章 22: Some Much Needed Context

Howard nearly jumped when he heard Frisk speak out the words "Printing Press". From the research he did from reading those books he acquired in the royal library, Howard was unable to find any mention of the printing press.

He assumed that, due to the strong guilds controlled by the mages, technology was held back and destroyed to ensure their business was safe. Now, his entire theory as to why science was behind in many areas was in jeopardy. The man needed answers.

"Printing press?" Howard interjected the moment he heard Frisk mutter the word. Goldberg stops and looks at him in confusion, just before he understands what has happened.

"Oh right! My apologies. I just remembered that the kingdom had recently banned it throughout the entire realm. You might not have even heard of it," he apologizes. His statement confirms that the technology was banned, definitely with the approval of his father.

Well, I guess I will have to explain what a printing press is first. You see, a printing press is…"

Howard already knew what a printing press was and what it did. It was a simple mechanical device used to mass-produce text and images in large quantities. In Howard's original world, it was invented by Johannes Gutenberg, in the year 1436 A.D.

"When was this remarkable device invented? You mention something about a man named… Rack Weheight? Can you tell me more about him?" Howard asks.

He felt this was the perfect learning opportunity to discover how the kingdom reacts to great advancements in technology. He can learn about how Frisk became his guardian later.

"Rach Werheit. His name is Rach Werheit," Frisk corrected.

"He was a smart young man who wanted to make it big as a journalist, getting his story on the news board…"

"News board?" Howard cut in again. He has no idea what a news board is. He suspected it was some sort of newspaper service where people could read up on the news, but he was not sure and wanted to confirm it with Frisk.

Frisk pauses for a minute, before asking the prince if he really doesn't know what a news board is. Howard shakes his head.

"The News Board is this public bulletin where approved stories can be pinned on for anyone to read. A journalist can write a story, come to a governing body that runs the news board, and submit their story. If it gets approved, it gets put on display and the writer makes some money," Frisk quickly explains.

"Almost every city in the kingdom has it. Although it is called by different names according to different regions, the news board is functionally the same everywhere," he adds.

"You understand everything I told you so far?" he asks, just in case there was something the prince did not understand.

"Yes, I do. You can continue your story."

"Alright. So, Rach wanted to break into this field and become a journalist. He tries submitting some stories, paying the fees, and everything, but it does not get put on the board.

His main problem was that he was competing against more trustworthy journalists the news board and the community already knew. He needed something new, something the popular journalists do not touch on, but something big that it would catch the people's attention. This is where I come in."

Frisk leaned in and assumed a more serious posture.

"I told him my story, about what actually happened with those two noble boys and asked him if he can write a story about it. He agrees on the condition that I bring in physical evidence validating my perspective, alongside that other knight who was with me that day.

I hoped that, if I get my side of the story out with some evidence, I will be able to redeem myself in the eyes of my community."

"Hm… I see. Thought may I ask why did he need the other knight for?" Howard questioned.

"He was also discharged from being a knight that day. Rach told me that if I wanted to make a strong case, I would need a lot of evidence to prove it. So, if I manage to convince him to take action with me, I might have a better chance to clear my name," Frisk replied.

"What about your family? Did he not tell you to contact them?"

"He did, and I agreed. I went back to my old family's residence to try and get them to talk to me. My dad and my brothers did, but moms didn't. She threatened to... Eh… you know…" Frisk ran his thumb across his neck. Howard recognized what it meant; the woman threatened to kill herself.

"And what about the other guy and his family? Did they agree to help you?"

"I tried convincing the other family to join me in my pursuit of redemption. Though they were reluctant at first, I managed to convince them to join on one condition. I had to find some valid proof we all could use against the nobles."

"Just like Mr. Rach?"

"Just like Mr. Rach," Frisk replied.

"To be honest, I wasn't sure if there was any physical evidence left of the incident. By that point, the incident happened just 4 years ago. Even if there was, I didn't know where to look," he confessed.

"But then, it hit me! I remembered that those mage healers always kept health reports of patients, especially if they were important. These records not only hold physical evaluations but also psychological evaluations.

If they have been mistreated mentally or physically, they would have examined their health and recorded it.

If I can find a record dating back to the day, or near the day they got… 'abused', I could prove to them that they were indeed lying about what happened…" Howard slowly raises his hand to get Frisk's attention, like a student wanting to ask his teacher a question.

"Yes?"

"How were you sure that they did do a medical examination?" the man asked.

"They always do when they come back. Lukeword has a lot of venomous animals and insects that could harm any Northerner's health."

"But even if they did have a medical record, won't they have the power to manipulate the documents" Howard brought up.

"I mean, if they can use their connections to discharge you dishonorably, won't they be able to manipulate the records?" he elaborated.

"They could have if they had control of the legion of knights that is. Unfortunately for them, the legion is under the control of the capital, which enforces strict protocols to ensure nothing like that happens." Frisk answers.

"In their case, they would have two originals of the medical record. One for them to keep safely, and the other for the mages to keep. If they attempted to change or destroy the original government, then they might face scrutiny from the crown, who set up these rules."

"Then why did the legion of knights let you get discharged?" Howard asked next.

"I think it had something to do with funding. The legion of knights down in Lukeword don't get as much money as the ones in the north. They often have to rely on rich tourists and other sources to keep the organization running.

Disposing of two knights for the nobles was much considered the better move, rather than losing the nobles as potential tourists for the future," he explains.

Howard took note of that statement about the legion of knights. It appears that they are solely loyal to whoever was funding them. In the case of the North, it was the king. In the case of Lukeword, the South, it was whoever was paying them, directly or indirectly.

"One more thing. Why do the healer mages store their records in the Legion of Knight headquarters? Are they, or are they not knights?"

"From what I know, the organization was originally founded to train commoners with great proficiency in magic to be fighters to kill demons. However, over time, it evolved to take in magic users proficient in all areas.

The main task of the legion of knights now is to recruit and train people with proficient magic capacities, and help them specialize in their field."

"Ah! I see. Thank you for answering my questions. You may continue the story."

"Alright. Now where was I? Oh yes…" Frisk quickly remembered.

"I agreed to their terms and went onward to try and find those medical records. I first tracked down their residence and tried to find a way to sneak in. However, without the architect's plan, that was an impossible task for just one man with small pockets."

"So how did you get inside their residence? Did you get help?"

"No. I instead broke into the headquarters of the Legion of Knights. From there, I managed to snag up a bunch of documents regarding their health around the time of the incident, and left the scene," he claimed.

"I beg your pardon, but you broke into their headquarters? How did you pull that off?"

"Simple, your highness. I first acquired a formal knight uniform from a eh… shady tailor and then waited around till some kind of festival took place. It was during those special times when most Knights took their days off, to enjoy time with their family, or whatever they wanted to do."

"Next thing I did was craft some kind of story, some identity as to who I was. You know, to give anyone a solid and consistent excuse for why I was there. I made sure to practice all my lines, before heading inside," he added.

"Now, once I was inside, I put up a lot of confidence and talked to the receptionist like any other knight would. She got fooled by my disguise and led me to the area where they kept the records. I grabbed a copy of the original medical records, and left the city as soon as possible."

As Howard listened to his story, he felt he was nowhere near learning about the printing press. With his patience diminishing rather quickly, he asked Frisk about it.

"Hmm… That is very fascinating, and all, but may I ask how the printing press came into this?" he inquired.

"Well, well I came back to Sanora to give Rach the medical report. Rach immediately wrote up a story about it. However, when it was given to the board to publish, the application was rejected, and he was no longer allowed to submit any stories to the board anymore." he replies.