Chapter 947: Pure Good and Evil
"Why did things turn out this way?"
Eiji was deeply perplexed.
"Because fairies are all very pure."
Habetrot proactively explained, her smile adorable yet somehow hollow.
"Fairies aren't as complex as humans. Humans don't have a 'purpose'—their hearts are usually filled with various thoughts. Even if evil ideas emerge, they can be suppressed by good intentions. But fairies are different."
"Fairies are beings with purposes. Their purpose is the compass of their lives—they live for their purpose from beginning to end, without any distracting thoughts. Thus, their thinking is usually very simple."
"—Simply doing evil, simply doing good. Without any shackles, without ideological conflicts or struggles. They don't feel satisfaction from doing good, nor guilt from doing evil."
"Once fairies lose their purpose, they gradually forget everything about themselves, including their names, and ultimately turn into Mors. Hearing this, you should now understand the purity of fairies, right?"
Eiji fell silent.
Once they lose their purpose, fairies turn into Mors?
So that's how it is.
So Culma turned into Mors because she felt she couldn't obtain him, despairing over her inability to fulfill her purpose?
Such extreme beings—Eiji was encountering them for the first time.
Living their entire lives solely for their purpose, without other thoughts, making it easy for them to tread paths ordinary people would consider utterly wicked!
No concept of morality.
No restraints of conscience.
"That fairy earlier—even though Boggart ordered fairies and humans to each harvest half the wheat fields, she lost interest within minutes. Because her purpose wasn't farming to begin with; harvesting wheat fields was just play to her. So what if she slacked off a bit?"
Her husband, despite his robust build, was exceptionally weak. That wasn't due to exhaustion from overwork—it was because he wore himself out from a sense of responsibility to feed the humans in the city.
Even so, Culma still killed him.
"If fairies are so fixated on their purposes, why do they still marry?"
"That's just play too, just pursuing enjoyment."
Habetrot shrugged, the smile on her face growing increasingly hollow.
"What's popular right now? Is that interesting? Where's the fun in it? Fairies think this way, chasing current trends. It just so happens that marriage is popular in Sheffield right now."
Chasing trends?
Fairies are like humans manipulated by capital, mindlessly pursuing so-called "trends."
Except, humans need to be brainwashed by public opinion to chase trends, but fairies don't. They actively pursue interesting trends simply because they're playful.
And why is marriage popular in Sheffield?
"It's all Boggart's fault! Who told him to be so obsessed with taking brides? As Sheffield's lord, the fairies naturally imitate him subconsciously!"
Habetrot pouted, shifting the blame to Boggart.
"Well, anyway, as long as Mash didn't see what happened earlier, I'm relieved."
She muttered softly under her breath, then turned and walked out of the alley.
Recalling the earlier performance in the wheat field, Eiji understood.
So, the reason Habenyan dragged Mash away, pulling and pushing her, was to prevent Mash from witnessing the fairies turning on each other?
Outwardly, it wasn't apparent, but she was a gentle fairy after all.
Eiji didn't stop Habenyan from leaving. She seemed to know a lot, but Eiji's mind was also in chaos—he had much to think about.
...
The Child of Prophecy quickly became a popular topic.
Boggart spared no effort in driving public opinion, and since Mash was too kind-hearted to refuse the fairies' requests for help in overcoming their hardships, her reputation spread like wildfire.
Not limited to Sheffield, traveling merchant fairies also carried her fame to the cities in the south.
Eiji paid no attention to these matters.
Over the past few days, he had been observing the fairies of Sheffield.
And the more he observed, the more vividly Habenyan's words etched themselves into his mind.
The fairies were indeed obsessed with trends. They had once revered marriage, but as soon as the Child of Prophecy gained fame, they discarded their spouses without a second thought, chasing after the latest craze.
They saw nothing wrong with it, feeling no guilt or remorse.
Abandoning their families was as natural to them as eating or drinking, not stirring the slightest ripple of emotion in their hearts.
Several days later.
"As expected, it's no good..."
Eiji stood atop the castle, the commanding height allowing him to take in the entire social landscape of Sheffield.
It was precisely because of this that he felt it wouldn't work.
"What's wrong with my city?"
Boggart, overhearing his muttering, furrowed his brows and strode over, his face clouded with displeasure.
He held himself in high regard. Though he had lost the contests for clan leader and lord to Woodwose and Spriggan, he believed he was in no way inferior to them—it was simply a matter of bad luck, having been betrayed twice!
To say his city was lacking was to imply he was worse than Woodwose and Spriggan.
"I originally intended to turn Sheffield into a forward base for resisting the Queen's army."
But the words that came out of Eiji's mouth startled Boggart.
What in the world?
Aren't you the Queen's officially appointed consort?
And yet, behind the scenes, you're plotting something like this?
What a calamitous, seditious consort!
"However, after my observations these past few days, Sheffield might not be suitable."
Eiji mused aloud.
Under Boggart's gaze, which mingled dissatisfaction and confusion, he answered his own question.
"If the resistance could stand toe-to-toe with the Queen's army, that would be one thing. But as it stands, the resistance is far weaker than the Queen's forces. Whether it's the six great clans or the three Fairy Knights, none are opponents ordinary folk can contend with."
"In such circumstances, a unified and lofty ideology is essential. Otherwise, the resistance will remain nothing more than a scattered mob."
"But the fairies have no ideology to speak of. At least, most of the fairies in Sheffield are only concerned with pleasure-seeking. They lack grand, noble ideals and the unwavering resolve to oppose the Queen... Sheffield's rebellion is doomed to fail."
In Eiji's eyes, Sheffield's rebellion was already as good as defeated.
This was the conclusion he had drawn, standing upon the lessons of pan-human history.
Bogut clenched his fist tightly.
"Who cares about ideology or whatever? That boring stuff is completely irrelevant! In war, whoever holds more and stronger cards is the one who wins!"
My Sheffield, is he really that worthless in your eyes?
If only he weren't outmatched, he would have already lashed out with his claws by now!