We were constructing a brand-new city for the study of magicology. Naturally, Halphys, Garkie, and Navre, all of them deeply involved in my research, soon caught wind of the plans. “A whole new city…? Now that you’ve explained it, I can see the rationale, but it does come as quite a surprise.” Halphys let out an impressed sigh as she adjusted her glasses. “And breaking off part of the Royal Guard to form an independent order of knights under Lady Anis’s control? Now that’s impressive,” Garkie added. “…I can foresee Princess Anisphia continuing to push me around well into the future,” Navre mumbled grimly. Their reactions were varied, but all three of them were equally taken aback by the news. “I wanted to hear your thoughts on the plans,” I explained. “I’ve been given a list of possible sites for the new city, but I thought we ought to go over the pros and cons of each of them together.” “This will be a challenge…,” Halphys murmured with an unreadable look. “It’s never easy picking out pieces of land…” Garkie was equally pensive. “Yes, I know… Someone else will be in charge of actually administering the city and the surrounding territory, but we can’t pick somewhere that’s going to make life difficult for them, can we?” I sighed. “I’d like to hear what you think is best.” It was all well and good to delegate tasks to others, but at the same time, I couldn’t make decisions without taking their jobs into account. I had spent a good deal of time during my recuperation studying geography, but I wouldn’t be able to oversee the project while I was busy leading our magicology research. There simply wouldn’t be enough time in the day. Navre had been sitting with his chin resting on his hand, deep in thought. “Princess Anisphia,” he said. “This city is to be built for the study and dissemination of magicology, correct?” “Yes, that’s right. It will probably become the center of magical tool research and development, too.” “In that case, I think we can exclude any location that isn’t relatively central. If you choose a site in the kingdom’s periphery, it will make distribution more difficult.” “…That makes sense. Hopefully that’s even an option.” There was no doubt that magicology and magical tools were taking root in the Kingdom of Palettia, and that trend would continue well into the future. There was every possibility that this new city could become a new cultural hub. It made sense to choose somewhere close to the kingdom’s center, if for logistics alone. “We should also consider whether negotiations with the local nobility can be expected to proceed smoothly,” Navre added. “R-right… To be honest, I think we’re going to create some friction no matter what we decide.” “Perhaps so… That just goes to show how much potential influence this research will soon have.” “I’m sure the local nobility will be conflicted. Pleased at the opportunities, but at the same time afraid of them…” I looked down at the map with the candidate sites marked out, when my eyes caught on one place in particular. “Come to think of it, it looks like none of these are near rivers.” “Likely because monsters tend to gather around water.” “Water is necessary for survival, though…” The Kingdom of Palettia was rich in magical and spirit resources. One fortunate consequence of this was the relative ease of securing fresh water. As such, people could live in areas far removed from natural sources. Most settlements throughout the kingdom weren’t located near bodies of water, though. That was unavoidable; over time, it simply became common sense to steer clear of the potential dangers. There was a large lake adjoining the royal capital, but that was an exception to the rule—it was said to have been formed with magic around the time the kingdom was founded. Some monsters had taken to roaming the outskirts of the capital, but it was believed that when the city was first established, the terrain had been barren and uninhabited. The first king, a spirit covenantor, had turned this lifeless place into the capital of a flourishing kingdom—it was truly an amazing feat. “Ah, I wish we could come up with something everyone would agree to!” I moaned. “But if everyone wanted the same thing, we wouldn’t need to worry about all this!” “I’m sure you’ll figure something out, Lady Anis.” “That’s easy for you to say, Garkie. You think I’d be this stressed if I had any good ideas?” “I guess not…but it’s your accomplishments that have silenced your critics thus far.” “I won’t deny that, but I’ve never been asked to build a whole city…” “Putting the nobles aside, what kind of city would you like to see, Princess Anisphia?” Halphys asked, intrigued. I crossed my arms and considered the question. “My ideal city, huh…? Well, let’s see. First, I would want a big institute for studying magicology. And I’d like to invite lots of craftsmen. It would be nice to have specialists from several different fields so that we can make a variety of tools. And I want a good location to make sure it’s accessible from other places…,” I said, counting my key criteria on my fingers. My