Twelve months have passed since I was born into this world.
I thought I might receive some sort of celebration by now, like in the books I started reading. But there was absolutely nothing.
Truthfully, I had thought about it a lot. Right now, though, another question comes to mind.
Why do I care so much?
Even after thinking it over, I am still not sure.
Maybe if I let it go, I will stop caring.
Or so I thought.
But, yes. Or at least.
No, forget it.
◇ ◇ ◇
I leaned slightly toward a book resting on the floor.
My mother wanted me to learn to read and write as soon as possible. My father taught me fencing techniques. My maid, Livia, always kept an eye on me, and my butler, Corbyn, brought me whatever books I pointed at.
"When did he get that book?" my mother asked. "Although, I never thought a baby would look so cute trying to read a book bigger than his head. Who gave it to him?"
My mother looked at me, then at the open book on the floor. I simply ignored her and leaned down to keep reading.
"It was me, Lady Juliette. I apologize. The young master reached out, and I could not help but give it to him."
"No, it is fine. As long as you did not give him those books."
I was not allowed to have those specific books.
"Understood, Lady Juliette. Do not worry. He will not find that thing."
That thing. What could that be?
I focused my attention back on the book.
To all those who felt small in a vast world.
Signed: C.C.
From an author to the world, I present the world of the Loom.
The author is well known. Anonymous, but well known.
Interesting.
The world of the Loom?
I see.
In my past life, I stopped reading in my twenties.
I focused so much on saving people that I neglected everyday activities.
This is a second chance to do it again.
It feels better than I remembered.
Why did I decide to give up such a thing?
Ah, that is right. The fire. The people who started it. That was why.
"Dari-kun, how do you feel?"
My mother's voice interrupted my thoughts.
"Uh, ma. Water."
"Oh? You want water? Of course, my boy. Wait for me."
Juliette stood up and left the room.
I hate all of this. I hate having to pretend to be a baby.
Why do I have to go through this again?
Besides, I am still not used to the spoken language. I had learned it, but I never really got to speak it. Only an occasional word slipped out from time to time.
I needed to change that.
I was left alone in the room. Livia sat on a sofa just outside, and Corbyn chatted with her.
I turned my gaze back to the book and kept reading.
"The Loom" is the name of this world, or at least that is what the book calls it.
About the kingdoms.
Apparently, there are only five kingdoms in total.
Only five in the entire world.
Why?
Well, it did not say. Their full names were not mentioned either. Only abbreviations appeared.
AN -
DU -
EL -
FA -
GO -
The lines on the right represent the original names, deliberately hidden or crossed out.
Two kingdoms, AN and FA, are in conflict. The book did not explain why.
It also mentioned that GO is not considered a true monarchy. Its population consists of "irrational" people who live in the wild and attack without thinking.
This denigration might be kingdom propaganda, or perhaps just the author's prejudice.
Either way, the book only describes them as irrational beings. Nothing else matters anyway, because the following pages are torn out.
The book omits many things even without the missing pages. It is written entirely in the first person, based solely on what the author knows. It does not guarantee that anything it says is true.
But since the author is famous, could it be true?
Setting that aside, the information was interesting. I could not just ignore it. If it later turned out to be a lie, I could probably learn the truth from intact books.
It mentions something about tribes. Outsiders use that word to refer to "people without a kingdom." It is basically a prejudice. These people were entirely competent. They had their own economy, coins, laws, and even beliefs.
They live far from the borders of the AN kingdom, in a territory that exists but belongs to no one. In reality, it is a group of islands located between the continents of AN and FA.
Menschie, where the AN kingdom resides.
Ainofa, where the FA kingdom resides.
These continents are connected, but they do not share the same nature or inhabitants.
Crossing from one to the other is described as a massive change, but nowadays it is impossible. Or rather, anyone who tries must be prepared to suffer at the hands of the FA or the AN.
The author claims to be an inhabitant of the EL kingdom.
I sighed and paused.
The place where the tribes live is known as the "blank space."
