Chapter: 703
Gerhardt and Jiz’s great adventure was shaking up the northern region.
– I was astounded to learn about the history of our tribe that I didn’t even know existed! I just found out that my 7th ancestor was a son-in-law!
“Impressive that you managed to find out about your 7th ancestor.”
– Apparently, he hails from the Udesr clan. I discovered this while checking the lineage of the Cosmic Anomaly.
“O…”
Villar couldn’t help but admire the report from the Marquis.
Oh, so Kagan and Marquis Villar are distant relatives from the same clan! That’s something I never knew…
‘Thank goodness they’re just distant relatives.’
I sighed in relief inside. A few hundred or thousand years back, sure, Kagan and Villar might have had a common ancestor, but Villar always believed his ancestors were pure Villar tribe people. At this point, they were practically strangers.
No, even if that 7th ancestor fathered Kagan’s and Villar’s ancestors, seven generations is a long enough time to become strangers.
– Thanks to that scholar, many tribes are rewriting their family trees! They’ve identified familial ties that they never knew about before, which led to reconciliations among once estranged tribes.
“That is truly wonderful news. If the subjects of the same Empire can share smiles, there’s no greater joy.”
– Ha ha! That might be why the atmosphere in the north has improved lately. Riding the Sacred Beast of the Eternal Blue Sky, spreading peace in the north—if that scholar is a nomad, he’d be considered a saint!
Villar chuckled, awkwardly flashing a grin in response.
The fact that Gerhardt could hear the voice of the Eternal Blue Sky was a little secret I was keeping. Even the nomads weren’t aware that Gerhardt was favored by the deity.
And Gerhardt and I were planning to keep that fact to ourselves forever. Right now, we were already receiving much goodwill and interest from the nomads. What would happen if it got out that he was communicating with the gods? It wouldn’t be strange at all if Gerhardt was hailed as an honorary nomad and designated as an honorary priest.
…
‘Wait a minute.’
Something felt off. The nomads did not know Gerhardt was communicating with the Eternal Blue Sky, yet they accepted and acknowledged the history he brought without any doubt or resistance?
‘Is that really possible?’
It was confusing. Even with perfect evidence, history can spark controversy. Yet Gerhardt was shaking the northern region like there was no room for debate. He was relying solely on his capabilities instead of invoking divine authority.
Of course, the nomads likely attributed their discovered history to the help of the Eternal Blue Sky, but it was Gerhardt’s talent that secured the evidence to back it up. Maybe he supplemented some scant evidence through his persuasive argumentation.
‘A scholar chosen by the gods…’
Now the debate existed over whether that god was the Sun God or Sky God, but it was evident that this ability came as a divine gift.
It seemed that my greatest treasure found in the Academy was Gerhardt.
*
Gerhardt’s position grew sturdier day by day.
Ever since his graduation from the Academy, he had been traversing the north with my support. With the backing of the northern faction leaders, the northern nobles respected and treated him well.
Given that backdrop, how did you think the public opinion of Gerhardt was shaping up? Some nobles were even addressing him as “Professor Gerhardt” with great respect.
If I also suddenly discovered my ancestors, I would treat whoever enlightened me with the utmost respect too. The nomads valued bloodlines highly enough.
‘If the nomads forgot about it, there must have been a disaster that erased those memories.’
Even though nomads didn’t leave much in terms of records, they diligently recorded their ancestors and lineages, especially those tied by blood.
If an ancestor vanished from the nomads’ memories, it would likely be due to war that burned the records, the death of the record-keeper, or complete annihilation of the direct descendants serving that ancestor—basically, all pretty horrific reasons.
With Gerhardt rising to become the idol of the northern region…
– By the way…
‘Yes? What is it?’
– I have good news and bad news. Which would you like first?
‘…Um.’
The sudden voice of the Eternal Blue Sky sent shivers down my spine.
‘…Let’s hear the good news first.’
I requested the good news, trying to calm my racing heart.
It’s usually better to hear the bad news first, but I had a gut feeling I might faint if the bad news hit first. I needed some good news to ease my mental state a bit.
– Gerhardt’s popularity has skyrocketed! The Grand Lords are even offering him titles!
‘And the bad news?’
– Well… it’s… uhm… this isn’t on purpose, it was truly a big… uh, mistake.
‘What’s the bad news?’
– Someone overheard that we could talk…
I shut my eyes tight at those words.
The truth that was meant to remain a secret forever got exposed in less than a month. Not ten years, not one year, but just a month.
– It was genuinely a mistake! I really tried to keep it a secret! I never expected we’d get caught like this!
When I remained silent, the Eternal Blue Sky began to ramble, almost as if it were trying to excuse itself.
All right, let’s hear what you have to say about how this top-secret situation got blown.
– Jiz dropped Gerhardt off to rest, and out of boredom, she started chatting with nearby nomads. That’s when it slipped that we could communicate…
Hearing that made me shut my eyes again.
Seriously, this featherbrain caused a mess.
*
The northernmost region, in a place situated at the far end of the north.
