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Chapter 3: Symposium
“Tomoe’s been visiting Juna’s place a lot recently.”
It was a cool summer night when the heat of day had faded.
When I mentioned that offhandedly, Roroa nodded. “Ohh, I’ve been hearin’ about that. Says she wants to learn about the charms of an adult woman.”
“An adult woman, huh... I’d like her to be childish while she’s a child, at least. But maybe that’s just the selfishness of an adult talking.”
“Nyahaha, could be,” Roroa laughed. “Tomoe’s already twelve, ain’t she? That’s when us girls start growin’ up, y’know... But, wait, why do ya think she’s not askin’ me?”
“Isn’t it obvious? It’s because you don’t give off that impression at all, right?”
Roroa puffed up her cheeks and pinched me in the side. It kind of hurt.
“Why not? I’m already a married woman, y’know?”
Roroa hugged me so that her skin pressed against mine. She was currently lying in bed with me, using my outstretched arm as a pillow. There was a blanket over us, but underneath we were both naked.
I turned towards Roroa, without moving the arm under her head, and stroked her hair. “It’s more about the kind of woman she wants to become. In your case, there’s that friend of hers... Lucy, was it?”
“Ohh. That kid from the Evans Company, huh?”
“That girl admires you, doesn’t she?”
“Ohh, yeah, I guess. It threw me for a loop when she started callin’ me Big Sister Roroa out of nowhere, though.”
The other day, we heard Tomoe had made friends at the academy, so we invited them to the castle, though not in any official capacity.
While Ichiha and Yuriga already lived in the castle, and I was acquainted with Velza, Lucy, the daughter of a merchant family, was the only one who was new to me.
When I and all my wives came out to greet them, since it involved our beloved little sister Tomoe, Lucy was humbled at first, but when she noticed Roroa was there, too, she let out a shriek.
“Eeek?! Lady Roroa! Isn’t that Lady Roroa?!”
“Wh-What? What’re you shoutin’ for all of a sudden?”
“I’m a huge fan of yours! Please, shake my hand!”
Then she took Roroa’s hand and shook it vigorously. Roroa and everyone else were dumbfounded, but Velza hurriedly grabbed Lucy by the scruff of the neck and dragged her off.
“L-Lucy! This is rude to His Majesty and the queens!”
“Huh?! Oh, no! I was so giddy over finally meetin’ Lady Roroa, I lost control of myself! P-Please, forgive my rudeness! This’s got nothin’ to do with my family, so please only punish me!” Lucy threw herself on the ground and apologized.
Unable to watch her any longer, Tomoe said, “Big Brother, Lu’s usually a good girl. She’s my friend, too, so please forgive her,” or something like that. There wasn’t any need for forgiveness, though. I wasn’t even upset in the first place.
Things were getting out of hand, so I decided to laugh it off so they knew I didn’t plan to make a big deal of it.
“What a cheerful, fun girl. That’s a good friend you’ve found there, Tomoe.”
“Big brother... Yes!” She gave me a big smile. That was all I needed.
Roroa must have been remembering what happened that time, too, because she snickered.
“I’m like a little sister to Big Sis Cia and the rest, but I’m a ‘Big Sister’ to her. That was kind of a new feeling.”
“There was Princess Tia in the Kingdom of Lastania, too, wasn’t there?”
“I know she’s younger, but she’s a Big Sis to me. Oh, right. I’ve been correspondin’ with Big Sis, and it seems my big brother hasn’t laid a hand on her yet. He’s plannin’ to wait about a year.”
“Princess Tia was rather petite, after all... I guess that just shows Julius is taking care of her.”
That was probably because he wanted her to grow a little more before they started making babies. You know, to lower the risks of pregnancy as much as possible.
While I was thinking about that, Roroa poked me in the side. It was time to get started... apparently.
Then, Roroa covered her body with her hands, and in a desperate-sounding voice, she said, “Y-You can do whatever you like with my body. Just, please, don’t hurt the people of my country,” her eyes moist with tears.
I looked at her and let out a sigh. “...Can you stop playing the princess of a ruined nation?”
Roroa seemed to be awfully into setting up situations like this. I thought the way she played around was cute, but she seemed awfully eager to make me into a lecherous king in her fantasy scenarios. When I tried bringing it up with Liscia...
“Hee hee, I heard. That girl sure thinks a lot about this stuff, huh? But, you know... I’m a former princess, too, maybe I should do that for you next time?” she said with a smirk.
It seemed my wives frequently traded information among themselves.
It was a very good thing for me, and for the country, that my wives got along, but... I dunno, it was grinding my psyche down pretty quickly.
“My taste isn’t that bad, okay?”
“Well, you’re no fun. Haven’t ya heard the rumors sayin’ you started a war to get your hands on me?”
“That’s an old one. It’s long since been wiped away by now.”
“But doesn’t this sort of actin’ get you goin’?”
I tilted my head towards Roroa, and pulled the head that was resting on my arm closer to me.
“Even without that... you’ve already got me going.”
“Nyaheheh!”
The following day, I called Tomoe and Ichiha to the governmental affairs office. Liscia and Hakuya were already in the room. When I explained the reason I had summoned them, they both cocked their heads to the side in unison.
““Monsterology Symposium?””
The word must have been unfamiliar to them. Tomoe followed up with another question, “What is a ‘symposium,’ Big Brother?”
“It’s a word from my old world referring to an academic conference on a specific theme. An exchange of opinions in regards to research, held in a public place. This time, I’ve decided to hold a symposium on the field of monster research—that’s monsterology—at the Royal Academy this weekend.”
“The Academy... You’re doing it at our school?”
“Yes. Okay, Hakuya, I’ll let you explain the rest.”
“Understood.”
Hakuya bowed, and then pulled out a book. On the cover, the words “Monster Encyclopedia” were written in this world’s language.
It was the first encyclopedia of monsters in this world, published as a joint work by Ichiha and Hakuya, and featured illustrations of monsters drawn by Ichiha that had been sorted into categories. Printing had already existed without me introducing the idea to this world, so there were quite a few copies in circulation already.
“Between the publication of a Monster Encyclopedia featuring categorized sketches by Ichiha, and research on the various monster parts we were able to collect after the demon wave hit the Kingdom of Lastania, academic fields involving monsters have seen a boom in this kingdom. The question ‘What is a monster?’ is an important one for this kingdom, no, this world.”
“There’s the Demon Lord’s Domain to the north, and even if there wasn’t, they’re inside dungeons, too,” Liscia said, sounding convinced.
“Yes.” Hakuya nodded. “There are also the demons that Tomoe enc... No, that exist inside the Demon Lord’s Domain to consider, too. If we have a proper understanding of monsters, I believe it will be easier to distinguish them from demons. It may be possible to negotiate with the sapient demons to avoid pointless strife.”
“I’d rather not fight them if we don’t have to, too.” Tomoe clutched at her chest as she spoke. “In Lastania... I touched the minds of those lizardman monsters. They all had an intense feeling of starvation, and they only saw me as prey. They didn’t think about anything but eating. So...”
Tomoe’s unspoken feelings, I don’t want to lump the kobold who saved me with those things that could only think on that level... came across clearly.
Ichiha was here right now, so she wouldn’t touch on it, but she must have wanted to say there were demons with hearts, too.
