Chapter 82 - Chapter 82: A Certain Soldier's Thoughts
Tom Portman, a former soldier of the Kingdom of Merda, was currently serving as the captain of the Toukyuu team.
Toukyuu is a ball game played under rules almost identical to rugby, with matches held at a stadium built near the station.
Tom's life until he became a Toukyuu player changed drastically due to the Kingdom of Merda's defeat.
When the Kingdom of Merda was defeated by the Kingdom of Cascade, Tom became a prisoner of war held in the Kingdom of Cascade. Subsequent peace negotiations determined that all prisoners would be returned, allowing him to return home safely.
Whether being transferred to the Kingdom of Cascade as a prisoner or returning home, it happened in an instant via Teleportation magic. Furthermore, even the moment he became a prisoner was an instant event caused by Steve's magic.
The period until the defeat was decided was so speedy that he barely felt the reality of having lost.
However, upon returning home, that reality began to set in. One-third of the nation's territory had been seized and became territory of the Kingdom of Cascade, and the deployment of soldiers to those areas was prohibited. Consequently, a plan to mass-discharge soldiers was brought up. Moreover, the King was confined within the Kingdom of Cascade, and Prince Abel would ascend to the throne. Furthermore, his wife, the Queen, was the older sister of Steve Archibalt, who had nearly destroyed the Kingdom of Merda single-handedly. He simply could not bring himself to celebrate such a situation.
Tom was a captain commanding thirty men. Although his abilities were evaluated and he was asked to remain, he firmly refused the request, feeling he could not stay behind while his subordinates were being discharged.
Tom was thirty years old, with two sons and a wife. Both Tom and his wife were born and raised in the Royal Capital, so they had no farmland to convert to farming even if they wanted to. Nor did they have the knowledge to start a business. Just as Tom's savings from his days as a soldier were running low, the nation announced a large-scale riverbank reinforcement project, and he applied for it.
Upon arriving at the construction site after being hired, he found many former subordinates and comrades there.
"Captain, you too?"
"So you all are here too."
He felt nostalgic when one of his subordinates spoke to him. He heard that everyone was barely getting by with day labor jobs.
"We were about to become bandits, you know."
"Don't joke. We're in the same boat."
It was no joke; there were many people who would have to become bandits just to survive. The King and Queen understood this, and the situation had forced them to create employment through public works.
The Royal Family, having no money due to the payment of reparations, put up glass glasses sent from the Queen's family for their wedding anniversary for sale, using the proceeds to fund the construction costs.
Naturally, Tom and the others, unaware of this, voiced their dissatisfaction with the Royal Family.
"Really, it's not just commoners like us who are struggling without work. Nobles have been forbidden from holding armies due to the defeat, taxes and the army are now managed by the state, yet the Royal Family still holds onto its unchanged power."
"The nobles in the north have essentially ceased to be nobles anyway. It seems the economy there is booming due to railway construction. I'd like to relocate, but permission is required to move across national borders. Now, they say they won't even issue relocation permits to suppress citizens from fleeing."
"Isn't the King being manipulated by the Queen?"
"Considering the balance of power, that seems likely."
"I hope no rebellion starts in the provinces soon."
"If that happens, we might have work as mercenaries, won't we?"
At that time, Tom truly thought a rebellion would occur.
The dissatisfaction within the country was that great. For many commoners, there were no tax increases or additional burdens like military service; the only issue was a sense of stagnation, which was a major problem in itself. Furthermore, the northern nobles who had lost their status, other nobles whose authority had been reduced, and soldiers who had lost their jobs all harbored deep grievances. Including those who had worked for the nobility or the military, the number of dissatisfied people was more than enough to cause social unrest.
However, contrary to Tom's thoughts, the rebellion never occurred, no matter how long he waited.
If anything, agricultural production improved, crop prices dropped lower than before, and life became increasingly easier. This was largely due to Sherry imitating Steve and producing Jellyfish Chips to distribute as fertilizer throughout the country. There were Separation Magic users in the Kingdom of Merda as well, who transformed the caught jellyfish into fertilizer. However, since much of the coastline had been ceded, domestic production was very small, and most of it was supplied by Steve. Steve was gradually diverting the Jellyfish Chips he produced for the Kingdom of Cascade's domestic market to the Kingdom of Merda. Although calling it "diverting" might be inappropriate since the jellyfish were purchased from House Archibalt, and processing them into chips for use or sale was entirely at House Archibalt's discretion.
Additionally, free education was gradually introduced. Commoners were given educational opportunities, and positions as civil servants, which were previously the common path for children of nobles and merchants, became open to the general public.
Even so, the spread of education was not yet advanced, so it was a topic in town that only children of wealthy former nobles and merchants who could afford private tutors were being hired, but they would lose this advantage in a few years.
Tom's two sons were selected as educational targets because a state-run school was being built in their residential area. Tom thought studying was a troublesome thing, but his sons, returning from school, said they found studying fun. Moreover, the Queen herself was serving as the teacher.
