Chapter 2: Start From X (part 2)

"We really do suffer from a lack of capable people!" I complained.

"I-I suppose..." Liscia said.

I tried to persuade Liscia, but she looked a little bewildered.

Because I had been working my ability so hard, it might have leveled up. Lately, I

could move up to four things at the same time (effectively, I could do the work of five

people), but even with that, it was only the equivalent of having one extra person. A

person who lacked any knowledge or skills that I myself lacked. What I needed were

people with knowledge I didn't have. People with skills I didn't have. I desperately

wanted to have people like that.

—And so, I decided to gather them.

"So, that being that, I think I'll use a Jewel Voice Broadcast."

"A Jewel Voice Broadcast?"

The Jewel Voice Broadcast was a system for delivering the voice of the king to all

regions of the country. In the Jewel Voice Room in the palace, there was a floating

jewel that must have had a diameter of around two meters. The jewel was said to be

imbued with the magic of the spirits of air, sylphs, and the spirits of water, undines.

It would deliver the king's voice to all around the country, and in towns with the

appropriate setup, it could even project his image. Past kings had apparently used

the Jewel Voice Broadcast to unveil a new constitution, or to declare war on another

nation, that sort of thing.

"I'll bet you'll be the first to use it to gather capable people," Liscia said,

seemingly impressed.

Was it really such a wild idea? "How do you normally gather them?" I asked.

"Through personal connections, or holding written exams and hiring those who

pass."

"Aren't those methods pretty biased? What's the literacy rate in this country?"

"Half the people can read, and three-tenths can write."

"That's no good at all. Only three-tenths of the population can take the exams."

"Just so you know, that's pretty average in this world..." she said.

Hmm... Guess that's what happens when you don't have compulsory education.

"Anyone can be taught to read and write," I said. "Surely, the quality of a

candidate shouldn't be decided by his or her ability to afford lessons. It's seven-

tenths of the population. Just how many diamonds are you planning to leave in the

rough?"

"...There's nothing I can say against that," Liscia said, sounding ashamed.

Though, I suppose she's not the one I need to be telling this, huh? Really, this

country needs to be fixed from the ground up.

"So, what conditions are you going to use in your call?" she asked.

"I'm considering the wording. Though, really, I intend to borrow the words of a

great man I admire."

"A great man?"

"Yeah. A 'crafty hero in a troubled land.'"

◇ ◇ ◇

"If you have a gift, I will put it to use!"

Through capital, city, town, and village alike, Souma's voice echoed.

In the capital, the cities, and even the larger towns, Souma's image was projected,

as well. The receivers in the larger areas released a mist into the air, then used the

refraction of light to recreate the scene taking place inside the Jewel Voice Room.

To put it in modern terms, they were receiving a video feed from the filming

location and projecting it live onto a mid-air screen. The quality was grainy, but

people were excited to have their first glimpse of the new king.

Some were bewildered by his youth, others by his plain appearance. The fault for

this lay with Souma, who had felt it too bothersome put on formal attire or even his

crown.

Just seeing Princess Liscia standing at his side without looking particularly tense

reassured the people. Though they had heard he hadn't forced the king to abdicate

and usurped the throne, until they saw him for themselves, they had still harbored

some uncertainty. Especially in the case of Princess Liscia, whose dignified beauty

had made her something of an idol to the people, some had voiced concern for her

wellbeing.

As they went about their business, Souma's speech continued.

"My people, our country is faced with a crisis of heretofore unseen proportions!

The grave matter of the food crisis, the economic downturn which stems from it, the

influx of refugees from lands seized by the Demon Lord... Any one of these things

alone would be a serious malaise which threatened this country. Yet, there is still

more! The Empire has expanded its influence, and some of our neighbors watch us

with eager eyes, ready to pounce! The former king, recognizing that this situation

was beyond his power to solve, has entrusted this country to my humble self.

"To recognize what one cannot do, and to make way for one who can. Even when

one knows it to be the right thing to do, it is never an easy choice. In times of peace,

the former king would have had the capacity to be a great ruler."

For a moment, Princess Liscia thought, "That's giving him way too much credit..."

with a bitter smile, but no one noticed.

"However, these are troubled times! In times of turbulence, we seek in our rulers

not a person of saintly virtue, but someone willing to get their hands dirty, willing to

stubbornly do what it takes to survive. Not a ruler who is above average in all things,

but a ruler who will not give up on survival, and on that one point excels beyond all

others. Because, ultimately, that is what will protect your families and livelihoods!

