Chapter 5. Conviction and Reality (4)

It wasn't as if there was no basis for judgment at all.

First, no matter how much she claimed to have seen similar beings, moving based solely on Glaria's word was irrational.

We often make this mistake, but no single individual can represent an entire civilization. A civilization can certainly have tendencies, but that doesn't mean an individual's disposition and their civilization's disposition will be exactly alike.

If aliens met Earthlings, and the first Earthling they met killed one alien, would it be right for the entire Earth civilization to be annihilated for it?

Sure, it would be infuriating for the other side, but it's also true that the rest of the Earthlings would be getting a raw deal.

And if an individual can't represent a civilization, could a single civilization represent every nation on Earth? No matter how globalized Earth has become, no matter how similar the truly popular cultures are, there would still be plenty of people who'd get angry hearing that.

......And on top of that, there was no evidence that this world was the same world where Glaria's country existed. Which made it even less likely that this Goblin was a "Gubling."

And the only Elf that I and the people here knew was, in fact, just Glaria. Another Elf had come separately, but she wasn't in a mental state where proper conversation was possible.

In the end, thinking rationally, from my perspective as a representative of civilization, Glaria and a single Goblin were the same. Though if I said that outright, Glaria would lose her temper.

"So...... what should we do with them?"

The Hunter asked with an expression that said they'd captured and tied them up, but had no idea what to do next.

The Goblins were, quite literally, bound tightly. Since capturing creatures from beyond Gates alive was sometimes necessary, Hunters tended to carry plenty of things like rope.

The captured Goblins numbered twelve in total.

......Or perhaps, twelve individuals.

Apparently, the place where we'd been standing had simply been facing the Goblin group, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠and in reality other Hunters had already surrounded the Goblins. So the capture itself had been carried out fairly quickly.

It seemed the Mana-based assessment hadn't been wrong. Some had resisted, but we far outnumbered them and outmatched them in skill.

"......."

I looked down at the Goblins.

The Goblins were trembling in fear. Well, at least that was my assessment. Honestly, with those fierce faces, it was hard to tell for certain. In some ways they looked angry, and given the situation, they had every right to be.

Glaria, who had been the first to suggest thinking about and handling these Goblins the Elven way, was standing a little distance away, staring at me.

Was she watching to see what judgment I would make? She hadn't gotten angry like I'd expected, so...... well, that didn't exactly put me at ease.

I looked at Ria.

Ria met my eyes and nodded, then stepped a little in front of me.

As the two of us approached, the Goblin at the very front panicked and tried to flee. Strangely, it was looking at me, not at Ria with her sword.

Holy Power.

That was the only power a Goblin would have reason to fear. Magical Creatures were beings that lived on Mana, and their bodies repelled Holy Power.

......In the eyes of these Goblins, I was probably a terrifying being who could burn them all with a flick of a finger.

Right. This was the second reason I hadn't suggested killing the Goblins.

These creatures, at the very least, had assessed the situation and made clear judgments. Fleeing upon sensing danger was animal instinct, but they had systematically warned each other, and during their escape they had even helped up those who had fallen.

"When you first met the Elves, you couldn't communicate right away, could you?"

"That's right."

The Hunter scratched their head and spoke.

"I heard full communication only became possible after people were sent back and forth for a long time to study each other's languages. After people learned Magic, though, they apparently developed ways to pick up enough of each other's language for basic communication much faster......"

No way?

The Hunter looked at me with that kind of expression.

I nodded, knowing full well that what I was saying would be taken strangely.

"Are you saying you intend to accept a group that lives by plundering?"

Glaria finally cut in like that.

"......Among Elves, are there no such beings?"

I asked.

Even if there were, Glaria might not have seen them. She was a princess, after all.

"......."

But seeing her close her mouth, she had at least heard of them in stories.

"Among humans, there are such beings too."

And not just plundering.

The reason we can think of crime as bad is, ironically, because humans have defined it as crime. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠It's because we've established those standards of judgment that we feel revulsion when we see crime, or things that resemble it.

And those standards change across eras. They change according to a civilization's norms, and there are things that seem like crimes but aren't recorded as crimes, and conversely things that don't seem like crimes but are. The range of this expands enormously depending on the civilization.

