「Everyone finished copying? Since it is such a precious item, I will put the map away now.」
Frea rolls it up neatly, removes it from the hook, and hands it to the maid waiting outside the door.
「As all of you know, the Kingdom of Univance is a small country. It exists sandwiched between two great powers: the Broidwan Empire and the Selswin Republic.」
She spreads out a larger hand-drawn map on paper, and her explanation continues.
「The great power to the west, the Broidwan Empire, excels in military might. It overwhelmed and dominated other nations through force of arms. The great power to the east, the Selswin Republic, excels in commerce. It drew other nations into its influence through economic ties.」
To make it easier for the children to understand, she adds words to the paper in different colored inks.
「And this tiny one here is our country, the Kingdom of Univance. I drew it a little bigger for the explanation, but in reality it is even smaller.」
「Do not go imprinting unpleasant truths on the kids.」
「Yes. But these are facts, so let us accept them properly.」
Halfren worries a little about the children’s future with this kind of lesson, but seeing Argusta quietly and diligently taking notes puts him at ease.
What he does not know is this.
Argusta, otherwise known as Takanashi Takumi, used to be praised as the best in his class at making easy-to-read notes… and his classmates took full advantage of that.
「But even though it is small, Univance is a country that tries its hardest. We formed a military alliance with the Republic and a commercial alliance with the Empire.」
「Yes, sensei, I have a question. If you think about it normally, would it not be the other way around?」
At Argusta’s question, similar murmurs rise from the other children.
The younger ones who do not yet understand “military” or “economy” just look curiously at the reactions of the students around them.
Feeling that this topic will need to be revisited another day, Frea points to her handmade map.
「If any of you do not understand, it might be good to ask your parents later. Now, about the question. What do you think would happen if we switched the alliances? The Empire is strong in military matters, and the Republic is strong in commerce… which means Univance would have to prove itself in the areas where the great powers excel. That would be extremely difficult. It would be like being told to beat someone who is good at fighting in a fight. That is why our country chose the opposite. We pick fights in the areas where they are not strong.」
A chorus of 「Heh～」 and 「Hmm～」 rises from the children all at once.
It is hard to tell if they truly understand or not.
One boy seems to have caught on to something. He turns his gaze toward the figure standing at the back of the room, only for his older brother to brush the look away with a curt wave of his hand, directing him to face forward again.
(This part is still a bit too advanced for the kids.)
Frea holds back the urge to explain further and moves on to the next topic.
「Now then. Even though Univance is a small country… we are blessed with so much that we can live self-sufficiently. To the east lies a vast granary region. To the south, following the river leads to the sea. To the west spreads a great forest. To the north stretch mountain ranges rich with mineral veins… There is no other country with such perfect geography.」
That is exactly why the two great powers have their eyes on us.
The landlocked Empire craves the granary and, above all, access to the sea.
The Republic, which borders the sea, hungers for the mineral veins and forest resources.
Both nations weave all sorts of strategies against the Kingdom of Univance, each for their own convenience.
「Everyone here, where are your family territories? If you do not know, please ask your parents later.」
A certain prince glances back over his shoulder, only to be rather coldly dismissed by another certain prince… If she remembers right, the territory Prince Argusta is supposed to receive is in the hilly region at the edge of the western forest.
It has no industry at all. The rumor, brought in by gossip-loving Mische, was that he should just build a fortress there for emergencies and make that his home.
「Yeees. Now for the next question. What is the main industry of this country right now? Yes, you there.」
「Um… wheat.」
Envious gazes gather on the boy who answers shyly, his cheeks faintly pink.
The prince staring along with the children seems to have completely forgotten what his own wife does for a living.
「That is right. But unfortunately… that was true only until three years ago. Was that a mean question?」
She needs to be considerate so as not to hurt the child who kindly answered.
Think and give opinions, that is how Frea has decided to teach, and she puts it into practice.
The worst thing would be for them to stop answering out of fear of being wrong.
She wants every child here to have the spirit to try again, even if they make a mistake.
As for the leftover woman who keeps yelling 『I want to get married! I want a boyfriend!』 while drowning in desperate drinks… Frea is starting to feel like it might be time for her to learn when to give up.
「The correct answer is dragons. That beautiful, all-white onee-chan who was here earlier hunts and gathers dragons all over the place. Right now, dragons are the number one industry in our country. Wheat is second. It is mostly consumed here at home… turning into the bread we eat or being sold to the Empire.」
「Teacher, can dragons really be sold?」
Frea nods enthusiastically at the adorable girl’s question.
「Long ago… there were creatures called whales caught in the sea. People said there was no part to throw away, and they were highly valued. The current equivalent of whales is dragons. Truly, nothing goes to waste. The oil in the lamps we are using in this room right now is called 『dragon oil』, made by pressing fat from dragons. It has no smell and burns for a long time with just a small amount. Things made from dragons like this are sold both inside and outside the country.」
The same girl from earlier raises her hand again.
「But dragons are really scary and dangerous, right?」
「That is right. So, everyone must never go outside the capital carelessly. Dragons come out during the day, after all.」
「But it is okay. I have seen one before. That white onee-chan went like this… and tore the dragon apart and tossed it away!」
Drawn in by the boy’s proud story, several other children start sharing their own treasured tales.
It is not a bad thing. The captain is removing dangers from the country.
But every single story… involves hitting. The word “tear” keeps coming up.
Noticing Frea’s gaze, Argusta simply bows his head deeply in apology.
Leave a Reply