The Golden Lion and the Artificial Sun
Impressive.
I gazed up at the night sky where a golden lion prowled across a vast mountain range, hunting all manner of monsters, claiming victory after victory. The film ended on a final shot of a colossal sun rising in the distance beyond the peak of a giant mountain—the moment the apex predator claimed dominion over that enormous land.
Yes. It was a movie.
Of course, I hadn’t come up with every detail myself. Sadly, I possess zero artistic talent and my drawing skills are mediocre at best. So how had I pulled it off?
“I did it!”
“Woaaaah!”
People stared up at the night sky, some bursting into tears of pure joy. They were artists and magic wielders who lived and breathed their craft.
I’d started simple. A stick figure—a deformed little person drawn inside a circle. Then I flipped the pages rapidly to create a smooth animation. The artists were utterly stunned. To them, art belonged to what a modern person like me would consider the distant past.
After I’d already hit them with Bollywood and subjected them to wave after wave of cultural shock, they were now reeling from another one.
Once I’d shown them movement, I moved on to creating actual video with magic power. That part had been genuinely difficult. Manifesting everything from pure imagination was no small feat, and the amount of magic it consumed was so enormous that only a knight could sustain it.
I did wonder whether it was wise to spread this kind of culture so freely, but any problems that arose would be for future generations to solve. I was mildly curious how this civilization would evolve. For the time being, I suspected it would revolve around theaters. Directing was possible, but we still had no way to record performances.
Come to think of it, storage devices were crucial. Records. The word history suddenly carried a fresh weight.
Anyway, by showing them simple animations and films, I’d helped them stage a grand theatrical production. The artists had poured their hearts into both story and direction, and the play had been a resounding success.
“Lord Leoric! This is incredible! To invent something like this!”
“Uh, yeah. You all worked hard too. Everyone must be exhausted, but I hope you enjoy the festival to the very end.”
“Glory to Lord Leoric!”
“Glory!”
Man, that is seriously burdensome.
I don’t know about anything else, but modern knowledge cheats like this always leave me embarrassed. It’s not like I was a stellar student or some genius. Even when ideas popped into my head, I usually had no idea why they worked, which made spreading them recklessly feel awkward.
So I only shared knowledge that seemed like something I could delegate to my subordinates. The problem was when they asked where I’d learned it. All I could say was that I’d simply thought of it, and before long I’d somehow become a genius of the century.
This world already possessed mysterious scientific powers—stockings existed here, after all—and simple inventions were already in use. Stirrups for riding horses, for example, had already been around.
In the end, the only thing I could spread without too much guilt was culture. As a result, I’d begun to be known as a generational genius in the arts, a reputation that spread from the people of Franz territory to neighboring lands.
Bollywood in particular had been a massive hit. The bards common in fantasy worlds already existed, but they usually earned their living through music, song, and witty banter in taverns. With Bollywood’s arrival, their numbers grew and employment opportunities multiplied. The art form was adapted to fit each region’s legends and myths, birthing entirely new stories.
As I watched the artists who were practically on the verge of collapse, I reflected on my past actions and resolved to be more careful going forward. That was when a strange sensation suddenly washed over me.
“...Hmm?”
What was that? I looked around, but all I saw were the noisy artists. It didn’t feel like foreign magic… yet something felt distinctly off. Was it my imagination? A cold?
“Lord Leoric!”
“Chloe?”
While I was spacing out, Chloe came running from a distance. She was wearing her knight’s uniform. She could have worn a dress for an occasion like this.
Breathing a little hard, Chloe said, “I finally found you! What are you doing here? It’s time!”
“Hmm, already?”
“Yes?”
“Huh?”
We stared at each other, both tilting our heads in confusion. Was something strange?
I’d scheduled the play to begin when the nobles gathered, then factored in the time it would take everyone to move to the prepared venue afterward. There should still have been two hours left until the coming-of-age ceremony.
“Shouldn’t there still be time until the ceremony?”
“What are you talking about? It’s already been an hour since the play ended. Please come quickly and prepare.”
“Huh? Huh?”
An hour? I looked around again. The artists were still chatting excitedly about the play and already brainstorming ideas for the next one. I approached the nearest artist.
“Lord Leoric?!”
“Wait. How long have I been standing here?”
“Huh? Oh… didn’t you leave a little while ago? We couldn’t see you, so we assumed you’d already gone…”
“What?”
Suddenly… had I really been standing here in a daze for a whole hour? Had I been possessed?
“Did something happen, my lord?”
Chloe must have realized my condition wasn’t normal. Her urgent expression softened into one of clear worry as she studied me.
Seeing her concern helped settle my rattled mind. I quickly checked my physical state, but nothing seemed wrong.
“No, I’m fine. So there’s one hour left?”
“Yes. Everyone has finished their preparations.”
Then I’d better get ready myself. There was makeup, formal attire—far too many things to prepare.
As Chloe and I walked down the corridor, she gave me a report on everything that had happened so far.
