Starting Earth's Cultural Revolution! [07]
Starting Earth's Cultural Revolution! [07]
A book was lying on the table.
It was an item Aga had left behind. There were other things as well, but my hand reached for that book first. A picture book with a yellow monster drawn on it.
I hadn't opened it yet.
According to Aga, it was the most popular book on Earth. Was that really true? From the outside, it didn't look like anything special.
Still, I couldn't ignore the sincerity behind it.
I should read it at least once.
When I opened it, it was full of lively illustrations.
It was a story about a young boy going on an adventure with small monsters. It was formatted in panels, the art style was simple, and there wasn't much text.
Is this a book that children on Earth read?
It's an item that suits Aga well.
"No matter how much she tries to dress up, she's still just a child."
It looked a bit funny seeing her try to act like an adult, but since she's still growing, she might have been bored because she didn't have anyone her own age.
It wouldn't be a bad idea to look for some children around her age, if only for Aga's sake.
I should look into the elves next time.
I turned another page.
The small monsters were following the boy. Even though it was a simple drawing, strangely, my gaze kept lingering on it. I thought it wouldn't be much.
I just turned one page.
Two pages. Three pages. Five pages.
My fingers wouldn't stop.
As it turned out, this boy starts his adventure with nothing. The first monster he met was very weak. It had no magic power, no combat experience...
It wasn't very big, either. If it were me, I would have discarded it and chosen something else a long time ago.
It didn't even listen to its owner, the protagonist. It was completely self-willed. Aside from the fact that it was a yellow monster, I didn't like it.
But every time it won a fight, it got a little stronger. Experience accumulated, and the bond deepened. The monster and the boy grew together.
So that was the flow of it.
It was the first time I had seen the process of something weak becoming strong drawn in such detail. In the scene where the boy gives a name to the monster he first met...
My hand stopped without me realizing it.
I don't really know why.
The moment he gave it a name, it looked different.
My heart swelled. It was a strange emotion.
When I came to my senses, the night had passed.
Without even noticing, I had read all the way to the last volume. The tea in the empty cup on the table had gone cold. Time had truly flown by.
If there was a next volume, I wanted to read it.
I was curious about the story that followed.
How far the boy would go, and what the small monster he first met would eventually look like. I was extremely curious about the end. Earth's entertainment, huh...
At least by my standards, it was quite worth watching.
It was a shame that it cut off in the last volume, right when he met a strong opponent and had to retreat. There must be more story to come.
I put the book down and looked at the ceiling.
There was still time before Aga would come.
How should I spend this boredom?
I looked around the laboratory.
The shelves were full of bottles, and there were plenty of materials. There were countless things left unused and neglected. It wasn't like I had any immediate use for them anyway.
...Hmm. Should I try it, or not?
If I leave them alone, they'll just go to waste.
After thinking about it several times, I reached a conclusion.
I felt like I wanted to actually make the things I saw in the book. Since the Galactic War was over, I had nothing to do anyway.
I moved my hand and molded a sphere.
Then, I slowly infused it with magic power.
Creating a form is the foundation of alchemy.
At first, it was just a lump.
But little by little, the outline took shape.
I refined the sculpture, thinking of the appearance of the monster I saw in the book. A four-legged beast with a tail and stripes on its body.
I moved my hands, contemplating how to implant the magic circuits. The first one that came out was uglier than I thought. Uuuum. Making things cute is difficult.
So I tried again.
The second one was a bit better.
Still, I wasn't satisfied.
Damn it! I don't need failures!
From the third one on, it came out the way I wanted.
There was no reason to make it exactly the same as the one in the book. In fact, I was convinced that going in a completely different direction would be fine. Something stronger. Something cooler.
I took out other materials from the shelf.
A substance that increases the speed of magic reaction.
Even using a small amount makes the circuits work faster.
If I put this in, the movement will be different.
Before I knew it, one, two, three.
They all had different forms. The first one was a four-legged beast.
The second was a bird, and the third was a form close to a fish. I designed the magic characteristics differently for each one.
Even using the same magic power, completely different properties emerged depending on the structure. That part was extremely fun.
I finished making them and lined them up.
It wasn't bad. I was even satisfied.
What would happen if I made these fight each other?
In the book, there were many scenes where the boy made the monsters fight to test their strength.
It wasn't just a simple fight, but a scene where they read each other's characteristics and calculated compatibility. What seemed boring actually had quite a bit of depth.
Couldn't I do that with these, too?
I just need to make more. A variety of types.
How about I distribute them to people and have them fight? If I design them to be raised strongly by infusing magic power, just like in the book.
It would be fun to gather people later and hold a competition in this way. Thinking that, I started making the fourth one. Hmm-hmm~♫
I'll have to show Aga when she comes next time.
She'll definitely love it. What kind of expression will she make? Just imagining it is fun.
Everything I had made with alchemy so far had been useful. Bags, capsules, circuits. They were all things needed for something. But this was different.
It had no use anywhere. Yes, like entertainment.
Yet, my hands kept moving.
I had almost never experienced this before.
Making something useless.
Just making it because I wanted to.
That must be what Aga enjoys.
For the first time, I understood that a little bit.
It was fun. The act of making it.
Even though it was useless, I wanted to keep doing it.
I didn't know I had this kind of sensibility.
It would be a waste if only I knew about it...
Should I let others know, too?
✦✦✦
I leaned my back against the sofa and put my legs up.
I tucked a cushion to my side just like that.
It was the perfect posture. If I held a game console in both hands here, it would be a scene that anyone would envy. This familiar and friendly comfort. I finally found it.
