By Zephyria ======
Listening in silence, Wolf began to draw on the dirt ground. A rugged, muscular blond man. In one hand, an axe dripping with blood. Over one shoulder, he carried a woman whose legs were flailing in the air.
“It is said that 152 years ago, when the
Wolf then drew a woman. In one hand, an axe dripping with blood. Over one shoulder, a man whose legs were flailing. Aside from the gender, she looked exactly like the man drawn beside her.
Watching from the side, Roy whistled.
“Wolf, you might be better off as a painter than a bakery owner.”
“Hmm, I think so too. But bread tastes good.”
Wolf nodded, looking down at the drawing.
If one asked the people of the Atania continent to draw the Omen, nine times out of ten, it would look like this. In Atania, the Omen is not a crow. It is not a red moon, nor an abandoned house with a half-open door. It is a person. Blond barbarians who suddenly appeared on the northern coast of the Atania continent about 150 years ago.
“It looks exactly like the illustrations in the history books. Quit school and go join Kane’s workshop on 26th Street. I heard the current royal court painter is from Kane’s workshop.”
“Pass. If I go to Kane’s workshop, I’ll be the worst artist there.”
Wolf erased the drawing with the tip of his foot, then stood up and turned around. Inside the window of the nearby main building, a history teacher was rambling alone with a book in hand before a group of students who were fast asleep, slumped over their desks.
“For the
The teacher looked toward the window. Wolf withdrew the hand he had been using to tap on the glass and smiled. The teacher closed the book and tucked it under his arm.
“You aren’t in training; what is it, student?”
“It’s just that…”
Wolf slid the window open with a rattle and rested both arms on the sill.
“I became curious while listening to your lecture. You mentioned that the Omen are unintelligent.”
“That is the academic consensus.”
“Is there perhaps a view that they aren’t unintelligent, but rather lack social skills?”
“There are a few. Though they are mostly ignored.”
“Could you explain that minority view to me?”
“Hmm.”
The teacher pushed up his glasses with a fingertip and smiled.
“First, explain to me why you are curious about that minority view.”
“The
“That argument almost perfectly aligns with the minority view in question. I suppose there is no need for me to add further explanation.”
The teacher waved a hand.
“Now, the counterargument. Surely you are aware of the dangers of inbreeding, student? For example, the characteristic protruding chin of the neighboring Lenar royal family. Many kings died young because severe malocclusion made it difficult for them to even chew cheese.”
The teacher made an exaggerated gesture of chewing food.
“Among the problems caused by inbreeding, there are many cases of intellectual defects. And the barbarian continent across the North Sea remained isolated as a single race for a long period. For thousands of years since the first light of creation. Over such a vast amount of time, problems are bound to arise. For instance…”
A short silence. The following voice was slightly lower.
“Women who can impregnate women, men who can conceive children. Mutants that occur only on the barbarian continent. Atania’s clergy once claimed it was a divine curse, but that is an old story. Nowadays, the view that it is a biological tragedy caused by an isolated environment has gained more traction.”
The teacher shrugged.
“The
“Well…”
As Wolf hesitated, Roy smacked the back of Wolf’s head from behind.
“What are you doing here, acting like an idiot?”
“That hurts, you jerk.”
Rubbing the back of his head, Wolf gave a quick bow.
“Sorry for interrupting the class. But did I promise to provide a counterargument? I’m off!”
He hurried back to the practice field. Roy draped an arm over Wolf’s shoulder and whispered.
“I heard everything you and that scrap of a teacher were talking about. What was that all about?”
“Did I sound like a philosopher?”
“Not quite. You sounded like a poet.”
The boys at Meyer Public School admire painters. Conversely, poets are objects of contempt. This is because painters draw female nudes, while poets are seen as people who spout incomprehensible nonsense.
By the standards of commoner boys, ‘normal behavior’ was sleeping soundly during class and getting just enough test scores to avoid failing. ‘Stupid behavior’ was studying hard and reading poetry books. An even worse insult than ‘poet’ was ‘philosopher.’
On the way out of school, Wolf made a request to Roy.
“Don’t spread rumors about me chatting with the teacher earlier.”
“How can rumors not spread? Even if I keep my mouth shut, the history teacher will brag about it. It’s rare for a student to ask questions during class. Seriously, why did you do it? You were saying such strange things…”
Stopping mid-sentence, Roy looked at Wolf with a sharp gaze. It was the look of a coin appraiser meticulously examining the luster, color, and minting of a new gold coin.
