by Y. R. Shin
Belbarote had built a greenhouse in a way that allowed it to be warm all year long in the cold north. Then, he had planted the blue hydrangeas he obtained from the western nomads and taken care of the garden until he died of old age.
That place was this place.
Paseid approached the frame with the fabric, then stopped upon finding the characters of Rarkalia faintly engraved on the wall next to the frame. They were so worn that he wouldn’t have seen them unless he carefully scrutinized it.
Shol Lasina, Noyabantjan.
Forgive me, my queen.
Paseid had grown up looking at the woman in the portrait.
He’d learned who that woman was as he got older. And that she was a tyrant. Only after the queen looking down at him in the painting looked into his eyes at the same level did Paseid realize that the meaning of that engraving was bone deep.
So, he always felt eerie whenever he looked into the queen’s face. What sin of the man who had saved the kingdom from its doom was so terrible that he’d dedicated his entire life to seek forgiveness from the queen who’d nearly driven a country into doom with brutal warfare?
The faded lips of the woman looking into him seemed like they were about to say something.
Will you walk the same path as I did?
Suddenly, an ineffable sensation of discomfort stirred him from head to toe.
A war between Morgana and Rarke was once again upon them. Paseid tightly clamped his lips.
No, this is different. The latter generation will not repeat your history. He covered the frame with the fabric. Then he turned around to coldly gaze at the blue hydrangeas filling his entire sight. They were truly blinding waves.
Paseid could not admire the great king who was Belbarote Paseid Brionake. He was a sinner. He was the hero who had protected Rarke, but he’d lived until his last day yearning for a wicked woman, so he remained a sinner.
Paseid slowly walked over and plucked a flower emitting its intense fragrance. How deep did a love have to be to bloom its blue atonement that did not fade for two hundred years? He couldn’t even fathom it. He shook off that thought and walked past the blue hydrangeas outside.
And four months later, he led twenty thousand advance forces to the border.
The queen stopped on the marble floor covered with a red carpet. Then she slowly turned around and smiled.
“Do not answer so seriously. It was a joke. Of course, I like flowers, but I like blue things better.”
What did that mean?
The tranquil voice resounded in the hall like a lullaby.
“But I have never in my life seen a blue flower. I have seen butterflies, though. Everywhere I set foot is covered in red, so why not the thing I like be blue?”
But do butterflies not wander indefinitely, for they cannot plant their roots anywhere? thought the man. But he swallowed the words as always.
“So, I regarded a blue butterfly as myself.”
“If there is a flower…”
“It would not be bad to regard myself a flower too.”
The man looked up at the blue sky across the large window at her muttering.
“Then, will you allow me?”
“What?”
“If there is a flower.”
“Sometimes, I really cannot figure out what you are thinking. I sometimes am suspicious of your true intentions of following me.”
“Swan.”
“Can you not tell it is a joke?”
The man’s face sullenly stiffened at her mischievous reply. The queen gazed at him like she would a child, then suddenly grabbed his hand. The middle finger and the wrist of the man who once was a warrior were hardened with callouses from holding a pen. If one studied more deeply, one could even see the dark stains of ink seeped into his skin.
“Yes.”
The man’s eyes slid along, following the ends of her hand.
A quiet gratitude resounded in his ears.
“Thank you, for everything. Thank you for protecting my Rarke, Belbi.”
Belbarote drew a bitter smile, swallowing all the words rushing up his throat as always.
Forgive me, my queen.
The honorless wolf bows down and dares to call for you.
Each day I gained with the peace and dishonor I gained by paying the price that is you.
Stories I cannot offer you pile up in yearning.
My beloved, do not forgive me.
The one who wished to be your flower
But was a sinner without the courage to dare to ask.
I, who resent their happiness earned in exchange for betraying you.
Rarke
The north is comprised of Rarke, the Principality of Illaren, and other small self-governing lands of their own. It was divided into more than ten big and small countries, but during the era of the queen’s conquest for the grand union, the patriotism and identities of a specific groups were clearly established, and now it’s tied together by the cultural similarity and loyalty. Lords pay taxes every year at their own will and swear to strive for the peace of the entire north. Currently, the entirety of the people who accept that the ruler of the north is the son of the wolf is called Rarke.
Symbol: white wolf on a peach or gold background
System
Rarke established a two-party system with the Palan party and the Bant party under Brionake’s rule, after the collapse of the Rarkalia Dynasty. It has been about two hundred years since ten-something countries with different cultures gathered to become one country. Because its history is short, unlike the empire with a thousand years of history, each region still retains its quirks.
There are a lot of people practicing the customs of Gideraka in the east, and there is a place where Ardonis’s custom of husbands living with their wives’ families still remains in the west. A vestige of countries that previously existed, like Rayn and the former Esenbark (now Esland), still exists in the south.