This was what I wanted.
The life on Earth I had longed for!
The day had finally come!
The character ran inside the screen.
I like this game because it's simple.
Because I didn't have to think about anything complicated.
Work had been piling up since I returned from Earth.
I needed time like this to just not think about anything. I've been working hard all this time. I deserve a reward, too. Today, at least, I'm innocent.
"Princess-nim."
Soyeon-unni approached. I didn't take my eyes off the screen. It was a difficult section, so I couldn't afford to miss even a second. Ah, that's a trap I'm seeing for the first time.
"I have something to tell you."
"Just a second."
Jump. Attack. Dodge. Item.
It was the twenty-fourth attempt.
"Stage Clear" appeared.
I finally made it through. That was a close call.
I put the game console down on my lap and stared at Soyeon-unni, who was looking down at me silently.
"Your clothes are very disheveled."
Perhaps because I was wearing loose clothing, the long sleeve had boldly slipped down to one shoulder.
But I couldn't compromise on this outfit.
It was well-ventilated and comfortable to move in.
"I'll fix it later."
"That won't do. You must fix it immediately."
"I'm in the middle of a game. Just 30 seconds."
"The game can be paused for a moment."
Soyeon-unni reached out and fixed my collar.
She also pulled up the sleeve, but when it slipped down again immediately, her brow furrowed. It seemed she didn't like it.
"Leave it. I'll change later."
"Please maintain your dignity as the Princess of the Empire."
"You should relax too, unni. There's no one watching anyway."
"Even if the environment changes, royalty is royalty."
I couldn't really refute that. It was an accurate, logical point. Even if I argued with her, I couldn't logically beat Soyeon-unni. In times like this, it's a strategic retreat. Let's change the subject.
"So, how did things go with Earth?"
Soyeon-unni pulled up a chair and sat opposite me. She placed the documents on her lap and started explaining, picking them up one by one, starting with the first item.
"Requests for additional inventory bags have increased significantly. There are twelve countries that have submitted requests. The response is tremendous."
"Is the supply sufficient?"
"We need to contact Narae-imo-nim. We don't have any leeway right now."
I put down the game console I was holding for a moment.
"Is there anything else besides this?"
"Inquiries are pouring in about whether it's possible to trade for things other than entertainment. Other than that, most cases are requests saying the supply of recovery capsules and magic essence is low."
"Not right now. Even the entertainment side hasn't properly established itself yet. There's a long way to go, but at least the people of the Empire need to be interested."
Soyeon-unni nodded.
"Understood. I will convey that. I will let you know again once the future schedule is set."
She turned the page of the document.
After that, there was a brief silence.
I felt like I knew what else was left to say.
Could it be about the octopus we hunted last time?
"The investigation results regarding the woman discovered during the Atlantic Incident have come out."
I put down the game console.
"According to the results confirmed by the Hunter Bureau, she says she has no idea who she is or how she ended up in that situation. She doesn't even know her own name, so she seems quite confused."
"Anything suspicious?"
"There are traces of her having awakened magic power. It appears she has the ability to handle tentacles, but she doesn't seem to know much about it herself. They say there are no parts that look immediately dangerous."
It was a disappointing result.
I thought some bizarre circumstances would come out.
Amnesia, how boring.
Still, it's not like I'm completely uninterested.
I wanted to see what handling tentacles was like, even if it was later. Should I say something to the Hunter Bureau Association President? He wouldn't refuse, would he?
"For now, we can just leave it as is."
"Yes. We are keeping an eye on her."
"If there's anything strange, tell me then."
I picked up the game console again.
The stage selection screen and the cute characters welcomed me. Today, I will definitely beat it. Bring it on. I'll overcome anything.
"There is one last thing."
I took my eyes off the screen.
This time, the atmosphere was different.
I thought everything important had already been said.
Soyeon-unni put down the documents.
"Recently, entertainment culture has been spreading rapidly within the Empire. Congratulations, Princess-nim. What you wanted has been achieved."
"R-really? In the Empire?"
It was unexpected news.
I'm not dreaming, am I?
Even if it were a dream, it would be fine.
"Yes. The comic books and games you brought from Earth were already spreading, and the ones that finished review have started to be distributed within the Empire. The response is also quite hot."
People who only know how to fight are playing Earth's entertainment. I couldn't imagine it at all.
What on earth did they see that moved the hearts of those iron-walled guys? It's a mystery.
"What's trending?"
"Monster Battle."
"D-don't tell me, the one who made that..."
Soyeon-unni paused for a moment.
"Narae-imo-nim made it."
The game console slid from my hand onto the sofa. The aunt who said she wasn't interested in Earth's entertainment.
She really made it? Herself?
And it's not even a gift for me?
"I haven't grasped all the details yet, but it's said to be a method of raising monsters infused with magic power and having them duel."
I had a work in mind.
The comic book I secretly left in Aunt's laboratory.
A work loved by countless Earthlings.
As expected, my eye for things wasn't wrong.
"..."
Words wouldn't come out.
I placed the game console on the sofa cushion.
My hands couldn't stay still.
I have to ask Aunt.
I wanted to go right now. How she made it, what method they use to fight, how it's being used in the Empire right now. I wanted to try it myself.
"Princess-nim."
"Yes."
"Your expression has brightened up a lot."
"Is that so?"
Was the corner of my mouth going up without me realizing it? If I looked in a mirror, I would definitely be grinning.
All the distracting thoughts in my head disappeared.
In the distant universe.
Earth's civilization had finally sprouted.