Chapter 423: Interception(1)
Chapter 423: Interception(1)
As I shared a brief history of Earth with Lina and chatted about various things, I learned several interesting facts.
Since the topic was what it was, most of the conversation revolved around crop failures. Curiously, while they had been steadily cultivating potatoes, they had no 'beans.'
Apparently, the potatoes in this world were also famous for their hardy vitality. Thus, they were grown consistently as a safeguard against famine.
At first, people had avoided them because they were bland, lacking any sweetness, and became toxic once they sprouted. However, through continuous refinement, potatoes identical to those from my previous life had been developed.
I knew that much, but the fact that they didn't grow beans was a bit of a surprise. To be precise, they were entirely unaware of the existence of beans.
On Earth, beans originated from Asia, but still...
However, there had been beans in Helium when I visited last time. It seemed that because they had been semi-forcibly isolated until recently, the rest of the world remained ignorant of them.
Even if beans had crossed the border, people likely wouldn't have trusted them. Since they were a crop grown directly by the Demon race, people would have found excuses to reject them, claiming they possessed a sinister energy.
Helium, in particular, was a country where culinary culture—including "bizarre" foods—had developed in many different ways. Perhaps it was natural, given they had to eat whatever they could to survive in such a barren environment.
I never imagined they’d go as far as grilling cockroaches, though.
Anyway, I dropped a hint that they should use beans to maintain soil fertility until alchemy advanced further and nitrogen fertilizer made its appearance.
Lina listened to me, lost in thought for a moment, before asking a question as if something had just occurred to her.
"Cecile is coming here soon, right?"
"Probably? Her pur—no, no."
I almost let the word 'purge' slip out. Even though I acted as the link between them, Lina and Cecile were strictly the power players of their respective nations.
Just because they were personally close didn't mean national affairs should be handled emotionally.
It wasn't that I didn't trust them, but there are things you can handle with emotion and things you simply cannot.
"I heard she’s almost finished with her current task and will be here soon. She’ll arrive within three days at the latest."
"Really? Then it’ll be better to talk to Cecile directly about this. There might be something other than beans that can restore soil fertility. Is that okay?"
"I don't mind, but... are you okay with it?"
"I'm talking to the great Prophet himself, after all. Of course I'm okay with it."
I wanted to say something, but the words wouldn't come. It sounded like a joke, yet it didn't feel like one at all.
The nobles who kept the Imperial Family in check would cast suspicious glances, but the commoners would believe.
In fact, they had already gained various pieces of knowledge through me, including ways to prepare for famine, so it was a prophecy of sorts.
"...Do whatever you want. I'll be staying at the mansion anyway. We have a maid from the Imperial Palace now, so you can just leave the arrangements to her."
"Thank you."
"Oh, just so you know, there isn't a guest room right next to my bedroom."
"You—you! Who do you think I am, some kind of pervert? And I'm a Princess! A Princess! I maintain my dignity wherever I..."
"Even if you maintain your dignity, everyone has their own tastes, Princess."
"And maybe wait for your face to stop being so red before you say that." I sipped my tea leisurely as I watched Lina, who was at a loss for words and merely fanning her face with her hand.
Whenever I saw her—usually so elegant and dignified—lose her composure like that, I felt a strange sense of satisfaction.
Perhaps it was because she usually wore a mask, but in front of me, that mask was completely stripped away.
Even Mari, who used to be on bad terms with her, had recently become obsessed with teasing Lina.
Anyway, I decided to end the teasing there and called a maid to guide her to the guest room.
I needed to organize the knowledge I had shared with her, but more importantly, some very welcome guests had arrived at our mansion.
"Whoa. Isaac. Have you gotten even taller since I last saw you? I guess it’s the family bloodline after all."
"Have you been doing well?"
My dear older brother and sister, Dave and Nicole, had returned to the mansion after finally receiving a long-awaited leave.
