Chapter 52

“There’s definitely some basis for judgment here.”

First of all, even if we’ve seen similar beings, just moving based on Glaria’s words is quite irrational.

Often we get confused, but no individual can represent an entire civilization. Sure, trends in that civilization can exist, but that doesn’t mean that an individual’s tendencies mimic the civilization’s as a whole.

If a human meets an alien and that first human just goes and kills one alien, would that lead to the collapse of all human civilization? That seems a bit far-fetched, right?

It’s infuriating for the alien, but it’s also unfair for the rest of humanity.

Let’s not even mention that an individual can’t represent a civilization; can one single civilization represent all the countries on Earth? No matter how much globalization advances, even if popular cultures are similar worldwide, there will still be plenty of people who’d get angry over such remarks.

…Moreover, there’s no evidence to suggest this world is the same as Glaria’s. Therefore, even more so, that goblin may not even be a ‘Gobling’.

As for the elves that I and the people here know, in reality, there’s only Glaria. Another elf did come by, but in a mental state where a proper conversation is simply not possible.

Ultimately, thinking logically, from my perspective as a representative of civilization, Glaria and that goblin are essentially the same. If I were to say that outright, Glaria would throw a fit, of course.

“So… what should we do with them?”

The hunter asked with a look that said he was unsure what to do, despite having tied them up for now.

The goblins were, quite literally, tied up tight. Hunters often carried ropes like those since they needed to capture creatures beyond the Gate.

There were a total of twelve goblins captured.

…Or was it twelve beings?

The place we were had goblins staring us down, but in reality, other hunters had already surrounded the goblins. So the capture itself was executed quite swiftly.

It didn’t seem like it was determined by their magic power, though a few did resist, but our numbers and skills were overwhelmingly superior.

“……”

I looked down at the goblin.

The goblin was trembling in fear. Well, that’s what I assumed anyway. To be honest, his rugged face made it hard to judge accurately. It almost looked like he was angry, which would be understandable given the current situation.

First, Glaria, who suggested we think and deal with the goblins in the elven way, was watching me from a slight distance.

Was she waiting to see what kind of judgment I would make? She didn’t seem angrier than I expected… Well, it wasn’t exactly reassuring either.

I turned to Ria.

When our eyes met, Ria nodded and stepped a bit ahead of me.

As we approached, the leading goblin was so scared it tried to run away. Oddly enough, its eyes were not on Ria, who had her sword drawn, but rather on me.

Saint Power.

That was the only force a goblin would genuinely fear. Monsters are living beings sustained by magic power, yet they might be inherently opposed to the very essence of saint power.

…To the goblins’ eyes, I must have appeared as a terrifying being capable of incinerating them with just a flick of a finger.

Right. This was my second reason for not wanting to deal with the goblins.

These creatures showed that they could clearly assess the situation. Feeling that danger was imminent and running away is merely an animal instinct, but they managed to systematically warn each other and even helped their fallen comrades back up while escaping.

“When we first met an elf, we didn’t speak right away, right?”

“That’s right.”

The hunter scratched his head as he answered.

“It took a long while for us to send people back and forth, researching each other’s languages, before we could fully communicate. Although, after mastering magic, some method for quicker basic communication was developed…”

No way?

With that expression, the hunter looked at me.

I nodded even though I knew my answer would sound strange to him.

“You mean to say you would accept a group living by plundering?”

Glaria finally interjected like that.

“…Are there no such beings among elves?”

I asked.

Even if there are, it’s possible Glaria has never seen them. After all, she’s a princess.

“……”

But judging by her silence, she must’ve heard some tales.

“There are beings like that among humans too.”

Not just plundering.

The reason people consider crime to be bad is ironically because humans have defined it as such. Because of the standards they set, they feel offended when witnessing crimes or things that seem criminal.

And those standards change over time. Depending on the standards of civilization, some things that seem like crimes might not even be recorded as such, and conversely, things that don’t appear criminal can still be considered criminal. The scope of this varies greatly depending on the civilization.