“...Yeah.” I nodded to her. “They say that the demons are intelligent, but it’s still unclear. Even if they are intelligent, it’s dangerous to assume we’ll be able to hold dialogue with every demon. Still, we need to consider the possibility that some are like that. To make sure the war doesn’t wage until one side is completely annihilated.”
Seemingly in agreement, everyone nodded gravely.
“Well, anyway, on that note, it’s in our national interest to research monsters. That’s why I’m holding the Monsterology Symposium. Well, instead of the study of monsters itself, the main topics will likely be, ‘The Importance and Verification of Monster Research,’ and, ‘The Way Forward for Monster Research.’ Given how important the topic is, we need to move forward cautiously.”
“Researching monsters... That sounds pretty close to heresy, huh? The Orthodox Papal State will probably raise a fuss.”
I agreed with Liscia’s observation.
In a country that placed such importance on religion, even if academic development was necessary, it was bound to meet pushback if it tried to unravel some divine mystery. They wouldn’t want to permit the study of monsters, which served as an easy-to-understand enemy of God.
“Let’s have their bishop, Souji, take part in the symposium. It will be hard to wipe away all their concerns, but it should provide some cover for us. I intend to have Kuu take part as a representative for the Republic, and to let Madam Maria in the Empire watch via Jewel Voice Broadcast. Hakuya, the preparations are in place for that, right?”
“By your will. I have received her eager consent by way of Madam Jeanne.”
I gave Hakuya’s answer a satisfied nod and said, “Monsters are a topic I want to study together with the Empire and the Republic. Besides, I wouldn’t want to risk making them investigate us when we’re doing nothing wrong.”
“Um... can I say something, Big Brother?” Tomoe hesitantly raised her hand.
“What is it, Tomoe?”
“I think what you’re saying makes sense, but this symposium will be public... which means anyone can listen, right? How will you handle Yuriga?”
“...Oh, right. Yuriga, huh?” I held my head.
Yuriga, being the younger sister of the King of Malmkhitan, periodically wrote letters to her brother describing her life here in the Kingdom. If she attended the Monsterology Symposium as an observer, the contents of it would make their way back to Fuuga. This was vital information for him, as he was the center of the land reclamation movement.
Fuuga was a man who could blow up big riding the waves of this era, so I didn’t want to show him any of our cards that I didn’t have to, but... like I already said, it was dangerous to conduct this research in secret.
“What do you think, Hakuya?”
“...I think it’s inevitable. If possible, I would prefer that Madam Yuriga not participate, though.”
“If she’s not interested in monster research, it’s possible she won’t...”
“There’s no chance of that,” Tomoe stated awfully clearly. “During the song battle, Yuriga told me. The events you seem to have put no thought into have some deeper intent lurking in the shadows. If she hears about an off-the-wall event like this, she’s guaranteed to realize it’s important.”
“...That girl’s not bad. Managing to understand Souma’s personality at her age,” Liscia said, sounding impressed.
Now that I thought about it, Liscia had said something similar to me once, too. Liscia and Yuriga... They might have a lot in common, huh?
“In that case, we can’t hide it...” I hesitated for a moment, but eventually resolved myself. “If the information is going to come out either way, let’s publish it ourselves.”
“Are you certain you want to do that?” Hakuya asked.
“Fuuga is invading the Demon Lord’s Domain. In this present moment, he’s the leader most likely to run right into the demons. It’d be bad for us if he starts hostilities with them because he can’t tell the difference between monsters and demons. We should give him information on monsters, as a warning, if nothing else. Maybe we should lend him a copy of the Monster Encyclopedia while we’re at it?”
“I see. That seems wise.” Hakuya seemed satisfied, so our course was set.
I rose from my seat, and faced everyone.
“That’s that. Everyone, keep everything we talked about in mind this weekend.”
“Okay, got it.”
“““Understood, sire.”””
“In regards to how to handle the children... I’m honestly not sure what to do.” Once Tomoe and Ichiha were sent away, I conferred my thoughts to Liscia and Hakuya. “I’m sure Ichiha will be fine. He’s not that loyal to the Duchy of Chima, and with some negotiation, I’m convinced he’ll offer his allegiance to this country. You would agree with that, right, Hakuya?”
“Indeed. I believe we can look forward to his service in the future.”
“The problem is... Yuriga. What do we do with her, going forward?”
“What do you mean, do with her?”
“We’ve set our policy in regards to Monsterology for now, but for as long as Yuriga stays in this country, things like this will keep happening. It’ll be a pain having to worry about Yuriga’s eyes every time we try to do something that takes us forward.”
“That’s... true, yes.”
As Liscia chewed on that thought, I held up two fingers and showed them to her.
“There are two options available to us. The first is to send her back to Fuuga without teaching her anything of importance. If we send her back ignorant, it won’t improve our relationship with Fuuga, but it won’t make it any worse, either. It will just maintain the status quo.”
“That’s the safe choice, yeah.” Liscia nodded. “So, what’s the other one?”
“We bring her to our side.”
“You mean... make her our ally?”
“No, there’s no need for her to be completely aligned with us. She just has to not be an enemy.”
“...I’m not sure I quite get the difference.”
Liscia seemed confused, so I crossed my arms and explained, “From what the recent reports tell me, though Fuuga and Yuriga are brother and sister, I feel like their personalities are quite different. Yuriga is more realistic, I guess you could say? The more powerful the opponent, the more fired-up Fuuga gets, but I feel like Yuriga would rather avoid the dangerous battles.”
“...I think I can understand.” Hakuya agreed with me. “The girl is clever. Her ability to study was nowhere near the level of Little Sister or Ichiha, but she possesses a mind capable of flexible thinking and imagination. You might say she’s adaptable... She possesses a skill for seeing through to the true nature of things. The way she praises the way you reign, but is also wary of it, is another sign of that... Ahh, I see. You think you can use her as a deterrent against Sir Fuuga?”
Hakuya nodded in fascination, perhaps having seen through what I was planning.
“It’s true that if you show Madam Yuriga what this country is capable of, she will warn Sir Fuuga not to fight with you. Perhaps she is already warning him through her letters.”
“Hrmm,” Liscia crossed her arms and groaned. “I get what you two are saying, but... I’ve never met this Fuuga. From everything I hear, though, he doesn’t sound like the type who would stop because his sister warned him against something, you know? I mean, if he was, Souma would have no reason to be so wary of him.”
Liscia had struck at the heart of the matter, and I nodded.
“That’s right. I think Fuuga would likely be able to throw Yuriga away for his ambition. But he wouldn’t like doing it. There’s a slight difference in nuance between ‘not hesitating,’ and ‘not being able to hesitate.’”
Think of the similar great man, Oda Nobunaga.
He killed his younger brother, and murdered the families of his wife and his sister’s husband, so he’s remembered as a cruel and merciless demon king, but he could be awfully soft on those close to him. He forgave his little brother and Matsunaga Hisahide several times for betraying him, and offered that same Hisahide and Azai Nagamasa the opportunity to surrender up until the very last moment.
Ultimately, Nobunaga dominated the era by destroying whoever he had to destroy, but he had a strong heart, and it wasn’t like he didn’t struggle with that.
“Having to do it over his little sister’s objections should put some psychological pressure on him, if only a little. If we’re going to face that man, I feel we’re going to need to build up every little advantage that we can.”
“It’s a tough one... But do you think Yuriga will actually oppose him for us?” Liscia asked.
“That’s the problem, isn’t it? What do you think, Hakuya?”
