Jadi Bangsawan di Dunia Lain: Berkah atau Beban? - 03

Jadi Bangsawan di Dunia Lain: Berkah atau Beban?

Dunia ini terdiri dari tiga benua besar dan puluhan ribu pulau kecil yang tersebar di lautan. Negaraku berada di Benua Barat. Di selat-selat sempit antar benua, orang membangun pelabuhan dan kapal-kapal berlalu lalang menghubungkan satu daratan ke daratan lain. Oh iya, katanya antara Benua Tengah dan Benua Timur itu ada pulau gede di tengah-tengah mereka.

Peradaban di sini kayaknya udah setara Eropa abad pertengahan atau awal modern gitu deh. Tapi bedanya, di dunia ini ada monster. Mereka nyebutnya "majuu" — binatang iblis gitu lah. Nah, karena di lautan ada monster raksasa yang suka muncul tiba-tiba, dunia ini belum bisa memulai Zaman Penjelajahan kayak di dunia asalku.

Waktu gue nanya soal ras, Till menjelasin kalo di sini tuh banyak banget jenisnya. Ada elf, kurcaci, bahkan manusia binatang — beastmen. Nggak nyangka banget. Tapi mereka biasanya hidup terisolasi dalam kelompok sukunya masing-masing. Jarang banget berbaur dengan ras lain.

Omong-omong, karena sihir tuh luar biasa guna nya, perkembangan mesiu di sini lambat banget. Senjata ya standar: pedang, tombak, panah, dan sihir. Memang sih ada panah model crossbow, tapi karena semua orang bisa pake sihir, pertarungan di sini lebih ke adu magic.

Ada sih beberapa orang yang lagi ngembangin senjata api, tapi karena kurang perhatian dan dana, ya gitu deh—mau nembak aja sering macet. Perkembangannya nol besar.

Transportasi paling umum ya jalan kaki atau naik kuda. Ada juga makhluk mirip komodo tapi jalan dua kaki. Mesin uap? Jelas nggak ada. Tapi katanya di beberapa negara lain, ada alat-alat sihir yang udah diaplikasikan buat transportasi.

"Alat sihir itu apa sih?"

Waktu gue nanya gitu, Till cuma jawab ngambang. Katanya, kristal sihir dan beberapa batu permata atau mineral punya kemampuan nyimpen kekuatan sihir. Kalau dikasih aliran mana yang cukup, benda-benda itu bakal berubah jadi alat sihir—tergantung kemampuan pembuatnya.

Ngomong-ngomong, negara yang sekarang gue tempatin namanya Kerajaan Skuderia. Negara besar di selatan Benua Grant—atau Benua Barat. Rajanya Panggilannya Dino En Zola Berlinate. Keluarga kerajaan Berlinate udah berkuasa 300 tahun, dan mereka terus melebarkan wilayah karena kebijakan ekspansi militer raja. Para bangsawan diajak nyerang negara-negara kecil buat dicaplok. Nah, waktu penyerangan itulah ayah gue dapet promosi jadi marquis karena jasanya yang luar biasa.

Intinya, keluarga gue ini bangsawan spesialis militer. Kami dihargai sebagai pelindung negara. Makanya, bangsawan yang lemah tuh dipandang sebelah mata sama bawahan dan masyarakat.

Tapi gue santai aja. Keluarga gue kuat. Sebagai marquis, kami punya posisi tinggi di istana dan suara kami didengar dalam urusan negara.

Masa depan gue cerah, kayaknya.

Gue terus nanya-nanya ke Till tentang sihir, samapi-samapi para pelayan mulai bergosip. Mereka bilang gue anak ajaib. Gosip itu akhirnya sampe ke telinga kepala butler, Espada.

Dan sejak saat itu, Espada maksa jadi instruktur gue.

"Tuan Van sekarang berusia dua tahun. Saya dengar Anda sedang belajar huruf dan angka dasar. Sampai tingkat mana penguasaan Anda?"

Espada ngomong gitu sambil natap gue dari atas. Matanya nyipit tajam, bibirnya lurus kayak garis. Rambut putihnya disisir rapi ke belakang. Badannya tinggi kurus dibungkus seragam butler hitam. Usianya sekitar lima puluhan.

