Free Web NovelChapter 143: [Sage Mode] Mechanical Clocks Probably Exist in the Medieval Fantasy World
When I do shiritori, if I say "clockwise," no one understands me. That’s because I’ve never seen a mechanical clock with the hand moving clockwise on a dial.
However, just as there’s a water clock in the church where we’re staying as freeloaders, clocks exist in this world.
So what about a mechanical clock with many gears turning round and round and the hand circling the dial?
Medieval European mechanical clocks have survived in modern times, and this northern European world probably already has mechanical clocks too, or they might be under development and complete at any moment.
In medieval Europe, there was a religious reason to pray at fixed times, so the development of clocks was urgent and advanced faster than other technology.
The church rang bells at fixed hours, so medieval people recognized bells and clocks as the same thing.
The only difference was whether you listened with your ears or looked at the hand — in terms of telling time, clocks and bells were indistinguishable.
Bells were a means of conveying time and were not clocks themselves, but in the Middle Ages they were called "clocks."
That’s why even if I’m using the other-world translation term "clock," Esty-san and the others might have understood it as "bell."
Just as clocca in Latin became cloche in French and was transmitted to England becoming clock in English, the habit of using the same word for bell and clock still exists today.
Because fantasy works never show clocks at all, they feel like unknown technology. But that’s not true.
The Palace of Versailles, which is thought to have been the model for many fantasy royal palaces, was built in 1682 on the order of Louis XIV.
Portable clocks are even older — Louis XI had one made in 1480 by a clockmaker.
From this, it’s clear that in an era of glamorous social circles, properly made clocks existed that modern people would imagine.
Yet why don’t fantasy manga and novels have clocks?
Who and when did the writers get brainwashed into thinking "there are no mechanical clocks in medieval fantasy"?
As a child, I was read Cinderella in a medieval world where the bell at 12:00 sounded, and I knew clocks have existed since a very early time... yet...
It’s still because the huge subject "medieval Europe was throwing poop out windows" has too strong an impact, and everyone thinks "there’s no way to have mechanical clocks in an era where people throw poop out windows"...
Clocks are distant from fantasy, but actually they pair very well with it.
That’s because clocks can be classified under the four major attributes of fantasy standard settings.
The four attributes for clocks are slightly different from magic in anime/manga, but the following four:
Heaven.
Water.
Earth.
Fire.
First, ’Heaven’ taught humans time. Sundials used the movement of shadows cast by the sun. Astronomical clocks that calculate time from the relative positions of stars are also included in ’Heaven’ clocks.
Next, ’Water’ taught humans time. It started with the water clock called Clepsydra in ancient Greece, and later various water clocks are included in this.
Next, ’Earth’ taught humans time. This is the hourglass. It’s the thing sold at 100-yen shops that’s convenient when making instant ramen. Columbus, who discovered the American continent, is said to have measured time by flipping an hourglass six times a day, each taking four hours.
Next, ’Fire’ taught humans time. This is the burning clock that measures time by wax candles or incense burning. Oil-lamp clocks are also included.
There’s also an ’Air’ attribute air-pressure clock that tells time by air pressure, but it doesn’t exist in the Middle Ages, so I’ll skip it. This sends compressed air from factories through pipes to public facilities to tell time.
Note that all of these four-element clocks are recorded as "clocks" in manuscripts, so later researchers were confused about what they were referring to.
There’s a Japanese document that says "In the 10th century, Pope Sylvester II used a mechanical clock to ring bells," but this is exactly the misunderstanding caused by the same notation mentioned earlier. As of 2015, it was considered an astronomical clock used by Sylvester II, but more than 100 historians have been studying it without reaching a conclusion. In other words, claiming mechanical clocks existed in the 10th century has weak evidence.
It’s not clear exactly when mechanical clocks appeared.
Even the mechanical clocks still in churches today today show signs of later repairs, and even if theories of mechanical clocks are drawn in old manuscripts, it’s not clear if they were actually realized.
Modern authority on medieval history, Emmanuel Poulle, argues that mechanical clocks appeared at the end of the 13th century, and this theory is influential.
In any case, even if I don’t claim mechanical clocks existed from the 10th century, most medieval fantasy is set after the 13th century by the description, so it’s no wonder mechanical clocks exist.
Karan. Karan.
A bell rang from above.
They were measuring time with the water clock on the ground and Rafilia-san was manually ringing the bell in the bell tower.
Montvant’s church doesn’t have a mechanical clock yet.
It has a water clock and a wax candle with memory markings.
If you go to the royal capital of Le Blanc, there might be a mechanical clock face on the cathedral bell tower.
...Hm?
The sound of the bell announcing 6 AM came.
Did I enter Sage Mode?
What the hell?
I had left Montvant, spent last night expanding Iferaski’s urethra in the dead center of the wasteland, drunk her pee because it was too delicious, and passed out...
Is it my imagination, or am I now in the usual kitchen/dining hut of Montvant’s church, with Iferaski or Letree-san sucking my cock?
It wasn’t imagination.
I opened my eyelids, raised my head a little, and looked toward my cock.
"Good morning, Master Masharu."
"Pi!"
...Not imagination.
Iferaski and Letree-san were licking my cock together, one on the left and one on the right.
"Eh? What the hell is going on?"
"We talked about who would give you morning service and couldn’t reach an agreement, so we decided to serve you together."
"I see. What I wanted to know wasn’t why the two of you are licking together, but why I’m in the church right now, but..."
"This morning, when I noticed, you were sleeping here with the long robe as the blanket."
"Eh? Is that right?"
Did I actually leave on a journey?
The outside was faintly dark. There were popping sounds, and it seemed to be raining.
Maybe Lucia, who was still half-asleep after masturbating, had accidentally returned to Montvant?
Letree-san handed me the folded long robe, so while putting it on, I talked to Lucia in my mind.
’Lucia, hello’
’Nnn. What’s up’
’Back in the church. Put me back in the hut last night’
’Ah... I got it wrong. Putting you back’
’Wait just a second’
If I suddenly disappear, that’s a problem.
I stroked Iferaski’s and Letree-san’s heads.
"The journey was successful. Shepa is fine too. I returned with a skill, but I’ll resume the journey soon."
"Yes. Understood."
"Then please continue handling things at the church."
"Yes."
"Iferaski, please take care of Fullru’s rehabilitation too."
"Pi!"
Alright. That should be fine.
’Alright, Lucia, put me back.’
’Understood. I’ll return to a slightly farther position.’
’Ah. If I do that, Fairy will notice my power and get surprised, so come out a little farther than yesterday.’
’Understood.’
Shyuin.
Pass!
I instantly moved to the wasteland.
Para para para...
Ah. It’s raining.
"Let’s hurry back to the hut."
"Yeah."
I ran back to the hut.
Fortunately, because it was raining and the outside was dark, no one had woken up yet. The alarm clock-like bell didn’t ring near the hut.
I entered the hut, and Lucia shook her body like a dog, splashing water everywhere. I see. Capybara girls do that too.
I tried shaking my body left and right to imitate her.
Pechin! Pechin! Pechin!
My long robe spread out, and my cock rubbed against my thighs with a pechi pechi sound.
"Uuun... What’s that sound~..."
Oh no. Did my cock noise wake Esty-san?
