The Reincarnated Thirty-Something Woman’s Otherworldly Reform Life
[The History of the Gilmore Family]
Translated by: ME
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For a few days, Rosa seemed somewhat reserved, but after several more days passed, she seemed to have returned to normal.
Magnolia returned to her daily routine of doing one or two small embroidery pieces as a daily task and then holing up in the library. Rosa said nothing.
***
The origins of the Gilmore family are quite old, and no clear details remain. There are theories that they ruled a small country in an era before it was consolidated as a nation, or that they were a powerful clan somewhere. There are also legends that they were a warrior race, or that they were guardians appointed by the gods to protect the country (what's that about?), with a wide variety of stories.
Even in Earth's history, there are plenty of things not clearly understood about the formation of countries in the distant past, the so-called ancient eras. In such cases, it's no exaggeration to say that starting with mythological stories is one standard approach.
One could also say it's inevitable for historical records, as the practice of recording facts accurately was adopted much later, and they are often revised or falsified due to political backgrounds.
At the very least, the 'Gilmore Family' appears sporadically in several historical texts from about 800-900 years ago, so it seems to be a family lineage that has continued for roughly a thousand years.
The current royal family has been on the throne for less than two hundred years. The previous dynasty lasted about three hundred years, so this means the Gilmores are an old, established family that has served multiple royal houses.
***
This vast land, referred to as the 'Continent,' is a place crowded with three major powers—the Monteorona Theocracy, said to be the land of magic; the Marinase Empire, a military nation said to be the land of the sea; and here, the Ascald Kingdom, called the land of flowers—along with ten medium and small countries.
The era of mutual aid in settlements had ended. As the population grew, power emerged. As wisdom increased, schemes and conspiracies were triggered. And with the increase of wealth and power, it goes without saying.
Even in a different world, the historical progression of humanity seems no different from Earth's.
About three hundred years ago, wars began breaking out everywhere. History tells us that the last hundred years, in particular, known as the 'Great War' or the 'Hundred Years War,' involved battles that engulfed the entire continent and were extremely fierce.
It was the former King of Ascald and the then-Marshal, the previous Marquis Gilmore, who put an end to this century-long great war.
The Gilmore family was originally one of the houses tasked with bearing the core of the military and national defense in the Ascald Kingdom. Among its lineage of warriors, the one said to possess peerless strength was Magnolia's grandfather, who was the Marquis Gilmore at the time.
The grandfather, known only through portraits, is a brawny, large man.
Of course, Magnolia has never met him.
It seems he was granted a new territory about ten years ago and is now the Margrave of Azenda.
***
Servas Jean Gilmore, the 56th head of the Gilmore family, was born as the only son between his father, renowned as a famous general in an age of war, and his mother, a beautiful woman called the 'Fairy Princess of a Ruined Nation.' From childhood, he received training in various martial arts.
Displaying his exceptional physical abilities, gifted physique, and talent to the fullest, he formally joined the Gilmore Knight Order at eighteen. He then fought in various regions, and by the tender age of twenty, he had conquered five countries and defeated numerous military commanders.
His fame resounded throughout the continent especially after he scored a major victory by taking the head of the emperor of a desert country, notorious as the 'Malicious Demon Emperor' for his extreme brutality.
A giant red-haired man over two meters tall. A body like a small mountain, covered in robust muscles.
Due to his fearsome demeanor when wielding his sword, he was apparently greatly feared, called names like the 'Crimson Devil,' 'Devil General,' or 'Red Ogre General.'
And then, about twenty years ago now... precisely eighteen years ago.
Through exhaustive use of both force and negotiation, spurred by the Ascald King's efforts who lamented the future of the utterly devastated continent, a non-aggression pact was first signed between the three major powers, leading to treaties being signed between all countries and the war's end.
Thus, the century-long great war that had engulfed the entire continent came to a tentative conclusion.
...That said, peace didn't arrive immediately. Civil wars, internal conflicts, skirmishes between small nations, invasions, and pillaging occurred, plunging various parts of the continent into chaos for nearly a decade. The number and form of countries changed constantly, progressing through cycles of reconstruction and exhaustion.
And for the following ten years or so, a peaceful era has finally arrived, it seems.
Looking out the library window.
