199 – Perspective
I paid for the food and left the store alone. It was because Eunice, who received my proposal, got up first without answering. He left without saying goodbye, but it didn’t matter as he agreed to buy me a meal in return for helping me. Just not denying my proposal on the spot can be seen as positive in a way.
Somehow, when I confess my heart that I have been hiding now, the woman runs away in fright, and it is a situation like calculating food alone. It wasn’t a pointless sense of victimization, but the cashier’s sympathetic gaze made me feel that way.
Still, by explaining the school transfer to Eunice, the goal was achieved. It’s not like Eunice can transfer to Transcendence tomorrow. While preparing for the transfer, you will have plenty of time to think about your options. If I refuse, I’ll have to give it a try.
There is already a situation where a variable has been created in the existing flow just by the existence of the country. Eunice, who is regarded as a bookmaker who read the market, would be able to read even the twisted flow. That is exactly what I expect from Eunice.
Just leaving the store and going back to the club room, the stinging stares around me were pierced into my face. Fortunately, there was no mishap with my parents face-to-face. With the personality I’ve seen so far, it seemed that he couldn’t stand his anger and broke into the club room and caused a stir, but seeing that he was surprisingly quiet, it seems that Roel was doing something.
In the eyes of the people around me, I quickly walked back to the club room. Contrary to my expectations, what greeted me was not the members, but Principal Nelson, who managed his beard beautifully. It was the first time we met in the club room, so I couldn’t help but be embarrassed. Did he come to investigate what happened in the triathlon? Contrary to the anxiety creeping up in his chest, Nelson smiled warmly as always.
“Ross, it’s been a while since the two of you have been together like this. Did you eat?”
“Yes. This is the way I just ate.”
At my reply, Nelson nodded with a regretful expression and pointed to the box on the table.
“Then, eat this cake later with the members.”
“Ah, thank you.”
As I nodded awkwardly and wondered if I should stand like this, Nelson motioned for me to sit across from me. As I sat down in her seat, Nelson asked me, who was fiddling with the cushion Arya had casually tossed on the sofa.
“Do you know why I came to see you?”
I was thirsty for no reason at that question. I feel strangely guilty because I think I did something wrong to the person who was good to me. With a sigh, I scratched my brow and answered.
“Did I ruin the triathlon?”
At my reply, Nelson shook his head and smiled softly.
“Ross, I never thought you ruined the triathlon. In fact, I knew from the beginning that other academies were united.”
“I knew other academies would unite… ?”
Involuntarily, I frowned. The feeling of guilt that filled my chest quickly changed my temper and turned into an impulsive repulsion. If he did, it means that Nelson has been sitting by the sidelines. It made my voice a bit harsh.
“So how long has the triathlon frustrated other academies, and what would have happened if the vicious circle hadn’t been broken again… Even if I don’t have to tell you, you’ll know.”
At the sarcastic tone, Nelson put down the cushion he was fiddling with and smiled at me. Unlike me who couldn’t hide my hardness, he had a comfortable expression as if he was telling a long story. However, the words that came out of Nelson’s mouth, unlike his expression, were a great shock to me.
“Of course I know. Because it was me who created the triathlon.”
Unbeknownst to me, the words naturally came out of my mouth as if questioning.
“… Is it Principal Nelson who invented the triathlon?”
“Yes, I suggested it to the emperor and made it.”
I feel like my stomach is rumbling at Nelson’s calm voice. Confusing. Until now, I had only thought of Nelson as a good man. When I think of what he did for me, of course I couldn’t help but do that. It was all thanks to Nelson that I was able to make a precious friend and a lover that I want to be with in all seasons.
That made me even more confused. The triathlon was the emperor’s political show that lasted 31 years. To say that it was none other than Nelson, whom I trusted the most, was the kind that made it hard to accept. I’d rather just hear nonsense and try to ignore it.
How triathlon was created, I did not set the setting. Certainly, some probability worked for the flow. Trying to come to his senses, I ran my hand across his face roughly, and Nelson, who was looking at me, tapped his knee.
“You look curious about the reason. Before I explain the triathlon, will you listen to me?”