The last time they were on leave was during the Xenon Festival last year, so it had been a very long time since we’d seen their faces.
I had wanted to visit them, but last year I was busy with my studies, and recently, I hadn't had the leeway after my identity was revealed.
"Brother! Sister! You aren't hurt anywhere, are you?"
"Of course not. We aren't the type to get hurt that easily."
"Ahaha. Isaac is the same as ever."
I gave them a warm welcome with a hug. As everyone knew, the place where they served was the border region.
Though things had improved recently thanks to my father's great exploits, it was still no different from being deployed to a war zone, so just returning in one piece was enough.
To be honest, I had been so busy lately that I had almost forgotten.
They’ll be fine. Father trained them hard, so they’ll come back in one piece.
But meeting them in person made me realize how foolish those thoughts were. After all, hadn't Nicole even broken an arm during training once?
"If I had known, I would have at least sent a letter... I'm sorry."
"No, no. It's fine. In fact, it might have been better that you didn't."
"I agree. The day you send a letter... ugh. I don't even want to imagine it."
Dave shook his head as if the mere thought was horrifying. When I looked at him with a puzzled expression, Nicole chuckled and explained.
"Xenon's Biography is incredibly popular in our knighthood. There isn't a single member who hasn't tried to copy the techniques from the book. You get what I mean, right?"
"Uh... yeah, I think I get it."
"Good. Where are Father and Mother?"
"Father is handling some business right now, and Mother is..."
I set everything aside and brought them into the mansion. They looked incredibly dashing in their crisp uniforms.
Also, whether it was because of the high-intensity training or just natural growth, both of them seemed to have gotten a bit taller.
If I, who was in the middle of a growth spurt myself, felt that way, they must have actually grown.
"But it feels like there are a lot more people in the mansion now?"
"You're right."
Since it was their first time home in nearly a year, they looked around the transformed interior of the mansion with fascination.
First of all, there were far more people moving about than before, and more importantly, knights were now stationed throughout.
I explained everything to them one by one, telling them what had changed. At the same time, a question occurred to me.
"Even if you didn't write to me, didn't you send letters to Father or Mother? Not even a greeting letter?"
"We didn't even have time for that. We’d pass out as soon as training or missions were over. And recently, the Barbarians have started becoming active again..."
At Dave's grumbling, Nicole nodded in agreement.
Considering they were people whose stamina wouldn't lose to any high-ranking knight, the fact that they were this exhausted meant it must have been truly difficult.
Soldiers often have to train or carry out missions day and night. I felt grateful once again that they had returned safely today.
Afterward, the two of them, exhausted from their long journey, went to their respective rooms. After a brief rest, the whole family gathered in one room.
The room they gathered in was, naturally, the empty drawing room.
"Daddy. Daddy. Who are this boy and girl?"
"They're Daddy's brother and sister. You can call them Uncle and Aunt."
"Uncle? Aunt?"
Ariel was there.
[As expected, the eldest looks just like that rascal Hawk. The granddaughter takes after the daughter-in-law.]
And Clark was included as well. For the record, Clark was wearing thick armor and a helmet with a visor.
Thanks to that, he could hide his identity well, but right now, he had his helmet off, revealing his true form.
To top it off, the cigar in his mouth was the perfect finishing touch. Even more impressive was that he had been smoking it consistently even while wearing the helmet.
"...Hey. We didn't accidentally time travel while we were in the carriage, did we?"
"Uh... rather than that, maybe we've come to another world?"
Since this was something I hadn't mentioned in my letters, Dave and Nicole couldn't hide their confusion.
The presence of Ariel (an angel) alone would have been extremely disorienting, but having a skeleton join the family gathering made their reaction perfectly natural.
I couldn't share this kind of information through letters because the Navy Knights strictly inspected all mail due to their location.
So, it was only today that I could explain everything step by step, and since the family had already coordinated their stories long ago, it didn't take long.
"Ssssp... I'm not dreaming, am I? Hey, Nicole. Punch me in the face."
