87 – Things you can only say when you look back (7)
“Well. Professor Anna understands that the reason ordinary imperial people like stories about heroes so much is because they are a completely new type of hero. “I would like to hear the professor’s opinion on this.”
Osland ran excitedly at the plate that had been laid on purpose.
“Because it’s friendly!”
“Friendly?”
This is the story that Osland talked about excitedly.
Before that, heroes meant extraordinary and chosen people who received revelations from God, the woman of the lake, or the prophet behind the veil, or pulled out a sword stuck in a rock.
But the heroes who stood against the devil are different. Isn’t this literally a symbol of human victory, of overcoming the fear in one’s heart and moving forward?
“So, the seven heroes are not the chosen ones. Very ordinary, of course, a paladin of the Knights of Mercy, a bishop, or a pirate who became a mercenary captain are not ‘ordinary’, but they are familiar to the average person and are likely to exist somewhere, aren’t they?
People who might be somewhere like that save the world! These are familiar heroes.
The selected few who do not even know what criteria they are selected for feel really far away. But what about these? It gives me courage.
‘Ah. Okay. Those people did that too. So, if I can overcome these difficulties, I can become like them.’
I want to be like you. I want to be. And those who give you hope that you too can do it. “These are them.”
“What are you giving me?”
“Hope!” Osland’s small eyes sparkled.
“This is what differentiates the story of the seven heroes from other stories of warriors. Hope!
Even if you are looked down upon by everyone, like the Samaritan, you can become an object of respect.
The woman who was a noble’s hunting groundskeeper has now become a hunter who is revered by the nobles.
The person who was called a quack lives happily in a prosperous laboratory with full support!
This is hope. Hope that you can live the way you want. The hope that we can overcome the current difficulties as we put our minds to it. “I hope that if I have courage, the world will respond in return!”
Osland clenched his fists. When Cain didn’t show much of a reaction, she seemed to think she was being too unusual and smiled.
“You’re excited, I’m excited! That’s because he’s a very excited person. Ahahahaha, of course, you know? I know that His Majesty the Emperor is really trying his best. But these days, the climate, the nobles, etc. Are all turbulent in many ways… “
“Professor Anna is really hurt about that too.”
Osland seemed to have realized late that his words could be heard as ‘Isn’t this what happens because the emperor doesn’t do his job properly?’
“Uh. I can’t believe I am like this… “
“I know you didn’t mean it that way.”
Cain knew he had misunderstood something. He guessed that Cain’s face was hardened because of his disloyalty in insulting the emperor in front of a representative of the imperial family.
Of course, the reason Cain smiled bitterly was because he knew about the terrible reality of the heroes. That they cannot be symbols of hope at all.
Although his mouth tasted like iron, Cain still smiled kindly.
“I just want to ask you a question about this. Although the seven heroes overcame their fear, there are certainly some who were unable to overcome their fear and passed away. There are also people who are eaten by animals. “Why don’t you shed light on them?”
“This is an important point.” Osrant also nodded his head.
“Of course, the number of people who have overcome hardships is much smaller than those who have not been able to overcome hardships. But that’s why there’s no need to tell the average person.”
“Nothing?”
“As I said before, writers must tell people what they want to see. Who wants to hear about failure? Because that’s not what people want.
Everyone knows that behind success there are many failures. There is no need to emphasize it because everyone knows it. You don’t have to be a wise person to know that there are far more people who think they have failed than there are people who consider themselves successful. And… “
The professor lowered his voice and squinted his eyes, as if secretly, a conspirator.
“Wouldn’t it be cooler for future generations to say that seven heroes appeared on the brink of extinction rather than to say that only seven out of over 10,000 people succeeded?”
“What’s the difference?”
“The former has a strong nuance of ‘I can do it, but you probably won’t be able to do it.’ The latter means ‘A miracle happened amidst the impossible.’
Anyone who is exposed to electrons will compare. ‘Can I be in the top 7 out of 10,000?’ Then jealousy, giving up, and dissatisfaction arise.
But if a miracle happens in the midst of an impossible situation, you might think, ‘Wow. You start to harbor endless fantasies, thinking, ‘Couldn’t I, too, create a miracle?’
If a miracle happens in my life that I never expected, wouldn’t I dream of it? Seven out of 10,000 people succeeded, so why didn’t I? The rest can do it, so why can’t I? That’s better than blaming.
Everyone wants to be their own hero at least once!”
“For what?”
“It’s called hope. Without it, people lose their taste. Hope is like a carrot hanging on a long pole, and no matter how tired a horse is, it will keep moving to eat it. In fact, even if you get to your destination, you will never be able to eat it!”
Professor Osland filled the drink again. He raises his glass again and shares a toast.
“As you know, we are a bit far from that type. Should I say that it feels like looking down from a high mountain peak? Because we had some success.
This is the leisure of life. Satisfaction! Now, for your satisfaction!”
Again. Cheers again. Cain’s tongue twitched slightly. Professor Osland’s eyes completely opened. Cain decided now was the time.
“The crusade against the devil, that is, the 5th crusade, was truly commoner.”
“That’s right.”
“Then perhaps many inexperienced people also participated? Apprentice knights, squires, or aspiring heroes.”
“What can I say?” Osland laughed and chewed a piece of cheese.
“Everyone, regardless of gender or age, participated. Never before had a crusade been recruited on such a large scale. Isn’t there something noble about the word crusader?
But I told you. They say all these people have gathered together. Most of them were people whose hearts were not hardened.
There were even people who fell prey to the devil’s temptation, right?”
Osland’s voice became more subdued. Cain laughed. He thought it was probably a drunken bluff.
“This is my first time hearing that story. “That too was a secret story, so didn’t you write it down?”