Espada ini butler handal yang udah lama banget ngabdi ke ayah gue. Gue belum pernah ngobrol langsung sama dia, tapi dari keliatannya, dia jago banget kerja. Tapi jujur, gue agak takut sama orangnya.

"Bisa kasih tahu saya? Sejauh mana perkembangan Tuan?"

Gila, cara ngomongnya ke anak dua tahun kayak gini, Espada?

Gue merinding dalam hati, tapi tetep buka mulut.

"Ngobrol dan dengerin sih lancar. Tapi soal huruf... masih belajar."

"Kalau angka?"

"Maksudnya kayak penjumlahan dan pengurangan sederhana?"

Begitu gue jawab, Espada berhenti bergerak. Ada keheningan singkat yang bikin gue pengen kabur. Tapi kemudian dia ngangkat tangannya, nunjukin jari-jarinya.

"Tangan ini dua jari. Tangan satunya tiga. Kalau digabung jadi berapa?"

"Lima."

"...Kalau masing-masing tangan tujuh, terus dikurangi dua?"

"Ya berarti lima."

Waktu gue jawab, Espada diem lagi. Tangannya masih nunjukin angka tujuh.

Hari itu selesai, tapi ternyata Espada ngomong sesuatu ke ayah gue. Akibatnya, gue harus ikut pelajaran dia dua kali seminggu.

Itu neraka.

Materinya sadis banget buat anak dua tahun. Latihannya kejam, dan dia ngajarnya dengan muka datar tanpa ekspresi kayak robot.

Apa ini android? Kalo majuu, mungkin dia ini golem atau undead.

Gue jalanin pelajaran dengan dendam kesumat, tapi berkat dia, gue jadi lancar baca tulis. Dari situ gue belajar aturan perang, sistem bangsawan, bahkan cara memerintah wilayah.

Bukan berarti gue jadi beneran ngelakuin itu semua di umur dua tahun.

Dua tahun berikutnya gue lewati dengan belajar. Umur empat tahun, gue mulai main-main pedangan pakai tongkat kecil.

Seru sih. Dulu gue pernah judo di sekolah dan karate pas SMP, jadi gue emang suka bela diri.

Gue pukul-pukul tiang yang tertancap di tanah, atau kadang tongkat yang dipegangin pelan sama pelayan cantik.

"Lihat sini, Tuan Van!"

"Wah, lincah! Refleksnya bagus!"

"Gitu dong, Tuan Van!"

Para pelayan bergerak sambil ketawa, melambaikan tongkat masing-masing. Gue dipuji tiap kali berhasil nyentuh tongkat mereka.

Main-main di ruang tamu, ya? Ini gue lagi beneran main atau cuma hiburan buat mereka? Kayak main sama maiko—geisha Jepang gitu deh. Kalo di dunia lama, gue bisa bayar 50.000 yen buat main beginian.

Waktu gue noleh dengan senyum puas, Till udah ikutan main.

"Aku mah pasti nggak bakal bisa goyang dengan bener," katanya sambil megang tongkat dengan mata berbinar, sengaja nongolin tongkatnya di tempat yang gampang gue pukul.

"Yaa!"

Gue ayunin tongkat dengan tenaga penuh, tapi Till cepet ngehindar ke samping. Tongkatnya nggak kena.

"Mufu! Aku menang, Tuan Van!"

Dasar bocah.

Gue ayun-ayunin tongkat dengan kesel, tapi ya gue cuma anak empat tahun. Nggak mungkin lawan cewek aktif umur 14 tahun.

Dua pelayan senior nangkep Till yang lagi kabur sambil ketawa—gue masih ngayunin tongkat dengan jengkel.

"......Till?"

"Kamu nggak mau mati muda karena ngejek Tuan Van, kan?"

Mata dua pelayan itu berubah serius. Mereka memancarkan aura suram dan serem karena senyumannya yang nyeremin. Till ketakutan setengah mati, aura ceria dari tadi langsung ilang.

"Ayo, Van-sama. Kami pegangin dia. Hukum yang becandain Tuan."

Till udah mewek. Gue jadi iba.

"Oke, hukuman. Biar gue yang urus."

