Genjitsushugi Yuusha no Oukoku Saikenki

National Enrichment Arc

*Soumas Perspective*

Hey Souma. I know we need to use the dining hall, but...(Liecia)

What?(Souma)

Isnt the number of people present is too low?(Liecia)

Like how Liecia pointed out, the dining hall was currently filled with a hustle and bustle unlike how I usually had.

It was a dining hall that was used for the people who worked inside the castle such as the Royal Guards, the chamberlains / chambermaids and even the previous king, so theres no problem for a large amount of people to eat at the same time since it was furnished with 30 long tables. However, currently, except for a single long table, every other table had been set aside to create a vast empty space. Despite this, the actual freed amount of space was only the area in the vicinity of the long table since the rest of the area was fully either packed with people or machinery parts.

Among others, a large crystal that reached to the ceiling was taking up the most space.

You want to use theRoyal Broadcast[1]again?(Liecia)

I feel that it would be wasteful to use this convenient method only to read war proclamations. I intend to use this routinely from now on.(Souma)

Since it was something similar to Television, modern people would realize the power of Mass Media (for better or worse). It can dispatch important information to the citizens quickly and it can also secure the citizens support via entertainment program broadcasts. The weaknesses of this method was the fact that there were no recording tools, so it must always be a live broadcast; also the image only can be seen in the city (the villages can only hear the audio). But that was something that we would need to wait for until the technology (magic?) progresses far enough to solve this someday in the future.

By the way, I was thinking to start the entertainment program by holding theSinging Contestfirst. Since Juna-san had already been acknowledged as the winner at the previous talented people gathering by defeating numerous other participants, thisSinging Contestcan be considered as the debut of an idol or a singer that can secure the citizens support. By the way, I couldnt produce idol groups. Right now, there was a need to constantly conduct live broadcasts, so I thought that it was better for everyone to make their debuts individually by setting a rotation schedule.[2]

Elfriedens first public broadcasting program... The dream keeps on expanding.

*History Textbook*

Later on, Souma established the EBC (Elfrieden Broadcasting Company)[3]department inside the castle to conduct public broadcasting program using the Royal Broadcast system. The contents were mainly news and popular song programs, but occasionally there were cooking programs or comedy programs broadcasted in it. This concept that hadnt been thought up by anyone until then was greatly loved by the citizens. However, after hundreds of years had passed, each household had their own miniaturized broadcast receiver and the Royal Broadcast system was mass produced until it was possible to start commercial broadcasting companies, causing the presence of the EBC to diminish over time. However, it was not something to be lamented over, even if the EBC public broadcasting was deemed to be antiquated and outdated with viewers claimingEven if it is gone there, wont be any differenceorOnly old people watch it, but this also served as proof that the world had truly become peaceful.[4]

*Soumas perspective*

What are you grinning about? It giving me the creeps, you know?(Liecia)

Liecia stared with cold eyes at the sight of me counting the chicken before the eggs hatched[5].

... I couldnt possibly say that its nothing, right?

Anyway, since this time, the objective is to make cuisine that normally isnt eaten in this country. So isnt it more efficient if we also publicize it to the citizens at the same time? For that reason, we especially invited all the beautiful girls to this place.(Souma)

You mean Juna-san?(Liecia)

That also includes Liecia-san. And also Aisha-san and Tomoe-chan. After all, they said that the ABCs of successful programming are Animal, Beauty and Child.[6]The traditional beauty: Liecia, the healthy tanned beauty: Aisha, the beauty with the charm of both adults and females: Juna, and the wolf-ear animal beauty and child: Tomoe-chan. Because all of the outstandingly talented beauties are here, then we can easily capture the citizens attention, dont you agree?(Souma)

I-I... am also included....(Liecia)

Liecias face became flushed red. The other three were replying one after the other.

It will be my honor, Your Majesty.(Juna)

Wha-! If that is my Lord expects from me, then I will devote myself to fulfill it!(Aisha)

Hawawa[7], but, I will do my best!(Tomoe)

They were showing their eagerness. Meanwhile, since Hakuya promptly advanced the preparations for the broadcast, Poncho was reconfirming the ingredients in a hurry. Looking at this, it seemed that the cards in my hand had also been enhanced. Naturally, you can never have too many talented people.[8]

I then faced everyone and gave out a command.

