Water Magician
Chapter 569: Implication

Editor: Tseirp

After finishing their shopping, the two parted ways with Banhu.

Ryo, looking delighted, with the brand-new feather fan he had just bought.

Fanned himself.

Or possibly Abel.

“We couldn’t get a hat, but this white fan alone makes it a successful trip.”

“There were plenty of hats for sale though.”

“Yes, but not the kind I was looking for. I want something more like… poof, like half a Swiss roll on top of your head.”

“…I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

Abel gave up trying to understand Ryo’s vague description.

It’s difficult to picture clothing you’ve never seen, especially when it’s only described with words.

It can’t be helped.

As they were walking along the long white wall of their mansion, they noticed someone standing in front of the gate.

Right in front of the gate to the house they lived in.

“Maybe they have business with us? We’ll need to figure out a system for dealing with this when we’re both out.”

“Well, there’s no one else here. Still, doesn’t he look kind of scared?”

Ryo raised a future concern, and Abel commented on the man’s demeanor.

The man noticed the two approaching and bowed his head toward them.

“Ah, sorry to keep you waiting. Do you have business here?”

“Yes. I’m here as a messenger from Prince Ryun.”

The man—probably just barely an adult—handed over a letter.

Still, his eyes kept darting toward the inside of the gate.

“It’s okay. That golem won’t attack people.”

“O-Okay…”

Just inside the gate stood a golem.

It didn’t venture outside.

But its presence alone was enough to make entering the gate an intimidating thought.

Meanwhile, Ryo read the letter.

He figured a reply would be necessary.

“Please inform Prince Ryun that we understand. We’ll be waiting for him tomorrow.”

With that, the man bowed and left.

“It really is a shame they can’t talk. But replicating the human vocal cords with ice is no easy feat.”

Ryo said as he gently patted the golem’s head while passing through the gate.

It was still far from perfect, but it was certainly the result of hard work.

“They can’t speak, but they can listen. And understand.”

“That alone is pretty amazing.”

“Yes. For the paddy-field management golem, I had to collect countless voices in the capital.”

“Collect voices?”

Ryo nodded as he recalled the effort.

While Abel tilted his head in confusion.

“For voice recognition to work, you need to analyze a lot of voices. If there aren’t enough samples, the accuracy drops. So I thought, where are there lots of voices? And the answer was—taverns.”

“Well, people do get talkative after a drink.”

“Then I had people from various professions help me collect voice samples… and somehow, I managed to make the paddy-field golem respond to voice commands.”

“I see. If you can get that far. You could just have the golem respond with written words—like on a board or something.”

Ryo’s eyes lit up at Abel’s casual suggestion.

“What? Did I say something weird?”

“No, not weird at all. That’s genius.”

“…I don’t follow.”

“If I make it display words on an ice board. The other party can just read them… Abel, that’s brilliant.”

“Y-Yeah…”

Abel looked a little embarrassed at Ryo’s effusive praise.

“With this, all our problems are solved!”

“Wait, isn’t there one big issue?”

“Huh?”

“We speak the Central Countries’ language, so the voices from the tavern work fine for us. But we’re in the Eastern Countries now.”

“Ah…”

“If you don’t collect Eastern languages, the recognition accuracy will drop again, right?”

“No way…”

Ryo dropped to the ground, both hands and knees touching the earth.

The pose of utter despair.

He stayed like that for maybe thirty seconds.

“Hup!”

With a strange sound, he sprang to his feet.

Then, with a determined expression, he declared:

“I’ll postpone that problem for now.”

The classic line: “I’ll deal with that later”.

Mankind’s universal coping mechanism for thousands of years.

Of course, it always ends in disaster when it can no longer be postponed…

But what can you do?

When the time for disaster comes, may the one in that position do their best.

And so nations fall, companies go bankrupt, and people end up homeless…

A sad tale, but… such is life.

“For now, since they understand what we say, it’ll do.”

“I see.”

“So, the next thing to teach them is combat.”

“What?”

“Well, they’ll need to fight and drive off intruders if bandits ever break in.”

Ryo said this with full confidence.

“Is that really necessary…?”

Abel wasn’t convinced but kept his voice down.

After all, both Ryo and Abel, the mansion’s residents, had decent combat abilities themselves.

It didn’t seem likely that anyone could harm them easily—even without the golems fighting.

“I can’t rely on brute strength or size like the three-meter golems of the Western Countries, so I’ll need to rely on technique.”

“Technique?”

“Yes. Right now, I’m thinking of arming them with swords and having them imitate your sword style.”

“…My sword style?”

“Eventually, they might start staring at you as you practice, but don’t worry about it. Just keep swinging. They won’t get in your way.”

“…I’ll keep that in mind.”

Ryo’s words conjured an image in Abel’s head: a ring of golems silently watching him train with his sword.

A surreal, maybe slightly terrifying sight.

