by Dojyomaru
Prologue: Meeting Up
—In the middle of the 5th month, 1,547th year, Continental Calendar—
Tomoe, who had been left in a town near the border with the Lunarian Orthodox Papal State, had come to the noon market with her bodyguard, Inugami. A messenger kui had already delivered word that Souma and the rest were safe and would be taking Tomoe with them to their next stop, the Republic of Turgis, so she was to wait here for them to meet up with her. However, it seemed like it would be a shame to just sit around and wait, so she and Inugami had decided to look around the bustling market.
Thanks to being near the border, many merchants who traveled between the two countries gathered here, and goods from both nations were for sale.
“Hey, little girlie,” said one of them. “Why don’tcha have your daddy buy you this hairpin?”
“I’ve got some me real fine dried foods here, y’know?” yelled another. “Have a look, would ya?”
While Tomoe and Inugami walked through the market, the merchants in their stalls called out to them in merchant slang. It seemed they were being mistaken for parent and child. Their faces were shaped very differently, but it was common among the beastmen races for men and women to have very different appearances, so that might be why they looked like father and daughter.
Tomoe looked up and giggled. “Mr. Inugami, they think you’re my dad.”
“Yes, ma’am,” he said. “It’s rude of me to say this, Little Sister, but it’s convenient for us to have them misunderstand our relationship like that. If a man is seen walking with a girl who is young enough to be his daughter, but isn’t, people start thinking things we don’t want them to.”
In other words, if the alternative was being mistaken for a kidnapper, it was far better to be thought of as father and daughter.
Tomoe looked up at him. “Um... Then wouldn’t it be better if you spoke to me less respectfully, and more like a father would?”
“No... I cannot do that...”
“You can’t?”
“I-It’s not that I...can’t. You’re probably right, Tomoe.” Having relented, Inugami dropped his formal tone.
Tomoe giggled. “Okay then, ‘Dad.’”
“What is it, ‘daughter of mine’?”
“I want to see what kind of shops the merchants who come from other countries are running here today.”
“Hm... In that case, that’s probably one of them over there.” Inugami pointed out a stall being managed by a fat man. It seemed he was selling dried fruits that would keep for a long time.
Tomoe tilted her head to the side. “How can you tell?”
“You see the accessory with the Lunarian Orthodox symbol he wears over his chest?”
Now that Inugami pointed it out, she could see the fat man was wearing an accessory with a symbol that looked like a combination of a full moon and crescent moon over his left breast.
Tomoe had no way of knowing this, but Mary, the person who had been sent as an envoy from the Lunarian Orthodox Papal State, had worn a necklace with the same symbol.
“The devout believers of Lunarian Orthodoxy carry those at all times,” Inugami explained. “You can see the color on it is nice, too, right? That’s also a mark of someone who’s made significant contributions to the main church.”
“Oh, I get it. That’s how you knew he was from the Orthodox Papal State, huh.”
“That’s right. Do you want to go take a look?”
“Yes!” she exclaimed.
The two of them walked over to the stall. There were dried fruits and nuts out front, and in the back were a number of barrels where the man kept fruits preserved in honey.
“Hey there, little girl, I’ve got some yummy honey-preserved fruits,” the shopkeeper said with a grin. “Why don’tcha buy some?”
In response, Tomoe asked, “You’re from outside the country, right, mister? Do you have any interesting stories about your country?”
“Huh?” The shopkeeper was confused by the sudden question.
“Hey, it’s rude to suddenly ask him like that!” Inugami scolded.
As she stiffened from being yelled at, he lifted her up by the back of her hood. Tomoe was as helpless as a kitten suspended in midair.
Inugami put on a fake smile and bowed repeatedly to the shopkeeper. “I’m sorry, sir. We’ve got some business in the Republic of Turgis, but it’s a first for my daughter, and she’s gotten all excited. Every time she sees something, it’s ‘What’s this?’ ‘What’s that?’ She just won’t be quiet...”
“Oh... Hahaha, it’s good seein’ a child so full of curiosity.”
“You really think so? Oh, I’ll have some of those preserved fruits.”
“Thank you! Come again!”
With Tomoe still held up in the air, Inugami paid for the goods, then received a neatly cut melon preserved in honey and left the stall behind with a smile.
Once they were in a place the shopkeeper couldn’t see, Inugami put Tomoe down, crossed his arms, and looked her straight in the eye. “I ask you to forgive me for shouting at you. But Little Sister...”
“Y-Yes...?”
“Why did you ask a question like that?”
Inugami maintained as calm a tone as he could manage so as to not intimidate her.
Tomoe looked at him with upturned eyes, then hesitantly confessed, “I thought if I wanted to be able to help Big Brother and the others, I’d need to study up on other countries. That’s why...um...I wanted to ask him...”
Tomoe’s voice gradually shrank quieter as she spoke.
Inugami sighed. “There are spies who disguise themselves as merchants. If he were one of them, you might be marked for special attention because you wanted that information. It’s very dangerous.”
“I-I’m sorry...” Tomoe seemed genuinely contrite, and her wolf ears drooped.
