Chapter 108
Chapter 108
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 108
Chapter Title: Distinguishing Man from Beast
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“Before I answer, I want to hear your thoughts. What defines us as special? Who granted us the right to raise livestock, and why should we value humans?”
“Superiority?”
“That would mean if a species superior to us appears, we’d inevitably become livestock and have to accept it as natural.”
“I wouldn’t call it natural, but it seems that way.”
“Any other reasons?”
“The existence of God.”
“You remember the Central Cathedral’s doctrine that God chose us.”
“Yes. Isn’t the difference between livestock and us derived from faith?”
“That’s correct too. We’ve gained justification through religion. That’s why I always say God doesn’t exist—God must exist. The absence of absolute good would cause many problems.”
Hus turned his head to look toward the door.
“Ardhen often said that you, Grand Duke, would one day stand trial for blasphemy or sacrilege.”
“I’m fine. Who would punish me when I can defend myself? It’s truly amusing. Before the law, the tongue wields greater power than force. Though before overwhelming power, nothing matters.”
He scanned Hus from head to toe. The Schola elite instructor who had briefly taught Hus had said this:
You can educate a person, but you can’t teach a monster.
“Now tell me the answer. What distinguishes beasts from humans? What makes us special?”
“Do you want to know the answer?”
“Yes.”
“Truth is, I don’t know either.”
“I figured as much.”
Hus nodded as if it were obvious. His calm expression made him chuckle.
He reached out and ruffled Hus’s hair. The boy who couldn’t twitch a finger when hiding a wine barrel stayed still now, as if he knew exactly what to expect.
“Everyone pretends to be intellectuals and preaches, but no one truly knows. That’s why we live by universal good as our standard.”
“Who created this universal good?”
“Time. Charlatans like me took failed history as material and dressed it up in plausible words.”
“Will time eventually reveal absolute good?”
“I wonder that too. We crave truths unbound by time, but no one has succeeded yet.”
“If we learn it, what happens to us?”
“We’d grasp flawless truth, and if it’s a formula encompassing all knowledge, we’d gain everything—and lose it all. The moment we become perfect, we’d lose the value of existence.”
“I see.”
“Of course, it might not be that way. It’s just my delusion.”
He looked down at the book Hus had been assigned. On Good and Evil. That was the title.
“What do you think goodness is?”
“Doing your best from a position where you can fully utilize your abilities.”
“What if Ardhen gave you an unjust order?”
“Ardhen wouldn’t do that. If he did, there’d be a reason.”
“Even tyrants have their circumstances.”
“What answer do you want from me, Grand Duke?”
“The one from your heart before your head gets involved. Unrefined words. Rough language, something like that?”
Hus, who was silent at times but unstoppable once he started talking, hesitated for the first time. He half-spoke a word and swallowed it back.
“It must be difficult.”
“Honestly, it’s harder than any homework you’ve given me.”
“Showing emotions to others is surprisingly tough.”
“I often watch Ardhen and think. What allows him to smile so openly? What lets him cry so freely? It makes me reflect on myself. Why don’t I rejoice more? Why don’t I grieve more?”
“Do you see that as your flaw?”
“I don’t know.”
“Have you ever felt inconvenienced by it?”
“No.”
“Then it’s not a flaw. Being composed and unemotional—that’s what we praise as virtues. Emotional responses lead to accidents. The scale of those accidents is proportional to the power one holds.”
Jun took Hus’s hand.
“That’s why those with great power must not be emotional. You know this, so you restrain yourself.”
“I don’t have that kind of power.”
“Maybe not now. But time will change that. Or rather, you already know. That you’re different from others.”
“I’m just a bit more resourceful than most.”
“If you say so.”
He gently stroked Hus’s head as he spoke.
“You have a firmer sense of good than anyone. Even if your lord Ardhen commands it, you’d refuse if it violates your idea of goodness.”
“I will fulfill my duty as a retainer.”
“I know. You’ll serve Ardhen loyally as a faithful subordinate. But you’ll never make the mistake ignorant bureaucrats often do.”
“What is that?”
“Do you know where evil comes from?”
“Irrational judgment?”