“What about the other nobles?”
“They’ve all arrived and the banquet has begun. Lady Grace is currently entertaining the guests.”
Normally the host would greet the guests to open the banquet, but since I was the one being honored in the ceremony, that wasn’t possible. Grace had stepped in to handle it instead. It wasn’t an ideal solution, but…
“Any troublemakers?”
“No one has said anything directly, but…”
Chloe’s face clouded over. I could guess easily enough. It was obvious. Father wasn’t present, nor was the eldest son and heir. The person greeting the guests was the eldest son’s wife, and the second son had shown almost no external activity until now. Of course some would look down on us.
And even now.
“These bastards really…”
My eyes narrowed at the faint traces of magic power stealthily probing the castle. They weren’t being overt or crossing any lines yet, but if Father were here this wouldn’t be happening at all. We’d stationed knights at key points to deter them, but still…
“What about Irina?”
“Fortunately she’s staying quietly inside.”
The way Chloe broke into a cold sweat told me something had definitely happened.
“I barely stopped her from beating up one of the noble youths. …She really isn’t an ordinary person. Lady Irina Boran.”
I chuckled at the description that seemed somewhat different from what I’d imagined.
“She’s a spirited lady.”
“‘Spirited’ feels like far too mild a word.”
The way she spoke with genuine exhaustion made it clear Irina was still very much herself.
“And Her Highness Princess Amelia?”
“She’s still waiting. She said going out now would only give her a headache…”
“That sounds about right.”
After chatting like that, we finally reached the room. Now I had to stand still like a mannequin for a while.
“Then I’ll leave the rest to you, Chloe. You’ve worked hard.”
“Not at all, my lord. …Please be careful.”
At the end, Chloe stepped close, wrapped her arms around my neck, and pulled me into a tight embrace.
-Chu!
“Thanks, Chloe. That gives me strength.”
“…I’ll take my leave now.”
The surrounding maids and servants had seen the kiss and were whispering with smiles. Chloe’s cheeks flushed bright red as she quickly stepped back. She gave a polite bow and walked away.
Watching her go, I suppressed a sigh and opened the door.
“You’re late.”
“Eek.”
There stood Lena, eyes sparkling. Terrifying.
I had never consciously paid much attention to the word “sun.” I was simply born with the mysterious power of magic, and as a modern person—especially one who loved novels and manga—it only made sense to imitate various techniques with that power.
Of course, most of those attempts were useless or horribly inefficient, so they remained nothing more than hobbies. Still, I had gained something from them.
The Franz family’s magic power itself shone golden. That trait manifested clearly in both the physical force representing gold and the golden lion magic that took the form of a lion.
Using it that way felt boring, so I’d experimented with all sorts of techniques. One of the more convenient ones was the power of the sun—the artificial sun.
This technique, which used magic stones, had only recently achieved proper control. It was still incomplete and weak, but I had succeeded in making it absorb solar heat as energy when exposed to sunlight.
Anyway, what I’m getting at is this: for some reason the image of the sun had become fixed in everyone else’s minds. I didn’t have any particular feelings about it, but if I could make use of it, I would.
After the movie ended, fireworks were scheduled to explode at set intervals. I wondered how many people had noticed the pattern.
“The second son of Franz, Leoric Franz, enters!”
With Sven’s announcement,
-Baaaaang!
Another firework detonated, lighting up the surroundings. The noisy banquet hall fell silent as every gaze turned toward the entrance where I would appear.
Amelia Bachnia and Irina Boran suddenly noticed something strange.
-Baaaaaaaang!
The firework burst, brightening the area.
-Baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaang!
It grew brighter and brighter.
Why wasn’t it getting dark again?
“The sun…”
The sun had risen. They only realized it now.
Starting with Irina Boran, the nobles around her began looking up at the sky one by one. Only then did they understand—the immense magic power required to manifest a sun of that scale, and the skill needed to control it. And—
“How did he do it so secretly…!”
“My god.”
“Wait…! Don’t tell me all those fireworks until now were—!”
Every single firework that had gone off until now had come from one person’s magic power.
I looked at the nobles staring at the sky in utter shock and slowly descended the stairs, making my entrance.
Honestly, I felt like throwing up. Emitting this much magic power while controlling it so precisely in secret was a first for me.
But seeing the nobles gaze at me with such stunned expressions, it felt like the effort had been worth it.
There was a saying that men lived for bravado. The same applied to nobles.
There was also that talk of the bamboo spear—regardless of status, one strike for everyone. Look at the nobles who once reigned as gods. They too had to eat, sleep, and shit like any other human.
In the end, what mattered most was a plausible exterior.
I put on a smile, enduring the gut-twisting pain from overexerting my magic control, took Grace’s hand, and slowly walked down the stairs. Among the crowd, my eyes met two familiar faces—Princess Amelia and Irina.
“Wow…”
“So fucking cool.”
...Hmm? What did she just say? Did I hear that wrong?