Chapter 1 - The Republic of Magic

Let’s see.

Should I say nice to meet you?

I know there’s a lot of things you’re probably wondering about.

But I’ll introduce myself first.

My name is Yonekura Miyuki.

I’m 24 years old.

My blood type is A, and I was born on February 14th, under the sign of Aquarius.

My occupation is, well, national civil servant.

I’m a representative of the Magic Republic of Fenterina.

Eh?

What is the Republic of Magic?

I’ll explain it to you now.

There are seven continents in the world.

This is one of them.

The Republic of Magic is located on a continent called the Aztec Continent.

This continent.

If you look at a map of the world, it would be almost right in the center.

It’s a very large continent.

Because of that,

I’m worried about whether or not it should be said.

The vast Aztec continent is divided into three main regions.

Eight countries are in the northern part of the continent, which is called the jungle region.

The central part, called the marshlands, is home to 11 countries.

The southern part, called the mountainous region, has seven countries.

It’s divided into three main regions like this.

In total, there are 26 countries, large and small.

One of them is the center of this story,

And is ruled by me as its representative.

It’s a country for maces called the Fanterina Magic Republic.

I’ll explain in detail later,

On the map, it’s the southeastern-most mountainous region of the southern continent.

To put it bluntly, it’s remote.

But that’s not the point.

On the east and south side, we face the majestic ocean that stretches forever.

The west and north sides of the country are surrounded by steep mountains that border other countries.

On top of that, the country’s territory is small.

"

"

Because it is located on the edge of the continent,

It is so isolated that it is often called an ‘island on land’.

Because of this, it’s also called a very isolated country with few ties to other ones.

To put it another way.

Because it is surrounded by the majestic ocean with its fast tides and mountain ranges that are too steep to climb, trading with neighboring countries is limited.

The distribution of supplies is also limited.

It’s not a very comfortable place to live in, is it?

As a representative of the nation, I don’t think it’s appropriate to talk like this,

If I’m being honest, we might describe it as a backwater of the continent.

I admit that we are a weak nation that is still in the process of development.

But you know what?

On the other hand, because it’s a remote country that has not been touched by people, it is also a country with rich nature and is very peaceful.

"

"

Thanks to the stable climate and abundant resources, the country is gradually developing to the point of self-sufficiency.

Well, we are still small in size as a nation, and our slow growth is a drawback due to our lack of connections with other countries.

Still, there is one thing worth mentioning.

I’d say I’m the only one proud of it.

As the name “Republic of Magic” implies, it is a nation based on magic, with a number of influential mages standing at the center of the country and running the government.

Even though there are mages all over the world,

This is the only country of mages.

There is no other country ruled by mages other than the Republic of Magic of Fanterina, where I am from.

That’s why I’m so proud of it.

You have the power to make miracles,

You have the ability to fight,

The Republic of Magic is a country that was born when mages with the talent to perform miracles at will, excel in combat, and heal all kinds of injuries declared independence as a nation in order to maximise their talents.

…But, you know.

As I said before, there is no other country with mages.

It’s a shame.

If you look at the world as a whole,

The history of magic is still young, and it has barely penetrated the world.

Hm?

Why isn’t magic widespread?

There are many reasons.

The biggest one is the question of whether or not you have magic power.

If you don’t have magic power, you can’t use magic.

Without magic power, you can’t use magic, and without magic, you can’t become a magician.

And yet, only a very small number of children are born with magic power.

It’s maybe, one in a few hundred?

If not a thousand, I’m sure the odds are close to that.

Even though the existence of people with magical power had been confirmed long ago,

It’s only in the last fifty years or so that they’ve been recognized as mages and have become popular with the public.

I mean, should I say that magic is still in its infancy?

That’s why it hasn’t become common practice yet.

Besides, you know.

Magic in and of itself has the power to kill others.

It doesn’t have to take the form of magic, but

The magic itself is powerful enough to kill people.

That’s why when the name “magician” wasn’t widely used, the people with magical power were called “children of the devil” or “evildoers”.

I have a history of being treated as an abomination by many people.

"

"

Because of this, there has been an overwhelming increase in the number of countries that have Yin-Yang practitioners, such as prayer warriors, and Feng Shui masters, who exorcise demons for a living.