Then lets start and go On Air.(Souma)

*Narrator*

That day, all the cities in the Elfrieden Kingdom were packed full of people.

It seems that the Hero-King who had previously gathered all the talented people in the country, plans to use the Royal Broadcast for something. It had become the talk of the townsfolk, so they were crowding in the fountain plaza (the water fountain in the plaza of a city had been equipped with a device to spray mist into the air so that it will be able to project the images from the Royal Broadcast). The villagers that only could hear the audio also deliberately swarmed to the nearest city to be able to see the images, too, so the number of people who had gathered was enormously large.

After all, the entertainment on this world was only to the extent of gambling at a bar, so ever since the public broadcast several days ago, this was now recognized by the citizens as a new form of entertainment. If people gather, so will money; if spectators gather, so will merchants. Each square in every city was packed with stalls, giving off a feeling of a large festival. Everyone spread out mats or sheets on the ground and sat down, impatiently waiting for the broadcast to start.

Um-um... Mama, wat wil appen?(Random Girl)

Thats right. I wonder what will happen?(Random Mother)

A young girl with restless eyes asked her mother who answered with a smile.

Everyone ere look so appy. The age surely ad changed, right?(Random Old Man A)

Yer right. In our time, it was impossible to think that we could enjoy the Royal Broadcast.(Random Old Man B)

In the olden times, the Royal Broadcast was only used to declare war on other countries or to announce that The Army will release proclamations about the war progress (in other words, the armys announcement). The elderly people, who remembered the time of the kings in the distant past, would only silently close their eyes. During that age, this countrys dominion had increased in twice its size, however its population, by contrast, decreased to nearly half.

The only words that came out from Royal Broadcast wereWe won XX Battle!orIts necessarily for us to keep fighting to surpass XXs honorable death!, and other similar war propaganda. When the people it that age heard the Royal Broadcast, what they imagined in their head was the wordDeath.

I pray that this new king will not cause the younguns to hold such terrible imagesWaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!(Loud Cheering)

The small voice of the old man was drowned out by the erupting clamor.

The Third Royal Broadcast in Soumas reign had commenced.

*Narrator*

The projection showed a man and a woman wearing a full dress and uniform.

Good day to everyone in Elfrieden!(Juna)

Go-Good day(Poncho)

This is the information program from Elfriedens Royal Castle:The Kings Brilliant Lunch, shortened toThe Kings Brunch[9]. The host is me, Juna Dohma

Po-Poncho Ishizuka Panacotta[11]wi-will report, yes!(Poncho)

...Poncho-san, dont be too nervous for no reason!(Juna)

T-This is not for no reason, I am not familiar with this... Juno-dono is really impressive. Im envious, yes.(Poncho)

It is because I need to be able sing well in front of the guests. In case the viewers visit the singing cafLoreleiin Parnam, please treat me well.(Juna)

Please dont insert such conspicuous advertisement!(Poncho)

Ahahahahahaha!

A playful beautiful woman and a hasty plump man were really in contrast with each other. The people by the fountains were tempted to laugh.

Well then, let us begin the explanation of this programs objective.(Juna)

T-The Fourteenth (Temporary) King of Elfrieden, His Highness Souma Kazuya, yes!(Poncho)

Ooooooo the plaza became noisy.

On the projection was the image of the young king they saw at the time of talent gathering.

Since I havent been crowned yet there is no need to refer me as a King... Ha, Greetings everyone. This is the current acting King, Souma Kazuya[12]. Now I want you to hear about the current state of this country...(Souma)

He doesnt look like a King, spoke someone in the crowd. It couldnt be helped since he was just appointed for it. Without knowing about this, Souma began his explanation in front of the board with the chart and diagram of the current nations state of affairs. He especially elaborated about the root of the food shortage.

... in this manner, the current conditions caused by high demand for fresh produce, the root cause of the food shortage issue this time was because the farmers changed from planting food crops to cash crops like cotton. Of course, this is not the fault of the farmers alone, but also the merchants who compelled them to sell these crops, the military who gained profits from it, and finally the royal family who overlooked this situation. I ask you all for forgiveness for this.(Souma)

After saying this, Souma bowed his head. A king bowing his head towards his subjects was something that had never happened before. Even this situation was something that wasnt something directly caused by Soumas reign.

