There are no problems at all. If you look at it casually, it might really be nothing. However, for people with questionable intentions, especially politicians, making such statements undermines your credibility to nearly zero.
If someone has remained silent all this time and suddenly said something like that out of the blue, anyone would be suspicious. Furthermore, it’s not just a few individuals who are being quiet, it’s happening at a national level, and that alone is cause for concern.
Animers was founded 300 years ago through the heroic efforts of Hick, but since then, there hasn’t been any significant movement.
It may be to strengthen their foundation, but it’s been not just decades, but centuries. Now it was time to turn our gaze outward. If they were preparing for war while avoiding the eyes of others, from the perspective of other countries, it would be like lightning striking a clear sky. We would have no choice but to quickly dispatch our forces.
[Is it really nothing at all? The Minerva Empire, the Kingdom of Ters, and many other countries are sending envoys to Animers…]
[Historically, when civilizations are established, culture naturally develops. Politics are no different, and Animers is likely experiencing this phenomenon.]
[The extension of politics is war. We must prevent their gaze from turning outward.]
With Animers saying ‘there are no problems,’ the world once again stirred. If there is indeed political turmoil within Animers, other countries should be cautious.
Especially since during the race war, humans slaughtered the beastmen by tribes, they have to be careful. It was a time when wars were waged on what were originally unbelievable pretexts. Therefore, it means that we need to find out about the internal situation in any way we can to prepare.
We can consider it a somewhat tense situation. Volume 15 of Xenon’s Biography was released, but there was no response, and for this reason, concerns started to snowball.
[Was the tribal chief assassinated due to political problems as in Xenon’s Biography?]
[Our concerns are gradually becoming reality. Could Xenon have anticipated even this?]
[Animers, which had no significant movements since its founding. The characteristics of the aggressive beastmen are something we can never ignore.]
When each person was pouring out various predictions, naturally, attention turned to my side as well. In general, the opinions were as follows:
As in Xenon’s Biography, a person who had once been embroiled in political issues and had fallen out of favor with the tribe returned and challenged the chieftain to a sacred duel. As a result, the chieftain’s position became vacant, and there is internal turmoil as a consequence of this issue.
In reality, tradition and culture served as important means of uniting a tribe, but the beastmen people could be considered somewhat savage. “Sacred duel” was a culture where everything of the opponent, including their life, can be taken depending on the outcome. While this may not be a problem when scattered in tribal units, in a situation where a nation has been established, it could lead to numerous issues.
If, as in Xenon’s Biography, someone challenged the chieftain, in other words, the king, to a sacred duel and wins, the subsequent consequences couldn’t be ignored. The pillar of the nation was removed, and it won’t be long before everything fell apart.
[Should we abandon tradition and culture for the sake of the nation? Or should we persist and eventually return to the way things were?]
[The beastmen people consider the duel sacred, believing that it is watched over by the goddesses of creation and nature, Harte.]
[It’s good to maintain culture and tradition, but as seen with the Elders of Alvenheim, stubbornly adhering to tradition eventually leads to decline.]
As a result, people began to deeply contemplate tradition and culture once again. Should they continue their stable lives by maintaining tradition and culture? Or should they appropriately address the irrationality and inequality embedded in those traditions and culture and move forward?
Conveniently, there were good examples in Alvenheim and the Elves, so numerous scholars presented their opinions based on this. It caused another social phenomenon, much like the half-blood crisis.
“What’s this again?”
I couldn’t help but feel puzzled as I read the articles in the newspaper. They had been unusually quiet lately, but it seemed like they were now causing a commotion among themselves.
Even though the diplomatic envoy dispatched to Animers had not returned yet, it was confirmed that there was already a problem. This conclusion was based on the information from the Xenon incident.
If it had been earlier, I would have been frantic, but now I could just laugh it off. In reality, it was close to a state of resignation.
‘Why don’t I ask Leona?’
I wanted to ask Leona, who was closely related to the situation, if there really was a problem with Animers. She had always taken pride in being a noble, but she had suppressed that pride and enrolled at the Halo Academy.
I pondered about Leona for a moment and then closed the newspaper, standing up from my seat. It was best to remain quiet for now since any interference might lead to suspicion.
‘For now…’
Should I go grab a meal? I was currently in the laboratory. Elena had mentioned that she needed to discuss something with other professors, and Cyndi was dozing off on the couch across from me.
Even with a degree, Cyndi still seemed tired, and the dark circles under her eyes seemed even darker than before.
I felt sorry about waking her up, so it might be better to go and have a meal on my own for now.
Carefully, making sure not to wake Cindy, I opened the door and stepped out of the laboratory. And then…
“Huh? Cherry?”
“Oh, hello…”
I came face to face with Cherry, who had been waiting outside the door. I immediately recognized her by her pink hair reminiscent of cherry blossoms and her eyes that seemed to lack any vitality.