A beautiful inner garden overflowing with greenery and colorful flowers. A lovely miniature garden, like a symbol of peace, where small birds sing and butterflies flutter their wings.
***
And so, the history of the Gilmore family is woven.
Servas has one biological son and one adopted son. Two sons with a significant age gap.
In this world where people marry early, Servas was unusually late, marrying at twenty-eight. His eldest son was born when he was thirty-one.
The eldest son is the biological child and 57th head, Gerald Silas Gilmore.
As befits an eldest son, he was serious and calm, and from a young age, he apparently assisted his mother and shared the burden of territorial administration in place of his father, who was constantly away on battlefields.
Intelligent and composed. Compared to his rough grandfather and father, he was a beautiful boy with princely qualities.
Yet, despite being such a boy, true to the Gilmore mold, he was also skilled in swordsmanship, commanding the private knight order. It is said that when his father was injured in a civil war zone, Gerald, still a student at just sixteen, led the knight order left in the territory to the battlefield. In his first battle, he captured an enemy commander, took him prisoner, and brilliantly outmaneuvered the opposing army, forcing their retreat—a notable military exploit.
The heir who possessed the heart and soul said to be more Gilmore than anyone else.
The Gilmore are one of the few houses permitted to maintain a private knight order for national defense.
Therefore, while they tend to be noted for warriors excelling in martial arts and swordsmanship, their original role is 'Protectors of the Nation.'
From childhood, he protected the family name, the territory, and its people, and at times protected his fallen father. When necessary, he used his intellect and martial prowess to control the battle.
The young lord who embodies the spirit and role of the Gilmore.
The father Magnolia saw was certainly not small in stature, but his height was only slightly above average. From over his clothes, one couldn't discern any massively robust, solid muscles.
If it's not an exaggeration... it's impossible to connect the father Gerald's elegant figure to that cartoonishly muscular, Daruma-like portrait of his grandfather. It's a parental fraud.
(I see. Those thick, rugged hands are the hands of someone who grips a sword.)
Well, perhaps he doesn't use a sword but swings around a battle-axe or a halberd instead.
(Since he's a civil official, I had assumed he was an intellectual, humanities-type, urbane young man.)
If the history books haven't been falsified, then despite his wealthy upbringing, he's had quite a hard life.
And contrary to his gentle appearance, it seems he's surprisingly martial.
Furthermore, he apparently graduated at the top of his class in both the lower and upper divisions of the Royal Academy.
(What is this? Is he some kind of cheat character? Are you not being overly deferential to the old man??)
Then why did he marry Wisteria...? I hate to say it, but there must have been better people.
Her looks? The type who finds a willful, demanding girl cute??
I'm getting flashes of a pattern from my previous life: the elite young master rebels to spread his wings and gets caught by a sharp hostess, resulting in a shotgun wedding.
Or the hidden mental-health-issue pattern where the sheltered young lady unconsciously, deliberately gets involved with a deadbeat man to ruin herself. In this case, it's the young master, not the lady.
...Well, there are surely things only the couple themselves understand.
Let's just close that topic.
'There's no accounting for taste.' 'It's best not to interfere in a lovers' quarrel.' 'Every pot has a matching lid.'
Topic closed.
***
And then, the second son, Claude Allen Gilmore.
He was a war orphan from the time when the Azenda territory was still the small country of the Azenda Duchy.
It's recorded that he was the sole survivor of a Baron's family that fell victim to an invading country during the war. He was found as a newborn, hidden in a secret room, weakened, by Servas, who was there as reinforcements, and was protected and taken in.
He is ten years younger than the biological son, Gerald.
He was exceptionally brilliant from a very young age and also graduated from the Royal Academy at the top of his class in both divisions.
While enrolled, he engaged in joint research with teachers and gained recognition for various things, and was apparently called a once-in-a-generation genius at the Academy.
He is also, inevitably, the future Margrave of Azenda.
Although it was earnestly desired that he remain at the Academy to utilize his brilliant mind, he naturally joined the Gilmore Knight Order after graduation and, as a knight, helps his adoptive father manage both the Knight Order and the Margraviate.
It seems he is quite strong as a knight, said to be one of the top five swordsmen in the Gilmore Knight Order. He is called the second coming of Servas, and due to his black-haired appearance, he is recorded as being called the 'Black Lion of Azenda.'