That’s how it happened,

This is why sorcery and magic have been feared as unknown powers.

The trend has been passed down to the present day.

There is a strong impression that magic is a demonic curse.

Even now, it is still not accepted by many people.

This historical trend is probably the biggest reason why magic has not spread at all.

That’s why, you know.

It’s because of that history.

Regardless of the fact.

And the mages who were thought to be cursed would be persecuted.

I’ve been forced to leave my home with no one to accept me.

Just because I have magical power, I am considered a demon.

And they won’t accept me as a person.

The result of that,

Mages who were persecuted and had nowhere else to go gathered together as they were fleeing from various countries to the frontier, and that was the magician’s village that became “Republic of Magic”.

It seemed to have started out as a small settlement.

In proportion to the increase in population, the village gradually grew into a town, and it eventually expanded its power over a long period of several decreases, and the country for mages called the Republic of Magic was born.

That seems to be the beginning of this country.

Well….I say “apparently” because I wasn’t even born yet, so I don’t know exactly what happened that long ago.

But you know.

It must have been very hard to start from scratch in the middle of nowhere.

I really admire their hard work.

…Well, I don’t really care about what they think about it.

First of all, it’s a frontier country that took about 50 years to grow.

Today, there are too many mages living in the country to count.

It’s estimated that there are two million of them.

The actual number is unknown, though.

Based on the information from the family registers of each town, it seems that that is how many people are thought to be gathered.

Of course, there are individual differences in how good a magician you are.

Not all mages are good at what they do.

Even if they are born with magic power.

There are a lot of mages out there who can only create a little flame or a little wind.

Even so, in terms of sheer numbers alone, I’m sure it’s a force that can compete with the armed forces of a country.

If I had to narrow it down to quality rather than quantity, I’d say there are 200,000 to 300,000.

That’s roughly ten percent.

That’s about the extent of it.

But we’ve actually clashed with other countries’ armies.

I haven’t experienced it yet, but,

I heard that happened when my father was still young.

That was about 30 years ago.

If it’s just a skirmish, it seems that there was one a few years ago.

But I was still a student at the time, so I don’t know the details.

Well, that explains the country, doesn’t it?

Gradually, as more and more mages began to settle in towns across the country,

It is said that by passing on the knowledge and techniques of magic that have been accumulated over the years to future generations, magic itself has been gradually developed.

Thanks to this, every town now has the ability to boast of its own defensive capabilities.

There are a few towns that have actually seen combat, but they can take on an army of ten thousand, and it would only take a few hours to kill.

With such a powerful force,

It’s possible to prevent aggression and pressure from neighboring countries.

It’s like power to the force.

It’s also why we’re not very friendly with neighboring countries.

I can’t say which is worse, though.

At the moment, there are no magic conflicts.

And there shouldn’t be any words anymore.

…But.

That’s just the way things are at the moment.

Because no one knows what’s going to happen next.

Although we have declared our independence and called ourselves the Republic of Magic.

It’s still nothing more than a “country” in name only.

It’s not even recognized as a nation by the surrounding countries.

To begin with,

It was just a small village where mages who had nowhere else to go gathered to live.

It all started when the people of the surrounding countries sarcastically called it the land of mages.

That’s how it happened.

They didn’t start out as a nation.

Gradually, the number of mages increased and it started to be called the “Land of Mages”.

It seems that diplomatic relations with other countries became essential as the town’s gradual development was seen as dangerous and could be denounced by neighboring countries.

But a village or town is no place to negotiate with a country, right?

In order to negotiate on an equal footing, we need to be on an equal footing.

That’s the first step.

First, the mages who decided to talk as a nation gathered for a meeting,

"

"

It seems that they have decided to declare their independence as a Republic.

After several weeks of discussions, we decided to name the country Fanterina, an archaic word meaning “independence” as a suitable name for the Republic.

It is said that a new country, Republic of Magic, Fanterina, has made a name for itself on the outskirts of the continent.

Forty years have passed since then.

There have been many diplomatic problems, but the Republic still exists today.

Of course, due to the fundamental problem of being a mages’ country, any attempt to cross the mountain range that is our border would be considered a territorial violation and we would be detained.