Seeing her thoroughly discouraged, Inugami plopped a hand down on Tomoe’s shoulder. “So, if you want to know about other countries, tell me. I’ll teach you everything I can. Naturally, I can’t tell you anything classified, though.”
Then Inugami extended the bowl containing fruits preserved in honey to Tomoe. She accepted one, took a bite, and smiled.
“This is so sweet, ‘Dad.’”
“I can’t help but be sweet. Especially to my ‘daughter.’”
After that exchange where they may or may not have been on the same page, the two both smiled. To any who looked, they would seem just like a close father and daughter.
It was the next day that Souma and the rest met up with them.
Chapter 1: From the New City, Venetinova
This is a story from around the time Souma left for the republic.
The stage is Venetinova, a coastal city in the east of the Kingdom of Friedonia.
The Kingdom’s coast was bent in a < shape. To encourage more active distribution of goods throughout the country, King Souma had sponsored the construction of Venetinova at the corner of that shape.
If there was one thing unique about this city, it was its two-level layout. In the lower level, facing the sea, there was a fishing port, a plaza, parks, and more, while the residential quarter, governor’s mansion, and other similar buildings were concentrated in the upper level.
Nearly all of the shopping areas were along the hill road between those two levels. This town layout was in preparation for the great earthquake that was said to strike once every hundred years.
In one of the clinics along the hill road in Venetinova, there was currently an eight-month-old baby boy swinging his legs as he was held by his mother.
“Goo goo!” the baby cooed.
This
healthy baby was named Fuku. During Souma’s visit to the refugee camp, Hilde Norg, a female doctor belonging to the three-eyed race, and Brad Joker, a surgeon, had delivered him by caesarean section. Incidentally, Souma himself had given the boy his name.
Today, little Fuku had come in with his mother for a regular checkup.
Hilde was the doctor examining him. “Hm... I don’t see anything out of the ordinary. He’s full of energy.”
Until just recently, she had been at Ginger’s Vocational School in the capital, Parnam, training doctors. Once it had gotten on track, Hilde, who had always been more at home treating the common people than hidden away in a lab studying, had left her duties to her juniors at the school. In order to follow the former refugees, having been concerned about them, she had followed them to this new city and opened a clinic.
That said, Hilde was considered one of the two greatest minds in the medical world, and the other one was the surgeon, Joker. So they were both frequently called to the medical school in Parnam, but recently, for a certain reason, she had been staying in Venetinova.
Hearing from Hilde that her child was okay, Fuku’s mother bowed her head. “Thank you so much. It’s all thanks to you and Dr. Joker that Fuku and I are both still here.”
“No need to thank me,” said Hilde. “It’s my job, you know. More importantly, like the king told you, you should really be thanking your child, for being born when both of us were there.”
Perhaps to hide her shyness, Hilde turned to look the other way as she brushed Fuku’s hair, which had finally begun to grow evenly.
Fuku clapped his hands in glee.
Fuku’s mother watched with a slight smile. “I guess you’re right. Now we can wait together for my husband to return.”
“Oh, that’s right, they found your husband, didn’t they?”
“Yes,” said another woman, stepping forward. “I received word from my elder brother.”
The one who responded to this question was an eighteen-year-old girl who wore an outfit similar to that of a stereotypical Native American, and paint on her cheeks that seemed magical.
Her name was Komain. She had originally been left in charge of handling the refugees by her brother, Jirukoma, and was now a community leader for the former refugees putting down roots in Venetinova.
Komain had come here today to give support to Fuku and his mother during their routine checkup. “According to the messenger kui my brother sent, he should be on his way here now.”
Jirukoma had returned north, leading all of those who refused to become members of this country, and who insisted on attempting to retake their homelands. He was now staying in the Kingdom of Lastania, one of the smaller countries inside the Union of Eastern Nations, as a volunteer soldier, having responded to their call for troops.
In that land, he was also gathering information on those who had been scattered while they were being driven from the north. Fuku’s father was just one of the ones he had found that way.
“He said your husband was searching for you in one of Lastania’s neighboring countries,” said Komain. “When my brother told him you were safe, and your child had been born, he dropped everything to rush here and be at your side.”
“Honestly... That man’s always been in such a hurry,” Fuku’s mother said, but she looked really happy.
Hilde gave an exasperated shrug. “Well, it’s good to have the family together. Just, let me caution you on one thing.”
“Huh? Uh, sure.”
“Your belly’s already been opened once for the delivery. The procedure went perfectly, and you can probably have a second, but...once the belly has been cut once, it’s weaker, and a natural birth becomes more difficult. So, the next time you give birth, it would be safer for both you and the baby to cut you open and take it out.”
Fuku’s mother and Komain both gulped.
Hilde grinned at both of them. “When your husband gets back, you’re going to have some romantic time together, right? If that makes you decide you really want a second, you’d better consult a doctor approved by either me or the country.”
“Right!” Fuku’s mother nodded enthusiastically.
Hearing that, Fuku let out a confident-sounding cry, too, which caused all three of the others to look at one another and smile.
