Thank you for taking this book into your hands. This is the last compiled volume. Thanks to the readers who supported me, as well as the co-editors, the editor-in-chief, those involved with publishing, the bookstore personnel, and everyone who supported me in ways I could never have imagined, I was able to publish the final volume.
There are not enough words to express my gratitude. Thank you all so much.
Over the course of compiling these volumes, I was able to visit many places connected to Sir Fenix. I often wondered where to go, but from the start, I knew where I would end up. The last place I would visit had to be where he now lay at rest. The grave of the person who once was known simply as Ash but became known by the very long title Ash George Fenix Yanga Sacula. Let me explain a little about Sir Fenix’s grave. As a lot of you may already know, when I was a student, a close friend of mine came to visit the grave with me, and he made a remark that was quite unbecoming of a resident of the Sacula coalition. He said he wasn’t aware of how this grave was built. (Just to be sure, I’m not talking about the modern-day Sakula, but the old Sacula that is mentioned in this very book.)
In his later years, Sir Fenix had so much influence as the chairman of the Frontier Alliance. With just one word, he could put a stop to anything. Although, it seems that he rarely ever did that. At least, according to official documents. There was indeed the possibility that he could have used his powers of persuasion...
The Frontier Alliance in its entirety was at Sir Fenix’s mercy, but one day, he apparently said, “I think my time will soon be up.” It seemed he came out with it during a post-meal tea break.
Although it was his last moments, he didn’t seem panicked. That was very much like Sir Fenix. Of course, the people around him couldn’t remain so calm. At the time, the Frontier Alliance was not on good terms with the central regions and had declared their independence. They trumped their central rivals in their technology, military, and production, and it was clear to all that the gap would continue to widen. Feeling threatened by this, the royal family attempted to keep the Frontier Alliance in check but made no progress. The only reason it didn’t end in a war was due to pressure from the Frontier Alliance military. However, things couldn’t remain like this, especially with Sir Fenix about to pass away before a resolution could be met. Those working with the Frontier Alliance were about to lose their first line of defense. They could see the central regions taking advantage of the situation and applying more pressure. The power balance within the Frontier Alliance was undergoing huge changes.
Anyone could see that this would be a turning point. The death of Sir Fenix was just that important. Looking back on it, I can’t help but feel that was the case for most of his life. Since Sir Fenix was aware of when he would die, he was probably acutely aware of his position. If he suddenly passed away one morning, it would cause great sadness for those around him. Who knows how much it would have helped those around him if the chairman had prepared for his own passing? Instead, he ignored his position and left it all up to his friends and family. All he’d asked was...
“It would be a waste to spend money on my funeral, so please cremate me.” I should mention that, at the time, Sir Fenix was the grandfather of both leaders of the Sacula and Yanga houses. He also had a large influence on the lords who participated in the Frontier Alliance, overseeing their appointments and dismissals. If he wanted to, Ash could’ve continued to put pressure on his royal rivals, the Sodra family, and eventually destroyed them. He had that kind of influence at the time. People would have followed him to their graves. (It’s actually recorded that there were some fanatic believers who wanted to sacrifice themselves as offerings.) He wanted his funeral to be simple. He would be known simply as “Ash” and be cremated in Noscula’s town square. His ashes would then be scattered around the cemetery where only a single stick would be left to mark his grave. However, he was no longer just “Ash.”
His determination to get things done had not deteriorated since he was just “Ash.” His relatives told him that they would have to ensure he had an appropriate funeral. If they didn’t, it would lead to discontent and uneasiness within the Frontier Alliance, which would lead the central regions into thinking that there was a rift or something. His funeral was a necessary expense, they said. His relatives battled it out, with some wondering in their diaries if Sir Fenix even planned ever to die at all. It seemed Sir Fenix’s grandchildren had the worst of it—their complaints weren’t just recorded in their diaries but in actual official documents.
“Shall we just ignore grandfather and go ahead with our funeral plan? I mean, he will be in no position to complain about it. Document approval? We can do that last. Since he’ll be dead, we can have someone else make the decisions. It won’t be a problem.”
You can get a feel for how much they struggled. Not to mention, it got out that they were planning to ignore Sir Fenix’s wishes, and the whole thing was canceled. This is also recorded in one of his grandchildren’s diaries.
“I’ll never forgive the intelligence department for being outwitted by an old man. It seems my grandfather understands their weaknesses. What is he doing training the intelligence department, anyway? I shouldn’t beat myself up too much about it. This much is typical for my grandfather.” You can really get a feel for their struggle!
Although a lot didn’t go as originally planned, the grandchildren of Sir Fenix did a splendid job in the negotiations. They had managed to strike his weak points.