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“I’ve heard you’re strong. Strong enough to not lose to a powerful knight. Yet, how was it that some of the knights that escorted you here lost their arms?”
“I think it’s only natural for an escort to protect the one they’re escorting. Do those knights hold a grudge against me?”

It was likely that the prince had the same thoughts as Sarok.

When I tried to provoke him a bit, the sixth prince frowned as if he’d eaten a bitter bug, saying, “They haven’t.”

To be clear, when I stated that he was eating a bitter bug, I was using an idiom that meant he appeared sour.

Its origins were tied to the practice of eating insects, and even today, there are places in Japan that eat insects, but I found the idea of eating insects repulsive. With the rant out of the way, the prince continued talking to me¹.

“But isn’t it natural for those with more power to help those in need?”
“Help those in need, you say. Then shouldn’t we be helping the Beastmen?” I asked.
“Why would you go there?! Those Beastmen are the ones who repaid our favor with ill intent!”
“But you just said we should help the weak. As long as you have the Tree of Spirits, you have an overwhelming advantage, which would make the Beastmen weaker than you.”
“That is not the case. You’re an elf, so isn’t it natural for you to help your people?”

I understood his point, and I didn’t think it was an entirely wrong view for someone of royalty. Royals held power, and they were raised to use that power for the benefit of their people—the weaker ones—rather than wield it recklessly.

I had expected this prince to be selfish, but he seemed to have a strong sense of pride as a royal. He had the integrity to use his influence for the good of his people. Still, I couldn’t accept everything he said without question.

“So what good would it have done to me if I helped those knights?”
“You would’ve helped the kingdom. It would’ve been an honor.”
“And how does one live on honor? Have you been living solely on honor, Your Highness?”
“What’s with these stupid questions? You’ve been making a mockery of me!”

The prince snapped, visibly angry.

(Whoa, so scary!)

Though there was no point in trying to appear weak after all of that. In the first place, I wasn’t even scared. Rather, I found myself wanting to flick his forehead.

Allowing himself to be controlled by his anger, the prince got closer to me, and I didn’t like that.

“Aren’t you the one that’s been making a mockery out of me, Your Highness? The guards were paid to protect me; it’s their job. Yet, if I help them, I’ll get paid nothing. Aren’t I doing their job then?”
“Is money that important to you?!”
“It is. Is it not for you? How are you going to live without money?”

“Easily. I’ve hardly needed money until now.”
“That’s because the kingdom has been paying for you. The food you eat doesn’t magically appear, and the clothes you wear aren’t free. You know nothing, Your Highness. I’m tired of this discussion. Please leave.”

When I expressed my true feelings, he looked quite unhappy.

I was fully aware of what he was trying to convey. Perhaps he thought it noble to work for someone without receiving anything in return. As royalty, he likely believed he was bound to serve the people without expectation of reward.

But such an ideal loses its worth as soon as it’s forced upon others.

To begin with, the conditions for the ruling and ruled sides were fundamentally different. The prince belonged to the former, while I to the latter. It was difficult for us to find common ground. But it also wasn’t for me to decide what was right or wrong. I was not here to educate the prince.

I’d simply told him this was tiring and that I wished for him to leave.

Realizing that I had no interest in engaging with him, the prince looked at me with uncertainty before finally turning to leave the room. As he walked away, a thought struck me, and I decided to voice my thoughts.

“If I were to help the weak, then wouldn’t everyone in the world become my enemy²?”
“What are you trying to say?”

The prince stopped and looked at me with a puzzled expression, but I chose not to elaborate. I decided to let him be troubled by it. And hopefully, make it so that he wouldn’t come back to this room.

I offered him a quiet smile, saying nothing more, and he clicked his tongue in frustration before opening the door roughly and leaving.

“Though I can’t help anymore even if I wanted to.”

I muttered to the closed door, like the hero of a novel. I tried to make it sound melancholic, but I couldn’t quite pull it off; maybe because I didn’t care enough to feel responsible for protecting this world.

In truth, if there was anyone who should try to help this world, it should be those who live in it. I had no intention of intervening; besides, it was too late. Even without me meddling, people would still turn against each other without any care for who’s strong or weak.

The reason I was able to think this was because I had some understanding of the current state of the world.

But setting that aside, starting tonight, I decided to continue exploring the Tree of Spirits until I was called for again.

1. Robinxen: I really have to say that as a reader, these sort of random tangents add nothing to the story at all, they barely even characterise. All they achieve is disrupting the flow of the story or conversation.
2. Robinxen: Yeah you’d have to start with the spirits first regardless.

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