Chapter 2: Start From X (last part)

Thirty minutes after King Souma called for a break, the award ceremony

resumed. Right now, the mystic wolf girl was being praised.

As that scene unfolded, I stood with the other prize winners watching.

"Your gift is remarkable," he told the wolf girl. "I hope you will put it to use for

our country."

"Y-Yesh! I undershtand!"

...She's stuttering all over the place, I thought. How adorable.

What could that adorable little girl have said to alarm the king so badly that he

had called for a break? What's more, that little girl was the only one who had been

called aside during the break. It was clear that it had been something important, but

there was no way for me to know what it was at the moment.

From the time I came here, I had been observing the king in question. He looked

ordinary. I had heard he'd been summoned as a hero, but he looked exactly like any

of the common townsfolk. He didn't wear a crown, carried no scepter, wore no cape,

and though their design was unusual, when he stood there in those casual clothes,

he didn't look like a king even while standing in front of the throne.

If I looked for it, once in a while his eyes took on a statesman-like appearance. He

was a very hard man to pin down. From the way he had acted so far, you might say

he was a passable king, I suppose.

With the dark elf warrior's direct appeal, he had shown magnanimity and, even

without intending to, he'd found a solution to her problem. From what had

happened with the mystic wolf girl, it seemed he could ad-lib where necessary, too.

It had been a little awkward, but, well, I'd give it a passing grade.

However, his real trial would start here.

The fat man beside me was sweating profusely, though I couldn't tell if it was

cold sweat or greasy sweat. I turned to look at him. It was his turn to receive his

award next.

On the way here, he had told me himself what his gift was. And, as far as I was

concerned, his was "the gift this country needs most right now."

When he sees him, what will that young king's judgment be?

Will he look down on the man's appearance (a big round belly and a pudgy face),

which no one would call attractive, even as empty flattery?

Will he make a laughingstock of him in front of the entire country?

Even if he doesn't go that far, will he miss the importance of the man's gift?

If he does any of those things, I...

"Next, Poncho Panacotta of Potte Village, step forward!"

"Y-Yes, I'll do that, yes!

When Prime Minister Marx called his name, the fat man named Poncho walked

forward with heavy steps, his round belly wobbling. The comical way he walked

drew laughs from all around. Even Princess Liscia was struggling to suppress a

smile.

When I looked to see the king's reaction, his face was serious. Not smiling, not

displeased, just looking at Sir Poncho with a serious expression.

"This one's gift, as you may have guessed from the look of him, is for eating,"

Marx said. "During the application process, a number of people claimed to have the

'gift of being a big eater,' but none could defeat him. Furthermore, his stance

towards his pursuit of food is unusual. He has traveled the world, eating the famous

and bizarre dishes of each region. In his own words, 'If it was edible, I ate it.'

However, it seems he has spent his entire fortune on traveling and eating, so he is

not as well off as he might appear... Ahem. Regardless, it can be said that he has a gift

that is unique in our country, so..."

"I've been waiting for you!" The king was moving before Marx could even finish

reading the explanation. When he reached Poncho, he took his hand with both

hands, not hiding his elation in the slightest. "I'm so glad you responded to my call!

You're the sort of person I've been waiting for!"

"Huh... uh... What?" Sir Poncho's eyes darted around. His brain couldn't keep up

with the situation.

Eventually, his mind caught up, and his face stiffened.

"M-Me, Your Majesty?"

"Exactly! You're the one this country has been waiting for! More than any of these

other gifted people, I'm glad that you came! I always thought that if someone like

you was among the civil officials, it would be worth recommending they apply!"

"D-Do you feel that strongly about me, yes?"

"Yeah. Your knowledge from wandering around eating famous and bizarre foods

will be the key to saving this country!"

When the king said that, Sir Poncho cried a flood of tears. "I-I... Everyone's always

called me a fatty... An idiot wasting his money on food... As for me, I only went

around eating because I wanted to eat, so I thought they were right... Can even my

gluttony be of service to this country?"

The king tapped the crying Sir Poncho on the shoulder. "Let them say what they

want about you. No matter how trivial something is, if you master it, it's a gift. Be

proud! The appetite you didn't hesitate to spend your fortune on will save this

country! Please, share your wisdom with me!"

Hearing his king's earnest request, Poncho wiped away his tears with his sleeve.

"Y-Yes! If my knowledge can be of help, please use it, yes!" he responded cheerfully.

When I looked around, most of the audience were standing there, mouths agape,

unable to digest the situation. In the midst of that, King Souma returned to the

throne, then turned to Marx and said, "In this country, there is a tradition of the king

rewarding meritorious servants, or those for whom he has high hopes, with a new

name, isn't there?"

"...Ah, yes. That is correct, sire."

"In that case, Poncho, I bestow upon you the name Ishizuka. In my homeland, this

was the name of an 'insatiable seeker and evangelist of food.' Work hard, so as not to

bring shame upon that name."

"Ye... Yes, sir! Thank you, yes!"

This was the explosive moment in which Poncho Ishizuka Panacotta was born.

