Chapter 87 – Dante’s Past
The place Eiji was led to resembled a reception room.
Things that one could find inside were a table, a monopod chair, and flowers arranged in a vase.
The room was most likely a resting room for guests who were awaiting their meeting with n.a.z.ioni.
Eiji looked around its interior while sitting in a chair.
There was a garden that he could stare at from a window in the room.
The beautifully trimmed garden gave a distinct impression from what he had seen on this island til now.
It was taken care of so pointlessly much that it was, so to speak, ghastly.
As Eiji was drinking water from the present jug, the door opened.
The one who appeared from it was Dante.
It wasn’t that surprising, as this place belonged to Dante’s family.
– Howdy. What’s up? I bet you’re feeling nervous.
– Dante, what’s the matter?
Eiji would lie were he to tell Dante he didn’t feel nervous.
After all, he was going to oppose the ruler.
Even though it was for the sake of protecting his beliefs, Eiji knew he was overdoing it a bit.
And when it came to the time right before his meeting, Eiji was even more aware of that fact, whether he liked it or not.
Not being related to Eiji’s concern, Dante replied smoothly.
– I was appointed to accompany you during your meeting.
– Is that so? Then, I wonder if it’s already the time for that.
– Just wait a little bit. It appears my father is preparing to meet you.
– Shall we hold a short conversation together? Dante, I wonder what kind of a person your father is to you.
– My father…..? That’s right.
Dante was, so to speak, the closest person to n.a.z.ioni in his family.
Perhaps, by asking him, Eiji will be able to grasp more about n.a.z.ioni’s nature, instead of just knowing him broadly as a statesman until now.
Dante held his tongue and pondered for a while, but in the end, he started to mutter few words.
– Truth be told, my father and I aren"t quite on good terms. Rather than that, I wonder if it’s better to say he won’t even look at me. For him, I’m someone he couldn’t care less about. Well, I’m not the only one who isn’t getting along with my father; my brothers also don"t get along with him. Still, because they’re more outstanding than me, it doesn’t look like he has had any expectations in me from the beginning.
Dante began to talk about his story little by little, the content of which made Eiji become astonished.
For Eiji, being 1st or 3rd didn’t change the fact of one being someone’s son.
Naturally, such a thing matters when it comes to fulfilling one’s duty as an heir, however, it should most likely not affect the way one’s treated.
Despite saying so, Eiji too had heard stories from elderly people about households where the eldest son would be adored the most.
The second son would act as an insurance in case something happens and receive his fair amount of treatment. As for the third son and the later ones, one could describe their reception as being indifferent.
If one was to explain why people used to cherish their family business above individuals, then one would probably point at that.
– Then, Dante, what’s your opinion on your father?
– Don’t get me wrong.
Was it something he hated to be asked about?
At Eiji’s question, Dante shook his head on sides.
However, no anger was seen on his face.
– I regard my father highly. Did you know? During the previous war, the city of n.a.z.ioni was in the center of wartime destruction.
– No, this is the first I"ve heard of it.
n.a.z.ioni was placed right in the middle of the island.
The city, which was a village at that time, could be easily turned into a battlefield due to soldiers running into each other from all sides. As a result, n.a.z.ioni appeared to sustain heavy damages.
Back then, Dante could barely remember the view as he was probably still too young.
– This trampled down place began to change once my father took over after my grandfather, who had pa.s.sed away. Being proactive in making new allies on the west side, he took the advantage and rushed to the battlefield. And then, the war started to shift in favor of the east. Back then, my father seemed to possess a strength comparable with that of a fierce G.o.d or something similar. Rumor has it that he wouldn’t sustain even a single injury on the battlefield. With the war being put to an end thanks to his efforts, n.a.z.ioni was no longer a village but a governing body of the whole island, and my father has been considered as a hero.
An untold part of the war, the story that had been ambiguously retold by everyone. Eiji felt strange upon learning about it.
Just how much is the hostility from other villagers toward their ruler justified?
However, saying he didn’t incur a single injury on the battlefield sounded absurd.
Eiji too thought at once, but, if n.a.z.ioni had suffered a minor injury from an arrow, there would’ve been lots of complications resulting from suppuration.
In ancient times, being able to live through a war without an injury was perhaps quite important for a society.
