Gender Roles are Reversed in this World

Leftovers from a Legendary War

One day, October and this bed were going to get married. She couldn't remember a better sleep. For the first time in years, her back didn't hurt when she woke up. And because she wasn't woken up by the pain, she slept in longer than she intended to. That morning was the first time in close to ten years that October actually felt rested--even though Sir Fancy Fins had been gumming at her face when she woke up.

When she opened the door, there was a basket filled with clothing--all in her size. There was a long, blue robe, clasped in the front with peal beads and embroidered with the pattern of clouds and a crescent moon across the lower half, and a pair of plain, pale blue pants that cinched in at the waist with a drawstring. The robe had ties on both sides, and wrapped around the front to show the left side over the right. There was also a pair of slip-on shoes, in navy blue.

No bonuses or armor on the clothing. But, it didn't have the 'strange clothes' debuff. Plus, October felt a little weird about going outside in her pajamas. Also, were all of these made during the night after her measurements were taken? Did they just have a giant storage unit of clothes and then take them in to the right size? Or was it made from scratch? October didn't know anything about clothing production, and decided to gloss right on over that.

"What do you think?" She asked Sir Fancy Fins and spun around a few times.

Fancy Fins zipped off the bed, fluttering around the spinning robe in pure excitement. Well, that was positive feedback!

Over the last week and a half, Lady Vivi had introduced bits and pieces of a routine. Every morning, there was a new set of clothes outside the door, often times a new pair of shoes as well. Then, October had breakfast served to her in her suite, followed by lessons from Lady Vivi. Lessons covered a number of subjects, but focused on Imperial Culture. According to Lady Vivi, they were waiting on a magic item that would automatically translate writing for October. October nearly sobbed with relief when she heard that. While all of her classmates at university were speaking three or four languages, October was only fluent in her native language and barely conversational in another. Everyone always said the third language was the hardest, and she didn't know if she could take that kind of pressure at this point.

Half-way through lessons, a handful of handsome men brought tea and snacks. They placed two three-tiered plate trays on the central table, arranged a tea set and two cups, and then finished off the table arrangement with a large vase of arranged flowers. Then they bowed, and then left the room without a word. Lady Vivi clicked her tongue as she examined the flowers.

"I heard from a previous Land Soul that your world is ruled by men," Lady Vivi said, motioning for October to sit at the table.

Lady Vivi poured both cups of tea, and placed one cup and saucer in front of October.

“It’s a true tragedy,” Lady Vivi continued, before selecting a small, dainty sandwich from the lowest tray.

“When the first Land Soul was summoned at the dawn of civilization, the one thing that she was most adamant about was that men do not have the capacity to self govern. While power may corrupt all, men are more susceptible to it and will turn this world to ruin—as they did yours.

And the first Empress remembered this when she founded the empire. I believe this is the largest difference you will find between our worlds.”

“Oh,” October said, and then stuffed a sandwich in her mouth. She couldn’t think of a response to that.

A few moments passed.

“Are there...other countries?” October asked.

“Yes. You may even meet some diplomats if you choose to remain in the capitol,” Lady Vivi replied.

Ugh. October wasn’t too fond of the idea of hanging around important people and screwing up international politics. That was a hard pass. At first, the young woman wasn’t quite sure what to say or what to ask. Lady Vivi was pretty high up in rank, and October had always felt intimidated by similar women in her old world. But, after some time, October managed to voice a few questions she had.

First, not everyone could use magic, and those with the innate capability were scouted from an early age in order to control their talents properly. Second, monsters didn’t roam freely around the countryside—this was a civilized empire with a standing force and mercenary adventurers that kept the monsters down. Third, many different humanoids inhabited the Empire and beyond it. But, their lifespans did not differ greatly. Fourth, humans were the dominant force within the Empire, due to their ability to produce viable offspring with any other type of humanoid.

As far as October could parse it, men within the Empire and most of the world had a status similar to that of women in many fantasy novels that October read in her homeworld. Men didn't have property inheritance rights, and took care of hard labor and domestic chores. In general, women had absolute control over finances, politics, and other important decisions. It also wasn't uncommon for noblemen to be married off for political gain. Some men chose the adventuring lifestyle in order to gain property rights via their accomplishments. But, it was also seen as a way to marry up into a woman's household with more status and wealth by the same method. Lady Vivi had three legal husbands and a number of concubines.

When October first heard that, she nearly spit out her tea.

"What are men like in your world?" Lady Vivi asked.

Smelly. Messy. Gross. Selfish. Childish. Entitled. These words entered Octobers head. But, she tried to put on a smile. Her experiences with men left a lot to be desired. When she was in elementary school, boys shoved grasshoppers down the back of her shirt, or made fun of her when she cried when they stepped on them. They also made fun of October for getting the first pimple in their class.

In middle school, boys pulled at her hair and threatened to cut off her braid. For some unknown reason, the teachers always took their side. Sometimes they tried to slam October's locker door on her hands, or on her head. At thirteen, October swore off real men and dedicated her heart to 2d men. Even if they weren't 'real' at least they couldn't let her down. High school boys? October refused to think about it.

"I...well. I don't think I would want to handle that many of them," she answered.

Lady Vivi nodded, sipping her tea.

