episode_0068

Let’s talk about the history of ‘Earth’ for a moment.

Originally, the ‘Christmas event’ that people enjoy together is a kind of… It was a local culture. It is a holiday culture where close neighbors gather together in the countryside and spend time together.

This tradition was fading away due to urbanization during the Industrial Revolution.

Despite Victorian efforts to revive Christian traditions, industrialization robbed society of its humanity. Factories required more labor and higher productivity, and the high population density resulting from urbanization itself became the main culprit in destroying infrastructure and the social safety net. The number of cases where people are not treated as ‘people’ but as ‘parts’ has increased.

Okay, parts.

The Industrial Revolution turned humans into parts. Now, people have become something that can be discarded and replaced whenever something breaks down.

“Isn’t that a truly terrible and terrifying thought?”

“Definitely… That’s terrible. This is especially true because it somehow reminds me of the empire from a few years ago. If you think about it, wasn’t the empire before Don Quixote also filled with a strange enthusiasm for progress? Propaganda pouring in from factories and printing presses that produce magic tools… When I think about it now, there was a bit of a bloody atmosphere back then. Just when the bloody atmosphere was about to intensify, the young master published ‘Don Quixote’ and the atmosphere of the empire changed drastically.”

“Ah, there was definitely that kind of atmosphere back then. It was around that time that magic locomotives were spread across the empire in earnest… .”

“In the certificate of support sent from the imperial family, there was a praise written saying, “We support the creator of Don Quixote, a knight who was more cheerful and brave than anyone else who commemorated the old times, and who made sure that old traditions were not forgotten.””

“… That’s right. I remember.”

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Anyway, contrary to the common misconceptions of modern people, people of that era were also very wary of this ‘end of humanity’.

People of that era also knew that something was ‘broken’. Many people were wary of and criticized the end of morality, and proposed several policy and academic alternatives.

Dickens’ ‘A Christmas Carol’ was the most successful policy among them all.

At least we have at least one Christmas left.

After Dickens’s ‘A Christmas Carol’, interest in children’s welfare gradually increased, and in England, charitable donations increased to a noticeable extent. Workers came to enjoy turkey and plum pudding with their families at Christmas.

Everyone rejoiced together as carols rang out in the streets, and children decorated Christmas cards in anticipation of gifts.

And that was it.

Despite all the efforts, people were still treated as ‘parts’, and modern people looked for an easier solution called ‘nationalism’ rather than a solution that would not work in the fairy tale where all people become good and shout ‘Stop!’

If people are just ‘parts’ anyway, it would be better to take pride in being a part of the greatest machine.

“This was a very efficient change of idea. Now, the ‘parts’ consider themselves members of society and take pride in serving the country. ‘Country’ and ‘nation’ began to function as one life. Of course, there were not only advantages. Now people can deny ‘traditional morality’ and at the same time call themselves righteous. We can now say that the way to be patriotic is to recruit more workers and strive for the development of the country.”

“The mean and eccentric civilized people in Conan the Barbarian come to mind. I remember that Conan’s confident and manly appearance was quite popular. There were frequent stories in bars that the justice of a barbarian like Conan was more correct than that of high-ranking people who talked about order while acting differently.”

“Really?”

“Yes. Since then, persecution of workers based on status or capital has decreased. There wasn’t a very good response, though. Well, some people criticized ‘Conan Saga’ for encouraging workers’ violence.”

“… Well, it’s not that important. How much did you talk about? Yes, nationalism. An idea that makes people identify with the nation… .”

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capitalism. nationalism. Enlightenment. Imperialism─.

These ideas, which are categorized into various categories in modern times, were a messy and tangled reality at that time.

In the process, people gradually became ‘parts’.

Christian tradition was completely destroyed, but no one thought that was a problem anymore.

It was not because I didn’t know the problem, but because it happened even though I was aware of the problem, I couldn’t raise it as an issue anymore.

Maybe I was thinking a little complacently. Anyway, despite all the problems, society somehow worked. Rather, productivity has increased and national prestige has risen. People of that era were not as stupid as modern people think. It was neither immoral nor irrational.

However, they were just as rational as modern people.

In other words, they made the same mistakes we make every day.

“Anyway, I’m okay now, so I guess I’ll be okay like this. ” The mistake.

and.

Gunshots rang out in Sarajevo.

“Are you saying that the assassination of a crown prince led to a global war?”

“Well, if I were to summarize it, it would be… In the end, it must be said that the era itself was festering. One spark fell into the powder keg, causing a series of explosions that led to a huge explosion.”

“Umm… I understand it to some extent, but isn’t it still too extreme?”

“A person who commits a crime is always running to the edge of a cliff. Humans can maintain a certain level of good deeds, but they cannot maintain that level of bad deeds. It’s just going further and further downhill.”

“That’s Father Brown’s line. I understand. Rather than admitting that everything was wrong from the beginning, it would have been better to say that there was another problem.”

“That’s right.”

“Then, was that why you helped restore the Kingdom of Haren? The Haren people consider themselves to be noble ‘Haren people’ and ‘national people of Haren’. It seems to be no different from the ‘nationalism’ you mentioned.”

“Huh?”

“In the Kingdom of Haren, diplomatic channels were closed due to the Sloth King until recently. At the time, the empire was increasing its military budget due to the increase in ‘variant monsters’ on the border… It was quite a famous story in social circles that it was actually a warning against Haren, who had locked down diplomacy.”

