Side Story 5: What the Scarecrow Changed

When a nation falls, the treatment of its surviving population often becomes a pressing issue. However, the war against the Heavenly Realm was free from such concerns.

For one, their population was extremely small compared to the power they wielded. But more decisively, it was the actions of the Underground King that settled the matter.

The Underground King, having seized control of the 'God', redefined the nature of holy power to be 'beneficial to the people of the underground and harmful to humans.' As a result, the priests of the Heavenly Realm suffered the unfortunate fate of being melted alive by their own holy power.

Fortunately, those of lower status within the Kingdom of Heaven—that is, those who had only recently joined—had not received the 'Emerald's' grace and thus suffered comparatively little damage. The upper class, however, was all but annihilated.

Considering that the higher one's position in the Kingdom of Heaven, the more tragedy they had sown upon the world, it was truly a case of reaping what they sowed.

However, this did not mean all problems related to the Heavenly Realm were resolved.

Who would claim the floating territories of the Kingdom of Heaven? How would the medical vacuum created by the priests' demise be filled? And most importantly, what was to be done with the 'God'? A host of thorny issues remained.

The last issue, the whereabouts of the 'God', was a matter of such magnitude that it could have easily sparked another war. In reality, however, it was resolved very quietly.

Few people even knew that the Kingdom of Heaven had possessed the 'God' in the first place, and a thorough search of its territories revealed not even a shadow of the divine being.

Some suggested that the 'God' might have perished, but this theory was quickly refuted.

For not long after the fall of the Kingdom of Heaven, humans on the surface began to manifest holy power.

However, if the holy power of the past was a force akin to mana, a kind of 'talent,' the new holy power was different.

Anyone with a sincere desire and the will to help others could use it, even those with no prior connection to holy power. Moreover, the more one helped and healed others, the stronger their power grew.

Many nobles and wealthy merchants across the continent hoped to create their own 'exclusive priests,' but their plans failed.

Priests who, blinded by the promise of monetary reward, attempted to heal the nobility soon found their holy power weakening or disappearing entirely.

The same was true for those who used it for personal gain or to vent negative feelings toward others.

It wasn't entirely inflexible—receiving a small reward in exchange for healing was acceptable. But if the compensation was deemed excessive, a weakening of one's holy power would invariably follow.

Consideration for others, devotion, the will to save someone.

Only to those who held such things in their hearts and acted upon them did the holy power grant its light.

Because it was difficult to maintain a good heart while weathering the storms of the world, holy power became a force that was easy to obtain but difficult to keep.

The 'academy' Sophia established in Mixolydia was a place to teach young children the proper way to use holy power.

In a classroom of that academy.

You were sitting in a chair, listening to the lesson.

“—The hero Orgeus and his companions fought desperately, but the mighty army of Grand Duke Kufu was endless. Before the fierce onslaught of his famed thirteen knights, Orgeus’s companions fell one by one, until at last, he too was forced to one knee. It was at that very moment, as a cold, cold blade was about to pierce him—”

At the front of the classroom.

The children’s eyes sparkled as they watched Sophia, who recounted the tale of the ancient hero with masterful expressions and dramatic pauses.

Some were so engrossed in the story they forgot to breathe, making you think that if Sophia had been born in your world, she would have had no trouble becoming a top-tier instructor.

Though it was nominally an academy for training users of holy power, with Sophia as its head, most classes had little to do with it.

Mathematics, language, ethics, social studies, science, history, and so on.

The breadth of knowledge the former great scholar poured out for the children was immense, and though she restrained herself to some extent for the sake of teaching them, a closer look revealed its staggering depth.

It reached a point where places like the Empire, separate from the matter of holy power, even offered to have her establish an academy in their own lands.

Incidentally, that offer was hastily withdrawn after the Empire saw the sample textbooks Sophia provided, which contained all sorts of radical ideas like, 'Commoners and nobles are all equal lives and should not be discriminated against,' and 'Obeying a king even when he is wrong is not loyalty, but an evasion of responsibility.' The imperial officials were horrified.

In truth, the upper echelons of Mixolydia were in a similar predicament. Rumor had it that even Giselle, who normally focused on domestic affairs without a single complaint, had begged Adelaide, "Please do something about her!"

Adelaide, for her part, failed to persuade Sophia (you saw Dorothea, upon hearing the situation, remark in disbelief, "It'd be easier for her to go annihilate a bandit group with her hands and feet tied and without using mana"). On the other hand, intellectuals fascinated by the fact that the higher-ups didn't punish such radical assertions came of their own accord to become professors, so it wasn't all bad from a talent acquisition standpoint.

Scribble, scribble.

You were diligently writing down the story Sophia was telling.

Perhaps as a side effect of being in the 'Room' for so long, you were still clumsy at speaking out loud.

