"It’s strange, isn’t it?"
"Strange?"
While we were passing through the aquarium tunnel, Charlotte said that suddenly, and I tilted my head.
Was it really that strange? Thinking about it, filling a huge glass tunnel with seawater and stuffing it with all kinds of fish could indeed seem a bit strange.
I an, sure, it was beautiful, but it felt a little... far from nature.
But it seed Charlotte wasn’t talking about the obvious visual aspects.
"In the past, kings who ruled with absolute power amassed astronomical wealth. But even if they spent all their money, could they have built a city like this?"
"Ah, that’s true."
Alice, walking beside us, nodded as if she understood.
"Famous dictators have built giant mansions and private zoos even while their countries crumbled around them."
Co to think of it, it wasn’t just dictators. Even Middle Eastern royalty did the sa. They didn’t rule entire countries alone, but individuals owned zoos where they took pictures with lions or collected dozens—hundreds—of cars that most people could never afford in their lifeti.
They even built cities from scratch in the middle of barren deserts with their massive wealth.
"I heard this city has a population of ten million. Are you saying it’s possible to gather that many people?"
Charlotte said that with genuine surprise, and I paused to think.
Well, I had heard that even Dubai once faced serious financial troubles. Simply building sothing wasn’t enough to sustain a city.
You didn’t even have to look far—there were new city projects that failed completely and beca ghost towns.
"If you’re talking about an entire city like this, not just a few impressive buildings, then yeah, I think it would be impossible."
Ultimately, it’s the people who move into a city and keep its economy turning that make it real. If a city isn’t livable, it collapses by itself.
And the countless buildings here weren’t built by a single ruler commanding them—they were raised by countless individuals competing for profit, building higher and higher. Whether leasing spaces or selling property rights, it was all born from comrce.
"Maybe encouraging competition among many people is actually better for a nation’s developnt than ruling it directly."
When Charlotte murmured that so seriously, I flinched.
"Letting things run completely free can cause huge problems too."
Even in the Empire, the mont you stepped into the back alleys, law enforcent practically ceased to exist. It was dangerous even for a man to walk alone at night, let alone a woman.
"National policies aren’t sothing you can just copy because they seem successful. A country’s history and culture shape everything. Even here, the reason hereditary class systems weakened so much is because of a major war that overturned everything."
Alice, who had been here longer and studied various books, said that calmly, and Charlotte nodded with a serious expression.
"But if there’s sothing good we can learn from another country, we should learn it."
"...In Azerna, copying this country’s policies too openly could get you labeled a communist. Be careful."
I said seriously.
Of course, I didn’t an South Korea was a communist country. Even here, only a tiny minority would accuse soone of being communist just for supporting one welfare policy.
Honestly, how many people living here didn’t benefit from public health insurance? How many didn’t use cheap public transportation?
But in Azerna, even such basic welfare concepts would get labeled as extre leftism. They literally had places called “sleep shops” where you tied yourself to a rope to sleep—and it wasn’t even free, it cost money.
After all that suffering, extre leftist ideas like communism arose in rebellion, leading to bloody conflict before modern systems took root. If a royal started tampering with that, no one could predict what disasters might happen. At least now, the era of chopping off nobles’ heads in citizen revolutions had passed, but still, it was better to stand back and watch from a safe distance.
...Maybe that sounds too cold?
"What’s communism?"
"..."
Oh, right. That concept didn’t even exist yet in Azerna.
I hesitated for a mont, wondering how to explain it.
"...Mia, how is it? Was it worth coming here?"
I turned and asked Mia, who had been staring blankly through the aquarium glass.
"...It’s really beautiful. If we had just stayed at the hotel, I definitely would’ve regretted it."
Mia’s eyes sparkled as she spoke.
When I was a kid, I used to wonder if it was really worth spending so much money to co to places like this. But after becoming an adult, my perspective changed. Sotis I’d suddenly want to visit aquariums or zoos I rarely went to as a kid... but ironically, as an adult, it beca harder to °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° actually go.
"You’re blatantly trying to change the subject, but fine. I’ll let it slide this ti."
"...I bought so books on the subject back ho. I’ll lend them to you."
"Thank you, Alice."
Hearing the two of them chatting behind , I let out a quiet sigh of relief.
*
"Sylvia, could I... try doing that?"
Charlotte’s eyes unexpectedly sparkled when we went out for dinner.
Maybe because she never had much opportunity to cook herself, her eyes lit up watching grill the pork belly.
"Are you sure?"
Even though I looked like this, I had grilled at plenty of tis back when I worked office jobs and went to company dinners—or hung out with friends. After moving to Azerna, I hadn’t had much chance to grill my own at, but I hadn’t forgotten the feel of it. I’d practiced again after coming back to this world, grilling in my tiny studio apartnt.
But Charlotte... Had she ever grilled at herself? Most of her experience with "at" was probably fine steaks cooked by master chefs, or luxurious stews simred carefully with wine instead of water.
"Alright."
Still, I didn’t hesitate long.
Since we were here, it would be good for her to experience new things.
In fact, a lot of barbecue places in Gangnam had staff who grilled for you, but I had deliberately chosen a place where custors grilled their own at. The price wasn’t much different, but I wanted them to experience this... fun.
We were in Korea, after all. Sure, you could eat Japanese ran, sushi, Chinese hotpot, and full-course als here too—but I wanted to show them sothing true to my ho culture.
"Thank you. So... I just have to watch the color and flip it at the right ti?"
"Exactly. Don’t stress too much. Nobody here is going to scold you even if you burn a few pieces."
At my words, Claire, Alice, and Mia all nodded with smiling faces.
"I-I’m not planning to burn anything!"
Charlotte pouted, her face turning red.
Well, we’d see.
When I smiled teasingly at her, Charlotte gave a small, competitive glare.
*
"...It’s excellent."
"Yeah. It’s really delicious."
Alice said that with a pleased expression, moving her chopsticks.
Honestly, the at Charlotte grilled tasted better than mine.
Both Alice and Charlotte had way better observation and physical skills than I did. If they started learning sothing, they’d naturally pick it up faster and better.
Especially Alice—back when we were little, there were concepts I had to rewind ti multiple tis to understand, but Alice grasped them at once. I didn’t know how much effort she put in behind the scenes, but still.
"I-I think the at you grilled tasted better, Sis."
Maybe noticing my expression, Claire said that, and I gave a bitter smile.
"Thank you for the complint."
"I-I think both were really delicious."
Mia tried hard to comfort too—it was almost touching.
"As long as it’s tasty, it doesn’t matter who grilled it."
"Exactly. Good at is good at."
Agreeing with Alice, I picked up a freshly grilled piece.
"...Wait, now that I think about it, I feel like I ended up at a disadvantage here."
Seeing calmly picking up at, Charlotte muttered.
Only realizing now?
"The best griller should always do the grilling."
"Is that... how it works?"
Charlotte narrowed her eyes and glared at . But even so, I calmly kept eating at least five more pieces before handing the tongs back.
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