“It is hard to say at this stage,” Hakuya said, shrugging his shoulders as if giving up. “In the end, that will depend on who Yuriga thinks would win in a conflict between you and Sir Fuuga. If she decides Sir Fuuga would win, we won’t be able to use her as a restraint on him. If she thinks you would win, or perhaps that Sir Fuuga would have difficulty winning, I expect she will do whatever she can to stop him. The latter would be good for us, but...”
“That’s the ideal outcome... but we’d have to show her a certain amount of our real power to convince her our country is strong, right? It’s still too early to show her something like the Hiryuu, obviously.”
“Yes. That’s why we should have her participate in events like this symposium. To show that we are studying fields that other countries aren’t is one easily-understood signal that we are ahead of the other nations academically.”
“We should proactively show her what we can, huh...?”
Well... that’s the only way to do it, I guess. I thought. I don’t know what will happen between our countries in the future, and I can’t be sure what decision Yuriga will make when that time comes. If possible, I’d like her to see us as a country they don’t want to tussle with...
“All we can do is watch and wait for now. We’ll have to show her what we can afford to in order to make her see this country’s power, and keep a watch on her. Hakuya, you keep your eyes sharp, too.”
“I intend to, of course.”
When Hakuya bowed, Liscia let out a sigh and said, “The girl is clever, but we’ll just have to hope she’ll act as a good deterrent for us.”
I agreed with Liscia from the bottom of my heart.
In the afternoon, on a day some days after the guardians had that discussion.
Having finished her classes at the Royal Academy, Tomoe and the other students had gathered in the grand auditorium following after-school homeroom. They were here to clean up and bring in seats in preparation for the Monsterology Symposium to be held tomorrow. This world did not yet have folding chairs, so they had to bring in the wooden ones they usually used in the classroom.
Later, when he heard about this, Souma considered developing a folding chair. Mass-producing them would be expensive, and they were doing well enough moving the wooden seats they already had around, so he decided to put it off.
While Tomoe was setting the chairs up in neat rows on the carpet, Lucy came along with a one under each arm and laid them down with an “Oof!” Then she sat down in a chair herself.
“Augh, this is exhaustin’.” Lucy sighed, hanging her head. “The chairs’re heavy, and too far away.”
“You okay, Lucy?”
“I dunno if this is a symposium, or a symbolium, or whatever it is, but what’re they makin’ a frail young maiden work like this for? And where’re Yuriga and Ichiha at a time like this?”
“They both have clubs. The teacher said that takes priority, and Ichiha’s in the Monster Research Society, so he must be especially busy.”
“I get that, but it’s killin’ me goin’ back and forth over and over to get chairs. I ain’t never carried anythin’ heavier than a sack full of wheat before, y’know?”
“That’s pretty heavy, isn’t it? More than a chair, I’d say.” Tomoe pointed that out with a wry smile, and Lucy cocked her head to the side.
“If you add in how awkward they are to carry, isn’t it about the same? How about you, Tomie?”
“Me? Hmm... I haven’t carried a lot of heavy things, but I may have pulled some.”
“Pulled them?”
“Back when I was a refugee, we all pulled a heavy cart together.”
“.........”
The ease with which that emotionally taxing story came out left Lucy speechless. It reminded her once more that Tomoe lived quite the odd life in her twelve years, and she put her hands together and bowed apologetically.
“Aw, I’m sorry.”
“Ahaha... Don’t be. With Mr. Jirukoma and Ms. Komain leading the refugees, we hardly lost anyone, and we’ve been treated well ever since we came to the Kingdom. Things were hard back then, but it’s not that unpleasant of a memory.”
In Tomoe’s case, that was largely because her family had been there with her. Many of the refugees had been separated from their families, but because the kobolds had spared her, Tomoe was able to evacuate.
Once they came to the Kingdom, the kind but indecisive King Albert had given them tacit approval to stay, and a small amount of support. Then, once Souma took the throne, Tomoe became Liscia’s adopted sister, and the refugees were accepted as citizens of the Kingdom.
The kindness of many people had allowed her to be where she was now. The thought of this warmed her heart. Those had been days of uncertainty, where she never knew what tomorrow would bring, and she would not willingly go back to them, but there was nothing in them that made it painful and sad just to remember them.
Now, all it made her think was, “Oh, yeah, that’s a thing that happened, isn’t it?”
I hope I can repay the kindness I was shown someday. To the former refugees, and the kobolds in the north, too. The first step to doing that had to be the Monsterology Symposium being held tomorrow.
While Tomoe was thinking about that, Lucy suddenly cried out in surprise, “Whoa?! Just how many of those things can you carry, Velie?”
When she looked over, Velza had brought a stack of five chairs. The wooden seats weren’t designed to be stacked, so the pile was awkward and shaking. Still, Velza carried it with a cool look on her face.
“This is nothing. I still have a long way to go before I’m anything like Lady Aisha.”
“No, no, what’re you comparin’ yourself to the strongest person in the Kingdom, the Kochiji Queen for!” (Bop!)
“Ow...!” Lucy bopped Velza with the back of her hand for comedic effect, and the impact made her tower of chairs lurch even more.
““Whoa?!””
While Tomoe and Lucy cried out in surprise, Velza was concentrating.
“Oof, there...”
The tower was shaking to and fro, but Velza managed to balance it and stop it from collapsing, to which Tomoe and Lucy broke out in applause. When the shaking completely subsided, Velza laid down the chair tower, and the three of them dismantled it together.
“Oh, right, I believe you two were saying something about clubs earlier?” Velza asked as she lined up chairs.
“Oh, yeah, we were. Ichiha and Yuriga are both in clubs,” Tomoe replied. “Aren’t you going to join one, Velza? You’re really athletic, so I’ll bet you’ve had invitations from all those clubs.”
“It is true that I move well, but... I’m not that interested. I am thinking I would rather join the Cooking Club.”
“Huh? Cooking?”
“Yes. If I consider my future, I believe it will be necessary.”
Velza said, her cheeks reddening a bit.
Come to think of it, Velza said she came to this academy so she would be fit to serve a certain someone. From the way she’s acting, is it someone she loves?
Tomoe was already twelve. The time in life when you first take an interest in romance. She wanted to hear about it in detail when she got the chance.
But Velza joining the Cooking Club, huh...? If you considered the fixation she’d shown on the food served at the fruit parlor Lucy’s family operated, it might be a more natural fit than you’d think.
“Have you not considered joining anything yourself, Tomoe?”
“Hmm... I wouldn’t mind joining Ichiha in the Monster Research Society, but... How about you, Lu? Aren’t you going to join a club?”
“If there were a Lady Roroa fanclub, I’d be joinin’ it.”
“Fan club?! There are fan clubs?!”
“No way. That’s why I’m thinkin’ of makin’ one myself. Lady Roroa’s popular, so I think I can get members, and if we make it somethin’ business-related, for public purposes, I think I can get it approved. Ahh... Big Sister Roroa.”
A look of bliss fluttered across Lucy’s face. It seemed meeting the genuine article at the castle had only intensified her love for Roroa.
“Ahh, if only I could see you again. Lady Roroa, are you the wonderful mother goddess?”
““She’s the queen! And wait, she’s leveled up from last time?!””
Tomoe and Velza could only smile wryly.
“Oh! That’s Yurie over there, ain’t it?”
“Ah! You’re right.”