nebulous thought began to take some semblance of a form as I put them into words. “Also, I’d prefer the location not cause any political headaches…” “That’s asking too much…,” Navre murmured. “I know that. I’m just saying…” “For you to take possession of a territory directly managed by the crown, Princess Anisphia, well… I’m sure people will think they could use that to their own advantage,” Halphys added with a complicated expression as she picked up the documents. As a national project, the development of magicology was still in its early stages. Regardless of the chosen location, it would inevitably be a blessing to the local nobility and to the common folk alike. And it was the natural order of things for people to flock to places where they thought they might stand to profit… “What about the frontier, then?” I suggested. “That would be out of line with our objectives…,” Halphys noted. “Right…” I groaned, staring down at the map. People might not pay it much attention immediately, but hopefully it would be a major point of interest eventually. “Commerce is thriving in the western regions, right? How about over there…?” I thought aloud, tracing the map with my finger. Surprisingly, the roads in the region didn’t always follow direct paths from one point of interest to the next. As my finger connected the towns and villages, the path of a potential highway began to stand out. It was long and winding, though. A flying magical tool would make travel so much easier. I still thought it had potential. “…Connect them more directly, maybe?” “…? Is something the matter, Princess Anisphia?” “Hey, Navre. This place here is under the royal family’s direct control, right?” I asked, pointing at one spot on the map. “…It is, yes, but there isn’t anyone living there. Past attempts to develop it kept failing because of the large river nearby. Each time, the territory was abandoned and returned to the crown.” “Hypothetically speaking, if we built here, it would just about be midway between the royal capital and these larger cities in the west, right? That’s why people were interested in developing the area in the past, isn’t it?” I said, pointing to an empty area on the map. Navre rubbed his chin as he sank deep into thought. Judging by his expression, however, he didn’t seem to find the suggestion particularly promising. “It would be great—if it were possible. The presence of a major river nearby poses a serious problem. It would inevitably come under constant monster attack. What are you going to do about that?” “I’ll use whatever means I have available. I’m getting my own knightly order anyway, so we might as well let recruits know we’ll be pioneering undeveloped lands. Besides, if monsters do attack, the new magical tools will be handy in a fight! And of course, I’ll be there, as well!” I declared, pointing to myself. Navre seemed unconvinced, but Garkie almost doubled over with laughter. “Ha-ha-ha! Right! Those monsters won’t stand a chance against Lady Anis, slayer of dragons and secret vanquisher of vampires!” “This is no laughing matter, Gark…,” Navre murmured. “The point of this knightly order is to keep Princess Anisphia out of harm’s way. This would be completely counterproductive.” “I guess so, but you have to admit that there aren’t many things out there that could beat Lady Anis.” “Don’t encourage her…” I couldn’t help breaking into a chuckle. These two were almost like a comedy duo in their interactions. It was true, however. As Navre said, given my status, this proposal for a new knightly order was probably to keep me from putting myself in harm’s way. “Don’t worry, I’m not going to do anything crazy. But if I have to act, I won’t hesitate. So just let me supervise things from the back.” “…I’ll try.” Navre groaned. “Besides, I was already thinking it would be good to situate this new city next to a river.” “You were?” “I had this idea to build a device that could harness the power of the river, like an engine.” “The power of the river…? Like a waterwheel, you mean? You want to make a magical waterwheel?” Halphys asked, head cocked to one side. I was a little surprised that she was suggesting it had to be magic. After all, what I had in mind couldn’t be more different. “This probably sounds weird, coming from me, but is it really a good idea to rely on magic all the time? Traditionally or with tools. Both come with their own problems, right?” “That’s true…” “I adore magic. I think it’s wonderful. And I don’t mean to deny all the achievements of the nobility, but it’s precisely because nobles have magic that they’ve monopolized so much power and privilege. And that’s caused all sorts of conflicts.” “So you’re saying we shouldn’t rely too much on magic?” Navre asked, furrowing his brow. I nodded. “I think it’s an excellent option. It’s handy, but it isn’t all-powerful. Not unless you’re someone like Euphie.” “You’re comparing us to Lady Euphyllia…?” Garkie murmured, crossing his arms with a hesitant look. Comparing themselves to a spirit covenantor like Euphie, most magic users would no doubt feel