Chapter 357 – 35. Time Between Dogs and Wolves (7)
There is one fact that has not changed since time immemorial.
Living is the same as killing someone. Because humans are beings who eat after all. Unlike those who argue that precious life can never be judged on superiority or inferiority, harsh reality shatters delicate ideals.
Unless it is fratricide, how can slaughter be put on the same level as murder?
I just feel reluctant. Also, although there are only big and small differences, humans are bound to take away other lives from the moment they are born. Furthermore, perhaps the concept of original sin as we know it today was created because we could not bear the sense of guilt that the act gave us.
‘Why are you carrying a sword?’
The definition of life is survival. Existence continues its struggle with non-existence until the moment its soul crumbles. When it comes to life and death, one side may not necessarily be the right answer, but if you want to survive, you will have to face it.
‘Is there anyone who wouldn’t fasten their collar when the wind is blowing? Well, the world is big, and it wouldn’t be surprising if there were one or two people like that. However, ordinary people are called that because they are the majority of all people. Their weapon is simply instinct.’
The law of the fittest, survival of the fittest.
‘It is a reflexive response to confront an enemy that threatens life, property, and beliefs.’
In order to live, you must die. Advances in technology over time may improve efficiency and ease guilt, but no matter how much time passes, the law will remain the same. You will either regard it as original sin or as a task.
‘Romuald, a sword to a man is like the claws of an animal. Weapons can be used to protect oneself or to harm the enemy who confronts me. That’s what really matters. It’s not why you take up the sword, but what you take up the sword for.’
The path pointed by the sword was very difficult for the boy who was kicked out of the famous family. It was difficult to learn and heavy to carry. Furthermore, it took quite a bit of courage to take a path that could potentially cost me my life when the environment I was already in was difficult enough.
‘Do not be afraid. There is no need to carelessly impose standards of good and evil on the trajectory of life. The key is motivation. How are you living? Will I live again? Accept the fate of having to harm others for the continuity of your existence.’
Affirm desire and sin. The values the Baron developed in the future came from the teachings given by his teacher that day. When I was young and innocent, I couldn’t bear the weight and chased after superficial ideals, claiming they were the truth.
‘First, start from there.’
Anyway, Rom was like that. The illegitimate child who was so cruelly abandoned never once sighed despite all the unfair oppression that was poured upon him. I just cherished the wish to change all of this and become happy together.
So again, the child who was left alone after the teacher left continued to grow remarkably.
At the age of twelve, I learned the art of the sword. I got my backbone at the age of fifteen. At the age of eighteen, he stood shoulder to shoulder with the mightiest men of the vast continent. Even so, his achievements had no end. He even showed a steeper growth rate.
‘Hey, don’t bother me anymore!’
‘Ugh, on the topic of the bright blue baby…’
‘Brother Charles ordered you to do this? I’ll pretend not to know, so I promise never to come here again.’
I really won’t pay attention next time. With such threats, he scolded the gang of thugs who had been harassing him every day. The sight of the big guys who committed violence for fun rolling around on the floor with scared looks in their eyes still gave me an exhilarating feeling.
But that’s why I had to be even more vigilant.
‘Raise your sword, kid.’
‘Be aware of the other person’s capabilities.’
‘This is truly a bold provocation. However, this body is not an adult that a child like you would dare to confront with its bare body. Moreover, in front of Jofre Lee, who serves as the head of the Montaigne Swordsman’s Guild, … !’
He knocked down the famous knight from his horse with his unarmed hand. After repeatedly knocking on the bridge of his nose, he corrected his arrogant attitude. The armor of the guy who was crying and begging to be spared because he had done something wrong was crushed and kicked out.
‘Brother Charles, I have something to tell you.’
‘I would have told you not to go near the mansion.’
‘A man like Montaigne’s Joffre will not come.’
‘… That’s pretty cool, what did you do with him?’
‘He didn’t die. But if you know what shame is, you’ll never show your face again. In short, I can no longer do what my brother wants. So stop hiring people now.’
I don’t know how scary Cha Hyeong’s creepy expression was. It was a feeling that went beyond simple hatred or resentment. Although it was not as loud as the eldest brother’s voice that followed him in the pitch-black darkness.
‘Where did you learn the sword, Romuald?’
‘… From the enemy.’
