Volume 7 - CH 1

Chapter 1: From the New City, Venetinova 

This is a story from around the time Souma left for the republic. 

The stage is Venetinova, a coastal city in the east of the Kingdom of Friedonia. 

The Kingdom’s coast was bent in a < shape. To encourage more active distribution of goods throughout the country, King Souma had sponsored the construction of Venetinova at the corner of that shape. 

If there was one thing unique about this city, it was its two-level layout. In the lower level, facing the sea, there was a fishing port, a plaza, parks, and more, while the residential quarter, governor’s mansion, and other similar buildings were concentrated in the upper level. 

Nearly all of the shopping areas were along the hill road between those two levels. This town layout was in preparation for the great earthquake that was said to strike once every hundred years. 

In one of the clinics along the hill road in Venetinova, there was currently an eight-month-old baby boy swinging his legs as he was held by his mother. 

“Goo goo!” the baby cooed. 

This healthy baby was named Fuku. During Souma’s visit to the refugee camp, Hilde Norg, a female doctor belonging to the three-eyed race, and Brad Joker, a surgeon, had delivered him by caesarean section. Incidentally, Souma himself had given the boy his name. 

Today, little Fuku had come in with his mother for a regular checkup. 

Hilde was the doctor examining him. “Hm... I don’t see anything out of the ordinary. He’s full of energy.” 

Until just recently, she had been at Ginger’s Vocational School in the capital, Parnam, training doctors. Once it had gotten on track, Hilde, who had always been more at home treating the common people than hidden away in a lab studying, had left her duties to her juniors at the school. In order to follow the former refugees, having been concerned about them, she had followed them to this new city and opened a clinic. 

That said, Hilde was considered one of the two greatest minds in the medical world, and the other one was the surgeon, Joker. So they were both frequently called to the medical school in Parnam, but recently, for a certain reason, she had been staying in Venetinova. 

Hearing from Hilde that her child was okay, Fuku’s mother bowed her head. “Thank you so much. It’s all thanks to you and Dr. Joker that Fuku and I are both still here.” 

“No need to thank me,” said Hilde. “It’s my job, you know. More importantly, like the king told you, you should really be thanking your child, for being born when both of us were there.” 

Perhaps to hide her shyness, Hilde turned to look the other way as she brushed Fuku’s hair, which had finally begun to grow evenly. 

Fuku clapped his hands in glee. 

Fuku’s mother watched with a slight smile. “I guess you’re right. Now we can wait together for my husband to return.” 

“Oh, that’s right, they found your husband, didn’t they?” 

“Yes,” said another woman, stepping forward. “I received word from my elder brother.” 

The one who responded to this question was an eighteen-year-old girl who wore an outfit similar to that of a stereotypical Native American, and paint on her cheeks that seemed magical. 

Her name was Komain. She had originally been left in charge of handling the refugees by her brother, Jirukoma, and was now a community leader for the former refugees putting down roots in Venetinova. 

Komain had come here today to give support to Fuku and his mother during their routine checkup. “According to the messenger kui my brother sent, he should be on his way here now.” 

Jirukoma had returned north, leading all of those who refused to become members of this country, and who insisted on attempting to retake their homelands. He was now staying in the Kingdom of Lastania, one of the smaller countries inside the Union of Eastern Nations, as a volunteer soldier, having responded to their call for troops. 

In that land, he was also gathering information on those who had been scattered while they were being driven from the north. Fuku’s father was just one of the ones he had found that way. 

“He said your husband was searching for you in one of Lastania’s neighboring countries,” said Komain. “When my brother told him you were safe, and your child had been born, he dropped everything to rush here and be at your side.” 

“Honestly... That man’s always been in such a hurry,” Fuku’s mother said, but she looked really happy. 

Hilde gave an exasperated shrug. “Well, it’s good to have the family together. Just, let me caution you on one thing.” 

“Huh? Uh, sure.” 

“Your belly’s already been opened once for the delivery. The procedure went perfectly, and you can probably have a second, but...once the belly has been cut once, it’s weaker, and a natural birth becomes more difficult. So, the next time you give birth, it would be safer for both you and the baby to cut you open and take it out.” 

Fuku’s mother and Komain both gulped. 