Rape, plunder—sure, of course that’s not acceptable. At least for someone like me living in modern society, that’s what I think.

However, human civilization once had periods where virginity before marriage was exalted and times when slavery was openly practiced. Those were eras and civilizations where such things were formally recorded as law.

…And even in today’s world, where all of that is deemed criminal, such occurrences still happen openly.

I’ve never seen them commit such acts. But should they have, it might just be a small part of what they are, and the standards of civilization can differ from ours.

When it really doesn’t align, there might be a need to fight back, but it’s way too early to make that judgment.

“I’m really sorry, but I believe what Sister Glaria said doesn’t really serve as a basis for judgment.”

“……”

Glaria fell silent again, hearing my words.

The surroundings grew quiet.

Everyone was staring at me silently.

…If I were just an ordinary nun, I wouldn’t have the authority to speak this freely.

“For now, I think we should conduct an investigation…”

I spoke, feeling embarrassed for being so brazenly direct in front of the experts until I realized how annoying that could be, and everyone nodded.

“Well, I guess catching at least one monster we’ve never seen before is necessary.”

Usually, that’s for dissection and research, and obviously requires much less effort than I’m demanding.

For now, it seemed everyone present was willing to go along with it.

I deeply bowed my head.

*

I had no intention of acting like a thick-skinned human.

As a precaution for any unforeseen situations, I decided to stay in the accommodation just outside the Gate for a few days.

If those goblins happen to hurt someone, I planned to heal them. If such an event occurred, it would be my fault.

Of course, Ria decided to share a room with me.

“So, was that a dumb thing to say?”

“Huh? What do you mean?”

After returning to the room and washing up, as I lay on the bed, I asked, and Ria countered.

“…Should we have just fought?”

“If we could avoid fighting, that would be the best.”

Ria leaned back on the bed while speaking.

To be honest, this bed was much nicer than the one we were used to. It’s not that the nun’s beds were bad, but this one was definitely a lot fancier.

…And Ria probably used to sleep on much better beds than this.

Because of me, she was staying in a place much worse than usual. She could just leave at any time, after all.

While I was lost in those thoughts, Ria continued.

“Is it because of what I said last time?”

I couldn’t bring myself to answer, but in reality, my silence was practically a confirmation.

Ria chuckled and said, “Well, that’s only natural.”

“That’s a fighting context. If a tiger charges at you, obviously you’d have to fight back.”

“……”

“But at least this time, it wasn’t like that.”

“Did you leave the decision up to me… for a reason?”

“Hmm.”

Ria seemed to think for a moment.

“If it weren’t you, there wouldn’t have been another choice. Honestly, even to me, they just seemed like dangerous monsters. I just asked because your expression at that time was different from usual. Nothing special.”

“…Is that so?”

After a brief hesitation, I said, “So you mean it didn’t come off as a foolish choice?”

“Hmm…”

“Ria?”

“I’ve been thinking as I spent time with you, and you don’t seem like a fool.”

“…And?”

“More than being a fool, you’re just a bit too naive. Sometimes it even looks foolish.”

Pfft.

“Isn’t that the same as calling me a fool?”

“Oh, does it?”

“Ugh…”

But still, hearing Ria say that made me feel a bit relieved.

I wasn’t completely angry, but yeah. Just hearing ‘Ria’ say it that way was comforting.

Thinking of the original… It’s a bit weird to keep thinking based on the original character when that character is right beside me, but let me make a comparison.

The original Lee Chae-eun was, at least in combat, a rational person.

There were moments of irrationality in everyday life, though.

Even in that situation, if she thought she couldn’t control things, she would never have asked me for judgment.

So, that put my mind a bit at ease.

“…Thank you.”

“Huh?”

“I’m not planning to say that a second time, though.”

“Why? I didn’t hear you.”

“Not hearing it is your fault, Ria.”

“No, if you’re going to say thank you, you should make sure the person listening can hear it.”

“…But you heard me, didn’t you?”

Ha, great.

Ria beamed at me.

As I looked at her with a dumbfounded expression, I turned my gaze away.