As of now, our country will change from planting cash crops to food crops, however this will only bear result in autumn. We had also considered importing food from other countries. However, this situation is unfavorable. The first reason is because we will stop exporting our chief export, which is cotton, we also wont be able to acquire foreign currency. The second reason because every other country has the same food situation as our country. You cant give something that you dont have.(Souma)

The Kings speechs contents was enough to discourage the citizens. However, the citizens were more surprised rather than dejected since the King was making this information available to the public. Usually a superior wont disclose any information he had towards his subordinate, since that information might include his own blunder. There is also awareness that the subjects wouldnt understand national politics in the first place. Actually, even if the contents of the current kings explanation could be comprehended by Japanese elementary school children, only 30% of Elfriedens citizens would be able to understand it.

However, this young king released the information to the public. The people belonged to the educated class were quite surprised. Why would he do something like exposing his own mistakes if it could lead him to lose his authority over the citizens?

U-Um.... Is that something that was supposed to be mentioned to the citizens?(Poncho)

Poncho timidly asked as though he became the proxy of the citizens voice.

However, Souma didnt change his expression.

Because a person who keep secret wills be doubted. If the people will doubt whether the next information I release will be a lie or not, I would rather use my own head than to follow a lie. Although there are some I need to conceal for diplomatic reasons, but for domestic affairs, my policy was to disclose it from now on. I want my citizens to use their head. What should this country do? Is my policy correct? I want everyone to think about it together with me.(Souma)

This is the first time that there was a King like this...(Random Citizen)

Muttered someone. A monarch that wanted his citizens to also think about politics was something unprecedented. Even if there was aNational Assembly[13]to represent the citizens will, frankly, it was justan Assembly for the citizens to decide what to say to appeal o the King. Whether or not it would be adopted was depended entirely on the Kings decision, so the contents of their appeals were also only to the extent ofRequesting a price correction on the inflated XXXorAppeal for public works. Its function was just like a comment box for the government and not a place to discuss actual political decisions.

In the first place, even now such a feudalistic system was still deeply rooted in this country. Or to put it in simpler words, this countrys political system was basicallyThe person below will payTaxesto the person above and the person above will guarantee the lives and properties of the person below.The citizens would pay taxes to the feudal lords, and the feudal lords would guarantee the lives and properties of the citizens. The feudal lords (nobles) would pay taxes (scutage) to the Kingdom - in lieu of their obligation to provide military services - and the King would guarantee their lives and properties (guaranteeing lives not only meant protection from foreign enemies but also providing public works such as improving infrastructures and the like).

A complete stratified society. Although there was a risk that if the top rots then everything else will rot, but if you think about it from other side, except for the ruler, there is no need for the citizens to think about politics, so it can be called a carefree political system where the citizens only need to think about themselves.

However this young King wished for the citizens to use their heads. I want everyone to think about it together with me so he said. It was a moment of the birth of new rights and obligations among the common citizen: public participation in politics. Of course, it doesnt mean that the path was being exemplified. Moreover, even if that privilege was given right now, because of the low education levels amongst the citizens, clearly it would just fall into an ochlocracy.[14]

However, the seeds had surely been scattered.

Changes will be happening in this country from now on.....(Random Old Man A)

I envy the young generation who will witness this change.(Random Old Man B)

What are you saying, we will also keep on going.(Random Old Man A)

While looking at the young kings figure, the old men were smiling brightly.

Without knowing that he had made a small ripple, Souma continued his explanation.

We can only wait until autumn until this problem is completely solved in this way. Of course, we will also give our aid, however it will be hard to give it to every citizen in this country, due to the amount of resources or the geographical terrain. After all, not everybody lives on level plains.(Souma)

After all, this country was a nation where various races had gathered.

In the forests were the elves, at the steep cliffs were the dragonewts, in the underground caves were the dwarves, on the coastline were the mermen, along with other races who lived in places where the supply line didnt cross. These people wouldnt be able to receive the aids, just like the people who lived in the rural villages deep inside the mountain range.

Thats why I request my citizens, or rather, this is a decree(Souma)

Souma cut his speech at this point.