“… Huh?”

“Didn’t you know?”

“This is my first time hearing this story… . Anyway, that’s how the war broke out – and as always, the war that seemed like it would end soon didn’t end until a whole year had passed. The first Christmas since the start of the war has arrived.”

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‘The war to end all wars’ was not as great as its grandiose name.

Rather, it was miserable.

Advanced weapons technology forced an efficient and terrible method of warfare called ‘trench warfare.’ All the soldiers were stuck in the trenches and had to spend endless miserable days as part of the front line.

The most terrible thing was.

It was impossible to even predict when this war would end. The war, which was expected to end in a few months at most, failed to bring about any significant changes even after a full year had passed.

like that.

The first Christmas on the battlefield has arrived. The soldiers had a small Christmas event by singing Christmas carols in the trenches.

Despite the terrible war that destroyed humanity, everyone remembered the spirit of Christmas.

Yes, everyone there remembered the ‘Christmas spirit’.

Not only the comrades who shared hardships together in friendly trenches, but even the ‘enemies’ who would be hiding in enemy trenches and pointing their guns at them. The Christmas carols that spread from the friendly trenches reached the enemy trenches, and soon Christmas carols began to be heard from the enemy trenches as well.

Soldiers decorated the trenches with Christmas decorations and lights.

It looked like a Christmas street with small Christmas trees lined up on power lines.

and.

A soldier walked out of the trench, holding a Christmas tree in his arms. Of course, the enemy’s gunfire had to pour in, but…

No one shot the soldier.

“It’s a miracle… .”

“It’s the miracle of Christmas.”

“… I know it’s a story you created, but somehow, I feel like something like that could really be possible. If it’s a miracle that moves people’s hearts… Your literature has always created miracles.”

“The power of Christmas makes even a miser like Scrooge send workers home on Christmas and give them turkeys. This is the power of the work called A Christmas Carol.”

“No. hmm. Even if it’s not necessarily that work… Looking back, it seems that Master’s literature has always created miracles. There is also a story that the Great Persecution (Pogrom) that was carried out against the prisoners in the West and South completely disappeared due to your work.”

“… This is also my first time hearing this.”

“Besides, in the case of recent Christmas carols… It is said that the number of nobles directly providing services to children has increased. In the past, donations to foundations were often made to enhance aristocratic honor, but recently, there has been an increase in the number of people volunteering and donating solely out of personal mercy and conscience, regardless of such honor.”

“Umm… .”

“You changed the world. He moved people’s hearts. I think now I know a little bit about what the ‘future of literature’ dreams of.”

“… … .”

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Zion explained one by one how my work changed the world and what positive impact it had.

Some stories were just rumors, while others were so famous that I had heard of them.

However, since I was entrusting most of the external affairs to Zion, most of the stories I had heard were for the first time.

and.

After hearing all those stories, the conclusion I came to was:

“… Wasn’t this world more dangerous than we thought?”

This world without the ‘literature’ that I plagiarized was in a more precarious state than I could have imagined.

and.

I didn’t know if it was still in danger.

Literature turns the truth we have been ignoring into scandals—but in the end, such scandals are forgotten as time passes.

No, it will definitely be forgotten.

The lessons provided by literature will be criticized as ‘outdated’, and those who follow visible results and benefits will ridicule literature itself, dismissing it as ‘useless’.

“… … .”

To be honest, I didn’t have enough affection for this world to worry about its fate or future.

Even if this world, which has never experienced a single mistake, forgets its lessons and makes a ‘mistake’ so terrible that it completely annihilates humanity, it would not be something I would worry about. It is the job of politicians and scholars to worry about such things.

only.

It may be a bit of a belated sentiment, but it was something that came to mind.

People in this world who love literature are also ultimately ‘people’.

A wise human being who walks outside of literature.

As long as people are still ‘wise’, eventually the world’s literature will also be forgotten.

The value of literature, the lessons it gives, the power of literature, the influence of literature.

These things will be dismissed as things from a ‘past era’, and a time will come when reading will be considered a somewhat noble hobby.

Just like my ‘past life’.

– “Now that I think about it, I don’t think I’ve ever seen my senior drink alcohol.”

– “Why. Can you buy me a drink?”

– “I didn’t mean it that way… lol. Still, if you buy it, I will be grateful.”

– “You can see the inside.”

– “No! I really didn’t mean to say that! It’s just that you don’t drink or smoke, right? It doesn’t look like you’re particularly concerned about your health, but I thought it was a bit surprising.”

– “Why are you smoking something like a cigarette when you have a book?”

– “Reading is the only drug allowed by the country, is that so?”

– “Well, it’s similar.”

– “As expected, you really like reading… .”

– “No, it’s not a drug in that sense. Umm. That’s it.”

– “Yes?”

– “Reading is much more harmful than drinking and smoking. It costs a lot of money unexpectedly, I don’t have any other hobbies since I’m buried in books all day, and I can’t relate to general trends or topics, so I’m left out in the community… .”

– “U. Somehow I empathize with it and it breaks my heart… .”

– “You can’t enjoy two harmful things like this. If a lover even enjoys drinking and smoking, it really means that he or she is on the verge of ending life─.”

– “Senior.”

– “Why.”

– “The editor-in-chief is glaring at you from behind?”