Was it because barbarians lived beyond the northern border?
In the imperial capital, people showed an unspoken prejudice toward northerners.
That they were hulking brutes, much like barbarians.
That they were strong, but often lacking in common sense and wisdom.
“I heard from Lord Hesen. He said all the major frameworks and concepts were proposed by you, Inspector!”
“I merely said whatever came to mind. Actually putting it into practice is the more impressive feat.”
“Of course stacking stones is important, but presenting the method and structure is impressive too. If anything, isn’t that precisely what it means to lay a foundation on bare ground where there was nothing before?”
But all those prejudices would vanish if they saw Polia here.
“How is the work going?”
“Fortunately, the additional shipment Lord Hesen said he requested right before he left—um, that black powder?”
“Gunpowder.”
“Ah, yes. That arrived as well. So thankfully, we’ll be able to test the fire arrows.”
“That’s a relief. The atmosphere has only been getting worse lately, but it seems we’ll be able to meet the schedule somehow.”
About a month had passed since I came as the northern inspector.
For now, there were no major issues caused by corruption among the administrators.
First of all, if anyone was caught doing something strange, the local notables would not leave them be.
On top of that, the people here were always facing the threat of barbarians.
Corruption before people who had grown this tough as a means of survival?
Wouldn’t their neck and head be separated at once and hung from a pole?
Thanks to that, I did not have to submit a report to the Crown Prince saying, “The North is ruined.”
As long as internal affairs were running properly, the rest could be handled.
That was precisely why preparing for an attack like this was possible.
“I’ve been staying in the workshop lately, so how is the news outside?”
“A few days ago, a barbarian scouting party came to inspect the area near the border. Our forces pursued them, but apparently withdrew once they were near barbarian territory.”
“If they’re even sending scouts, they must truly intend to do this properly.”
“You seem familiar with the barbarians.”
To my question, Polia answered, “To some extent.”
At the same time, she said she was less familiar than her grandparents’ and parents’ generations had been.
Back then, the Founding Emperor had been on the verge of spewing forth what could only be called divine wrath.
It was the time when, during Condor’s era, even the North had been shaken by the worst corruption.
For the barbarians, there had been no more perfect time for plunder and surprise attacks.
Attacks had come every day, and countless people had been abducted.
“They say that back then, almost every household lost at least one family member.”
“It must have been a terrible time.”
“That’s why we’re grateful to the great Founding Emperor, and to the current imperial family. I heard from my grandfather that your father was also with His Majesty the Founding Emperor.”
“I was told that His Majesty the Retired Emperor even said he was like a brother to the founding meritorious retainers.”
“Wow. If that’s the case, it makes sense that the people of the North would like you, Inspector.”
Like me? Most of them answered indifferently when I spoke to them.
They were so obviously wary that I had hesitated even to approach them.
It was to the point that I, the inspector, was careful in case I somehow clashed with them.
“Um. In the North, that’s considered friendly toward an outsider.”
“Really?”
“Yes. If they truly disliked you, they wouldn’t have answered at all. They would have openly ignored you to your face or picked a fight.”
“Even though I’m an inspector?”
“Because this is a place where an inspector can’t actually do all that much for them.”
I suddenly felt a little ashamed. As if I had not understood properly at all.
Even though I knew so much about the steppe tribes beyond the eastern border.
I had been harboring many misunderstandings about the North, which belonged to the same empire.
Only briefly, but I think I had grown arrogant. I could not let myself be that way.
I had to become more magnanimous. I had to cultivate myself into someone better.
“I said this before, but Miss Polia, you are remarkably intelligent.”
“Pardon? Uh. I’m just someone who likes making and breaking strange things.”
“Simply reading a few books, or having a lot to say, doesn’t make someone intelligent. How far one can apply that knowledge to real life—that is true knowledge and wisdom, is it not?”
“Hehe. My grandfather scolded me, saying I only do useless things.”
I had heard about it. In the North, they said the best thing for a woman was to marry quickly.
A mother who listened well to her husband, was obedient, yet possessed a tenacious will to survive.
Apparently, that was the most popular image of a woman here in the North.
“Hmm.”
But it was a shame. If someone like her were in the imperial capital, it would be far better.
She was an uncut gem I had discovered before anyone else, so I wanted to polish her myself.
She would be of great help. I was certain of that, starting with Hesen of the Armaments Directorate.
If she had been born a noble in the imperial capital, she might have surpassed even him.
Perhaps she might even have discovered and improved this gunpowder first!
