Chapter: 68
Let’s take a moment to chat about the history of “Earth.”
Originally, the Christmas celebration that people enjoyed together was a kind of… local culture. You know, a holiday culture where neighbors in the countryside would gather and enjoy each other’s company.
However, this tradition was becoming increasingly blurry due to urbanization during the Industrial Revolution.
Despite various efforts during the Victorian era to revive Christian traditions, industrialization stripped society of its humanity. Factories demanded more labor and higher productivity, and the high population density from urbanization was like the root cause of crumbling infrastructure and social safety nets. People were increasingly treated like “parts” instead of actual humans.
Yeah, parts.
The Industrial Revolution turned humans into parts. People became disposable, like spare parts you could just swap out whenever something broke.
“Isn’t that a pretty terrifying thought?”
“Definitely… awful. It reminds me of what the Empire was like a few years back. Now that I think about it, wasn’t the Empire buzzing with a strange sense of progress before Don Quixote? With factories churning out propaganda like crazy… It felt a bit ominous back then. Just when that ominous vibe was about to escalate, you published Don Quixote, and suddenly, the whole vibe of the Empire shifted!”
“Ah, right, that was definitely the vibe! Plus, that was around the time magical locomotives were spreading across the Empire too…”
“The patronage certificate from the imperial court was filled with praise, saying they support ‘the creator of Don Quixote, the most delightful and valiant knight of the ages, who ensures the old traditions are not forgotten.’”
“…Oh yeah. I remember that.”
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Anyway, contrary to what modern folks might think, people back then were on high alert about this “end of humanity” thing.
They recognized that something was seriously “broken.” Many criticized the end of morality and proposed various policy and academic alternatives.
Dickens’ A Christmas Carol was perhaps the most successful policy of all.
At least, we still have Christmas, right?
After Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, interest in child welfare gradually increased, and charitable donations visibly surged in the UK. Workers were finally able to enjoy turkey and plum pudding with their families on Christmas Day.
Carols rang out in the streets, and everyone celebrated together as children made Christmas cards, eagerly awaiting gifts.
And that was it.
Despite all those efforts, people were still treated like “parts.” Modern folks opted for a simpler remedy—nationalism—rather than looking for a fairy-tale solution where everyone became nice and yelled “Stop!”
If you were just going to be a “part,” at least take pride in being part of the greatest machine ever made!
“It was a clever shift in perspective, because now the ‘parts’ saw themselves as members of society, proud to serve the nation. Of course, it wasn’t all sunshine. Now people could reject ‘traditional morality’ and still call themselves righteous, claiming that the path to patriotism was steering in more workers to boost national development.”
“It reminds me of those despicable, quirky civilized folks in Conan the Barbarian. I recall Conan’s bold, masculine image was quite popular. There was plenty of chatter in taverns about how a barbarian like Conan was more just than those high-ups preaching order while doing the opposite.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. Since then, there’s been less harassment of workers based on their status or wealth, but it wasn’t really well-received. Some even claimed the Conan saga incited violence among workers.”
“…Well, that’s irrelevant. Where were we? Ah, right. Nationalism—an ideology that equates people with the nation…”
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.
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Capitalism. Nationalism. Enlightenment. Imperialism─.
These ideas that we classify today as separate entities were just one messy reality back in those times.
With all that came the gradual transformation of people into “parts.”
Christian traditions completely collapsed, but surprisingly, no one viewed it as a problem anymore.
It wasn’t ignorance; they knew the problem but felt they couldn’t address it anymore.
Maybe they were a little complacent. Despite the issues, society somehow kept functioning. In fact, productivity soared and national pride increased. The people from that time weren’t as dumb as modern folks think! They weren’t immoral or irrational either.
It’s just that they were as rational as modern people.
In other words, they were making the same blunders we do every day.
Like thinking, “As long as things are fine now, it’ll all work out.”
And then—
Gunshots rang out in Sarajevo.
“Are you telling me that the assassination of one crown prince sparked a global war?”
“Sort of, but in a nutshell, yes… the whole era was festering. One tiny spark in a powder keg ignited a series of explosions leading to the big kaboom.”
“Hmmm… I kind of understand, but isn’t that a bit extreme?”
“A sinner is always running toward the edge of a cliff. Humans can keep it together to a certain level when it comes to good deeds, but they absolutely can’t maintain that level when it comes to bad deeds. They just keep speeding down the hill.”
“That sounds like something Father Brown would say. Makes sense. It’s probably better to point out other issues than to admit that everything has been wrong from the start.”
“Exactly.”
“So, did you help the Kingdom of Haren restore its greatness because the Haren people see themselves as noble ‘Harenites’ and ‘citizens of Haren’? It seems kinda identical to the ‘nationalism’ you mentioned.”
“Hmm?”
“The Kingdom of Haren had recently closed off its diplomatic avenues because of King Sloth, even while the Empire ramped up military forces due to the rise of ‘mutant monsters’ in Changeling… It became a popular gossip in high society that this was the Empire’s warning for Haren to get its act together.”
