System vs Rebirth

Chapter 1403: Good and Evil

Once Laufey exited the room, Incetta couldn't help but ask, "My lord…"

Noel glanced at her with a calm expression, but it looked like he already knew what she wanted to ask.

Noel simply asked one question. "Say, Incetta. Do you think a person who kills a person to save 50 people will be called a good guy?"

Incetta thought for a moment and nodded her head. "He has saved more people."

"What if those 50 people were from the same village and that one person was a child that was loved by everyone in the village? What if the only way to save all those 50 people was to kill the child as brutally as possible without letting them know the truth? Would 'those villagers' think he is a hero?"

"…" Incetta noticed the change in question. Instead of her own thoughts, Noel gave a question to the villager. What would the villager think of that person?

Of course, the answer was obvious.

"What if the person who saved them… was the father of that child?"

"…" The question grew darker and darker, which made Incetta understand everything.

Vivi was the one answering that question. "A hero will sacrifice his own family to save the world. A villain will sacrifice the world for his loved ones. There is no good or bad.

"Even the laws are based on people's thoughts and established under people's agreements.

"People agreed that stealing means you become a thief. However, that person has no choice but to become a thief for the sake of someone he loves. In that case, will that person be considered a thief by his loved one?

"The thief title, in the end, is based on people's agreement that stealing is a crime.

"If everyone does good, no one is being good. After all, you don't know what is bad. It's the same the other way around.

"If everyone works hard, then no one is working hard. Only when you see people who are lazy do you know you have worked hard."

Noel nodded in agreement. "Do you want to ask anything, Incetta?"

Incetta ultimately shook her head. There was no need to ask that question anymore. The example was enough for her to understand the circumstances.

That person was a hero, but because he was a hero, his life ended up becoming a tragic one.

"Everyone is selfish for their own desires. People call giving up on one's own being for others selfless, but for that person, he's just selfish for his desire to ultimately give something he has to others.

"I believe humans are inherently evil… That's exactly why we're able to see the light among all that darkness. Beautiful bonds, acts of kindness, home, family…

"I, too, am a selfish person. I act for my own satisfaction. Fighting the demon king for the world? No. I just make it so that I don't die and protect my own family.

"I created Golden Dawn City as a beacon of light to suppress humans' true nature.

"Evils can't be vanquished because when they're vanquished, people won't know what is good anymore." Noel smiled and turned to her. "This is the lord you serve. I'm not a good person, as everyone claims me to be. Does that disappoint you?"

Incetta felt her heart being clutched by an invisible hand. If someone who had given away everything he had for his entire life was suddenly claimed as evil, would he agree? Probably not. Once he acknowledged himself that way, it just meant he selfishly did all that so that people's perception of him would lean toward him being a good person. In the end, it was just a selfish desire.

Instead, Noel acknowledged his own selfish desire and chose to go through that route. He acknowledged his own evil and the true nature of humans, but it didn't mean he gave up hope. He did everything he could to suppress his own evil by using his own desire.

His thought was different from any person she had seen so far, but it might be the reason why Incetta could see that the road Noel paved was brimming with light.

She originally fought for Noel because she wanted to build her own family, Shervina. But after learning his thoughts, for the first time in her life, she genuinely wanted to fight for his goal. She, too, wished to see what he envisioned.

It was because of that darkness that Noel could see a person brimming with light.

On the other side of the cave, Oscar, who was walking down alone, suddenly stopped the moment he sensed a familiar presence.

Oscar turned around, looking at the masked man. He wasn't mistaken.

There were a lot of things he wanted to say, but he couldn't open his mouth, especially due to the bottle in his hands.

Laufey walked toward Oscar silently and presented him with this bottle. "You look like you're concerned about something.

"In the past, my friends and I used to push away that kind of concern with this wine. I might be overstepping my bounds, but as an officer of the Ardagan family, I have to show our ally, the Demon Banner Army, a basic courtesy.

"I don't know what you're facing, but please accept this wine bottle. I just hope that the trouble won't linger in your mind anymore."

"…" Oscar's body shook. Of course, the people in his mouth were none other than the three of them, the monster trio that once dominated the Demon Banner Army: Oscar, Dimitri, and Laufey.

However, that trio was no more. The first one had to bear the solitude as the commander of the army, the other one served under a lord, while the last one had to sacrifice his own life and future for the cause he fought for.

The once warm atmosphere filled with alcohol and cheers had turned into loneliness.

It wasn't something that could be changed anymore.

Despite a thousand words appearing in his mind, none of those words could be spoken.

Oscar could only grab the wine bottle while saying, "I see. You are a very caring guy to be able to notice it. I appreciate your offer and drink this tonight. Fortunately, it is a wine that I once liked, as it reminds me of the time I could share with my best friends."

Laufey closed his eyes. Both of them could only hide their sadness in their hearts, knowing that their youth was already over.

Laufey couldn't even utter another word as tears were already streaming down behind his mask. He didn't want to sob in front of Oscar.

So, he bowed to Oscar and walked away.

Oscar, on the other hand, bit his lips, letting that person go. Tears were already swelling in the corner of his eyes as he uttered one thing with a shaking voice. "You fool…"

Laufey and Oscar could only go their separate ways, acting like two strangers.

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