Gue tepok pantat Till pelan. Dia berseru kecil, "hiya". Gue lakuin dengan lembut, tapi dia keliatan takut banget. Till setengah nangis setengah minta maaf. Gue jadi agak berdosa.

Ah, ilmu pedang emang paling oke. Gue mau kayak gini tiap hari.

Gara-gara itu, gue makin demen belajar pedang. Yah, cuma setengah tahun main sama pelayan sih. Setelah itu, gue dijuluki "prajurit bocah". Dan mulai sparing sama calon prajurit beneran.

Sparringnya sih nggak kayak latian perang beneran. Lebih kayak chambara—film pedang Jepang gitu. Masing-masing dapet perisai dan tongkat empuk. Cuma sampai kena pertama, yang kena duluan dinyatain menang. Lebih lembut.

Tapi dalem banget dan menarik.

Di judo, penting buat ngejatohin lawan. Tapi jaga keseimbangan sendiri juga penting. Karate itu soal timing. Kita harus nebak jangkauan lawan dan pastiin serangan kita lebih efektif.

Menurut gue, dua hal itu bisa diterapin juga di ilmu pedang.

Walaupun lawan gue cowok lebih tua, mereka cuma sekitar sepuluh tahun. Tinggi, panjang tangan dan kaki. Begitu megang tongkat dan ngayun, jarak antara kita keliatan makin jauh.

Tapi kekurangan itu bukan masalah. Mereka kan bocah. Serangan mereka pasti lurus-lurus aja. Anak-anak punya kebiasaan dan keahlian masing-masing. Kalo dilakuin berulang, kita bisa nebak dan ngelawan.

Umur lima tahun, gue udah bisa imbangan lawan calon prajurit.

Catatan penulis asli: Kalo mau dukung, tekan bintang di bawah buat kasih rating! Itu nyemangatin aku!

So I'm an Aristocrat in Another World... Is That a Good Thing?

So here's the deal with this world: three continents, countless islands scattered across the oceans. My country's over on the western continent. Between continents, there are these narrow straits where people built ports, and ships just go back and forth connecting everything. Oh, and apparently between the central continent and the eastern one, there's this massive island sitting right in the middle.

Civilization-wise, it's kinda medieval or early modern era. But here's the kicker—there are monsters. They call 'em "demon beasts." And get this: because there are gigantic ones lurking in the oceans, this world never really had its Age of Discovery. Can't exactly sail off exploring when a sea monster might eat your ship, right?

When I asked about races, Till told me there's a ton of different species. Elves, dwarves, beastmen—didn't see that coming. But they mostly keep to themselves, living in their own communities. They don't really mix with other races much.

Oh, and about technology—magic's so ridiculously useful that gunpowder development is practically nonexistent. Weapons are pretty basic: swords, spears, bows, and magic. Sure, they've got crossbows and stuff, but since pretty much everyone can use magic, combat's mostly about magical warfare.

Some people are trying to develop guns, but nobody's really interested and there's no funding, so they can't even fire properly. Zero progress.

Transportation? Walking or horses. There's also this two-legged Komodo dragon-looking thing people ride. Steam engines? Nope. Though apparently in some countries, they're starting to use magical tools for transport.

"What's a magical tool?"

When I asked that, Till got all vague. Apparently magic crystals and certain gems or minerals can store magical power. If you pump enough mana into them, they turn into magical tools—depends on the maker's ability.

Anyway, the country I'm in now is called the Kingdom of Scuderia. It's a big nation in the southern part of the Grant Continent—that's the western one. The king's name is Dino En Zola Berlinate. The Berlinate royal family's been ruling for 300 years, and they keep expanding through military campaigns. The king rounds up nobles to invade smaller countries and grab their land. During one of those invasions, my dad got promoted to marquis because he did some seriously impressive stuff.

Basically, my family's military nobility. We're the protectors of the state. Weak nobles? Their own subordinates and society look down on them.

But I'm not worried. My family's strong. As marquis, we've got a high position at court and our voices matter in state affairs.

Future's looking bright, I guess.

I kept asking Till all sorts of questions about magic, and eventually the servants started gossiping. They called me a prodigy. Word got around until it reached the head butler, Espada.