That is why the former king entrusted this country to me! I am tenacious, and on this

one point I am superior to the former king.

"At present, I am in the process of launching many reforms. However, we face an

overwhelming lack of capable people to aid in their implementation. Thus, I am

putting out a call to the gifted amongst you. I say to you again: if you have a gift, I will

make use of it!

"In these confused times, what we need is not those who are, on average, better

than others. It is those who, in one aspect, stand head and shoulders above all the

rest. It matters not what the form that gift takes. It matters not if you have any

qualifications beyond that gift. If there is one thing about which you have the pride

to say, 'I am better than anyone else at this,' come to stand before me!

"Schooling, age, class, origin, race, gender... none of these matter to me. Whether

or not you can read, do arithmetic, have money, are of sound mind and body, are

beautiful or ugly, or have a scratch on your shin, it does not matter! If you can think,

'At this one thing, I am better than others. At this one thing, I will not lose out to any

other person in the country,' then show yourself before me! If I decide your gift is

something the country needs, you will be welcomed as one of my personal

retainers!"

The new king's passionate speech put a shine in the people's eyes.

As they listened, they must all have been wracking their brains for something

they were more gifted at than other people. At the same time, though, even if they

found something, they were probably all thinking they wouldn't be hired if it wasn't

useful in some way. As that feeling of resignation set in, it became a dam blocking

the flood of enthusiasm that was building from the impassioned speech.

The king was seeking capable people who could solve this country's problems.

Everyone found it hard to imagine that their own gifts would be of any use to the

country.

"I am sure that, among you, there are some who are hesitant to believe their gifts

can be of use," Souma said, as if aware of the people's hesitation.

"However, that is not something for you to decide on your own! I, the king, will

decide whether the country needs your gift! I care not if others deride your gift as

worthless! I will be the judge of that! So have no hesitation! Come and unveil your

gift before me!"

Souma paused for a breath to calm himself.

"If you are still hesitant, then here is what we shall do. If your gift is proven to be

without compare in this country, in the name of the Kingdom of Elfrieden, I will

issue you a Certificate of Peerlessness, and you will receive a cash prize. How's that

for a little motivation, people?!" The image of Souma pumped his fist into the air.

At that moment, a great cheer rose up in every city worth calling a city across the

country. The dam inside the people's hearts had broken. It was the same in the

capital.

"Oh...! I can hear the cheering in the castle town from here. Glad you're all fired

up," Souma said, breaking into more casual speech.

Standing by his side, Liscia wanted to hold her head in her hands, but no one

seemed to mind.

"You can nominate yourself or someone else," Souma said. "If the nomination is

for someone else, three-tenths of the award go to the nominator. If there are people

locking themselves away and playing hermit when this country is in crisis, I want all

of you go and drag them out. Also, for gifts like 'I'm stronger than others' or 'I'm

good at singing' where there is room for competition, we will have the candidates

compete amongst themselves in advance to choose a single representative for that

gift, so be ready for that. Now, then... I think I've said everything I need to."

Finally, Souma closed out his Jewel Voice Broadcast with the following words:

"Now then, O gifted ones, come shake my hand in the capital, Parnam."

Liscia glared reproachfully at him after the broadcast ended. "What was with that

last line?" she demanded.

"Just going with the flow," Souma said with a laugh.

Now, how will the people react? Will the people he wants come? she wondered.

Here's hoping lots of people come...

◇ ◇ ◇

In history, there are some scenes which are easily dramatized by later

generations. There are some conditions for this:

First, it must be the turning point of an era.

Second, it must have a certain flair when dramatized.

These are the two conditions.

In the Sengoku Period, it would be the scene where Oda Nobunaga performs part

of the Noh play Atsumori before the Battle of Okehazama.

In Romance of the Three Kingdoms, it would be the scene where Liu Bei recruits

Zhuge Liang after paying three personal visits to him.

In Roman history, it would be the scene where Caesar says "The die is cast," as he

crosses the Rubicon.

Then, if one were to ask which scene from the era in which the throne was

abdicated to Souma was most often dramatized in later years, the answer would

likely be this gathering of capable people.

Before Souma, who had sought those with gifts, five gifted young people were

summoned. Of them, the king would welcome just one with wholehearted joy.

Seen from Souma's perspective, this was one of his greatest accomplishments.

From one other person's perspective, it was the turning point in the Cinderella story

of their life. And from the perspective of "one who watched that scene through eyes

unlike those of others," it was to become "the turning point of an era."

Yes. In this scene, there were three main characters.