If we tried to trade across the sea, we would be considered to be committing piracy and we would be attacked.

It seems that because of this treatment, we’ve been in a situation where we’re not even recognized as a nation.

They were desperately trying to expand their living area by gradually cultivating the underdeveloped areas of the country, and to maintain a minimum standard of living through farming and fishing.

So, well.

There are some parts of us that feel dissatisfied with other countries, but,

I guess we’ll just have to live with it.

Even if we declare our independence as a nation,

We are essentially just a mishmash of countries.

There’s no way anyone could be good enough to have any knowledge or talent in politics.

That’s why when the country was first established, even the person who should be called the king to rule the country had not been decided yet.

It was good until they decided on a country name and declared their independence.

It seems that the king’s absence has been a constant situation.

You call yourself a country, but you don’t have a king.

This isn’t going to bring about a proper conversation, is it?

But even though they knew they needed a king,

It seems that no one was good enough to serve as a king.

It seems that there was no one capable of leading the country.

Of course there had to be a number of candidates.

I’m sure there were many people willing to be a king.

However, with no sign of improvement in relations with other countries, they were forced to protect the refugees that were pouring in every day.

Because maintaining security in each town has become a matter of the utmost importance,

They couldn’t even get around to running the country.

Well, I know that sounds like an excuse, but if you’re trying to build a country with no knowledge or experience,

It will be difficult to do so with ordinary efforts.

To be frank, you’re more likely to fail.

But you can’t blame them for that, can you?

They were all new to this.

It’s not going to work the first time,

I think you just have to make a lot of mistakes, gain experience, and grow up little by little.

That’s why, well.

"

"

Partly because we couldn’t afford to set up a national system,

The first few years after independence, the country was not governed at all.

Of course, even in such a situation, the pressure from neighbouring nations didn’t lessen.

Instead, we’ll just have a steadily increasing need to solve the problems we face as a nation that is slowly building up.

And yet.

We’re in a situation where someone has to act as the leader of the country, but there’s no one with the talent to lead the country as a king.

Things will only get worse.

So in order to get out of that situation,

I’ve heard that the representatives of each town have taken the initiative to work on this.

To solve all political problems at home and abroad,

They’ve started holding monthly meetings with representatives from each town and village.

Representatives from each town meet to discuss and exchange ideas,

"

"

I’ve heard that they’ve decided to operate normally as a nation.

But the basic idea is to leave autonomy and development to each town,

And most of the time, when they held meetings, it was just small talk or information exchange.

Still, it seems that in the early days of independence, they were able to get by with that level of information exchange.

But as the nation’s power expanded in proportion to its growing population,

Gradually, the need for representatives to deal with neighboring countries has become more important.

About ten years after the declaration of independence.

With the numbers of towns and villages in the country exceeding 20, the population has exploded.

I heard that pressure from other countries was rapidly increasing.

So someone had to be in charge of diplomacy to keep that pressure in check.

By this time, we finally had someone with a good track record and excellent leadership skills.

I heard that they were elected as the representative of the Republic.

The person chosen at that time would become the first representative of the Magical Republic.

It’s a man by the name of Munehisa Kurama.

He was a military man of outstanding talent.

His combat skills and commanding abilities were superior to anyone else’s.

It seems that he has made a name for himself as one of the Republic’s finest leaders.

Ah, before I go any further.

I wasn’t even born at the time, you know?

That’s why I can’t give you a specific explanation.

I can only tell you what I’ve heard.

I’ll spare you the details.

The political system of the Republic, which had been in a state of instability as a nation, was now firmly established,

He has established military regulations, improved border defense capabilities, and he devoted himself to domestic development.

But after 15 years as a representative,

He chose to step down from the stage to lead the army.

He retired, so to speak.

Rather than being a representative, he wanted to be a soldier.

Well, as for the reasons around it, I can just assume that he had no choice but to do so.

They’ve been having some problems.

There was a case to be made that strengthening the military was a higher priority than politics.

I was just a newborn baby at the time.

I know what happened in the end, but I don’t know what it was like back then.

But that problem is still going on, so there will be a time when I’ll explain it eventually.

But for now, I’ll stop.