Hilde grinned at both of them. “When your husband gets back, you’re going to have some romantic time together, right? If that makes you decide you really want a second, you’d better consult a doctor approved by either me or the country.” 

“Right!” Fuku’s mother nodded enthusiastically. 

Hearing that, Fuku let out a confident-sounding cry, too, which caused all three of the others to look at one another and smile. 

“Is the checkup finished?” Brad poked his head out from deeper inside the clinic. He was a man whose expression was usually more subdued, but he was glancing worriedly at Hilde now. “Um...is it okay?” 

“They’re fine,” said Hilde. “Both mother and child are healthy.” 

“No... That’s not what I meant...” 

“Honestly... You’re more nervous than I’d have expected.” Hilde stood up and shooed Brad into the back of the clinic. “For starters, there are no men allowed in here while I’m seeing a female patient!” 

“No, you’re seeing the baby... I just...” 

“Enough. You go over there and get ready for tomorrow! You’ll need to head out for the capital and look at the princess. They say she’s gotten sick.” 

Having forcefully made Brad leave, Hilde returned to her seat. “Good grief,” she muttered. 

Having seen that interaction between the two of them, Komain tilted her head to the side quizzically. “Dr. Brad is here, too, huh? I’d heard he had gotten a case of wanderlust, and was seeing patients all around the country.” 

Brad was, indeed, prone to wanderlust. He was the sort who would tell King Souma to his face, “I want to heal the poor, not the rich.” To put it in more flattering terms, he was a solitary sort; in less flattering terms, he still had a mild case of middle school syndrome. 

Even though he had received a request from Souma to hold lectures, he was still traveling around the country to see patients and treat them. Technically, he did take apprentices with him and call it training in the field, though. 

“Komain, thank you for coming with me today,” Fuku’s mother said, bowing her head. 

“Dooo,” her little son agreed. 

The time was a little past three o’clock in the afternoon. On the hill road outside Hilde’s clinic, Komain rolled up her sleeves and said, “Oh, it’s no big deal. Brother asked me to look after everyone. If there’s anything I can do, please, go ahead and tell me.” 

“Thank you. Are you going home now?” 

“No, I have some documents to submit to the governor, so I plan to head there next.” 

“Oh, is that right? Well, keep up the good work.” 

“I sure will! See you later, Fuku.” 

Taking Fuku’s hand and shaking it, Komain said her goodbyes to the two of them and raced up the hill. The governor’s mansion was at the highest point in this city. While Komain was racing through the shopping street, the lady running one of the fruit shops called out to her. 

“Koma, you always look so busy. Are you eating right?” 

“Huh? Uh, now that you mention it, I may have missed lunch today.” 

“That’s no good. Even if you’re busy, you’ve gotta eat!” The lady threw one of the apples she was selling over to Komain. 

“Whoa... Thanks, ma’am!” Komain caught the apple, waved vigorously to the lady, then went on her way. 

People often waved at Komain when she was running through the streets. 

She was doing a lot of jobs lately, everything from cleaning, laundry, and babysitting, to deliveries and removing bee nests. Though she was a young girl, she’d firmly taken on her role as a community organizer for the refugees, and because she had the guts to give the local men a piece of her mind, even though they were hard workers and could be a bit rough, it was little wonder she’d gotten so popular. She didn’t know it, but she’d already been nicknamed the poster girl of Venetinova. 

But...I can’t keep doing this forever, Komain thought as she ran through the streets of Venetinova. The refugees are starting to put down roots in this new city. If we’re going to assimilate into this country, it’s better if there’s no “wall” between those who were formerly refugees and those who weren’t. My role as an organizer for the community is emblematic of that wall, so eventually they won’t need me anymore. That in itself is a good thing, but... 

Komain bit into the apple she’d been given and let out a little sigh. 

It may be about time I begin looking for a way of living for myself, like Brother did when he went north. 

Komain thought about it as she ran through the streets. While she was still thinking, she arrived at her destination. 

The governor’s mansion; this was where the governor who ran the city lived. 

It wasn’t the lord’s mansion because Venetinova was part of the royal demesne, and therefore the lord of this city was King Souma. However, King Souma was based out of the capital, so he’d needed to dispatch someone to manage this city. 

There were times when administration of major cities was left to the nobles and knights working in the government office, but considering the importance of this city, a mere magistrate wouldn’t have been sufficient. 

