*** *** *** *** ***
In the past, I lamented that God was unfair, but in truth, God was remarkably fair.
Next to the humble Regis family, which could hardly be considered noble, lived an old man named Von Neumann.
Does the name ring a bell? He was the greatest genius since the founding of this kingdom. According to legend, he could mentally calculate eight-digit by eight-digit multiplication at the age of seven.
However, while he might have been a genius, he possessed an extremely eccentric nature.
As a result of reaping what he sowed with that personality, the kingdom’s greatest genius ended up occupying a corner of a street where only humble nobles lived, without any family.
Even this great figure, who published new papers every week and changed the paradigms of all kinds of scholarship in the kingdom, pondered in his later years.
‘What was the meaning of my life?’
There would be plenty of people foaming at the mouth, asking what more meaning he needed after plastering his name across numerous works in fields ranging from mathematics and physics to chemistry.
But in any case, Neumann had no friends, so there was no one to hear his well-fed grumbling.
One day, as the genius old man sat idly, two young girls appeared before him. They were sisters living next door.
‘What is this? Not even an ugly duckling.’
The younger girl was beautiful enough to catch the attention of this eccentric old man.
Her face had a perfectly balanced structure, and though she seemed only about six years old, her every step exuded elegance, like a baby swan.
But the older girl leading her had her frizzy red hair tied up carelessly.
She had the same blue eyes as her sister, but they were slanted, suggesting a bad temper.
Her face was already full of freckles. The only redeeming feature was her height, which was taller than her peers. Of course, even that was scrawny and unimpressive.
‘The mystery of genetics.’
As he observed the two sisters with a scholarly eye, the younger girl noticed his gaze and trotted over to Neumann.
“Hello, Grandpa.”
By then, rumors were starting to spread in the capital that the second daughter of Baron Regis was so lovely that she was unforgettable after one glance.
Neumann nodded, acknowledging that she was indeed a pretty child.
It was then that the red-haired girl, who seemed to be the older sister, pulled her sister’s hand and warned in a low voice.
“Karla. You shouldn’t approach strangers so carelessly.”
“Sister, you’re so suspicious. Not everyone in the world is as mean as you.”
At her sister’s retort, the older girl’s face flared with anger, only to extinguish quickly. It was a clear resignation.
‘What’s this?’
Neumann, who had once introduced the term ‘learned helplessness’ in psychology, watched with interest. It was then that the younger girl clenched her tiny fist and asked.
Grandpa, they say you’re a great genius. I heard you can speak eight languages.”
It’s twelve languages, you fool.
Neumann’s lips twisted cynically. Having lived a long life, Neumann could recognize people at a glance.
A child accustomed to being loved, who took it for granted and was indifferent to others.
Even though she was just a child, Neumann’s prickly personality couldn’t let it pass. He replied in a gruff voice.
“Kind child, this is your name.”
He wrote on the ground with his cane.
<Idiot>
Neumann kindly(?) wrote ‘idiot’ eight times in eight different languages. He didn’t expect the children to recognize it.
But what was this? The older girl burst into laughter.
“Haha! Yes, this is my sister’s name.”
He had deliberately avoided using the imperial standard language and the language of the Adelbar Kingdom, yet she recognized it? Neumann’s eyebrows shot up.
“(How did you know?)”
“(Because I studied.)”
Seeing the younger girl blinking cluelessly, it was clear she hadn’t been taught at home, which was astonishing.
‘What an amusing girl?’
Thus began the meeting between Karen, the eldest daughter of the Regis family, and Von Neumann, the greatest scholar of the Adelbar Kingdom.
*** *** *** *** ***
In Von Neumann’s long life, there were many events, but none as spectacular as meeting Karen.
The girl, with an ordinary face but an extraordinary mind, absorbed Von Neumann’s knowledge like a sponge. By the time she was fourteen, Karen had already acquired university-level knowledge.
“You’re still far from it.”
The eccentric old man always criticized her like that, but inwardly, he was amazed by Karen’s abilities. To meet such a genius before dying made him feel grateful even to a God he didn’t believe in.
Whenever such conversations arose, Karen would chuckle and recite a blasphemous poem,
“Our Father in heaven, just stay there. Then I shall remain here.”
It was a cynically mature attitude for her age.
However, even in Karen’s seemingly cold heart, there was a serious fracture. It was because of her sister, Karla.
At the age of thirteen for Karla and fourteen for Karen, Karla’s divine power manifested with a dazzling light.
It was a day eighty years after the last saint had appeared.
A kind old priest, who had followed the stars’ path solely to witness the birth of a saint, wept as he washed Karla’s feet.
That day was also Karen’s first academic presentation.
Naturally, it received disappointingly little attention. People only chased after Karla’s angelic appearance, gentle speech, and the dazzling radiance of divine light.
“Karen.”
Why was the timing so terrible? Von Neumann lamented the unfair world, but no matter how much he despaired, it couldn’t compare to Karen’s own despair.
Karen laughed as she tore apart her 100-page paper filled with numerous formulas and proofs.
“This is all trash. No matter how brilliant the knowledge and new hypotheses sparkle in my head, they can’t even follow the invisible heel of God.”
The dazzling light on Karla’s golden hair was like a symbol of a living God.
Who would listen to hypotheses that might or might not be true when a miracle was right before their eyes?
Karen laughed. Everything felt futile.
‘As it stands, no matter what achievements Karen makes, she’ll only hear that it’s God’s grace.’
Watching his fourteen-year-old disciple become hysterical and even attempt self-harm, Von Neumann made the biggest decision of his life.
“Let’s leave this country.”
Thus, the old man and his disciple left their birthplace and headed to Leahian, a warm maritime city on the opposite end of the continent.
It was truly a grand journey across the continent. Since they both spoke twelve languages fluently, passing through unfamiliar countries was not daunting.
For the Adelbar Kingdom, it was a loss of a rare genius, but at that time, no one knew.
*** *** *** *** ***
Leahian was a country with an atmosphere completely different from Adelbar.
Both had a mild Mediterranean climate and shared a relaxed, prosperous national character, but Leahian was more liberal.
This atmosphere played a significant role in the teacher and student duo, who had traveled across the continent, putting down roots in Leahian.
In this leisurely city, no one paid attention to the pair.
For the two who had grown tired of attracting attention simply for being an old grandfather and a young girl, the rather indifferent and free atmosphere was very appealing.
“You know what, Karen? This country has a real god.”
The god of Leahian was on a different level from Adelbar’s god, who only bestowed a sliver of divine radiance when about to be forgotten.
Soneti, the young queen of Leahian, was born between an angel and a demigod, and she herself was a transcendent being who had attained the qualification of a god.
“Young traveler, may the abundance of Granche be with you.”
“The glory of this country shall be eternal.”
Those who served a true god did not doubt their rosy future in the slightest. Due to the relaxed social atmosphere and strong faith in their god, the level of scholarship in Leahian was elementary.
For intellectuals about to make a fresh start, it was truly a land of opportunity. And Karen had both the knowledge and the desire for recognition to match.
“What’s your name?”
When submitting her first paper to a Leahian academic society, Karen was momentarily stumped when asked for the presenter’s name.
Was there really a need to keep using the surname of parents who had done nothing but give birth to her?
“Karen, Karen Prime.”
Prime. Fundamental. It was an audacious name for a mere young girl to use, but Karen uttered it with her lips.
By the time that name spread throughout Leahian, no one dared call Karen arrogant. Because by then, she was known as.
Karen Prime, the greatest scholar of Leahian.
Leave a Reply