Having finished preparing the grand auditorium, the students dispersed. The three were discussing where they might drop by after school when they passed by one of the sports grounds inside the academy. Out on the field, the trio spotted Yuriga with her club. They were divided into two teams, using their feet to try and seize control of the ball. It looked like soccer at first glance, but if that were what it was, the sounds they were hearing would be strange.
Shoom...! Whoosh...! Ring!
Rumble... Kaboom!
It was hard to imagine they were playing soccer from these noises. If Souma were here, he’d think, “Is this a factory, or the runway at an airport?”
This was to be expected though, since they were, in fact, not playing soccer. What they were playing was a new sport, created by merging the rules of the sport called soccer that Souma had brought them with a new rule allowing all non-offensive magic.
It was aptly named Magic Soccer.
“Yuriga, I’m going!” A female dragonewt player kicked the ball high into the air.
She looked familiar, and she was. She was the senior who had chased Yuriga through the air to recruit her into a club on the day of the entrance ceremony. Yuriga had escaped then, but it seemed she had eventually caved to the other girl’s enthusiasm and joined.
The ball flew to a height even an amateur could tell might be too high (about ten meters in the air), and Yuriga kept after it, taking advantage of her ability to fly. Then, getting in position for an overhead kick, she wrapped the wind around herself.
“Goooooooo!”
Shoooom!
Yuriga’s powerful shot flew straight towards the goal.
“I won’t let you!” The goalkeeper opened her hands wide, and the ground in front of the goal rose up, taking the form of an earthen doll.
The girl who was goalkeeping was a user of earth magic, like Genia, and had summoned a golem that was three meters tall. No, it had been spread thin to better protect the goal, so it looked less like a golem, and more like the creature Nurikabe from Japanese folklore.
The ball, wreathed in wind, struck the Nurikabe-like golem. When it did...
“Break throuuuugh!” Yuriga bellowed, and the Nurikabe-like golem cracked.
“No way?! My golem!”
The shot tore through the Nurikabe-like golem, and into the net. A whistle blew to indicate a goal had been scored, and the team that scored it celebrated with high-fives.
“The scrimmage is over! Take a break!” A long whistle blew as one dragonewt club member made the announcement, and the other members started to disperse.
Yuriga, who had been mobbed by her side because she scored the point, was set free, and fluttered over when she noticed Tomoe and the others had been watching.
“Well, if it isn’t Tomoe and the gang. What, is the auditorium set up already?”
“Yeah. That shot you made was cool.”
“Well, of course it was.” Yuriga puffed up her still underdeveloped chest with pride. Looking towards the auditorium, she said, “About the symposium tomorrow. It’s all right for me to go and see, right?”
“Huh...? Oh, yeah. The audience seats are open to the public. But Ichiha and I are both going to be in the seats for people involved in the symposium, so you’d be watching on your own.”
“That’s fine. I’m sure there will be people watching me, too, though.”
“I think so, too, but...”
Yuriga put her hands on her hips, laughing as if she had just remembered something. “When we went to Lucy’s fruit parlor before, the ice seller who came to restock the ice room was singing something. That’s because of that song battle you held, isn’t it?”
“.........”
She was totally on the mark, and Tomoe didn’t know how to respond when it came up so suddenly.
The Work Songs Society had received state support after the experimental skirmish called a song battle, and part of their research on improving magic used in daily life had been made public. Incidentally, the song the ice seller had been singing was from Souma’s old world, and was one that made you want to build a snowman when you heard it.
“Even when your brother’s policies seem pointless, they do have some meaning to them. Now that I know that, I can’t afford to look away,” Yuriga proclaimed while Tomoe remained speechless.
Uh, oh. I can’t let things like this shake me. Coming to her senses, Tomoe shook her head. I’ve got to do like Juna told me. At times like this, I...
“Always smile, so your opponent doesn’t know how you truly feel. Always act with composure, and only let the one you love see your weaknesses.” That was what Juna, her vision of an ideal woman, had taught her.
Tomoe smiled at Yuriga and said, “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“...What’s that pasted-on smile for?”
“Oh, nothing really.”
“You’re kind of pissing me off... Anyway, I’ll be watching from the guest seats tomorrow.”
“Sure. Please, do as you like.”
Yuriga looked dubiously at the smiling Tomoe. Smile and stare collided.
“Wh-What, what? What’s goin’ on here?” Lucy stammered.
“...I was stunned for a second, too,” Velza muttered. “I need to train myself more.”
The unease flowing between these two who were, on the surface, just having a peaceful chat gave Lucy and Velza the chills.
It was the day of the Monsterology Symposium, and the auditorium at the Royal Academy was packed. The theme had been narrowed to monsterology, but experts in various fields had been called in to hear their opinions, so there were quite a large number of people gathered. In addition, there were ten times that number of spectators who wanted to watch and listen, so it was likely the largest gathering this auditorium had ever held.
In terms of seating arrangements, the main guests of this event, the authors of the Monster Encyclopedia, Hakuya and Ichiha, were seated at a table in the center of the stage. Also sitting with them was the head of the Monster Research Society, a young man who was petrified with nervousness. He had been brought in solely because he headed the club Ichiha belonged to, and I had to feel bad for the guy being put under the spotlight like this.
At the table on the right were the members of the royal family: Liscia, Roroa, Tomoe, and me. The left table held the headmaster of the Academy; Ginger, the head of Ginger’s Vocational School; Kuu, the son of the head of the Republic; and Souji, a Lunarian Orthodox bishop. Because of the VIPs gathered on stage, Aisha, and Kuu’s servant Leporina were there as bodyguards, while Carla and Ginger’s wife Sandria were there to assist with other tasks.
There were rows of long tables in front of the stage, and researchers of Monsterology and all the other fields were gathered around. Among them, there were familiar faces like Genia the Overscientist, and Merula the high elf. This symposium was basically going to be an exchange of opinions between us on the stage and those researchers and experts at the tables in front of us.
On the other side of the researchers and experts, there were chairs filled with those who had come to observe. Given that this was being held at the Royal Academy, a large percentage of them were students. Yuriga was probably in there, too. The symposium was also being broadcast to Empress Maria of the Empire over the Jewel Voice Broadcast.
With the preparations nearly complete, I spoke to Liscia who was sitting beside me.
“I feel like I haven’t sat next to you at an official function in a long time.”
“Yeah. I’ll have to thank Mother for watching Cian and Kazuha,” Liscia said with a smile.
The children were being watched by Lady Elisha, who often helped with raising them, and Sir Albert, who had come to the castle to see his grandchildren’s faces for the first time in a while. They were always helping us out.
On the other side of Liscia, Roroa had a grumpy look on her face. “Hey, Darlin’, I’m here, too, y’know?”
“Yeah. I’m counting on you today as well, Roroa,” I said as I stroked her hair. “I think your area of expertise will probably come up.”
“Nyahaha, you leave it to me.” Roroa grinned as she puffed her chest up with pride.
Okay... It looks like everything’s good to go, so I’d say it’s time to get this show on the road.
I stood up and walked to the lectern in the center of the stage. At the same time, all the people assembled rose and bowed their heads to me. They couldn’t sit while their king was standing, after all.
“At ease, everyone.” I started by having them raise their heads. “Thank you all for coming to this Monsterology Symposium.”
