第１６６３堀：休み時間の学生たち (Part1)
Chapter 1663: Students During the Break
Side: Narjia
Yuki’s lecture was certainly surprising, but considering the purpose of this school, it wasn’t exactly out of place.
Well, the content he was demanding was admittedly off the charts.
Thanks to that, even now that the lecture had ended, the students were buzzing with excitement, filling the room with chatter.
"What kind of crops are you growing in your territory?"
"Where are you drawing your water source from?"
"To think there was land fertile enough to expand the fields..."
"Methods to enrich the soil... perhaps there’s some interesting fertilizer out there."
Yuki’s ability to stoke their enthusiasm must have been masterful.
Or perhaps, given their inherent potential, they were simply enjoying the discussion on agriculture.
As I watched them, someone spoke up from beside me.
"It’s good to see them so studious."
"Well, yeah. So, Wazfi, what did you think of that earlier talk?"
"What do I think? Just that Yuki-sama is as fond of stirring things up as ever. You feel the same, right, Narjia?"
"I suppose. That man is skilled at provocation. The way he directs interest toward things people hadn't even considered is truly devious."
"If you look at it the wrong way, the content could be taken as a critique of the current government's methods, you know~"
"True, but he doesn't make it feel that way. 'Let’s all think together to eliminate misery.' Honestly..."
"Classic Yuki-sama."
Truly, when it comes to him, things always turn out this way.
Even topics dismissed as trivial become subjects of serious, laughter-filled discussion when he’s involved.
...Well, that’s precisely why there are so many who despise him.
I avoid saying "Yuki," but Weed has simply achieved too much.
Of course, other nations are trying to keep that under wraps, but internally, things are starting to... well, that’s not my place to say.
Still, since it directly impacts my own safety, I’ll continue my independent investigations.
As I was thinking this:
"Excuse me, Narjia-san, Wazfi-san? Could we ask you a few questions?"
"Hm? Oh, sure. What is it?"
"Go ahead~"
One of the Zurable students had approached us.
Come to think of it, they had joined us in the afternoon, but since Yuki’s lecture started immediately after, we hadn't had a proper conversation.
Then again, I’ve never been particularly good at socializing to begin with.
Wazfi, on the other hand, was responding quite naturally.
"Is it true that you came from Weed with Yuki-sama and the others?"
"It’s true. We were asked to provide some support for you all."
"The idea is that there might be things you didn't quite grasp from just the lecture. We don't know everything, but feel free to ask us anything."
There was no reason to lie. We aren't *from* Weed originally, but our current affiliation is Weed.
"Um, about that agricultural talk from earlier..."
"Ah, regarding that, we’ve been told to keep our input to a minimum. If we intervene too much, it might be seen as Weed trying to steer the agenda."
"It’s a bit of a hassle. That said, hints or clarifying conditions are fine."
As expected, we were instructed not to interfere with that specific assignment.
Setting aside the latter half, it’s important for them to think freely for now.
"I see, hints... well, that makes sense. Then, I’ll ask about something else..."
After thinking for a moment, she asked:
"What kind of place is Weed?"
"Ooh, that’s a tough question."
I agreed with Wazfi’s assessment.
Asking what Weed is—that is a truly difficult question.
"Huh? Was that such a hard thing to ask?"
She tilted her head, puzzled.
Well, it is rare for someone not to be able to brag about their own country.
Usually, that’s something to be proud of.
But Weed is a place we are going to be teaching them about, and its origins are far too peculiar.
And Yuki’s own background goes far beyond that—it’s completely off the rails.
The technology born from that can only be described as absurd.
Honestly, when I learned that there were countries kidnapping people from there, my blood ran cold.
But anyway, that’s beside the point. It’s her question that matters.
"We have more lectures coming up. If I’m not careful, I might end up spoiling the material."
"Ah, I see."
"That said, I do think it’s helpful to have some prior knowledge. Sorry to answer a question with a question, but how is Weed described at this school? It would be redundant to explain the same things."
Yes, nice one, Wazfi.
It’s true; there’s no point in repeating what they already know.
"That’s true, too. Um, as for the description of Weed, it’s seen as an allied nation equal to Zurable, with high national power capable of acting as a point of contact and mediator between various countries."
"We’re held in high regard, then. Though it seems there aren't many concrete details."
"Yeah, exactly. That’s why I’m curious about what kind of country Weed really is."
"That’s only natural. Alright, let’s consider this a pre-study session. It’ll save you some confusion if you know about our home appliances."
"Indeed, that’s a good point."
"With that said, Narjia. Bring it out. An appliance."
"Understood."
If I left it to Wazfi, he’d probably pull out something bizarre.
So, I started with an appliance that creates light.
"Oh, a safe choice."
"Um, this is a lamp, right?"
"Yes, as you say. It’s a lamp. However, it’s no ordinary lamp. It uses the technology Weed prides itself on to generate magical light; it doesn't require oil or anything of the sort."
"...But we have those, don't we?"
Yes, that’s true.
If it’s just a magic lamp, even Zurable produces them.
But this lamp is different in that regard.
"That’s true. Well then, let’s turn it on so you can see the difference."
I flipped the switch.
Instead of the gentle orange of fire, a strong, white light filled the space.
"Huh? Eh? Light? White?"
"What, what? A lamp? Eh? Why?"
"Amazing, it’s mysterious. And it’s brighter than fire."
Even though it was daytime, the classroom was a converted noble’s mansion with few windows and no candelabras, so even with the windows wide open, the corners remained dim.
The lamp made the room noticeably brighter in an instant.
It was just one lamp, so it cast shadows, which was a bit of a drawback, but to the students, it seemed like a miracle.
"Light isn't just orange or red. This lamp is simply expressing that fact."
"If you’ve done any blacksmithing, you might understand: heat and light become whiter the higher the temperature gets. Well, even if you aren't a blacksmith, the greatest example of that is floating in the sky."
"You mean... the sun?"
As expected, they were sharp enough to grasp that much, and they looked up at the sky through the window, squinting at the brightness.