by Dojyomaru
“That is what I have set as our national policy. Thank you for listening.”
With those as my last words, the first Jewel Voice Broadcast of the new year came to an end.
Once I was certain that we were no longer broadcasting, I slumped down on the spot. “Whew, that was exhausting...”
“Good work,” Liscia said. “I think you came across pretty well, you know?”
“Sure did,” Roroa agreed. “You were actin’ like a real king. I’m fallin’ in love with ya all over again, darlin’!”
They might say that, but I was at my wit’s end. I had gotten used to hosting various programs, but putting on a kingly speech in front of the people still made me tense. In times of crisis, I didn’t have the luxury of thinking about it, so I could make speeches then, but it was exhausting having to wear my king persona in peacetime, too.
“Ugh, I’ve worked up a nasty sweat,” I said. “Sorry, could you get me a cup of water?”
“All right,” Liscia nodded. “Roroa, could you?”
“Aye, aye, sir.” Roroa gave a salute and then went to fetch the tray with a water jug and cups that had been left in the corner of the room. When I took a cup, Liscia poured some water for me.
Once I had finished gulping down the whole cup, I finally felt a little more relaxed. “Whew... That brought me back to life.”
“Hee hee,” Liscia laughed. “Do you think the people will understand the importance of reading, writing, and arithmetic now, maybe?” She was still holding the jug of water.
“Ha ha, it won’t be that simple,” I said. “Studying can be boring and tedious, after all. Just a little bit of encouragement like that isn’t going to keep them at it for long.”
“You mean making speeches about it isn’t going to help much?”
“If all I’m doing is talking at them, yeah,” I nodded. “But there are ways.”
“Ways?” she repeated.
“There are ways to have fun while learning naturally.”
A sudden knock came from the door. When I said “Come in,” Juna and Aisha, who was carrying some sort of large box, entered.
“We have come at your behest, Your Majesty,” Juna said formally.
“Also, the Jewel Voice Broadcast Production Department asked us to bring all of this to you, Your Majesty.”
When Aisha laid the box that looked as tall as she was down on the floor, there was a rattling from inside it.
Roroa looked at the box with curiosity. “Hey, darlin’, what’s in the box? It was rattlin’.”
“Oh, it’s probably the ‘equipment’ I asked them for.”
“Equipment? Are you going to wear it, Souma?” Liscia asked, a question mark floating over her head.
I didn’t go out onto the battlefield, both for practical reasons and because of my position, so when they’d heard the word “equipment” come out my mouth, everyone, not just Liscia, had looked at me dubiously.
I grinned back at them. “It’s not for me. Well, just you wait and see.”
“...When you have that look on your face, Souma, I just know you’re about to do something crazy.” Liscia looked at me with exasperation, and my other fiancées nodded in agreement.
“...You don’t have any faith in me, huh?” I asked.
“I may not have faith in you, but I do trust you,” Liscia said.
“Hm? What’s the difference?”
“Based on past experience, I know you’re going to make us all run around like crazy, so I have no faith in you on that account. But it feels like it will work out in the end, despite the headache, so I do trust you.”
“““I agree!””” The others all nodded and agreed with Liscia with straight faces.
Ha ha ha, they all understand me so well... Sigh...
Chapter 1: Let’s Make an Educational Program (Silvan’s Debut)
10th day, 1st month, 1,547th year, Continental Calendar — Royal Capital Parnam
It was a day when the festive mood of the New Year was beginning to settle down.
The fountain plaza in Parnam where the Jewel Voice Broadcast could be watched was still packed with people. That new king was apparently going to be broadcasting yet another new program, so the people had gathered to see it. At this point, it was a familiar sight in pretty much any city where the Jewel Voice Broadcast could be watched. The people would gather every time a new program was planned like this; the merchants would come with their carts, and it would turn into a festival-like atmosphere.
Dece, Juno, and their adventuring party were there in that festive fountain plaza.
