Introduction

Twwwang! Twang! Twwwang! Twang!♪

This is the director’s office at the Royal Weapons Development Bureau, located northeast of Berun, the royal capital of the Principality of Wiltia.

Daian Fortuner, also known as the Sorcerer, was the eccentric and genius scientist who created many new weapons, including the Hunter Units that led the Principality of Wiltia to victory in the recent Great War.

Twang! Twannng! Twang! Twannng♪

Today, he was wasting time playing a stringed instrument instead of working.

“Yahaaah! La-la! La-la!”

“What are you doing?!”

“Gah! You startled me!!”

Daian had started to sing a song, when Sophia von Rundstadt, head guard of the Weapons Development Bureau, suddenly spoke to him from behind.

“Sophia, don’t you even knock on the door anymore? Well, given our relationship, such formalities are unnecessary. I’d give you the spare keys to my house.”

“As usual, you come out with the wildest remarks! I’m certain I knocked!”

Sophia would usually open the door before he answered, but she wouldn’t be so rude as to enter a room without knocking. Today she had banged on the door of his office as if punching it, and announced her name and title before entering, without waiting for permission. But Daian had been strumming an instrument, so he hadn’t heard.

“What is that? Where is that folk instrument from?”

Daian was holding a stringed instrument with a long neck that looked like a sitar or lute.

“One of my friends from the East sent this to me. It’s called a jabisen. It’s made of stretched snakeskin. Isn’t it nice?”

As he said this, Daian handed the instrument to Sophia so she could examine it with her eyes and hands.

“Hmm... It has three strings. It looks a bit tricky, but...”

Twang... Strum-strummm! After applying a large pick fashioned from the horn of a water buffalo, Sophia began to play effortlessly.

“Sophia... you’re good!”

“I’ve never seen this instrument before, but if you know the basics of stringed instruments, you can manage passably well.”

Sophia looked bored rather than proud as she answered him.

“I’m surprised. You also have an education in music?”

“When born into a noble family, one receives training in such minor accomplishments. It’s a real pain.”

Sophia’s family, House Rundstadt, was a well-known and upstanding family in Wiltia. Those in the noble class managed land, ran businesses, and acted as investors by managing their fortunes. However, that was not exactly “noble work.” So what was noble work? Simply put, it was to be noble. To protect the eminent family name, a noble must demonstrate dignity and behave in a distinguished manner.

Sophia rejected all that. She would never like people who thought it was a sign of status to ride around in horse-drawn carriages when the royal capital of Wiltia had, not just widespread motorization, but the most advanced technology in the world.

“There are many nobles who think that dressing up and attracting attention at balls is a matter of life and death. When you grow up in that world, you learn such arts.”

“Uh... come to think of it, I do see children like that sometimes.”

Daian had not been born to nobility. But, in military rank, he was an officer equivalent to a colonel, and possessed the title of baron. However, that was just an honor. He had the commensurate authority but not the power. Nonetheless, the monarchy and powerful nobles sometimes forced him to attend their parties. On such occasions, the nobles would present their children.

“What’s that about anyway? I don’t see the point.”

“It’s probably about entering society early in order to make connections. And to express power.”

It was customary for noble children making their debut at society galas to perform for the adults by singing, dancing, and playing stringed instruments, which Sophia had learned.

The mere fact that a child could study such lofty pursuits was a measure of a family’s power. Polish and sophistication cost money. The ability to engage in such expensive pastimes was proof of a family’s wealth. And a family with wealth and power was worth cultivating.

“The children who appear at such scenes are dressed ridiculously.”

“It’s painful to see a child not even ten years old wearing makeup.”

In order to hire an artisan to design dresses for their child, a noble might pay an amount that a common family of four could live on for a year.

And children grow fast. In six months, the dress that once fit perfectly would be unwearable. So they regularly had new ones made. This also demonstrated a family’s authority and power.

“Come to think of it... I once saw something unforgettable.”

“Oh?”

Sophia spoke as if suddenly remembering.

“It was when I was fifteen or sixteen... Eight years ago.”

“You at age sixteen... Hmm... I’m interested. Do you have a photo of yourself back then? If so, could I borrow it? I’ll make a copy.”

“..................”

“Sophia, would you stop looking at me with such cold eyes... as if you’re looking at a maggot?”

Daian was on the verge of tears as Sophia gave him the dark and icy look known as the Dragon Slayer.

“If you don’t want me to look at you like this, then don’t say things to make me look at you like this!”

“Sorry. So what did the beautiful Sophia see when she was sixteen?”

Before continuing, Sophia heaved a single sigh of disgust at Daian’s typical flippancy.

“There was a girl at a party. I had heard of her family’s name, but to be honest, her family had fallen to the point that I was surprised to learn it still existed.”

The girl was wearing a dress that was luxurious and expensive, but to a noble’s eyes, it was obviously used.

“She was seven or eight years old. Perhaps she was wearing a dress that her parents had scrounged enough money to rent.”

For what reason would a fallen family go to such lengths to appear in society? Was it to make connections with great nobles and gain their support? Or—and even more torturous for the girl—had she been forced to attend to satisfy her parents’ pride?

“No one spoke to her. They all treated her as if she didn’t exist. She would have been better off as a wallflower. In all honesty, I pitied her.”

And that pity had probably been an insult to her. The way this girl had remained still, her hands held in fists as if bearing the shame of it, made an impression.

“I see. You saw a pitiful girl? I don’t want to be a noble!”

Daian’s attitude clearly showed that he found the story less satisfying than expected. He had seen other poor souls constrained by their families, and he was sick of it.

“No, it wasn’t just that.”

There was more to the story.

“When the party reached its climax, the nobles presented their children and finally it was this girl’s turn.”

Perhaps it was merely a formality, or maybe the host had taken pity on her, but the girl from the faded family was allowed to display her talents.

“She sang a song... and it was wonderful. She sounded beautiful, like an angel. I... No, it wasn’t just me. The gathering of nobles listened attentively, stunned.”

The girl sang a song about an old myth from the time before the founding of Wiltia. It was a song in praise of heroes, courage, justice, and God. A song that asks for a blessing from God, the way heroes of old once did.

“It was marvelous. After she had finished singing, there was thunderous applause.”

“It’s impressive that she could elicit such a response from an audience with trained ears.”

Nobles were the guardians of culture and served as patrons for artists, with a heightened sense for beauty.

“If she was that well-received, they must have taken good care of her.”

It was possible that a string of supporters would clear a path for the girl as a musician.

“No. That isn’t what happened.”

Sophia’s face clouded as she answered Daian’s question.

“They all strongly praised her singing, but she gained no more than that.”

Sophia’s face registered greater sadness. The injustice that girl suffered remained in Sophia’s mind eight years later.