A long time ago, a great famine supposedly forced people from different kingdoms to band together to survive.
They settled in this blank space. They have their own beliefs, gods, and culture.
I took a deep breath and turned to the next page.
About Mooseano.
"Mooseano" was the name given to the first sea. It existed when there was no land, only water.
There are five seas in total.
Central Sea.
Nexus Sea.
Primordial Sea. For some it still exists, but for others it does not.
North Sea of the Loom.
South Sea of the Loom.
"Son? Here is your water."
My mother interrupted my reading and handed me a glass with a smile.
"Thank you."
I took the glass and drank slowly. The water in this world is very good.
I drank it all. I splashed a little on my chest and wiped it away with my sleeve.
"Son, mind your manners! Well, you are only a baby."
Juliette grabbed a cloth and dried me properly. She kissed my forehead.
"Mom has a few things to do. If you need anything, Livia is right outside. I love you, son!"
Uh. Well, I should continue reading.
About the Nexus.
It is said to be the center of the earth, where everything originated.
Interesting.
The "origin" of everything is rarely discussed.
It was always considered an ambiguous concept based on beliefs or simple hope. Here, however, it is stated as a known fact that the Nexus is the origin of everything.
But considering the author, I cannot be entirely sure.
The Nexus existed before the water. Before becoming an island, it was a divine entity that produced light so living beings could survive.
The ocean came before the land, but the Nexus came before the ocean. However, since the Nexus is considered divine, the ocean and the Nexus are supposedly unrelated.
People say Mooseano came first. It did, but the Nexus was already there.
Finally, since there is nothing else to glean from this book, it mentions the existence of a boundary.
This boundary carries a single warning. "Unless you are prepared, do not cross it."
Normally, a boundary simply refers to a point no one has ever crossed. However, the author's writing style gives me the impression that someone actually crossed that threshold and lived to tell the tale.
Another word made me curious.
Sacred.
Does it mean something holy, or does it refer to that specific human bone?
The sacrum.
There was a lot of information, but the most important parts were pure speculation.
My mother returned. She picked me up and carried me to the main dining room.
It is a place where the entire family gathers once a week to spend time and eat together.
We all live in the same mansion, but since it is immense, everyone usually keeps to themselves.
Every Wednesday, however, we gather.
During dinner, the family conversation began.
"So, Valerius. How is that deal going?"
"You mean the deal with the Storns? It is going well. No problems for now, except for some irregular storms."
"Ah, people still travel even then? How formidable."
"They cross the boundary. It is easier than dealing with those storms, and much faster, Lucius."
Crossing the boundary? The same one mentioned in my book?
Interesting.
They kept talking.
It seems that to cross the boundary, ships must go around all of Menschie. They did not mention specific routes. They only spoke of the sheer recklessness required, since not everyone can cross the boundary and survive.
That is why only capable people are sent every year. They take entire fleets of ships to transport something the family has not yet mentioned.
"Since you became the head of the family, you no longer call me brother," my uncle said suddenly.
He changed the subject as if they had not just been talking about death. They were casually discussing minds breaking at the boundary, and sailors jumping off the bow because they could not handle the crossing.
"Lucius. Let us just keep eating. I think we are overwhelming the rest of the family."
Both men looked around the table and then turned to me. I was watching them very closely. My father looked a bit surprised, but then he let out a small laugh.
"Yes, darling. Better to stop talking about work for today. You already deal with too much every day," Juliette added.
"It does not bother me, as long as the conversation is useful," my uncle's wife said.
Three other children sat at the table, each older than the last. They were looking at me strangely. The only one smiling at me was a cousin named Valeria.
Valeria raised her hand.
"Me, me, me! The Durgs are short, right?!"
"Yes, that is right," Valerius nodded. "But they do not like being called short. To themselves, they are not. It is best to avoid mentioning their height if you ever meet them in person, because they never forget an insult."
I see. So that is what the Durgs are.
This had a lot to do with my father, Valerius, who occupied the seat of honor at the table.