“Wow, it’s as crowded as ever,” Juno commented. “That’s the capital for you.”
That was the opinion the baby-faced, slender, female thief let slip out as she was overwhelmed by all the people passing by. With the protection quest they had taken from the guild complete, the party had decided to come see the Jewel Voice Broadcast, since they were already in the area anyway.
The brawny brawler Augus was dragging the affable young priest Febral around from stall to stall, so the only ones here were Juno, the hot-blooded and handsome swordsman Dece, and the quiet, shapely mage Julia.
“These broadcast programs have already become one of the famous sights of this country, after all,” Dece told her. “The music programs are the best, you know. The loreleis are cute, and when I consider the possibility of not being able to hear their voices anymore, even though I’m an adventurer, I don’t feel like I want to go to other countries any— Ow!”
Dece had been rambling on about the topic, but Julia pinched his upper arm with a smile.
Seeing that her leader just didn’t understand the female heart, Juno shrugged her shoulders with dismay. She started thinking that maybe she should be considerate and disappear off somewhere for their sake... but then it happened.
The broadcast seemed to have started, and the people were all looking towards the fountain, but what was displayed there was... some sort of roly-poly creature? All the people of the kingdom were taken aback by this, but Juno had the loudest reaction of all.
“Huh?! What’s Mister Musashibo doing on there?!”
Yes. What was there to hide? The one appearing on screen was not a snowman, or a kagami mochi, it was Little Musashibo. Little Musashibo turned to the screen and waved his arms around.
“Hey, everyone. I’m Little Musashibo. Nice to meet you.”
“““He talked?!”””
Hearing Little Musashibo’s adorable, child-like voice, Juno, Dece, and Julia all cried out in surprise at the same time. Little Musashibo, who had never said a word no matter how much trouble they’d gotten into on a quest, was now onscreen and talking. You couldn’t blame them for their surprise.
“That voice... it sounds like a child’s, or a woman’s. Was the person inside him female all along?!” Dece cried out in shock, but Juno immediately denied it.
“Nah, I’ve seen his hand once before, and he was just a normal guy, you know?”
“But that’s a girlish voice, isn’t it?”
“It’s a kigurumi suit, so why can’t it just be a different person inside?” Julia suggested, in a relaxed tone.
Dece and Juno gulped, seeing the logic behind the comment. ““...Y-Yeah, of course that’s it.””
They had forgotten because of how human its gestures were, but the person in question was a kigurumi suit. It was possible the suit had just been loaned out by the castle.
With no idea of the confusion it was causing for Juno and the others, the Little Musashibo on the broadcast declared in a loud voice, “Okay, Together With Big Sis is starting now.”
◇ ◇ ◇
At the same time — Parnam Castle’s Great Hall
Right now, Little Musashibo was dancing to an easygoing melody right in front of our eyes. Liscia, who was standing beside me and watching this from a spot that wouldn’t appear on the broadcast, stood there with her mouth hanging open, a blank expression on her face. There was an awkward sil
ence between us.
“Um... Could you maybe say something?” I asked hesitantly.
“I don’t even know where to start... No, I mean, what is that even supposed to be?”
“Little Musashibo.”
“Yeah. That, I know. That’s not what I meant. Why is it talking?”
“Well, because there’s a person inside it, of course,” I said. “Pamille Carol is providing the voice.”
“Pamille’s inside that thing?!”
Yes, as a matter of fact, she was. We’d had no equipment for recording, so we couldn’t add the voice in post-processing, which meant the voice had to come from inside Little Musashibo. I was controlling his movements, so it wasn’t too heavy for Pamille, but she had still complained it was hot and stuffy inside there.
“You have that kigurumi suit registered as an adventurer, don’t you?” Liscia demanded. “Is it okay having it appear on the Jewel Voice Broadcast? Wouldn’t it be bad if people found out it was connected to the royal family?”