‘What is an enemy to you?’
‘All the things that make us sad.’
Arsene and Charles were outcasts of the family. They each had their own reasons for disqualification and were looked down on by their father for the same reason. Even though he was born as a genius, Rom received a lot of love from Alexandre and was secretly mistaken about it.
‘I won’t say that I never felt like my brothers were mean to me. But my enemies are never two people. What I wanted to change was always now. ‘I want to achieve a future where everyone can smile and be happy together.’
‘Those are barbed words.’
‘I know you can criticize me for being arrogant. But I’ve already proven myself. Now it’s your turn, brothers. If you come across a younger brother who is trying to reform you, accept this challenge and defeat him head on.’
They are truly unvirtuous brothers.
‘I will do so, Romuald Dior.’
It was an absurd assessment. The reason the two men fell out of favor with their father was not because they were small. Rather, just as I became an expert in swordsmanship at a young age, they each had areas in which they excelled.
‘… ‘Raise your sword for your family.’
‘Montaigne’s Joffre is a giant. No matter how careless you were, you would be worthy of defeating such a giant. Win the upcoming Lumiere swordsmanship contest. In that case, I will allow you to discuss Marguerite’s future plans.’
Politics and diplomacy.
‘No matter how famous the sword technique is, in the end it is nothing more than the power of Ilshin. If you want to be fully evaluated for the value of that power, you must have a worthy sign. You will travel through many battlefields in the future. Prove it again in that mess.’
‘If there is an order to fight in a war involving my family’s interests, I will follow. But I don’t feel like swinging a sword just to make a name for myself. ‘Please let us put up the signboard in real time.’
‘Oh, Romuald. For a half-brother, you are full of unique thoughts. But is it really okay? You are a person who has something more important than your own safety. I heard that a convert from Veda seems to be interested in his sister.’
Reign and rule.
‘… Convert?’
‘Do you know the undefeated general of Beda? Do you know of a man who was pushed out of the power struggle between him and his twin, and who returned to this land? The ignorant believers of the world say that he is faithful, but they praise our Heavenly God as being superior to the earthly gods of paganism.’
‘Khalid Masood! Why is a bitch from a foreign country eyeing Marguerite?’
‘There is no reason for us to refuse. This is because my sister was imprisoned for the sin of once making a pact with a deposed prince. If you can attract a man who has become the archbishop’s confidant with just one testimony, you will have nothing left. Unfortunately, the man is from the rough and barbaric Near East and seems to have little regard for getting to know his wife.’
‘What have you planned?’
‘Do you know what the fastest way is for a stranger from a remote place to settle down? It’s about finding land to take root. As for this guy, I guess it’s a combination of Cheon Shin-gyo and Montaigne swordsman. Well, you probably understand. If it were for the sake of my brother’s noble beliefs, he would be happy to give up his entire body.’
Fear and tyranny.
‘Joffre’s Montaigne Swordsman’s Guild? Did you have in mind that if I did that, I would take him down and come find you two? To give him a reason to humiliate you for insulting the leader?’
‘If that’s how you felt, then that’s probably what it is, right?’
‘Why so much… !’
And slander and slander.
‘Haha, you said it with your own mouth.’
Yes, the reason Romuald of Dior was able to acquire such skill in swordsmanship was not just his talent. It’s thanks to his personality of not wanting to harm others and his clear motivation to get his sister out of that gutter-like cloistered monastery.
‘I will challenge you head on, so please accept it.’
The same goes for Arsene and Charles.
‘This is what happens to anyone who challenges us, you poor bastard.’
Anyway, they were of the same blood.
‘If you understand, then you should go and do what you’re told to do, right little brother?’
Under the name of the millennium artist, Alexandre Dior.
* * *
At first, it was just vicarious satisfaction. It was just a matter of reaching out to a lonely child who had no memory of her mother and filling the empty space. Maybe it’s because of my maternal lineage, but whenever I look at the bright and cheerful boy, I can immediately smile.
“Are you out of your mind, sister?”
I admit that it was a minor opportunity. Although the relationship that followed was too valuable and precious to be gained that way. The feeling of pity and the compulsion to be a good child eventually turned into true affection.
“Good morning.”
“… Rom.”
“Please sit down, I have something to show you.”
Therefore, Marguerite admits.
The time for praise has arrived.