"And that is why men are encouraged to take up embroidery or flower arranging, as a method to temper their base nature and teach patience. I dare not think of the boorish curs that must inhabit your original world," Lady Vivi clicked her tongue again.

"As a Land Soul, you will no doubt face a number of ambitious women looking to foist their sons off on you. I will ensure that your first man is at least capable of managing the others," Lady Vivi said.

That was right. One of the first things Lady Vivi explained was that most women of high status or importance had multiple husbands and concubines. Summoned Land Souls weren't an exception. October wasn't gassed at the idea of handling men. But, she figured that if she mostly left them alone, it would be better than some of them would be used to. Apparently old noblewomen taking on a bunch of young trophy husbands wasn't uncommon.

October had to believe that she'd be a better fate than an old lady who treated men like things. In fantasy novels, old, ugly noblemen taking pretty young ladies as mistresses was a stereotype as old as the genre itself. October herself couldn't imagine being happy in that sort of situation. So she was sympathetic to the men of the empire. She could just treat them as eye candy in her house and let them do what they wanted.

At least it meant that someone would take care of the cooking and accounting while October only had to handle the 'Land Soul' job. If she was being honest, she got so lazy about making meals for herself that she sometimes skipped a few meals if it meant she didn't have to do dishes or go to the grocery.

A game screen popped up just inside October's field of vision. She'd gained a few more 'wish fragments' for attending her lessons with Lady Vivi. These days, the lessons were close to 'daily quests' or just 'daylies' that October always made sure to attend. After all, she still didn't know enough about the Lapis Empire to act on her own, and the quests gave her a small amount of XP or and rewards like the 'wish fragments.'

Thankfully, all the information that Lady Vivi told October was stored in the 'diary' tab under 'world setting' so October could reference it at any point. October had amassed a small amount of various currencies at this point, including EXP and wish fragments. But, she hadn't found what to spend most of them on. She could use the EXP to increase her abilities, or buy skills. The wish fragments only had the 'to be used on something very important' description.

Currently, October figured they were a main quest item or something similar. It was probably smart to amass as many as possible. Thus far, she could gain one or two at a time by scoring well on Lady Vivi's tests or by gaining favorability with other people. October had mixed feelings about studying. But, this type of instant reward made it easier.

What worried October the most was the Dungeon. Lady Vivi described them as leftovers from a legendary war. Originally, they summoned or created monsters as shocktroops. But, once their masters died, all the monsters went wild. For thousands of years, the Dungeons across the world continued to let monsters loose into the wild, powered by some forgotten magic or tech a dozen floors beneath the surface.

Dungeons were both the origin of monsters, and the reason why farmland was limited in the Lapis Empire. October's job was to empty Dungeons and shut down whatever was creating the monsters. Then, the land would be safe for citizens to use, and the Empire would prosper more. It made sense. It cost money to recruit, train, feed, and equip soldiers or adventurers to subjugate the monsters. So if Land Souls could just destroy the monsters at the source, it made financial sense to do that instead of sending people out over and over as the monsters continued to appear.

In a game, a Dungeon would be a good place to farm for materials or EXP. But, October couldn't shake the chill she got from imagining going to a dangerous place like that with her actual life at stake. If she absolutely had to go, she'd definitely want to be a unit at the back of the marching order--or even ideally in the middle!

"Lady Vivi, what would you suggest I train in? I want to give myself the best chance once I move to my territory," October asked.

Lady Vivi paused for a moment.

"I would suggest that you focus on a balanced party. It is impossible for any one person to flourish on their own, especially in the wild areas. I would suggest you try a variety of weapons first, to discern if you have an inclination one way or the other. Also, I would emphasize that at least two members of your party should have survival skills at any time. Many adventurers rely heavily on the rations that they purchase from towns. But, there is no telling when you may find yourself stuck outside of the city walls due to some delay or another," Lady Vivi answered.

October hadn't even considered issues like rations or hunting. Most of the games she played didn't include details like inventory weight--some didn't even include hunger mechanics. Would the game system actually let her do stuff like that? Back in highschool and middle school, October only got passing grades in physical education because she got points for dressing properly every day. She was picked last for team sports every time, even after the morbidly obese kids. Ugh. Talk about bad memories.

Regardless, she decided to dedicate some of her EXP to botany or survival. Dying by poisoning in a fantasy world would be the worst.

"Shall I arrange for you to test some weapons?" Lady Vivi asked.

October nodded.

"Yes, thank you very much," October replied.

"Once you've decided on a course of training, we should also start forming your preliminary party. I will assemble a dossier of available individuals," Lady Vivi said.

A long pause. Lady Vivi took another few sips of tea and looked out her office window.

"Come to think of it, you should also begin considering options for your first legal husband. As you know, Land Souls are considered their own rank within the aristocracy. I think it would be prudent for you to learn about the political situation. Once your territory becomes safer, you can request some tutors from the capital to travel there. Do you have any preferences?"

October munched on a small sandwich.

"I think first I'd like to see a map with the territory on it. Then I'd like to learn about the animals and plants and monsters in that area. Maybe some basic medicine or first aid?" October replied.

A small smile crossed Lady Vivi's face.

"I was referring to men,"

Oh dang.