Do humans need order?
No. That's wrong. They just need order that takes their side.
They wish for the Goddess of Fortune to wave only at them, for the whole world to take their side, to sweep away what they dislike in the name of order, and to keep only what benefits them.
It's not a need, but a demand. Humans demand an order that is favorable to them.
From whom? Well. I wonder about that too.
"Nonsense!"
"What are you plotting?!"
"You spoke grandly, but in the end, it just means you won't take anyone with you."
"You intend to monopolize the relics of Saint Rene."
"I knew it, you hypocrite!"
Cries blaming, condemning, and attacking me. They were now furious and agitated, even harboring the intent to attack me at the slightest provocation.
Order? What order. I said it's a tool, didn't I? If they don't like it, they immediately rebel, protest, and try to change it. I looked at the humans actively plotting rebellion and thought to myself.
A very good posture. That's exactly it.
"There are over 60 people here, so what right do you have to choose who goes up?!"
I hadn't allowed any killing as we climbed up here. I mediated, encouraged, shared supplies, and soothed grievances. Thanks to that, nearly 60 people formed a group without fighting each other.
"You think you're so great!"
You guys couldn't even solve the tower's problems, but I did. Normally, I would have hidden behind Lankart, but this time I put in some effort to show you. How is it? Aren't you embarrassed to say that?
"You have no right to talk either! Even though you brought Lankart, who climbed the Gate of Ascension last time!"
Ah, the mages of the Floating Castle. You know Lankart. But that's not something you mages of the Floating Castle should be saying, is it? If push comes to shove, I can just abandon Lankart.
"I thought you were a righteous one seeking teachings from the saint. But you're just a mage who arbitrarily interprets the will of the gods."
That's what I should be saying. You used your faith to try and kill Kuram and the Centipede.
I'm not saying you're wrong. They are villains, and they have no hesitation in killing others. According to the justice you believe in, you could punish Kuram and the Centipede.
But so what? That's just your thought.
The important thing is. You broke the order of this group.
"Are you watching? This is the reality of the order you spoke of."
The Holy Maiden of Light misjudged. For the sake of order, the sins of the wicked must be questioned and punished. She must have wanted to show me that.
She was wrong. Order is not such a grand thing to humans.
Humans use order like a tool. Whenever something happens, they are only full of thoughts of changing it to their advantage. Complying with a greater order is simply submitting due to a lack of power.
"I don't think this is ugly or evil. It's just inevitable. They're human. It's not because they are lacking or foolish that they make such choices, but because they are truthful and honest that they try to break the order."
This is right.
If there is something I must gain. And if it seems like I can overcome the obstacle in front of me. I must actively try to overcome it. Even if it's an order set by someone else.
This is what it means to be human.
If you try to outright deny this obvious truth, you are bound to fail.
Those who heard my muttering were bewildered.
"Who are you talking to?"
"You. I fully understand you. I am satisfied that you all came out like this. It's very human. So I won't particularly attack you. However."
I pointed my finger and chose a few. Shae and Lankart, of course, Avant-garde who had been stopping the fights, and even Hilde and the Master of the Blue Tower, who had been quietly observing the situation while hiding their identities. I only picked those who were full of selfish motives but had not yet committed a sin.
"Me and my friends. And I'll take only a few who have not committed any sins yet. I will head to the 10th floor with only them. Well, I won't interfere with you all climbing up to the best of your abilities. Let's have a fair competition."
I say fair competition, but it's a fight I will unconditionally win. Because they didn't even notice the problem, and they'll be too busy fighting to have time to solve it.
To give them this certainty, I solved all the previous problems in an instant.
"Then I'll take my leave. Only the innocent shall come with me."
Right now, I am just and flawless. No different from an angel selecting the ignorant masses of the lower realm and sending them up.
The angel, disappointed in humans, tries to head to heaven with only a few who follow him.
Now they must choose. Whether to attack me to fulfill their desires. Or to give up and accept their fate.
'No.'
'I can't let him go.'
'I've come this far. It's only a step away! If only I get past that guy!'
Very satisfyingly, they were human. Including the Holy Knight Order, the abandoned humans renewed their resolve.
"Keuk-keuk. How ironic."
