EP.217 The Story of the Past, The Pied Piper of Hameln - 3
In the distant past, humans were originally beasts.
They extol the hand capable of grasping tools and the tongue capable of crafting language as gifts from the gods, but for all their boasting, these are not particularly outstanding traits compared to other beasts. They were merely useful peculiarities, just like those possessed by ordinary beasts.
Humans were simply one of the beasts roaming this land.
They ate when prey was before them, and strove to scatter their seed. To live, to survive. It was a desperate effort in the truest sense, one that did not discriminate against opponents or circumstances.
That effort included hunting fellow humans to turn them into prey. Murder, rape, genocide, robbery. All of those existed as common sense within barbarism, without being given separate names.
And no one blamed it. Because it was perfectly natural.
Just like all other beasts.
Then, at some point. Humans found dignity.
They despised barbarism and established law and morality. When the first saint fell upon this land and the human king vanished, humans truly became the rulers of the earth.
Treating all barbarism as taboo and burying it before history, they stood above the world and defined what was right and what was not, justice and injustice. Within that, humans discovered prosperity and order.
However, it was merely buried in the soil. Taboos still... existed.
"No, no way... Nicholas. You're going to commit such an act?"
Lankart, having heard the unexpected news, widened his eyes and covered his mouth with the open book. His eyes were trembling with disgust and fear, as if looking at a monster wearing human skin.
"I can't understand it. No matter how I, how I think about it, I can't understand. Even if we're in no position to be picky about means and methods... this, this! This is too much!"
So terrified was he that even someone who usually didn't frighten easily was shaking violently. Grasping his own arm pitifully and sobbing, Lankart roared roughly.
"How, how could you think of feeding them so inefficiently! If there are materials...! Even just to not waste the lives of those materials! You must make them feed perfectly!"
Lankart is a mage. Due to the nature of a Magic Officer, he holds access rights to all kinds of ancient documents. It would be a stretch to say Lankart found the taboo by chance... as he had searched for it rather blatantly.
And when he accessed certain confidential information about the taboo, he rejoiced and immediately went to find Nicholas. Pretending he had discovered it by chance while researching for his friend, he presented it before him.
The plan succeeded, but only partially.
Having violently spat out his emotions, Lankart pulled the knowledge from his head and organized it aloud.
"Type 1 Taboo. Gluttony. A forbidden ritual of killing, slaking one's thirst with blood and flesh, and gaining their power. The easiest, therefore the most atrocious taboo."
It would be difficult to even call it a taboo. For 'gluttony' itself is something that commonly occurs in everyday life.
Crops tended with long effort, or the meat of beasts that grew eating them. Humans take these and grow stronger. They chew with their teeth, swallow down their throats, harbor them within their bodies, make their own flesh grow, and gain the magical power and vital energy permeating within, becoming healthy.
Put very simply, gluttony is the comprehensive term for the act of eating something.
"But fundamentally, things outside the body are different from things inside the body. A process of breaking them down and making them one's own is necessary. Therefore, gluttony is very, very inefficient. Converting something always requires corresponding loss."
That is why it is a taboo. Those who tried to gain power through this gluttony devoured thousands and tens of thousands of lives just to grow stronger by a mere speck. Those historically called tyrants, calamities, or demons commonly gained power through this method, and most were subjugated. Even if they devoured 100 to gain the power of 1, the karma they accumulated in the process grew too massive to handle.
...However, gluttony doesn't necessarily have to be carried out on such a massive scale. Some humans who valued efficiency found a slightly more efficient method.
"For three years, they've learned the same qi cultivation, nurtured similar magical power, eaten the same food, and shared the same biological cycle. To call them different people, they have far, far too many similarities. A truly perfect situation... as if this was kept in mind from the very beginning."
It was a common occurrence. Among secret organizations of some scale, there were countless cases of taking in orphans, raising them together for a long time, and then devouring all but one, so many that there was no need to even mention it.
It was clear that gluttony was one of the reasons the military nation established schools. However, that taboo had simply never been carried out until now.
It was surprising given the preparation, but Lankart clearly understood that fact.
"Then again. It's completely, completely unnecessary for me or that boar woman. Eating a mere hundred or two hundred won't make any difference. That bitch Historia actually won against two hundred people alone..."
The world stands on rationality.
The reason the military nation had never sacrificed a hundred students to concentrate power into one until now was because one mediocre artificial superhuman created that way was not more valuable than the other hundred.
It wasn't a matter of petty justice or morality, but because it was irrational.
If so.
"However. It means something different to Huey. That guy... only lacks in the magnitude of power. His ability to handle it is sufficient."
If a situation arises where gluttony is more rational. What choice will the military nation make then?
Because they've grown fond of them.
Because it's a taboo everyone shuns.
Because no one has attempted it until now.
Will they continue to deny solely for the sake of denial, turning their backs on rationality?
"The military nation passed the test. It seems there's value in working for this country..."
Nicholas, after a brief consideration, decided to feed the students to Huey. However, he chose a somewhat inefficient method. Rather than having them kill each other, he intended to drive them into a crisis of death.
The 162 students, excluding Lankart, Historia, and 38 other students advancing to different career tracks, were going to be stranded while traveling up the Hameln River for practical training. They would have to survive for two days in a forest inhabited by wolves, boars, and crocodiles.
...Probably, a forbidden barrier would be set up at the camp. So that someone's blood could become sustenance.