The title created for the post of running this city was “governor.” It was a new post, created for the person who would rule this important city on Souma’s behalf, and the place where this governor lived and worked was called the governor’s mansion. 

Now, as for who was the city’s current governor... 

“Excuse me. Is Governor Poncho in at the moment?” 

Indeed, it was the former Minister for the Food Crisis and current Minister of Agriculture and Forestry, Poncho Ishizuka Panacotta. 

Because this important city couldn’t be left in the hands of anyone who was less than competent, the king’s close associate Poncho had been tapped, albeit temporarily, to handle the job. Because of that, Poncho’s days had been going by blindingly fast, with him going to work in the castle every morning, and returning to Venetinova every afternoon. 

Technically, his replacement had already been chosen—it was the Lord of Altomura, Weist Garreau, who had distinguished himself in the war—but until he was prepared to take over, Poncho’s busy days were set to continue. 

What was more, Poncho had another batch of troubles coming his way. 

“The governor is present, but you’re looking at a long wait if you want an audience with him,” the guard said with a forced smile and in a way that seemed to imply something. 

“I understand,” said Komain. “I have some documents to submit, so do you mind if I wait?” 

“I understand. Go ahead, Madam Komain. You can stay in the waiting room.” 

Thanks in part to her being a familiar face, the guard easily let Komain inside. 

The maid standing by in the front entrance to the building who was tasked with guiding guests led her through to the waiting room where there were already four women waiting. 

The women seemed to be gathered in one corner of the room and were talking about something. They all wore gaudy outfits, and Komain could infer they were young ladies of good parentage. The women glanced over at her as she entered the room, then huddled close and began whispering to each other. 

Komain, feeling awkward, sat at a distance from these women. When she did... 

“What’s with that outfit? Is that girl aiming to become Sir Poncho’s wife?” 

“What a common girl. Does she think that, if it’s Sir Poncho, even a girl like her could seduce him?” 

While she was wondering about that, they arrived in front of the reception room. The maid knocked lightly on the door, then waited for a response from inside before opening it and announcing Komain’s arrival. 

“Please do come in, yes.” 

Hearing Poncho’s voice, Komain responded, “Excuse me,” and entered the room. 

Inside the reception room, a somewhat tired-looking Poncho was seated on a sofa with a maid standing behind him. 

Komain’s eyes went wide despite herself as soon as she saw that maid. For a moment, she was overwhelmed by this woman who looked to be a little over the age of twenty, with a beautiful face, and a poise that spoke to her great intellect. 

Little wonder that woman looked so pressured... 

With a beauty like that behind Poncho, it would no doubt destroy whatever confidence the visiting women had in their own looks. Had it been solely thanks to her that, despite all of the offers, no woman had been able to push hers through? In that case... 

Huh?! Is she glaring at me?! Komain felt as if the maid standing behind Poncho had shot a glare at her. 

When a beautiful person did the glaring, the impact was multiplied. Komain felt a chill down her spine, but this was the same Komain who spent her days openly speaking her mind to burly men. 

She glared back, as if to say, I won’t lose. 

At Komain’s return glare, the maid turned up the intensity. 

Their gazes collided. It was as if an image of a wolf and a hawk could be seen behind them.  

“Um, you two, is something the matter?” Poncho asked hesitantly, sensing the abnormal atmosphere between them. 

Having been addressed by him, Komain was the first to come back to her senses. “Oh, that’s right. Poncho, I’ve brought the list of newly arrived refugees.” 

“Well, well. Thank you for your hard work, yes.” 

When Komain turned over the papers to Poncho, the oppressive vibe she had been getting from the maid vanished. In fact, the maid bowed to her and said, “I’ll go prepare tea now,” then left the room. 

While there was still a question mark floating over Komain’s head at her sudden change in attitude, Poncho spoke. 

“I’m sorry it seems we kept you waiting, yes,” he apologized as he perused the documents. 

“Oh, no. Um... Do you have a lot of people expressing interest in marrying you?” 

H-How did it turn out like this...? 

Komain didn’t understand the situation she now found herself in. 

She was in the governor’s private dining room at the governor’s mansion. There, Serina and Komain were seated across from one another. Poncho was away cooking, so Komain felt indescribably awkward.