TL & Editor: Keriv136
Not far from the southern tip of the Adernia Peninsula is the island of Trishkia.
Even further south from Trishkia island is a country named Povenia.
The nation of Povenia is a republic where a senate, consisting of the aristocracy, are responsible for national affairs.
In the maritime nation of Povenia, there is a huge economic disparity between the nobility and the commoners. The nobility are able to acquire vast wealth through maritime trade while the commoners must rely on agriculture and livestock. Because of this, there is a clear divide that distinguishes between the classes.
A perfect example of this would be the fact that commoners are not permitted to participate in government.
Only the aristocracy are allowed to become members of the Senate and commoners are forbidden membership and the right to vote.
There is also a significant gap between commoners and aristocrats in regards to the ownership of land and slaves.
Also, aristocrats and commoners are not legally allowed to marry.
This matter is so important that it needs to be said twice.
Aristocrats and commoners are forbidden to marry.
Alexis Barqah is one such noble in Povenia.
Alexis was born into a distinguished aristocratic family known for their military exploits and he himself served in the military.
He was only twelve years old when he fought in his first military campaign.
Since then, he has accomplished many meritorious deeds and was even in placed in command of his own force by the age of fifteen.
After receiving the command of his own force, he participated in numerous naval and land battles. He was even victorious against rebel uprisings and at the age of 23, he is one of the most decorated generals of Povenia.
Anyone who saw him for the first time would pay especial attention to his right eye.
His right eye was covered with an eye patch and he had worn this eye patch for as long as anyone could remember.
He was known as the ‘One-eyed Knight’.
His appearance was that of a brilliant and handsome man, with great military prowess and a promising future, even despite his eye.
There is not a single woman who would ever leave such a man. Many a daughter of the aristocracy had their eyes on him and hoped to catch him for a husband.
However, he refused all such proposals.
He had no intention of participating in any arranged marriages or settling down.
Many had asked him the reasons why he hadn’t married yet.
He simply replied, “I am not interested in women. I like young handsome boys.”
Among the sorcerers of Povenia, there is a woman named Melia.
She doesn’t have a surname. This is because she is a commoner. She has only three friends.
The first is a wolf dog which is a crossbreed between a dog and a wolf. Her second friend is small owl around fifty celica (fifty centimeters). Her last and final friend, is a large hawk with a total length of one hundred and twenty celica (120 centimeters).
Her hawk has no rivals in aerial combat and has excellent sight.
Although she is only 22 years old, her contributions to the Povenian military are considerable, and she is known as the ‘Hawk Bearer’. (1)
She is swarmed by marriage proposals practically every day of the week.
It’s only natural. They could only see great future prospects in marrying a sorceress and there isn’t a man alive who would leave one to remain single. Even more so if that sorceress were to be known as a beautiful woman.
It is also said that magic ability is genetically inherited in the child of a sorcerer.
Thus, she is extremely popular.
Despite the endless marriage proposals, all of them were refused.
She is considered a treasure among the common folk, and she even declined marriage proposals from those houses who were affiliated with aristocrats.
Someone once asked her, “why do you refuse to get married?”
“I’m not interested in men. I only like animals.”
Late at night.
In the night sky, the crescent moon which is a symbol of Povenia, shines brightly.
While most Povenians were asleep peacefully in their beds, two figures move stealthily in the night. These two are Alexis and Melia.
“I’ve been wanting to see you my dear Melia!”
“And I’ve been wanting to see you as well, Alexis!”
They desperately embrace each other and share a passionate kiss. A crescent moon illuminates the surroundings of the two brightly.
After embracing for several minutes, the two finally get down to business.
“Tomorrow morning a ship to Trishkia will be at the harbor. When we arrive on Trishkia island, we will walk to the colonial city of Trishkia and then from there we will immigrate by ship to the Adernia Peninsula. Do you understand?” (2)
“Yes, I understand. This is the exact reason why I have endured being called a perverted animal lover.”
“I know all too well, I’ve endured being known as a homosexual.”
They both laugh together.
It was during the war that the two met. Melia was dispatched to Alexis’s unit, as a sorcerer under his direct command.
They were immediately attracted to one another and their relationship soon blossomed into love…
However, one of them was an aristocrat, and the other a commoner.
Marriage was not a possibility for them.
Alexis really wanted to marry, but having a concubine on the side would not be allowed in a marriage. In Povenia, bigamy was forbidden by law.
But, it’s a fundamental principle that aristocrats can’t marry a commoner, so even if a concubine would be allowed, they would never be able to marry. (3)
If their relationship was ever discovered, they would be forever separated. Therefore, the two of them lied about their circumstances.
But lately, it was becoming more difficult to keep up the facade. Because of this, the two planned to elope and escape to another country.
They had to find a place to elope to first, staying in Povenia was out of the question.
Povenia’s overseas colonies were considered as possibilities for their elopement, but because of how well the two of them were known, they would be too conspicuous and so they were removed from consideration.
Another candidate was the Persis Empire.
They are a powerful country in the east that even once destroyed a former suzerain state of Povenia.
You would think that Povenia might have a hostile relationship with them, but they don’t.
The reasons there is no hostile relationship is that the Persis Empire protects Povenia’s overseas trade and because of this, both countries have established good relations with each other.
There are many ships that travel to the Persis Empire from here, so it would be easy for them to escape by ship to the Persis Empire. However, it is just too far. Courage is indeed necessary when defecting to a place where the language and culture differ significantly.
There is however a third option, the Kirishia Peninsula. Povenia has terrible relations with the countries on the Kirishia Peninsula. It is because they are competitors and fight over control of maritime trade.
The problem with this is that Alexis has fought against the armies of Kirishia. So he thought it might be dangerous to escape to one of the nations of Kirishia.
Therefore, they decided that they would defect to one of Kirishia’s colonial cities on the Adernia Peninsula. Since the Adernia Peninsula was such a backwater place, no one would know their names.
These were their thoughts.
“Is this really okay? I don’t like my family that much, but… you have a good family don’t you?”
“What are you talking about… I’m supposed to be into bestiality remember? Who other than you would want to marry me?”
“Haha, that’s right.”
“You are the only one who would marry a homosexual like me.”
They had made up their minds and prepared themselves mentally.
The next day, news had spread throughout Povenia, that a male aristocrat and a female commoner, had run away together.
A large search was conducted by the Povenian military and word was spread throughout the cities of Povenia, but they were never found.
Notes:
1. The nickname could be Hawk User, Hawk Trainer, Hawk Tamer, etc.