Because there were so many people from different classes and positions gathered, I figured it was most efficient for me, the top person in this country, to MC and run the show. This was the first time we were doing it, too, so it was probably fine.
“First, I’d like to ask you all to be seated, and to look at the cover of the materials you will find in front of you.”
With everyone now situated, I moved on to explain this symposium once more.
“Now then, the theme of this symposium is ‘Monsters.’ The monsters from the Demon Lord’s Domain that attacked in large numbers and destroyed the lands of the north. As well as the monsters that live in dungeons, occasionally appearing on the surface and threatening the area around them. Monsters are a threat to mankind, but studying them is of great importance if we are to protect our lives and property. I believe you are all aware that there is considerable research being done into monsters in my country now.”
I gestured for Ichiha and Hakuya to stand. Hakuya bowed his head, and seeing him do so, Ichiha hurriedly did the same.
“The impetus for that has been this Monster Encyclopedia, written by Sir Ichiha Chima, an exchange student from the Duchy of Chima, as well as our own Prime Minister Hakuya. I am sure everyone here, interested in monsters as you all are, has already read it.”
I could see the researchers nodding. It was a favored book among them, and anyone who hadn’t read it might as well have been living under a rock.
Once Hakuya and Ichiha raised their heads and were seated again, I continued.
“I, myself, have seen monsters on multiple occasions. From the monsters that overflowed from a dungeon in the Republic of Turgis, to the great army of monsters surging towards the Union of Eastern Nations from the Demon Lord’s Domain. These were horrifying beings that devoured people. At the same time, I felt they were creatures full of mystery.”
I paused slightly and gazed out at the audience.
“What are monsters? Why are they born? Why do they attack people and other living creatures? Do they always come in such aberrant forms? What makes them different from the demons who are said to live deep inside the Demon Lord’s Domain?”
I spoke strongly, pounding my hands down on the lectern.
“It was the Monster Encyclopedia here that made a number of those mysteries clear to me. ‘What is a monster?’ If that mystery is solved, we can handle them more efficiently, and lessen the threat to people considerably. This is a theme that we should be putting the nation’s resources behind studying. I hope this symposium will provide a lively forum to discuss what direction that research should take.”
A small number of people began making side glances at others, or whispering amongst themselves.
“This is the first time, so we are still feeling around in the dark. It’s not as though every method of studying monsters has already come to light. That is why I have summoned a variety of leading experts and researchers. There are times when the perspective of a completely different field of research can aid the discovery of a new approach. Also, in this field in particular, there is the need to consider both the safety and ethical aspects of your work. To that end, I want to encourage an active exchange of opinions. Little by little, I want us to find the path together. With all of that said, I hereby conclude my opening remarks.”
When I finished, the hall burst into applause.
Once they settled down, I clapped my hands together.
“Now, with that out of the way, let’s get right to the point. We will start with a lecture from Sir Ichiha and Hakuya on the topic of, ‘The Beings Known as Monsters.’ Following this will be a question and answer period, so save your words for the end. Now then, Sir Ichiha, Hakuya, you take it from here.”
“Yes, sir. Understood.” Hakuya bowed politely, while Ichiha’s response was a stiff “Y-Yes!”
I returned to my seat and sat down as they took my place at the lectern.
“Do you think Ichiha will be all right?” Tomoe asked, her face full of concern. “He looks tense.”
“I know he isn’t the best at standing in front of people, but if things get bad, I’m sure Hakuya will cover for him,” I said. “I think it’s about time he overturned it, though...”
“Overturned it? What is he supposed to overturn?”
I looked at Tomoe with absolute seriousness and said, “The common opinion that he, the 8th child of the House of Chima, is just an extra.”
A little before the symposium began, Ichiha was standing in the wings of the auditorium stage, looking tense. He couldn’t believe he would be standing on a stage like this.
During his time in the House of Chima, his body had been feeble and overshadowed by his brothers and sisters—he had never stood out. Many adults laughed that he was the extraneous eighth Chima sibling, when he was even counted among them at all. It was Mutsumi who had always tried to encourage Ichiha.
“Don’t worry about it. I’m sure you’ll become an amazing person one day, Ichiha.”
The words his sister gave him that day provided Ichiha with emotional support. However, other words tormented him. “He led in all those troops, and all he got for it was the youngest brother. It’s hardly worth the bother.”
The snickers and jeers that day came back to Ichiha. When Souma had invited him to the Kingdom, the generals of the Union of Eastern Nations had put Ichiha down in order to praise Souma. “Let them say what they want,” he’d said, but those words had still been too harsh for the ten-year-old Ichiha.
Am I... worth being so kind to? That his life in the Kingdom was so much fun only made him think that more.
Firstly, ever since he came to the Kingdom, he’d felt super healthy. In the Duchy of Chima, he often spent the day in bed, but he hadn’t done it once since coming here. In regards to this, Doctor Hilde who examined him said, “The kid’s got a respiratory disease. The air up north is bad because of the desert and the proximity of the Demon Lord’s Domain. If he lives in a place with comparatively good air quality, his condition should improve as he grows.”
Just being told that he wouldn’t be frail forever had made Ichiha feel far better. As well, the people of the Kingdom were kind towards him. Tomoe had been especially close since they’d met in the Duchy of Chima, and her family, the royal family, were good to him, too.
He’d met a teacher he could respect in Hakuya. And, with Yuriga, Velza, and Lucy, he now had more friends in his own age group. Finally, by writing the Monster Encyclopedia with Hakuya, he was being praised by people for the first time. The head of the Monster Research Society had even wept for joy when he joined the group. He could never have imagined any of these things happening back when he was in the Duchy of Chima.
Now, today, he would be giving a big joint presentation on the subject of researching monsters, in front of a large number of people. He had prepared for it together with members of the Monster Research Society.
“I-Ichiha, i-it’s going to be okay. We’ll be r-right there with you.” The president of the society was beside him, looking even tenser than Ichiha himself.
The only pressure on Ichiha was whether or not his presentation would be a success. For the president, though, presenting in front of members of the royal family and key retainers of the country was a major event in his life, and one that might never come again. It was only natural he would be nervous. Because Ichiha interacted with Souma and the others in a friendly manner on a daily basis, though, he was numbed to that.
“I-It’s okay. His Majesty won’t get mad if we flub our lines a little.”
While Ichiha was trying to reassure the president, someone tapped Ichiha on the shoulder. When he turned to see who it was, Hakuya was standing there with a faint but peaceful smile on his face.
“...Mr. Hakuya?”
“Your shoulders are too stiff, too. You would do well to relax more.”
“R-Right... I know that, but... I want to do my best for you, and Sir Souma, and Tomoe, and everyone else who’s done so much for me.”
“I’m happy to hear you say that, but you’re putting too much pressure on yourself.”
Hakuya walked around behind Ichiha, and began rubbing his shoulders. He felt ticklish, and ducked his head for a second, but he couldn’t shake Hakuya off so he sat there and accepted it.
As Ichiha got a relaxed look on his face, Hakuya asked him, “Sir Ichiha, you like researching monsters, right?”
“Huh...? Oh, yeah. I’ve done nothing but study them, so it’s become a hobby. When I see a monster I haven’t before, I want to sketch it.”
Ichiha’s face reddened in embarrassment, but Hakuya smiled gently.
