Chapter 122
(Kyle
Calendar Year 508: Age 15)
The
Establishment of the Nobility
Translator : PolterGlast
Gaining so much
information about the history of the Kingdom's founding was incredibly
interesting. The fact that this history is preserved only through oral
tradition, passed down only to those who attend the academy, surely suggests
something hidden behind it. While I pondered this, the lecture continued to
progress.
〇 The Birth of the Kingdom's Nobility
It is said that the
chiefs of each clan, upon uniting, married their daughters to King Kyle. The
children born from these unions then inherited their positions as the next
generation of clan chiefs (nobles), taking on the responsibility of managing
the newly cultivated lands. This marks the beginning of the nobility that supports
Kyle Kingdom. The nobles, in order to provide new cultivated land to their
children, continued to vigorously clear the Demon Realm.
Through such history,
500 years later, the Demon Realm, which once covered the entire Kingdom, now
only stretches across the southern and eastern frontiers, leaving Kyle Kingdom
with safe and prosperous lands.
"These founding
nobles, who inherited the positions of the 12 clan chiefs, are positioned to
succeed to four Duchies and eight Marquisates in this Kingdom. Even today, they
serve as the pillars of the Kingdom. All nobles below the rank of Count, though
not direct descendants, are connected in some way to the blood of King Kyle or
the 12 clan chiefs. You students must not forget to pay respect to the
blood-sweating efforts of our ancestors who pioneered this Demon Realm, which
people once feared and even avoided stepping into, and be grateful for the
prosperity we enjoy today."
Hmm... so that's where
they're going with this. Well, it is an academy attended by many noble
children, and its purpose is their education, so I suppose it can't be
helped... I muttered softly, unheard by those around me.
"And you,
students of noble families who support the Kingdom, due to these circumstances,
it is no exaggeration to say that almost all of you are descended from the
blood of the first King Kyle. Please, recognize this anew, and take the results
of 500 years of accumulated history and your pride as nobles as something
new."
If that's the case,
then I, too, would be a distant relative of His Majesty the King, wouldn't I?
Could it be that Kyle Kingdom's culture of tolerance towards polygamy started
from here? I applied my own arbitrary answer to the vague question I had in my
mind.
〇 The Duty of Nobility
About 30 years after
the founding of Kyle Kingdom, as the development of the Demon Realm progressed,
it is said that the first connection with another country was established at
the current northern border. The northern neighboring country at that time was
reportedly struck by some kind of disaster, making its people poor and their
lives extremely difficult. Because of this, many people (people of the human
world) from the northern country flowed into the new and vibrant Kyle Kingdom,
seeking a warmer and more prosperous life. Their numbers are said to have been
in the tens of thousands, or even hundreds of thousands. They reportedly
continued to flow in over a long period of time.
The Kyle Kingdom at
that time was blessed with thousands of Mages and possessed the strength to
support them. That is why King Kyle actively accepted the new citizens. It is
also said to have been King Kyle's nature, as he had led persecuted and poor
people. As a result, the Kingdom's national power, population, productivity,
and military strength grew by leaps and bounds, leading to today's prosperity.
Consequently, those
who inherited the blood of the People of the Demon Realm, who had until then
formed the overwhelming majority within the Kingdom, became a minority. As the
People of the Demon Realm mingled with the people of the human world, their
bloodlines thinned. Over the next few hundred years, people from the human
world continued to flow in from the west, then the east, and finally from the
southern border, and the population continued to increase. As a result, the
pure bloodlines of the People of the Demon Realm have now already died out
within Kyle Kingdom.
The situation was
reportedly the same for each noble family descended from the 12 clans, each
possessing unique magic. Until their unification into the Kingdom, each clan
had married within its own clan to maintain its lineage. However, as the nation
grew, inter-clan exchanges increased, making it difficult for the descendants
of the clan chiefs, who had become nobles, to maintain their bloodlines solely
within their original clans. Naturally, intermarriage between different clans
also progressed, and some nobles even married people from the human world. As a
result, their blood mixed and thinned.
It is said that King
Kyle, in his later years, grieved this inevitable trend. For the nobles who
were originally clan representatives and inherited the blood of the People of
the Demon Realm more strongly, he established a system of marriage control,
aiming to maintain the bloodline of the People of the Demon Realm, even if the
individual clan bloodlines could not be preserved.
"Today's
obligation imposed on the ruling nobles, the prerequisite of marriage between
nobles to maintain bloodlines, originates from this. The proof of the 12 clans'
lineage, the proof of inheriting the blood of the People of the Demon Realm, is
their [Authority] and their unique skill, [Bloodline Magic]."
"Those who are
not originally nobles, who are ennobled through achievements and become
quasi-nobles or knight baronies, cannot pass on their status to their
descendants for this very reason. Furthermore, in very rare cases, there are
individuals who, through great achievements, are newly ennobled from
quasi-nobles to ruling nobles. Similar restrictions are placed on them. Many of
these newly appointed ruling nobles do not possess the clan bloodline and do
not awaken to Authority. Such individuals are designated as [No Authority],
becoming one-generation lords, and their territory is confiscated after their
death."