The first person King Souma had personally welcomed as one of his retainers was

the rotund man with the vigorous appetite, Sir Poncho.

I wanted to cry out for joy. Splendid! This was a king who had his priorities

straight!

Whether he would hire Poncho or not had been a touchstone for this king. I had

thought that if he failed to recognize the man's value, but hired him on the potential

he might someday be of use, that would be a pass. If he had chosen not to hire him

solely based on his appearance, that would be a failure. I never dared to imagine he

would welcome him so enthusiastically. This was a happy miscalculation for me.

This man may well save this country.

I felt something welling up from within me.

...It looks like I won't be able to just watch any longer.

"King Souma, a word with you, if I may," I said.

◇ ◇ ◇

"King Souma, a word with you, if I may."

With the awards all handed out, just as I was about to declare an end to the

ceremony, the young man in black robes, Hakuya Kwonmin, stepped forward and

took a knee. Now his sleepy eyes were wide open. Just by doing that, he

mysteriously had an entirely different air about him now.

Feeling something like a slight premonition, I turned to Hakuya and asked, "Do

you have something to say?"

"Indeed. Though I stand here on the recommendation of another, it is now my

wish to recommend myself."

A self-recommendation. Does he want to sell me on his merits himself, then?

"Hmm... I've already promised you the position of librarian to the palace archives.

If you want to make a self-recommendation, does that mean you're dissatisfied with

the post? What is it you seek?"

"Should it be at all possible, I wish to place myself in your service, Your Majesty."

"But not as a librarian?"

"Correct. With my wisdom, I seek to support your supremacy."

"M-My supremacy?"

Supremacy is a bold thing to claim, I thought. If he means to support that with his

wisdom, what does he plan to become? A general, handling military and foreign affairs,

or a prime minister handling internal affairs...?

I looked straight at Hakuya. "Amusing, but do you have a gift great enough to

accomplish that?"

"I humbly submit that I do."

"You can do more than recite the law from memory, then?"

"With all due respect, I believe I have told you as much. 'Law, literature, technical

manuals, I'll read anything,' I said. I have information on every field of study stored

inside my head."

"I see..." Now I knew what had been bothering me before. Though he could recite

the law from memory, he had said he read all sorts of books. That meant his

knowledge wasn't limited to just law. For him, the laws he'd memorized were just

one small fragment of the diverse knowledge he possessed. "Why didn't you say so

earlier?"

"I sought to judge whether you were a ruler worthy of my service."

"Then, does this mean I'm worthy?"

"You receive a passing mark, I suppose."

What insolence, I thought. Still... He's amusing. Is he boasting, or does he have the

skill to back it up...? Either way, there's no way to know just yet, I guess.

"I'll leave you to Marx!" I said. "Judge this one's gift and give him a position suited

to it."

"Very well, sire."

"Thank you very much."

Marx and Hakuya both bowed.

A few days later, Marx would rush into the governmental affairs office, crying,

"Sire, would you ask me to teach a wyvern to fly?!" It was an idiomatic expression

from this world for trying to teach someone who knows more than you.

At this time, I had no way of knowing that this had been my first meeting with the

man who would come to be known as the Black-robed Prime Minister.

◇ ◇ ◇

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 Elfrieden history, the scene most dramatized in later years was "King Souma's

Gathering of Personnel." It is said that there are three main characters in this scene.

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

the perspective of the man who would come to be called the Black-robed Prime

Minister, Hakuya Kwonmin, it was to become "the turning point of an era." And from

the perspective of a certain other person, it was the turning point in the Cinderella

story of their life.

However, there are different theories on who that third person is.

Some say it was the Warrior of the Eastern Wind, Aisha Udgard, who, despite

being a dark elf who lived in the forest, swore her loyalty the king, and from that

point on was always at his side serving him.

Some say it was the Prima Lorelei, Juna Doma, who was recognized by the king,

learned the songs of his country, gave birth to the concept of a lorelei, which was the

word that came to mean an idol singer in Elfrieden, and was loved by king and

people alike.

Some say it was the Wise Wolf Princess, Tomoe Inui, who, despite being a

refugee, was instantly adored by King Souma and Queen Liscia, and taken in as the

queen's adopted sister.

However, the one most featured in dramatizations was Poncho Ishizuka

Panacotta.

Mocked by all around him for his weight, this unspectacular glutton of a man

was, through "The King's Gathering of Personnel," able to turn his life around. For

the people exhausted with their daily lives, this true story moved them and gave

them energy, and so it came to be dramatized many times.

It seems odd to call the tale of a rotund man a Cinderella story. Yet, despite being

a little scatterbrained, he was hard not to like. He was loved by all, and so they said it

suited him perfectly.

In addition, because the King's emotional welcoming of Poncho was broadcast

throughout the kingdom, it had the unexpected side effect of many gifted people

gathering in Elfrieden, thinking, "If even a guy like that can become important, so

can I..." From this event, in later years, a new proverb meaning "start with small

things" was created.

"Start from Ishizuka."