Ohhh, yeah, if Juno and the others were watching, that might turn into a bit of a headache.
“Well, it’s a kigurumi suit, after all,” I said. “‘We saw this kigurumi in town and thought it was cute, so the castle asked for a copy, and now we’re using it as a character in our program.’ ...Wouldn’t a story like that work?”
“Even if it does...” she muttered. “And wait, what is this program even supposed to be about?”
“What, you ask? It’s an educational program.”
“Educational?”
“Oh, look, the main program’s about to begin,” I said, pointing.
◇ ◇ ◇
The easygoing song ended, and the new scene to be broadcast was set on a stage.
Up on the stage there was a backdrop of trees, grass, and stumps to show that it was a forest. In the middle of that sparse forest, Little Musashibo was drawing something on the ground with chalk. Looking closer, it was apparently numbers.
“Um... 1+1 is 2, 2+2 is 4... Hrm, this arithmetic stuff is hard.”
Little Musashibo twisted his head around in confusion. The gesture was very childish.
An older girl with blue hair wearing a boyish outfit including a hat and overalls passed by. When the blue haired girl noticed Little Musashibo, she called out to him in a cheerful voice.
“Hey, what’s wrong, Little Musashibo? Why the troubled look on your (expressionless) face?”
Little Musashibo looked up, walking over to the girl with slow, easy footsteps. “Hello, Big Sister Juna.”
At that point, the adult viewers noticed what was up. The big sister character was the famous Prima Lorelei, Juna Doma.
Because Juna was mostly known for being so beautiful that even the girls wanted her, they hadn’t made the connection with her in this boyish outfit. Her tone of voice was more direct, in keeping with the outfit. While this version of Juna had lost the mature sexiness that made her seem older than she actually was, it brought out a cuteness that was more like what you’d expect of a girl her age.
Little Musashibo turned to “Big Sister Juna” for help. “Big Sister Juna, arithmetic is hard and I don’t know what to do about it. I look at books, but there are just numbers and symbols, and it’s not interesting at all.”
There were a large number of viewers who nodded in agreement.
It had been nine days earlier that Souma had encouraged the people to learn to read, write, and do arithmetic, but those who lived a lifestyle where they didn’t need to do calculations had apparently thought, “Okay, reading and writing, maybe, but what good is learning to do calculations for anyone who isn’t a merchant?”
However, Juna giggled and gave a playful wink to Little Musashibo who was voicing those viewers’ opinions for them. “Oh my, don’t you know that math can be fun?”
“What? Really?” Little Musashibo asked doubtfully.
“It’s true,” she said with great confidence.
A fun, cheery melody began to play again from seemingly nowhere in particular. Juna began singing along with it.
The song was “Fun Arithmetic.” It was from Minna no Uta, or Songs for Everyone, in the world Souma came from. This song, which was sung by Seiji Tanaka, presented addition; subtraction; the fact that when you have a group of ten it moves up to a new digit; and the fact that any number, no matter how large, disappears when multiplied by zero; all in a comical fashion.
Juna and Little Musashibo sang this song, dancing happily in a circle together.
When they finished, Little Musashibo excitedly clapped his hands. “I feel like arithmetic just got fun. If I study, will it be even more fun?”
“Of course,” Juna assured him. “If you study hard, you’ll be able to do even more amazing things.”
Then Juna sang a song for Little Musashibo about all the things he’d be able to do if he studied his arithmetic. It had a fun melody and playful lyrics, but if you were listening closely, it expressed a number of mathematical phenomena. It was exactly the sort of song that belonged on an educational program.
The children who were watching the broadcast innocently imitated Juna and Little Musashibo, singing the lyrics to themselves and dancing. The adults, on the other hand, considered the meaning of the lyrics, nodding along with interest as they figured it out.
In among them there was just one person, Juno, who was thinking about something entirely different.