I blinked as if I couldn’t understand when I saw her waiting in front of the laboratory. I checked my watch, and it was indeed the time when classes ended. However, it was a bit strange for her to be waiting right in front of the door as I came out.
“Do you have some business with me?”
“No, I… I mean, I wanted to have lunch with Assistant Isaac…”
“With me?”
“Yes. Assistant Isaac usually goes to eat around 12:30, right after the class ends, so I waited for you.”
“… …”
What’s going on? This is creepy. I hesitated as Cherry spoke. In fact, it wasn’t the first time Cherry had waited for me in front of the laboratory. However, this was the first time she had mentioned my daily routine like this. Could she be turning into a stalker? Considering Cherry’s unstable mental state, it wasn’t an entirely impossible scenario.
“…Huh?”
I felt a brief shiver on my arm, and then I noticed the papers she was holding so carefully. I had only been focused on her face and her eyes, so I realized it belatedly.
It wasn’t the torn and footmarked paper from before but a new, very clean manuscript paper. It seemed like she had gone through the editing process, just as I had suggested.
I pointed to the paper and asked.
“Cherry, did you rewrite this?”
“Yes… I wanted to show it to Assistant Isaac today… Hehe.”
She blushed and smiled as if embarrassed, but her eyes remained lifeless, creating a tense atmosphere.
Nevertheless, compared to when she moved like a lifeless doll back then, she had clearly improved. At that time, she was practically at the level of a moving corpse.
Seeing Cherry gradually come to life, I smiled and decided to have a meal together with her.
I could check the manuscript later so there shouldn’t be any problems.
“Alright then. Since things have turned out this way, let’s go have a meal. We can check it after we eat.”
“Sure… Thank you.”
“If you’re thankful, you can treat me to a meal later.”
I said it as a joke, but I intended to pay for the meal.
I had to do at least this much for the dream sapling that had been trampled to the point of being impossible to revive, but had managed to sprout again.
Cherry blinked her eyes slowly at my joke and then whispered quietly with a slight smile.
“…I can give you something better than a meal.”
“What?”
“I can give you something better than a meal.”
“Oh? What is it?”
She answered my question with a smile and her distinctive melancholic voice.
“Someday, I’ll give it to you. It’ll be really delicious.”
“Hmm… Alright.”
As soon as I heard her answer, my gaze shifted towards Cherry’s chest. Even though it was covered by her school uniform, it was a substantial bust that could rival Cecily’s. Surely, she wasn’t comparing herself to dessert like Cecily did. I couldn’t help but think in that direction, wondering if there was some kind of lewd intention behind it.
Of course, Cherry wasn’t as provocative as Marie or Cecily, so the likelihood of that was very low. She probably genuinely meant that she would give me something tastier than a meal.
‘…My mind is playing tricks on me.’
I shook my head left and right. What had I been thinking, entertaining such thoughts about someone whose mental state was already unstable? Cherry, like Adelia, had her dreams and hopes torn apart due to an unfortunate family background, only managing to piece them back together with great effort. Thinking strange things about a child like her was something I shouldn’t be doing as both her colleague and senior.
“I’ll look forward to it. Will you make it yourself?”
“…Yes.”
“Can you tell me what it is a little?”
“It’s hard to explain, but…”
Cherry, her words somewhat blurry, chuckled bashfully before speaking.
“It definitely smells like cherry blossoms.”
“Cherry blossom scent… that’s unique.”
Seeing that she’s referring to it as cherry blossom scent, she probably intends to give me a food item that reminds her of herself. It was charming and, above all, cute. I walked alongside Cherry, looking forward to the day she would give me the food she had in mind. First, we had to figure out what to eat…
“…Cherry?”
“Yes?”
“Hmm… never mind.”
Cherry grabbed my long, dyed hair as we continued walking. Naturally, with her holding onto me like this, we would attract attention from people around us. In truth, this wasn’t the first time Cherry had grabbed my hair. She did it when we first met, and she continued to do so every time she looked at me. Because of this, I had scolded her once, but she just giggled and showed no signs of changing this habit. I had ultimately given up halfway.
“My hair is that great, huh?”
“Yes… it’s soft… red… it smells nice… and it’s delicious.”
“What?”
“What’s this nonsense again?”
I exclaimed in surprise and turned to Cherry. But Cherry, as if asking why I was staring, tilted her head and blinked slowly.
“Why?”
“…Never mind.”
Maybe I misheard “delicate.” I held the awkwardness in my heart and continued walking to the restaurant.
“Hmm…”
I heard a strange noise from behind as I walked away.
*****
Exactly three days later.
[The chief of the Animers has been assassinated! A clan dissatisfied with the policies, as described in the book, applied for the sacred duel…]
[Since then, the Animers have become a cauldron of chaos. They indiscriminately applied for the sacred duel to each other…]
[The foundation of the nation is shaking violently.]
“Ah, damn it. Again?”
It seems like there’s never a calm day.
Translators note:
Chapter 200! Woohoo!
