Chapter 979: Human Ranch
The soldiers of the Round Table Army consisted of both humans and fairies. Most human soldiers were equipped with iron weapons, while the fairy soldiers here, influenced by their ideals, showed clear signs of cooperation with humans. They would protect humans, and having humans nearby would also boost the fairies' morale. Through this mutual reinforcement, although their combat power wasn't particularly high, it couldn't be overlooked.
...
On the undulating plain, which rose and fell like hills, stood a large castle as expansive as a village.
The castle wasn't particularly tall but stretched horizontally, resembling more of a village enclosed by walls—like a fortress.
However, its construction seemed less like a fortress and more like a ranch.
A ranch for herding humans.
The sky remained dusky, akin to twilight in Pan-Human History. A light rain fell, yet there wasn't a single rain cloud in sight.
Soldiers clad in dark green armor, fully covered from head to toe, patrolled the perimeter of the ranch, barring any outsiders from entering and forbidding any of the "livestock" inside from leaving.
Before long, a figure appeared at the castle gate like a ghost.
The sudden, unannounced arrival startled the soldiers, who hastily surrounded the newcomer.
"Call Gawain to see me."
The visitor pushed back their hood, revealing a face that instantly stunned the soldiers, leaving them breathless and unable to think.
"...Your Highness?! Please wait a moment!"
After a moment's daze, what seemed to be the squad leader snapped back to reality and hurriedly turned to run into the castle.
Soon.
With a faint tremor in the ground, a tall and burly Fang Clan fairy appeared before Eiji.
"Your Highness, I never expected you to come all this way. I failed to greet you properly—my deepest apologies!"
The Fairy Knight Gawain, a woman originally named Baobhan Sith, bowed her proud head before Eiji, her expression filled with reverence.
"Baobhan Sith, show me around this place."
Eiji stepped forward, heading into the castle.
"Your Highness...!"
Baobhan Sith's expression shifted, and she instinctively moved to block Eiji's path.
"Are you going to stop me?"
"...No, it's just that this isn't a particularly interesting place. If you're looking for entertainment, why not go to Gloucester? I heard there's a lively auction happening there recently."
"Enough!"
Eiji snapped coldly, his patience wearing thin.
"I came here precisely because I know what this place is! If you try to stop me, I'll cut you down right here and then go in!"
The surrounding soldiers froze at these words, feeling their weapons grow slippery in their hands.
If these two started fighting, it would be earth-shattering—and they would be the ones to suffer!
The tense atmosphere at the gate grew charged with hostility.
"...My apologies for overstepping. Please come in, Your Highness."
After several shifts in expression, Baobhan Sith finally relented.
The soldiers breathed a collective sigh of relief.
Crossing the drawbridge and moat, Eiji entered the large ranch under Baobhan Sith's guidance.
—Human Ranch.
That was the name of this massive facility.
As the name implied, it was a ranch where humans were raised like livestock!
Even so.
However, once Eiji entered the city, he discovered it wasn't as dirty and chaotic as he had imagined.
Rows of houses stood side by side along the streets, with men and women busily engaged in various tasks—some weaving cloth, others forging iron, and some sawing wood... No one was slacking off or idling, presenting a scene of bustling prosperity.
Upon seeing Bagst and the soldiers, the humans hurriedly knelt in reverence, not daring to rise until they had passed out of sight.
"What exactly is being raised in this human pasture?"
Eiji carefully observed the actions of the humans around him, unable to suppress a growing sense of doubt.
The town was large, housing at least several hundred humans, yet they weren't being kept like livestock.
"As you can see, humans are indeed being raised here."
Bagst's entire body was tense, her gaze frequently drifting toward Eiji.
She looked ready to spring into action at any moment.
"Explain more clearly."
"...What's being raised is human culture."
"Culture?"
"Yes."
Feeling it was time for an explanation, Bagst no longer held back and revealed the purpose of the human pasture.
This matter traced back to the Summer War over four thousand years ago.
In that war, the Northern Queen Mab returned from the western island of Ireland and, leveraging human advantages, decisively defeated the southern fairies. It was the Savior Ash who halted the war at the critical moment.
During that conflict, the southern fairies came to fully recognize the advantages of humans.
Afterward, human slaves began to appear in large numbers, and the gathered human communities gradually developed their own unique culture.
Carpenters crafting daily items from wood, blacksmiths forging weapons from iron, and artisans making lamps with kerosene... The imaginative creations of humans astonished the fairies.
From that point on, human culture became a trend in the fairy kingdom, a popular craze that fairies eagerly imitated.
The fairies were deeply enamored with the plethora of novelties brought by human culture and delighted in the birth of new cultural developments. Whenever a new culture emerged, it would lead the trends of the time, gaining widespread admiration among the fairies.
"This human pasture is a facility designed to raise humans and allow them to create new cultures."
Bagst pointed at the busy humans along the roadside and glanced at Eiji.
"Creating new things is the duty of the humans here."
So that's how it is.
Eiji breathed a sigh of relief.
This outcome was far better than what he had initially imagined.
He had originally thought the humans here were being driven like cattle, used as studs or slaves... Fortunately, the reality was merely pressuring humans to create culture, which wasn't the worst possible scenario.
Eiji finally understood.
Traces of human culture could be seen everywhere in this fairy kingdom—for instance, the cathedral in Salisbury. These weren't just influences from the Queen's knowledge of pan-human history but also a result of the fairies' fascination with human culture dating back over four thousand years!
"But thinking about it, it's truly laughable!"
Eiji suddenly chuckled softly.
"The fairies are enamored with the novelties brought by human culture, gaining all sorts of interesting things, yet they've failed to learn the most crucial aspect!"
"Your Highness?"
Bagst looked at him in confusion, unsure of what he meant.
"Barghest, does this land of fairies possess the concept of 'morality'?"
"...I don't quite understand what you mean, Your Highness."
"Hah, just as I expected."
Eiji sneered contemptuously.
His face was filled with utter disdain for creatures like fairies.
They were enamored with human culture, yet merely imitated its superficial aspects.
They had only learned the skin, but not the bones.
Beings like fairies were governed by primitive "purposes," devoid of any sense of good or evil. They acted on whims, pursued whatever was trendy without restraint, and knew no boundaries or limitations.
Think carefully—what kind of creatures are they?
Beasts!