Tom was surprised by this, but there were circumstances specific to the Kingdom of Merda. Originally, there were no humans who had received education as teachers, so Sherry had to show them an educational method using teaching materials she brought from her family home and train them to become teachers.
These teaching materials had already been produced in workshops by the King's order and were on general sale. Since they were materials with a proven track record in the Kingdom of Cascade, families with the means to purchase them had done so, but Tom's family was too poor to buy them. Thus, these were the first teaching materials his sons had ever seen.
Education incorporating play, using wooden blocks with numbers and letters written on them to learn while competing with classmates, captured the hearts of the Kingdom of Merda's children. Since the letters and numbers were common to the Kingdom of Cascade, the materials Sherry brought were accepted as-is.
However, this was an educational method Steve had used in the early stages, and in the Kingdom of Cascade, research into education had progressed further from there. After basic education considering the child's developmental stage and educational content, more advanced education was provided, along with research to create even more excellent talent. Sherry had asked Steve to teach her the contents of this research, but it had already moved beyond Steve's reach, so he could not understand it and refused.
As a result, the Kingdom of Merda lacked the foundation to aim for that level, and Sherry realized this was the starting point. She did not want to be satisfied with the educational method she had shown; she wanted him to research how to proceed from here.
At this time, he regretted that he had not looked into the management of the territory a bit more.
And the national treasury was on the verge of exhaustion.
This happened just as the people gradually began to recognize Sherry, and the Queen started to be seen as an ally of the Kingdom of Merda. Naturally, Tom also expected the nation to create jobs even after the public works ended, and he had not given a single thought to Sherry's worries.
At that time, Aurora proposed a railway project through the bank.
Sherry consulted with her husband, King Abel.
"It means selling off the railway rights, but I think it's better than the nation collapsing right after this child is born."
At that time, Sherry's pregnancy was discovered, and King Abel was placing his hopes on the birth of an heir. However, the nation's finances were in no condition to be passed on to a child.
The conditions presented before them at that time left no choice.
The development of the railways would be carried out by House Sowell, who would bear the costs, meaning the state budget would not need to be allocated for the next public works. In return, none of the railway profits would come to the state, and creating competitors was prohibited. Looking at the railway projects in the Kingdom of Cascade, it was obvious how much profit they generated.
Of course, Aurora knew this as well and had made a proposal that the Kingdom of Merda could not refuse, having sensed their financial difficulties.
"Yes. Perhaps we can ask my brother-in-law to do his best to make this contract not last forever."
"Yes. We must ensure we don't offend Margrave Sowell."
Steve, unaware of such conversations between the couple, was happy that Aurora would buy the rails and trolley car parts for the railway. House Archibalt was also covering part of the Kingdom of Merda's reparations, and their finances were in dire straits.
In the end, both House Archibalt and the Kingdom of Merda were being rolled around at Aurora's whim.
Anyway, thus began a large-scale public works project in the Kingdom of Merda: the railway project. From then on, there was an unprecedented economic boom. Workers earning wages spent money, raising sales for shops and taverns. Naturally, procurement increased, so producers' incomes rose as well.
Tom also had stable work at the construction site. In fact, every site was fighting for workers, and wages were rising.
Just as Tom was thinking of living as a construction worker from now on, he received an invitation from Rainer, a former subordinate, to join a newly established sports organization.
"Captain."
"I'm not Captain anymore. What's up?"
"They are recruiting players for a competition to be held at the stadium currently under construction. I'm thinking of applying. Why don't you come along with me?"
"A competition?"
"Apparently, it's a game where two teams split up and carry a ball to the opponent's territory. They are prioritizing recruitment of those with military experience. The pay is good too."
"Why are they prioritizing those with military experience?"
"Isn't it because it uses the body?"
Rainer imagined so, but in reality, there were other circumstances.
After soldiers were discharged, quite a number of them could not find work for a long time. Since these people seemed likely to become a cause of social unrest, the idea was to employ them as boxers or Toukyuu players.
The official reason was that they were accustomed to fighting.
"Let's give it a try. I'll go and see."
For Tom, if the result of going and checking turned out to be bad, he could just go back to construction work; there was no particular loss. So, he lightly agreed to go along.
And on the day of the interview, the stadium was overflowing with many applicants, just like that day. The organizers said it was faster to show rather than explain verbally, so they showed the practice scenes of players who had already applied and been hired.
Tom and his former subordinate first watched boxing. The headgear and gloves were close to those of Earth. The fact that they were originally soldiers and had trained bodies was clear. Watching those hitting sandbags and those sparring, they roughly understood the content of the competition.
"If you have gloves and headgear, you won't feel pain even if you get hit. This should be a breeze."
One of the applicants said so, and the attendant guiding them said with a beaming smile:
"Shall you try? We would be troubled if you were hired and then quit as soon as practice began."