As the head of the family, he had many responsibilities. One of them was maintaining our contracts and relationships with the Durgs. We bought from them, transported the goods, and sold them to the rest of the kingdoms.
Apparently, we had a centuries-old contract with the Storn family. They are the most powerful family in the Kingdom of Durgheim, located on the far side of the map.
They are small. They provide metal. They never forget. They hate being called small.
Could they be dwarves?
No, that is probably unlikely. Maybe they are halflings, or just humans who happen to be short. It could be either, or both.
Given the context of mining, dwarves make the most sense. But in this world, anything is possible.
◇ ◇ ◇
After dinner, I was sent to my room and left with my cousin Valeria.
"Cousin Darian! Hello!"
I did not answer her, but I did not ignore her completely either. I thought she would leave after that. Contrary to my expectations, she stayed.
"Aunt Juliette told me I should take care of you. So I am not leaving."
I nodded and tried to climb into my bed.
"I will help you! Ah!"
Hands grabbed my waist and lifted me up.
Although I did not need it.
"Thank you. I could do it myself."
"I do not care! I am helping anyway!"
"Ah. Okay."
She grabbed a book, sat next to me, and began to read. Her pronunciation was quite poor, but I was sure of one thing. She did not let that stop her.
◇ ◇ ◇
Another year has passed.
I am currently two years old.
I learned more words, but only to use when I needed to ask something. And by more words, I mostly mean names and certain places. Nothing very relevant, to tell the truth.
The spoken language seemed like a mix of Latin, Greek, and Old English. Since I was a polyglot in my past life, it was not too difficult to understand.
It bears some resemblance to those earthly languages, but the meanings change drastically.
It mixes words, concepts, ideas, and sounds in strange ways. But at the end of the day, learning it is just like learning any new language.
I did not ask too many questions either. There was no need. Not yet.
I preferred to lay low, at least for now.
I did not want to alarm anyone. I just wanted to be an easy child, someone who could be cared for without much effort.
But staying silent when I desperately want answers is hard work.
"Hello, Dari-kun!"
The door opened suddenly, bringing Valeria's boundless energy into the room.
She usually brought her book, but today her hands were empty.
"I just realized something! You do not know anything about the Durgs!"
"No, I do not."
"Well, let me tell you that your trusted cousin, the one you love very much, will help you out!"
This was an important opportunity to learn more about this family.
My family. Even now, I am still not convinced I am truly part of it.
I do not even know my own last name.
Since no one ever mentioned it, I assumed we did not have one. But after reading a few books, I learned that noble and wealthy families usually do. Sometimes a name is related to their specialty. Other times, the founder simply chose whatever they liked.
"Durgheim is a land that is very, very, very," Valeria started to say, "far away! It is very far! And a long time ago, our family had a hero. Arol. Aza. I forgot his name. But the important thing is he gave them a huge seed!"
Valeria stretched her arms out in an exaggerated gesture. She was surely referring to the massive sacks used to transport those seeds.
"And in exchange," she continued, "those people sold some resources to our family! No, not some. A lot!"
"I understand."
"That was all I could hear. I am sorry, cousin."
"Oh. Thank you, Valeria. Thank you very much, really."
Apparently, my cousin eavesdropped on the adults just to tell me about it.
Or was it just a coincidence?
The important thing is that her information was a great help, so I will take what I can get.
Then, throwing her arms up in the air, she added, "And when we grow up, we will be a happy couple!"
"Couple?"
"Yes, husband and wife. Is it not wonderful?"
This is another disadvantage of living in a different world.
It was not the first time she had said this, nor the second.
Apparently, marriages between relatives are quite common here.
There are no pregnancy risks or genetic defects in this world, so inbreeding is not considered taboo.
Mind you, only marriages between cousins are allowed. Anything closer than that is strictly forbidden.
However.
All of this makes me very uncomfortable.
I cannot understand it.
I have never felt this way before. How should I put it?
Disgusted.
Is this what it means to be human?