After drawing a breath, he clearly declared.

Until the Autumn, you must all survive.(Souma)

The citizens breaths were taken away by the words that the young King had spoken.

Their meaning was simple. However, their true intention couldnt be inferred.

Because we dont have enough hands as it is, it is essential for each of you to move in order to survive. Go to the mountains, go to the rivers, go to the sea. Search for food, come together and cooperate. Even if you had to bow to someone or smear yourself with disgrace. Until the autumn comes, I appeal to everyone in here to survive.(Souma)

It could be said as a resignation of duty. Therefore it was as if he said do your best to the suffering people. However, it was also a truth that someone wouldnt be able to help themselves if they also didnt do their best.

The young King sincerely apologized.

I beg of you, everyone. Because it had the meaning of not ruining another persons life, it might be difficult. However I want everyone to welcome the fruit of the autumn without attacking or stealing from another person, without giving up the children to reduce the number of mouths to feed, without abandoning the elderly, without even a single family member missing. Thats why this broadcast was planned so that it might help even if it only a little.(Souma)

Souma raised his face and started explaining the purpose of the current broadcast. In order to buy time until the food problem is resolved, this broadcast would introduce the ingredients that were not usually used in this countrys cuisine and demonstrate how to cook it. Those ingredients were ingredients that could be obtained cheaply (as they grew naturally in the wild). And now, to show that those ingredients at this place could really be eaten, the ingredient would be turned into a cuisine and be examined.

Even the citizens who were indignant because of Soumas previous statement of duty renunciation, after hearing the contents of Soumas explanation, that anger had melted away. This King is really thinking about us, they could actually feel his true intent.

.......with that being said, Poncho and Juna-dono, I entrust you two to continue hosting from here on out.(Souma)

Finishing his rough explanation, Souma sat back on his seat.

Souma didnt know this, but at that time in the kingdoms plazas, applause could be heard. Soumas words left a deep impression on the citizens who received it, so they spontaneously applauded him. Without Souma being aware of it, he already acknowledged by them as their King.

On the projection were Juna and Poncho who took over once again as the hosts.

Well then, let us quickly begin. Poncho-san, what is the first ingredient?(Juna)

Y-Yes! The first ingredients is, THIS!(Poncho)

*Soumas perspective*

Then Poncho took out a cloth covered box. Then Liecia, Aisha, Tomoe, and I lined up and sat like guest commentators before the table with the box on top of it. It was a large box similar to fish tank. Then Poncho took off the cloth.

At the dining hall of Elfrieden Caste in Capital City of Palnam that had been changed to a live recording studio.

Uuuu...(Aisha)

Kyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!(Tomoe)

Wha-What!?(Liecia)

When they saw what was atop of the table, Aisha, Tomoe and Liecia, were all screaming in three different ways while backing off from the table. On the contrary, only Juna-san and I were calm.

What was inside the box in front of me was,

Its an octopus.(Souma)

So, its an octopus.(Juna)

A creature with soft body and eight wriggling tentacle, it was something I already knew of:Octopus. Even though the cow or pig were fantastically distorted and had a turtle-like shell, this was just a (somewhat larger) normal looking octopus. Well, even in fantasy worlds, something like aGiant Octopuswas something that usually came out. I thought How should I judge it with fantasy standards?.

Ah, by the way, in this country,OctopusTakowas calledOkato, so I thought that it sounds similar to Octopus. Butbecause oftheHeroslanguage translation ability, I simpl heard it asOctopusinstead. If the ingredients that would come out after this were things that resemble ingredients from Earth, I might just use their Earth name to refer to them.

Eh? This country doesnt eat octopus?(Souma)

How could you eat a disgusting thing like this?(Liecia)

Liecia looked at me with discerning eyes as if I had told her something unbelievable.

No-no-no, its only an octopus, you know? I couldnt understand her.

Well, since its appearance is like this, its only eaten in certain coastal areas. We even eat it in my hometown.(Juna)

Juna gently gave her explanation. Well even in Earth, there are European countries (except for Spain and others[15]) where octopus is called Devilfish and didnt consider it as food, so it was inevitable if it also happened here...... right?

