Chapter 15: The Painting(1)
Chapter 15: The Painting(1)
Despite the unexpected encounter with Leort, it wasn't enough to hinder my writing. If anything, I gained momentum and let the story flow effortlessly.
‘This is where Count Caslock shouts it. The state is its people.’
There was a famous movie in my previous life—a story about a lawyer who desperately protested for those victimized by a military regime.
I still vividly remember being deeply moved by its most iconic scene. The immersion was so intense that I found myself wondering if it was even acting.
‘As Leort said, I might catch some flak for this...’
A conflict between Xenon, who came from a commoner background, and the nobility was inevitable. Those who firmly hold onto their vested interests are always extremely wary of anyone threatening their position. It was a scenario that could very well happen in reality.
Still, it didn't matter. As the saying goes, there's a carrot and a stick; if I showed the positive sides of the nobility as well, it would be fine.
Besides, people generally tolerate legitimate criticism to some extent. After hearing Leort’s words, I looked through some books in the library and found that satires directed at the nobility were actually quite common. The only downside was the lack of direct, blunt critiques.
‘As for the exterior of the steam locomotive... I’ll just draw it. I can practice sketching it in my notebook.’
The arc where Xenon clashes with the nobility spans from the beginning to the middle of Volume 8. Afterward, he travels to the land of the dwarves for a rest and to experience new technologies. There, he forms a bond with a "geeky dwarf" who is obsessed with inventing a "steam locomotive."
Xenon helps the eccentric dwarf with his invention, which everyone else mocks as impossible. After various miscalculations and trials and errors, they finally succeed in inventing the steam locomotive. Volume 8 concludes with Xenon presenting a new path forward: not through "magic," but through "mechanical engineering."
‘Supplies are currently delivered by horse-drawn carriages here, right?’
Whether in the East or the West, on Earth or in a fantasy world, the importance of logistics in war needs no explanation. Even in a fantasy world, an army marches on its stomach.
One might ask why bother inventing a steam locomotive when magic like teleportation or warps could be used instead, but it was impossible. Using teleportation or warps for logistics was an extremely inefficient and dangerous method.
While using it on oneself was fine, problems arose the moment one tried to transport objects other than oneself. Not only did it require a staggering amount of mana, but if the spell failed, the object would be pulverized into grains of sand. Such risks were only taken in dire circumstances; otherwise, carriages were the standard.
‘Except for the demons, of course. Seriously, they’re such a broken race.’
One of the reasons Helium, the nation of demons, became a powerhouse that even the Minerva Empire couldn't touch was their absurd transport capabilities. While other nations relied on carriages for supplies, the demons used magic to ignore distance entirely.
This was all thanks to their ability to use magic as naturally as breathing. To them, magic was closer to "Divine Authority"—whatever they imagined became reality.
Though I had never seen magic in person yet, I imagined it must be spectacular.
‘Magic, huh...’
I placed the proofread manuscript on the edge of the desk and checked the clock. It was 10:30 PM. For the sake of tomorrow, it was best to sleep now.
After a quick wash, I threw myself onto the bed. The sensation of the soft mattress traveled up my back.
‘Tomorrow I have Humanities, Magic Studies, and... just Anthropology.’
I had already planned out which majors to take.
Humanities, Magic Studies, History, Theology, Alchemy, Anthropology, Philosophy, Psychology, Public Administration, Military Science, and International Studies.
That made eleven subjects in total. Most people probably haven't heard of "Alchemy" in this context, but simply put, it was the chemistry of this world.
Even on Earth, alchemy is called the father of modern chemistry, but perhaps because this was a fantasy world, alchemy here was significantly advanced. You only had to look at the fact that potions were created through alchemy to understand.
‘It’s not as strictly defined as chemistry... but it’s still fascinating.’
Concepts like atoms or molecules weren't detailed yet, but perhaps someone would define them in the distant future. I stared up at the dark ceiling before quietly closing my eyes.
I felt a mix of nervousness and anticipation for the start of the actual lectures. The thought of taking eleven majors already gave me a headache, but I had to work hard to avoid failing.
Fortunately, the grading wasn't based on a curve but was closer to an absolute evaluation. If I put in the effort, I could easily get a perfect score.
‘As for the Xenon Biography... I’ll have to stick to writing it on weekends for a while...’
Perhaps because I was lying down, sleepiness washed over me, and my eyelids grew heavy.
Soon, amidst the complete darkness, I felt my consciousness drifting down into sleep.
*
The next day, I grabbed a quick breakfast at the school cafeteria and headed straight to the lecture hall. Upon entering, the first things I noticed were some familiar faces.
As you might guess, it was Mari, Cecile, and Lina. Seeing the three exceptionally beautiful women gathered together, chatting amiably, it felt as if they were radiating light.
Were all three of them taking Humanities together? I looked around for a spare seat, only to notice something strange.
‘There are no seats?’
