CH 72.3

4-5 minutes 09.04.2023

「During Blackbeard’s lifetime, this breadbasket belonged to the commoners. The nobles attacked and attacked over and over again but they were never able to defeat my great grandfather.」

「Sound good but, what does this Blackbeard has to do with me?」

「Then, Blackbeard died of old age and the city returned to the hands of the mages. It was that time, at that moment, that the seed was sown to the commoners who were innocent sheeps.」

「Seed?」

「The forbidden seed. The commoners discovered that there was a form of government in which they could live in freedom and not be used like livestock by the mages.」

「But even small children know that a city can’t exist without the power of mages as protectors. Even if a monster like our ancestor shows up again, it will never be better than the current status quo.」

「The only reason you can be so sure is because you were educated. The simple commoners, of which the majority, would never be able to understand that there are two sides of things. You have to experience firsthand the pain of tooth decay that comes after sweet honey.」

「Are you saying that the commoners are potentially seeing liberation?」

「Yes. Even if the final destination is hell, if they have the slimmest hope of winning against mages, they will hum along and go wherever they want to go. They would still believe that one day, there would be a utopia where they would not have to worry about being enslaved, where they would not starve, where they would not freeze. 」

That’s a gruesome story.

If the mages disappear, this country with its rich plains, will be attacked and destroyed from all sides.

Even if that doesn’t happen, the next era will be hell on earth when the commoners start disposing of other commoners as if they were livestock.

In my former world, I was treated like a livestock by the company and went down miserably.

Whether or not mysterious powers like magic exist, human nature remains the same.

「The ideal world can drive people crazy even if in truth, it’s not. During those days, Torquiva is more of a bandit stronghold than a prosperous city with a mixture of militia and criminals than heroes.」

「I don’t get it………we can just leave everything to mages. This country isn’t so bad.」

「Mages are godlike beings but they are also provocative and intolerant gods. If there was another god who could face them head on, it would not be hard to understand why people would seek refuge in him.」

「But he failed to raise the next generation which is the reason why he lost everything to the mages in the end, right?」

I was about to continue but father looked at me and sighed deeply.

「You were a few generations too late.」

「Eh? Me?」

「Yes. A boy of the Schenker family, a mage who saves slaves that can’t be saved and amasses a private army of his own. If there are those who pass on the legend of Blackbeard by word of mouth, there is no doubt that they will push you to carry the banner.」

My father downed his wine in one gulp, put down his glass, and looked at me with a serious face.

「Blackbeard had 48 named minions named by Blackbeard himself. They were dirt poor commoners but each of them had one trick up their sleeves. Perhaps some of their descendants have survived here in Torquiva and they might already be after you.」

「Hmmm」

「So don’t be tempted and be taken advantage of any suspicious temptations.」

As I poured wine into my father’s empty glass, my mind replayed my conversation with Perseus, the slaver, the other day.

“When you get a little older, grow a beard” is what he said.

Is that it?

「…..by the way, the other day, Gramps Perseus told me to grow beard.」

「What? Perseus……」

Father seemed to be shocked after hearing that. He closed his eyes tightly and stirred the wine with a bitter look on his face.

「Right……Perseus, I see. So that’s why the owner of that store has carried the name Perseus for generations……」