"That method is utterly lowly, but I can just tweak that part. But Nicholas, why use such an ambiguous method... could it be?"
While searching for rationality, having recalled one possibility, Lankart turned pale. It was an absurd hypothesis. Finding his own thought ridiculous, he grabbed his belly and began laughing heartily.
"Could it be, could it be, Nicholas. You think Huey will turn down that opportunity? Haha! Hahaha! No way, no way! That's impossible! He's a genius. Frustratingly, even more so than me! A monster like that, would be bound by something so trivial?!"
Having laughed for a long time, he suddenly stopped at some point. The abrupt silence felt even more chilling in contrast to the maniacal laughter from moments ago.
As if denying the hypothesis, or as if making it so it must be denied, Lankart smiled.
"This is a test, Huey. I, I believe in you. More than anyone, even more than myself... if it's you with talent. You won't miss this opportunity."
Lankart muttered darker than ever before...
"Thanks for believing in me, Lankart. But I'm not sure I can live up to your expectations."
"Huh? Why is that bastard's name popping up here?"
While everyone walked out drained after the written exam, Historia and I were sitting leisurely in the shade outside the examination hall. The two of us seemed like people completely unrelated to the exam.
Actually, we were unrelated.
Historia was an irregular whose enrollment in the officer academy was already being debated day after day—whether she should be given stars before even enrolling—and I was a walking grade ceiling where being first place was a given.
In response to Historia's question, I shrugged and answered.
"Ah. It seems I'll be first place again as expected."
Historia flashed the biggest smile she'd made today.
"What a shame! That guy said he'd win for sure this time and has been carrying books around every day."
"Yeah. He was working hard."
Thanks to that, I benefited too. I just had to read and use exactly what he studied. If there were any lacking parts, I could reference someone else's.
For me, exams were something like puzzle-solving. Pick up pieces moderately, check if they fit, discard if not, and if they seem to match, just snap them in place. Then the intellectual pleasure of it fitting perfectly into the empty space stimulated me.
This was quite an enjoyable thing.
I only read minds, I don't know the answers. If someone was certain the answer was 3 and I hastily chose it, we'd both get it wrong together.
An exam is not an event of getting answers right, but an event of learning the discrepancy between belief and reality. It wasn't what the military nation intended, but it contributed considerably to telepathy training.
"In my opinion, I think I'll be first place in this exam too. Tell Lankart. He should aim for first place only where I'm not."
"Giggle. Can I tell him that exactly?"
"Act like I didn't graciously permit it. That guy hates seeing me act hypocritical even mo—"
"That's my specialty! I never get tired of seeing that guy's crushed expression every year!"
"...ria. But you know, if you take out the practical bonus points, your score is lower than Lankart's."
Historia grabbed my shoulder with her smiling face intact. The grip strength that could crumple even a tin canteen was testing its power against my bones.
"Hm? Huey. One more word, and I'll expose everything about moves 1 through 7 from the sparring exam?"
"I'm sorry. I was wrong."
"You could've been second too if you hadn't matched moves with me. Be careful from now on. Don't get cocky."
Historia, who had been joking and laughing frivolously as always, lowered her head and leaned it against my chest. The crown of her head sprouting jet-black hair filled my vision.
With her face buried, Historia whispered softly.
"...Be careful during the graduation practical training."
Swish. As if she had never shown any weakness, she immediately tilted her head back and smiled brightly. With her energetic movement, her long braided hair moved as lively as she did.
"Hey! Once this is over, you have to decide where you're going! Your future changes depending on which officer academy you attend!"
"Yeah. I'll have to think about that too."
"You better think carefully! If you really have nowhere to go, come as my adjutant! I'll become a general, so I can make a spot for you!"
Suppressing her anxiety while painting a bright future and talking excitedly—Historia. Why was she anxious? From reading her thoughts, she knew nothing about gluttony. Had she instinctively realized something?
Or was she simply a bit afraid of graduation and parting itself? Like the other children.
I'm not really sure. Human emotions are so complex.
I too, following her wishes, tried hard to respond brightly.
"Come on. I still have my pride. How can the 1st place become the adjutant of the 3rd place."
"I said 2nd place!"
But this bright appearance now is probably only possible because she doesn't know about gluttony.
If.
If Historia were to learn about gluttony, how would she change?
Would she affirm it, or deny it?
I'm not sure. Even though I'm a telepath, I don't know the future. I can only guess.
"Historia. If something goes wrong... will you help me?"
"...What are you talking about all of a sudden. Are you going off to die?"
But I couldn't tell her. This was the most classified of secrets that even Nicholas and Lankart had kept tightly hidden. If I, playing the role of a mere student, were to discover the conspiracy surrounding me, I would surely be interrogated about its source.
I must not let it be known that I possess telepathy, nor allow any suspicion that I might. I cannot render my only weapon useless.
I share everything, yet because of that, I am alone in my solitude. Even if I wonder why it had to be me, there's no one to answer.
I shrugged and spoke casually.
"Just, I'm scared. It's the notorious graduation practical training, right. They say people die quite often."
"Acting like a coward."
She said that, but Historia was delighted. She smiled with a fresh smile and shook her head vigorously.
"I'll save you. Instead, if I save you, you become my adjutant, deal?"
"Come to think of it, it's ironic for the 1st place to ask the 3rd place for help. Never mind. I'll handle it myself."
"Hey!"
Waving my hand broadly toward Historia, I headed to the assembly point.
To the place where the one-way practical training would begin—where many go, but few return.