[Ch. 4] The Six Nations (Past)

The continent is divided into six nations.

Each one had its own unique style and personality. The largest nation, the Kingdom Sadon, belonged to the Baron and took up the majority of the west. This nation was similar in style to 18th century London. Their government had a Baron as the head and advisors underneath him that carried out his duties. The title of the Baron was passed down through sons similar to Kings. Although they had some modern-day technology, they relied on magic for most of their conveniences.

As a people, they excelled at magic and military. Even though there was a drastic difference between the rich and the poor class, they were both nationalistic and arrogant. The individuals that lived there tended to be ambitious, cunning, materialistic, but most importantly ruthless. One wouldn't openly try to challenge anyone from the Kingdom Sadon.

However, their treatment of women wasn't very good. The women in this nation were not allowed to prosper or own any land. They weren't able to make any decisions for their future and were expected to spend their lives caring for their husbands and children. As such, any that didn't fit this mold did not last long in the country. The women here tended to be meek and acted as though gossiping was their day job.

Despite the problems in this Kingdom, the citizens were proud to belong to it. The Baron's nation became very prosperous due to the large port city where the capital was placed. The port controlled the only river that came in from the West and spread throughout the entire continent. As such, the Baron controlled the trade throughout the land and was able to profit off of it. This prosperity also came with jealously from the other nations.

Some of the nations banded together to form what they called the Resistance. They demanded that tariffs should not be so high and that the other nations had more of a foothold in the trade. Of course, the Baron refused to give in to their demands and was thus nicknamed the Tyrant Baron.

One of the nations that were against the Baron was the Phoenix nation. The Phoenix nation was located in the southeast and touched the Baron's border. They were separated by the vast desert Macomb. The Emperor in charge was decided by birth. However, most of their military personnel were assigned based on strength, skill, and popularity.

The Phoenix nation was the complete opposite of the Kingdom Sadon.

Despite their hatred for the Baron, they were easy-going people. They believed in freedom and letting people decide their own fates regardless of gender or which class they belong to. Living in the south, they lived in a warmer climate and wore lightweight yukata's all year long.

The men and women would work in the morning every day but relax during the evening. They usually were seen lounging in the shade drinking sweet liquor and munching on desserts. Despite being easygoing, they were fierce and extremely loyal to their allies.

One of their most trusted allies is the Dragon Clan. The clan is located on an eastern island beside the forbidden forest in the far east. They were the smallest clan on the continent, but they were able to become their own nation due to their strength. They did not like the Kingdom Sadon because they hated how they treated the earth.

They believed the earth to be their god and chose to live with it instead of destroying it. They hunted and fished; however, they were extremely respectful to the lives they took and ensured they used every part of the animal. They had strong family ties and their loyalty to their clan was second to none.

It is said that a friend made in the dragon clan is a friend for life.

The men take military positions while the women become shamans and controlled their religious activities. They lived on an island coexisting with dragons. They received their name not only because of this, but because they also had dragon blood inside of them. Those who had dragon blood were able to heal fast and had inhuman strength. Those who had dragon wings were a sign of nobility and anyone with these features could ascend to the throne.

Next to the Dragon clan and the Phoenix nation was the Eastern nation. They referred to this nation based on the emperor's name. During the year of Dong Guang, it was the second most prosperous nation that also despised the Kingdom Sadon. However, they also hated all the other nations because they believed them to be inferior. The other nations referred to them as the Slavers for obvious reasons.

They were able to become prosperous due to their use of slaves. Most of the slaves they attained were from smaller clans located in the nation, but some were stolen from the other nations. They were known as a selfish group of people who only put themselves first. As such, they were not loyal to anyone including the rulers of the nation.

The Nords was the nation located in the North on the border of the Eastern nation and the Kingdom Sadon. They are the second-largest nation with a cold climate. It snowed for most of the year and was never really warm. They were well adapted to the cold and the mountains surrounding them, but visitors could never hope to be.

