Chapter 249: The Reason for Avoidance and Rising to the Surface
We arrived at the Fortress City. Honestly, I really didn’t want to enter.
Dismounting from Uma, I paid the gatekeeper and completed the necessary procedures. Depending on the time and season, the movement of people isn’t too high, so the waiting time is short.
Once an Adventurer has completed the procedures, they only need to show their Guild tag and request slip. There’s no need to go to a window; just show it to the gatekeeper. If there are no issues, that’s all there is to it.
This place feels off. The square makes me uneasy. The people make me uneasy.
“Jean, you look pale,” Ash said, his expression turning serious.
“I think I’ll be fine once we get past the square, so don’t worry about me,” I replied, sticking close to Ruta, who was walking beside me. I thought I was prepared for this, but it seems I underestimated it.
“Ah, the execution of the baron happened around the time Jean first came here, right?” Retze, ever perceptive, chimed in.
“Yeah, that happened. But from your perspective, it must have been quite intense,” Dean added. Yes, it was the first time I witnessed someone die here.
Well, to be precise, I didn’t see it happen since I ran away midway. I feel bad for the person being executed, but perhaps it would have been better to witness a definitive moment of death.
It wasn’t just a simple execution; they had branches stuck in place of severed limbs, and it was grotesque. The sight of the townsfolk enjoying it as a spectacle was shocking and unforgettable.
Because death is so close, a mere execution isn’t enough. Especially for the nobility who have troubled the common folk, their executions are thoroughly humiliating—sometimes they even become a public spectacle, paraded around towns and villages for the people’s amusement.
Those who oppress and kill the commoners fall from grace. It’s a moment of liberation and joy for the masses.
If it were just an individual reaction, I could scold or deny it. But here, that’s the norm. To deny it means I’d have to change the entire system of the country. I don’t think I have the right to reject this worldview when I have no intention of doing anything about it.
Shiva’s actions of delivering the final blow made sense in this world where life and death are so intertwined.
Right now, I don’t want to look at everyone’s faces. I’m afraid I might accidentally associate them with that image.
“Jean, a noble of honor never abandons his pride, even if he is framed by political enemies and faces death. Kings and lords cannot operate in a way that pleases all their subjects. However, if they govern well, they won’t be mocked even when they die, even if they are mourned,” Ash said, delivering a lengthy speech.
Hmm, Ash is really going on.
“The townsfolk and villagers are kept alive within a narrow framework. The same joys and resentments spread all at once. It’s terrifying when someone with a different perspective is thrown into that mix,” Retze added.
“Numbers are a form of violence,” the Butler remarked.
“We Adventurers are breaking out of that framework, though,” Dean said.
“Breaking out of the framework is a good thing!” Chris exclaimed.
I felt a pat on my head. This hand belongs to Dinoss. Speaking of which, I had become so accustomed to the Dinoss Family’s values that I couldn’t keep up with the perspectives of other farmers—where children are treated like disposable goods.
My world is narrow anyway. If the values of those around me are favorable, then I can disregard the majority. As my mood lifted, I began to feel a bit embarrassed.
I’ve been a bit spoiled. This won’t do.
“Jean, look! They’re selling the Fortress City’s specialties!” Retze’s words made me lift my head. A delicious smell of roasting meat wafted through the air.
“…My master is quite simple-minded,” I muttered, hearing Karn’s voice.
Wait, is that a pig’s nose skewered on a stick?! The visual is shocking, but it’s a specialty of the Fortress City!
“I’ll buy you one, so cheer up,” Retze said. Huh? I’m a bit hesitant about this! Before I could voice my concerns, the Butler stepped forward, taking the reins of Uma, and headed to the stall.
“Here you go.”
As I was feeling nervous, what was offered to me was a slightly hard bread with melted cheese and an egg in the middle.
So the pig’s nose wasn’t the specialty after all…
“Unlike Kanum, there are many chicken Demon Beasts here,” the Butler explained. I see, just as he said, looking around, there are many stalls selling roasted birds and half-birds. There are also simple outdoor stalls, but some places have boards sticking out from the windows of buildings to sell their goods.
“There are plenty of boars too!” Chris’s words made me rethink the pig’s nose as a boar’s nose. Either way, the shock remains the same.
The meat here is delicious and plentiful, which is why there are so many people in the Fortress City. Just like in Kanum, there are many Adventurers and traveling merchants, so it seems there are plenty of places to eat outside.
As I munched on the bread that Retze bought for me, I glanced around. I felt better not because of the bread, but because I had decided to embrace the situation.
But if the egg were runny and oozing out, that would be perfect. I guess they cook the eggs thoroughly here too.