The next day, I saw Ardelheid with even more wilted wings, and I couldn’t help but smile.
While I was working on the paperwork, Charles came to me.
“Is there a problem? Sir Rossi.”
Charles nodded, an unusually puzzled expression on his face.
“The winged tribesmen have offered to help us with scouting. So we had them scout the Cat tribe’s territory from a distance.”
I couldn’t help but chuckle, remembering how frightened the winged people were.
“Have they recovered their mental health to the point where they can fly?”
Charles shrugged his shoulders with a subtle expression.
“Even the kids are working in the town, after all. They were flying around looking desperately for something to do.”
I couldn’t help but laugh, imagining the scene.
Ardelheid was looking at me with a Mil-like stare, as if she wanted to complain about something.
“Please just don’t make them overdo it.”
“Yes, of course. And that brings me to my report.”
Charles’ face turned serious.
“The plague seems to be spreading in the town of the Cat tribe. It appears to be coming from the corpse of the wild boars. “
It finally happened ……
I had to keep a straight face.
“I understand. Then please stop sending scouts to the cat tribe’s territory.”
Charles looked surprised.
“Is that fine?”
“If the cat people find the scouts, they will catch them, no matter what. And then they’ll spread the plague and bring it back here.”
“So we’ll keep the cat people out of the fort as well?”
“If they come near you, feel free to drive them away with your bow.”
Charles pondered for a moment, then gave me a probing look.
“Is it okay to leave the Cat tribe’s children alone? “
Yes, because they think I’m a child lover regardless of species.
I’ll try to help the children …… Do they think that?
That’s not the case, though.
If you show any hesitation, it will cloud your judgment in the field.
This time, if we let it get out of hand, a catastrophe awaits.
I took a no-nonsense attitude.
“It doesn’t matter. The cat tribe’s children should be helped by cat tribe’s parents. There is no need for us to take the risk of helping them.”
Everyone seemed surprised.
Mil asked with concern.
“Al. Are you sure?”
I made a conscious effort to keep my expression the same.
“The first thing I care about is the children of this town. I don’t have time to worry about other people’s children.”
Mil still didn’t seem convinced.
“But it’s not their fault, is it?”
“Yes, but children should be protected by their parents first. If they don’t have parents, their relatives or society should protect them. It is not something that the hostile camp should risk their lives to protect. That’s all.”
Kiara’s face became thoughtful.
“Brother. What would you do if a cat person’s child came to the fort looking for help?”
She knew what I meant, but she wanted to make it clear.
“Send them away with arrows, as I ordered. Try not to injure them.”
Charles seemed surprised.
“If it’s an order …… I’ll execute it ……”
As a warrior, he would not want to shoot arrows at an unarmed child.
His integrity is commendable.
But this time, we could not afford to do so.
We may be told to be more virtuous in times of crisis.
But …… this is not a confrontation, it’s a battle against an invisible enemy.
“Yes, it’s a clear order. I will not accept surrender. Not now that the plague has broken out.”
He seemed to realize from my demeanor that we were in a state of emergency.
Charles stared at me and nodded.
“Yes, sir. Do you have any other accompanying instructions?”
“Any military personnel whose condition has deteriorated will be quarantined and treated. Daily bathing is mandatory. In addition, make sure they eat and sleep well. If this makes it difficult for you to patrol the area, you may abandon it. Preventing the spread of the plague is our top priority.”
He seemed to have listened to my detailed instructions and understood the current situation.
Charles nodded without hesitation.
“Yes, sir.”
After Charles had left, I decided to ask Mil for a favor.
“Mill. Please make sure that the quarantine measures that I requested from Sir Rossi are implemented in the city.”
Mil seemed to be taken aback by my attitude.
“Y-Yes.”
And I’ll ask Kiara to do the same.
“Kiara. Please ask Sir Rossi to confirm the medical condition of the scouts that witnessed the cat people. Please inform the head family of the symptoms and have them send us some medicine that might help.”
“Understood, brother.”
The two of them left.
The impact was bigger than I thought ……
I can’t help but wonder if using nature as a weapon was too much of a force to be reckoned with.
I can’t help but sigh.
◆◇◆◇◆
The room is now just me and Ardelheid.
“U-Um. Lord Alfred.”
Ardelheid looks at me timidly.
