A month later, I went to the Kura's language lesson.

I had completed the credit for that cla.s.s, but I would forget the language if I didn't apply it. Therefore, I decided not to go for the lecture every week, but once a month.

When I entered the lecture room that day, Harold was there, but Eissensei hadn't arrived yet.

"Hey! It's been a while." (Harold)

He greeted cheerfully.

"…It hasn't been that long, you know. I was worried about you." (Yuri)

Even though I said that, I was really worried about him. He hadn't came back for the past six months, and I thought he was probably dead.

He came to my dream twice. It felt slightly cold. He pressed the palms and fingers of both hands together as if he had entered Nirvana, but was he still alive?

"Is that so? I'm sorry." (Harold)

"Well, more importantly, you are alive. You didn't come back for half a year, so I thought you had died." (Yuri)

He had no other task today, but he was completely hopeless when Myaro was around.

"I'll tell you where I go. I had been told that quite often." (Harold)

Harold made a gesture to p.r.i.c.k his ear with his little finger.

'Of course.'

"Let me know about it later, alright." (Yuri)

"Yeah. First, I have to say h.e.l.lo to Eissensei." (Harold)

"You're right. I think that's a good idea." (Yuri)

Eissensei seemed to have advised Harold about trading partners. If the advice was off the target, in some cases Harold might not have been here.

Then, Eissensei came into the cla.s.sroom. She was surprised for a moment when she looked around the lecture room and found Harold, but she immediately put up a joyful smile.

'She's cute.'

"Now, let's start the lecture." (Eisa)

—

After the lecture, we headed to the Eissensei's private room in the Academy. It was a private room, or more exactly like a lecture preparation room, but it looked like a laboratory instead of a storeroom. The lesson of Kura language happened once a week, but Eissensei seemed to commute here every day. Therefore, when there were questions that I would like to ask outside of the lesson teaching hours, I came here since she seemed to be available. Then, she would teach me the Kura language.

When I entered the room together with Eissensei, we sat down and took a break.

"You have come back. I'm delighted." (Eisa)

Eissensei, who mastered the Shan language in the last few years, said so. There was almost no sense of incongruity anymore.

"Thanks to you, I managed to come back." (Harold)

While sitting, Harold exaggeratedly lowered his head.

"Yes, I'm glad. It was worth praying every day." (Eisa)

"Eh, did you pray every day?" (Harold)

Every day was a good thing. I was listening to it next to him, and I thought it was amazing.

'I mean, are you praying like a hundred times every day?'

Even though she gave him advice, she seemed very concerned.

"Aah, I pray every day even if there is nothing." (Eisa)

'I see. It's like a nuance to pray for safety during daily prayers.'

'Come to think of it, Sensei was a former nun. She still hasn't given up her faith even now. So, I didn't expect that she is praying to G.o.d every day.'

'After all, Eissensei had an air of a researcher rather than a nun, so I kind of forget that she is a religious person.'

"Aah, I see. That's it." (Harold)

Harold made a face that looked like he was either relieved or emotionally drained.

"So, how was your trip?" (Yuri)

"I did a lot of dangerous things, but it was all good." (Harold)

'I wonder if the business negotiations have been settled somehow.'

"Is that so? As a matter of fact, it is a country that I have never been, so I was worried that I was irresponsible in that." (Eisa)

"Is there a country that you don't know, Eissensei?" (Yuri)

So, I asked her.

"Yes, it is a country called the Republic of Albio. I was worried since I was under impression that there were many rough people there." (Eisa)

"What makes you think so?" (harold)

'The fact that there were many violent things means that the security is bad. I wonder if there are many holes in their administration of security.'

"In Isus religion, there are also sects. The Republic of Albio is a country that believes in Kalghi sect and this sect is considered heresy by the mainstream Catholics sect. the reason is the Kalghi sect doesn't have the custom of discriminating against Shanti." (Eisa)

"Oh." (Yuri)

'Isus religion is a large religion in the Kuran society. It is a religion that is generally believed in the Telor-speaking areas, and it was the direct cause of the destruction of the Great Shantilla Empire.'

'It must have been monotheistic. Was there a sect which didn't call Shanti infidels in Isus religion?'