like they came up second best. But there weren’t many people like Euphie. Everyone had their own strengths and weaknesses when it came to magic. When it came down to it, magic was just one of many possible sources of power. Personally, I felt like the kingdom’s spiritualistic faith didn’t really encourage this kind of thinking, though. “People are worried we might run short of spirit resources if we keep developing magical tools, right? So I thought we should try to make use of other power sources as much as possible.” “So this is about resource conservation?” Halphys asked. “Not even magic is eternal. We might not be able to depend on it one day. It might even become obsolete. Right?” Halphys’s eyes widened in astonishment. She seemed genuinely taken aback, so I hurried to clarify my thoughts. “It’s a possibility, is all I’m saying. We don’t know if something might happen in the future that makes magic unusable.” “…So you’re suggesting it might one day become unavailable to us?” “I never even considered that…” “No one wants to imagine a future where they’ve lost the use of magic. I’m not surprised you haven’t thought about it,” I said. “…I suppose I’ve taken it for granted. But now that I’m thinking about it, I don’t think I’ll be able to get it out of my mind.” Navre exhaled as he rubbed his brow. Halphys likewise took a deep breath to calm herself. “Not even the first king could use magic originally, right?” Garkie murmured quietly, having remained relatively unconcerned through the last exchange. “So maybe there will come a day when our descendants can’t use it, either…” “…Don’t scare us, Gark,” Navre muttered. “I mean, there are already people like Lady Anis who can’t use it at all, right?” Garkie pointed out. Navre turned suddenly pale. “…! My apologies! That was a thoughtless remark…!” he stammered, kneeling before me. “Ah, er, it’s fine. Don’t worry about it, okay?” I reassured him, taken aback by his apologetic response. I was a little flustered, but I urged Navre to raise his head. “That was inconsiderate of me,” he said. “I am well aware of your circumstances, Princess Anisphia, but I spoke out of turn… I’m truly sorry.” “I said it’s fine. I know you didn’t mean anything by it. Just be careful, okay? This isn’t the best time to say anything inflammatory in front of others.” “Indeed…” “Magic is taken for granted by the aristocracy. That’s why you feel more strongly about it than I do. That’s all.” “Princess Anisphia…” Halphys gave me a pained look. I realized that no matter what I said, the possibility of losing magic would always be a concern for those who possessed it. I had hoped to mend the situation, but I could see now that there could be no brushing away that concern. After pausing to take a deep breath, I faced the three of them once more. “Anyway. It’s not just about people like me who can’t use magic at all. There are also children who struggle with developing their skills, right? They often have difficulty in life, even as nobility…” “Well…” “Yes, I know it’s the rule of the land, and that it was necessary for the kingdom to maintain order. But behind all that, you have people who suffer for it.” Whatever happened, I didn’t want to sacrifice anyone. Truly. But sometimes, someone had to carry the burden. People even volunteered to shoulder it. How would those around them respond to that decision? I had allowed Euphie to become queen in my place. I could no longer turn back down the path I had taken. No matter how difficult the road ahead was, I had to keep moving forward. “I want to create new possibilities. Magic may be a precious thing, but it can’t be everything. In the future, new technologies harnessing all different types of power might arise, even those that don’t rely on magic. Magic may become just one of many options. I want to imagine a future where the common folk can create things just as good as magic without having to rely on magic.” “…Is that possible?” Halphys asked. “I don’t know. But the world would be better off if it was. This new city, I hope, will be the first step toward fulfilling that dream,” I responded quietly. That was my prayer. My three companions fell silent. “…Now that you’ve pointed out the possibility of losing magic, we can’t just ignore it, can we?” said Halphys. “If that time ever comes, it’d be good to have other options, like magicology and magical tools,” said Navre. “We’re making preparations for the future, right?” said Garkie. “It sounds interesting, don’t you think?” I asked excitedly. “Something that can rival magic without actually being magic. If dependence creates inequalities, then we need other options as well. I don’t want to repeat the same old mistakes again and again. The kingdom’s social problems and the danger posed by vampires are both because of an unhealthy obsession with magic. Of course, magicology could be just as dangerous in the wrong hands. In the end, it all comes down to the people involved.” Without an awareness of past mistakes, you can never learn; we needed to make sure we knew the lessons of the past to