Chapter 95 - Chapter 94: Strengthening the Territory ⑧ The Aspiring Doctor (Part 2)
That evening, Noein visited Liris's house, bringing Matilda and Clara along.
Since Noein had told Liris to keep their coming a secret, her father, Russell, would be shocked by the sudden visit from the lord.
"N-Noein-sama!? And even Clara-sama!"
"Sorry for startling you. Please, stay seated."
Seeing Noein and the others enter the house after being shown in by Admia, Russell hurriedly tried to stand up on one leg, but Noein soothed him.
Noein sat in a chair facing Russell, Clara sat beside him, and Matilda stood behind them, waiting.
Admia placed cups of water in front of Noein and the others.
"Thank you."
"I am terribly sorry; we are but humble farmers, so we have nothing to offer as hospitality..."
"No, we are the ones who visited suddenly... This is your home. Please, make yourself comfortable."
Noein spoke to reassure Russell, who seemed restless and uneasy.
"Now then... the reason I've come to visit today is for Liris's sake."
Taking a sip of the water provided, Noein immediately brought up the matter at hand.
"D-Did my daughter do something...?"
Russell looked back at Liris, who was standing behind him. Perhaps because the conversation had reached the main point, Liris's expression also stiffened with tension.
"I heard from Selfers-sensei that Liris aspires to be a doctor."
"T-That... I am so sorry! For my daughter to seek something so far above her station... to cause trouble for Noein-sama!"
"No, that's not it. I didn't come here to reprimand her."
Noein responded to Russell, who showed a frightened face as if he expected to be scolded.
"Quite the opposite, actually. If Liris wants to aim to be a doctor, I would very much like her to strive in the study of medicine under Selfers-sensei. However, I heard that you, as her father, are opposed to it, so I thought I would like to speak with you once."
Hearing Noein's words, Russell remained silent for a while with a hesitant expression, and then opened his mouth.
"...If it is Noein-sama's order, I have no choice but to acknowledge my daughter's aim to become a doctor."
Noein could tell that the true feeling—"I am reluctantly obeying because the lord orders it"—was embedded in that way of speaking.
"I have no intention of brandishing my authority as lord. Doing such a thing would only create a rift between you and your daughter... Besides, no matter how much of a lord I am, I believe I should not easily interfere in the family affairs of my people."
Without reprimanding Russell's attitude, Noein spoke.
"Where should I start... Russell, why are you opposed to Liris becoming a doctor?"
"That is because I have never heard of a woman becoming a doctor... I have never even seen a female doctor. Even if my daughter were able to acquire medical knowledge, I cannot believe she could make a living as a doctor."
Noein first questioned Russell, confirming his argument with his own ears.
This wasn't because Russell was stubborn. It is perfectly normal to cling to customs and common sense for the reason that "it has always been this way." Especially for a farmer like Russell, who had lived only in the narrow world of the village and its surroundings.
"...We abandoned our hometown and barely escaped with our lives to reach this territory. Furthermore, I have a disabled body and can no longer walk properly. That is precisely why I want Liris, my only daughter, to welcome a good man as a husband and lead a stable life, even if it is an ordinary one. If she were to become a doctor as a woman and couldn't make a living, or if it hindered her marriage..."
"I understand your feelings. Considering the common sense of the world you've lived in until now, I can understand why you feel such great anxiety. It is true that female doctors are few. One could say they are almost non-existent. However, that is the case in other regions of the kingdom."
While showing understanding to Russell, Noein continued.
"This place is different from the land you have lived in until now. That is not simply because the region is different, but because my way of thinking as the lord, my values, and the social norms and systems based on them—everything is different."
Noein spoke in a gentle tone so that Russell would not shrink, but firmly, as if instructing him.
"Here, former mercenaries live as attendants, and former refugees live as land-owning independent farmers. There are those who have created their own trading companies as beastmen. Slaves are protected from crime by the law just like commoners. This Matilda is a beastman slave, but she serves as my adjutant. There is also a mutual aid organization for women called the Women's Association. But you no longer feel a sense of incongruity or disgust toward those things, do you?"
"Indeed... though I was bewildered at first, since I was given a new place to live here, I thought I would accept those sights in order to survive here. Now, I feel no incongruity."
Many parts of the social rules of the Arqvist territory deviate from the common sense of the kingdom, but the people basically accept them. This is because they do not wish to cling to former common sense or customs to the point of losing a stable life.