“…What?”
“You didn’t know?”
“I’m hearing this for the first time… Anyway, that’s how the war started—it seemed like it would end quickly like always, but it dragged on for an entire year before we reached the first Christmas since the war began.”
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.
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The so-called “war to end all wars” wasn’t anywhere near as glorious as it sounds.
In fact, it was pretty miserable.
Advanced weaponry pushed for a grotesque and horrifying style of warfare known as “trench warfare.” Every soldier was stuck in trenches, going through endless miserable days as just another cog in the machine.
The worst part?
There was no clue as to when this war would ever end. A war that everyone thought would wrap up in just a few months dragged on for over a year without a single meaningful change.
And so…
The first Christmas on the battlefield arrived. Soldiers had a small Christmas celebration in their trenches, singing Christmas carols.
Despite the heart-wrenching war that was erasing humanity, everyone still remembered the spirit of Christmas.
Yes, every person present held onto the “Christmas spirit.”
Not only the comrades sharing joy in the friendly trenches but even the “enemies” hiding in their own trenches with their guns aimed at them. The carols flowed from the friendly trenches into the enemy’s, and soon enough, Christmas carols echoed from their side too.
Soldiers decked out their trenches with Christmas decorations and lights.
Little Christmas trees lined the front like a festive street.
And then—
One soldier stepped out of the trench holding a Christmas tree. Naturally, you’d think the enemy would open fire on him, but—
Not a single shot was fired at him.
“It’s a miracle…”
“It’s the Christmas miracle.”
“…I know you created this tale, but somehow, it feels like it could really happen. If it’s a miracle that moves a person’s heart… then your literature has always been a miracle.”
“It’s the magic of Christmas that even a miser like Scrooge sends his workers home for the holidays with turkeys. That’s the magic of A Christmas Carol.”
“No, um. Even aside from that particular story… Looking back, your literature seems to always have accomplished miracles. I’ve heard it said that the pogroms against the Sioux in the West and South disappeared entirely because of your work.”
“…That’s new to me.”
“Additionally, recently with A Christmas Carol… noblemen are increasingly volunteering to serve children directly… In the past, they often donated to foundations just to enhance their prestige, but these days, they’re simply serving and donating out of personal kindness and conscience, with no regard for such honors.”
“Hmmm…”
“You’ve changed the world. You’ve moved hearts. Now, I think I have a better grasp of what you envision for the ‘future of literature.’”
“……”
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.
.
Zion explained, step by step, how my work had changed the world and the positive effects it’s had.
Some of the stories were mere rumors, while others were widely known, enough that I’d heard about them.
However, since I had handed over most external matters to Zion, many of these stories were first-time hears for me.
And then…
The conclusion I reached after all this was:
“…Wasn’t this world in a more precarious situation than I thought?”
It turns out this world, devoid of the “literature” I borrowed, was in a more fragile state than I ever imagined.
And.
I had no idea whether it was still on shaky ground.
Literature takes the truths we choose to ignore and turns them into scandals—but in the end, these scandals fade away with time.
No, they will definitely be forgotten.
The lessons literature imparts will be dismissed as “outdated,” and those who chase tangible results will scoff at literature itself, labeling it as “useless.”
“…….”
Honestly, I didn’t care enough about this world to worry about its fate or future.
If a world that has never made a mistake forgets its lessons and the “mistakes” it makes become so catastrophic that they wipe out humanity, how is that my concern? It’s the worry of politicians and scholars.
Just.
While it might be a bit late to be reflective, I suddenly realized.
The people of this world who love literature are, after all, just “people.”
Wise individuals walking around outside the realm of literature.
As long as people remain “wise,” this world’s literature will eventually be forgotten.
The value of literature, the lessons it offers, the power it holds, and its influence.
These will be relegated to a “bygone era,” and someday reading will simply be regarded as a mildly posh pastime.
Just like in my “previous life.”
– “Now that I think about it, I don’t think I’ve ever seen you drink.”
– “Why? Want to buy me a drink?”
– “That’s not what I meant… heh. But if you buy it, I’ll gratefully accept it.”
– “How transparent.”
– “No! I genuinely didn’t mean it that way! It’s just that you don’t drink or smoke, and whatever… you don’t really seem to care much about your health, which is kinda fascinating.”
– “Why would I smoke when I have a book?”
– “Reading is the only drug the government permits or something like that?”
– “Sort of.”
– “You really do love your reading…”
– “No, it’s not that kind of drug. Uhm. More like…”
– “What?”
– “Reading is far more harmful than things like booze or cigarettes. It surprisingly costs a lot, you spend all day buried in books, don’t have any other hobbies, and you can’t relate to the general trends or topics, so you end up feeling out of touch with your community…”
– “Ugh. For some reason, that really resonates, and it hurts my heart…”
– “You can’t enjoy two harmful things. If a bookworm indulges in both alcohol and cigarettes, that’s a recipe for disaster—”
– “Senior.”
– “Yeah?”
– “The editor-in-chief is giving you the stink eye from behind.”
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