Students were packed around the three women—front, back, left, and right. Up until last week, no one had dared to sit near them, so this was quite puzzling. It was even stranger considering there were plenty of empty seats toward the front.
I had no choice but to sit in one of the vacant spots, but my curiosity remained, so I glanced back. As soon as I turned my head, I locked eyes with Mari, who had been chatting happily.
"Ah! There’s Isaac."
As soon as Mari called out, Cecile and Lina looked over at me as well. Meeting their gaze, I gave a small wave in greeting.
"But why isn't he sitting next to u—wait, what? When did it get so full?"
"Huh? You're right."
From the sound of it, they had only just noticed their surroundings. While watching the three of them look confused, I happened to lock eyes with a male student sitting to their right.
Was his name Jackson? Anyway, he was the guy who had tried to hit on Cecile and Lina on the first day, only to be flatly rejected. The moment he met my eyes, one corner of his mouth curled up.
That truly despicable smirk told me everything. This was his doing.
Apparently, he was jealous because the women who had snubbed him were showing interest in me. Whether he had recruited the other students or they were already his acquaintances, it was incredibly pathetic.
‘Are factions forming already?’
He was said to be the son of a wealthy Count, so he likely bribed them with money.
‘What a brat... wait, no. At seventeen, he actually is a brat.’
I didn't want to get caught up in annoying drama, so I turned back to the front. I wanted to enjoy a peaceful academic life if possible.
"Hup."
"Hmm?"
"Hi there."
Just as I turned forward, someone sat down next to me and gave a friendly greeting.
It was the white-haired beauty, Mari, looking at me with a bright smile.
I blinked a couple of times as she took the seat beside me. I wondered why she had bothered to move when she already had a seat.
While I was thinking that, Mari spoke to me with a slightly pouting expression.
"Aren't you going to say hi back?"
"...Hello."
Only then did Mari nod with satisfaction. I stared at her for a moment before looking back.
Cecile’s fine brows were knit as if she were uncomfortable, and Lina, beside her, had a subtle, unreadable expression.
Finally, I looked toward Jackson; he looked absolutely livid. Having unintentionally spiteful revenge on him felt quite refreshing.
"What did you do over the weekend?"
"What about you?"
"I went around here and there with my brother. There were so many interesting things. What did you do?"
"I read books at the library. There were a lot of interesting ones. And I followed my sister to the training grounds to watch for a bit."
"You have a sister?"
"Not just a sister, an older brother too."
"So you're the youngest? I'm just finding that out now."
I shared various stories with Mari before the class started. It was definitely much more comfortable talking to her than to others. She was far from authoritarian and had a cool, easygoing personality, which made it easy to speak my mind.
In fact, I was grateful just to be having a conversation with a beauty as distinctive as Mari. Luckily, we also seemed to be on the same wavelength.
"Isaac, you said you've read up to Volume 5 of the Xenon Biography, right? I could lend them to you."
Though occasionally, she would say something that nearly gave me a heart attack. Fortunately, I had anticipated such questions and was able to give a smooth answer.
As I lost track of time chatting with Mari, the professor eventually entered the lecture hall. Naturally, it was Virius, the Humanities professor.
"Good morning, my proud students. We shall begin our formal lessons today."
As the lecture began, the room was filled with the students' applause, just like last week.
A short while later, after the applause died down, Professor Virius cleared his throat and began the lesson in his characteristically calm voice.
"Last week, I explained the concept of 'knowledge.' So, what will we learn in this session? It is simple. You will tell us what knowledge you have gained through a particular book or experience. Does this feel too sudden? Do not worry. I will give you plenty of time."
The professor set a time limit of exactly forty minutes. The students grumbled at the short notice, but Professor Virius coolly ignored them.
"Ah, and I will award extra points if you present something related to a book other than the Xenon Biography or a personal experience. Of course, if the content is excellent, I will also give extra points for presentations related to the Xenon Biography. However, please be clear about what knowledge you gained. Now then..."
"Begin!" At the professor's shout, the students' confusion was brief as they began organizing their thoughts in their notebooks or muttering quietly to themselves.
I also began writing down the thoughts in my head in the notebook I had prepared. I was confident, as I had gained much knowledge from the books I'd read so far.
"Um... Isaac?"
"Yes?"
Mari called out to me softly. I looked at her, wondering what was wrong.
When I looked at her, Mari hesitated for a moment before asking with an embarrassed smile.
"...Could I borrow a sheet of paper? I only brought my magic pen..."
"If that's all you need."
I readily tore a page from my notebook and handed it to her. Mari’s face brightened as she thanked me for the quick help.
Just as I was about to focus on my notebook again after receiving her thanks...
"Huh? Hey. What's this?"
"Pardon?"
Mari showed me the back of the paper I had given her. The moment I saw the drawing she was pointing at, I couldn't help but scream internally.
Meanwhile, Mari asked me with eyes full of curiosity.
"Did you draw this?"
On the back of the page was a sketch of the steam locomotive I had roughly drawn for practice yesterday.