She seems to be puzzled by my seemingly cruel attitude.
“What is it?”
“Lord Alfred had welcomed us as a citizen, even though it’s an enemy he had fought once. The cat people are certainly enemies, but is it really necessary to send them away, even children?”
I guess she can’t imagine shooting a bow at a child.
They don’t understand the seriousness of the situation.
It’s not just a common cold.
They probably don’t know the horror of contagious diseases.
“Let’s say the cat people send their children …… It is using the children as weapons to attack us. The war against them is not over yet.”
The notion that fighting can only happen on the battlefield seems to be really strong.
Ardelheid couldn’t seem to understand what it means to use a child as a weapon.
“A weapon?”
Rather, the actual battle is the final confirmation.
A lot of things are decided in advance by preparations.
“War is not just about killing each other on the battlefield, you know.”
“Is that so?”
“Sending people infected with plague to damage the enemy is also war. Especially if they think I like kids, they’ll find it very effective.”
Ardelheid seemed to have an idea of what the threat was other than weapons.
Her face goes a little pale.
“Let’s see …… Is it possible that …… the boar you sent is also a weapon?”
“Of course it is. It’s a great way to reduce the power of the enemy by providing food for us and sustenance for them. Then we spread the plague and destroy their forces.”
Ardelheid’s face turned pale.
“If I tell my father about this, I’m sure he will never be able to appear in front of Lord Alfred ……”
I can’t afford to take that much into consideration since I used a forbidden move.
I shrugged my shoulders.
“Well, if I can save a child with no risk, I’ll even save a cat person’s child. “
“So it’s a high risk ……”
You still don’t get it?
I guess you can’t understand fear if you’ve never seen it before.
“A child is infected with a disease and we are trying to save him. How many people do you think will die if it infects the citizens here?”
Ardelheid was unusually unconvinced.
“That’s true, but ……”
“Are you willing to risk the lives of over a thousand citizens just because of your personal feelings of pity? If it were contagious, the death toll would be in the triple digits.”
Ardelheid is depressingly pale.
But …… the leader can’t be ignorant.
“It is the right thing for a human being to feel sorry for the cat tribe, Miss Ardelheid.”
Ardelheid is nodding.
“So what is right for a man is not the same as what is right for the feudal lord ……”
“That’s right, and…”
“And?”
“If the cat person’s child is important, the parents should think and act properly.”
I was in a bad mood myself, so my tone intensified.
“That’s …… true. But we can’t go against the tribe’s policy, can we?”
That is correct.
I didn’t want to put my people’s lives on the line because it was the right thing to do, but because of my own sentimentality.
“But should we risk our lives to save the children of other tribes? It’s not just the cat people who are in danger, is it? How far do you think it has spread?”
I know it sounds harsh, but I have to say it.
This is not just a matter of burns.
“Let’s say someone dies trying to help others. “That was for a good cause. That’s why that can’t be helped.” Can you say that to the person who is grieving the loss of a family member? I can’t do that. I can’t just say it in the moment and run away. It’s a burden I’ll have to bear as long as I’m the feudal lord.”
Ardelheid shook her head, and her expression became complicated.
“I can’t just sacrifice the lives of others just because it’s the right thing to do.”
Personal morality and the morality of a leader are two different things.
If I could help, I would.
But to save a child of a hostile tribe, I would risk the life of my ally.
I can’t make that choice.
If they are in an alliance or under my protection, it would be a different matter.
Even then, I would choose to abandon them at worst.
If it’s just me, I can act on my personal morality.
I’m not in a position to have that luxury.
I have no choice but to accept the resentment and disdain from others that will result from my choice to abandon them.
I guess Ardelheid has never studied to be a leader before.
And she’s a good person, so she’ll put her personal goodness first.
But I’ve seen a world where personal goodness is not always considered right.
She’s also troubled by the difficult questions I’ve presented to her.
For now, I’ll take responsibility for all your choices.
So, she should think about it to the fullest.
Then she can accuse me of being wrong.
But she will eventually be in a position of responsibility.
By that time, I hope she will be able to think for herself and come up with an answer.
Don’t give priority to personal morality without thinking about it.
If you have made a thoughtful choice, you’ll be able to accept the consequences.
Regardless of which one you prioritize.