But its delicious.(Souma)

Is that so?[16](Aisha)

I threw out the word Delicious and Aisha immediately bit at it. I know that food tasting was part of her bodyguard duty, but this girl was unexpectedly quite a gourmand. It wasnt that she was a glutton, but she was extremely fond of delicious foods, especially sweets, (high class confectionaries presented to and distributed to the King or the maids), which she ate in such a large quantity that it made all the maids jealousHow could she eat so many things but still be able to manintain such body proportion.... I was guessing that perhaps it was because she was raised in the middle of the forest, so she rarely ate sweet foods.

Aah. I know that some people are picky about eating raw food, but if you just rub it with brine and lightly boil it in water, it is quite delicious, you know. Stewing it, grilling it, or cooking it with rice are also delicious options.(Souma)

...(Aisha)

Aisha. Youre drooling, youre drooling.(Souma)

Ulps!... sollee...(Aisha)

Good grief. Also, its high in protein while low in calories so its also good for dieting.(Souma)

H-Hearing that, makes me a bit curious...(Liecia)

I threw out the word Diet and this time it was Liecia who bit at it. No-no-no, I thought that Liecia should put up on some weight, you know? Since she was in the army, she was already quite slender.

But, I dont think you should really care about it...(Souma)

Souma... The time we lose interest n our weight is when we stopped being girls.(Liecia)

With those words, Liecia admonished me with faraway look expression on her face. Since Juna-dono and Tomoe-chan also nodded strongly, then I guessed it must have been the truth. But, Aisha was the only one with an expression ofeven so, I want to eat all the meals......

Thats right... then, should we see how it will be cooked?(Souma)

After we moved to the kitchen attached to the dining hall, the octopus started to be cooked. Although the cook oin the castle said,If you ask us, we will gladly do it..., but since I like cooking, I did the cooking instead. First I put the octopus in a large bowl, and then with a kitchen knife, I removed the beak, organs, ink sac and eyeballs (at this time the female group yelledUwaa...but I ignored it). Then I rub the surface with salt until the slippery texture solidified before I rinsed it with water. In case the suction pads still had some mud in it, I carefully cleaned it.

And then I put the legs in a pot of boiling water and boiled that octopus shaped creature (its still an octopus though). After seeing the dirty yellow color had properly turned into violet-red color[17], I then brought it out and with that, I had splendidly finished Boiled Octopus.[18]After letting it cool for a bit, I took one full length of the legs into my mouth. Ah even like this, it was delicious.

Eat while theyre hot

Wha-!?(Liecia)

Liecia and the others were surprised at the sight of me beginning to eat without any hesitations. Based on the feeling from chomping down a piece, yes, without any doubt, this was the taste of octopus. The slightly salty taste from it was delicious. But it was only delicious; it was regrettable that this world still didnt have any soy sauce!

...Can it really be eaten?(Liecia)

What are you talking about, Liecia? You just need to test it, right?(Souma)

No, that is... my heart is still not ready....(Liecia)

Is that so? But this is delicious, you see.(Juna)

Giving the hesitating Liecia a sidelong glance, Juna also chewed down a piece.

Ah! Thats sneaky Juna-dono! Then its my turn!(Aisha)

Seeing that, Aisha also started eating it... But, Hey! Dont munch the entire head! How much a glutton can you be? Really this Dark Elf!

Whoa! This firmness is quite delicious!(Aisha)

...that so?(Souma)

...Yes, I need to pull myself together. I started cutting a large octopus and covered the pieces with wheat flour, egg and breadcrumbs. Then I skewered them with 3 pieces per skewer and threw the skewers in a saucepan full of hot oil. I deep fried them until their coating had turned crispy and golden-brown colored. Then I pulled them from the pan, and added the finishing touches with a mayonnaise sauce I had created: a mixture of this worlds thick sauce, egg yolk and vinegar. Finally, it was completed.

Fried Skewered Octopus... or something like that. Well, feel free to eat it.(Souma)

I gave everyone one skewer each.

Liecia and Tomoe-chan nervously put them into their mouths. However, at the moment it reached their mouths.

!? What is this? Delicious!(Liecia)

This is really... really delicious!(Tomoe)

Their eyes were wide open because of the deliciousness. Alright! I made a guts pose[20]inside my mind.

