Thirty minutes after King Souma called for a break, the award ceremony
resumed. Right now, the mystic wolf girl was being praised.
As that scene unfolded, I stood with the other prize winners watching.
"Your gift is remarkable," he told the wolf girl. "I hope you will put it to use for
our country."
"Y-Yesh! I undershtand!"
...She's stuttering all over the place, I thought. How adorable.
What could that adorable little girl have said to alarm the king so badly that he
had called for a break? What's more, that little girl was the only one who had been
called aside during the break. It was clear that it had been something important, but
there was no way for me to know what it was at the moment.
From the time I came here, I had been observing the king in question. He looked
ordinary. I had heard he'd been summoned as a hero, but he looked exactly like any
of the common townsfolk. He didn't wear a crown, carried no scepter, wore no cape,
and though their design was unusual, when he stood there in those casual clothes,
he didn't look like a king even while standing in front of the throne.
If I looked for it, once in a while his eyes took on a statesman-like appearance. He
was a very hard man to pin down. From the way he had acted so far, you might say
he was a passable king, I suppose.
With the dark elf warrior's direct appeal, he had shown magnanimity and, even
without intending to, he'd found a solution to her problem. From what had
happened with the mystic wolf girl, it seemed he could ad-lib where necessary, too.
It had been a little awkward, but, well, I'd give it a passing grade.
However, his real trial would start here.
The fat man beside me was sweating profusely, though I couldn't tell if it was
cold sweat or greasy sweat. I turned to look at him. It was his turn to receive his
award next.
On the way here, he had told me himself what his gift was. And, as far as I was
concerned, his was "the gift this country needs most right now."
When he sees him, what will that young king's judgment be?
Will he look down on the man's appearance (a big round belly and a pudgy face),
which no one would call attractive, even as empty flattery?
Will he make a laughingstock of him in front of the entire country?
Even if he doesn't go that far, will he miss the importance of the man's gift?
If he does any of those things, I...
"Next, Poncho Panacotta of Potte Village, step forward!"
"Y-Yes, I'll do that, yes!
When Prime Minister Marx called his name, the fat man named Poncho walked
forward with heavy steps, his round belly wobbling. The comical way he walked
drew laughs from all around. Even Princess Liscia was struggling to suppress a
smile.
When I looked to see the king's reaction, his face was serious. Not smiling, not
displeased, just looking at Sir Poncho with a serious expression.
"This one's gift, as you may have guessed from the look of him, is for eating,"
Marx said. "During the application process, a number of people claimed to have the
'gift of being a big eater,' but none could defeat him. Furthermore, his stance
towards his pursuit of food is unusual. He has traveled the world, eating the famous
and bizarre dishes of each region. In his own words, 'If it was edible, I ate it.'
However, it seems he has spent his entire fortune on traveling and eating, so he is
not as well off as he might appear... Ahem. Regardless, it can be said that he has a gift
that is unique in our country, so..."
"I've been waiting for you!" The king was moving before Marx could even finish
reading the explanation. When he reached Poncho, he took his hand with both
hands, not hiding his elation in the slightest. "I'm so glad you responded to my call!
You're the sort of person I've been waiting for!"
"Huh... uh... What?" Sir Poncho's eyes darted around. His brain couldn't keep up
with the situation.
Eventually, his mind caught up, and his face stiffened.
"M-Me, Your Majesty?"
"Exactly! You're the one this country has been waiting for! More than any of these
other gifted people, I'm glad that you came! I always thought that if someone like
you was among the civil officials, it would be worth recommending they apply!"
"D-Do you feel that strongly about me, yes?"
"Yeah. Your knowledge from wandering around eating famous and bizarre foods
will be the key to saving this country!"
When the king said that, Sir Poncho cried a flood of tears. "I-I... Everyone's always
called me a fatty... An idiot wasting his money on food... As for me, I only went
around eating because I wanted to eat, so I thought they were right... Can even my
gluttony be of service to this country?"
The king tapped the crying Sir Poncho on the shoulder. "Let them say what they
want about you. No matter how trivial something is, if you master it, it's a gift. Be
proud! The appetite you didn't hesitate to spend your fortune on will save this
country! Please, share your wisdom with me!"
Hearing his king's earnest request, Poncho wiped away his tears with his sleeve.
"Y-Yes! If my knowledge can be of help, please use it, yes!" he responded cheerfully.
When I looked around, most of the audience were standing there, mouths agape,
unable to digest the situation. In the midst of that, King Souma returned to the
throne, then turned to Marx and said, "In this country, there is a tradition of the king
rewarding meritorious servants, or those for whom he has high hopes, with a new
name, isn't there?"
"...Ah, yes. That is correct, sire."
"In that case, Poncho, I bestow upon you the name Ishizuka. In my homeland, this
was the name of an 'insatiable seeker and evangelist of food.' Work hard, so as not to
bring shame upon that name."
"Ye... Yes, sir! Thank you, yes!"
This was the explosive moment in which Poncho Ishizuka Panacotta was born.
The first person King Souma had personally welcomed as one of his retainers was
the rotund man with the vigorous appetite, Sir Poncho.