“Wolf. Could it be…”
“Could be what? Go ahead and say it. You’ll be wrong anyway.”
Though he replied bluntly, the sound of his own heart thundered in Wolf’s ears. Staring intently, Roy poked Wolf’s chest with a finger.
“You! You’ve got a manuscript for an original novel hidden under your bed, don’t you! Wow! My friend is a literary boy!”
“Stop talking nonsense! I’d rather you call me a philosopher!”
Wolf jumped at the misunderstanding that exceeded all expectations. Roy put Wolf in a headlock.
“It’s a heroic epic, right? A wandering knight wiping out the Omen pirates…! You grilled that scrap of a teacher about the Omen just to use it in your novel!”
“I told you it’s not! It’s not!”
“Don’t worry, man. Hey, I’ll be your first reader. You wrote smut too, right? I’ll keep it a secret from the guys at school, so show it to me today.”
Roy urged him on impatiently. Though they were limited to cheap heroic epics and smut sold in back alleys, novels were a popular form of mass entertainment for boys, second only to watching executions and plays. However, Wolf was not stupid enough to take his friend’s words of ‘keeping it a secret’ at face value.
“I haven’t written a single line. I barely even read novels.”
“Wow, you must have written a lot. I’m looking forward to this!”
“Stop looking forward to it on your own…”
In truth, there wasn’t a single page of a novel manuscript under Wolf’s bed. The time Wolf feared most was the moment the boarding house uncle handed him a bundle of papers, asking him to read a political intrigue novel the uncle had written.
“I’m sleeping over at your place today. It’s been a while since I’ve done some reading.”
“Forget it. You take half a day just to read four lines of scripture, so what…”
It was then that a carriage blocked the boys’ path. The carriage door opened.
“It’s been a while. You recognize me, right?”
A blond boy of a similar age spoke from inside the carriage. His tone was friendly, but Wolf was bewildered.
“Who?”
“Y-you don’t know? I recognized you at a glance.”
The boy blushed. Only then did Wolf realize who the boy was.
It was Prince Red Eagle.
* * *
A record left by a sailor who first witnessed the
Dozens of men and women descended one by one from a sailing ship docked at the pier. All of them were tall like the stone statues in the plaza, blond, and draped in animal skins. Their faces and bodies were covered in tattoos, and they held wooden shields in one hand and axes in the other. It was a bizarre appearance never before seen anywhere in Atania. Soon, the harbor was engulfed in flames and screams…
A giant square. That is how the Atania clergy defined the shape of the world. They claimed the edge of the sea suddenly dropped off like a waterfall, and hell lurked beneath. In that era, the word of the clergy was the voice of God. Some scientists and astrologers argued that the world was round, but few believed them.
The people of Atania could not even conceive of the existence of an unknown continent beyond the sea. This was due to the belief that among the elements of the world—sky, land, and sea—the only ‘land’ was Atania, crafted by God. The sea was considered low in value. In particular, the North Sea, where storms occurred frequently, was a forbidden zone even for experienced navigators.
Up to this point, this is the story from before the appearance of the caravel.
This new type of sailing ship, equipped with triangular sails that could sail against the wind, changed the world drastically. First, navigation techniques improved. Previously, a ship could not move forward unless the wind blew from behind. However, with the caravel, people could depart whenever they wished.
Second, it brought the
Lacking the technology to build large sailing ships, the barbarians repaired the Atania shipwreck. They forced the shipwrecked sailors to create navigation charts and learned how to use compasses and astrolabes. They also drafted strong male and female warriors from each tribe. After two years, the first expedition set sail for the golden new world.
The coastal areas of Atania were turned into ruins. The blond barbarians, who had captured many large sailing ships and returned to their base, came back carrying numerous fellow warriors. They even penetrated inland via rivers, engaging in looting and kidnapping. Their atrocities were so severe that the people of Atania at the time believed they were an army of demons risen from the abyss of hell at the edge of the sea.
Four years after the ‘Invasion of the Omen,’ the Atania Union of States signed a peace treaty with the blond barbarians. The condition was that Atania would pay a massive annual tribute and provide some coastal lands as agricultural land free of charge. In effect, it was a declaration of defeat.
Even now, 152 years later, the blond barbarians frequently swarm into Atania to kidnap and loot, drawing public resentment. The name of the continent beyond the distant North Sea, the base of those
Wolf is one of those Stohl people. His real name is Silver Wolf.
3 – Hell Execution Order