“Then you should think of this as a place to speak about your hobby. People can speak on and on about the things they love, and they want the people they tell about them to love them too, right? I could go on forever about books.” Hakuya said, as he put his hand on top of Ichiha’s head. “Leave the success or failure of the symposium out of your head. You should just enjoy yourself, and say what you want to say. Because everyone has come to see you speak.”
“Mr. Hakuya...”
“You’re still just a child, so leave the complicated parts to us adults... I believe I said something similar to Little Sister not long ago.”
“You said that to Tomoe, too?”
“It’s common to want to act more mature at your age. There’s no need to rush.” Hakuya patted Ichiha on the head.
You should think of this as a place to speak about your hobby. Just enjoy yourself, and say what you want to say. Hakuya’s words seeped into Ichiha’s heart. Don’t worry, have fun...
Ichiha turned to face forward. He could enjoy researching monsters, without burdening himself. That was what having a specialty meant. A specialty that none of his siblings could beat him at. Even once the time came and he took his seat at the table in the middle, Ichiha was no longer hanging his head.
“Now then, Sir Ichiha, Hakuya, you take it from here,” Souma said to them after opening the symposium. Ichiha stood up together with Hakuya and the president.
Standing at the lectern, Ichiha kept his head up, and looked straight ahead as he spoke. “First, I would like to thank His Majesty for granting me the opportunity to speak here, as well as all of the people of the Kingdom of Friedonia who have come. I am Ichiha Chima, an exchange student who has come here from the Duchy of Chima, one country in the Union of Eastern Nations. I am honored to be able to discuss monsters with you here today.”
The way he spoke with confidence inspired everyone who had gathered in this place. Even in the Kingdom, there were rumors about the supposed extraneous eighth child of Duke Chima. However, the people assembled in the audience knew he was the author of the Monster Encyclopedia. That Hakuya participated in a primarily supportive role had been made clear in the text of the book. When they learned that the radical new encyclopedia had been written by an eleven-year-old boy, the research world got excited.
Extraneous and prodigious.
There was a disconnect between these two evaluations, and people were watching closely to see which Ichiha truly was. Judging by the confident way he spoke here, it was likely the latter. Souma had not been stuck with the leftovers, after all. The people here understood that, true to his reputation of a maniac for recruiting capable personnel, King Souma had seen the boy’s potential and brought him back.
“I was worried before he got started, but it looks like I didn’t have to be,” Souma commented, impressed by Ichiha’s sudden boldness.
“You said it. He’s the type that’s really strong.”
“That’s obvious. Big Brother, Big Sister,” Tomoe said proudly. “Ichiha is timid, but that’s because he lacked confidence in himself. But he has a strong heart and he’ll never run away when it really counts. He protected me when we were surrounded by scary people in the Duchy of Chima. That is the real Ichiha.”
““.........””
When Tomoe spoke of him almost like she would herself, Souma and Liscia both looked at her fondly. They could sense an absolute trust of Ichiha in her words.
Eventually, Souma let out a small sigh, and Liscia smiled.
“...If Daddy Inugami could hear, he’d be so jealous.”
“And you aren’t, Souma? Hee hee, it’s so bittersweet.”
“???”
There was a blank look on Tomoe’s face and question marks hovering over her head. She had no idea what they were talking about.
While the Souma family were having their chat, Ichiha was still giving his speech.
“The Duchy of Chima, where I was born, borders the Demon Lord’s Domain. Due to that, incursions as large as the demon wave are infrequent, but small groups of monsters come out of the north on occasion. In short, it is a situation with plentiful subjects for observation. The monsters would be put down by soldiers led by my older brothers, who excelled in the martial arts, but I sat on the walls, where it was safe, sketching the monsters my brothers fought. Of all my siblings, I was the only one with no notable skill, so I wanted to be what little help I could be to everyone by learning about the monsters...”
Ichiha trailed off, and his face brightened.
“...Though, along the way, it just became a hobby. It’s fun, you know? If any of you have the chance to go north, please give sketching a try.”
The whole audience chuckled. It looked like he’d gotten adjusted to the point where he could mix in the occasional joke.
“The first to recognize me for my sketches was my eldest sister. The second was His Majesty’s little sister, Tomoe. I was able to come to the Kingdom because she introduced me to His Majesty, and that let me meet my respected teacher Hakuya. I thank her from the bottom of my heart.” Ichiha looked at Tomoe and smiled.
Ichiha... Tomoe’s wolf ears perked up happily.
He looked forward, and picked up the Monster Encyclopedia he had written.
“This book was produced using those sketches, with the help of Mr. Hakuya. There is also the basis on which we compiled the Monster Encyclopedia. That is the Monster Part Identification system. Ah—”
Ichiha cut off, before continuing again.
“That’s kind of long, huh. Let’s call it MPI for short. Yes. In order to provide a guidepost along the path of monster research, I would like to give a lecture on MPI. President of the Society for Monster Research, if you don’t mind.”
“U-Underst-stood,” the president blurted out. He sounded a bit shrill due to the nervousness of being called on.
Still, he put a large paper up on the movable blackboard that had been prepared. That paper was full of monster drawings. The lizardmen that Souma had encountered in the Kingdom of Lastania were there, as well as the pudgy, winged snake monsters they had gotten them to eat.
Standing in front of the pictures, Ichiha resumed his presentation.
“While I was drawing pictures of monsters in the Duchy of Chima, I realized something. There are monsters that, despite being of different races, shared the exact same parts. Ever since I realized this, I have paid close attention to monsters’ body parts.”
He stood in front of the picture of a pudgy, winged snake and boxed both the wings and the snake’s main body in long, thin, colored paper cutouts.
“Take this monster as an example. There is no official name for it, but I believe that His Majesty’s temporary name, the flying tsuchinoko, feels apt, so I am going to call it that. This flying tsuchinoko is composed of two types of parts: the snake body part, and the wing part. Its defining features as a creature are its powerful jump, and the ability to fly, albeit only for short distances. Also... it’s edible.”
There were hushed voices from the crowd when he said it was edible. Most of mankind did not yet know about this fact. Even in this hall where many experts had gathered, it was a bombshell statement.
“Would God forgive us eating monsters...?” One voice could be heard saying that. It was apparently a Lunarian Orthodox bishop.
There were those participating in this symposium who viewed the study of monsters with a sense of crisis and taboo. In order to learn what reactions there might be to them studying monsters, Souma had not denied them entry.
The whispering continued, with Ichiha unsure as to what to do, Hakuya stepped in and said, “This is a fact. There is a precedent for eating flying tsuchinoko in the Empire. Though, obviously, with monsters like the lizardman, which possess a human body part, it just felt too wrong to try eating them. A flying tsuchinoko is basically snake meat with chicken wings. It should not be that surprising that it would be edible.”
At Hakuya’s words, the room calmed down a little. Thinking it would result in a scandal, he had decided not to include the fact that Jeanne, the younger sister of Empress Maria, had been one of the ones to eat it.
Continuing from where Hakuya left off, Ichiha resumed speaking, “I will address the matter of edible monsters later, so please listen. Now, in regards to the flying tsuchinoko’s wings, there are other monsters confirmed to have the exact same wings. Please, turn to page 5 of the booklet you were provided.”
Ichiha paused to give the audience time to navigate themselves before following up.
“The monster there is a dog with two heads. We will call it an orthrus. Now, for some reason, it and the flying tsuchinoko have the same part despite being two different types of monster. When I noticed this, I sorted my sketches by each monster’s body parts. It was then that I realized there were an unusually high number of cases where this same thing occurred. The orthrus has the same wings as the flying tsuchinoko. And I have found another monster with the body of a turtle and the same head as this orthrus, too.”
