Chapter 176 - Another Enemy (4)
“I’ll help you find my father’s legacies.”
Atein had lived for a long period of time, and as he wandered the world, he left behind traces of himself. In the Plain of Darkness, they considered these marks to be holy, and they desperately tried to acquire them.
“At that time, I…. During the time when my wife died, I had already achieved something big. However, I became a fugitive before I could give my report.”
“What did you achieve?”
“I found my father’s secret lab.”
“That is most definitely a big deal.”
Azell was surprised.
It wasn’t uncommon for a magician to create a secret lab. The secret lab was hidden even from allies. Such locations possessed powerful defensive system, and they remained in existence even after the death of the magician. Many of the ruins Azell had discovered were of this variety.
‘When we searched his castle for hints on how to dispel the curse, we found nothing…. Maybe, the data was placed within this secret lab.’
After the Dragon Demon war had ended, Carlos constantly worked to find a way to dispel Azell’s curse. He searched Atein’s resident and lab. He tried to find clues regarding the curse, but in the end, the search had been fruitless. It was plausible that Atein had placed his important doc.u.ments in a secret lab where not even his allies knew about it.
Saibein continued to speak.
“I’m not sure how my father was able to use that place during the war. He probably used the Great Darkness. It probably allowed him to use the lab irregardless of where his body was. That is my guess…….”
“I want to say that it sounds impossible, but……..”
“If it is my father, you think he could pull it off?”
“…yes.”
Aside from his battle capabilities, Atein could seemingly do everything. Both the allied forces of the humans and the Dragon Demon king’s army believed this to be true. It was the reason why the Dragon Demon king became deified after his death.
Saibein spoke.
“Anyways, my father left behind a diary. He had recorded it a week before he met his end at the Dragon Horn Fortress.”
The content of the diary became the decisive factor that pushed Saibein to give up on everything.
7
Saibein saw despair inside Atein’s diary.
“My father didn’t love us. At the same time, his love for us was boundless.”
“Is this a riddle?”
“No. I’m just telling you the truth as it is. There are two divergent opinions within the Plain of Darkness in regards to the death of my father…..”
“I heard it from Laura. After Atein started the Dragon Demon war, it was said that he realized he had made the wrong choice. However, it was already too late to turn back. By dying against me, he gained a chance to correct the wrong……. His intent was interpreted liberally by his followers.”
“What if that’s the truth?”
Saibein asked him the question. Azell’s expression turned peculiar.
“Do you really think that is an appropriate question to ask me?”
“No, this is exactly why I’m asking you that question. You were the last one to fight my father, and you were the one that ended his life.”
“Mmm…….”
Azell thought for a brief moment before he spoke.
“It sounds like pure nonsense. At the very least, I don’t think Atein went into the fight wanting to lose. If that was true, I would have won much more easily.”
“Is that so……. At the very least, you don’t think father went into the battle thinking about abandoning us.”
“Even after hearing my answer, it seems you haven’t changed the overall premise of your view?”
At Azell’s question, Saibein nodded his head.
“Azell, do you know the ideals that had led my father to create the Dragon Demon army? Do you know why he started the Dragon Demon war?”
“I have a rough idea..”
“Before the Dragon Demon war started, the DRagon Demons were affiliated with any human nations. They were usually autonomous powers. Some opposed the human nations, and others took root in locations where the they were free of human influence.”
Atein needed a very long time before he was able to ascend into the Dragon Demon King’s seat with the Dragon Demon generals. The Dragon Demon war had lasted for a long time, but the preparation leading up to that war was several times longer.
At times, Atein spoke about his ideals to persuade his opponents. At times, he used his martial abilities to subjugate his opponents. Then there were times when he gained support by trading away secret magic techniques. On other occasions, he solved problems present in his opponent’s life. He was able to create an enormous cooperation system.
“The marriage to my mother and my birth was part of that process.”
It was akin to what the ruling cla.s.s of the humans did. He brought in allies by establishing blood ties.
This was how Atein was able to form the Dragon Demon King’s army. He did it, because he needed power to fight and conquer the world. He first needed the control of the world to create the ideal world.
“Everything was based on his belief in the Dragon Demon race.”
It was the belief that Dragon Demons would be able to become better rulers than humans.
It was true that Dragon Demons possessed powerful body and Dragon Demon magic. They possessed higher intelligence and longer lifespan…. From a human’s perspective, Dragon Demons were closest to being the ideal being. Atein thought the same, and he believed in the potential of the Dragon Demon race.
‘Dragon Demons are born with great inborn abilities, and on average, they possess much more intelligence than humans. That is why they will be able to control their desires in the pursuit of the ideal state.’
