On the day when Elfrieden Kingdom’s (Temporary) King, Souma, accepted his Second and Third fiancées, there were two people conducting a discussion through the Royal Voice Broadcast at a different place.
Elfrieden Kingdom’s Pri Minister, Hakuya Kwonmin [2], addressed Jeanne Euphoria, the Sister Princess of Maria, the Empress of the Grand Chaos Empire, and who was reflected on the simple receiver set atop the table.
「The reception is clear.
It seems there are no problems in the simple receiver sets’ connection.
Thank you very much, Jeanne-dono, to even send a Griffon Cavalry to us.
」(Hakuya)『My Sister [3] also understands the importance of what King Souma called a “Hotline”.
If we establish this, then the Empire and the Kingdom can always communicate with each other.
So shouldn’t it be a natural thing that we did this in a hurry?
』(Jeanne) Jeanne made a sweet grin on the screen.
After the Amidonian Conference, Jeanne returned to her country and reported to Empress Maria about the proposals from Souma: 『The Secret Alliance with Elfrieden Kingdom』, 『Establishing a Bilateral Hotline』, 『Each country dispatching a residing Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary[4] and establishing an embassy as the place where the ambassadors will stay』.
Jeanne had thought that Maria might not refuse these proposals and, sure enough, Maria readily consented to it.
Or perhaps, it could be better to say that she was laughing exuberantly.
『That was the first ti I had ever seen Sister laughing like that.
She seems to be quite happy.
』(Jeanne)「Happy…… is it?
」(Hakuya)『To have soone who shares the sa value system…… In other words, soone who has the sa way of thinking.
There are not many people who can do so in the Empire.
Soone who can see eye to eye with the Holy Maiden.
』(Jeanne)「I see.
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」(Hakuya) The one who pursued the ideal and the one who looked at the reality, not only were they separated geographically at the eastern and western sides of the Continent, but were also separated by their ideology, but for so reason, both of them could understand each other.
Certainly, it might be an interesting situation, thought Hakuya.
『When it is possible, I want to imdiately to hold a broadcast conversation between Sister and King Souma.
』(Jeanne)「Since both of them are really busy, both of them probably don’t have ti to do this.
When the situation has cald down, let us decide the ti for the conversation beforehand.
」(Hakuya)『Yes.
Certainly.
』(Jeanne) Then, after a bit gossip (expressing complaints about their respective Lords), Jeanne asked Hakuya.
『There is sothing that has been bothering from awhile ago.
I could see a lot of books behind Hakuya-dono and I have the feeling that I have seen those books before from sowhere.
』(Jeanne)「……Ah, these books are loaned as a collateral for the indemnities paynt from Van.
Since there are many books that I want to copy before returning them, I was sorting them out until just now.
」(Hakuya)『The Pri Minister himself personally sorted the books?
』(Jeanne)「Of course, since we lack the manpower, but half of it is because it’s my pasti.
I have a fondness for sorting books.
Dividing them according to the category, lining them uniformly, sotis turning pages of a book that caught my eyes, and finally taking pleasure at the sight of the neat book arrangent on the shelves.
Books are humanity’s wisdom.
The progress of the country itself.
When I thought about how I could always read the books lined up on the shelves before ……」(Hakuya)『……』(Jeanne) Jeanne was opening her eyes wide in surprise at the sight of Hakuya’s loquaciousness.
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If you were talking about the “Black Clothed Pri Minister”[5], then he was soone who was famous as a genius that Souma had discovered and a person who led Gaius VIII and Julius by their noses with his Machiavellianism[6].
When she personally t with him, Jeanne also had the impression that he was a really clever person.
However, when Hakuya was talking about books, he had the eyes of a child.
This gap[7] (Hakuya’s attitude that was different from his usual deanor) left Jeanne in a bit of shock.
『…… Do you really like books?
』(Jeanne) When he heard Jeanne ask this, Hakuya’s ego returned.