"These new common senses are based on my belief that 'a person should be evaluated by their ability and achievements, regardless of race, gender, origin, or status.' I will continue to manage the territory based on this belief, and I will pass this belief down to my children and grandchildren."
Having spent his childhood separated from society, Noein could not fit into the kingdom's social customs of "distinguishing and discriminating against people based on their innate position."
He understood intellectually that society was that way, but in his heart, he considered it absurd and inefficient to place restrictions on work or position for reasons such as being a woman, a beastman, or a slave.
That fact, as a result, became the axis that created the innovative atmosphere of the Arqvist territory.
"Therefore, even if Liris becomes a doctor, she will not face discrimination or persecution because she is a woman. She will become a person who gathers gratitude and respect as a doctor who supports and helps the people. I will do everything in my power to make that happen."
Noein continued, looking firmly into Russell's eyes.
"Russell, you overcame the great decision of abandoning your birthplace and have accepted the new common sense here in the Arqvist territory. You had that courage. Therefore, this time as well, please believe in me and renew your thinking. I beg of you."
"N-No, Noein-sama. Please, raise your head."
When Noein bowed his head slightly, Russell said this in a panic.
For a lord and noble to bow his head to a commoner, even slightly, was normally almost unthinkable. It was only natural that Russell felt it was too great an honor.
"...I have come to understand Noein-sama's thoughts well."
On the face of the speaking Russell, colors of both conviction and conflict emerged.
Even if he understood logically, he likely felt an instinctive anxiety at overturning yet another piece of his own common sense.
"...Liris, why did you decide to aspire to be a doctor?"
"That's... because Selfers-sensei helped Father."
As a final move, Noein called out to Liris, and she responded. Hearing this, Russell wore a surprised expression.
"When I saw Father's leg cut off in the fight with the bandits, I thought Father might die. I thought that even though we finally got to live in a new land, Father might die and I might never see him again."
Liris spoke earnestly, though she was nervous.
"But Selfers-sensei saved Father. Thanks to Sensei, I can still be with Father now. That's why I want to become a doctor too, and help people who are injured or become sick. I want to make it so the people of this territory don't have to feel sadness."
"..."
While listening to Liris's words, tears welled up in Russell's eyes.
"Russell, I promise as the lord that I will protect Liris's wish. So, could you please acknowledge her aspiring to be a doctor?"
"...Yes. Noein-sama, please give my daughter a place where she can be active as a doctor. I beg of you."
Russell said, bowing his head deeply.
.....
"Your words tonight, I was moved just listening from the side. Right, Matilda?"
"Yes, I was also impressed. Even standing behind you, Noein-sama's benevolence was vividly conveyed."
After finishing the persuasion of Russell and returning to the mansion, while relaxing in the living room after finishing dinner and bathing, Clara and Matilda spoke to Noein.
"Thank you, I think I spoke quite well myself... but in the end, the deciding factor was Liris's words. Love moves the heart more than logic, I suppose."
As he spoke, Noein took a sip of the tea Matilda had brewed for him.
It wasn't simply for Liris's sake; there were also goals such as creating a precedent to break rigid social customs and the aim of raising the next generation of doctors for the stability of the territory, but he didn't feel bad being praised like this by the women he loved.
"A father shedding tears for my sake... that's probably something I'll never experience in my life... No, if that piece-of-shit father of mine saw that I've succeeded in frontier development, he might shed tears of frustration."
When Noein gave a smirk, Clara wore a slightly bitter smile. Matilda also gave a small, wry laugh.
"Oh, was it not that funny? I thought it was a funny joke myself."
"You, that is..."
"The irony may be a bit too strong."
Saying so, Matilda sat to Noein's right. Clara sat on the opposite side, to the left. Then, the two of them leaned their bodies against Noein's arms.
"We will be by your side for the rest of our lives. We shed tears at your words, and we feel love through your words."
"So you are not lonely."
"...I was found out, huh. Thank you, both of you."
Seeing the parental love between Liris and Russell and comparing it to his own circumstances in early childhood, Noein had felt a bit lonely. Letting out irony toward his father was a reflection of that feeling.
It seemed Matilda and Clara had seen through it.
"...Shall we go to bed?"
"Yes, the three of us today."
"Please be affectionate with me."
With Matilda and Clara still clinging to both arms, Noein stood up and headed toward the bedroom.