Ch.86Preparation (1)

I looked out the window, taking in the scenery, and the next day I discussed something with my father and mother. I suggested that since things had come to this point, why not designate the Mayshall territory as a cultural city.

Like the Kim Gwang-seok Street from my previous life, I expressed the opinion that if we beautified the area based solely on the fact that a famous person was born there, the territory would surely develop greatly.

Of course, I wasn’t unconcerned about the aftermath that would follow. However, I planned to keep my birthplace as it was, while not revealing my actual residence.

If we did that, there would be no problems even if someone investigated, and even if my identity was discovered, there would be no issues as long as I spoke carefully.

Having personally witnessed the previously quiet territory developing noticeably, I couldn’t help but mix in a bit of greed. Still, I judged there wouldn’t be any problems since my argument was persuasive.

And my parents’ reaction to my story was…

“Hmm…”

“The intention is good, but…”

They showed an ambiguous response. I could understand why father would be that way since he was a deep thinker, but it was unexpected that even mother didn’t readily agree.

When I asked if there were many political problems with this, mother silently looked at father. After pondering for a while, stroking his chin, father looked at me with deep eyes.

“Issac.”

“Yes, Father.”

“What you’ve suggested would certainly be good for both you and our territory. It would increase our development more quickly and maximize tourism effects. Perhaps the exhibition venue might even be permanently fixed here.”

Actually, the latter part was the main purpose. I wanted the exhibitions to be held in our territory every cycle, rather than having to travel around.

Instead of forcefully saying, “Do it only in our territory!” artists would be free to showcase their work however they wanted until the exhibition. The exhibition was simply meant to be an occasion where artists scattered around the world could gather and present their work together.

Of course, this was contingent on my work maintaining its popularity, but given the current situation, that seemed unlikely.

When I looked at father with an expression asking why he was taking a skeptical stance, he smiled bitterly and continued speaking quietly.

“But that’s only a short-sighted view. Looking at the bigger picture, there are many concerning factors.”

“Concerning factors?”

“Yes. First of all, I’ve realized a few things while serving as a knight of this country. For one, our empire is excessively greedy. As you know, our empire is constantly eyeing the Kingdom of Teres.”

Father spoke in a heavy voice, extending his index finger. I couldn’t help but tilt my head at his words.

I was well aware of the Empire of Minerva’s cultural greed. They were trying to absorb cultures and swallow the Kingdom of Teres to firmly grasp world hegemony.

They had already raised their military and economic power as much as possible and established a solid foundation through hundreds of years of history, so it was natural for them to turn their eyes to neighboring countries.

However, they absolutely couldn’t touch the Papal Kingdom of Sabre due to religious issues, and the commercial Dutchy of Bellua was far away. Other places were established by different races, making them difficult to deal with carelessly.

So they prioritized the Kingdom of Teres, which was of the same human race and had been an archenemy since the racial war. But I couldn’t see what connection this had with making the Mayshall territory a cultural city.

“I know that too. If I ask the empire to stop using me politically, wouldn’t they give up?”

“That might be true for now, but do you think it will still be true 100 years from now?”

“What?”

“I’m asking if you think our empire will remain idle even after you’re dead.”

I blinked at father’s rebuttal. I don’t know if I was being stupid, but it was difficult to understand what father was saying.

Father seemed to read my thoughts from my expression and began to explain with a serious face.

“Issac. The true power of culture lies in the fact that it’s not short-term but continues steadily to future generations. Even after you die, your works, including the Biography of Xenon, will establish themselves as culture. And if your identity is revealed, our territory might become as you described.”

“So is now not the right time?”

“That’s part of it, but I should say you were born in the wrong era. Ironically.”

“What?”

What does this mean now? Not for any other reason, but born in the wrong era?

When I showed a reaction mixed with both confusion and bewilderment, father smiled bitterly.

“After you die, the value of your works will naturally increase. And the empire won’t miss this opportunity. To create a pretext for invasion, they might deliberately let the Kingdom of Teres steal some of your manuscripts, or in the worst case, burn everything and frame them.”

“…”

“Even now, the imperial family is vowing to exterminate three generations if they find the culprit of the manuscript theft. If all the manuscripts disappear? It wouldn’t be strange if war broke out immediately. That’s proof of how enormous your cultural value is.”

Here, I was reminded once again that this world was in the medieval era. Common sense from my previous life hardly applied, and it was a socially backward world.

For example, in my previous life, if a country insulted J.K. Rowling’s representative work, the Harry Potter series, to the point of burning all the manuscripts, many people around the world, including the British, would be outraged, but the governments of each country would likely just issue statements of condemnation and leave it at that.

If even this is hard to understand, China serves as an excellent example. No matter how much China acts up, the affected countries can only issue critical statements, not directly declare war.

Of course, this is partly because China’s power is too strong, but it’s worth remembering that even the United States couldn’t freely use force. China, likewise, cannot use force without a legitimate reason.

In a highly developed social civilization like this, even drawing a sword is difficult.

‘…How very medieval.’

But this is a fantasy set in the medieval era. A place where honor is valued more than life, and where they unhesitatingly commit acts that Earth people might consider truly barbaric.

It wouldn’t be strange for war to break out over a trivial pretext.

If all my manuscripts were burned by some country, they would not only be beaten but also receive a declaration of war. After that, they would naturally be destroyed.

As father explained, as long as I’m alive, war won’t break out, but the problem is after I die. Human greed knows no bounds, and it wouldn’t be strange for them to do crazy things using my works.

Although 17 years had passed since I was reincarnated into this world, the common sense was still difficult to accept.

“…I understand. After hearing your words, I see there are many problems.”