It would be a very long story.

For now, with the retirement of Munehisa Kurama,

His successor is an old man by the name of Shindou Kanenari.

He was a man of good judgement and decisiveness,

And it seems that he also had a long track record of being a strategist for Kurama Munehisa.

But he was already dead by the time I can remember, so I have no idea what kind of person he was.

From what I’ve heard, although he was not as good a magician as Kurama,

He was a man of unrivaled political prowess.

His achievements have led to the further development of towns and villages throughout the country.

I’ve heard that he has demonstrated his political skills by achieving a self-sufficiency rate of over 100%.

That is really amazing.

Because it was originally an uncivilized frontier, remember?

It’s a lot of work just to cultivate the land,

It would be a godsend to have a stable supply of food throughout the year.

And yet, it seems that his time as a representative was short.

After only five years of service,

He announced his retirement due to age.

It’s a shame that even if you have talent, you can’t beat age.

Well, maybe that’s just the way life is.

First, the next representative was elected,

A third representative by the name of Yonekura Souichirou.

Well, to put it simply, he’s my father.

My father is considered to be one of the greatest mages of all time.

I don’t know if it’s fair for me to say this,

It would not be an exaggeration to say that he is the strongest in history.

His fighting skills are far superior to the rest,

I think the word “genius” is reserved for him.

On top of that, he is also a very capable politician.

He had traveled all over the continent as a young man, and his diplomatic skills were something to be admired.

As his daughter, I’m proud of him, and he’s a really great guy.

He also succeeded in concluding a ceasefire agreement with neighboring countries that had been at odds with each other.

Unofficially, we’ve set up magician guilds in each country,

He had also succeeded in gradually expanding the Republic’s area of operation by protecting and gathering mages from all over the continent into the country.

It is because of this that the Republic continues to exist today.

If it weren’t for my dad,

Maybe the Republic would have been on the warpath by now.

I really believe that.

That’s why I wanted him to continue to represent us if he could.

But he can’t do that anymore.

The incurable disease that suddenly struck him made him physically ill,

And he announced his retirement, much to the regret of many people.

Of course, doctors all over the country researched for a cure.

But no cure was ever found.

They couldn’t even find the name of the disease that caused it in the first place.

The result.

After about ten years of activity, my father handed it over to the fourth generation.

…Well, that would be me.

For a variety of reasons, the representatives of the Republic have been repeatedly replaced.

I’m currently struggling to become the fourth representative.

In case you’re wondering, before I became a representative, I was the governor of Genos, the largest port city in the country.

I’m the daughter of my father who was active as the third generation.

I was chosen to represent the Republic because I was second only to my father, who retired as a magician.

I am the youngest representative ever.

I was only 24 years old.

People around me see me as a competent person with good tactical skills.

Well, for better or worse, they called me a schemer (a fraud).

I was born with a gift (?), the gift of storytelling,

Despite the fact that I’ve been in office for two years,

The people around me think very highly of me for what I have done.

Let me explain briefly.

1. I completed the development of undeveloped areas in a short period of time by deploying excellent human resources in a precise manner.

2. Stabilized the excavation of ore and the collection of sea and mountain products.

3. To use all of my knowledge and wisdom to conduct trade with neighboring countries, even if it was only a little.

Those are the main reasons.

Especially since, despite the ceasefire agreement,

The fact that we are now able to trade with another country that is hostile to us is very important.

This is because it has allowed us to obtain supplies that are not available domestically.

This achievement is the highest recognition I’ve ever received.

But well, as far as I’m concerned, I’m just trying to promote discussions that benefit both countries.

In the end, for some reason, the Republic’s side was the more beneficial one.

It seems that the conclusion of the negotiations is an evaluation of my talent (fraud?).

Well, that’s why I’m working as a representative of the Republic.

I guess the important part here is that I’m a representative, not a king.

That’s why I call myself a representative, not a king.

Because most of the people in the Republic are refugees from other countries.

People who were born here,

There are many people who call this country home nowadays,

Originally, it was an uninhabited, undeveloped area.

It’s not like this place has been inhabited since the beginning.

That’s why there is no royalty or nobility in this country.

There is no discrimination in terms of class either.