avoid causing the same problems again. “Well, we’re just talking about possible futures. There’s no point dwelling on it now. Besides, I think magic is a wonderful gift. I’m just wary of trusting in it blindly. I don’t want to lose my way. Without someone to stop me, I might end up pushing too far. And then all sorts of people might get hurt…” “I see…” “We’ve had several blessings in disguise, I think. We’ve seen firsthand what happens when you go down the wrong path. We need to make sure we don’t make the same mistakes,” I said. Lilana and her vampires were on my mind. Their obsession with magic had led them astray, causing wanton destruction and bringing about their own downfall. As the one who rejected Lilana’s wish, I had to make sure I didn’t fall victim to the same hubris. “I agree, Your Highness.” Halphys nodded gravely. While they remained silent, Garkie and Navre wore thoughtful, equally earnest expressions. “Of course, there’s no guarantee we won’t slip up, so I want to broaden the range of possibilities. I want to develop magicology, and I want to value traditional magic, too. We might not be able to give everything the same amount of attention, but I want to be as open as we can.” Besides, magic and magical tools weren’t inherently at odds. Combined, they could accomplish so much more than either one alone. Sure, I had my concerns, but those didn’t dampen my hopes. You couldn’t let yourself be cowed by fear of the unknown. You had to acknowledge possibilities and confront them head-on. “So magic isn’t everything…?” Navre murmured. “…As someone who wasn’t blessed with much skill in it, I think I understand.” Halphys nodded. Maybe I had been a bit overdramatic there? I felt a little embarrassed. At that moment, Garkie, looking unusually serious, spoke up. “I’m not sure if I’m following correctly, but the point is that we should try all different ways to make people happy. Right?” “Garkie… You’re not wrong.” With that, I felt the tension in my shoulders melt away. And it wasn’t just me. Navre seemed to slump forward, too, as he rubbed his forehead. Halphys let out a soft chuckle. Taking that as my cue, I tried steering the conversation back on track. “I think natural forces hold just as much potential as magic. Even if they’re limited to specific locations.” “There aren’t a lot of magical tools in actual use yet, but once they start gaining popularity in the kingdom, there’s no telling how many spirit stones will be needed… Which is why I think we need to prepare other technologies as soon as possible.” “Spirit stones are also traded with other countries, you know…?” “I’m not saying we’ll run out, not with our current supply and all the untapped resources throughout the kingdom.” But just in case… In fact, I had heard that other countries lacked the know-how to mine spirit stones the way we did in the Kingdom of Palettia. My mother, having formerly served the kingdom as a diplomat, was well versed in the affairs of other countries. According to her, the Kingdom of Palettia was relatively unique in its abundance of monsters and spirit resources. There were fewer monsters in other lands, and in turn, fewer spirit resources that could be extracted. The Kingdom of Palettia was founded as a nation of powerful magic users who carefully guarded the land’s rich spirit resources. The reason my father tried so hard to maintain the status quo and mediate disputes between the kingdom’s nobles was to prevent a decline in their overall numbers. After all, if the aristocracy shrank, the kingdom would become less effective in turn, rendering the realm unable to assert itself. On that point, Euphie was breaking the rules as a spirit covenantor. Her achievements were proof of the spiritualist faith, but she was drawing on them to promote reforms. Despite her complicated situation, she had proven outstandingly effective, so I had no complaints. “Back to the issue at hand, I have to put forward an official request, so let’s all come up with ideas for our ideal city,” I said, clapping my hands to get everyone’s attention. “First, I want to discuss whether we want to place the city by the riverside. I’m interested in studying how we can best harness the water. The main issue will be an increase in monster attacks. However, I want to proceed on the assumption we’ll be able to respond to any monster encounters.” “It’s a real issue, but if you insist, we can put it aside for now,” Navre answered. “We will have to strengthen the city’s defenses, though.” “That means walls. And then there’s the terrain. It needs to be easily defensible, yes?” “That’s also important. But it would be even better to have a way to detect attacks ahead of time. A hilltop would be preferable, I think.” I jotted each of these points down in my notebook. Navre’s comments, it seemed, were mostly from the point of view of security and defense. Halphys, on the other hand, approached the matter from a researcher’s perspective. “I suppose this will only matter once the city is already built, but what do you actually plan to use the river for?” she