“Issac. You don’t have to be too disappointed. Your dad’s words are just predictions, not certainties. The time you want might come someday.”

When I became dejected, mother comforted me. Her gentle consolation made me feel somewhat better, but I still felt regretful.

It was a plan I had revealed with rare enthusiasm, but the warning that it could become a butterfly effect was frightening. It wasn’t for nothing that father said I was born in the wrong era.

Father watched me silently for a while, then spoke in a measured tone.

“It’s natural to feel greedy when visible results appear, just like you do. It’s a normal reaction. But right now, it seems a bit hasty.”

“…I suppose so.”

“That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t do it at all. I’m just giving advice, not forcing a choice on you. If you’re confident you can take responsibility, I’ll gladly support you.”

My father always says the right things. As a soldier who served on the front lines, he knows more than I do.

Above all, father was born and raised in this world. It’s inevitable that his thinking differs from mine in many ways, as I have deeply ingrained common sense from my previous life.

‘It’s impossible for the era to develop immediately…’

How can I prevent my works from being used politically? For now, there’s no problem because I’m alive, but the issue is what happens afterward.

Like all people, no parent wants to give their child a terrible future. I’ll eventually get married and have children too, and I can’t pass on such a future to them.

What if the cause of that future is directly related to me? It’s horrific just to imagine.

‘I still have plenty of time. It’s better to think slowly.’

I almost became blinded by greed. I shouldn’t apply the common sense of my previous life to this world, but I had overlooked even the most basic aspects.

I decided to postpone developing our territory into a cultural city and looked at my parents. Both of them were quietly waiting for me to speak.

“…It’s still hard to give up on the idea.”

Father seemed to agree with my embarrassed smile and chuckled.

“If you’re born a man, you should have that much ambition. Honor is something precious that can’t be measured with money. Of course, you might discover something more precious than honor.”

“Oh, you.”

Father subtly touched mother’s hand and acted slick. Mother, though embarrassed, leaned her head on father’s sturdy shoulder.

I’ve been watching this scene for over ten years, but I still can’t get used to it. They were still burning like an active volcano, with no signs of cooling down.

‘Did he retire not because military life was hard, but because he wanted to be with mother?’

I became genuinely curious about their love story.

Anyway, my greedy plan was put on hold, but the exhibition preparations proceeded without any issues. Thanks to all the support from the imperial family, the territory changed in real-time almost every day.

That didn’t mean our family’s life changed. I sent letters to the publisher, and my parents were sweating over the flood of approval documents.

Of course, there were some changes.

“Hello! Our cutie!”

“Oh? Sister Adelia? Are you also going to the exhibition?”

“Of course! How could I miss something like this?”

Nicole, who was expected to stay at the academy during the break, came to the mansion with Adelia Cross.

I could understand Nicole coming since she’s family, but I never thought Adelia would be invited to the mansion too.

“Actually, I also came to see our cute Issac…”

“Stop talking nonsense and let me show you to your room.”

“Aah~ Why~ I want to talk more with our Issac.”

“What are you trying to do with someone who has a girlfriend? Stop talking and follow me.”

And so Adelia was dragged away by Nicole. Seeing her cheerfully saying goodbye even as she was being dragged away, I couldn’t help but think she hadn’t changed at all.

‘She must be really close with my sister.’

Nicole has never invited anyone home before. Partly because she’s busy working as an academic assistant, but also because our territory wasn’t much to look at.

But now, with the exhibition being held, Adelia seems to have come out of curiosity. And she probably asked Nicole to invite her. I didn’t see it with my own eyes, but knowing Adelia, I can imagine.

‘I wonder what kind of guests will come?’

Originally, there was news about who was attending from various countries around the world, but all that disappeared the moment I spoke up. So I don’t know exactly who’s attending.

‘Well, I can guess a few people.’

And sure enough.

“Issac~”

The day before the exhibition started, Marie came to our mansion. Since she had sent a letter, we were able to welcome her visit, which wasn’t a surprise.

“Hello. I’m Sarah Housen Reckyless, the lady of the Reckyless ducal family. Nice to meet you.”

“I’m Kay Housen Reckyless, the eldest son of the Reckyless ducal family. Pleased to meet you.”

And not just Marie, but her mother and brother visited as well. I had seen her brother once before, but this was my first time meeting Sarah.

Sarah was a beautiful woman with brown hair and brown eyes, and she looked so much like Marie that I could immediately tell where Marie got her looks from. Like my mother, she exuded a dignified yet modest atmosphere that conveyed elegance.

‘…But the exhibition opens tomorrow?’

I couldn’t help but wonder as I greeted them according to etiquette. If they hadn’t mistaken the time…

“Sorry, Issac. I ‘mistakenly’ came a day early.”

“…”

“Can I impose on you for just today?”

Looking at Marie’s beaming smile, I glanced behind her.

Her mother, Sarah, was also smiling brightly like Marie, while Kay was shaking his head.

‘She’s becoming more and more mischievous.’

So what am I supposed to do? I smiled bitterly, as if reluctantly accepting.

“Alright.”

The exhibition was just around the corner.

*****

Meanwhile, around the same time in Alfheim…

“Understood, Rain? This time, you absolutely must not cause any trouble.”

“I understand, Your Majesty. I won’t cause any trouble.”

“Good. Let’s go quickly. We need to hurry before the Council of Elders finds out.”

Two elves disappeared somewhere through teleportation, and…

“What should I wear? I already showed this one last time, so I need to wear something different… Should I go with this?”

“This one is better than that…”

“Don’t you have anything else besides this?”

In Helium, Cecilly was busy choosing a dress.

‘What should I wear to get his attention?’

In her heart, she was thinking of Issac.