A temple for the Eternal Blue Sky was under construction, and it was also where Jiz had made her nest.
– Ugh! Ekk! Heeek!
Despite being her hideout, Jiz was flailing her wings in a panic and letting out terrified screams.
“Why did you tell anyone about that?”
– I-I didn’t know! I didn’t realize it was a secret! If I knew, I wouldn’t have said a word!
Every time I swung my sword, Jiz shrieked and flinched as if she was going to collapse.
It was a bizarre spectacle. I was not even wielding my full strength, nor was I swinging at her. I was just casually waving my sword in the air like I was swatting a bug, and yet Jiz was absolutely freaking out.
What is going on? Does she have some trauma related to swords? No, she didn’t seem to react to the sword held by those nomads.
“Ugh…”
Nevertheless, after swinging the sword for a bit, I went to wash my face and then turned my gaze toward Gerhardt.
“My apologies, Gerhardt. I truly intended to keep this a secret, but I never thought we’d get caught.”
“Oh, uh, it’s not your fault. It wasn’t a conscious act, and Jiz isn’t trying to be troublesome either. I may not have spent much time with Jiz, but I know she doesn’t have that kind of intention.”
– Gerhardt…!
My words relieved the burden on the Marquis and made Jiz hide behind me, sniffling.
Sure, Jiz’s size was hundreds of times larger than me, but let’s not dwell on that.
“Still, it’s not something we can just brush off. If the nomads discover that I can communicate with the Eternal Blue Sky, they will treat me like a prophet or a saint.”
“Indeed…”
– Heeey…
I had no way to deny that statement. If it had been anyone else’s words, it wouldn’t be an issue, but since it’s coming from a deity, the persuasive power shot straight to the heavens. There’s no way to just pass it off as a joke.
But casually ignoring this situation wasn’t ideal either. The nomads who learned I could communicate with the Eternal Blue Sky would treat me with reverence; consequently, I would no longer be a scholar but rather an object of worship in the northern region.
That’s quite troublesome. The essence of being a scholar is to bravely venture into the unknown, tackling the hardest truths, not receiving adoration from the safest corners.
“For now, seeing how the settled inhabitants are doing their best for the history and culture of the north, we can justify this as a gift from the gods.”
With a serious expression, the Marquis rubbed his chin thoughtfully and muttered.
“…Gerhardt.”
“Yes, my lord. Please, speak.”
“I need to briefly look at the family tree of Marquis Villar.”
“Okay?”
“This year, the wedding of the Villar Marquis’s daughter and Lord Idriphan is going to take place. Let’s ensure we promote the legitimacy of the Villar clan, highlighting the union between the greatest house of the north and the imperial family.”
That should help mitigate the shock from this revelation.
The sincerity in his gaze was palpable.
‘Manipulating a family tree…’
I unconsciously swallowed hard. Altering a family tree insults the blood of that family and conceals history. It’s not something I could easily agree to as a scholar.
“I’m not suggesting we fabricate people.”
Recognizing my concern, the Marquis maintained a softer expression as he continued.
“We’ll assess our ancestors positively and present fortuitous coincidences as the result of careful calculations. Isn’t interpreting events differently a natural aspect of history?”
Hearing that, I felt a bit of relief.
That made sense. Creating nonexistent characters is one thing, but it’s perfectly valid to present multiple interpretations of specific characters. That’s not dishonoring history at all.
“Well… I happen to have a good example.”
So, I responded to the Marquis’s request with utmost seriousness.
Also, it just so happens that there’s a figure among the ancestors of Marquis Villar who was one of the early members of the Eternal Blue Sky faith and was a notable person from ancient northern history. With a slight positive twist, it’s easy to present him as a hero of the north.
*
In a situation where the settled inhabitants were on the verge of becoming the saints of nomad faith.
Whenever a religious event occurs, it’s a politician’s basic quality to cover it up with a secular event. That’s why I required Gerhardt to modify Marquis Villar’s family tree, while I immediately requested the Emperor to hasten the marriage of Ainter.
“Suddenly?”
The Emperor showed a somewhat indifferent reaction.
I understood. Even if everything was prepared, pushing forward royal ceremonies is a hassle. For an Emperor, there was no need to rearrange a wedding date when he could simply sit back and let things unfold.
“There’s a scholar who just appeared, claiming to hear the voice of the Eternal Blue Sky, and the north is buzzing.”
However, if there’s a reason worth the hassle, the story changes.
“I just heard about that too.”
“What if, before the shock dies down, the Eternal Blue Sky speaks to Marquis Villar and his daughter?”
Hearing that, the Emperor’s indifferent expression began to show some signs of life.
“Right now, the leading scholar in the north is reviewing the family tree of Marquis Villar. It supports the legitimacy of their lineage and elevates the dignity of both the Marquis and his daughter.”
“When their legitimacy and dignity reach their peak, all the northern region’s eyes will be drawn towards the Villar family?”
“Precisely.”
If a marriage is inevitable, it’s best to join in when the price is at its highest.
It seemed the Emperor was starting to contemplate this seriously.
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