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Except for those who had already been abandoned.
Rather, Kuram, who hadn't believed in order from the beginning, was the most nonchalant. He sneered lightly and mocked the holy knights.
"Ridiculous. When you get swept up, you make the same choices. Good or evil, medicine or poison. It's just a matter of what you call it."
Kuram was an apothecary of the kingdom. In the days when violence under the guise of duels was rampant, he prescribed medicine for injured knights.
It was called medicine, but it was actually closer to painkillers. It wasn't a disease; what kind of medicine is needed for an infected wound sustained from a sword? Applying disinfectant and wrapping it with a clean cloth was all there was to it.
However, knights who had just finished a duel were highly agitated, and they often threw violent tantrums due to the pain of applying disinfectant. Why else would there be a saying that doctors treating the wounded died more often than the injured knights? Just like the knights, doctors also had to prepare means of self-defense.
Kuram used painkillers. The stronger the painkiller, the easier it was to calm the knight, and the smoother the treatment. Kuram's medicinal skills were excellent, and a knight treated by Kuram once would often ask him again next time.
And strong painkillers possess all the elements to become good narcotics.
Kuram, who simply wanted to make a living as an apothecary, ended up making dozens of knights drug addicts and used them like slaves.
"You, who call yourselves the medicine of the world, are also poison here."
To maintain his competitiveness, Kuram mixed and used more addictive drugs, and made the addicted knights kill people. After committing all sorts of crimes, he was eventually tracked down by the knights and dragged into a duel, but having modified his body with the drugs he had compounded during that time, he won.
Kuram is a villain.
But he too was a human who was faithful to his goals at every moment.
Kuram shrugged his shoulders and said to me.
"I'll pass. I'm greedy for what's on top of the tower, but I'm not as desperate as you guys."
Order is also nothing more than the logic of power. Regardless of Kuram being a villain, there isn't much difference between him and the other people here.
Cardinal Elton fell into agony. He couldn't let me go. But it was too much to stop me. Even the justification wasn't sufficient; there was a lack of will to attack me, with whom he had shared living quarters until just a moment ago.
He was lost. Wandering between what he must do, what he can do, and what he doesn't know if he should do, Cardinal Elton closed his eyes and prayed inwardly.
'O Holy Maiden of the Heavens who blessed me. What must I do here?'
Even though it was a question with no answer.
-Fulfill your duty.
A revelation descended like a miracle.
Cardinal Elton opened his eyes. When he opened them again, there wasn't a single shadow in his eyes. His body was filled with faith and belief, and his whole being overflowed with power, feeling as if he could do anything. Though he was an aged body that had stepped down from the frontlines, right now he felt like he could knock down even his prime self in a single breath.
It was a revelation that a cardinal might receive only once in his life. He no longer hesitates. Cardinal Elton moved for his duty, to obtain the holy relic of Saint Rene.
"When pitch-black darkness descends, light shall guide us. O Sword of the Heavenly God. A revelation has descended. We fulfill our duty."
Cardinal Elton declared solemnly.
Faith is like a lantern. When you don't know where to head in the darkness where you can't see an inch ahead, it becomes a guide. There is no need to agonize anymore. Cardinal Elton resolved to get the holy relic in his hands.
"May today, like yesterday, promise a tomorrow that will come."
The priests and holy knights finished their short prayer.
The Holy Knight Order, raising their cross-swords, rushed towards me. Holy light flashed, aiming at Lankart who tried to stop them. Cardinal Elton, bearing a white halo above his head, blocked Lankart.
"...Haa, tsk. I thought I'd go up without any problems."
'Hughes must have a reason for provoking everyone here.'
Shae grumbled, but finished preparing to fight as if she knew this would happen. Facing the mages who were watching for a chance to strike at me, she drew Cheon-aeng and Ji-jan.
Those mages. Because I'm their biggest obstacle, they're joining hands to drag me down. I like how honest and consistent they are.
To become a public enemy just because the order didn't take anyone's side.
Isn't it funny, Holy Maiden of Light?
I inwardly asked a question to the Holy Maiden of Light who would be watching this scene. Perhaps because I don't believe in gods, regrettably, there was no reply.
Instead, the holy knights swung their swords at me.