His expression recovered back into his usual cool and composed one, but the tips of his ears were a bit red.
「*cough*…… Excuse for my conduct.
I have a bit of weakness for books……」(Hakuya)『Fufu, I think I have seen an unexpected side of you.
』(Jeanne)「Is it unexpected?
I myself think that I am more suited as a librarian rather than as a pri minister.
」(Hakuya) In the first place, Hakuya’s audience with Souma, was just because his Father uncle said 『Don’t just spend years reading books!
Go out and help society!
』 and involuntarily registered him at the Talent Event’s 『Wisdom Talent』 class.
Then, he, the overall champion, had an audience with the young king and was chard by him.
Hakuya thought that if it was Souma, then he could make this nearly dying country get back on its feet again.
[8] So he stopped being a reclusive bookworm, beca a governnt official, and before he noticed it, he had already beco the Pri Minister.
As a matter of fact, at that ti Hakuya thought that it would already be good enough if he beca an advisor to the previous Pri Minister Marcus.
However, that Marcus saw that Hakuya was more Pri Minister material than himself and recomnded Hakuya as Pri Minister.
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Thanks to this, recently Hakuya didn’t have any ti to read the books that he liked and his days of being pressured by work, continued.
『Fumu…… Then, if I appointed you as the Chief Librarian of the Imperial Library, would you co to our country?
I think that our library’s book collection is also more superior than the Kingdom’s.
』(Jeanne)「Ah.
That is a quite fascinating offer.
」(Hakuya)『Is it no good?
』(Jeanne)「If it was before I entered into the governnt service, then I might have unhesitatingly jumped at that proposal.
」(Hakuya) But, you know…… These work pressured days are also not bad, thought Hakuya.
The forr Hakuya would think that history was only sothing that existed inside a book.
However, currently he felt that he was making history himself.
By serving under Souma, who will lead the Era of this country, Hakuya himself could beco a character in the history.
When he thought about this, it didn’t sound bad.
「Currently I want to be together with His Majesty Souma when he leads the Era.
Then, at so point in the future, when the next generation has grown up, I will retire and write down this Era.
」『A comfortable retirent, right?
…… At this day and age, there might be no other lifestyle that is more comfortable than this.
』 What Jeanne said might be true.
In this Era, it is hard to have a comfortable retirent.
Between the threat from the Demon Lord’s Army from the north, which was gradually approaching, and an Alliance, which mber countries had their own agenda, it was a hostility filled situation.
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Hakuya must settle these situations entirely for the sake of his comfortable retirent.
Whether or not this is possible, it was sothing that was beyond his knowledge though.
『Well then, I will look forward to our next eting, Hakuya-dono.
』(Jeanne)「Yes.
Let us et again, Jeanne-dono.
」(Hakuya) Jeanne ceased her communication.
Fuu…… Hakuya let out a sigh and stood up.
He reached out his hands towards the piled up Amidonian books.
The precious books, that were neglected in Amidonia’s care, had been damaged to such extent that they need nding.
If Hakuya didn’t take them into his “guardianship”, then these books would disappear from the face of the world.
Good grief…Exasperated, Hakuya picked up a book, and then…… 「Pri Minister-sama.
」(MIB Agent) In the corner of the room, there was a kneeling man clad in black attire.
His face was shrouded by a veil of black cloth.
It was as if he was lting into the darkness of the room, the light dimd behind its closed doors.
Hakuya asked that man.
「How did it go?
」(Hakuya)「It went well.
However……」(MIB Agent) When the man hesitated to answer, Hakuya knitted his brow.
「Did sothing happen?
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」(Hakuya)「This is…… I feel that in many ways, we have progressed too easily.
It is as if, we were operating according to soone else’s plan……」(MIB Agent)「Is that so……」(Hakuya) Hakuya dismissed the man and turned the pages of the book in his hand.