Then Ichiha moved to stand in front of the lizardman picture.
“It is the same with this lizardman. This is a monster that the Friedonian National Defense Force fought in the Kingdom of Lastania, and we have been able to obtain many dead samples for research. This lizardman’s upper body resembles a human, but the face and lower body have traits typical of a large, bipedal lizard. It has human elements, but its nature is strictly that of a wild beast. It seemed they had as much intelligence as a shoujou, and could divide labor among their pack, but not so much that we could communicate with them. Isn’t that right, Tomoe?”
When Ichiha asked her, Tomoe blurted out, “Y-Yes!” and rose to her feet.
“I saw a captive lizardman in the Kingdom of Lastania. I have the ability to speak to animals... to understand their hearts, but the lizardman only recognized me as ‘food’... or as ‘prey.’ It was actually creepy how it seemed to lack any other feelings. Normally, if an animal is captured, no matter how hungry it is, I would be able to feel anger and unease...”
Tomoe crossed her arms and clutched her elbows as she recounted the event. That terrifying memory of being seen as prey was seared into her mind.
Ichiha felt bad for her as he continued in a quiet voice, “Thank you. As Tomoe just said, it is interesting that they lack the emotions that they should have as living creatures.”
Checking that Tomoe had sat back down, Ichiha returned to the topic at hand.
“As you can see, monsters are a mix of elements from a variety of different creatures. Furthermore, there are zombies and skeletons, which seem to be existing creatures that have rotted or skeletonized. The reason monsters seem creepy to us compared to wild animals may be because, according to our preconceptions, they have unneeded body parts (parts from other creatures), or unneeded features (rot or skeletonization).”
“Makes sense...” said Souma.
He hadn’t used a loud voice, but the words caught everyone’s attention since they came from the king. When Souma realized everyone was looking at him, he felt awkward about holding up the presentation.
“...May I say a word?” Souma asked, raising his hand.
“Yes. Go ahead.”
“Being overly formal is too much trouble, so I’m just going to talk casually, but... I encountered four-legged ogres in the Republic of Turgis. Isn’t that right, Kuu?”
Souma turned towards Kuu, who was sitting at the table opposite his.
“Yeah,” Kuu said with a nod. “Those furry ogres, right? I remember they had big arms, and four legs. They came out of the dungeon, attacked villages, and ate people. Considering how vicious they were, I’ll bet they were the same as the lizardmen, and they only saw us as prey.”
Kuu was making his hatred for the ogres plain to see as he spoke, and Souma agreed with him.
“When I saw those ogres, I thought they were warped creatures. Thinking back now, they had ogre faces, but their bodies must have come from some other creature. The gorilla... That’s a large creature from my world that’s similar to the shoujou, and they resembled it.” Souma crossed his arms and groaned as he spoke. “When I remembered that, and heard what you were saying, Sir Ichiha, it made me feel like I understood why monsters are warped. Sorry. I seem to have ended up interrupting you.”
“No, that was a valuable story you’ve just told us.” Ichiha bowed, then turned back to the crowd and resumed speaking, “It is exceptionally difficult to categorize monsters which are such a hodgepodge of different traits. That is why Mr. Hakuya and I came up with MPI, which sorts each monster into its constituent parts. I would now ask Mr. Hakuya to explain the reason for doing so.”
“Very well.”
Ichiha retreated from the lectern, and Hakuya came to take his place.
“I am Hakuya Kwonmin, the Prime Minister of this country. The Monster Encyclopedia is considered to be jointly authored by Sir Ichiha and me, but I merely made it look nice. The core of the material is in the sketches Sir Ichiha drew, and the method by which they were sorted. I feel bad, taking the lectern when that is the situation, but I would like to explain MPI on Sir Ichiha’s behalf.”
Turning to Ichiha, Hakuya gave a small nod.
“Now then... Normally, monsters are like evil spirits, and unless they form packs all of the same kind, it is difficult to sort them into species. They come in a multitude of forms, and it has been impossible to sort them into species based on their whole bodies. However, when I learned of Sir Ichiha’s system, which sorts the monsters based on their body parts, there were a variety of ways I found it could be applied.”
Hakuya pointed to the monster pictures behind him.
“As you can see, when monsters were sorted in this way, we are able to recognize those which share the same parts. This has made it possible to name monsters.”
“Ohh...” The was an exclamation of awe from some members of the crowd. Those must have been the ones who understood what Hakuya was trying to say.
However, most of the crowd simply went, “Name them? What’s the point?” and cocked their head to the side. Was it even possible to name monsters when they all looked so different?
Having anticipated that response, Hakuya explained, “In order for us to recognize a thing, we must first name it. Because when something has a name, we can take it as a subject, and research becomes possible. By sharing that with other people, it allows us to spread information about the subject of our research— To give a quick example, by giving ‘people’ the name ‘people,’ and sharing that word with others, I can communicate to them that I am studying people.”
He began to pace slowly towards one side of the stage as he spoke.
“Looking back in our conversation a little, we know that monsters have aberrant forms when compared with other creatures. Because of that, it is difficult to perfectly convey what we have seen about monsters to other people. How about the ‘flying tsuchinoko’ His Majesty named, for instance? If you were to communicate the existence of this monster to others, how would you describe it? ...You would say it is a fat-bodied snake-like monster with wings, or something similar, I suppose.”
With a slight pause, Hakuya turned and began pacing back towards the center of the stage.
“It would be nice if that sufficed, but there are monsters with a variety of traits like, ‘Has horns,’ ‘Has two heads,’ ‘Spits poison,’ and more. To name all of these species individually, and share a common understanding of them would be too daunting a task.”
Stopping at the board, he gestured towards the paper filled with sketches.
“This would serve as an impediment to sharing information on monsters. If we were studying them in detail, it would be tolerable. However, when a group of monsters that are a hodgepodge of different traits overflow from a dungeon, there’s no time for that. The situation must be addressed at once.”
Hakuya moved towards the lectern, and placed his hands on it with a sigh.
“When the soldiers on-site contact the military for backup, they won’t have time to report every single one of those traits. The information from the scene will be limited to, ‘There is a monster attack,’ ‘There are around this many,’ and, ‘They do or do not fly.’ If the group is composed of a single race, like the lizardman pack we encountered in the Union of Eastern Nations, their abilities are clearly defined and countering them becomes easier.”
He raised his arm and pointed it toward the board.
“Lizardmen do not fly. However, they have the ability to jump. The green ones do not spit fire, but the red ones require caution... It’s easier because we can share these common understandings about them. Meanwhile, in the case of a horde composed of many species, it is not so simple. First of all, because there are monsters that take on warped forms, and it is hard to even communicate the enemy’s traits.”
Here Hakuya took a sip of the water left next to the lectern and paused for a breath.
“There is a risk that information will be miscommunicated. ‘We neglected to understand the situation before rushing to the scene, and were not equipped to handle the monsters,’ or ‘We took too long carefully preparing, and the damage spread.’ I can imagine either of these situations arising. However, if we identify monsters by their body parts, and have a shared naming system, that time can be shortened considerably.”
Hakuya tapped the picture of the flying tsuchinoko with a pointer.