Before the Dragon Demon war, the Dragon Demons were dispersed all over the world.
Tribal societies were the limit of social organization created by tge Dragon Demons. If the gathering of Dragon Demons were large, they governed over the humans as the ruling cla.s.s. They possessed longevity and ability. It was inevitable that these characteristics were valued in small societies.
Moreover, the Dragon Demons weren’t that much different from the human rulers in such a society.
The humans trusted the Dragon Demons since they were superior beings. The Dragon Demons expected the humans to work for them as a given right. During the Dragon Demon war, the att.i.tude of the Dragon Demons in Demon King’s army wasn’t influenced by Atein. It arose from a pre-existing mindset.
Atein had trusted in the Dragon Demons after seeing how they behaved. It was, because he had hoped that the members of his race had the potential to act based on reason.
“However, my father despaired as he conducted the Dragon Demon war. Maybe it started before the war started…...”
He taught his allies about his ideals…. However, they didn"t change.
Of course, some understood and accepted what Atein was saying. However, if one looked at it from a macro view, most members used his words to justify their actions. In truth, most of their behaviors and actions hadn’t changed at all.
“When I read the contents of my father’s diary, it was clear that he didn’t expect anything from us. He realized that he had been wrong in believing that Dragon Demons had the potential to act in a rational and reasonable manner. When he reached this conclusion, he started searching for another solution..”
Dragon Demons were the same as humans. They were both limited by the same intrinsic flaws. Even if they possessed better physique and intellect, it didn’t make the character of the Dragon Demons.
They were the progeny between Dragons and humans. However, their thought process was way too similar to humans.
Azell furrowed his brows as he asked his question.
“The story is getting long… So what was his conclusion? In truth, I’m not to interest in hearing about the hopes and despair of an idealist like Atein.”
“Since you are acquainted with him, I thought you would be curious.”
“That might be true. However, I’m not curious about Atein’s thoughts and feelings. I just want information that’ll allow me to predict his future moves.”
A magician or a historian would have been burning to hear this story, but Azell was apathetic.
‘I heard such stories as I travelled here. s.h.i.t. So what?’
He had to avoid and block the imminent flood that was coming towards him. Everyone else seemed to be focused on eliminating the flood that might happen in the future. Why do people like viewing things in the macro view?
Azell spoke.
“Let me try to summarize it. Atein was….. He tried to created an ideal society by conquering the world. He realized it was an absolutely stupid idea, so he started preparing another plan. When he revives, he’ll carry out the plan he had prepared. Am I correct? Moreover, the information you are going to give me is Atein’s plan?”
“You are good at summarizing information. You are correct.”
“Just tell me the plan.”
“Azell, do you believe humans can build the characters of other humans?”
“…why are you deflecting again?”
Azell became irritated, but Saibein remained calm.
“I need to tell you this story.”
“All right. I’ll try to summon a little bit more patience. The answer to that question…. I believe it is possible to do it individually, but I don’t think it can be done to the entirety of humanity.”
“That is what I"m trying to get at. Humans do not trust each other. This was why laws were put in place and there are mechanisms to protect those laws. People can be confident in such a system if there is a power that can enforce such laws…. However, people used weak points in such a system to bring about all kinds of wickedness.”
“Are you trying to describe the base nature of humans? I don’t like it, but I’ll agree with you for now. So what does that have to do with the story you were going to tell me?”
“In the end, father thought Dragon Demons were like humans.”
“Mmmm?”
“He needed to make a method that’ll enforce his ideal system.”
“So…….”
Azell scratched his head.
“You aren’t talking about normal policy and laws, right?”
“That’s right. I don’t know the exact details, but….. Father had been preparing a method that would enforce the world to follow the ideal system he came up with.”
“…….”
Azell was at a loss for words.
The character of the individual members didn’t matter. This method would force everyone to follow laws set by Atein? Is that really possible?
‘This is beyond crazy. This is something that can only be thought up by a mad man……..’
It might be possible if one was talking about an individual or a small group. It required a lot of surveillance and coercion.
He wanted to pull this off against the whole world?
‘How is that possible?’
It was absolutely impossible.
However, the one that wanted to solve this problem was Atein.
Saiben spoke.
“I think it is absolutely impossible, but if it is my father…. You are having the same thoughts as me, right?”
“We are of like mind then.”
“I’m leaning towards the opinion that it’ll be possible for my father to pull it off. The evidence is in the records left behind in my father’s diary.”
“What is it?”
“The being that re-established the relationship between the humans and the Dragons was him. It was my father.”
“…….”
For a brief moment, Azell was struck dumb. Saibein had a bitter smile on his face as he spoke.
“Well, can you understand why I think it is possible for my father to pull this off?”