The Human Saint is Bored, so I was Summoned to Another World

Tales About the Fist of the North Lands (Side Chapter)

***A few hours before the secret meeting of the 'Holy Coalition' in the War Room ended...***

Maddie led the human rulers to a huge hall where the time-reckoning device known as an 'hourglass' was placed prominently at the very center of the room.

"..."

The monarchs were impressed by its strange appearance, made better by the gilded wooden frame adorned with colorful gems, as well as the golden sand trickling steadily down. Two maids were on standby, ready to turn the handle once Maddie ordered them to.

"What in Chersea is that?" someone among the royal crowd gasped, "It's a thing of marvel!"

"Aye...worthy of this holy place." said another.

Maddie's lips couldn't help but draw a smile. She then took the most prominent spot in front of Chersea's rulers, and addressed them, "Your Majesties..." she proudly introduced, "...may I present, the 'Hourglass'!"

"Ooh!" the monarchs chorused in amazement.

"What does it do, Your Holiness?" asked the King of Calabria. His eyes were focused on the golden sand that was trickling down the device.

"Starting today, Chersea will enter a new age!" Maddie declared, "I pronounce the beginning of 'Time'!"

"'Time'?"

"Yes, Your Majesties. Time is a measurement of passing seasons, though it's more standard than our 'long sleep'. Beginning right at this moment, we will never use 'long sleep' in our time-reckoning, but we'll use the word 'day'."

The monarchs, though interest could be seen in their eyes, were utterly confused, "Err...Your Holiness, can you please explain to us this 'day' and the connection of it to that 'hourglass'?"

"Well...according to the one who proposed this system, a 'day' is composed of 24 'hours', and an 'hour' is what passes after one turn of this device."

At Maddie's behest, the maids turned the 'hourglass' around.

"Why did you turn it, Your Holiness?" her friend, King James of Nerfes, asked her.

"As you need to remember from now on, once the sand in the upper part of this device was exhausted, we'll turn it around and start the trickle once again. This is an equivalent of an 'hour'."

"So, if we apply what you told us, 24 turns of that 'hourglass', would make up a day?" another monarch tried to confirm.

"Yes, Your Majesty."

"And what benefit will it give us if we standardize our time-reckoning?"

"Y-Yer...Your Ma-Majesties!" Maddie was waiting for this part of the question and answer, that she stammered, "As we all were used to, we measure the ages that passed by the number of seasons, as well as when we take the 'long sleep'. However, I agree with the person who proposed this to me in saying that our seasons are erratic in pattern and duration, and anyone could take a long sleep whenever they want, putting chaos into our system."

"Hmm...that sounds just right. Sometimes we would have to come again for the Holy Congress when we just finished it." Another king raised the issue, "Not that I do not want to come, but when there's nothing much that had really happened, there's nothing to solve nor talk about in the congress."

"Yes, you're right, King Marcus!" the King of Calabria interjected his opinion as well.

"So, Your Holiness, how do you propose we do our time-reckoning with this device?" James asked his friend.