"You punch me first. I can't believe this either."
Of course, even after the explanation, they didn't seem to believe it easily. It was only after they took turns hitting each other that they finally accepted it.
I wondered if they had used physical reinforcement right before being hit, or if they were just naturally durable, because not a single mark was left even though they had punched each other. It was quite impressive.
"Isaac."
"Yeah?"
"You're really... amazing in so many ways. Now you've even..."
"Sometimes I think Isaac is someone from another world."
While Nicole was so stunned she was speechless, Dave had hit the nail on the head.
He probably meant it as a joke, but it made my heart skip a beat.
Anyway, once the situation was settled, we were able to enter into a serious conversation.
Ariel, who had been on my lap, had somehow climbed onto Clark's head, and Clark just sat there with his arms crossed, puffing away on his cigar.
It was a truly magnificent sight that kept drawing my eyes away from the conversation, but fortunately, we didn't have to stop.
"You say the Barbarians have resumed their activities?"
Father's eyes widened in surprise at the news Dave and Nicole brought. Not just him, but Mother and I were the same.
Dave added further explanation with a grim face.
"Yes. However, it's not full-scale activity yet. According to the scouts, they've split into moderates and radicals."
"The moderates are, of course, those who want to talk with us, and the radicals are, as you know..."
Nicole trailed off, but it was obvious what she meant. Radicals were, by definition, radical.
Father narrowed his eyes and nodded at the story. Seeing him clasp his hands together, it seemed he was deep in thought.
After all, as someone who had personally experienced the ferocity of the Barbarians, his concerns were bound to be deep.
"...I should have plucked them out by the roots back then."
"If you had, there wouldn't be any moderates or radicals; only radicals would be left. More importantly, the Navy Knights are much stronger than before, while the Barbarians have diminished in strength, so it’ll be much better than in your time, Father."
Nicole comforted him at his muttering. However, that comfort didn't seem to help Father much.
"Strength doesn't matter. Their main tactic wasn't a direct assault, but 'fire attacks.'"
"Fire attacks?"
"Yes. Fire attacks using 'Black Water.' Their main tactic was for infiltration teams to sneak into the base and set fires by splashing Black Water. Black Water can't be easily extinguished with normal water, so it has to be covered with sand or dirt."
"...Black Water?"
I muttered softly at Father's explanation. Just from the description, it had properties very similar to the 'petroleum' I knew.
A resource known to be formed from organic matter and considered the most important resource for Earth in my previous life.
Is there petroleum in this world too? I wondered, but then again, even on Earth, the exact principle of how petroleum is formed isn't fully understood.
There's a saying that the corpses of dinosaurs become petroleum, but think about the Middle East. During the time of the dinosaurs, the Middle East was submerged under the sea.
Even if that were the case, this world was inhabited by beings even greater than dinosaurs. Right now, giant winged lizards—dragons—exist, so what about dinosaurs?
But using petroleum for fire attacks?
That petroleum, which only comes out after digging deep into the ground? Even on Earth, there are records of it being used for lamps or siege warfare before people knew how to truly utilize it.
But that was using petroleum that had seeped 'above ground,' not from direct drilling. There's a reason drilling operations exist.
"Father. Is Black Water common in the border regions?"
"If you dig a bit deep into the ground, Black Water is what commonly comes out. In fact, in the areas where the Barbarians live, there's more Black Water than drinkable water."
"The reason the Barbarians invade the Empire whenever they get a chance is because of that water. There's so little water that there's a clear limit to how much life can grow, and they can't even farm."
Following Father, Nicole provided additional explanation. A place with more petroleum than water. Is such a thing possible? It's not like it's the Middle East.
Wait. It was possible in the Middle East.
So it is possible. It's just that they don't know how to use it because they lack the technology.
Energy? How and where would they use it? The technology to use that energy hasn't even been developed yet.
