Chapter 281: The Tin Knight and the City of Hubris
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 281: The Tin Knight and the City of Hubris
You continued to wander through the city.
At times, it felt like a brief moment; at others, an eternity.
This was because the flow of time in the city was a jumbled mess.
Sometimes, a person’s entire day would pass in the blink of an eye. Other times, a single day would stretch on endlessly.
It was a bizarre phenomenon, but you didn’t question it too deeply.
If you thought of it as a cutscene in a game, it wasn't all that strange.
Just because you had decided to accept this world as reality didn’t mean you had thrown all your original knowledge and ideas into the trash.
Interpreting the world in a way that was easy for you to understand was a powerful weapon, one that allowed you to quickly adapt to unreasonable or incomprehensible situations.
Though, taking it too far could cause its own set of problems.
And then, at last, a promising piece of information reached your ears.
“Did you hear? They say a genius was born into the family of the financial official.”
“There’s more than one financial official. Who are you talking about?”
“Disthenes, son of Altradai. They say his daughter is incredibly wise and clever. So much so that the tutors hired to teach her all shake their heads and flee in astonishment.”
“Hah, if that’s true, Disthenes must be both pleased and troubled. If it were a son, he’d be a reliable heir to the family, but she’s just a daughter, isn’t she? With no right of succession, he’ll have no choice but to marry her off to another family.”
“I don’t know about that. It’s not a bad thing for a daughter to be competent. It could give him strong influence over another family.”
Starting with their conversation, you began to hear about the ‘wise daughter of the financial official’s house’ from all over the city.
The rumors about the girl were spectacular.
They said she could remember every book she read once, that teachers were reluctant to instruct her because she learned too quickly, and even that she was destined to become a great beauty.
Following rumor after rumor, you soon arrived at the house where this girl lived.
The house was quite grand, as if to display its family’s prestige.
While it couldn’t be called the finest in the city, it would certainly rank among the top ten.
And finally, you were able to find your target.
Slightly curly green hair. Green eyes that matched her hair. An age that couldn't be much more than ten, and a calm, composed air that didn't suit it.
Though she was young and her eye color was different, one look was enough to know she was undoubtedly Sophia.
You felt a surge of delight and wanted to shake her hand, but unfortunately, you could neither make your voice heard nor make contact with anyone.
With no other choice, you decided to watch the situation unfold from Sophia’s side.
Sophia was in the middle of a conversation with a man who appeared to be her father, and its contents were far from ordinary.
“You’re giving me a headache. If you keep chasing away your tutors like this, who is supposed to teach you?”
“I never tried to chase them away, Father. I never ignored them or disobeyed their teachings.”
“That’s not what I’m talking about. There’s such a thing as ‘moderation.’ What do you think happens to their reputation when it gets out that they were academically surpassed by a young girl and couldn’t even answer her questions? Imagine if you were surpassed by a student younger than yourself.”
“Hmm…”
Sophia tilted her head.
Then, in a voice tinged with a rather childlike innocence, she replied.
“…That sounds like fun. I could learn from my student, and my student could learn from me. Isn’t that what it means to compete and cooperate? I was thinking of becoming a scholar, but now that you mention it, teaching sounds wonderful too!”
At the sight of Sophia’s sparkling eyes, her father let out a deep sigh and covered his face with his hands.
You, too, looked at Sophia with some surprise.
The Sophia you knew would have been more considerate of the other person, guiding the conversation to a smoother conclusion. The Sophia before you now, however, didn’t seem to possess that skill yet. Then again, considering she was still just a girl, it wasn’t so strange.
Her father seemed lost in thought.
He appeared to be weighing two options: calmly persuading Sophia to see the error of her ways and lead her in the direction he desired, or simply yelling at her to do as she was told.
He soon chose the latter.
“Enough. I will find another tutor, somehow. From now on, you will learn only what has been decided and ask no more unnecessary questions.”
“Why?”
“Because that is the right way! I don’t want to argue anymore, so leave!”
Sophia stared blankly at her father, blinking a few times, before bowing her head and leaving the room.
As if replacing her, a boy who looked to be about fifteen entered.
He appeared to be Sophia’s older brother. After cautiously gauging his father’s mood, he spoke.
“You’ve made the right choice, Father. This is all for Sophia’s sake.”
“…My own father taught me never to spare any effort in building my knowledge and culture. I never thought I’d be telling my own child the opposite.”
“Your situation and Sophia’s are different, aren’t they?”
Sophia’s father didn’t reply, but her brother took his silence as a tacit agreement and continued speaking.
“There’s no point in a woman becoming too educated. If anything, it will only hinder her marriage prospects. What man in this world would be happy to hear he’s more ignorant than his wife?”
At a glance, his tone seemed considerate of Sophia, but you could sense the subtle jealousy, envy, and discontent in the young man’s eyes.
It was clear that Sophia’s older brother held a great deal of resentment for his younger sister.
Her father’s eyes flickered with a look of pity, as if he had noticed this, but he neither reprimanded his son nor refuted his words.
Having grasped the general atmosphere of the household, you moved to where Sophia was.
Despite the arbitrary scolding she had just received, Sophia didn’t seem particularly discouraged.