"Is that true? Are you using other holy book?" (Yuri)

'Regardless of polytheism, is that possible with monotheism?'

"No. To begin with, the holy book written by Isus-sama doesn't say bad things about Shanti." (Eisa)

'Really?'

"In the days when Isus-sama still alive, Shanti and Kuran weren't considered different races in the first place. In the holy book, Shanti appears under the name 'The people with hair in the ears of the North', but it doesn't bring any significant meaning. That's because people who live in cold areas may grow hairs in the ears. I guess it was thought to be like that." (Eisa)

'Are you for real?'

The Kuran allied forces that were formed to subjugate the Shanti called themselves Crusaders. About a decade ago, the declaration of war was sent by the Crusaders to the neighboring Kilghina kingdom sounded like this.

'We are the legion of the sons of G.o.d, formed to deliver the judgment to the infidels who continue to defile the sacred land. Infidels, if you are ashamed of your deeds, and wish to purify the land you dirtied, present your head and the merciful G.o.d will give you a part of his grace. Repent!'

'Obviously, it's clear that they see us as outsiders who should be subdued. Regardless of whether they really believe that or not, by creating such a stance, it certainly justifies the plunder and slave hunting.'

'If they are interpreting as what Eissensei says, this is a contradiction of perception. If the description is inconsistent with their holy book, it is likely the stance is not made known to the public.'

"But Eissensei. Isn't this inconsistent with the mainstream Catholic?" (Yuri)

"Yes. I'm sad to say that you're right." (Eisa)

'That seems to be the case.'

"The original text of Isus religion was written 2000 years ago, and it is written in a very old language called Tot. The holy book used by the Catholics are now translated into Telor language. There is this Authorized Version of translation, but there is a deliberate mistranslation in this. In the present Authorized Version, 'The infidels with hair in the ears of the North' is written. With this, it becomes an insult to the merciful G.o.d." (Eisa)

'It is an insult to G.o.d, huh?'

Eissensei looked angry when she said it.

'Does that mean that the holy book was distorted through translation to justify the invasion?'

"Tot language is a very complex language. For instance, there are about twelve kinds of words that represent the word 'people' such as Nya, Schart, Craga, Servo, Zindat, Alfort, Le Mando, and so on." (Eisa)

'…There were people who consider a stupid language everywhere.'

The ancient Shan language lecturer of our Academy, who was known as a madman and true ancient expert, told us that the more complex the written language, the wider range of expressions. If I compared the Tot language to the ancient Shan language, it seemed that the present Shan language was close to the language of monkeys.

"The word used in that part of the original text is Sachart which is a term with the meaning of 'Distant Foreigner', In other words, the sentence says 'distant foreigner with hair in the ears of the North' if it is translated accurately. In fact, this is translated as such in the translated holy book before the present Authorized Version. The present Authorized Version is arbitrarily distorting the meaning of words and they say that no one speaks the Tot language other than the priests." (Eisa)

'I'm pretty sure that Eissensei is very unhappy about it. Judging from the way she says, I a.s.sume that she made the same claim as the original author of the sacred book, and this made her to be called a heretic.'

"In that case, is there another interpretation in the Republic of Albio?" (Yuri)

"Yes. The Kalghi Sect taught in the Republic of Albio is a sect that was split in the days when the Great Shantilla Empire was still there. To put it simply, the country isn't affected because the sect was split before the religion was distorted." (Eisa)

'What was the time when the Great Empire was still there? That was a very long time ago. It is a story of 900 years ago.'

"The Kalghi sect was originally adopted by the Kalghinion Empire after the Kuluxes Empire collapsed, but the country collapsed and was destroyed in war against the Catholic sect. However, faith still survives in some parts of the land.  Therefore, the Republic of Albio is an island country that is still at war against the Catholic countries." (Eisa)

'Ooh. Although a country with a strange name, Kalghinion, has collapsed, the survivors are concealing themselves in a remote region, is it?'

"Where is the island of the Republic of Albio located?" (Yuri)

"It is just off the coast from the sea side of Fleusha Kingdom." (Eisa)

'I can't understand if I hear it in words.'

"Uhm, can I borrow some ink and pen?" (Yuri)

"Sure, here you go." (Eisa)

I took a paper out of my bag and placed it on the desk.