I wanted to cry out for joy. Splendid! This was a king who had his priorities
straight!
Whether he would hire Poncho or not had been a touchstone for this king. I had
thought that if he failed to recognize the man's value, but hired him on the potential
he might someday be of use, that would be a pass. If he had chosen not to hire him
solely based on his appearance, that would be a failure. I never dared to imagine he
would welcome him so enthusiastically. This was a happy miscalculation for me.
This man may well save this country.
I felt something welling up from within me.
...It looks like I won't be able to just watch any longer.
"King Souma, a word with you, if I may," I said.
◇ ◇ ◇
"King Souma, a word with you, if I may."
With the awards all handed out, just as I was about to declare an end to the
ceremony, the young man in black robes, Hakuya Kwonmin, stepped forward and
took a knee. Now his sleepy eyes were wide open. Just by doing that, he
mysteriously had an entirely different air about him now.
Feeling something like a slight premonition, I turned to Hakuya and asked, "Do
you have something to say?"
"Indeed. Though I stand here on the recommendation of another, it is now my
wish to recommend myself."
A self-recommendation. Does he want to sell me on his merits himself, then?
"Hmm... I've already promised you the position of librarian to the palace archives.
If you want to make a self-recommendation, does that mean you're dissatisfied with
the post? What is it you seek?"
"Should it be at all possible, I wish to place myself in your service, Your Majesty."
"But not as a librarian?"
"Correct. With my wisdom, I seek to support your supremacy."
"M-My supremacy?"
Supremacy is a bold thing to claim, I thought. If he means to support that with his
wisdom, what does he plan to become? A general, handling military and foreign affairs,
or a prime minister handling internal affairs...?
I looked straight at Hakuya. "Amusing, but do you have a gift great enough to
accomplish that?"
"I humbly submit that I do."
"You can do more than recite the law from memory, then?"
"With all due respect, I believe I have told you as much. 'Law, literature, technical
manuals, I'll read anything,' I said. I have information on every field of study stored
inside my head."
"I see..." Now I knew what had been bothering me before. Though he could recite
the law from memory, he had said he read all sorts of books. That meant his
knowledge wasn't limited to just law. For him, the laws he'd memorized were just
one small fragment of the diverse knowledge he possessed. "Why didn't you say so
earlier?"
"I sought to judge whether you were a ruler worthy of my service."
"Then, does this mean I'm worthy?"
"You receive a passing mark, I suppose."
What insolence, I thought. Still... He's amusing. Is he boasting, or does he have the
skill to back it up...? Either way, there's no way to know just yet, I guess.
"I'll leave you to Marx!" I said. "Judge this one's gift and give him a position suited
to it."
"Very well, sire."
"Thank you very much."
Marx and Hakuya both bowed.
A few days later, Marx would rush into the governmental affairs office, crying,
"Sire, would you ask me to teach a wyvern to fly?!" It was an idiomatic expression
from this world for trying to teach someone who knows more than you.
At this time, I had no way of knowing that this had been my first meeting with the
man who would come to be known as the Black-robed Prime Minister.
◇ ◇ ◇
In history, there are some scenes which are easily dramatized by later
generations. There are some conditions for this:
First, it must be the turning point of an era.
Second, it must have a certain flair when dramatized.
These are the two conditions.
In Elfrieden history, the scene most dramatized in later years was "King Souma's
Gathering of Personnel." It is said that there are three main characters in this scene.
Seen from Souma's perspective, this was one of his great accomplishments. From
the perspective of the man who would come to be called the Black-robed Prime
Minister, Hakuya Kwonmin, it was to become "the turning point of an era." And from
the perspective of a certain other person, it was the turning point in the Cinderella
story of their life.
However, there are different theories on who that third person is.
Some say it was the Warrior of the Eastern Wind, Aisha Udgard, who, despite
being a dark elf who lived in the forest, swore her loyalty the king, and from that
point on was always at his side serving him.
Some say it was the Prima Lorelei, Juna Doma, who was recognized by the king,
learned the songs of his country, gave birth to the concept of a lorelei, which was the
word that came to mean an idol singer in Elfrieden, and was loved by king and
people alike.
Some say it was the Wise Wolf Princess, Tomoe Inui, who, despite being a
refugee, was instantly adored by King Souma and Queen Liscia, and taken in as the
queen's adopted sister.
However, the one most featured in dramatizations was Poncho Ishizuka
Panacotta.
Mocked by all around him for his weight, this unspectacular glutton of a man
was, through "The King's Gathering of Personnel," able to turn his life around. For
the people exhausted with their daily lives, this true story moved them and gave
them energy, and so it came to be dramatized many times.
It seems odd to call the tale of a rotund man a Cinderella story. Yet, despite being
a little scatterbrained, he was hard not to like. He was loved by all, and so they said it
suited him perfectly.
In addition, because the King's emotional welcoming of Poncho was broadcast
throughout the kingdom, it had the unexpected side effect of many gifted people
gathering in Elfrieden, thinking, "If even a guy like that can become important, so
can I..." From this event, in later years, a new proverb meaning "start with small
things" was created.
"Start from Ishizuka."