Why did he take custody of the books from Amidonia’s Library as the indemnities’ collateral?
It was because Hakuya was expecting sothing.
That is, the chance of the neglected book collection containing books about Amidonia’s family registry or legal jurisprudence[9].
Since the Capital’s Library was usually supplied with copies of these kind of books, if he could obtain those book copies, then it will be as if he had grasped the heart of that country.
Since the Amidonian Royalty was War-Hawkish, he had expected that they wouldn’t recognize its importance.
However, contrary to his expectations, amongst the confiscated books, there was only a single copy of that type.
[1] Once again, the author showed us his talent in using a Japanese word with multiple anings.
This is a rather hard word to translate.
The original word is黒衣 literally ans : Black Clothes.
But like many Japanese words, this word has multiple anings:A.
As ‘Kurogo’: The stagehands in traditional Japanese theatre (Kabuki or Bunraku), who dress all in black.
In kabuki, the kurogo serve many of the sa purposes as running crew.
They move scenery and props on stage, aiding in scene changes and costu changes.
They will also often play the role of animals, will-o-the-wisps, or other roles which are played not by an actor in full costu, but by holding a prop.
Kurogos wear all black, head to toe, in order to imply that they are invisible and not part of the action onstage.
As this convention was extended to kabuki actors depicting stealthy ninja, the stereotypical image of a ninja dressed all in black might be derived from kabuki.
In Bunraku, the people who played the dolls are also wore black clothes.
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*insert Kabuki and Bunraku pictures*This term could also be used as in a figurative way to refer to an ‘unsung hero’ (since stagehands are important yet they are not part of the story).
But it also could an a doll-master (string-puller for Western equivalent), that is a person who does things without being ‘seen’ by the public, mostly involving a puppet front.
In this aning: Hakuya is the ‘stagehand’ who is not ‘visible’ to the ‘public’ yet was the one who moves things around.
The stagehand for Souma in the stage.
B. As ‘Kokui’: The black clothes that are worn by Buddhist Priest.
In Japanese History, so Buddhist Priests that held a lot of secular world influence (politically) are also called: 黒衣の宰相 (literal aning: Black Clothed Pri Minister), which, intentionally, also is Hakuya’s nickna.
Yet in Hakuya’s case, I believe it was because he is a Pri Minister who did many things in the back.
Or because of his usual dark attire.
Or because of his “Man in Black” subordinates.
[2] Official Romanization (taken from LN Volu 1), also took note of Hakuya's Black Clothes:[3] Jeanne referred to her sister with Aneue姉上a very formal (and archaic) way to refer one’s sister.
The brother counterpart is Aniue兄上[4] Before the era of rapid international transport, or essentially instantaneous communication (such as the telegraph in the mid-19th century and then radio), diplomatic mission chiefs were granted full (plenipotentiary) powers to represent their governnt in negotiations with their host nation.
Conventionally, any representations made or agreents reached with a plenipotentiary would be recognized and complied with by their governnt.
This might change when the communication device based on Royal Voice Broadcast Orbs becos widespread, though.
[5] Read Footnote 1, point B[6] Machiavellianism: the employnt of cunning and duplicity in statecraft or in general conduct[7] Also known as Gap.
For example: Gap-Moe is that moe feeling you experience when a character acts in way that contradicts the way he/she usually acts.
Mostly a tsundere trait.
[8] Want to write: “Make Elfrieden Kingdom Great Again”.
But I guess everyone is tired from this joke.
[9] Like contracts or other legal rules.
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Imagine what would happen if China or Russia held USA’s citizens registry, governnt copies of legal jurisprudence, or other classified information.
[10] アッカンベー Akkanbo expression, like this: Also, in case no one realize.
The animal implicitly referring to Roroa is either Tanuki / Japanese Raccoon Dog or Raccoon, both is considered to be mischievous and trickster in Japanese and Native Arican folklore.
Since this is Japanese story, perhaps it is Tanuki.
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