Rape, plunder—yes, of course they're not good. At least, I, living in modern society, think so.

But human civilization has had eras where people staked their lives on Premarital Chastity, and eras where people ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠openly kept slaves. Eras and civilizations where all of that was proudly recorded in law were far too common.

......And even today, when all of that is defined as crime, such things still happen brazenly.

I'd never seen these creatures do such things. But even if they had, it could be only a portion of them, and their civilization's standards could differ from ours.

If we truly couldn't reconcile, we might have to fight them, but it was far too early to make that kind of judgment.

"I'm truly sorry to say this, but I don't think what Sister Glaria said, in and of itself, can serve as a basis for judgment."

"......."

Glaria listened to my words and closed her mouth again.

The surroundings were quiet.

Everyone was watching me silently.

......If I had been just an ordinary nun, I never would have had this much say.

"First, I'd...... like it if we could start with an investigation."

Realizing I had been speaking far too confidently in front of experts, I grew embarrassed and continued in a much smaller voice. Everyone nodded.

"Well, with an unfamiliar Magical Creature, it's necessary to capture and bring back at least one anyway."

Normally that was for dissection and research, and of course it required far less effort than what I was asking for.

For now, it seemed everyone here had agreed to go along with it.

I bowed my head deeply.

*

I had no intention of acting like a shameless person either.

To prepare for any contingency, we decided to stay for a few days at the lodging just outside the Gate.

If those Goblins hurt anyone, I intended to heal them. Because if something like that happened, it would be my fault.

Naturally, Ria decided to share a room with me.

"Was ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠it really a stupid thing to say?"

"Huh? What was?"

After finally returning to our room and washing up, I lay on the bed and asked, and Ria asked back.

"......Would it have been better to fight?"

"If you can get through it without fighting, that's the best option."

Ria flopped onto the bed as she spoke.

Honestly speaking, the bed here was better than the beds we used. Not that the convent beds were bad—it was just that these beds were far more luxurious.

......And Ria probably usually slept in beds far better than this.

Because of me, she was staying in a place far worse than usual. Even though she could quit and leave whenever she wanted.

While I was spacing out with those thoughts, Ria continued speaking.

"Is it because of what I said last time?"

I couldn't bring myself to answer, but the silence was practically an affirmation.

Ria chuckled and said,

"Hey, that's obvious."

Ria said,

"That was about when you're fighting. If a tiger charges at you, of course you cut it down."

"......."

"But at least this time, it wasn't like that."

"Was there...... a reason you left the judgment to me?"

"Hmm."

Ria fell into thought for a moment.

"If it weren't for you, there wouldn't have been any other option. Honestly, to me too, they just looked like dangerous Magical Creatures. I only asked because the expression on your face was different from usual. Nothing special."

"......Really?"

I thought for a moment, then spoke.

"So, you mean it didn't look like a stupid choice?"

"Hmm......"

"Ria?"

"I've been thinking while spending time with you, and you don't seem like an idiot, you know?"

"......And?"

"Rather than an idiot, you're too naive. Sometimes to the point of looking a bit like an idiot."

Hah.

"Isn't that the same thing as calling me an idiot?"

"Oh, is it?"

"Hah......"

But still, hearing Ria's answer like that put me a little at ease.

It wasn't that I wasn't annoyed at all, but yeah. Because Ria said it.

The original...... It's a bit strange to keep thinking in terms of the original when the real person is right beside me, but if I were to make a comparison.

The Lee Chae-eun of the original was, at least in combat, someone who acted rationally.

Though she had moments of irrational behavior in daily life.

Even in that situation, if she'd thought she couldn't control it, she never would have asked me for my judgment.

So, I felt a little relieved.

"......Thank you."

"Huh?"

"I have no intention of saying it twice."

"No, why? I didn't hear it?"

"That's Ria's fault for not hearing it."

"No, if you're going to say thank you, you should make sure the person can hear it."

"......You heard it anyway, didn't you?"

Ha, seriously.

Ria looked at me and grinned.

I stared at that face with a dumbfounded expression, then whipped my gaze away.