Chapter 394: The Lightning Did Not Fall From the Sky - 13
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 394: The Lightning Did Not Fall From the Sky - 13
“Vampires cannot mix with humans. They drink blood.”
His words felt all the more real, as vampires were in the middle of wiping out humans at that very moment. I didn't know if he was aware of the situation outside, but regardless, the Lightning Thief continued.
“It's only natural. Even if you can communicate with them, who could live at ease with a monster that considers your blood its staple food? It's like putting a sheep and a wolf in the same pen. Changed humans are bound to clash with the original ones.”
“Coming from someone on the Sanctum's side, that's a little hard to believe.”
“Do you think vampires are ostracized entirely because of the Sanctum?”
Well, not entirely. I'd be on edge if someone coveted my hard-earned money, so if they coveted my blood, I'd have no choice but to run. You don't die from a lack of money, but you do die from a lack of blood.
“It would be a problem if the King of Humans were as foolish as an ordinary one. Difference creates fractures. There are only two ways for humans and vampires to coexist. Either the vampires are ostracized, like everywhere else, or the humans become livestock, like in the Duchy of Mist. Even if they live together, they must be separated by a class system.”
“Let's say that's true. What does that have to do with the Fallen Dominion?”
“It means that a being similar to a vampire was destined to arise in the Fallen Dominion. The homunculus, an alchemical human with a perfect physical structure.”
I recalled the Golden Lord's homunculi. Ordinary homunculi had no ego, and only the homunculi of the Primarchs who possessed Unique Magic were capable of conversation. This was because those who had awakened their Unique Magic through alchemy were restored to a state close to their original selves within the Golden Lord's domain.
However, a homunculus was a doll created by the Golden Lord, not a real human. I knew this because I couldn't read their thoughts.
“The Golden Lord's Divine power is the ability to deconstruct and reassemble the world. Naturally, humans are part of that world. This is top secret, but the Golden Lord can even perform alchemy on humans. Fortunately, all he can create is an empty shell, but even that is terrifying enough. Just imagine. Humans with healthy, strong, and functionally perfect bodies.”
There was one exception: the Thunderarch. I could read her thoughts. She was made of the same material as a homunculus, but she was a human who had perfected herself over a great deal of time.
“Like the Thunderarch?”
“Exactly. If such humans were to form a group, they might reign over humanity just like vampires. No, they'd be even worse. Vampires are limited in number and are reviled for drinking blood, but those beings, who are not so different from humans, would be admired, just like the Thunderarch. If they could, every ordinary human would want to become like her.”
“The Thunderarch—isn't she already admired in reality?”
“It's fine. Because she is 'special'.”
Special. The Thunderarch firmly believed she was special. I heard it every time I read her thoughts, so I just figured she had a very strong sense of self.
But it seems the Thunderarch's 'special' was a concept similar to my 'ordinary'.
“Because she's special, it's okay for her to be different. Ordinary people convince themselves that they aren't lacking, but that she is simply special. The Thunderarch also believes she's special. That's why she managed Claudia, to ensure another like her would not appear. Thanks to her, the Fallen Dominion, despite being a land ruled by a Divine, never crossed the line.”
“Is that what you mean by having to hide the Divine?”
“Correct. The Divine change the world. And humans are part of that changing world. However... at no point should 'humanity' itself change. It must continue on, with its dignity and purity intact. A today that is the same as yesterday guarantees a tomorrow that will never end. No matter what forbidden knowledge you obtain, you must protect your own self as you move forward.”
The Lightning Thief's firm resolve seemed as if it wouldn't change even in the face of storms and lightning. Even as the wind and rain raged and lightning struck nearby, the Lightning Thief, who never let go of the kite string, warned me.
“You barbarian. As the Beast King, you would probably affirm such change as providence. But we are different. We will protect humanity in the truest sense.”
His words were deeply tinged with the feeling of one who believes in the Sky God. Though they are Divine, they are also human. He might have once been a devout believer. It's only natural that some would be this uncooperative. Not everything in the world can go my way.
But I am the King of Humans. There is no one I cannot understand. Not even a Divine, not even a man of faith.
“But you know it too, don't you? That as one who became a Divine, you have no right to say such things.”
“That's absurd. What was I supposed to do, being so exceptional? At this point, it's not about being special or anything. It was just bad luck. I never wanted this.”
“That's not what I'm talking about. Why would someone who wishes for a today that is the same as yesterday do something like that?”
The Lightning Thief misunderstood my meaning and answered.
“You mean building Claudia? That couldn't be helped. It was for the sake of humanity, and if I didn't create a livable city, the people of the Fallen Dominion who had lost their country would have entrusted their lives to the Golden Lord.”
