Chapter 115 – Luxury Liner (2)

“And from which colony might you have come, I wonder?”

A refined-looking lady delivers a refined-sounding insult at us.
She lacks the education to recognize my clothing as a Japanese kimono. And her husband beside her is no better.

“Now, now, it isn’t proper to speak so rudely. My wife was out of line. Where are you from? Italy, perhaps, or the Balkans?”

It seems he mistook Kouryuu-sensei for someone of Southern European descent. Admittedly, he could pass for that.

For the record, the two of them are speaking French. Up until the height of the age of imperialism, French was treasured across Europe as the most beautiful language and functioned as a semi-standard tongue among the upper class.
Judging from our appearance in fine silk garments, they probably assumed it was natural we’d understand them—and that if we didn’t, it meant they could look down on us.

At that, Kouryuu-sensei rose to his feet, looking ever so slightly down on the gentleman, and began to speak—not in English, not in French, not in Japanese, but in another language altogether.

“My apologies, but may I ask from which colonial city you hail? Judging from your speech, I take you for a Gaul—perhaps from around Lutetia?”

It was Latin. I had been drilled in French, but as for Latin, I only understood a little from its connection to Christianity—barely enough to catch fragments. Aside from that, some fantastical languages were imprinted in my memories from my past life, but speaking them was out of the question.
Kouryuu-sensei, however, spoke it fluently, as smoothly as if he were a Roman who had slipped through time.

In response, the couple wore puzzled expressions—a clear sign they didn’t understand.

“Huh? What language is that? At least speak English, if you please. Unfortunately, I am not familiar with the tongues of the colonies.”

“(Y-you fool! I-I think that was Latin.) M-my apologies, I must admit my education is lacking; I don’t know much Latin. Might I presume you are involved in religion, or perhaps a scholar?”

So the husband wasn’t entirely ignorant. After chiding his wife under his breath, he covered for her and asked politely.
In this era, someone who could speak fluent Latin would be assumed to be either clergy or a scholar.

Hearing this, Kouryuu-sensei smiled—not just a gentle smile, but a broad, almost sly grin—and opened his mouth again. This time, in fluent French.

“I am a physician. My French is not so strong, so I let Latin slip out unintentionally. Truth be told, I would prefer German or English. But I must say, sir, I’m impressed you recognized it as Latin.”

“Y-yes, I studied it back in secondary school, but I remember so little of it—it’s embarrassing. So then, Doctor, where are you from?”

“From the far East, a place you likely do not know—Japan. This young lady here is the daughter of a count’s house, from a family of investors so well-known in America’s heartland that none there are ignorant of them. It is good to show interest in unusual attire, but I would advise you to polish your knowledge and discernment a little more.”

“I-I am utterly ashamed. I must apologize once again.”

“Think nothing of it. One more thing—there is a saying in Britain, ‘Curiosity killed the cat.’ A moment more, and our guards might have taken the two of you for people attempting to harm the young lady, and acted accordingly. Take care.”

“Th-thank you for your advice. N-now, if you’ll excuse us. C-come, dear.”

Watching the two scurry away, I couldn’t help but feel genuinely impressed.

“Kouryuu-sensei, you’re amazing! That was Latin, right? What did you say?”

But in my words, Kouryuu-sensei looked slightly displeased.

“…A nine-year-old who can recognize Latin is remarkable in its own way. Well, this is what I said.”

He then repeated the words for me. Since they had asked which colony we were from, he had answered by turning the question around—asking from the perspective of a Roman where they were from.
The result was that they had understood almost nothing of what he said.

They had meant to ridicule us, only to end up being ridiculed themselves—poor couple. 

I couldn’t help but cover my mouth and laugh.

“Pfft! M-my stomach hurts. Y-you didn’t have to come back at them that hard.”

“It was a fight they picked. I was kind enough to buy it at a high price, and yet they weren’t even worth the trouble. Honestly.”

With that, he gave a sharp snort through his nose.

I had thought Kouryuu-sensei was a genius in the sciences, but to find out he was also a genius at languages surprised me even more.
When I asked later, he said he had learned Latin to be able to read old European medical texts in the original. 

Truly, a research fanatic to the extreme.

Even the usually composed Shizu was deeply impressed.

“I studied French, but I couldn’t understand a word of Latin. I can only be ashamed of my own lack of learning.”

“No, I don’t know Latin either. Honestly, Latin is overdoing it.”

“You are too kind to say so. But if even you, my lady, lack it, then all the more reason I must strive harder.”

“No, no. The right person for the right job. By next year, I’ll have a prodigy as one of my close aides, so you can leave that to them. Shizu, you should focus on overseeing all the attendants. After all, you’re my chief maid.”

“…Yes. As you command.”

Perhaps convinced by my reasoning, she lowered her head respectfully.
But that beautiful formal dress was hardly being put to use at all.

Beside us, Wan-san looked as calm and composed as ever, not particularly surprised.

I couldn’t help but wonder if he actually understood what was going on.

“Wan-san, are you good with languages too?”

“Well now, let’s see… Mongolian, Manchu, Mandarin, Japanese, and a bit of English, I suppose. As for that Latin just now—let alone Latin, I don’t even know French. But in situations like this, if you just put up the right front, things tend to work out.”

“Wise words. But wait, that’s already a lot of languages.”

“Yes. And, if it’s only for quarrels, I can manage a little Russian too.”

He said that with a big grin.

A physical monster he may be, but contrary to his appearance he’s actually quite the intellectual.

Why is it, I wonder—why am I always surrounded by people like this? Or is it simply that those who lead the world can only be surrounded by people like them?

As for me, who in a past life was just an ordinary person, I honestly wish they’d give me a break. No—I keep being reminded of it, over and over.

Whether in Japan or on this trip to America, I’ve had it hammered into me again and again.

Even with the cheat-like memories of my past life in history, and the overly capable body of a Villainess, in the end, I can only realize that those are nothing more than means and tools.

A person’s will, quick wit, initiative, true intelligence, and the life experience they’ve accumulated—without those, you can’t even make use of what you have. That much has been proven twice already by the owner of this body herself, according to her own account.

In my case, I can stack these six years in this body on top of nearly forty years as a middle-aged woman, but honestly, those forty years of ordinary life as a nobody aren’t of much use. I realized it early on, but moments like this remind me again—it’s really no more valuable than a second-rate storage device.

Still, I have to use that as nourishment and keep moving forward. I’ve already caused all kinds of changes, so there’s no way I can stop halfway.

Besides, even if I stopped or tried to run away, all that would be waiting is a miserable future. And yet… There are times I feel weak, wondering if it might be okay to rest once in a while.

It was the same on the airship, but I thought these few days on this ship would be that precious time when I could afford to rest. And yet here, too, the world suddenly shoves reality in my face.

“Sigh… Is it only when I’m lying alone in bed that I can escape this inferiority complex? Ahh, just once, I want to forget everything and run away from reality…”

Even lying down in bed, all that leaks out are complaints.

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Latin:
The official language of the ancient Roman Empire.
Until the plague ravaged Europe in the 14th century, it played a role close to a shared language among the church and intellectuals of the European world.
In pre-WWII Europe, it was often taught in secondary education, but treated much like classical Japanese or Chinese classics in Japan—studied as part of general education, not used as a living language.