Double Standards #150
The situation with Kang Sian didn’t end with just one incident. The same pattern repeated itself, and several more people were dragged in.
“Shannon, tie that bastard up tighter. While you’re at it, slice his arm tendons completely.”
“Y-yes? His tendons?”
More is always better. The more the merrier, and that applied to the offerings as well. Of course, four people trying to handle a large group wasn’t easy. So at some point, Kang Sian stopped heading back outside.
“This should be enough. Let’s each pick the ones we’ll submit.”
The hunt had ended early. What remained was the sorting of premium goods. The three men and women, excluding the porters, slowly circled the prisoners who were trembling so hard they kept invoking the World Tree. They ranked them based on how they had fought earlier, their approximate level of skill, and their primary method of attack.
“This one used water school magic, but the power was lower than mine. Personally, I think we can rank him a bit lower.”
“Low-grade expert, but judging by the way he attacked, he was basically mid-grade.”
“Huh? Dual-wield bug? Should we just drop this guy?”
“His physical durability was definitely impressive. Looks like he received professional training and multiple enhancements… Maybe we should put him at number one?”
“Shannon? Just slap the scores on their foreheads. That way the others can check them easily.”
The merciless evaluations continued. The silver lining was that the prisoners couldn’t understand a single word. They had no idea what scores were being assigned to them and could only roll their eyes around frantically. They looked exactly like slaves having their prices decided.
If reporters had been present, a whole truckload of people would have asked whether they supported slavery. Some would deny it while snapping photos and running the story anyway.
Naturally, no matter what slander they faced, Kang Sian was not a slavery advocate. Having lived in the First World for decades, how could he possibly support or implement such a system?
“Look at their faces. They think we’re going to sell them off as slaves.”
“They must think we’re the same as them.”
In modern society, slavery was an outdated system and nothing more than unethical exploitation. Even in Africa, it had been eradicated at least on the surface. But the situation in Shareltea was the complete opposite. Knights walked around with slaves, saints walked around with slaves, and even the neighborhood brats walked around with slaves.
Moreover, the concept of slavery here carried a far deeper meaning than Earthlings understood. It wasn’t simply being someone else’s property; it required surrendering one’s beliefs and soul as well. Most of the hero candidates here probably owned such slaves. Even if some hunters among them treated human lives as worth less than dogs and acted with authoritarian arrogance, the fact that they didn’t demand the spiritual surrender made the difference truly severe.
“I don’t know what you’re saying, but the World Tree will bring divine punishment upon you! Do you really think you can do this to us, the World Tree’s envoys, and get away with─”
“What the hell is this guy suddenly babbling about?”
“He says I suck the World Tree’s roots so well. Should I just smack him once?”
“…How about twice?”
That was why Earthlings felt less moral burden toward Shareltea people. Why show any mercy to fanatics who worshipped the insane World Tree that had nearly destroyed Earth and practiced extreme slavery?
This was also why Kang Sian, who had carried strong moral values from his previous life, could commit knight-murder without much guilt. Cheon Mari went even further, planning to dispose of all the hero candidates except for a select few.
“What? You want to behead all the useless ones and bury them?”
“Even if we drag them along, they won’t listen to a damn thing we say. Rather than deal with that mess, we might as well just take the premium ones.”
“I-isn’t that a war crime?”
“War crime? The Earth-Shareltea human rights treaty was already scrapped in the 2030s when the Shareltea side stabbed us in the back─ Ow ow ow!!!”
Because Kang Sian said he needed to hand them over to the academy to earn separate points. Because he said he’d secretly divert them later to use as employees for her company. Because he said the Hunter Watch company was short on testers and he’d send some there. And for various other reasons, she couldn’t do it.
“Hng… Considering the unit price of the TS potion, we’d have to work them really hard…”
“You really like working people to the bone, don’t you? You think I don’t know that thing costs less than 10,000 won per unit?”
“Ack. How did you know?”
Wouldn’t handing them to Nartica make them slaves? No matter how wicked Cheon Mari was, she was still a citizen of the free world and a capitalist. She opposed wicked paid slavery but supported virtuous unpaid labor. She had no political views that would abandon even the minimum of humanity.
‘The rest don’t show much talent except for that one… Tsk, but the Chinese branch is short on manpower these days. Might as well send them there to be trained and used however they see fit.’