From the Barbarians' perspective, finding food to survive tomorrow is more urgent than petroleum.
And its importance would be less than on Earth.
In my previous life, if there was no petroleum, more than half of world civilization would come to a halt. But here, a separate energy called 'Mana' exists.
An energy that Elves and Demons use as naturally as breathing. Unless mechanical civilization develops, it's just Black Water, not Black Gold.
Even in the midst of the serious conversation, other thoughts crossed my mind. I debated whether or not to include something related to petroleum in the World War II story I was going to write.
Knock, knock, knock—
[It's Adelia. I apologize for the intrusion, but I have something to show Young Master Isaac.]
Then, words that pulled me out of my reverie reached my ears. Adelia was knocking on the drawing room door and calling for me.
Naturally, the family's conversation ended, and all eyes turned toward me.
Wondering what the news was, I stood up and headed toward the door. In the meantime, Clark put on his helmet just in case.
Creeak—
As soon as I opened the door, I saw Adelia's face. In her hand, she held a newspaper.
Come to think of it, today was the day the newspaper was released. I had forgotten because I had been out to meet Dave and Nicole since morning.
"What is it, Sister?"
"I think you should read this..."
Adelia carefully handed me the newspaper. My curiosity growing, I read the newspaper she gave me.
[The Reason for the First Drought in 20 Years is Hirt's Wrath Over Jin's Death!]
[Readers Worldwide Wail Over Jin's Death. Hirt Sees This and His Anger...]
[Or Perhaps Luminous and Mora are Grieving... Unlike Hirt, They Have Personally Met Xenon...]
What is this? I blinked and then slowly turned my head to look at Adelia.
Adelia just gave a bitter smile, as if she didn't quite know what to make of it either.
"Um... I thought you might need to go to the Temple..."
"..."
"Should I... prepare?"
"Sigh..."
I guess when the existence of gods is so clear, these kinds of problems can arise. I've certainly learned that now.
...Surely it's not real, right?
If it's real, I'm going to cry. I'll really have to bring Jin back to life, even if I have to do it through gritted teeth.
*
While Isaac was preparing to head to the Temple, Leona was living with Lucia in the capital.
She had finished all her preparations to move to the Maishal Territory, and all that was left was the journey itself.
Isaac had already paid all the moving expenses in advance. So she had intended to move with a light heart, but...
"...Mother. What is this?"
"I wonder..."
She couldn't help but be dumbfounded by the sight before her eyes.
Had the Emperor of the Empire passed away, or had a figure of equal stature died?
Currently, a long funeral procession was passing in front of Leona and Lucia.
A funeral procession taking place right in the capital. Every single person was wearing black formal attire signifying mourning, and the guards around them were the same.
Just who had died for such a massive procession to take place?
"Um... should we head out for now? I think we can just slip in beside them..."
"Y-yes, let's do that."
Since moving was the priority, they hurried their steps. Still, they couldn't help but be curious about who had died.
So, she caught a person passing by and asked...
"...Jin? Jin from Xenon's Biography?"
"That's right. That damn author... no, no. Xenon didn't just kill Jin, he made sure he was dead. That's why this is happening."
"..."
"If I could, I'd join in too, but I don't have the time..."
Leona found it difficult to keep up with reality. Was this really a phenomenon caused by the death of a character in a creative work?
Was it some human culture she didn't know about? Leona blinked as she watched the long procession and then asked her mother.
"Mother. Is there such a thing in human culture?"
"No. This is the first time I've seen it too."
"Hmm..."
Let's just go for now. Leona headed toward the Maishal Territory in a state of utter bewilderment.
[Sniff... sob...]
[You should have made Jin happy... why...]
[You shouldn't have killed him... he shouldn't have died...]
Thanks to the superior hearing unique to Beastkin, she could hear even the voices from the center of the crowd. Leona experienced extreme confusion once again.
Uh... is this right?
It felt like a real funeral, so she could only scratch her head.