The Mount Aesir mountains were treacherous, but they provided them protection from anyone who wanted to invade their country. These mountains were home to many caves and hot springs which held precious gems and metals. However, only Nords could find them as they were the only ones familiar with the landscape.

Their government wasn't like the other nations and was a democracy instead. They voted people into positions and every citizen was able to have a say. The people didn't care much for other nation's politics, so they were usually on the fence if a dispute were to occur. However, they were likely to take the Baron's side in order to benefit from the trade. The people tended to be large, thick, and rough-looking as a result of their environment. They were incredibly structured and untalkative.

They had a strict schedule and stuck to it.

The final nation belonged to the Scholars. It was located in the middle of all of the other nations. They prided themselves on their neutrality and had no military. The only thing they had was magic and it was more than enough.

A blend of all of the nations can be seen here. This was a result of the Academy dedicated to learning Magic. In order to attend the school, you had to be from nobility or have outstanding potential in magic. The nobility rule set a precedent that every nation would send their princes or princesses in order for every nation to exist peacefully.

However, the peace was only a farce.

I sat in the shade sipping my coffee in one hand while reading a book in my other hand. I returned to the Academy for Magic to continue my so-called education.

I spent most of my time at the school living in one of the buildings allocated for me. Occasionally, I would go home for the events my father held, or even if I got too bored and wanted to see if the Pirates had brought anything new to the Port. Due to my royalty status, I was able to attend classes as I pleased. As long as I was in the Scholars jurisdiction for most of the year, they didn't care what I did.

Amanda stood fanning me while admiring my face. She was trying her best to memorize every detail. After a while, she spoke up, "Did you hear lady Moao? Apparently, a Prince from the Phoenix nation will be attending the school."

"Mmn."

"They are holding a welcome ceremony for him tonight. The headmaster sent you a letter specifically asking for you to attend." She added in her head: Because you always seem to ditch important events.

"Mmn."

"He said if you don't attend, he will kick you out."

"Mmn."

"He also mentioned that they will be serving their celebratory wine."

I finally turned to look up at Amanda who was beaming at me. I nodded with indifference, "Mmn."

Amanda smiled knowing this was my way of letting her know I would attend. After years of serving her lady, she discovered the meaning behind my actions. I never displayed any emotions, so she was forced to observe closely to understand. She realized that even though I was unpredictable and hard to read, I wouldn't harm anyone without reason.

The headmaster was also familiar with me. Amanda almost felt embarrassed at the lengths he had to go through to keep the peace concerning me. So, Amanda decided to go behind my back to reveal to him my secret:

I could be convinced into doing just about anything by being offered high-quality drinks.

This was a secret because ladies were not supposed to indulge in drinking. However, I didn't care about this, and no one was brave enough to say anything either.

I especially enjoyed the celebratory wine offered by the school not only because of its taste, but also because it was difficult to find alcohol in the Scholars nation. I usually cursed them in my head and called them nerds who didn't know how to enjoy life.

Whenever I returned home to the Kingdom Sadon, I would stock up on alcohol on my return home to bring it to the school. Due to my drinking habits, it wouldn't last long so I took advantage of any chance I got at free drinks.

Amanda giggled as she watched my writing speed up. She knew I had taken the bait.

One thing I did not look forward to was changing into my formal clothes. I squeezed the chair in front of me as Amanda pulled with all her strength, tightening my corset. Despite years of going through this, I still wasn't used to it.

Why did the women here have to be forced into struggling for breath in their clothes?

I miss my baggy t-shirts from my first world.

I tried to convince Amanda that it wasn't necessary or that it was tight enough, but she wouldn't listen. After a while, I just let Amanda have free reign over my preparation which she enjoyed too much. After the torture of the tightening, she began to brush and style my hair. I sat still while Amanda complimented my hair. I looked up at Amanda who smiled back. "It's a formal event. So, you must wear your formal clothes and style your hair differently."

"Mmn."

"If you don't let me, then I will be the laughingstock of all of the servants. Please lady Moao?"