Chapter 22 - The Ark Of Ones In The Above-World

"Just because of the above-world society's inability to accept them, means that it's right to cast them out. Because the shadows are too dark for the public's eyes to see. For children or newcomers. But none of that matters if the evil starts to outweigh the good," explained Gillian.

"The order of good and bad might collapse in the end. Before that happens, it's our job to give the problems the spotlight they need."

"Don't you think it's time for those in the shadows to be recognized?" asked Ysabeau, with a devil's grin.

This shook the Marquess to the core. Not about the information that she's relaying, but the way that she spoke. Her expression, her tone... It was not human at all. Then again, the child on his lap isn't either.

He turned to look at the little Valkyrie who was happily trying to fit the flower onto the plushie. The child's smile further terrified the Marquess.

What has he gotten himself into again?

"So, what happened to the Congregation?" asked Minwoo, suddenly remembering about that thing.

"The Congregation has already fallen, the leader has perished. The only reason why they fell is that they stopped caring about the lower ones. The higher-ups lost the trust and bond between the ones who made the organization possible and themselves. Without the roots, the entire tree came crumbling," explained Gillian.

"That's why you guys push so hard to fix the foundation first, eh?"

The a.d.u.l.ts remained silent. The Congregation was such a success for so many years. But one tiny mistake led to its demise. And it wasn't instantaneous either, it could have been solved with ease. All they needed was trust.

But after the incident with the humans... Everything went downhill.

"We would have solved the problems but we weren't strong enough..." said Ysabeau, with a heavy heart.

Little Mavislin pulled on Ysabeau's hand and gave her the rabbit.

"You are strong, Mama!" said the young girl, cheerfully.

Ysabeau gave a motherly smile.

"And believe me, after you've conquered the problems in the underworld, anything is easy. After you've seen what we went through, fixing these problems would be a walk in the park," noted Baldwin, shaking his head.

"And how would that be counted as easy?" asked Minwoo, skeptical at their words.

"Well, for one, a word in the underworld spreads like wildfire. Once people's got your name, they are bound to pass it around. And when you can fix the solutions in the underworld, ears from above could trust you better in the upcoming decisions," answered Baldwin.

"So, getting the harder work first then tackling the easier ones later?"

"In simpler terms, yes."

"Those in the underworld who are powerful enough could relay the fruits of your hard work to the ones above. It's not an easy task since the problems in the underworld are far greater than the ones above."

"And how big is the margin?"

"A conflict within the underworld could escalate quickly with the use of arms. While the conflicts on the above-world usually end up with a minor quarrel."

"When it comes to leadership, connections from all over is the best thing to take note. After that, however, your rule is none of our concern. Just don't rule it into the ground," said Gillian, shaking off the matter with humans.

"Cause we still need humans to function. Else, the surrounding planets will order for Earth to be destroyed."

"You guys do not like the above-world society one bit. I thought you lot would hate the underworld much more," noted the Marquess.

"Believe it or not, the underworld is tamed compared to the ones above. Those in the underworld have a better grasp of how the world works. They don't deny, they just survive. They don't question, they accept it. And better still, they don't make things right for anyone but themselves."

"Better still? How selfish could humans be?"

"Every person in the shadows has their version of right and wrong. It's better than standing around doing nothing. The above-world dwellers know nothing about pain or hard work. If they see a problem, they'll just get rid of it without thinking twice. In the underworld, rules function differently."

"All humans are easily persuaded. At the last light, give them a thread and they'll start pulling on it. No matter what the cost, they are the ultimate survivors of humanity. But those in the above-world will never understand the pain within the underworld."

"In the above-world, everything made and set to be appropriate and nice. That, personally, makes me sick. Worst of all, nobles like you sit so high up, to the point hat your heads are way above the clouds. You leave all the painful, dirty work for the rest, for the commoners to deal with."