– After the war concluded, my father, who had been the hardest fighter, became a peacemaker. With his first order, he decided to restore our village. Since n.a.z.ioni, at which my father stationed, was the most wasted and declined place, he wouldn’t listen to anyone’s advice. Despite saying so, he strengthened the defense of the city and made sure that no other war would occur. And then, he requisitioned for blacksmiths who specialized in bronze casting from other villages and built up our potential, or so it appears. My father is well aware of the fact that we are being detested by other people for imposing these methods.
– …..Dante, why are you going to such extent in telling me that?
– Certainly, it may be true that he doesn’t hold any interest in me, and that I had been doing nothing but bad deeds back when I lived in this city, but, as expected, father is still someone I deeply admire. That’s why, Eiji, I wanted you to know more about him.
Dante laughed while rubbing his nose shyly.
– What? So you’ve finally become aware of your own mistakes?
– Y, Yeah…..
– If time allows us in the future, let"s talk more about smithing.
– Really……?
He asked with a dumbfounded att.i.tude, but, Eiji wouldn’t let Dante off just because he had told him that much.
Nevertheless, being able to reminisce on his own mistakes wasn’t a bad thing.
– Now that I think back on it, father has always been in solitary. Well, I can somehow understand him not taking a liking to me after grandfather died, but I hate those stupid brothers’ att.i.tude of making me a fool of, you see.
– So your brothers won’t consider you as their ally?
– That’s because we have different mothers.
Dante’s mother was a concubine.
Back when Dante had just been born, there were also times when Dante would receive favorable treatment thanks to his mother being loved by n.a.z.ioni.
However, that would worsen at once after his mother had died from an illness.
Is human love supposed to be this cold hearted?
No matter what he did, Eiji couldn’t think of treating his and Tanya’s own child that way.
– Being the 3rd son and a potential heir, I thought I could do as I pleased with anyone around me. After all, I was the son of the ruler. n.o.body would say anything as n.o.body would object to me. The only person to speak to me would be someone like Franko. Therefore, at that time, I was truly surprised and annoyed at being knocked down by you, Eiji.
– You could say you reap what you sow.
– But now, I’ve come to understand a bit of myself from back then.
– This is what you call being a grown-up, right?
Ahh, well, it was my bad – Dante turned around at Eiji’s words as if trying to dodge the question.
He was most likely feeling bashful.
– It’s about time to go.
– Thank you Dante. Thanks to you, I feel more relieved now.
– You mean it? I don’t know what you plan to do, but, you have my support.
– I’ll do my best.
– Fine, then, I shall guide you. You better follow me!
Standing up, Dante opened the door and went out.
It wasn’t just Eiji and n.a.z.ioni’s distance that shrank.
He felt he bore no remaining grudge against Dante from the day they first met.
Chapter 88 – The Meeting with the Ruler (first part)
It was a s.p.a.cious audition room.
Inside, there was a rug laid out in the middle and bronze-made ornaments placed closed to the room’s walls that radiated dazzlingly with a golden color.
On both sides of its entrance, there were 2 men standing at attention while holding weapons.
And then, there was a splendid throne set inside the room.
So this is the ruler of n.a.z.ioni……?!
The ruler’s appearance was seriously huge.
His hair was abundant just like a lion’s mane and his eyes’ pupils were similar to that of a bird of prey.
Wearing a deep crimson mantle on him, the man was as tall as Philip when compared together.
The word ‘majestic’ would describe this giant the best.
Eiji was well aware he was Dante’s father.
If one was to give Dante an appropriate age, change his easy-going att.i.tude, and add more graveness to it, he would most likely become the second n.a.z.ioni.
n.a.z.ioni observed Eiji with pleasant eyes.
It was as though a slight chill pa.s.sed through right after their eyes met.
Eiji could sense a heavy pressure, which made him want to step back unintentionally.
It seemed that n.a.z.ioni being regarded as a hero wasn’t just for show.
They both had yet to exchange words with each other.
Am I supposed to take him on as my opponent, refuse his request, and make him consent to my explanation…….?
Thinking so, Eiji felt like he was losing his strength.
Don’t be stupid. Are you going to accept his conditions just like that?
There’s no way for you to submit. – Eiji reconsidered once again.
Following Dante, who had guided him til here, Eiji stood in front of the throne.