※
I see... So, being
recognized as a ruling noble is, as a major premise, only for those who inherit
the bloodline of King Kyle and the 12 clan chiefs. The Solis family (Father) is
one of the exceptions who rose from knight baronet to Baron, a ruling noble, and
furthermore, manifested Authority, making them an exception among exceptions.
So, Father wasn't just looked down upon by other nobles for being a shrewd
merchant; he was also an unusual presence among nobles for other reasons. I
think I vaguely understood why other nobles treated Father coldly and why the
Solis family was targeted by high-ranking nobles.
In the previous
timeline, I did not know this historical knowledge (the hidden circumstances).
I simply lamented that Authority didn't activate due to my own lack of ability.
Conversely, I now understood that it was an incredible feat for my father, who was
originally a knight baronet, to awaken Authority when he became a ruling noble.
If that's the case,
what could be the reason? Was it due to my father's high ability? Did an
ancestor several generations ago have noble blood? Did he coincidentally
inherit the blood of the People of the Demon Realm more strongly? Or... was the
land of Estol, which was a clan village, involved?
My questions only grew
in this area. Since I was already in the Royal Capital, I wanted to investigate
this in the future. I would dedicate my three years at the academy to this.
Yes, I had an ultimate
goal that I must not forget. To acquire the unique skill of Space-Time Magic.
And then to travel back in time with Space-Time Magic, and furthermore, to
transcend the boundaries of this world.
But for now, there
were still many challenges to overcome and walls to break through. If I
couldn't clear them, everything would end. And in struggling thus, desperately
living through this world, I had unintentionally forged bonds. Now was not the
time to agonize over a choice between options. I just need to survive in the
present, no matter what. After all, I still haven't even found a way to survive
in this world...
Ah! I got lost in
thought and wasn't listening to the lecture.
※
"...You, students,
by knowing the history of this nation, must recognize the responsibilities
placed upon you and spare no effort to continue being the pillars of the
Kingdom."
The lecture concluded
with these words. I think I missed the last part a bit, but it's fine.
"Any
questions?" I raised my hand without hesitation.
"That was a very
interesting lecture. Thank you. From what you've just said, there are two
points I'd like you to elaborate on. First, what happened to the Dark Clan, who
never joined until the end?"
"Hmm, you noticed
that well. Tradition says that the Dark Clan was originally in a position to
lead the other clans among the People of the Demon Realm. It was probably due
to their pride. They never joined as a clan until the very end, and it is said
that the chief's family perhaps perished without anyone knowing during the long
flow of time. However, the Dark Clan did not seem to be monolithic, and some
individuals did join the Kingdom, apparently gaining rank as nobles of the
Kingdom. Compared to other clans, their numbers were very small, and they were
apparently a minor force at the time. Even today, a very small number of nobles
possess Dark Bloodline Magic, and they are said to be their descendants. Now,
what is your other question?"
Somehow, I felt that
the crucial parts were skillfully evaded. The teacher's tone also bothered me a
little. The Dark Clan chief didn't join. So, then, there wouldn't be any Dukes
or Marquises from that line, would there? In that case, the number of 12 clans
doesn't match up. I decided to deliberately keep these questions to myself. I
could investigate them later. I convinced myself of that.
"Thank you for
the explanation. Then, for my second question: from what I understand, the
People of the Demon Realm, who were born with the ability to use magic, lost
their pure bloodlines through interbreeding with other clans and people of the
human world, and as a result, the common people lost the ability to use magic.
If so, then those whose bloodlines are not preserved by custom, the common
people who still awaken as Mages, must inherit the bloodline of the People of
the Demon Realm more strongly. However, in this case, a great question arises.
If we were to exclude Bloodline Magic, it is practically almost impossible for
a person who awakens as a Mage to have siblings with the same bloodline who
also awaken as Mages. Furthermore, even among nobles who possess stronger blood
of the People of the Demon Realm, not all of the lord's children can use
Bloodline Magic. I have always wondered about the significant discrepancies
even among siblings with the same noble parents. I would be grateful if you
could enlighten me on this contradiction. And furthermore, even for nobles,
Bloodline Magic only manifests in their children after the head of the family
becomes a ruling noble—I am troubled by this mysterious phenomenon and cannot
find an answer to the previous contradiction. I would also be pleased if you
could instruct me on this point..."
Was that a bit of a
mean-spirited question, even for me? I reflected, seeing the teacher's
flustered and troubled expression.
Considering the modern
knowledge "Nishida" possessed, the lack of reproducibility of magic
among siblings suggested that, as interbreeding progressed, the manifestation
of aptitude was probably a coincidental product of recessive genes, sometimes
called "atavism." However, in this world, there is no concept of
genes, and I thought he wouldn't be able to provide that answer.
But regarding the
mechanism by which unique skills, Bloodline Magic, manifest in the lord's
family only after the father (head of the family) becomes a lord, I couldn't
find any answer at all. This was an important matter that concerned my own
future.
"It is all divine
will." The teacher said with a troubled smile.
"Thank you."
Either he didn't know
the reason, or he knew but didn't want me to probe further into the matter. It
had to be one or the other. When they resort to the illogical escape route of
"God," there's nothing more I can do. I stopped delving deeper,
bowed, and expressed my gratitude.
At this point, I had
no idea that this incident would lead to a new development.
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