That's when Espada forced himself into becoming my instructor.

"Young Master Van is two years old. I understand you're learning letters and basic numbers. To what extent have you mastered them?"

Espada said this while looking down at me. His eyes were sharp slits, his mouth a straight line. White hair slicked back. Tall, thin frame wrapped in a black butler's uniform. Around fifty years old.

Espada's this capable butler who's served my father for years. We'd never really talked before, but from what I could tell, he's amazing at his job. Honestly though? Kinda terrified of him.

"Could you tell me? How far along are you?"

Dude, that's not how you talk to a two-year-old.

I'm freaking out inside, but I open my mouth anyway.

"Talking and listening are fine. But letters... still learning."

"And numbers?"

"You mean like simple addition and subtraction?"

When I answered, Espada froze. There was this weird silence that made me want to run. Then he raised his hands, showing his fingers.

"Two fingers on this hand. Three on this one. Together, how many?"

"Five."

"...If each hand has seven, then minus two?"

"That's still five."

When I answered, Espada went still again. His hands were still showing seven fingers.

That day ended, but apparently Espada talked to my father about me. Next thing I knew, I had to take his lessons twice a week.

It was hell.

The material was brutal for a two-year-old. The training was harsh, and he taught everything with that expressionless robot face.

What is this guy, an android? If he were a demon beast, he'd be a golem or undead for sure.

I went through those lessons with a grudge, but thanks to him, I can now read and write fluently. That's how I learned about warfare, the noble system, even how to govern territories.

Not that I'm actually doing any of that at two years old.

I spent the next two years studying. By age four, I was imitating swordsmanship with a little stick.

It was fun, honestly. I did judo back in school and karate in middle school, so I've always loved martial arts.

I'd hit a pole stuck in the ground, or tap a stick held by one of the cute maids.

"Look here, Young Master Van!"

"Wow, you're quick! Great reflexes!"

"That's our Young Master!"

The maids would move around laughing, waving their own sticks, and they'd praise me every time I tapped theirs.

Just playing around in the parlor, huh? Is this like playing with a maiko—a traditional Japanese entertainer? Back in my old world, this'd cost me like 50,000 yen.

When I turned around with a satisfied smile, Till had joined the game.

"I'll probably mess up swinging this," she said, holding the stick with sparkling eyes, deliberately sticking it out where I could easily hit it.

"Hiyah!"

I swung with all my strength, but Till dodged sideways. Her stick slid away untouched.

"Mufu! I win, Young Master Van!"

Such a kid.

I swung my stick around angrily, but I'm just a four-year-old. No match for an active fourteen-year-old girl.

Two senior maids caught Till as she ran away laughing—me still swinging my stick in frustration.

"......Till?"

"You don't want to die young for mocking Young Master Van, do you?"

The two maids' eyes turned serious. They radiated this dark, scary aura with their twisted smiles. Till got so frightened her cheerful mood vanished instantly.

"Come on, Van-sama. We'll hold her down. Punish this fool."

Till's eyes welled up. I actually felt bad for her.

"Okay, punishment. I'll handle it."

I lightly tapped Till's bottom. She let out this tiny "hiya." I was gentle, but she looked genuinely scared. Half-crying, half-apologizing. Made me feel kinda guilty.

Man, swordsmanship is the best. I'd do this every day.

That's how I got really into learning swordsmanship. Well, I only played with the maids for about six months. After that, I got dubbed the "boy soldier" and started sparring with actual apprentice soldiers.

It's not really serious sparring though—more like play-fighting. Everyone gets a shield and a soft pole. First one to land a hit wins. Gentler that way.

But surprisingly, it's got depth to it.

In judo, breaking your opponent's balance is key, but keeping your own balance matters too. Karate's all about timing—you gotta anticipate reach and make sure your strikes land more effectively than theirs.

Both of those apply to swordsmanship, I think.

Even though I'm fighting older boys, they're only around ten. Tall, with long arms and legs. When they hold a stick and swing, the distance feels even bigger.

But that disadvantage doesn't matter. They're kids. Their attacks are straightforward. Kids have habits, favorite moves. Do them enough times and you can read them, then counter.

By age five, I could fight evenly with the apprentice soldiers.

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