State autonomy follows the same lines. The biggest example is the Alliance of Galabua in the southern part of Rarke that has been granted a right to autonomy to a certain extent. As the descendants of the Ailmare Kingdom, their nobles have a strong say and have a relatively lax regulation of the establishment of private armies, for they need strong men due to the characteristics of the land. Apart from the titles limited to single generations according to the king’s decrees, most of the land permanently belongs to each house.
The Rarkian royal family usually let the disputes between houses resolve on their own unless they affect the country as a whole.
Taxes
Because the soil in the north varies greatly according to fertile regions and barren regions, a tax is determined not by the size of the land but the headcount of the castle’s residents. They often accept fabric, grains, livestock, and fruits of agriculture in the place of gold and silver, but they also replace it at times with labor for constructions led by the royal family.
Race
70% of the north is composed of Temereans. Sichinites are Temereans as well. Temereans are tall and have strong bone structures, sharp noses, and strong jaws. The closer to the Galiau Mountains, the paler the skin, and the farther south, the yellower or more peach the skin. The colors of hair and eyes greatly vary in the range of blond, red, brown, black, and such. But light colors are more common. The northerners tend to admire dark colors because they idealize strong features.
The remaining 30% is composed of large, giant-like people of the east, with blunt faces and aggressive features. Their body hair is pitch black or gray. Darak and descendants of Gideraka are like this.
Marriage and Feminism
Various marital practices exist in the north, such as marrying a sister-in-law if the brother dies, marrying the mother if the father dies, marriage by capture, proxy marriage, and husbands living with wives’ families, but now most only remain as vestiges and the most prevalent practice is monogamy.
This is because of the customs from the times when the people
had to farm frozen land or could only feed a fixed number with only hunting and gathering. The northerners had a querulous history where they always stole and were stolen from, and hence lived lives very intimate with death. Some scholars speculate that was the reason the Doctrines of Nuadism of utopia were created.
They hold the matter of manners regarding women to great account, and this is said to have originated from warriors who did not know when their last days would be asking their great women not to discard their child after their deaths. Some claim that it originated from asking not to harass or discard husbands who return with injuries. In any case, the culture of monogamy that has existed for a long time has become a moral custom.
Also, the biggest difference between the north and the south is the attitude toward bastards and children born out of wedlock. Divorcing a woman is not a fault in the north, but having a child with another woman without divorcing the wife is greatly frowned upon. This applies to the nobles of a lower status, regardless of the rank of their positions, but it becomes more and more apparent the higher the positions.
The funny thing here is that that frown stops at the man and woman who engaged in the affair. According to the pure logic of the blame is on the sinners and cannot be passed down. Hence, the child bears no sin, the treatment of the bastard can equal that of a true-born. Of course, that depends on their parents’ decisions. Thus, it is known that few suffer because they are born a bastard in the north.
It is said that men and women had similar rights two hundred years ago or so, and there was even a feminist religion that worshipped strong women. But since the last conquest queen of the Rarkalia Dynasty, the customs regarding the women in the north regressed. Since the Brionakes’ rule began, the northern women believe they must consider humility and obedience their virtues.
Religion
There are countless myths in the north, but most of the Temereans believe in the Myth of the Three Thrones and the Myth of Nuadga. Even if they don’t actually believe and worship, they are educated about these myths to the point of brainwashing. They are close to a lullaby for all the children in the north. The northerners, who contemplate about afterlife and their identities after death, proudly carry the phrase do not fear death in their hearts. Thus, duels with the risk of lives occasionally occur and many choose the fatal path.
To give a small example, there is a tale told that a young man killed himself by falling down from the top of Mount Gania, a place that is known to be the birthplace of Nuadism, to prove that he did not fear height.
Major Houses
Great Lord of the North – Royal House Brionake of Muiyadro, noble house Brionake of Rokland
Loem Region (rest omitted) – House Jafein
Tadilda – House Bolette
Great Lord of the East – Karban (House Winloss extinct)
Ballaim – House Vinsen
Garas – House Jizal
Pansia – the great rich Halipe
Alliance of Galabua – House Decker of Pasis, House Remli of castle Guiyon, House Rieun of Bandal, House Winger with multiple lands in the east, west, south, and north
Great Lord of the East – the Noble House Brionake
Erguin of Nortebloom – land of House Brionake
Baldo, city of horse – of the state
Polbun – former Vannia
South – Esland (former Esenbark, a mountain city most famous for the collection of inkstones)
Bert, independent city of Rayn
Briom – land of House Haldroff
Morgana
The empire of Morgana is composed of Morgana, Angredium, Saligar, Vayn, and other minority groups. It takes about two months to ride across the empire from the eastern end to the western end without obstacles.
