novelraw Chapter 32: The Theory of the Weak
Chapter 32: The Theory of the Weak
Fischer’s carriage followed behind the soldiers ahead, who looked impressively equipped. Several of the personal guards riding beside their captain were holding trembling goblin children, surrounded and protected by soldiers in front and back.
He carefully examined the soldiers’ gear and weapons. Not only were their rifles the latest models from the Nary-Tuchi Arms Company, but they even had military mortars. Out of the corner of his eye, Fischer caught sight of the belt worn by Commander Harry—it shimmered with magical light.
With that kind of equipment, Fischer would’ve believed it if someone told him these were the Nary king’s personal guards.
If Fieron City could outfit its soldiers like this, there were only two possibilities. Either the Lord of Fieron had royal connections—meaning someone powerful had his back.Or... he was filthy rich.
Fischer leaned toward the latter. After all, a few years ago, Nary, Schwalli, and Cardo had signed the "Southern Continent Protection Treaty," which explicitly prohibited official forces from intervening in the Southern Continent. Publicly, the three nations claimed they were here to “protect” the Southern Continent, and all the people now entering were supposedly “benevolent merchants” here to support the locals.
If Lord Fieron really had official Nary ties, there’s no way Schwalli and Cardo wouldn’t know about it.
Fischer pulled his gaze away from the soldiers ahead and turned to Raphaëlle, who sat beside him, silently staring at the fields outside.
She hadn’t said a word since getting in the carriage. Fischer figured it wasn’t that she was mad at him.
She was mad at those humans.
Since what happened in Lord Keken’s city, she had matured somewhat. Her thoughts weren’t quite as one-track anymore. But the traces of childishness still lingered—like today. Crimson Dragon Queen, huh?
That was still a long way off.
“We made a deal before. Until your game of killing me is over, you’re not allowed to attack any other humans. That was the last time I let you off the hook. Next time, don’t blame me for showing no mercy.”
“...You really want me to kill you that badly? Are you going to count this as another assassination attempt and punish me for it?”
Raphaëlle turned her head to look at Fischer. Her green pupils narrowed to a slit.
“You weren’t punished because I respected your courage in protecting those children of another race. But I’m also angry because you still haven’t learned to stay calm. You only act on impulse—and that brings trouble to both you and me.”
“...It was my fault. I shouldn’t have done that.”
She turned away again, but this time her voice was much softer.
Raphaëlle wasn’t stupid. She knew her actions were impulsive. It was just that the fury burning inside her was like steam in a boiler—it built up until it forced her into reckless action.
“Let’s talk about goblins. On the Western Continent, goblins are synonymous with demons. In all the stories, they’re never seen as good. But this is my first time actually seeing living goblins.”
“Goblins” was their own racial name—not something humans came up with. The first Western exploration ship saw them decades ago. One novelist in the crew wrote about them, turning them into blood-sucking, girl-kidnapping monsters.
Fischer had seen a lot of goblin specimens in the West—all trophies from hunts.
He wasn’t that mad at Raphaëlle this time, so he took the initiative to ease the tension.
Raphaëlle didn’t look back. She waited a long time before finally speaking in a calm voice.
“Goblins, in our tongue, means ‘Earth Spirits.’ They just like living in natural caves and are very friendly. You might not believe this, but their best skill is weaving. They know how to treat animal hides from the wild and make all sorts of crafts.”
“I see...”
That image clashed sharply with the terrifying creatures described in human pulp stories.
“For my eighteenth birthday, an elder goblin from the nearby Satyr Tribe gave me a shell necklace. He said he found the shells inside a stone—it was the remains of some ancient creature.”
“Those are called fossils,” Fischer added in Nary.
“But they... really, really, really, really, really are... they’re such a gentle and peace-loving race. In the long history of this continent, they’ve never started any wars. Even the humans who live around them prefer trading with them.”
“I just don’t get it. What kind of crime did they commit that even their little children had to die? Are humans savage beasts that eat raw meat? Even if they don’t understand goblin language, can’t they hear the begging? The crying?”
This time, Raphaëlle didn’t cry. Her words remained steady, but full of questions, as if she was hoping Fischer could give her an answer.
Fischer lit a cigarette. A thousand responses came to mind.
He could say good things about humans, like how there were plenty of kind-hearted people too—it wasn’t all bad. He could dodge the topic entirely, letting the sadness stew quietly in her heart.
Anything was better than telling her the truth about how humans really thought.
Because the truth was—humans didn’t care.
Whether goblins or any other race—if they were weak and primitive, they would be plundered and invaded without hesitation. Everything would be taken from them.
Heh. Wasn’t this the perfect way to raise a Dragon Queen destined to annihilate humanity?
Fischer sneered, then raised a finger to Raphaëlle.
“Raphaëlle, the only crime of demi-humans... is being weak.”
Raphaëlle whipped her head around to stare at him. Her green pupils narrowed to slits, terrifying like the legendary dragons that razed cities.
But Fischer’s expression didn’t change.
“Weak enough that humans don’t value your lives. A life so weak, even if it screams with all its might, it won’t reach their ears. Mercy and compassion are luxuries of the strong. And because they’re choices, placing all your hope on the whims of humans... is one of the stupidest things you can do.”
Surrounded by the clatter of hooves and human troops, Fischer calmly laid out his harsh truth from the carriage.
She breathed slowly, unmoving, staring straight at him.
“That’s why you have to be strong. So strong you can’t afford to make mistakes. No impulse. No softness. No hesitation. No arrogance. Not like now—just a child acting on emotions without thinking of the consequences.”
“Only then—when you’re strong—you’ll have the power to escape human choices. The power to resist. So keep at it, Raphaëlle.”
“A human... teaching me this...”
Raphaëlle muttered, then turned her head back to the fields so Fischer couldn’t see her expression.
“These are simple truths. Even if I didn’t say them, you’d understand one day—after seeing more demi-humans die. I’m just telling you early, so you won’t lose your life in a moment of impulse.”
“Besides, with your current skill level, your chances of beating me are still close to zero.”
This time, Raphaëlle didn’t argue. She just said,
“Hmph. I’m already planning out a strategy to beat you. When I do, you’ll remember what you said today.”
“I’ll be looking forward to it.”
Raphaëlle’s tail swayed slightly. Long after the conversation ended, she finally scooted a little closer to Fischer’s side.