“Miss Polia. By any chance, once this matter is settled, would you consider going to the imperial capital?”
“Pardon? Uh. The imperial capital? Me?”
“I do not wish to disparage the North, but to speak honestly, this place cannot make full use of your talent. Just as you told me before, you will likely end up getting married someday.”
“That’s true.”
“But the imperial capital is different. It needs people like you, Miss Polia. You would be able to use that talent of yours somewhere more meaningful.”
Hesen of the Armaments Directorate, for one, was already coveting Polia’s talent greatly.
He said he wanted to take her with him immediately if possible. That he should give her a position at once.
Even if not, he had firmly declared she was not someone who should remain in the North.
A precious skill. A talent that must not be allowed to rot. That was what was here.
“That’s a tempting offer.”
“Isn’t it?”
“But neither I nor my family have any connections at all in the imperial capital. We are local notables, so we have some standing in the North, but only within the North. We can’t do anything in the capital. We would even have to worry about basic food and lodging. And it would be awkward to receive support from my family too.”
“You need not worry about that. If you have any intention of going to the imperial capital, I will support you, Miss Polia.”
“What do you mean…”
“If there is no other way, I will formally invite you as a guest of my family and provide all the necessary conditions. Your talent, Miss Polia, should be used in a wider, greater place for the empire.”
I felt like I understood why the Crown Prince was so greedy for talented people.
So this was that feeling. So this was that state of mind. This feeling of going mad from the sheer waste of it.
She was not someone who should be staying here like this. She could accomplish far greater things.
I wanted to give whatever help I could and have her stand in the right place, properly, at once.
It was not difficult. Providing food and lodging would not be any problem.
Financial support? Polia’s talent would be difficult to convert into money.
And later on, she might even earn money in return with that talent.
Just as the Crown Prince had once done with me, I would secure someone who would be of help.
The more such people gathered around me, the more naturally my own position would rise.
Since they were not part of an existing faction, there would be fewer boundaries of interest to worry about.
All that was needed was to be loyal to the Crown Prince. To the future emperor.
“You are truly saying you would take me into your house, Inspector?”
“Yes. I can do that.”
“I’ll ask again. You are truly saying that I should… come to your house, Inspector?”
“Of course. If you wish it, Miss Polia, that can be arranged.”
It was not as if our family were some noble house in name only, collapsing in some remote corner.
We were, in our own way, a family of founding meritorious retainers, so our territory was quite large and our main castle had plenty of room.
One guest would not even be noticeable. If anything, the servants would welcome it.
They would say this was a chance to show the excellence of the Montebello family.
“I also… don’t think you are bad, Inspector.”
Hm? What did she just say?
“But will it truly be all right? I heard from my grandfather that yours is quite an impressive family. By contrast, I am no more than the granddaughter of a local notable from this barren North.”
“Such a thing can be made up for by you many times over, Miss Polia.”
Was my answer quite satisfactory, or perhaps moving?
Polia smiled, then answered, “All right.”
“If you say that much, Inspector, then I suppose I have no choice. To be honest, it was becoming dangerous if I didn’t decide soon.”
“Dangerous?”
“It meant my grandfather might choose someone for me by force.”
Ah. So she had reached marriageable age, and he had been thinking of marrying her off.
Then I had all the more reason to take her to the imperial capital. I could not let her rot here.
Once we got there, we would maintain a good relationship and strive to benefit each other!
*
“I’ve decided, Grandfather.”
“What have you suddenly decided?”
“I’m going to the imperial capital.”
The old man, Peruka, looked flustered at his granddaughter’s words.
Was it because she had spent time with the people who had come from the capital a month ago?
Her dream, which had been shrinking little by little thanks to his nagging,
seemed to have returned to its original size starting that day.
“Don’t. We have no connections at all in the imperial capital.”
“I know.”
“The capital is full of people who look down on anyone from the North.”
“I know that too.”
“Enduring that will not be easy. It will be very painful and lonely.”
“The inspector said he would help me.”
At Polia’s words, Peruka let out a low hum and seemed to ponder.
Yes. If it was that young inspector, he was quite trustworthy.
He did not seem to look down on northerners in particular.
It was not that he was simply enduring it or hiding it; he seemed to have no such thoughts at all.
“The inspector is a good man. But…”
“He told me to come to his house.”
“What?”
“He really did.”
“Hmm. In that case, the situation does change somewhat.”
For reference, in the North, when a man told a woman to come to his house,
it was essentially no different from a proposal of marriage.
Because the people there lived in such a blunt and rugged place,
even such simple words had come to mean that in the North.