Did he just lend them his kigurumi suit? No... That can’t be it. Juno was closely scrutinizing Little Musashibo’s movements. The way he moves, it’s just like Mr. Little Musashibo. But the voice I heard was a cute girl’s voice. The hand I saw that time was a man’s hand. There’s a different person inside, but he’s moving the same... What does it mean?
As she pondered deeply, something occurred to Juno.
Now that I think about it, wasn’t there that one time I saw Mr. Little Musashibo delivering a letter to the guild? After the receptionist saw it, she told us there was a banquet being held at the castle. In other words, that letter was from the castle. This broadcast is put together by the castle, too, from what I hear. Maybe Mr. Little Musashibo is connected to the castle somehow?
Juno stared hard in the direction of Parnam Castle which was where the broadcast was coming from.
...I’m curious. I want to look into it, but... I can’t exactly go sneaking into the castle. If they caught me, I’m sure I’d be punished. Hmm, isn’t there any way I can look into it?
While Juno was thinking about all of this, the program continued. When Little Musashibo and Juna’s short theater segment came to an end, the broadcast video moved to another place.
This time it wasn’t a stage but what looked like a great hall. There were around ten three-to-five-year-old children there. Owing to their young age, they weren’t coordinated at all, and they would sit down, run around, lie down, and generally move about freely. These were the children of the castle’s workers who had been left at the daycare center.
Souma had thought the audience for an educational program should be made up of children, so, with the permission of their parents (though, with the king asking them a favor, they could hardly decline...), he had arranged for them to appear. Also, in with the children there was a young girl who looked to be around sixteen years old.
“Hey, isn’t that Princess Roroa?” one astute viewer pointed out.
That girl was indeed Roroa, the former Princess of Amidonia. Roroa was wearing a boyish outfit like Juna’s, and said in a cheerful voice, “Look, everybooody. Your singin’ big sister is gonna come out and plaaaay. One, two, aaaand...!”
“““Big Sister Juna!””” the children called.
With Roroa giving them the signal, the children all called her name together. When they did...
“Helloooo.” Juna appeared again, waving her hands. She stood next to Roroa and said, “Now, everyone, it’s time for a song.”
Then she began to clap her hands.
◇ ◇ ◇
<
br /> Meanwhile, back where we were recording in the castle, Liscia was crying out in surprise.
“Roroa?! What is that girl doing?!”
“When I told Roroa we would be making an educational program, she said, ‘Sounds fascinatin’! Darlin’, I wanna be on it, too!’” I said. “She forced me to do it. I had no other options, so I decided to let her be on the show as Juna’s assistant.”
“Can you really go around deciding roles on a whim like that?” Liscia asked skeptically.
“...I have a soft spot where crying children or the sponsors are concerned, you know. Besides, this program is being brought to you by The Silver Deer, which Sebastian is the public face of; but Roroa runs it behind the scenes, after all.”
Right now, our country was providing funding for multiple businesses and for research on a variety of topics. We were heavily focused on foodstuffs, medicine, and the military because those were things that would have an effect on the lives of the people. Thanks to that, the national treasury was always on the verge of collapse.
Eventually, as the population grew, the increase in taxes would make back our money on the investment, but we couldn’t count on it to happen right away.
With that in mind, the finance minister, Colbert, kept a tight hold of the country’s purse strings, and he wasn’t about to allocate funds for some new program that had no record of success. That’s why I had asked Roroa’s company to fund it. Because of that, I was now left with no choice but to listen to Roroa, the investor, when she asked me for something.
When Liscia heard the details, she sighed. “It’s always about money, huh. It’s a hard life.”
“You said it.”
...Though I’m sure Roroa set up her own company with this exact sort of situation in mind.
The truth of the matter was, if Roroa hadn’t invested, I wouldn’t have been able to do this broadcast. Besides, if I didn’t let her have a little of what she wanted, I was probably going to be hit with divine retribution someday.
I looked over to the hall where Juna and Roroa were singing “Musunde Hiraite” with the children.