She was simply lost in deep thought.
It would have been helpful if Sophia had a habit of muttering her inner thoughts aloud, but unfortunately, you had no way of knowing what she was thinking.
From the outside, at least, it seemed Sophia had submitted to her father’s words.
She no longer actively questioned her teachers, and the tutor, who had initially seemed nervous, soon relaxed and began teaching Sophia at his own pace.
The time she spent on bridal training, such as weaving and sewing, grew longer than the time she spent acquiring knowledge in literature or the arts.
The servants of the house showed signs of pity for Sophia, but at the same time, they seemed to accept it as inevitable.
A single young girl, they seemed to think, could not possibly overturn a decision made by the head of the family.
You could understand their perspective, but at the same time, you couldn’t help but feel that something was off.
The scarecrow you knew would never have surrendered so easily.
Then one day, a buzz began to fill the city.
You listened closely and learned that a famous theologian—or was it a priest? In any case, someone of that sort was visiting the city.
From what you could see, Doria was a place with a peculiar character.
They denied the authority of kings, but not the authority of God.
In fact, an atmosphere of actively embracing and following God’s authority was prevalent.
Perhaps they were trying to compensate for the bitter remarks from their neighbors about their lack of roots or legitimacy by seeking divine recognition. Or perhaps there was some other reason. You weren’t particularly interested in the details.
However, it was impressive how Sophia’s eyes lit up at the news.
With a mischievous smile playing on her lips, the girl went about her daily life as if a long-awaited opportunity had finally arrived, all while keeping her true intentions hidden from others.
And then, the ‘famous priest’ finally arrived in the city.
The priest was an elderly man with a benevolent impression.
A large crowd had gathered in the square where he stood, and what was unusual was that many women and children were among them.
Considering that the external activities of women and children were heavily restricted in this city, it was an exceptional event.
The reason this was possible was simple: the priest had requested it.
The murmurs of the people could be heard.
“Why did the priest summon the women and children as well?”
“Isn’t he here to select those worthy of entering the Heavenly Realm? They say he did the same in other cities, so it’s not that surprising.”
“I heard that in the Heavenly Realm, you don’t have to worry about aging, disease, or hunger. If only I could go there!”
“Indeed, indeed. Some people deny God’s authority or doubt His existence, but how foolish. The proof of holy power is so clear.”
What happened next was similar to what you had seen before in the City of Scales.
The people formed several lines, and at the end of each stood the elderly priest and his followers.
In their hands, they held what looked like small emerald fragments. The people placed their hands on the fragments and offered prayers.
On rare occasions, a faint white light would seep from a fragment. When that happened, the priests would pull that person aside and sort them into a separate group.
The selected people cheered as if they had won the lottery, while the others looked on with envy.
You turned your gaze to Sophia.
Knowing she could wield holy power, you expected her to be in one of those lines, waiting to be tested. But Sophia did not join the queue.
She stood in a corner of the square, simply observing the priests with calm eyes.
The city Sophia lived in was a massive one, the very core of Doria, so the ‘selection’ did not end in a single day.
But the next day, and the day after that, it was the same.
Sophia just watched the people intently.
Her family found her behavior odd but didn’t bother to stop her.
Since she had been obediently following their instructions recently, they seemed content to leave her be as long as she wasn’t causing any trouble.
Perhaps the elderly priest found her behavior strange.
One day, he approached Sophia and asked.
“Child, why do you not take the test and only watch from afar?”
At the priest’s question, all eyes turned to Sophia.
She answered.
“I was watching to see who the gems react to, and who they do not.”
“And have you learned anything?”
“Those gems… as tools for selecting who is worthy of the Heavenly Realm, aren't they defective?”
A sudden silence fell.
The elderly priest wore a look of bewilderment, and the people either gaped or couldn’t believe their ears.
Some of them, flustered, tried to scold or restrain Sophia, but the elderly priest stopped them.
“Why do you think so?”
“Because the ones who can draw near to the Heavenly Realm should be those with the deepest faith. But it seems those gems are merely looking for the talented.”
“Holy power is a force that cannot be used by those without deep faith, child. That is why its manifestation is used as the standard.”
“That might be true for the output of holy power, but isn't it possible for someone to have deep faith but lack a proper vessel to manifest it? Just like with mana.”
“Hmm.”
The elderly priest seemed to be choosing his words carefully.
Just then, Sophia’s father, having belatedly grasped the situation, rushed over with a pale face and bowed his head.
“My apologies, Your Holiness! My foolish daughter has spouted such nonsense. It is nothing more than a child’s whim, I beg you to show her mercy.”
“No, not at all. I believe it is a perfectly valid question. However—”
The elderly priest seemed about to continue with more pleasantries, but his words caught in his throat.
Seeing the priest’s shocked face, Sophia’s father turned to see what he was looking at and his jaw dropped as well.
“This is just a matter of one’s natural-born hair color. I believe a more rational standard is needed.”
Because there stood Sophia, making that statement while dazzling holy power poured from her entire body.
Amidst the stunned crowd, you thought to yourself.
Wow. She really was a cut above the rest, even from the start.