That wasn't it. He had certainly built Claudia from the ground up. He had helped an apostle of the Sanctum establish order. The name 'Thunderarch' might not have existed back then, but in any case, the Lightning Thief had devoted himself to the Sanctum, as befitting a member of the Sages.
But I wasn't talking about the city he built. Nor his faith. I am but a mere beast, so I have no interest in concepts like order or faith. There is only one thing I'm curious about.
“Why did you fly a kite? That wouldn't have been something you did yesterday.”
“What? What kind of nonsense is that? What's wrong with flying a kite?”
Because it's fun. There was likely no other reason.
And that was enough. The fact that you can do something is reason enough to do it.
“Why did you want to make a kite that could fly even on a rainy day? I could understand if it were a windy day, but there was no reason to let it get soaked in the rain. You could have just not flown the kite, right?”
“Sometimes you just feel like it, you know? Especially on a rainy day. Sometimes you just want to stand in the rain for no reason at all.”
“Then what about on a day with thunder and lightning?”
The Lightning Thief was at a loss for words. As if to speak for his heart, thunder and lightning crashed violently. It missed this time, but the next bolt would surely not miss the kite fluttering helplessly.
This was a Spiritual World, but like with the other Divine, it was a scene from his mind, based on his experiences. The Lightning Thief had once gone outside with a kite on a day lightning was striking. It couldn't have been purely because of his mood. Even while being battered by the cold wind and rain, his face was flushed with hot exhilaration.
“Even though you expected the lightning to strike the kite, even though you knew it would flow through you. Why did you hold on and not let go?”
“…I simply wanted to.”
“Why did you try something you couldn't do yesterday? What were you trying to achieve by testing the lightning's patience?”
“To help the people living in Claudia. They would prosper more if there was a way to avoid lightning.”
“A fine excuse. When all you wanted was to accomplish something you couldn't do yesterday. When you didn't have a shred of hesitation in taking a step forward.”
Humans can even deceive their own emotions. They might even try to exonerate themselves by distorting their own memories. But in front of me, such dubious lies won't work. I may have lost all my power, but I am still the King of Humans.
“For a Sage, you sure acted recklessly. The reason today can't be the same as yesterday is because of humans like you, isn't it? It's because of you, who takes a step forward every single day, that we change.”
The Lightning Thief squeezed his eyes shut and shouted.
“…That's right! But I did it as a member of the Sages, for the people of the Fallen Dominion! If I can use the lightning that kills people to save people, isn't that the ultimate act for humanity?!”
So it comes to this. 'My intentions were good.' 'I did it with a noble purpose.' The moment he says that, there's no more meaning in this discussion.
“Who doesn't know that? I acknowledge it. You contributed plenty. You built the Lightning Tower, you made water mills that used lightning, you even created fields. Regardless of how you became a Divine, everything you did with that power was for the sake of humanity. You even tried to hide the fact that you were a Divine, casting aside such great fame and achievement, even if it was an ideology instilled by the Sanctum.”
“Tch, and you still…”
“But, is that something only you possess? Since when did goodwill become your exclusive property?”
That is what it means to be a barbarian.
Intentions. Feelings. True meaning. Great glory, devout faith, lofty justice, and noble morality. Even such grand things are wielded as tools by small humans. How barbaric is that?
“You had goodwill. I won't deny that. You may have felt superior while looking down on other foolish people, but your love and care for those pitiful souls was real. That heart is what's important. If so, then the tool doesn't matter much.”
“…A tool?”
“Yes. The Thunderarch stabbed me, a complete stranger, with a sword. She wielded her faith as a tool, as a weapon. The vampires, sensing the touch of the Sky God from the Thunderarch and her subordinates, tried to kill them all. They're both the same. No matter how you wrap it up in some grand will or justify your actions by turning it into common sense, in the end, it's still just using something as a weapon to stab another human, isn't it? In that sense, the Sky God and the vampires are the same.”
“Sophistry. How can the Sky God, who seeks to preserve humanity, be the same as vampires, who have deviated from it?”
The Lightning Thief protested, but I had my own retort. I showed him the wound on my stomach and countered.
“The Sky God's angel, who claims to preserve humanity, is the one who stabbed me.”
“That's because you're a barbarian.”
“So you're saying you'll kill any 'human' who doesn't meet your standards? No different from a vampire, then.”
With me, the victim, standing right before him, and with my words being the truth, the Lightning Thief couldn't refute them. He might have had more to say, of course, but I cut him off first.
“I'll show you. Among all these humans who kill each other for every reason imaginable, I'll show you a being who is truly for humanity.”