Episode 92: Capital Called Morality
And so, the journey began again.
Today, Margot-san is beside me.
Right now, I’m riding in the carriage while listening to Margot-san talk about the Mage community…
“Huh? So, those customs of Mages are done ‘just because’? Isn’t that irrational for intellectuals?”
“Hmm… well, yes. Then, you should remake the customs.”
“Huh? Is it okay to do something like that?”
“I don’t know…”
“Ehh…? Well, I won’t do it because it’s a pain.”
“Hmm, I won’t either. My work and my research are more important.”
Ah…?
“…Is this, like, even if there are irrational rules, you won’t bother changing them because your own research is more important?”
“That’s right. Because, well, making rules isn’t a Mage’s job…”
Wow, so that’s how it is.
Just because someone is an intellectual doesn’t mean they have morality, huh?
In South America or Africa, even if people become highly educated, they don’t think, “Let’s work hard for our country!” Instead, they use their intelligence and knowledge to hack the social system and start committing intellectual crimes… is it like that?
That’s true, in this world with bad治安, just because you studied a lot doesn’t mean you’ll become a good person.
Besides, becoming smart in a studying sense and maturing as a person… or rather, having a sense of justice and morality, are similar but different things.
If you think about it, even in Japan, can you say that intellectuals with a sense of justice are making the world a better place? Well, it’s more like “partially yes.”
Well, it’s probably better than certain countries where evil intellectuals are doing all sorts of weird things?
“…Ah, I see. If Mages teamed up and used their magical powers, couldn’t they rule the country?”
“I don’t want to. I won’t be able to do research…”
Ah… this is hopeless.
Mages are intellectuals, smart, and amazing people.
But in the end, they’re just residents of a medieval world, only thinking about themselves…
There’s no Gandalf-like existence who combines ability, intelligence, and morality…
Then, well…
“You know, isn’t it better to avoid getting involved with Mages if you find them, rather than memorizing the Mage community’s mysterious customs…?”
“Hmm, that’s why everyone does that.”
…Ah, I see.
So, that’s why I was being avoided.
Marlene-san came to see me because she was forced to by the king’s order, and she didn’t want to meet me in the first place.
Gaspard-san and Roxanne-san, the advisors to Count Missgancia-sama, contacted me to protect their employer, Count Missgancia-sama.
Margot-san, as another Strider, came to see me because it’s impossible to avoid me forever.
Ah, I see.
And because Mages don’t meet each other like that, there’s no sharing of magical techniques or anything like that, so it’s always been treated as “super technology that only a small number of people can use.”
One chance, if you forcibly capture all the independent Mages and make them research one thing, you could expect amazing social development…?
Ah, no, but I don’t want to do such a troublesome thing either. I wouldn’t mind cooperating if someone else did it… oh, I see? That’s the thinking of a Mage, an intellectual who doesn’t want to contribute to society.
Everyone is like me, using their magical powers and thinking, “It’s good enough if I and the people around me can live relatively comfortably”? They’re not thinking about the public good at all.
“This world is trash!!!”
“Hmm… Dru-san, are you, like, from a good family?”
“No… I told you I was raised as a poor farmer, right? A pitiful child who was almost sold by his parents, you know?”
“For that, your perception is… naive? Like a young master.”
Young master?
…Me?
I don’t remember saying “Tomodachinko!” or anything.
“Eh? In what way?”
“Dru-san unconsciously thinks that the world and people are kinder and more wonderful. That’s what you’re thinking.”
Ah, ah…
“It’s normal for parents to abandon their children. If you’re sold without being killed, you’re still loved. …I’m also royalty, but I was suspected of being an illegitimate child and divorced. The world is like that.”
Yeah…
“Also, it’s weird to listen to the words of the central government properly. Dru-san is serving Count Missgancia-sama, so you only need to listen to Count Missgancia-sama’s orders. Retainers are like that.”
Yes…
Did it come out…?
The typical Japanese laxness…
That’s right, this is the Middle Ages.
The Prime Minister (the most important person), in other words, you have to listen to the King! Or, even if no one is watching, you do kind and moral things! That’s the way of thinking of modern Japanese people.
This country, this world, is much worse.
For example, there’s a war going on in the south right now.
This is like China or South Korea attacking Nagasaki Prefecture!
And what did the kingdom’s center, in other words, Tokyo, do?
…They told Nagasaki Prefecture to deal with it themselves.
…That’s bad, right?
And when Nagasaki Prefecture starts losing, Tokyo says, “Because Nagasaki Prefecture lost, Japan is being looked down upon, so we’ll send soldiers from Tokyo!” But that’s also bad, right?
It’s not about protecting the same citizens! It’s more like, “We’re being looked down upon because you guys are losing?!” Like a thug.
Furthermore, they ignore civil wars to some extent. Even if Akita Prefecture and Fukushima Prefecture suddenly start killing each other, they turn a blind eye. Well, they’ll intervene if it goes too far.
But… that’s the Middle Ages.
In Japan, well…
It’s the Sengoku Era.
In the Sengoku Era, even if the Shimazu family in Kyushu is being attacked by foreigners, the central government… Kyoto, would say, “I don’t know, deal with it yourselves,” right? It feels like that, right?
Even if… well, Takeda and Uesugi are killing each other, Kyoto would ignore it, right?
That’s what it is.
I’m just still dragging along the way of thinking of peaceful Japan.
…But about that.
Even if no one is watching, the sun is watching, I was raised learning from my grandmother…
Can I just suddenly throw away my morality? Especially if I have the余裕 of a Magic Cheat.
As I think many times, the reason why the world around me is peaceful and kind is because I’m strong and capable.
Even as we’re doing this, the villages around here are being attacked and destroyed by monsters, or ruined by famine, and in the back alleys, the slum kids are eating garbage.
So, the best answer is to know the culture and customs of this world, but always be prepared to solve problems with violence when necessary!
“Stop! We’ll take a break!”
Oh, it’s a break.
Should I distribute some homemade sports drink…?