The Past of the Mountain Kingdom

A new day.

After breakfast, Sylutia and Talia went to Winnie's home. Little Randy was playing in the living room, hugging a huge ball of yarn.

"You're here." Winnie came out of the kitchen and offered them freshly baked cookies.

"Have some."

She then picked Randy up and put him back in his room to play by himself, before beginning their first formal lesson.

"First, I need to assess how well Miss Tia knows written language." She placed a very thick book on the table.

"This is a graduation gift from Scholar Heide: The Rings of the Fir: The Past of the Mountain Kingdom. Its author is the famous scholar Arkanash, who lived three hundred years ago. The book tells the early history of the Regas Kingdom: how the Knight King Regard Buwelly conquered the mountains, established a code of law, and pacified the mountain tribes, winning their allegiance."

"Now, Miss Tia, please try reading aloud the chapter on page 235, 'The Battle of Snowfall Mountain.'"

"I understand." Sylutia took the thick book with keen interest.

She quickly turned to the assigned page and tried to make out the words. She recognized most of them, though a few phrases were obscure—probably words her original self had never learned.

"The heavy snow fell for five days and four nights, breaking the branches of the pines beneath its weight. We had no choice but to dismount and trudge through the deep snow, surrounded by a vast expanse of white...

"Heed, the 'Wind' hunter traveling with us, told me that the scent of 'Winter Slumber' still lingered in the wind. This snowfall might have been caused by human hands, and the thought worried me.

"Malang and Puris said they would find a way to help me resolve the blizzard, but I wondered what these Candle Keep scholars could possibly do. They were suited only to organizing knowledge in books and copying the markings on ancient artifacts. The only thing they could be praised for, perhaps, was their skill at mathematics and building siege engines. They had helped me solve many problems.

"For two months, we could not find the enemy's main force. We wandered aimlessly through the mountains, and many died of cold in the night. Today, Knight Holin reported that thirteen soldiers had failed to wake up last night.

"I think we may have lost our way.

"Standing before the body of Knight Red, rage flooded through me. I wanted to burst into flames like the Blazing Sun, but I was no 'Blazing Sun.' All I could do was drive my sword into the rocky earth beneath my feet.

"We could wait no longer. We could not go on like this. I asked Scholar Malang to leave my tent for a while, then walked over to the birdcage covered in black cloth. A strange bird stood inside. It would carry my resolve...

"The Black-Crowned Magpie cried out. The 432nd growth ring of the Blood-Brown Redwood bore a scar. Beneath a black pine on Snowfall Mountain, I executed Keshle. He fell with a curse on his lips, while the greatsword in my hands was riddled with notches.

"Whatever else, we had won. We had defeated the last and mightiest tribe in the mountains and beheaded its chief. The Snow Mountain Hags who had aided Keshle were all nailed to stakes and bled dry.

"Twenty-one years ago, I led my family's retainers south and settled in a town beside Ear Lake. From there, we expanded our territory, forged alliances, waged wars, and swept away every obstacle. At last, this long journey had come to an end.

"It was time to return. My family was waiting for me, as were the warriors.

"We would build a city where these mountains converged, make a pact with its foundations, and establish our kingdom.

"May it endure like the fir trees. May our knights' armor remain ever strong, and their swords ever keen."

After finishing the almost-lyrical passage, Sylutia set down the book.

Winnie clapped lightly in praise. "Not only was your pronunciation exceptionally clear, Miss Tia, but your voice is lovely and musical. It draws the listener in."

"If ten is a perfect score, I'd give you a 9.6."

"Why isn't that a perfect score?" Talia asked, baffled.

"Well, Miss Tia probably wasn't born in the Regas Kingdom. She doesn't know some local terms and slang, so she skipped a few words. That's why I had to deduct points," Winnie explained.

"I see."

"But fortunately, Miss Tia read the book's rare and obscure words accurately. The scholar Arkanash, who wrote it, had a habit of showing off his command of language. He liked using obscure words to demonstrate his erudition and taste." Winnie shook her head slightly, as if she had struggled with the book herself when studying it.

"That means we don't need to assess Miss Tia's writing skills any further. Next is arithmetic." She took out a sheet of paper covered in various math problems and handed it to Sylutia.

Before taking the paper, the girl felt a little nervous. After graduating from university, she had forgotten most of what she knew about math, especially advanced topics like calculus.

But when she saw the problems, she relaxed at once. They were elementary-school questions at most, with perhaps a little middle-school material thrown in.

She wrote down the answers almost without thinking and finished the whole sheet in less than a minute.

Winnie had been planning to test Talia while Sylutia worked, but Sylutia had already turned in her paper before Winnie could begin. She had no choice but to check Sylutia's answers first.

"All correct." There was hesitation in her voice, and she sounded somewhat incredulous.

Talia leaned over to look at the numbers and problems on the page. Her head began to spin, and she quickly turned away.

"Now I don't have to worry about Miss Tia's fundamentals." Relieved, Winnie told the girl to wait a little while as she assessed Talia.

With the time to herself, Sylutia continued reading The Rings of the Fir: The Past of the Mountain Kingdom with interest.

Written by the scholar Arkanash three hundred years ago, the book quoted parts of the autobiography of the "Knight King" Regard Buwelly, records from scholars who had accompanied the army in its early campaigns, and accounts by local residents. The author had pieced them together into a long epic describing the founding of the Regas Kingdom.

Regard Buwelly was born in the Gulunga Mountains in the heart of the continent, the second son of a local minor noble. Though he could not inherit the title, he had been extraordinarily gifted from childhood and became a Knight of the "Third Tier—Castle" Aspect Power at just twenty-four. He later gathered a group of like-minded companions and followers and brought them to the southern mountain lakes. Starting there, he gradually expanded his territory until, at fifty-six, he had cleared away every obstacle and founded the Regas Kingdom. The knights and companions who had followed him through his southern campaigns became the kingdom's first nobles.

The founding of the Regas Kingdom had not been smooth sailing. The "Knight King" Regard spent twenty-one years conquering the mountains, then nearly another twenty bringing his new kingdom to a state of basic stability. The problems of public order, the economy, and construction that arose during this process had repeatedly left him at his wits' end. Fortunately, the Candlekeep School, which supported him, sent scholars to this harsh, frigid mountain region for decades. Serving as aides, advisers, and tutors to the local nobles, they gradually educated the people, passed on their skills, and built castles and towers. Only then was the kingdom truly secured.

Scholar Arkanash was from the Candlekeep School too, wasn't he? After reaching the end, Sylutia guessed at the author's background and perspective. Though the book had earlier included complaints and jests about the Candlekeep School, the praise that followed made those earlier flaws seem more like a deliberate attempt to build up to a greater point.

Perhaps the scholars were a little biased, but without their records, later generations would have had no way to find their way through the past. All in all, Sylutia had a good impression of the Candlekeep School. They really had broadened the boundaries of civilization and improved the living conditions of the local people.