He is still young, and since it's already peacetime, he seems to have no major military exploits, but if the records are true, he's also a bundle of cheat attributes.
On top of that, he has the unfortunate orphan attribute. It's a major traffic jam of character traits.
His epithets like 'Devil' and 'Black Lion' are also pretty cringe. It makes one's evil eye twitch.
***
There was also a portrait in that gallery, likely painted before he moved to Azenda at age nine, depicting his grandfather and grandmother, his father, and the young Claude together.
The young uncle, standing next to his brother Gerald with a slightly nervous expression, was an extremely handsome boy with black hair and bluish-purple eyes.
If the young Gerald was a soothing, soft-featured pretty boy (in appearance), then Claude was an intelligent—or rather, with narrow eyes, a high nose bridge, and thin lips—an incredibly beautiful, handsome pretty boy of the refined type.
(But... will my brother be alright in the future?)
My thoughts turn to the young Brian, with his prince-like coloring and prince-like (arrogant) attitude.
Both his father and uncle are improbably accomplished in both literary and military arts, and his grandfather is a legendary knight feared enough to be called a demon or devil.
My brother... I don't know about his prowess in 'military' arts, but I have a feeling he's probably catastrophically bad at the 'literary' ones. He doesn't seem the type for strategies either... He radiates an overwhelming sense of being a small fry.
Since the wars ended and it was judged better to strengthen the border defense with the establishment of the Azenda Margraviate, the Gilmore Knight Order kept its name but effectively became the Knight Order of the Margrave of Azenda.
There were probably various adult circumstances involved here.
Magnolia, of course, wasn't present at the time, so she doesn't know the precise, accurate reasons—like why they didn't change the knight order's name, or the fundamental reason for taking the knight order away from a prestigious military family. But she can infer and imagine various possibilities.
If the uncle is the designated Margrave of Azenda, then even if her brother were to join the Gilmore Knight Order (though realistically, he'll probably join the capital's knight order or army due to his future role in governing the Gilmore territory), he wouldn't become its leader, so perhaps there's no need to consider whether he has the makings of a commander.
At the Academy, being constantly compared to those around him and his teachers sounds tough, and being the Gilmore heir also seems like it would bring immense pressure unless one is exceptionally talented.
Being an ordinary person among geniuses and prodigies seems incredibly difficult. Just thinking about it, the only comment that comes to mind is 'my condolences.' If it were me, I'd be at a complete loss.
***
Well, so it goes. The family line continues, but the Gilmore house, which served as the nation's protector for nearly a millennium, has ended, and its role has been transferred to the Margrave of Azenda house.
The father, who is said to be more Gilmore than anyone else.
...A father who couldn't interact properly with his own father, who moved from battlefield to battlefield since childhood, who always feared his father's death, who, despite his youth, protected his mother and adoptive younger brother, and was entrusted with the house.
Just when peace finally seemed to arrive, his own childhood was over, and his family had left without him.
He inherited the Gilmore title early, but the Gilmore he inherited was not the true Gilmore meant by its history up to that point.
「I see, I see.」
Magnolia muttered to herself, her eyes tracing the words in the history book.
Probably, the previous Marquis Gilmore and his wife were fundamentally good people.
They took in an orphan, and if the records are correct, they were the kind of people who could raise him properly, just like their biological son.
Did they expect too much of their own son? Or did they become complacent because he was such a capable child?
The times were probably bad too. Under different circumstances, they might have been people who could have been more attentive.
The fact that he refused the promotion to Duke and deliberately split the territory in two probably means he was a person without desire for advancement or honor.
While I can't say for sure without knowing the situation at the time, it was probably the right decision.
But for Father—for Gerald—it might have been better if he had become a Duke.
I'm sure many things wouldn't have become so twisted.
「War is tewwible, isn't it.」
The muttered words slipped out and dissolved into the quiet library.
To varying degrees, in that era of the past, there must have been many children like the young Gerald. Many children in situations similar to my uncle whom I've never met. And many children who were never saved, never scooped up, and simply returned faintly to the earth.
I don't affirm the circumstances I'm in.
But I feel like I can understand a little of the young Gerald's frustration, and I let out a small sigh.
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