“Take this ‘flying tsuchinoko’ for instance. We will call monsters with this wing part ‘flying,’ and those with this short, fat snake part ‘tsuchinokos.’ Further, wolf monsters will be called ‘wolves,’ those that are rotting will be called, ‘zombies,’ those that are poisonous will be called, ‘poison,’ those with horns will be called, ‘horned,’ and those with two of a part will be called ‘twin-plus-the part name.’”
He paused again to allow the audience to absorb this information.
“Think of it like how we already call monsters with human parts ‘men.’ In doing this, a group that would once have been reported as containing, ‘fat snake monsters with horns and wings, two-headed wolves with poisonous fangs, and lizardmen whose bodies are rotting,’ can now be reported as, ‘A group of horned tsuchinoko, two-headed poison wolves, and zombie lizardmen,’ and the same information will be conveyed. We know in advance that if there are many flying monsters, it would be wise to send anti-air equipment, and if there are a lot of poison monsters, we should send antidotes and serum.”
“““Ohhh!””” The crowd cried out in awe. They finally understood the practicality of it.
As Hakuya was speaking, Souma thought, Hm... If they used a system of writing that represented ideas, not sounds, we could compress it even more, though...
What Souma was thinking of was ‘kanji,’ which had existed in the language of the country he once lived in. With kanji, those three monster names could be written, 角飛槌蛇, 双頭毒狼, and, 腐蜥蜴人.
However, Souma shook his head. Continental Standard uses an alphabet like English, so it’s not gonna be possible, huh... Maybe if I invented something like pictograms... Wait, those can’t be communicated verbally.
While Souma was thinking about that, Hakuya continued, “Now, MPI does more than just allow us to share information by naming monsters. This came up in the beginning, but it’s also relevant to the question of which monsters can be eaten. The flying tsuchinoko is edible. This has been proven by the cases of them having been eaten in the Empire, and consumed by the lizardmen. Flying tsuchinoko contain a snake part and a wing part, but both of them must be edible. It is probable that monsters made of all edible parts are edible.”
He pointed at the body and wings on the sketch for emphasis.
“Conversely, if they have even a single poisonous part in their bodies, there is a high possibility that those monsters are not suitable for consumption. However, due to the lack of trials at this point, this still remains just a prediction. If we feed the monsters we slay to animals and continue to experiment, we may be able to come to a more precise conclusion. I would like to ask you all to cooperate with demonstrating this.”
Hakuya bowed his head, and the crowd nodded at his reasonable suggestion. The memory of the food crisis was still fresh in this country.
“There are also monsters with human parts, and even if those parts are not toxic, I doubt anyone would want to eat them unless they were in a serious crisis. However, on the front line, if our men are starving for some reason, they could serve as a valuable source of food to keep them alive. It is important to address the legal and ethical implications of consuming meat from monsters with human-like parts. This is something on which I would like to proceed cautiously, taking into consideration the opinions of the state, and, of course, the religions which support our people’s spiritual well-being.”
There was a buzz of hushed voices from the crowd at Hakuya’s words. The researchers leaned towards those nearest them, whispering, “What do you think?” They were exchanging opinions, but the religious figures in the audience had harsh looks on their faces.
The Lunarian Orthodox bishop who had been suspicious of the idea of studying monsters to begin with was glaring at Hakuya unhappily. He must have thought consuming monsters was unthinkable. Even with the opinions of those looking at him so divided, Hakuya continued to speak.
“The third merit of MPI is that, by categorizing the body parts, we can determine just how many human parts are in a subject. This is still just a theory, but it seems that monsters with more human parts are more intelligent.”
He pointed at the flying tsuchinoko and lizardman pictures.
“The flying tsuchinoko acts on animal-like thoughts. The way it flies to attack its prey, then consumes its meat, is a purely instinctual pattern of action. No different from any wild animal. The lizardmen that the National Defense Force encountered, on the other hand, demonstrated the ability to learn. When we showed one lizardman how to cook and eat a flying tsuchinoko, that lizardman cooked and ate one when it was back among its pack. The other lizardmen that saw this imitated it, and they began attacking flying tsuchinokos. The key takeaway here is that lizardmen can learn.”
Hakuya looked out emphatically as the entire hall went quiet.
If there were monsters with the ability to learn, that made them that much more dangerous. It was said that the demons that lived on the northern end of the continent were intelligent. And those same demons had once destroyed the united forces of mankind that were led by the Empire.
Monsters were not intelligent like demons, so it was assumed they were simple to handle. However, if some of those monsters had the ability to learn, they couldn’t maintain an optimistic perspective. It’s harder to deal with a pack of wolves than one great bear. If the beasts were clever, that raised the threat to humanity.
Hakuya continued, “Intelligence is the greatest advantage we hold over the monsters. If they possess even a shred of what we do, that is a threat to us. However, can we not also say this? If those that possess even a small number of human parts are intelligent, then those with more parts will be more intelligent. Perhaps to the point that it may be possible for them to communicate with us.”
He stopped there and looked out at the crowd once more.
“I am sure you can all think of a group this applies to... The demons.”
With his words, the assembled people gulped once more. They had heard that the demons seemed to be intelligent, but they hadn’t thought they were so intelligent they could communicate with humans. An enemy with human-level intelligence was dangerous. It also opened the possibility for dialogue, but with some notable exception, almost no one had realized that yet. Those exceptions were the people who already knew about this.
“Have we finally come this far...?”
“It certainly took a while, huh?”
Up on stage, Souma and Liscia whispered to each other. Only a select few in the upper echelons of this country had been privy to the story of how the kobolds had contacted Tomoe. It was not simple to prove the communication that Tomoe’s power had made possible, though, and they risked condemnation from other countries for being in communication with demons.
If other countries found out and began trying to contact the demons independently, it would be chaos. None of the countries could tell the difference between monsters and demons at the time. Because of that, Souma had kept this fact a secret. But today, it was finally revealed for all to see.
With the advancement of the study of monsters and demons through Ichiha’s MPI, they had newly presented the objective potential that dialogue was possible. If it looked like that was objectively the case, the other countries couldn’t condemn them for it. Of course, there was only a potential at this stage, but the times were slowly catching up to the facts they had gleaned through Tomoe’s ability.
“If demons are intelligent like us, do you think they can understand monsters that have only meager intelligence?”
Hakuya’s words hung in the air.
“Think about it. If you were surrounded on the road by a pack of wild dogs, you would be frightened. What if you were a demon? Do you suppose you would be calm surrounded by monsters? Between monsters and demons, could there not be conflict between them? Do you suppose the terrifying demons and monsters have built a symbiotic relationship? Perhaps we need to think of demons and monsters separately... That is all. Thank you for listening.”
Hakuya bowed and stepped down. There was no applause. Everyone was busy thinking through the new possibilities that had just been presented to them.
Amidst the silence, Souma began clapping his hands. Liscia and Tomoe followed suit, and the crowd, brought back to their senses by that sound, gave a huge round of applause. When the clapping stopped, Souma rose and spoke.
“Now, with the explanation of Sir Ichiha and Hakuya’s MPI system finished, I would like to move on to the exchange of opinions that is the goal of this event. Taking into consideration what Sir Ichiha and Hakuya have explained, I would like to hear your frank opinions about monsters, researching monsters, and the MPI system.”
Then, taking a deep breath, he said, “If you have questions, please, raise your hands.”
There was the swish of clothing. Many hands went up in unison.