Thanks to the brooch Dorothea had made for you, chatting with your companions wasn't too difficult, but since you planned to continue living here, it seemed best to at least be able to read and write.

In that it required you to convert what you heard into written words, this kind of transcription was a rather good form of training.

And you could have someone check for mistakes later.

You glanced to the side.

In the far corner of the classroom.

A girl was concentrating intently on the lesson.

You knew the girl's identity.

Langwidere.

Once a disciple of Sophia, she was a girl who had been dragged to the Heavenly Realm and forced to become an angel.

The Heavenly Realm had collapsed and her brainwashing had been lifted, but in exchange, she had lost much of her power and memory.

In other words, unlike her appearance, which had completely reverted to that of a young girl, some of her memories from her time as an angel remained.

You were of the opinion that she had no need to feel guilty for the actions of a personality arbitrarily created by the Heavenly Realm against her will, but Langwidere herself seemed to think differently.

She had resolved to live her life helping people with her holy power, and Sophia did not deny her disciple's will.

“Alright, that’s all for today’s class. I’ll see you all tomorrow.”

“Yes, Teacher!”

Accepting her students' farewells, Sophia left the classroom.

If you stayed, another teacher would come in to continue with the next lesson, but instead of attending, you followed Sophia out of the classroom.

Just before you left, your eyes met Langwidere’s for a moment.

Langwidere looked somewhat awkward, but she soon bowed her head carefully in greeting.

It felt as if she were saying, 'Please take care of our teacher,' so you waved back in response and quickened your pace.

Stepping outside the classroom, Sophia greeted you with a smile.

“I’m sorry for making you take classes with the other children every time, Sir Tin. It must be quite uncomfortable for you.”

You shook your head.

['The Tin Knight' denies Sophia's concern, saying this isn't so bad in its own way!]

In fact, it was largely your own decision to attend classes with the other children.

Sophia had intended to prepare private lessons for you at night, just as before, but you shook your head.

['The Tin Knight' says that now that he has returned to an ordinary human body, acting without proper rest like before is forbidden!]

At your words, Sophia gave a wry smile.

“If I use my holy power, it’s not that tiring, you know.”

['The Tin Knight' points out that overwork is the enemy of health!]

['The Tin Knight' speaks from experience, saying that one must rest properly when it's time to rest in order to last long!]

“Yes, I understand. I can’t very well ignore you when you put it like that, Sir Tin.”

As you and Sophia walked down the hallway, students and teachers from other classes greeted the two of you.

The scene gave you a sense of déjà vu, and you spoke.

['The Tin Knight' says the atmosphere is similar to Sophia's hometown!]

“Hehe. I did use the educational institutions from 'your side' that you told me about as a reference, so it won't be exactly the same. Still... yes, it's true that it feels nostalgic for some reason.”

As she spoke, Sophia's eyes held a faint, distant light.

It was only natural, considering how her hometown had been broken and lost.

['The Tin Knight' says that even if the atmosphere is similar, the ending will be completely different!]

At your words, Sophia's smile deepened.

“Yes, of course. They say failure is the mother of success, after all.”

['The Tin Knight' wonders if that's an original saying from here, or if she's using it because he told it to her!]

“Well, which do you think it is?”

After a moment of idle chatter.

You and Sophia stepped into the mansion where your party was staying.

Adelaide, busy with her duties as the lord (though for someone so busy, she still managed to join your training every afternoon without fail), was naturally not home, and Dorothea was also out on some other business.

Thanks to the delicate barriers Dorothea had installed, the space was completely free from any potential eavesdropping.

Only after entering the house did Sophia speak.

“Sir Tin. Could you come down to the basement with me for a moment?”

At Sophia's words, you nodded.

The space that unfolded at the bottom of the stairs was a room filled with countless books.

For Sophia, whose memory was so exceptional she could create a perfect copy of a book after reading it just once, a personal library wasn't strictly necessary, but this place was different.

The books lining the shelves here were a collection of records she had written during her travels.

Here, there were maps filled in with details you and your party had seen and experienced firsthand; books Sophia had compiled from the stories you told her; and diaries, or essays, in which she had recorded her experiences from the journey.

Adelaide would look at the old travelogues and delight in reminiscing about what happened, while Dorothea would read the stories from 'your side' with great interest. The residents' satisfaction with the library was quite high.

In a corner of that library.

An ornament that looked like a glass orb resting on a small silver plate suddenly emitted a bright light.

The sight somehow reminded you of a puppy happy to see its owner return, or of children running to their parents after work, and you let out a faint smile.

You knew the identity of that 'light'.

The thing the armies of the surface had sought but could not find.

The thing that had revealed its existence to the continent, yet never its form.

That's right.

The 'God' was there.

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