He was neither told to sit nor kneel, however, Eiji casted down his eyes so as not to be rude.
– Raise your head.
– Yes.
The one to give him the command was Franko, who stood next n.a.z.ioni.
Franko was a man who would usually give off a strong impression; nevertheless, even his presence felt somehow overshadowed when standing next to this ruler.
n.a.z.ioni made a broad grin.
His big canine teeth, which showed through, resembled that of a wild animal.
– So you’re the blacksmith from Siena named Eiji, right? You have done a great effort by coming all this way. Dante, that’s enough, you can now withdraw.
– No, I’ve already gone through this much trouble, so I’m going to watch.
It was a heavy ba.s.s sound which reverberated in one’s stomach just like a rattle.
There was quite lots of charm in his voice.
At Dante’s response, n.a.z.ioni laughed with an enjoyable face as if witnessing something unusual.
– For you to take part in government affairs, just what kind of change have you gone through?
This guy is indeed amusing.
– Even I have grown up a bit.
– *Sfx for snorting* Well, fine by me. Just stay close to the wall and don’t interrupt us.
As soon as Dante did so, n.a.z.ioni shifted his eyes again at Eiji.
It looked like n.a.z.ioni had not the slightest interest in his son.
One could sense disdain and cold-heartedness from his voice and look.
It couldn’t be helped for his att.i.tude to go off the rails that much.
Or perhaps, he had already given up on Dante due to his bad behavior?
– Speaking of which, you have been looking after that foolish, useless son of mine, right? It must have been troublesome for you.
– No, I do not think he was that much of a bother. Recently, he has been growing up and working more diligently each day.
– I wonder how much of that is true…. Well, nevermind. I shall hear more on that once we conclude our business. Franko, explain to him the detail of our discussion.
– Yes.
Franko gazed at Eiji as he stood in front of him.
As always, his expression was difficult to be read out.
Just how much had Eiji gone through because of that man?
Eiji needed to pay attention so as not to reveal his feeling of loath he felt towards Franko.
There was no way for him to incur their displeasure.
– Eiji, I would like to express my deepest thanks for your hard work during this time’s tax collection. That being the case, we shall put the offered tools into practice and have you explain their usage. Since it’s much easier to explain in words, this time we have called up each engineer for that.
At Franko’s words, men who had been waiting on standby somewhere else entered the room.
Again, there were tools that had been brought and lined up by soldiers. Carpentry tools were accompanied by wood, whereas, masonry tools – stone. They were all set and ready to be dealt with.
Tidying them up will be quite bothersome, won’t it? – Eiji stood in front of the tools while having such worthless thoughts.
– Here we have a saw, a plane, and a set of chisels. Since carpenters here seem to be more familiar with chisels, I will first demonstrate how the saw and the plane work.
– Where, where? Make a s.p.a.ce so that I can see.
– n.a.z.ioni-sama, if you say so, there won’t be any meaning in calling those workmen.
– It should be fine as long I have them line up around me.
It appeared that n.a.z.ioni was deeply interested in the new tools.
With n.a.z.ioni wanting to be in the front row, Franko and the soldiers tagged close to him while maintaining the order.
He was standing and looking at Eiji, whereas, the workmen were observing and studying on their knees.
Good grief, I guess people must feel burdened whenever their superior says something on a whim. – he thought.
– According to what I have heard, you usually use hatchets for shaving wood, right? With this saw here you can keep a straight cross-section when dividing the wood. Thanks to this tool, it is possible to make rectangular pillars with ease.
Placing his foot on a wooden material, Eiji attached the saw’s blade to it.
A saw won’t simply change its route.
At first, Eiji sawed gently and carefully, and then, he continued to add more strength into once the saw’s cutting became rhythmical.
The blade of the saw wasn’t actually horizontal. It was much more thick and similar to a wedge in shape.
Were it to be even, the saw would get stuck in wood immediately after it began to cut, and as a result, become unable to move.
*sfx for saw cutting x2* – Each time the noisy sound of the saw cutting was produced, Eiji understood that the woodworkers and carpenters present there were getting excited.
As the wood chips whirled up in the air, the saw kept on cutting into the wood while generating sound.
*sfx for dropping* – a single edge of the wood fell.
– Like this, you can cut off the wood without futility. I shall introduce you the plane as next.