asked. “Right. Well, by using the flow of the water to rotate an axis, we could automatically grind wheat or spin a water tank to wash laundry.” “That…would indeed make a huge difference in people’s standard of living.” “I have to admit, I sometimes wonder why we don’t use magic to do those things.” “Because magic is for responding to monster attacks…,” Navre answered. “Sure. But on the frontier, even nobles have to do everything themselves.” “Hmm… Ah, so that’s another regional difference. I didn’t know…” “It’s not your fault, Navre. I don’t want to devalue magic users or anything.” “I think the older generations in particular tend to be more worried about acting the part,” Halphys interjected. “In my family, poverty was never a concern. I wonder if wealthy nobles don’t do that sort of thing due to concerns about status and prestige.” “Right. For families that have built themselves up over generations, it isn’t wrong to take pride in their accomplishments.” “But pride won’t fill your stomach. If you’re struggling to make ends meet, daily conveniences are more important than honor or anything like that,” Garkie noted. “You have a point. You can’t move on to the next stage unless you have a base standard of living,” I answered. “I think that’s why we have disagreements sometimes—because we have different perspectives there.” “I see… It isn’t easy to change your thinking all of a sudden…” “If life were that simple, the world would be a peaceful place. It’s just human nature.” Navre came from a prestigious background; his family was so well regarded that he had been chosen from a young age to serve Allie, the future king. I could see why it would be difficult for him to put aside the values he had been instilled with from birth. Even so, I could see that he was being sincere. He was too serious, sure, but that was counterbalanced by Garkie’s laid-back nature. “If magical tools can be mass-produced, we might not need to rely on traditional magic to repel monsters. If that happens, people will probably come to think of it more as a convenient ability. That would make the world a lot more fun and agreeable, don’t you think?” I asked. “…I see,” Navre answered. “If this new city can serve as the forerunner of such a future, it would go down in history as a huge achievement.” “Come on, Navre. Now you’re being dramatic, no?” “If you weren’t so dramatic, Princess Anisphia, other people wouldn’t be, either, if you ask me,” Garkie opined. “Garkie!” I exclaimed. “That was rude!” “Huh?!” He recoiled. “You dolt…,” Navre muttered in exasperation. “Ha-ha-ha…” Halphys laughed, seemingly unsure how else to react. As far as I was concerned, there was nothing wrong with a little light banter. We would never find time to relax if we took everything seriously all the time. And so we set about gathering ideas for our ideal city plan, pausing every now and then for some casual conversation. “Mm-hmm. I think it’s all starting to come together. What do you all think?” I asked, gauging everyone’s reactions. At this, they all turned suddenly serious, as if waking from a deep dream. Navre, rubbing the crease between his eyes, let out a low moan. “…I think I drifted away a little. It’s overwhelming. You’re really serious about building this city?” “I thought it sounded great while we were throwing ideas around, but now that we’ve got a relatively complete outline, it’s starting to make me feel a bit uneasy… It isn’t just me, is it?” Everyone’s reactions were starting to make me feel anxious, too. The fact that none of them answered me only added to my concerns. Then again, looking over our notes, nothing stood out that could be removed. All the same, though, I couldn’t shake the feeling that we might be going too far. “This is so radical…no, eccentric, maybe…or outright mad…?” “Now aren’t you the one being rude, Navre?!” Garkie said. “Huh?! M-my deepest apologies, Princess Anisphia!” Navre stammered, quickly bowing his head. I couldn’t bring myself to feel angry with him. After all, I couldn’t deny that he was right… “It certainly is a visionary proposal, crammed full of ideas… What do you think, Halphys?” I asked. “Um… Well, it is somewhat typical of Your Highness…” “What’s that supposed to mean?!” I demanded. Halphys awkwardly averted her gaze, while Garkie and Navre nodded along in wordless agreement. I felt like I was being left out, even though we had all assembled this plan together. “Anyway, I’ll see what Euphie thinks. If it doesn’t pan out, we may have to consider some changes, but if we can make it work, it might go down in history as something truly monumental, don’t you think?” “Indeed.” “You have a point.” “It’s wonderful.” “I was joking!” I shot back. “None of you are going to contradict me?!” That night, I showed Euphie our proposal for the new city. She read the documents once, then a second time, tilting her head to one side as she pondered over them. Finally, after a long, drawn-out silence, she responded with a gentle smile. “You never disappoint, Anis. I would have expected no less.”
Chapter 107
23 min read