“That’s the common view. We believe evil arises from something sinister and devious, something twisted, some abnormal state. We think evil doesn’t sprout where systematic, orderly, obedient people gather. But evil buds in the most ordinary places.”
He bent his knees slightly to meet Hus’s eyes.
“Evil comes from ignorance. From failing to understand others. That’s the first thing I taught Ardhen. I told him whenever I had the chance.”
“I’m hearing this for the first time.”
“No need to tell you. You knew it before I said it. No point explaining what’s already known.”
“I’m lacking and ignorant in many ways.”
“If it’s worldly knowledge, you have much to learn. But your wisdom and insight are exceptional. You may not know the right answer, but you know the solution.”
“I’m not that great.”
Hus said, looking at the floor.
“You mentioned earlier, Grand Duke. If Ardhen committed a crime deserving death and died for it, what would you do? I answered it was inevitable. But for a moment, I imagined revenge. Finding his killer and giving them the same fate.”
“But you’d stop at thought and not act on it.”
“I don’t know what I’d do if it actually happened.”
Hus’s face twisted. In all the years he’d known him, he’d never seen that expression.
Fear. That was the emotion covering the boy’s face.
“Truth is, I’m scared.”
“What scares you?”
“Lately, I can’t find meaning in Knight Order training. I even had impudent thoughts like, could they all rush me and even scratch me? My body changes day by day. No, it’s been ongoing for a while.”
“I know to some extent.”
“No. You don’t know, Grand Duke. I’m abnormal. I’ve heard ‘monster’ countless times about me, and now I’m used to it. Yet my skills keep improving. I wish it were just arrogant delusion. But I realize the gap with others keeps widening.”
Jun gently embraced the trembling Hus.
“When I make a wrong choice, I need someone to stop me. Like how you scold Ardhen for his mistakes—I need someone like that. But no matter how I look around, there’s no one. If I lose control, snap, and swing my sword…”
If another child said this, he’d laugh heartily and say he’d stop them, no worries.
But to the boy in his arms now, trembling because there was no one to stop him, those words wouldn’t do.
“Now I understand what you fear.”
“So I always tell Ardhen. Become a perfect sovereign. One I can entrust all judgment to, so I can act like a puppet without regret. That way, I can move without fear.”
“But you can’t do that. As I said, you already know.”
Jun patted Hus’s back.
“That’s why you can’t laugh or cry freely. The lock you’ve put on yourself is proof of your goodness. You’re a wise and insightful child.”
“No. I’m not. I’m just cowardly.”
“Being cowardly isn’t bad. Caution means fewer losses. Those with much to protect must be cowards by nature. You already carry a great vessel—one far beyond adults like me.”
The trembling subsided. As if it never happened, Hus returned to his usual face.
Jun felt sorry for him. Come to think of it, I’ve never seen this child sob openly.
Who could peer into this child’s depths and comfort him? Who could lighten his burden?
From then on, Jun lived with that worry.
One day, he saw it. The child’s lock undone. It was a day when a trite saying came to mind: Man is healed by man.
Naria. The bold girl who took away Hus’s anxiety.
The girl who appeared beside the emotionally restrained Hus dyed him remarkably quickly. Vibrantly and beautifully.
Hus seemed to learn what carefree laughter was, what wrenching tears were, through her. Or rather, he’d dusted off what he’d long known.
He couldn’t express his joy. He laughed even without wine.
He’d never prayed to God in his life, but after seeing Naria, he thanked God several times.
Thank you for saving that child.
With Ardhen and Naria by his side, Hus would retain his humanity and live on. He wouldn’t be crushed by his power and responsibility.
Jun was certain.
Until Naria fell ill, that certainty never wavered.
* * *
Jun looked at Hus sitting across from him. He’d reverted to his childhood self. So there was only one thing to say.
“Don’t fear. Don’t restrain your emotions. And let them know. That I am angry, and this anger is what you must endure.”
He grasped his disciple’s hand.
“You don’t need to ask me. Just do what you want. You have the right. If it causes unbearable damage, so be it.”
“Master.”
“It’s been ages since I heard that title. Let’s talk over food. The older I get, the harder it is to ignore hunger.”
He smiled at Hus—no, Lander.