“At present, I am in the process of launching many reforms. However, we face an overwhelming lack of capable people to aid in their implementation. Thus, I am putting out a call to the gifted amongst you. I say to you again: if you have a gift, I will make use of it!
“In these confused times, what we need is not those who are, on average, better than others. It is those who, in one aspect, stand head and shoulders above all the rest. It matters not what the form that gift takes. It matters not if you have any qualifications beyond that gift. If there is one thing about which you have the pride to say, ‘I am better than anyone else at this,’ come to stand before me!
“Schooling, age, class, origin, race, gender… none of these matter to me. Whether or not you can read, do arithmetic, have money, are of sound mind and body, are beautiful or ugly, or have a scratch on your shin, it does not matter! If you can think, ‘At this one thing, I am better than others. At this one thing, I will not lose out to any other person in the country,’ then show yourself before me! If I decide your gift is something the country needs, you will be welcomed as one of my personal retainers!”
The new king’s passionate speech put a shine in the people’s eyes.
As they listened, they must all have been wracking their brains for something they were more gifted at than other people. At the same time, though, even if they found something, they were probably all thinking they wouldn’t be hired if it wasn’t useful in some way. As that feeling of resignation set in, it became a dam blocking the flood of enthusiasm that was building from the impassioned speech.
The king was seeking capable people who could solve this country’s problems. Everyone found it hard to imagine that their own gifts would be of any use to the country.
“I am sure that, among you, there are some who are hesitant to believe their gifts can be of use,” Souma said, as if aware of the people’s hesitation.
“However, that is not something for you to decide on your own! I, the king, will decide whether the country needs your gift! I care not if others deride your gift as worthless! I will be the judge of that! So have no hesitation! Come and unveil your gift before me!”
Souma paused for a breath to calm himself.
“If you are still hesitant, then here is what we shall do. If your gift is proven to be without compare in this country, in the name of the Kingdom of Elfrieden, I will issue you a Certificate of Peerlessness, and you will receive a cash prize. How’s that for a little motivation, people?!” The image of Souma pumped his fist into the air.
At that moment, a great cheer rose up in every city worth calling a city across the country. The dam inside the people’s hearts had broken. It was the same in the capital.
“Oh…! I can hear the cheering in the castle town from here. Glad you’re all fired up,” Souma said, breaking into more casual speech.
Standing by his side, Liscia wanted to hold her head in her hands, but no one seemed to mind.
“You can nominate yourself or someone else,” Souma said. “If the nomination is for someone else, three-tenths of the award go to the nominator. If there are people locking themselves away and playing hermit when this country is in crisis, I want all of you go and drag them out. Also, for gifts like ‘I’m stronger than others’ or ‘I’m good at singing’ where there is room for competition, we will have the candidates compete amongst themselves in advance to choose a single representative for that gift, so be ready for that. Now, then… I think I’ve said everything I need to.”
Finally, Souma closed out his Jewel Voice Broadcast with the following words: “Now then, O gifted ones, come shake my hand in the capital, Parnam.”
Liscia glared reproachfully at him after the broadcast ended. “What was with that last line?” she demanded.
“Just going with the flow,” Souma said with a laugh.
Now, how will the people react? Will the people he wants come? she wondered. Here’s hoping lots of people come…
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 the Sengoku Period, it would be the scene where Oda Nobunaga performs part of the Noh play Atsumori before the Battle of Okehazama.
In Romance of the Three Kingdoms, it would be the scene where Liu Bei recruits Zhuge Liang after paying three personal visits to him.
In Roman history, it would be the scene where Caesar says “The die is cast,” as he crosses the Rubicon.
Then, if one were to ask which scene from the era in which the throne was abdicated to Souma was most often dramatized in later years, the answer would likely be this gathering of capable people.
Before Souma, who had sought those with gifts, five gifted young people were summoned. Of them, the king would welcome just one with wholehearted joy.
Seen from Souma’s perspective, this was one of his greatest accomplishments. From one other person’s perspective, it was the turning point in the Cinderella story of their life. And from the perspective of “one who watched that scene through eyes unlike those of others,” it was to become “the turning point of an era.”
Yes. In this scene, there were three main characters.
I had worried about how many people would come, but the response was far greater than I had anticipated. Not placing any limits on the type of gift and offering a cash prize had probably helped.
Now the capital was packed so full of people, we’d had to place restrictions on the number of people allowed access to the palace. The situation was so overwhelming that the officials, including Marx, had been running around like mad since morning.
It felt to me like way too many people had turned up, but apparently, since I had put out such a wide call, the masses had rushed to the capital to see what kind of people would catch the king’s attention.
When people move, things move, too.
Merchants who sensed a business opportunity had gathered to set up shop, so the castle town looked like there was a festival going on. It was an unexpected shot in the arm for our economy, but, at the same time, it also meant more work for the officials.
Now, as for the all-important recruitment drive, the response to that was massive, as well.
A multitude of diverse gifts, some immediately useful, some of no apparent use at all upon first glance, were on display at the judging station. There, five officials judged whether the participants’ gifts were unique. If they were acknowledged to be, prize money was awarded, no matter what that gift was. Liscia and I were in a separate room, reading the reports from the judges and picking out any people we liked.
There really were a lot of applicants, but that also meant a considerable amount of overlap in their gifts. The competition was particularly fierce for the “Gift of Martial Ability,” “Gift of Talent,” and “Gift of Beauty,” so they were deciding on a number one for each category at another site.
At each of these sites, named “Best in the Kingdom Martial Arts Tournament,” “Kingdom of Talent,” and “Elfrieden Pretty Girl Grand Prix,” spectators enjoyed watching the proceedings.