This is really delicious. Contained by the crispiness of the coat was the amazing succulence of the octopus.(Juna)

T-True! I never had realized before that octopus would go very well with the sauce!(Poncho)

This white sauce and the octopus suitably amalgamated together. It is a magnificent work, Your Majesty.(Juna)

Yes, so Your Majesty can also cook! Its surprising! Yes!(Poncho)

Juna-san and Poncho were speaking words resembling those of a gourmet reporter. Those two were eating the octopus and thoroughly savoring the taste. By the way, Aisha was,

*chomp*chomp*munch*munch*...

With frightful speed, she emptied the mass produced skewers.... Yes, lets just leave her alone.

... Hey Papa?(Random child)

Yes. If its about the octopus, today we also caught a lot of them in the net.(Random Father)

Really!? I want to eat it!(Random child)

Yer right. We always threw them away, but let us try eating it.(Random Father)

In coastal villages, such conversation was prevalent.

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Umm... I have no other comment other than, Is this Shokugeki no Souma? Now I want to eat some octopuses. *Open the fridge* There is no octopuses but there are some squids. *close enough*.

[Editor Note: Personally I like baby octopus. Munching on the legs & head after eating it whole is great! The suction cups have a wonderful texture like pork tongue lol.]

Next chapter will came out before Christmas!

[1]Gyokuon Housou. Gyokuon means King/Emperor voice and Housou means broadcast. Have any better suggestion?[Editor: Maybe Royal because hes not Emperor yet, just King.]Agreed.

[2]Like AKB48. With their numerous subgroups where the center is rotated every now and then.

[3]ErufuriidenHousou Kyoukai. Parody of NHK (Nippon Housou Kyoukai). So I translated it as a parody of BBC (British Broadcasting Company) the mother of a lot of public broadcasting in the world.[Editor: That is hilarious, I love it.]

[4]Well... In some country public broadcasting is not that popular.[Editor: Public broadcasting is popular in some countries? 88888]

[5]A proverb meaning:You should not count on something before it happens. You should not expect all of your hopes to be fulfilled.The original isor catching Tanuki,a shorthand form of(counting money before catching a tanuki).

[6]Souma just say the truth... ABC is important... (so that explain why series with Kemonomimi, Loli and plain old Bishoujo is easy to become popular)

[7]Flustered reaction. Awawawawa... Just like High Elf Aze from Death March.

[8]This is the principles of Cao Cao that Souma emulate. Cao Cao focused close attention on recruiting talented people to strengthen the power of his group. He even composed his famous poem :. Where he uttered his desire for more talented people. Really, Cao Cao is an otaku for talented people.

[9]TITLE DROP. So that what the brunch means. I always thought it was breakfast+lunch

[10]= (Dooma) = Dohma. Actually I just copy pasted the Romanization from Darkstalker 3.

[11]I just realized, Pana Cotta is an Italian pudding like dessert.

[12]Finally, his name is :, Souma Kazuya, its funny since everyone treat his surname as his given name. Absolutely no relation with the other Souma (Souma Yukihira).

[13]Kokumingikai. A compound word of Kokumin: Citizen and Gikai: Congress/Assembly/Parliament.

[14]Mobocracy or Ochlocracy or the Mob Rule Bitches! It doesnt have any relation to Mafia Rules. Famous modern example: Peoples Power in Philippines, the Velvet Revolution, 1998 Reformation Movement in Indonesia, and Arab Springs. The downside of this was: Tyranny by majority, populist move that may destructive in long run, and or post-action politic squabble.

[15]Spaniards will eat anything! Joke aside, octopus werent really commonly eaten in European countries in the middle ages aside from some Iberian and Mediterranean communities. Maybe because they resemble a baby Cthulhu.[Editor Note: So it is all the Bible/HP Lovecrafts fault that people starved lol.]FUNFACT: Other than Japan, Spain is the second highest country with octopus devourer.

[16]Every time I see Sounanoka, I need to restraint myself from turning it into Touhou jokes.

[17]Fun fact the color came from carotenoid pigment released when the protein that usually carrying it denaturized from the heat.

[18]The octopus actually only boiled for less than 5 minutes

[19]I really want to turn this into Happy Eating!

[20]Guts pose, a pose of victory commonly seen in Japan.

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