The next day, I saw Ardelheid with even more wilted wings, and I couldn’t help but smile.
While I was working on the paperwork, Charles came to me.
“Is there a problem? Sir Rossi.”
Charles nodded, an unusually puzzled expression on his face.
“The winged tribesmen have offered to help us with scouting. So we had them scout the Cat tribe’s territory from a distance.”
I couldn’t help but chuckle, remembering how frightened the winged people were.
“Have they recovered their mental health to the point where they can fly?”
Charles shrugged his shoulders with a subtle expression.
“Even the kids are working in the town, after all. They were flying around looking desperately for something to do.”
I couldn’t help but laugh, imagining the scene.
Ardelheid was looking at me with a Mil-like stare, as if she wanted to complain about something.
“Please just don’t make them overdo it.”
“Yes, of course. And that brings me to my report.”
Charles’ face turned serious.
“The plague seems to be spreading in the town of the Cat tribe. It appears to be coming from the corpse of the wild boars. “
It finally happened ……
I had to keep a straight face.
“I understand. Then please stop sending scouts to the cat tribe’s territory.”
Charles looked surprised.
“Is that fine?”
“If the cat people find the scouts, they will catch them, no matter what. And then they’ll spread the plague and bring it back here.”
“So we’ll keep the cat people out of the fort as well?”
“If they come near you, feel free to drive them away with your bow.”
Charles pondered for a moment, then gave me a probing look.
“Is it okay to leave the Cat tribe’s children alone? “
Yes, because they think I’m a child lover regardless of species.
I’ll try to help the children …… Do they think that?
That’s not the case, though.
If you show any hesitation, it will cloud your judgment in the field.
This time, if we let it get out of hand, a catastrophe awaits.
I took a no-nonsense attitude.
“It doesn’t matter. The cat tribe’s children should be helped by cat tribe’s parents. There is no need for us to take the risk of helping them.”
Everyone seemed surprised.
Mil asked with concern.
“Al. Are you sure?”
I made a conscious effort to keep my expression the same.
“The first thing I care about is the children of this town. I don’t have time to worry about other people’s children.”
Mil still didn’t seem convinced.
“But it’s not their fault, is it?”
“Yes, but children should be protected by their parents first. If they don’t have parents, their relatives or society should protect them. It is not something that the hostile camp should risk their lives to protect. That’s all.”
Kiara’s face became thoughtful.
“Brother. What would you do if a cat person’s child came to the fort looking for help?”
She knew what I meant, but she wanted to make it clear.
“Send them away with arrows, as I ordered. Try not to injure them.”
Charles seemed surprised.
“If it’s an order …… I’ll execute it ……”
As a warrior, he would not want to shoot arrows at an unarmed child.
His integrity is commendable.
But this time, we could not afford to do so.
We may be told to be more virtuous in times of crisis.
But …… this is not a confrontation, it’s a battle against an invisible enemy.
“Yes, it’s a clear order. I will not accept surrender. Not now that the plague has broken out.”
He seemed to realize from my demeanor that we were in a state of emergency.
Charles stared at me and nodded.
“Yes, sir. Do you have any other accompanying instructions?”
“Any military personnel whose condition has deteriorated will be quarantined and treated. Daily bathing is mandatory. In addition, make sure they eat and sleep well. If this makes it difficult for you to patrol the area, you may abandon it. Preventing the spread of the plague is our top priority.”
He seemed to have listened to my detailed instructions and understood the current situation.
Charles nodded without hesitation.
“Yes, sir.”
After Charles had left, I decided to ask Mil for a favor.
“Mill. Please make sure that the quarantine measures that I requested from Sir Rossi are implemented in the city.”
Mil seemed to be taken aback by my attitude.
“Y-Yes.”
And I’ll ask Kiara to do the same.
“Kiara. Please ask Sir Rossi to confirm the medical condition of the scouts that witnessed the cat people. Please inform the head family of the symptoms and have them send us some medicine that might help.”
“Understood, brother.”
The two of them left.
The impact was bigger than I thought ……
I can’t help but wonder if using nature as a weapon was too much of a force to be reckoned with.
I can’t help but sigh.
◆◇◆◇◆
The room is now just me and Ardelheid.
“U-Um. Lord Alfred.”
Ardelheid looks at me timidly.