He said it provocatively.
"I was thinking it would be boring just watching."
The applicant replied in kind. Then, he spoke to two people sparring, and one of them stepped aside. The applicant put on spare gloves and headgear and fought against the player who had been sparring.
The applicant also had experience as a soldier and, although it was sudden, put on a good fight. However, as time passed, the signs of fatigue grew darker. Because he couldn't pace himself and went all out with punches, his stamina couldn't hold out.
Then, a clean hit landed, and he fell onto the ring.
A gasp of surprise rose from the other applicants.
The attendant, without losing his smile, said to the applicant:
"The possibility of death is low, but there is considerable damage like this. This competition is about competing on the number of hits landed on the opponent. If you knock them down and they cannot get up within ten seconds, the match cannot continue, and the victory or defeat is decided."
Hearing this, Tom and Rainer became interested in this competition.
"Captain, doesn't this look interesting?"
"Yes. The winner waited for the opponent to tire without making useless movements. It's not just a simple brawl; it requires considerable skill. It's good that you don't have to kill the opponent. I want to try this."
Although he said that, they decided to watch the next competition before making a final decision.
Next, they were guided to something called Toukyuu, a game like rugby. It was a game where teams fought over a ball made of animal leather, and scoring occurred upon reaching the opponent's territory. Like rugby, the ball could not be thrown forward. Only the opponent holding the ball could be tackled. The differences were that there were no points for kicks, and a try was worth only one point.
A practice match was happening at that moment, with two teams of fifteen fighting.
The applicants looked down at the grass field from the stands under construction. From there, they could see the movements of the players on both teams clearly.
Tom was shocked there.
It wasn't just running with the ball or chasing it; depending on how the fifteen members moved, points could be scored or prevented. It was not a competition where basic physical strength was enough. At that moment, he naturally thought about how the members of the unit he used to lead would move.
"Rainer, I want to try this. Will you do it with me?"
"If we fight as a team, it would be best to be with the Captain."
"And, can I contact my former subordinates?"
"Some of them. But, are you really saying we should do it together?"
"Yes. From what I saw, strategy is important. If the situation changes constantly on the field, don't you think a group of people who know each other well would coordinate better?"
"That's true, but if we have to call everyone out now..."
"I'm not saying you have to do it alone. If you tell me who you know, I'll try to invite them. Besides, the people you invite might know others too."
Tom was decided to be hired as a Toukyuu player. Furthermore, the desire to form a team with old comrades as Tom thought was shared by other players, and many teams had players connected through past affiliations.
Thus, Tom, who formed a team with old comrades, became the captain due to his past rank and ability.
Once the stadium was completed and began attracting crowds in earnest, Toukyuu became a popular sport. Tom's team's win rate reached about 60%, and they gained fans. Sometimes, he even gave tickets to his family and had them come watch his matches.
Now, his son wants to become a Toukyuu player. While Tom was happy about this, he also worried about the dangers involved and wished for his son to pursue the path of study.
And finally, Tom's team was selected for the Imperial Spectator Match where the King and Queen would come to watch the game.
During the singing of the national anthem before the match, Tom saw Sherry for the first time.
And he reflected on his life since the war.
When defeat came and the daughter of a noble from the enemy country became the Queen, he thought this country was over. But the foreign Queen was thinking of this country more than anyone else.
He learned from former colleagues who remained in the castle continuing as soldiers that she sold her private assets for public works to combat unemployment, personally took the teaching role due to a shortage of personnel, and negotiated with the Kingdom of Cascade to lead the railway project. And most importantly, she created an atmosphere in the Kingdom of Merda, where social status was fixed, that effort would be rewarded.
If the Kingdom of Merda had not fought the Kingdom of Cascade and arrived at this point as it was, surely his life and his children's lives would have remained unchanged. For a soldier, the highest position a commoner could reach was a squad leader; to become a commander above that, one had to be the child of a noble. Lives were decided by people who couldn't even fight properly. Even as a civil servant, the possibility of a commoner becoming one was low, and even if they did, promotion was not to be expected.
However, now everything is based on merit.
Furthermore, even though it is a meritocracy, it is designed so that as many people as possible do not drop out. They created such jobs for people like us who only knew how to live as soldiers. Moreover, state-run factories had begun operations, and the number of unemployed was visibly decreasing.
Additionally, the state operates daycare centers so that even widows with children can work.
The country is definitely better than before the Queen came.
Therefore, he was determined to show the Queen he respected and loved the best play possible.
After the match started, Tom scored and held the ball high above his head, and he saw Sherry clapping happily. Seeing the Queen happy made Tom happy, and he attacked boldly to score more points.
Tom did not know that at this time Sherry was betting on Tom's team to win, and she was happy not about the content of the play, but simply that a point had been scored. Since the Queen herself could not go to buy voting tickets, her attendants purchased them on her behalf, so only King Abel and the attendants knew about it.