“Is the checkup finished?” Brad poked his head out from deeper inside the clinic. He was a man whose expression was usually more subdued, but he was glancing worriedly at Hilde now. “Um...is it okay?”
“They’re fine,” said Hilde. “Both mother and child are healthy.”
“No... That’s not what I meant...”
“Honestly... You’re more nervous than I’d have expected.” Hilde stood up and shooed Brad into the back of the clinic. “For starters, there are no men allowed in here while I’m seeing a female patient!”
“No, you’re seeing the baby... I just...”
“Enough. You go over there and get ready for tomorrow! You’ll need to head out for the capital and look at the princess. They say she’s gotten sick.”
Having forcefully made Brad leave, Hilde returned to her seat. “Good grief,” she muttered.
Having seen that interaction between the two of them, Komain tilted her head to the side quizzically. “Dr. Brad is here, too, huh? I’d heard he had gotten a case of wanderlust, and was seeing patients all around the country.”
Brad was, indeed, prone to wanderlust. He was the sort who would tell King Souma to his face, “I want to heal the poor, not the rich.” To put it in more flattering terms, he was a solitary sort; in less flattering terms, he still had a mild case of middle school syndrome.
Even though he had received a request from Souma to hold lectures, he was still traveling around the country to see patients and treat them. Technically, he did take apprentices with him and call it training in the field, though.
That was why Komain had been surprised to see Brad here.
However, Hilde snorted. “What’s there to be surprised about? Men are so simple,” she said, rubbing her abdomen.
That gesture told Komain everything she needed to know. “You, too, Doctor?!”
“Wow, congratulations!” cried Fuku’s mother.
“Hmph...” Hilde turned to look away in embarrassment. But, still, in a vanishingly small voice she replied, “Yeah, yeah... Thanks.”
The way she said it made Komain and Fuku’s mother erupt in laughter despite themselves.
“Komain, thank you for coming with me today,” Fuku’s mother said, bowing her head.
“Dooo,” her little son agreed.
The time was a little past three o’clock in the afternoon. On the hill road outside Hilde’s clinic, Komain rolled up her sleeves and said, “Oh, it’s no big deal. Brother asked me to look after everyone. If there’s anything I can do, please, go ahead and tell me.”
“Thank you. Are you going home now?”
“No, I have some documents to submit to the governor, so I plan to head there next.”
“Oh, is that right? Well, keep up the good work.”
“I sure will! See you later, Fuku.”
Taking Fuku’s hand and shaking it, Komain said her goodbyes to the two of them and raced up the hill. The governor’s mansion was at the highest point in this city. While Komain was racing through the shopping street, the lady running one of the fruit shops called out to her.
“Koma, you always look so busy. Are you eating right?”
“Huh? Uh, now that you mention it, I may have missed lunch today.”
“That’s no good. Even if you’re busy, you’ve gotta eat!” The lady threw one of the apples she was selling over to Komain.
“Whoa... Thanks, ma’am!” Komain caught the apple, waved vigorously to the lady, then went on her way.
People often waved at Komain when she was running through the streets.
She was doing a lot of jobs lately, everything from cleaning, laundry, and babysitting, to deliveries and removing bee nests. Though
she was a young girl, she’d firmly taken on her role as a community organizer for the refugees, and because she had the guts to give the local men a piece of her mind, even though they were hard workers and could be a bit rough, it was little wonder she’d gotten so popular. She didn’t know it, but she’d already been nicknamed the poster girl of Venetinova.
But...I can’t keep doing this forever, Komain thought as she ran through the streets of Venetinova. The refugees are starting to put down roots in this new city. If we’re going to assimilate into this country, it’s better if there’s no “wall” between those who were formerly refugees and those who weren’t. My role as an organizer for the community is emblematic of that wall, so eventually they won’t need me anymore. That in itself is a good thing, but...
Komain bit into the apple she’d been given and let out a little sigh.
It may be about time I begin looking for a way of living for myself, like Brother did when he went north.
Komain thought about it as she ran through the streets. While she was still thinking, she arrived at her destination.
The governor’s mansion; this was where the governor who ran the city lived.
It wasn’t the lord’s mansion because Venetinova was part of the royal demesne, and therefore the lord of this city was King Souma. However, King Souma was based out of the capital, so he’d needed to dispatch someone to manage this city.
There were times when administration of major cities was left to the nobles and knights working in the government office, but considering the importance of this city, a mere magistrate wouldn’t have been sufficient.
The title created for the post of running this city was “governor.” It was a new post, created for the person who would rule this important city on Souma’s behalf, and the place where this governor lived and worked was called the governor’s mansion.
Now, as for who was the city’s current governor...
“Excuse me. Is Governor Poncho in at the moment?”
Indeed, it was the former Minister for the Food Crisis and current Minister of Agriculture and Forestry, Poncho Ishizuka Panacotta.
Because this important city couldn’t be left in the hands of anyone who was less than competent, the king’s close associate Poncho had been tapped, albeit temporarily, to handle the job. Because of that, Poncho’s days had been going by blindingly fast, with him going to work in the castle every morning, and returning to Venetinova every afternoon.