She seems to be puzzled by my seemingly cruel attitude.
“What is it?”
“Lord Alfred had welcomed us as a citizen, even though it’s an enemy he had fought once. The cat people are certainly enemies, but is it really necessary to send them away, even children?”
I guess she can’t imagine shooting a bow at a child.
They don’t understand the seriousness of the situation.
It’s not just a common cold.
They probably don’t know the horror of contagious diseases.
“Let’s say the cat people send their children …… It is using the children as weapons to attack us. The war against them is not over yet.”
The notion that fighting can only happen on the battlefield seems to be really strong.
Ardelheid couldn’t seem to understand what it means to use a child as a weapon.
“A weapon?”
Rather, the actual battle is the final confirmation.
A lot of things are decided in advance by preparations.
“War is not just about killing each other on the battlefield, you know.”
“Is that so?”
“Sending people infected with plague to damage the enemy is also war. Especially if they think I like kids, they’ll find it very effective.”
Ardelheid seemed to have an idea of what the threat was other than weapons.
Her face goes a little pale.
“Let’s see …… Is it possible that …… the boar you sent is also a weapon?”
“Of course it is. It’s a great way to reduce the power of the enemy by providing food for us and sustenance for them. Then we spread the plague and destroy their forces.”
Ardelheid’s face turned pale.
“If I tell my father about this, I’m sure he will never be able to appear in front of Lord Alfred ……”
I can’t afford to take that much into consideration since I used a forbidden move.
I shrugged my shoulders.
“Well, if I can save a child with no risk, I’ll even save a cat person’s child. “
“So it’s a high risk ……”
You still don’t get it?
I guess you can’t understand fear if you’ve never seen it before.
“A child is infected with a disease and we are trying to save him. How many people do you think will die if it infects the citizens here?”
Ardelheid was unusually unconvinced.
“That’s true, but ……”
“Are you willing to risk the lives of over a thousand citizens just because of your personal feelings of pity? If it were contagious, the death toll would be in the triple digits.”
Ardelheid is depressingly pale.
But …… the leader can’t be ignorant.
“It is the right thing for a human being to feel sorry for the cat tribe, Miss Ardelheid.”
Ardelheid is nodding.
“So what is right for a man is not the same as what is right for the feudal lord ……”
“That’s right, and…”
“And?”
“If the cat person’s child is important, the parents should think and act properly.”
I was in a bad mood myself, so my tone intensified.
“That’s …… true. But we can’t go against the tribe’s policy, can we?”
That is correct.
I didn’t want to put my people’s lives on the line because it was the right thing to do, but because of my own sentimentality.
“But should we risk our lives to save the children of other tribes? It’s not just the cat people who are in danger, is it? How far do you think it has spread?”
I know it sounds harsh, but I have to say it.
This is not just a matter of burns.
“Let’s say someone dies trying to help others. “That was for a good cause. That’s why that can’t be helped.” Can you say that to the person who is grieving the loss of a family member? I can’t do that. I can’t just say it in the moment and run away. It’s a burden I’ll have to bear as long as I’m the feudal lord.”
Ardelheid shook her head, and her expression became complicated.
“I can’t just sacrifice the lives of others just because it’s the right thing to do.”
Personal morality and the morality of a leader are two different things.
If I could help, I would.
But to save a child of a hostile tribe, I would risk the life of my ally.
I can’t make that choice.
If they are in an alliance or under my protection, it would be a different matter.
Even then, I would choose to abandon them at worst.
If it’s just me, I can act on my personal morality.
I’m not in a position to have that luxury.
I have no choice but to accept the resentment and disdain from others that will result from my choice to abandon them.
I guess Ardelheid has never studied to be a leader before.
And she’s a good person, so she’ll put her personal goodness first.
But I’ve seen a world where personal goodness is not always considered right.
She’s also troubled by the difficult questions I’ve presented to her.
For now, I’ll take responsibility for all your choices.
So, she should think about it to the fullest.
Then she can accuse me of being wrong.
But she will eventually be in a position of responsibility.
By that time, I hope she will be able to think for herself and come up with an answer.
Don’t give priority to personal morality without thinking about it.
If you have made a thoughtful choice, you’ll be able to accept the consequences.
Regardless of which one you prioritize.