Isn’t that obvious?

We’re refugees, after all.

There is no hierarchy.

That’s why the Republic, which rejects the class system, does not recognize the monarchy.

For all the previous representatives, and of course me,

It’s only a kind of diplomatic representation of the Republic.

That’s why merit takes precedence over age, though.

It’s just that, well, I’m 24 years old.

There were many times when I said I was a representative of the Republic, but the higher-ups of other countries didn’t believe me.

In the discussion with other countries,

There were so many times when I was looked down upon because of my youth.

But you know what?

I continued to produce results.

With my natural ability to speak better than my father (I’ve been called a fraud too often), I spread the name of the Republic and arranged for trade with many countries.

That’s what I’m capable of.

This is probably the biggest reason why I am still able to continue to represent the Republic today.

…But, well.

Personally, I don’t think I have much of a sense of myself as a representative.

My father, who was the previous representative, retired due to illness and is living in a hospital.

I was asked by the leading figures in each town to be the next representative.

I didn’t have any particular reason to say no, so I just took over.

Of course, I’m just saying that I took it on somewhat,

I have the support of the majority of the leading mages, and I’m sure I’m no match for him.

Even though he’s now retired,

My father’s abilities as a magician were the best in the country, as he was the former head of the Republic.

I’m proud to say that my father’s blood makes me an unparalleled magician.

I’ve never had a father-daughter power struggle before, though.

The majority of people around me are already of the opinion that I’m better than him.

As a result, the governors of each town, with the exception of myself, unanimously chose me to represent the Republic.

Ah, but just so there are no misunderstandings, let me say this.

I would have recommended someone else myself.

I’m not self-conscious enough to run for office on my own,

I don’t think I’d willingly accept such a troublesome position.

Still, being chosen by a majority vote and having no particular reason to refuse,

I remember taking it easy.

In a way, I was lax, wasn’t I?

I think so, too.

But still.

I’ve been getting results.

It’s already been a full year since I took over as the head of the Republic,

I’ve never been told to be replaced by another person.

There was a part of me that regretted the fact that from the moment I accepted the role of representative, I had to take over a huge amount of work, including paperwork that left me with no time to sleep, as well as bargaining over interests with other countries.

I’m still representing them.

There were many times when I felt it was just too much work.

But at the same time, I think it was worth it to be a representative.

I felt a sense of superiority in being recognized and revered for my abilities and fame.

Ah, but you know?

Just in case you’re wondering,

It doesn’t mean that I’m happy to be pampered, okay?

I genuinely enjoyed the fact that someone could rely on me.

It makes me feel that I’m needed.

And as a representative of the country, I have certain rights and privileges,

I’ve been able to live a much richer life than when I was a governor of a province.

Well, it would be a small happiness compared to the full-fledged royal families of other countries.

If they were royalty, they would be richer and have a more luxurious life.

And I’ve seen a lot of that as a diplomat.

There’s no end to my greed.

But we can’t expect such a luxury from a weak country in the middle of nowhere, can we?

The best I can hope for is an income that will allow me to live more than a modest life without having to do anything.

It’s just enough to make me a little licher.

I think that’s more than enough for a remote country.

If we can developed the country more and more, and increase the taxes,

The money in my pocket would increase dramatically.

But that’s a long way off, isn’t it?

For now, I have to be content with the status quo.

However, because of these advantages, I haven’t had any particular complaints and have been working as the representative of the Republic since I took office.

One of my main activities in Japan is to serve as the president of the school.

…That said, this is not my job as a representative of the Republic.

It’s my day job, or rather, my duties as governor of the port city of Genos.

Unless there’s a particular diplomatic issue, there’s not much to do as a representative.

My position as Genos’ governor is still intact.

Or should I say governor and representative?

I don’t lose my position as governor when I become a representative of the Republic, but it’s a dual role.

That’s why my day job is still as a governor.

It’s been two years since I took office as governor, so as someone who knows all the ins and outs, all I had to do today was show up at the school at a certain time to say hello and check on things.

But today…it seems it doesn’t end there.

“A new story begins at the entrance ceremony.”

The beginning of a story that will involve the entire Republic and affect the surrounding countries.

Because it will be spun from this moment on.