A poor free person was always better than a rich slave. And so, the fate of some of the prisoners was decided: a politically correct and exciting life at the Chinese branch where they would learn about a woman’s pleasure.
One could argue it was still a human rights violation in another sense, but according to Cheon Mari, who respected Cao Cao—the greatest filial son in Chinese history—it wasn’t. Besides, ever since virtual reality had appeared, the number of people wanting to become women had been increasing daily. If they were truly turned into women, that was welfare, not a human rights violation. In fact, Nartica should have been praised for socially implementing political correctness.
“Move out!”
“If any of you try anything funny, you’re dead.”
Anyway, the prisoners had to walk while tightly bound. Shannon’s magic floated in the sky above them, and since they were all tied to one rope, escape was impossible. With so many of them having their tendons severed, there was virtually no hope. The rain falling from the sky felt like an omen of their future.
Naturally, not everyone remained obedient until the end. One prisoner, unable to endure a future that grew bleaker with every step, tore through the duct tape over his mouth and let out a desperate scream.
“Blessings upon the World Tree!!!”
Then he tried to charge at Cheon Mari. Of course, since the rope wasn’t untied, he only managed a few steps before falling.
“Gack!”
One person brought the entire group’s movement to a halt. As if he knew that would happen, he lay completely flat and began spewing curses, demanding they kill him instead. Yet no one laid a hand on her. They simply watched with contempt.
“Y-you bastards! Filthy demon race scum! The World Tree will surely punish you!”
“Sure, if you want punishment so badly, go ahead and try.”
They didn’t take it seriously. Cheon Mari tried to pull the prisoner back to her feet.
“Get away! Citizens of the Divine Tree Kingdom of Ankeates will not accept help from filthy elves!”
She slapped the hand away. Cheon Mari, finding the action unpleasant, slapped her across the face. She had controlled her strength, however, so the jaw didn’t dislocate. The prisoner simply fell backward once more.
The prisoner who had fallen to the ground burned with even greater hatred in her eyes.
“Ugh… You bastards! Do you even know what the Divine Tree Kingdom of Ankeates is?!”
“No. Honestly, I don’t really want to know.”
It was a lie. Kang Sian knew exactly where that place was.
“It’s my homeland! The motherland where I was born! Where I grew up! Where I received support! And you people took everything away!”
“……”
“What, did you trample it so thoroughly that you don’t even remember?”
In truth, it was a nation that had been the first to be destroyed as part of the retaliation plan following the academy terror attack. So while current hunters might know about it, it had no direct connection to the academy students.
“…It’s not completely destroyed, though.”
“What did you say?!”
“I believe the ‘Ankaates Republican Committee’ is preparing for a transfer of governance. So it’s not total destruction, is it?”
“You son of a bitch! You think puppets of guilds and corporations can provide proper rule?! They even executed all the priests as war criminals?!”
Then she began to tremble violently. The sight of her harboring infinite hatred for her ravaged homeland looked somewhat pitiful, but the ones who had committed terrorism first were them.
However, double standards were a human trait. The prisoner began spewing even more intense and horrific curses. The blood vessels on her face started to burst, and her fist—supposedly severed—clenched tightly. Her words sped up until bloody tears began streaming from her eyes.
A sense of unease rose. Cheon Mari stared intently at the woman’s face from the side.
“…Wait!”
Blood was flowing from her mouth as well. Only then did they realize what was happening right in front of them.
“Aaaah!! World Tree! Please punish these vile ones!!!”
Just before the bloody tears could hit the ground, her eyes and mouth opened in a grotesque manner.
“Ah.”
It was too late to respond.
A pure white beam of light erupted from her eyes and mouth, filled with immense power.
“Kwaaaaaaaaagh!!!”
BOOM!
An enormous flash and a massive shockwave exploded in all directions. The energy, disguised as hatred but truly an expression of fanaticism, blasted everything away.
“You crazy fanatic bitc─! Ack!”
Cheon Mari and Kang Sian, who had been beside her, were sent flying. Cheon Mari slammed into a wall, while Kang Sian barely managed to regain his balance and land. He lifted his head amid the pouring wind.
Unfortunately, at the center of it all was a woman who had abandoned her humanity for the sake of her wish.
“I see it! Show me! I will surely carry it out! Now your homes! Your homelands! Your nations! The World Tree will purify them all!”
“Fucking hell.”
Of all times, right now.
The World Tree’s ‘blessing’ had descended.