoma

once again bowed very deeply.

「Yes,

Your Majesty! I am well aware of it.」(Jirukoma)

「……

That’s good to hear.」(Souma)

The future already depends on

themselves. The kind of decision that they will take, I will also respond to it

in a suitable manner. If possible, I want to stay as a “gentle king”……

Today’s negotiation had reached

its end, then…

「I

hear that Hilde is in this place.」(Guy)

A man clad in a white robe,

rudely entered the tent. His age was somewhere in the mid twenties. A human

male with a sharp look in his eyes. A peculiar characteristic about him would

be his hair. Even though, he was still young, it was pure white. The man who

entered without even giving a single greeting made Carla and Owen reach for the

hilts of their blades, but the man didn’t feel even a tinge of fear and roughly

walked towards Hilde. Hilde stood up and then glared at him.

「Brad!

You! How dare you push the lectures onto me!」(Hilde)

This white haired man’s name was

Brad Joker. Just like Hilde, he was a person who propped up the medical reforms

in this country, the other “Physician”. Brad wasn’t concerned about Hilde’s complaint

and suddenly grabbed her arm.

「W-what

are you doing!?」(Hilde)

「I

will hear your complaints later. Sorry, but help me out here.」(Brad)

「……

Did something happen?」(Hilde)

Guessing that something had

happened, Hilde face turned serious and calmly asked Brad.

「It’s

an emergency.」(Brad)

☾☽☾☽☾☽☾☽☾☽☾☽☾☽☾☽☾☽☾☽

:

A Realist Emergency Room

Starring: Brad Joker MD FKCS, Hilde Nog MD Sc.D.

Will both of the doctor succeed in the UKEA's hallmark surgery?

Also:

Souma: Will that be your final answer?

Jirukoma: …………Yes.

*ominous dramatic BGM plays*

Also Yukkuri is too lazy to make new footnote for Odoacer and An Lushan Rebellion, try to read it.