EP.217 A Story of the Past, The Pied Piper of Hameln – 3
In the distant past, humans were originally beasts.
Hands that can hold tools and tongues that can shape language are praised as gifts from God, but in fact, they are not particularly distinctive compared to other beasts, despite being boastful. It was just a usable personality, just like any other normal beast.
Man was just one of the beasts that roamed the land.
If there is food in front of it, it eats it and tries to scatter its own seeds. To live, to survive. It was literally a desperate effort, so I didn’t bother to choose the opponent or the situation.
The effort involved hunting down fellow human beings and turning them into prey. Murder rape extermination robbery. All of them existed as common sense in the savagery, unnamed.
And nobody blamed it. Because it was a very natural thing.
Like all other beasts.
then at some point. Humans have found dignity.
He despised barbarism and established laws and morals. When the first saintess fell to this land and the human king disappeared, humans truly became the rulers of the earth.
Treating all barbarism as a taboo and burying it before history, they stood on top of the world and decided what was right and wrong, justice and injustice. In it, human beings found prosperity and order.
However, it is only buried in Sato to the end. The taboo still… existed.
“Nonsense, nonsense… Nicholas. Are you going to do something like that?”
Hearing the unexpected news, Lancart opened his eyes wide and covered his mouth with an open book. His eyes trembled with disgust and fear, as if he were looking at a monster in human skin.
“I can not understand. No matter how you think, I don’t understand. Even if you are not in a position to cover the means and methods… This is this! That’s too much!”
He was so frightened that even he, who had not been frightened for quite some time, shuddered violently. Lancart roared wildly as he gripped his arm pitifully and sobbed.
“How could you think of feeding them so inefficiently! If you have ingredients…! Even in order not to waste the lives of those ingredients! You have to eat it perfectly!”
Lancart is a wizard. Due to its nature, a magic officer has the right to read all kinds of ancient documents. Lancart found a taboo a bit blatantly to say that it was a coincidence…
And when he came across some confidential information about the taboo, he immediately went to Nicholas with cheers. While researching for a friend, I pretended to have found it by accident and held it out in front of him.
The plan worked, but it was only part of it.
Lancart, who spit out his emotions violently, took out the knowledge in his head and organized it.
“Class 1 taboo. gluttony. Forbidden ritual to kill and quench their thirst with blood and flesh to obtain their power. The easiest and most terrible taboo.”
It would be hard to even call it taboo. ‘Gluttony’ itself is a common occurrence in everyday life.
Crops that have been worked hard for a long time, or the meat of animals that grew up eating them. Humans take it and become stronger. Chew it with your teeth, pass it down your throat, hold it in your body, grow your body, gain the magic and energy that permeated it, and become healthy.
Quite simply, gluttony is the collective term for the act of eating something.
“But basically, what is outside the body is different from what is inside. It doesn’t take a process of disassembling and making it your own. That’s why gluttony is very, very inefficient. Converting something requires such a loss.”
That’s why it’s taboo. Those who tried to gain strength through this gluttony ate thousands and tens of thousands of lives to become as strong as dust. Historically called tyrannical calamities or demons, they often gained power in this way and were mostly subdued. Even if you eat 100 to get the power of 1, the karma you’ve accumulated so far has grown so much that you can’t handle it.
…But gluttony doesn’t have to be done on such a grand scale. Some humans who value efficiency have found a slightly more efficient way.
“For three years, I learned the same qigong, developed similar magical powers, ate the same food, and had the same life cycle. There are too many similarities to be called someone else. What a perfect situation… As if I had this in mind from the beginning.”
It was a common occurrence. Among the small-scale secret societies, there were so many cases where they took orphans and raised them together for a long time before devouring all but one, so there was no need to mention them.
It was clear that gluttony was one of the reasons the military government created the school. It’s just that the taboo has never been practiced until now.
It was a surprise for what he had prepared, but Lancart clearly understood it.
“but. Neither me nor the boar woman need it at all. It won’t change anything if you only eat a hundred or two hundred. That bitch Historia actually won against two hundred men by herself…”
The world stands on rationality.
Until now, the reason why the military government has not sacrificed a hundred students to give power to one is because one awkward artificial superman created was not worth more than a hundred others.
Not because it’s a silly justice or moral issue, but because it’s irrational.
then.
“but. Huey has a lot of meaning. That guy… just lacks the size of his power. I have enough skills to deal with it.”
If a case emerges where it makes more sense to gorge on power. What choice will the military make at that time?
I heard that it’s not the same.
It’s a taboo that everyone regards as taboo.
that no one has ever tried.
Shall we ignore rationality by doing denial just for the sake of denial?
“The military has passed the test. It’s worth working for this country…”
After a short thought, Nicholas decided to feed the students to Huey. However, he chose a slightly inefficient way. It was not to make them kill each other, but to put them in danger of death.
A total of 162 students, excluding 38 students from Lancart, Historia and other occupational groups, were scheduled to be in distress while going up along the Hameln River for practical training. You will have to survive for two days in a forest inhabited by wolves, boars and crocodiles.
…Probably the camp is set up with taboos. So that someone’s blood can become food.