Abel shook his head slightly, trying to shake the image.

“Actually. Let’s have another group imitate my sword style. Then we’ll have mock battles between the ‘Abel team’ and the ‘Ryo team’. Let’s see whose technique is superior!”

“…Fighting among allies doesn’t sound like a good idea.”

“No worries. It’s just training. They’ll improve their skills through practice, and eventually, we’ll have golem swordsmen who surpass even Abel…”

“That’s what’s scary—you actually might do it.”

Abel looked at the golems peacefully cleaning the garden.

A tranquil scene—yet he couldn’t help but imagine what Ryo described.

“Should I destroy them now, while I still can?”

“Did you say something, Abel?”

“No, nothing. Mock battles might be fine, I guess.”

Ryo bought the lie without question.

“Eventually, we could attach flight rings and create an airborne golem army. That could be fun.”

“…Huh?”

As soon as Ryo said that, and Abel understood what he meant, the image of dozens of golems flying through the air popped into his mind.

Golems, flying through the sky with their right arms extended, swords in hand.

“Is that even possible?”

“It’s not easy. You experienced it yourself, right? It’s really hard for humanoid shapes to fly. The human form just isn’t naturally suited for it. These golems are shaped like humans, so maintaining posture in the air would be quite difficult without a lot of clever adjustments. Unlike you, Abel, they can’t react on the fly or shift their posture naturally.”

“Is that so.”

So yeah, flying humanoids really is hard.

“With wing suits… gliding might work. Like a flying squirrel. If I attach wings between their arms and waist, and between their legs… That part’s easy to implement. But it requires speed. I’d have to make them move autonomously.”

“…”

“Fufufu. Once this is done, the Debuhi Empire won’t be able to boast anymore. We’ll have the Flying Squirrel Aerial Golem Squad defending the skies!”

Ryo’s delusions knew no end.

Of course, at the current stage, it was purely a fantasy.

There were way too many hurdles to overcome.

“Do you know what’s the best thing about golems, Abel?”

“Hm? I mean. They’re useful for a lot of things, right?”

“No. The best thing is—they don’t get hungry or tired. They can work 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, until they break down… or rather, since they don’t break down easily, they can work forever!”

Ryo let out a sinister little chuckle as he explained.

Abel gave a slight shake of his head.

Apparently, golems are perfect for black company labor.

“That’s right, Abel. From now on, there’s something you should start practicing.”

“Something I should practice?”

“If you master it, your name will go down in history. Special training starts now.”

“…Huh?”

The next day.

As promised, Prince Ryun came to the mansion.

“Prince Ryun, welcome. We’re honored to have you.”

“Duke Rondo, I apologize for the sudden visit.”

Ryo led the way as he guided the prince.

And once again, a double take occurred.

“Is that…a golem?”

“Yes. It seems we startled the person who brought the letter yesterday.”

“I was informed. In the Central Countries, such things appear even on the battlefield…”

It must be because Ryun had been tasked with leading troops for the subjugation.

The sight before him seemed to remind him of the battlefield.

“There is a certain way of thinking—that it’s better than seeing humans get injured or bleed.”

That was all Ryo said.

Ordinary people cannot endure situations where their orders lead directly to the death of others.

Especially if they have witnessed such scenes firsthand.

However, throughout history, rulers have often been forced to make such decisions.

It’s not a good thing.

It is surely painful.

But it is also an undeniable historical reality.

And sometimes, even future rulers must face that trial.

On a smaller scale, perhaps.

But no less intense or merciless.

The Prince Ryun before him might be preparing to face such a trial.

“This tea is rather plain, but please enjoy.”

Tea was served to Ryo and Prince Ryun, who were now seated.

This time, it was Japanese-style tea, as remembered by Ryo.

The one who served it was Abel.

Both Ryo and Ryun took a sip.

Ryo gave a slight nod.

It was more than passable.

The special training from the day before had been: how to make tea.

The water temperature when pouring.

The steeping time.

Basically, these two points were the key…but just these alone could make a big difference in the impression the drink left.

It’s not something anyone can do the same way by being careless.

In any task, the result of a careful person’s work and that of a careless person will always differ.

A sad truth.

After some small talk and seasonal greetings, Prince Ryun got to the point of his visit.

“Your Grace, the reason I asked for your time is quite simple. Yesterday, I received an imperial order from His Majesty to bring you along for the subjugation of monsters in the Moason region, north of the capital. That is what I wish to speak about.”

“Yes, Your Highness, I expected as much. In fact, His Majesty came to see me yesterday and mentioned this matter. That said, I don’t think it’s something you need to worry about. Just consider it as two more people being added—myself and Abe…Albert. We can take care of ourselves on the battlefield, so please focus on commanding the troops.”

“You would entrust the command to me?”

Only then did Ryo understand the finer reason behind Prince Ryun’s visit.

