“Guess I’m getting old,” Yuuto thought wistfully.
Two weeks later, Yuuto and his entourage touched down on one of the islands that were known collectively as the Cyclades in the twenty-first century, located within the Aegean Sea. He could see sun-dried mud-brick buildings populating the rolling hills in the distance.
“Well guys, this is it. Our new home,” Yuuto pronounced proudly.
“Wow, looks like things are really taking shape here,” Mitsuki said, looking impressed.
“Makes sense. We did kick things off a year ago after all,” Yuuto replied, the corner of his mouth turning up in a sly grin. When he’d sent a crew to investigate last year, he’d learned that there had been a massive volcanic eruption during the time of the residents’ grandparents’ grandparents. Apparently quite destructive, the disaster had wiped out much of the central Cyclades, where there had previously been a large island. After a session of internet searches, Yuuto had determined that it was most likely what was now known in modern times as the great Minoan eruption of 1628 BCE. One theory even suggested that the calamity, which had affected the entire Aegean Sea, had been the original basis for Plato’s Atlantis theory. “This too must be fate," Yuuto had thought at the time.
After the eruption, the islands of Cyclades had been largely abandoned, and he knew the volcano would remain dormant until 197 BCE. In addition, it didn’t rain very often in the Cyclades—its annual rain density was less than 400 milliliters—so it was the optimal climate to use the sun-dried bricks he was used to. In other words, there was no better location to call home.
“Lord Reginarch, it’s been a while! Welcome back!”
“Lord Reginarch, thanks for all your hard work!”
“All hail Lord Reginarch!” The moment that Yuuto exited the ship and touched down on land, an eager mob of over two hundred, consisting of his most devout followers and their families, ran to greet him. They’d all known about Yuuto’s plan to retire beforehand and had asked to come along. In truth, nearly a thousand of his subjects had expressed interest in joining Yuuto, but he’d had to narrow it down to two hundred in the end, as taking all one thousand along simply wasn’t feasible. Many of them were veteran Muspell unit members who’d kept Yuuto and his family safe for many years now as royal guards, but the sworn children, sisters, and brothers underneath his other wives were also in the mix. Yuuto had sent them all to the island a year ago to prepare adequate housing—both in terms of quantity and quality.
“Hey guys.” Yuuto raised a hand to greet them back. “I can’t thank you enough for all your hard work. You’ve sure got things looking good here!” With limited personnel on the island, he honestly hadn’t anticipated that they’d be able to make this much progress in only a year. Just by looking at how much they’d already accomplished, it was clear how much effort had gone into it. As their superior, it was his duty to recognize and reward those efforts—the moment he thought that, he chided himself for thinking so snobbishly.
“Lord Reginarch, welcome back. It’s been a while, hasn’t it?” An elderly man approached him.
“Oh, hey, Ginnar! I haven’t seen you in forever!” Yuuto’s reply was as if he’d come across an old friend.
Upon taking the old adage “start with the small things” to heart, Yuuto had brought Ginnar into his service back when he’d still been patriarch of the Wolf Clan. Even after becoming reginarch of the Steel Clan, Yuuto had continued to use Ginnar’s wealth of experience as a merchant to maintain diplomatic relations with the clans all across Yggdrasil, and upon migrating to the New World, the old man’s knowledge of commerce had been key in supplying goods and opening up new markets. Put simply, he was a reliable, influential man who had always had the Steel Clan’s back.
“Let me thank you once more for coming along,” Yuuto began.
“Ha, after such a fervent invitation from our Lord Reginarch, how was I supposed to refuse?” Ginnar interjected with a wistful grin, followed by a shrug.
While everyone else had taken Yuuto’s hand without even a moment’s hesitation, Ginnar’s circumstances were a bit different. While it was true that Yuuto had decided to become a merchant, he was a complete novice in that department, and trying to cultivate a society of two hundred without even knowing the tricks of the trade would have been tantamount to sentencing everyone to death. As such, he’d needed an old hat like Ginnar at his disposal who could navigate the world of mercantilism, so Yuuto had forcibly recruited him.
“I really do appreciate it, though. By the way, I’m not the reginarch anymore, so keep that in mind, okay?” He spoke in a voice loud enough for everyone to hear. Truthfully, hearing everyone say “Lord Reginarch, Lord Reginarch” had bothered him. After finally laying down that burden, being referred to by that name felt unpleasant.
“Then what would you like to be called?” Ginnar asked.
“How about my name? I’d probably prefer that the most,” Yuuto replied.
“Oh, I could never...!”
“It isn’t that big of a deal, is it?” Yuuto scratched his head in vexation. He was no longer the reginarch or anything special like that, so he preferred to be addressed straightforwardly, like a normal human. It seemed that was a tall ask for his followers, however. Glancing around, he saw everyone shaking their heads no vehemently.
“Dammit, looks tike they can’t help but treat me like some sort of deity. "While Yuuto didn’t value himself that highly, if one looked at his accomplishments through an objective lens, it was probably no wonder they felt that way. In fact, if Yuuto had been in their shoes, he’d probably have withered in his own presence as well.
“Hrm... Then what should I get you guys to call me?” he asked the crowd before him.
“‘Former Reginarch,’ perhaps? Or Your Former Majesty’?” one replied.
“Mm, that seems kind of silly since I’m still working to found a new society as we speak. Also, both of those make me sound like I’m at least a hundred years old.” Yuuto scrunched up his face in displeasure. While those monikers certainly did honor the status Yuuto had held, he was still only in his midthirties. He didn’t want a title that made him sound like an old fart.
“Then how about just a standard ‘Boss’?” Mitsuki struck her palm with her fist as though she’d hit upon something brilliant.
“Ah yeah, that’s a great idea!” Yuuto snapped his fingers. “That works, since I’m gonna be the head of a trading firm! Then, from now on you can address me as the boss of Iarnvidr Trading Company!”
“Boss, is it? All right, I understand. Then that will be how I’ll refer to you from now on. But... You said ‘Iarnvidr Trading Company’ just now, did you not?” Ginnar’s eyes softened as if reminiscing on a fond memory. Perhaps he was recalling the familiar scenery of the town that had long since sunk beneath the ocean waves. Yuuto, too, gave a solemn nod.
“That’s like my second home, after all. I have a lot of memories there. It’s the least I can do to name my company after it in its honor,” Yuuto replied.
“I think it’s a wonderful idea.” The elderly man approved.
“Sweet! All right then, you guys, this moment marks the birth of the Iarnvidr Trading Company!” Yuuto thrust his fist in the air triumphantly.
“Yeaaaah!” When he did, everyone else followed suit, letting out cries of vigor and excitement as they thrust their fists upwards.
“With this level of hot-bloodedness, it feels more tike we’re going to war than founding a trading company,” Ginnar thought, but he wisely kept that comment to himself.
The lives of the newly retired Yuuto and his crew had finally begun.
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