"Oh my, that's a plant-based paper. This is the first time I see it here." (Eisa)

'Eh?'

"I came up with it, but I suppose the Kura countries already have it. It's pretty much the same thing." (Yuri)

I tried to play dumb.

'But, is there already plant-based paper in the Kura countries? They seem to be culturally ahead of us.'

"What is that? Show it to me." (Harold)

Harold, who seemed uninterested with our boring talks, came to me.

"Sure. Please look at it as much as you want." (Yuri)

I took another piece of paper out of my bag and gave it to Harold.

I drew a simple map on a piece of paper that could be written easily with pen. This latest product was produced recently.

"Oh my, it's a very good map." (Eisa)

I was complimented.

"Can you locate that country in this map?" (Yuri)

"Of course. It is here." (Eisa)

Eissensei pointed to Ireland with her finger.

"And the next island to it?" (Yuri)

I pointed to Great Britain. In my memory, it was an island occupied by England.

"Here, the upper half is the territory of the Republic of Albio, but the lower half is dominated by a country called the Euphos Federation. These two islands are called Albio Two Islands, but the Republic of Albio has been at war for a long time to take control of the entire two islands. It is famous for pirates." (Eisa)

'In this world, there is no country like England. Great Britain is divided into north and south, and the war seems to continue there. I wonder if this country is not attacked from the seas side because they are working hard.'

"So, what kind of teaching is Catholic Sect?" (Yuri)

"Catholic Sect calls itself a sect, but it's not a sect. Although the current Pope's opinion is from Catholic Sect, the current Catholic Sect is different from the early Catholic Sect. Although the interpretation of the teaching changes opportunistically, it may be a political faction, but it is definitely not a sect. That's because there is no interpretation of Shanti as infidels in the early teaching of Catholic Sect." (Eisa)

'As I expected, it seems to be a sect that distorts the teaching in a timely manner. I wonder if it has become muddy due to interests and selfishness.'

"Then, what about Kalghi Sect?" (Yuri)

"Since it was originally a sect that was founded by warriors, it is a simple teaching. Since it was from the reaction toward Catholic Sect at that time, they look heretical including the interpretation of the ritual by the perspective of Catolic Sect." (Eisa)

"I'm not sure if it's fine to ask, but… which sect you are in, Eissensei?" (Yuri)

'Well, from the way she speaks, she is probably from Catholic Sect.'

"I am my own sect." (Eisa)

She smiled broadly.

"???" (Yuri)

'You are your own sect? A new sect came out.'

"My sect is the sect I thought of. It follows the teachings of the early Catholic Sect, but it has evolved further through research." (Eisa)

'I thought I heard wrongly, but I understand what she means. This suddenly become a story of 'The strongest independent approach'.'

"Heh… Are you the only believer of your sect?" (Yuri)

"Yes. Since I almost died when I was doing missionary work, my sect may end up with me as the only believer." (Eisa)

'Was that the reason why she ran away to such a remote region? She was risking her life, wasn't it?'

"…I see. That's too bad." (Yuri)

"No, I don't think so. Faith is basically depending on own inner, and that is good enough. The situation where one share his own thoughts with many others is nothing but an obsessive obsession that comes from human weaknesses. I came to this place, and I understood that." (Eisa)

'Somehow, Eissensei seems to be growing up as well. Does that mean her sect evolves every day? She's a person who live for the future.'

"…I don't understand this difficult talk." (Harold)

Harold opened his mouth at this point.

"If you don't mind, can you tell me about your sect? I'm interested in Isus religion." (Harold)

'Uhmm. Seriously?'

"Of course, I'm fine as long as you want it." (Eisa)

"Really? Then, please do tell me." (Harold)

'What's with this guy? Although it was a short relations.h.i.+p, I didn't expect that he was interested in religion. No, when I think about it, he actually had stepped on the soil of the Republic of Albio. There might be an incident that required him to deepen the knowledge about the local religion. So, it is not weird to ask about Isus religion.'

"I will have to prioritize the teaching to the students outside of teaching hours, but if I'm available, I will tell you." (Eisa)

"Alright." (Harold)

Harold was smiling happily.

—

TLN: