The Questioning

Chapter Sixteen

Mirror’s Questions (kagami no shitsumon)

The spirit of Kagami gazed at Yukari, and spoke. “Your Highness, the Imperial Princess of Himeyama, what virtue do you possess that shall convince this power to reside in you? For this world is functioning well without a supreme ruler. What benefit will you bring to the world?”

“I take no pleasure in the misery of others, and I judge everyone with equality, giving no preference to those around me. I am suitable to be the ruler with such virtues, and for the ruler to have unparalleled strength, order shall then be kept for the world, which is the benefit.”

Yukari seemed confident and took pride in her answers. Kagami, however, seemed less impressed.

“The power that I wield within me, along with myself, are of another realm. It’s a world with no magic, but plenty in states and nations and governments. The so-called virtues of yours are but the bare minimum that commoners in my realm expect from the leaders of the land.”

Kagami’s spirit started speaking sharp words. “With power, comes responsibility. And greater power demands greater responsibility. In the realm where this power originated, leaders of the land, with no magic power or divine power, which is what you behold in front of you, take on greater responsibility for the common people than what you, with unrivaled power, are committed to do.”

Kagami continued.

“There are leaders and governments who strive to provide adequate and affordable housing for everyone.” [Finland]

“There are nations who go to great lengths to serve the needs of the elderly, and provide ample schooling for the young.” [Japan]

“There are governments who are committed to fight every wildfire and every flood, and send in tens of thousands of knights and guards to transfer people to safety.” [China]

“There are countries who provide money to assist the lives of the young and the old.” [Canada]

“There are leaders who plan in great detail so every person can have access to work.” [Singapore]

“There are places where workers are guaranteed sufficient rest during the noon hours so people can have sufficient energy to tackle their workload.” [Greece]

“There are countries that put in enormous effort to promote their farming products so goods will be sold at a good price for the farmers.” [Italy]

“There are places that have an extensive network of public carriages so commoners can travel in ease.”[Northern Ireland]

“There are countries that eagerly bring in foreigners to teach their children a foreign language, so they will grow up and find it easier to become affluent merchants or successful workers in influential guilds.” [South Korea]

“There are also leaders who, unable to efficiently remedy the difficulty faced in their academies, bring in a multitude of teachers from far corners of the world, so that they can seek out the most effective method to foster success in their children’s academic growth.” [UK]

“There are also leaders who risk their own lives to improve the financial and political structure of their states, and die trying.”[USA]

“All of these nations and leaders and governments strive to serve the commoners while having no magic power to help them establish superiority. Yukari, why do you seek to possess this power which is called the divine? To what end shall you use it?”

Yukari’s eyes looked blank and confused for the first time in her life. She could not think of the answer, and if she spoke nothing in return, it would reflect poorly in the eyes of others. “I will be able to answer them once I become the sole sovereign of this world. And I will commit myself to use the power correctly.”

“In that case, why should the power be entrusted to you now?”

Yukari looked confident again -- she knew what to say as the answer had been abiding in her since her birth.

“I command magic power that is unmatched in this world; its strength is in a higher realm compared to anyone else. My might is like the sky, overlooking the people of this world. The only reason for this to happen to me must be that I am destined to reign over this world. The universe has chosen me since the day of my birth.”

“That is childish, Yukari. A different universe has a children’s book, where it says ‘the only reason for there to be bees, is to make honey, and the only reason for there to be honey, is so that I can eat it.’.”

Kagami sounded depressed and disappointed.

“Yukari, it is immature to see the world as if everything is about you. No it is not, and the world will function fine without you ascending the throne. Why didn’t you think that the universe gave you great power so that you can save people, animals, and plants from fires and floods? From earthquakes and volcano eruptions? So that you can pacify the raging elements with your supremacy in magic? So that when people encounter seemingly irreconcilable conflict, they will listen to your arbitration because all nations revere your greatness?”

“Those are reasons for me to be the monarch, are they not, Kagami?”

“No, they are not. All of them can be accomplished without you being the ruler over all. You only need to perform the tasks that would require your participation, since none of them prescribed a royal prerequisite.”

Kagami continued, “saving people from disasters requires you to care about them when you hear the news, and to go and help with your superb prowess. It does not necessitate you having to wear a crown.”

“Yukari, you are not yet ready. Your virtues are insufficient to have this power as your companion. This power, which you behold with your own eyes, is divine power. It desires to bring joyful light into every heart, and move everyone to love each other, until the whole of creation can live in a holy fellowship of self-giving.”

“Yukari, you say that you do not delight in the misery of others, and I see that you have spared the lives of many. But you have failed to remove malice from the hearts of your followers. You have not fostered a loving heart in Ryō. This is not a transgression of hers against you, but a shortcoming of your own.”

“Yukari, you say that you treat everyone equally, but you have yet to remove indifference and contempt from yourself, let alone from those around you, toward the weak. You severely punish those who do not show respect to you, but I have not used any title for you in this conversation since I transformed into this state, and you have zero protest against it. You treat everyone equally because they are all weak and all identical and all dust according to your opinion. As soon as I display a power on par with or surpassing your own, you treat me differently and favorably.”

“Yukari, please listen to the story of a man who was made a king.”

Kagami’s voice grew softer, and continued.

“In the universe where I came from, there was an enormous flood more than four thousand years ago. The village chiefs and tribe chiefs gathered to seek a solution. They found a wise old person who suggested building dikes around villages and precious farm fields. The people did according to what was suggested, and the flood destroyed the dikes.”

“The people were angry, and they executed the wise old man. Then they asked his son to give his opinion, and the son said he needed to investigate the situation first.”

“The young man traveled all over the land, listening to people from all walks of life. Due to traveling in wet conditions, he developed a limp from arthritis, and the language called ‘limping’ by that person’s name. Due to poor living conditions during the investigation, he had poor hygiene and couldn’t clean his teeth, and his teeth started hurting, and the language still called toothache by that person’s name more than four thousand years later.”

“He traveled, he listened, he had conversations. Many times he passed right in front of his house, but didn’t have time to go in and say a greeting to his family. So for the years he was investigating the flood, never once did he go into his own home despite having had opportunities. He then designed canals to be built, and marked hills to be dug through. He worked alongside everyone until the work was finally completed. Because of this, all tribe leaders met afterwards, and made him the first sovereign of the land.”

“Yukari, do not think it was easy to design canals. With dikes, each village can build their own, but canals need the consent of every village along the way. What was once fertile fields will be lost forever when it becomes the bottom of a canal. What were once rich hunting grounds will be no more as the canal would block animals from arriving. What once were friendly neighbouring villages will have strife because one will become prosperous with better access to water and transportation while the other stands still.”

“The young man did not have political power, or status, or superior strength on battlefields. He had to convince everyone with his words, his politeness, his wisdom, and his sincerity.”

“He risked angering people in asking people to compromise for the sake of the whole. Yukari, will you risk yourself, your prestige, and your reputation in order to bring goodness to the world? Or will you gain immunity by inaction?”

“Yukari, a leader is not made by having many swords.”

Yukari fell silent. She felt shame for the first time today, and a slight hint of being insufficient and inferior, just like how she, earlier for the first time, was unable to supply a satisfactory answer.

Some time later, Kagami spoke again.

“I am kagami, the mirror. I reflect reality as it is. Inner desires, virtues and vices, follies and shortcomings, are made plain and visible to everyone by me. The mighty sword of light is strength, the mirror is wisdom, and the jewel is benevolence. The divine contains all of them, and they are indivisible. The divine power cannot exist in mightiness alone.”

“This power demands whoever wields it to move the hearts of millions, with wisdom and discretion in their action. To promote goodness in people, until everyone is like family to one another. To move people’s hearts so everyone shares what they have, and help each other with chores and work.”

“No command from a monarch can achieve that. No ruling set forth from a sovereign, backed by the display of power on battlefields, can move people’s hearts toward loving each other.”

“Yukari, now I shall pronounce my verdict.”

**********

**********

[Author’s Note]

The Mirror, the sword and the jewel

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imperial_Regalia_of_Japan

Young man’s name [The one who proposed canals]

https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/%E7%A6%B9

Walk Alone

https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/%E5%81%8A#Translingual

Limping

[no one has completed the entry yet]

https://en.wiktionary.org/w/index.php?title=%E8%B8%BD%E5%83%82&action=edit&redlink=1

Toothache

https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/%E9%BD%B2#Translingual