In other words, it was a confirmation of who held command authority—and by extension, a clarification of Ryo’s position.

“Yes. I have no intention of interfering in command matters. His Majesty was quite clear. Movement of the troops, judgment, and all other decisions are to be entrusted entirely to Your Highness. I am merely an advisor.”

“Understood. Then I will proceed with the troop formations as before.”

Ryo sipped his tea again, then asked about the composition of the forces.

“This time, the core will be troops from Your Highness’s domain, but I heard the Black Banner Army will provide the largest force—ten thousand strong.”

“You are correct. My domain’s army numbers at most two thousand. We can’t mix them operationally, nor is there any need to. My domain troops will remain at the main camp, and the Black Banner Army will take the front lines.”

“I see.”

Ryo nodded at Ryun’s explanation.

Then Ryun paused in thought before speaking again.

“Your Grace, may I ask you something?”

“Certainly. What is it?”

“I heard you’ve experienced the monster attack firsthand. Is that true?”

“Yes, it is.”

Ryo nodded.

“It was in the territory of Count Roche Ten of Bashu. I have experience serving in the subjugation force under his uncle, Deputy Magistrate Fu Ten of Boago. I imagine His Majesty took that experience into account when assigning me to Your Highness’s subjugation force.”

“Yes, I believe that as well.”

Ryun nodded in agreement with Ryo’s assessment.

Then, something seemed to dawn on Ryun.

“Your Grace, this Fu Ten you mention—wasn’t he formerly the Count of Barro?”

“Ah…yes, I remember hearing that name. He lost his position due to the incident involving the Crown Prince five years ago, didn’t he?”

“Yes… That incident changed everything within the Imperial Palace.”

Ryun’s expression darkened as he replied.

Ryo, too, had been curious about Fu Ten’s case since then.

He resolved to investigate it properly one day.

“Right now, we are trying to gather intelligence on the enemy’s strength…but to be honest, it’s not going well.”

“His Majesty told me the previous noble who attempted the subjugation deployed two thousand troops but was defeated.”

“Yes. Since it was within his territory, he must have had subordinates who knew the land well. Even so, he lost…with two thousand troops no less. That’s why I want to gather as much information as possible…”

A battle begins even before armies clash on the field.

“Your Highness’s approach is admirable. In my homeland, there’s a military treatise that says one must carefully analyze information using the ‘Five Factors and Seven Considerations’ before engaging in battle.”

“Five Factors and Seven Considerations…”

“‘The Moral Law’, ‘Heaven’, ‘Earth’, ‘The Commander’, and ‘Method and Discipline’ are the Five Factors. ‘The Ruler’, ‘The Commander’, ‘Heaven and Earth’, ‘Law and Order’, ‘The Troops’, ‘The Officers’, and ‘Rewards and Punishments’ are the Seven Factors. I imagine they’re not too different from what Your Highness has studied over the years.”

The essence of battle is the same:

If you surpass your enemy, you win. If your enemy surpasses you, you lose.

Humanity has spent thousands of years seeking ways to gain that advantage.

Some say the history of mankind is the history of war.

In other words, it’s a history of the pursuit of superiority over one’s opponents.

That truth doesn’t change—whether on Earth or on ‘Phi’.

Perhaps intrigued by Ryo’s outlook.

Prince Ryun said:

“Your Grace, I’d like to speak further with you about warfare…”

Their discussion on war continued for four hours.

It wasn’t just about the upcoming monster subjugation. They spoke of warfare and military matters on a national scale as well.

Throughout the conversation, the point Ryo emphasized most often was…

“I’ll say it as many times as needed. Your Highness, ‘it begins with the Moral Law’.”

“Yes. That means, even in peacetime, rulers should always strive to be one in heart with the people.”

“Exactly. Then, when the time comes, the people will willingly lay down their lives for their rulers. Which is the same as laying down their lives for the country. The same principle applies to everything. Diligence in ordinary times leads to success in critical moments. You can’t just try hard when a crisis arrives.”

“It’s fascinating how the essence of war exists even in everyday life.”

“Since it’s always humans carrying it out, the principles remain the same.”

And with that conversation ended, Prince Ryun departed.

“That was a fascinating discussion.”

“For someone like you, Abel, who actually governs a country and leads soldiers on the battlefield, I imagine it was nothing new.”

“No, even so, there were many things I should remember again and again. It was educational.”

Abel responded with a smile.

Yes, Abel was a good man.

“Ah, shoot.”

“What is it?”

“It’s already past noon.”

“Well, you got pretty engrossed in the discussion.”

“In my homeland, there’s a saying: ‘You can’t wage war on an empty stomach’.”

“Shall we go get something to eat, then?”

Proverbs, classical idioms, and even ‘The Art of War’…it seems the world is full of wise and meaningful sayings.

TLN: Please read my translations at tseirptranslations.com, I did not give permission to any site to host my translations. 

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