Eiji was fond of demonstrating how the plane works to foreign people.
Back in j.a.pan, his workshop wouldn’t receive many foreigners for an observational study, but, it was popular for the peculiar kanna[1].
Eiji set the plane evenly on the wood.
With his right hand, he held the plane so that its blade wrapped up from the top, and using his left hand, Eiji kept down the b.u.t.t of the wood in order to support it.
As he pulled the plane before him while matching the rhythm of his body, wood shavings began to come out smoothly just like Katsuobushi[2].
– Ohhh, what’s this?
– The wood is being shaved with a terrific slenderness.
– Just how on earth is he doing it……? Hey, try to do the same. Just what’s the deal with this transparent-like thinness? What’s more, look at this shaved wood. Isn’t it radiating with light?
– How about you? Can you make it….?
– Don’t be stupid. I wouldn’t be able to, even if I were to have a pile of gold.
Shock and amazement could be noticed from workmen’s voices and expressions.
With a timid att.i.tude, one of them drew close to the wood shavings and checked them in his hands while staring at them fixedly.
And then, pa.s.sing them to his colleagues, the latter slowly examined the shavings.
n.a.z.ioni talked to Eiji.
– Can I check it?
– Go ahead. Please make sure of the touch on the wood.
– Certainly, it’s slippery. This is the first time for me to witness such a smooth wood.
The plane is said to be handed down from China.
In China and Korea planing wood used to center around hard pine trees. However, unlike them, in j.a.pan, planes were mostly applied to cedars and j.a.panese cypress.
For that reason, a j.a.panese version of the plane had been specially developed.
Again, instead of just processing and lacquering wood, like in foreign countries, the advancement of planes in j.a.pan is said to have been pushed up thanks to its people"s love of plain wood.
– Fumu….This is indeed a splendid tool! Excellent, keep on explaining the rest of the tools!
– Understood!
Being in a good mood, n.a.z.ioni requested further explanation.
Thus, Eiji began to explain the rest of the chisels with self-confidence.
————
The clarification of the tools had finally concluded.
The workmen tidied up all the things and withdrew from the audition room.
Only n.a.z.ioni, Franko, Dante, and the soldiers were left together with Eiji.
I guess things have been progressing quite smoothly. – He thought.
And judging from n.a.z.ioni’s reactions, Eiji felt even more confident.
Without any problem, n.a.z.ioni took an interest towards Eiji and his skills.
Obviously, because of that, it was possible his actions would draw unwanted trouble. Nevertheless, by showing how useful he is, Eiji would most likely be able to increase his right to speak.
For the sake of their future negotiations, Eiji had to give n.a.z.ioni the impressions of being somebody rare.
Eiji was glad to see that its minimum condition was fulfilled.
The remaining problem would be to prepare for the topic about Katharina, but, surprisingly, Eiji didn’t have to wait for it that long.
It appeared that Franko had something to say.
– Well then, Eiji. For now, you have done a splendid work. There is no doubt that your skills as a blacksmith are real, and we are convinced they will play an indispensable role in the development of this island.
– I"m honored by your praise.
– That being the case, we would like to give you a reward.
– A… reward?
So it had finally arrived. By saying ‘a reward’, didn’t he mean Eiji would be forced to face that reality?
Indeed, this is an unexpected turn of events – Eiji made an expression indicating that.
Good grief. Have I too become able to read other people’s gestures?
Just one, two years, it was something unthinkable for him to do.
– Eiji, you know that your background is little known to us. Despite that, n.a.z.ioni-sama was generous enough to consider admitting you into his clan. I believe you already know about this person as your pupil, but, think of it as courtesy from n.a.z.ioni-sama and marry his adopted daughter, Katharina. Once it is done, you shall be officially recognized as a member of the clan.
– It"s a great pleasure for me to receive your offer, and I wouldn’t even dream of gaining such a high opinion from you, however—– I refuse.
– Wha……..?!
– Heh?
Franko opened his eyes widely from disbelief at this unexpected response.
On the other hand, n.a.z.ioni smiled to his heart"s desire as if saying ‘Things have got pretty interesting’.
Well, it’s now or never and no failure will be accepted.
Bring it on.
Translator and reference notes:
[1]: A term used to describe j.a.panese planes. For more info: A dried, fermented tuna.