novelraw Chapter 39: The Trolley Problem
Chapter 39: The Trolley Problem
"Mr. Fischer, do you know that Saintess from the choir?"
"She was just a student I once taught."
"I see... it's almost time. Let's head in."
Seeing that Fischer was unwilling to elaborate, Fieron didn’t press further. Acting the gentleman, he led the way with his cane. While the rest of the audience watched from the main hall on the first floor, Fieron alone had the privilege, as the Lord, to view the performance from a private room on the second floor.
Downstairs, the citizens were chatting noisily. The chaotic scene was worlds apart from the silent elegance of the royal aristocracy’s viewing environment. The black-robed Priestess Karyu on stage frowned at the noise, rubbing her temples in frustration before turning to the girls who had already taken the stage.
“Everyone, get ready.”
Fieron stood up and walked over to the second-floor railing, calling out to the noisy crowd below. As soon as he opened his mouth, the audience immediately quieted down and turned to look at him.
"It's the Lord!"
"Sir Fieron is up there!"
Fieron waved his hand and addressed the audience below. "Please remain quiet during the performance. Thank you, everyone."
"Alright!"
"No problem!"
With his words, the previously noisy theater gradually quieted down. Just as silence began to fall, the door to the private viewing room opened behind them, and a soldier with a blank expression walked in.
He said nothing. Fieron simply raised his hand, signaling the soldier to stand by for now. Then he turned to Fischer and said,
"Apologies, Mr. Fischer. He’s here to report on city matters... but there’s no rush. Let’s enjoy the performance first."
Fischer cast a glance at the soldier, who gave him a silent salute before leaving and closing the door behind him. Fischer silently turned back, gripping his cane—Raphaëlle hadn’t shattered the magic he had given her.
On stage in the distance, a dozen saintly girls spread out in formation. Beams of light, like divine radiance, fell upon them. Though their steps were slow, their movements felt like a graceful dance. The entire audience held their breath. When one of the girls began to sing, her ethereal voice echoed like a whisper from the gods.
They were singing the first chapter of the Church's Book of Genesis: The Mother Goddess Creates Humanity.
According to the Nary faith, the Mother Goddess resided in a heavenly realm filled with birdsong and blossoms. She was detached from worldly desires. One day, she encountered a wounded rabbit who begged her to save its life. In return, it promised to bring her the first apple of spring.
The moon and sun beside the Mother Goddess warned her not to save the rabbit, saying it would bring disaster to other living beings. But the kind-hearted Mother Goddess saved the rabbit and ate the apple it gave her. After consuming it, she became pregnant. Seven days later, she gave birth to a baby boy named Ia.
Ia was the first human. Just as the sun and moon had warned, his greed led to the creation of death—he introduced the concept of mortality to the world. To punish her child, the Mother Goddess cast Ia down to earth. During his long descent, he split into a man and a woman, and through their descendants, humanity spread, bearing death and disease across generations.
When the choir sang the part where the Mother Goddess tearfully cast Ia from heaven, their mournful, sorrowful voices stirred the deepest human empathy—many among the audience began to weep.
Fieron’s gaze shimmered as he watched, his fingers trembling slightly. After a moment, he turned to look at Fischer, only to find him staring expressionlessly at the stage, seemingly unmoved.
Fieron studied him for a long moment before smiling and asking,
"Mr. Fischer, do you believe that all humans descended from Ia?"
"Not really. The Church’s teachings aren’t so different from the demi-humans’ beliefs. They're both just ways of explaining the world... Ancient Church philosophers believed that humanity is a collective whole, and each person is just a tiny part of a giant body."
Suddenly, Fieron placed a hand on the table between them. The overly close gesture made Fischer glance at him, and in the corner of his eye, he saw the door slightly ajar—with the soldier’s silhouette peeking through.
Fieron’s gaze locked onto Fischer’s as he smiled and asked,
"There’s a question that’s been bothering me for a long time. I’ve always wanted to ask you..."
"Go ahead."
Fischer silently tightened his grip on his cane, waiting for the question. Outside the room, the soldier’s shadow twitched a few times, then slowly disappeared from the doorway.
"Imagine you're a train switchman. One day, a runaway train appears on the tracks you oversee. On its current track are five people. If you do nothing, they’ll die. But you have a choice—you can pull a lever to switch the train to another track, where only one person stands. What would you do?"
Fischer looked at Fieron, paused a moment, then leaned back against the cushion and smiled.
"I wouldn’t do anything."
Outside, the choir's voices reached their crescendo. The heavenly light spilled into the private room, illuminating the stunned, blank look on Fieron’s face.
"Haha... I see."
It took him a long time to snap out of it. He slowly shifted and leaned back against the seat.
"This is the first time I’ve listened to the Saintess Choir in person. Their voices are beautiful. They always move me..."
"It was indeed a magnificent opera."
Fischer set down his cane and looked past the now-silent Fieron. At some point, the door behind them had already closed.
“Today’s opera was beautiful. Thank you for the invitation, Mr. Fieron.”
The carriage rolled along the road into the inner city. Along the way, many demi-humans and their children waved at the Lord’s carriage, catching Fischer’s attention.
"Not at all. It wouldn’t have felt the same if I were watching alone..."
Fieron glanced at the time. The carriage came to a stop in front of the Lord’s manor, where Nana was already waiting.
After getting off, Nana looked at Fischer for a long time before finally turning away. Then she spoke to Fieron with her usual warmth.
"Sir Fieron, they’ve been waiting a long time."
"Ah..." Fieron turned to Fischer and said, "Apologies, Mr. Fischer. I have other guests to attend to and must excuse myself. But I haven’t forgotten about our prior matter. The training arena is just outside, near the city wall. If you can’t find it, have Fia guide you."
"Understood. Thank you, Mr. Fieron."
Fischer tipped his hat, took his leave, and walked into the manor.
Fieron, meanwhile, exchanged a glance with Nana and walked with her in another direction. They walked a long way side by side. After making sure no one else was around, Nana finally looked at him with concern.
"Sir Fieron, did something go wrong? Why is he back?"
"You didn’t touch the Dragonkin, did you?"
"No."
"Good. Then let’s hold off a bit longer."
"But… there are only a few days left..."
Worried, Nana took his hand, which he covered gently with his own steam-powered palm.
"Fischer gave me a lot to think about yesterday. If I can make it happen, I won’t need the old methods anymore..."
"Then now that you’ve gotten what you wanted, shouldn’t you deal with him quickly? What are you hesitating for?"
Steam hissed from beneath Fieron’s mask. In the silence that followed, he recalled Fischer’s answer in the theater. Then he shook his head.
"...No, I haven’t gotten what I want yet. Forget about him and the red Dragonkin for now. Let’s recover the others first."
"...Alright. Then I’ll deliver this batch of goods to them."
"Thanks, Nana."
Nana bit her lip, then hugged Fieron tightly, whispering in his arms,
"Don’t say that... I’ll help you. No matter what you decide, I’ll always follow you."
Fieron's steam-powered hand gently stroked her long hair, pulling her into a full embrace.
"It won’t be long. I’ll have my answer soon."