“That method is so low-spirited, but that’s it, I just need to touch it. But why did Nicholas use such an ambiguous method… No way?”
Lancart was stunned when he thought of a possibility while searching for rationality. It was an absurd hypothesis. Stunned in my opinion, he grabbed his belly button and started laughing.
“Maybe, Nicholas. Do you think Huey will pass that chance? haha! ha ha ha! No way no way! It can’t be! he’s a genius Unfortunately, worse than me! Do you think that kind of monster is just going to get caught up in something?!”
After laughing for a long time, he stopped laughing at some point. The sudden silence gave off an even more terrifying feeling in contrast to the mad light from earlier.
Lancart smiled, as if denying the hypothesis, or as if it would make it negative.
“This is a test, Huey. i trust you More than anyone, even more than me… If you are talented. I will not miss this opportunity.”
Lancart muttered darker than ever….
“Thank you Lancart for trusting me. But I don’t know if I can live up to your expectations.”
“Eh? Why is that bastard’s name sticking out here?”
After the written exam, Historia and I sat leisurely in the shade outside the exam hall while everyone walked out exhausted. The two of us seemed alienated from the test.
In fact, they were far apart.
Whether or not I should put a star on Historia even before entering the military academy, because I am an irregular person who talks about it every day, and being number 1 for me was the constant, the upper limit of my walking grades.
I answered Historia’s question with a shrug.
“ah. This time, as expected, I think I will be number one.”
Historia has the biggest smile she’s ever had today.
“Sorry! He said he would try to win this time, and he wore a book every day.”
“that’s right. He said he worked hard.”
Thanks to you, I also benefited a bit. You just have to read and use what he studied. If there is something missing, you can refer to others.
To me, a test is like putting a puzzle together. Pick it up moderately and check if it fits, or if you want to filter it out, tap it and attach it. Then, the mental pleasure of fitting into an empty space stimulated me.
This was a lot of fun.
I can only read minds, I don’t know the answer. There are cases where both of them get along amicably wrong when someone asks them to say that they are sure that the correct answer is number 3.
A test is not about getting the correct answer, but an event to learn the gap between belief and reality. It may not have been what the military wanted, but it made a significant contribution to mind-reading training.
“That’s what I think, I think this exam also came in first place. Tell Lancart. 1st place should be done where I am not.”
“Giggle. Can I tell you that literally?”
“Pretend I didn’t dare. That bastard hates me being hypocritical”
“That’s my specialty! I never get tired of watching that bastard break down every year!”
“…Lea. But your score is lower than Lancart, minus the bonus points for your practical skills.”
Historia smiled and grabbed my shoulder. A grip that could crush even a tin canteen was trying to test its strength against my bones.
“Yes? day off. If I add one more word, will you reveal everything about moves 1 through 7 in the sparring test?”
“sorry. I was wrong.”
“If you didn’t match the movements with me, you could have been second. Be careful in the future. Don’t mess around.”
Historia, who was always joking around and laughing nonchalantly, bowed her head and rested her head on my chest. The top of my head, with jet-black hair, filled my field of vision.
Historia whispered softly while covering her face.
“…be careful with graduation practice.”
slap. As if she had never shown a weak side, she straight away tilted her head and smiled. Her long, braided hair moved as vigorously as she did.
“hey! When this time is over, you have to decide where to go! Your future will change depending on which military academy you go to!”
“okay. You should think about that too.”
“You better think about it! If you feel like you have nowhere else to go, come to my aide! I’m going to become a general, so I can make you at least one of your seats!”
Historia talks excitedly while envisioning a bright future while suppressing her anxious mind. why are you anxious As a result of reading my thoughts, I didn’t know anything about gluttony. Did I instinctively realize something?
Or are you just a little afraid of graduation and separation itself? like other children.
I’m not sure. Human emotions are so complex.
I also tried to pretend to be bright according to her wishes.
“no way. Gao is there though. How can a third-rank adjutant go to first rank?”
“Second place!”
Still, the bright appearance now is probably possible because he doesn’t know about gluttony.
if.
How will Historia change if she learns about gluttony?
To affirm or to deny?
I do not know. I’m a mind reader, but I don’t know the future. Just guessing.
“Historia. If something goes wrong… can you help me?”
“…What are you talking about all of a sudden? Where are you going to die?”
but can’t tell This is the secret of the secrets that Nicholas and Lancart kept tightly hidden. If I, playing the role of a mediocre student, find out about the conspiracy surrounding me, the source will surely be questioned.
You shouldn’t find out that you’ve been mind-reading, and you shouldn’t suspect that you might be. I cannot render my only weapon useless.
I share everything, but that’s why I’m alone. Even if I wondered why it was me, no one answered.
I shrugged and said indifferently.
“I was just scared. It’s the notorious graduation practice. People who die come out often.”
“Behaving like a coward.”
That’s what he said, but Historia had a happy face. She smiled brightly and gave a big shake.
“I will save you. Instead, if I save you, will you become my lieutenant?”
“Coming to think of it, it’s ironic that the first place asks the third place. Cancel. I’ll just do it myself.”
“hey!”
Waving loudly at Historia, I headed for the meeting place.
There are many people going, but only a few people come to the place where the one-way practice begins.