But Osland’s expression was quite serious.
“No. I didn’t write this down because I didn’t have any data to cross-verify. “There was a story that only William of Chastity told.”
“What are you talking about?”
“It was a story about a porter.” Osland caressed his cheek.
“It was said that there was a time when the bond between the seven heroes almost broke and almost fell apart. He was William’s porter, and whenever he got the chance, he would say he had received a revelation and talk about where he should go.
But it seems to have sounded quite plausible among the crusaders. As you know, in such situations, people tend to be seduced by plausible nonsense.
So, in a moment of crisis, when he shouted, ‘We have to go here!’, Everyone rushed in that direction. On days when the shadows were particularly dark, people shouted, ‘We have to go there!’ And rushed in… “
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Cain pretended to be calm and waited for further words. Osland’s frown deepened.
“But in the end, he also collapsed. He was the devil’s fraud. In fact, there was a trap dug in the place he pointed, and the Crusaders, who were already very few in number, were on the verge of collapse. Even the seven heroes argued with each other about what you did was wrong and what you did.
That was when Arius’ charisma shined. Arius calmed all the conflicts with his famous speech and brought the hearts of the heroes together again. But no one spoke of it except William, and Arius himself was very reluctant to talk about it.”
“When did you hear from William?”
“I heard it when he was drunk. After the listening session, the consolation service continued as usual, and he whispered to me secretly in the hallway. ‘Listen carefully, brother. That damn bastard almost killed us all.’ But actually, it’s a bit strange.”
“What’s strange?”
“The only person who said that was William.”
Osland tilted his head and then waved his hand.
“Well. According to Arius’s explanation, just as all seven heroes have deep emotional wounds, William is obsessed with vanity.
The ‘porter’ that William speaks of is the sum of the insecurities he harbored, and is not a specific individual.
‘All seven of us have that kind of existence. The devil’s shadow is that deep and dark. This is the kind of karma that the seven of us will have to carry with us until we die. I just hope that people never make sacrifices like this again… ‘
Ah. “How noble is this.”
Osland was so moved that he was on the verge of shedding tears.
“The other seven heroes did not respond to William’s words. Instead, I just said that if Arius said that, he was right…
It is said that a writer is a person who tells stories that people want to hear. But even though he is a writer, there are times when he can write something that is not there and times when he cannot.
In case of causing a disturbance. If you give room. If it’s something that makes you depressed after reading it, it’s better not to write it. “I thought it was irresponsible to blindly write down someone’s unfounded confidence.”
“But are you telling me now?”
Osland shamelessly answered Cain’s question.
“I think Professor Anna wants to hear it. And I know a lot of stories that he might find interesting. “If I get the chance, there are so many things I would like to meet in person and tell you.”
This must have been the professor’s true intention. To attract curiosity by intentionally telling tantalizing and trivial stories. Cain ‘acted surprised when he really wasn’t that interested’ and she played along to the professor’s tune.
“Well. I’m quite interested, but I think William’s words are too abstract. Usually, such words have some specificity. Where did he come from, what were his physical characteristics… “
“Ah. “We talked about that too.” Osrant scratched the side of his head.
“The porter introduced himself and said that he was an apprentice knight of the White Blood Knight Division. That’s funny. The White Blood Knights did not even participate in the Crusade. It’s funny to go from the western mountains, the home of the White Blood Knights, to the northeast wasteland, because they don’t listen to anything other than what the emperor says.
But William said he didn’t believe that. The White Blood Knights lock ten applicants in the playground and leave them to their own devices to win.
He was extremely skilled enough to survive there, but the porter was not skilled with a sword. So he was just carrying the luggage. He seemed to have little courage, but it turns out that it was also the devil’s vain effort…
But do you know what’s even funnier?”
“What is it?”
“It was popular with young people and children. He said that he was originally the leader of some kind of group or group, and that was probably why he was good at speaking. “He took children younger than himself and lived like a bunch of beggars. Then, when he heard that he was recruiting crusaders, he made them all join and he joined as well.”
Cain looked at Osland with eyes wondering, “No way.” There was a period of chaos in the empire, when children left their hometowns in droves and roamed around.
A bad-tempered old man I met at Masada Fortress. A veteran of the Third Crusade who bore the brand of black fire on his shoulder and preached to pagans about the ‘Great Times’. And an old man who missed his son who had passed away.
“… I said it. Everyone gathered together. I’m not sure about this part. Because no one confirms it. The Empire doesn’t know much about this, and the Pope desperately pretends not to know about it.
But if you look at the circumstances, children made up a large portion of the crusade against the devil. Kids under the age of twenty.
And, between the expelled 4th Crusade and the 5th Crusade, there was a kind of affair. “A crusade organized by children.”
Cain knew the name. The son of an old man who lived in Masada is a crusader who suddenly joins.
“Boys and Girls Crusade.”
“You know!” Professor Osland chuckled.
“Nothing was written about their fate. Of course, it goes without saying that it was a huge fraud.
Because the Pope foams at the mouth and even sets his associates on fire! Even that dirty old man couldn’t tolerate that much.
But the Boy and Girl Crusades were real. It just disappeared. No one knows where it has gone.
Someone might be taken to the Eastern Kingdom and live as a slave on the far side of the sea. They say there is slavery there. If they were pretty and handsome men and women, they might live in pagan harems in the North or West.
And some of them joined the crusade against the devil. You’ve found the right path! Of course, they would all be dead or crazy after that.”
“This is absurd.” Cain answered sincerely.
“It’s absurd.” Osland agreed.
“They may sound like crusaders, but in reality, they are innocent kids who were deceived by a heretic swindler. “They say they received a revelation that they will never grow old or die because they ate the fruit from the tree of life. Aren’t they really bad people?”