I nodded with a sigh.
“There used to be a village. The village was at the point where one great river splits in two. Traffic was very inconvenient because two rivers passed on both sides of the village like an island.”
I don’t think Nelson would bring up old stories for no reason, so I concentrated and calmed my upset stomach.
“Because of the inconvenient transportation, there were no customers who came to the village. If it continues like this, the village is in danger of disappearing soon. The village chief, who was a famous adventurer in the past, used his money to call a famous architect from the capital. The architect looked around the town and removed the bridges at either end of the town. He suggested removing the forest where the river splits and building a new T-shaped bridge there.”
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Nelson took out his wand and moved it as if drawing a picture, and the T-shaped legs floated in the air.
“Once the bridge is built, there will be no need to cross the two rivers, so people will flock to use this new bridge, and it is predicted that the number of visitors to the village will increase for transportation. The architect’s prediction was correct. Merchants were responsible for the rest of the adventurers, mercenaries and horses protecting their goods. Even an adventurer who crosses a bridge after a long journey needs a break.”
As Nelson swung his staff, a small town floated into the air. Time passed quickly, and the number of buildings in the village gradually increased.
“Thanks to the architect’s wisdom, the village became rich. There were many people who moved from the surrounding villages. Everyone praised the village chief for bringing the architect. There was even talk of erecting a statue for the wise village chief.”
The image of the village chief smiling broadly while receiving cheers from many people floated in the air.
“But a few years later, a huge typhoon happened. It was a natural disaster. The heavy rain poured down and the river overflowed. The terrain that divided the river into two was in a weakened state due to the disappearance of the forest. In the end, the ground collapsed and the streams of the river, which had been divided into two, merged and hit the village.”
I remembered the image of the village being swept away by a huge river. Nelson, who gave me time to appreciate it for a while, smiled and asked in a calm voice.
“What do you think of the village chief’s actions?”
“… I guess it’s a bad choice. In the end, the village was swept away by the water.”
At my answer, Nelson looked at me blankly and asked.
“Then do you think the village chief is evil?”
“That….”
I couldn’t answer Nelson’s question. If the village chief hadn’t done anything, the village would have disappeared. There would have been no need to spend the money the village chief had saved his entire life to hire an architect. A man who has sacrificed his share for the sake of others, not for his own gain. The village chief tried to save the village. He even made the town prosper.
If it had not been for the sudden natural disaster, the village might have grown further and become a city. However, the village chief’s choice eventually made the village disappear. Even if you are not a bad person, you will not be able to avoid responsibility. The responsibility is due to not running away, but trying to get out of the situation.
“The surviving villagers handed over all responsibility to the village chief as if it had never happened. He blamed him, cursed him and cursed him. In the end, the village chief could not stand his guilt and took his own life. It was a bitter end. It was to the point that no one came to the funeral.”
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Nelson went on, stroking his beard.
“The survivors built a new village. Because the rivers have united, the lower part of the river has become more livable than before. Eventually, a larger village than before was created. There was also a means of transportation using boats, and there were more fish and animals.”
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Nelson lowered his wand and asked with a smile.
“When the bridge was first built, the village chief was a clear line. However, when the village was swept away by a natural disaster, people regarded him as evil. However, now that time has passed and the result has come out that it is for more lives that the two rivers have become one. What kind of person should we view the village chief as?”
“….”
I said that the village chief made the wrong choice only as a result of the village being swept away in the end. However, after that, the result of the rivers merging into one could not be answered. Good results came after bad results. Then, will the village chief, who was a bad man, become a good man again?
“In the end, it is the man who decides whether an action is good or bad, right or wrong. Depending on your point of view, what is considered good may be felt as evil to someone. Just as there are cases where what was justice at the time turns into malice later on.”
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Nelson smiled and continued his speech.
“Your actions only show the result of ruining the triathlon to some people depending on your point of view. Anyone who knows your intentions and the truth knows that your actions are good deeds that cost you yourself.”
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Nelson paused for a moment and, as if to remind me, he looked me straight in the eyes and spoke in a calm voice.
“How would you view yourself? It is a problem that must be pondered and solved until the end of life.”