Symbol: black lion on a gold or silver background
System
The emperor of Morgana holds absolute power. In the beginning, the royal house practiced nepotism by distributing land to their blood, but as time passed and the kingdom became an empire with an uncontrollably massive land, land distribution based on bloodline was abrogated.
Currently, their system is in the form of long-term lending of the land with titles, and the landlords accumulate their wealth by paying a fixed amount of tax and obtaining the rest. Because there are myriad people, as the land is so massive, they pledge their loyalties for practical benefits and calculated protection of the imperial family rather than for cultural homogeneity or patriotism.
Military System
The establishment of private armies in the lands inland varies greatly according to the size of the land, but it is prescribed that an army must be under five thousand at maximum. But places adjacent to outside forces and a fraction of the great lands where the invasion of the minorities is frequent may accumulate more than that if they register first.
Establishment of more than five thousand private soldiers must be approved by the imperial family through a private agreement, like the former House Mariposa. It is customary that the imperial family mediates and resolves disputes, protects the lords, and reduces their military expenses as the price of the agreement.
When a dispute arises, the black lion army of the imperial family usually forms, and for the events in the east where the archipelago is located, the imperial army (direct imperial guards) residing in the Simore Archipelago resolves it. But if it is far from the archipelago or if it is a dispute at the border or in the inlands, where expected damage is high, or if it is manual labor or construction, the Mariposas of the west are occasionally mobilized.
The guards of the remaining regular lands are mostly composed of mercenaries or a few knights selected from within the land. The commanding knights are mostly from the major central houses, and commoners cannot be ordained higher than a knight-in-training no matter how many contributions they make, with the exception of special situations.
Like during the Great Battle against Rarke, if they are engaging in a relatively large-scale war, they at times recruit soldiers from the nearby nobles in addition to taxes. But the number is limited to two hundred at the least and to five hundred at the most.
Nobility
The central fourteen houses (Hart, Westus, Arsein, Loweia, Vensi, Zordia, Scoza, Ornas, Hower, Zailiar, Denvas, Savos, Telval, Vousis, former Mariposa) are the noble houses that have free access to the Leweife Palace on Simore Archipelago in accordance with the imperial decree. They are the houses that are allowed permanent inheritance of the land and autonomy, and among them is a house that has been allowed to establish a private army of more than five thousand. But in actuality, the significance of their existence is merely an example of a force that has been loyal to the imperial family for a long time, and those with real great military forces are rather rare.
The power and renown of one that has been granted large land by the emperor is great, and merchants are not respected. But it is quite paradoxical that the wealthiest houses are Zordia, which does not have any land, and Savos, a usurer house of Ebloom.
Race
60% of the south is composed of Rotoreans. Many have tanned or yellow skin due to the strong sun, and the color brown is the most prevalent for hair and eye color. Though they do not look very different from the Temereans in the north, Rotoreans have smaller bone structures in general and have smoother jaws. The remaining are minorities that are hard to name, Temereans who migrated from the north, and various mixtures of all of them.
Marriage and Feminism
The virtues of the Morganaan women are wisdom and confidence. Women are permitted to be politically active to a certain extent, if they are smart. Morganaan women have more rights than the northern women, but polygamy is implicitly allowed. Sex business is well developed as well.
Under the permission that those who already have a lot can have more, many men have more than two wives or bring mistresses around publicly. But this also applies to women, though with the implied rule that women must engage with men of a higher status than their husbands. This
is to prevent a fight related to love arising or an accident happening.
But because they have a strong sense of class, the differentiation between bastards and true-borns, and the discrimination against bastards, is very prominent, unlike in the north. Bastards cannot appeal even if they are treated like second citizens. There was a case where a noble man claimed he would not consider the child his wife gave birth to, after a public affair, as his own and won even without physical evidence. Not only that, but many bastards are abandoned because no one is sure whose child they are.
Religion
Except for those of the minorities who practice shamanism, most are realists who focus on the present life, unlike in the north. Not believing in the afterlife is like a stepping stone for them to increase the quality of their existing life and achieve cultural progression with the excuse that they must enjoy the now. Cultures such as statues and art are well developed, but they are reserved for the nobles. The landscaping business is very well established, and they have a sophisticated view on leisure, as they have well-developed regions for vacation.
Because they have beliefs related to contemplation of life and time that are not necessarily religious, everyone knows the tales of Martina of the Morning and Noche of the Night. Also, the southern myth of the lion god, which is the myth of the foundation of Morgana, the country that exercised absolute power over the southern continent for over a thousand years, is widely spread. The lion god myth is said to be intimately related to Noche of the Night.