The God of Jesters
Chapter 377 - 6.12.1 Why so miser?

Chapter 377: 6.12.1 Why so miser?

It was the usual case for me. Acting as a mediator between the two to prevent any fights from breaking out, or specifically the emotions of their taking over their reason.

I did as was expected of Number Two. A powerless woman whose only strength was her glib tongue, who tried her best to keep this semi-companionship from breaking.

But it would seem uncle’s pet was still in an annoyed mood, he couldn’t help but comment. "Not everything survived." As he looked at the stupid Knight who was making a tantrum of her own.

It’s true as they say, you see a different side of people when they are powerless. Only those who can maintain their mentality in any situation are the true masters of their bodies. It’s probably what made her different from me. She had not known adversity. She never understood weakness since gaining it through her blood. Making her inexperienced when she eventually lost it all.

’So pathetic.’

"It’s not right to say such things to a person who has lost so much while saving others." His words might have seemed simple, but his meaning was obvious.

He was talking about the Stupid Knight’s rationality that didn’t exist anymore. She lacked the ability to think calmly over the situation, which was important in tight situations like these where our life was online.

But her arrogance made her incapable of letting go. Even when powerless, even while some place in her head knows that her actions might bring harm to her companions, she still wishes to join in a fight that she won’t win.

Isn’t it stupid?

"And we both know Captain, I don’t know what you grasp from those senses of yours, but Captain Remira knows her condition better than you. So it would be better to maintain some boundaries." I reprimanded Farhad, who seemed to have had the upper hand during the last clash of these two. And he did plan to fight back and speak some more, but then he calmed down.

Knowing that his words brought more than good, he chose to act like a grown-up, he chose to keep his mouth shut in this situation knowing that the things Captain went through were as bad as the things he had experienced.

"As for Captain, please try to look at it from his perspective. Although he might be depending on his senses to make some wrong assumptions about you. But I believe there should still be some truth to them. Wouldn’t it be better to let him fight for a bit more? You can always deal with these people when you completely recover."

I talked and talked, I made her speak some lines more and then brought on the fact of how impossible it was to deal with the slavers.

"Employees, that’s all they are. If you kill them, others will take their place." So it was the root that we should be after, and under the curious eyes of Uncle’s pet and the Stupid Knight, I exposed some secrets I had learned about the slave trade. Including naming some noble families that had their hand in it, much to the surprise of these two

"Hamza, Chalseem, and Ruzda, have you heard their names," I asked, and it was not the Pet who nodded, but the fool. Who, if I recall had the job of a dog who hunted clues.

"I know Hamza, they trade in potions?"

"Medicines for mortal use, they don’t have a hand in the potion market as you might be assuming." Hamza was one of the bigger families that directly used their free medicines as an excuse to attract desperate people to their shop.

Of these, only a few ever leave, while most unregistered ones just disappear from the world.

"But that is a lie as well, they do have a hand in the potions market... but the potions they make for Experts are made of not-so-savory materials of human nature."

At my mention of Human materials, a wave of disgust erupted on the Fool’s face, while the pet remained stoic as he heard it. "You don’t seem surprised."

To which, his answer made me almost chuckle." At this point, I have come to accept that few in my country are good, most are rotten, almost comically."

*****

The disappointment in the country I grew up in was immense. It was no wonder Jester was so angry over Cynark. Why did he wish for its destruction and why he showed no remorse when dealing with my father?

But he was not a good man. Nor were the men who died after Yethel’s death. They deserved it, even my father who was the most capable do... I still can’t. A part of me still loves him, but a bigger part hates me. Not to mention, I am not even sure if this is me or Jester’s own emotions taking over.

And I hope this time, this very specific time, it was my own feelings. I don’t want to become a monster that ignores the crimes of loved ones just due to the close connections I have with them.

It’s the only way I can keep my sanity, it’s the only way to ensure I don’t truly become like Jester, even if I fear these are his own feelings. Just for one purpose alone, he doesn’t mind collateral. To him, the end justifies the means.

Yes, I agree with Jester on many things, but one thing I am against is how he stooped to a level lower than the evil in my country.

He dared to involve commoners in his ploy. He chose to exploit the already pitiful commoners and caused thousands of people to forever be lost in their sleep in Durum.

Even if our hatred for certain people in Cynark might match, I won’t even become like him.

As for this girl ahead of me. She was a kind one, that I can see.

What happened in her past, I can’t ascertain, there are only little clues that I can’t base my assumptions on. But what I can base my assumption on would be that fake smile of hers.

Others might be fooled by it, and I can’t say if Captain is included in the others. But I won’t. Her smile matched that of my father’s whenever my sister made some achievement. Yes, he acted happy, but I knew that he was always faking it.

How can a man be happy after doing so many heinous crimes against innocents?

If he was genuinely smiling all those times, then there would be something wrong with my father. He would be a monster, an unfeeling monster.

"You say those words, but you don’t believe it... and besides, the propaganda of Yethel might have affected you a bit, it’s always better to learn both sides of the story." She said to me words that I found almost laughable.

She spoke about perspective to the captain before, now she was saying this to me about a bunch of slavers?

No, this was just her sarcasm, a joke she made at my expense, considering I was born in Cynark. It was probably to give me hope that not all was bad. But I would have to ignore your kind intentions here Number Two.

"There is no need to learn the perspective of truly evil ones. They live in luxury while selling the flesh of innocents. They don’t deserve any pity." And there goes my bloodthirsty captain, who seemed disgusted by the slaves so much so that she couldn’t hold herself back anymore.

I even wondered why Number Two had to mention this all now. But seeing her smiling face, I didn’t stop her.

I know why she was doing this, it was easy to see.

’She hopes to use the Knights to deal with the slavers.’ Such an obvious ploy should have been noticed by Captain as well, but she remained quiet about it, instead, she seemed to be supporting Number Two, adding in ideas on how to deal with the political ramifications while fighting such powerful noble families.

"Justification will be on our side, they would be burned alive for their crimes." Death Incarnate said those words, almost making me pity those families. But then again, one thing is obvious, these families might just be the start, scapegoat even.

I know for a fact that it’s not an oversight on Cynark’s side, they probably support these people. So the issue goes deeper than it appears. And the little plan that these two were making would be futile.

The most they will do is make the real criminals go under while the scapegoats are sacrificed.

It’s how it always happens. It’s always how Cynark does things.

Just like not too long ago in Phuket, which ended up in the capture of Captain, the Ambassador from Cynark was cut off completely due to the involvement of his son in the crime that Captain committed.

However, I can’t say for certain who was wrong or right in that specific situation, nor has the captain spoken about her experience during that time to me as of yet.

******

"Is this it? Your signal?" I asked the man bound by the ropes. And he nodded in response."

"So archaic." It was a day at the moment, and we currently burned some wet branches over the fire to generate smoke. Which was used to signal the ship on the distant horizon that it was safe.

But I can’t help but curse at these fools.

They used hundred-year-old Muskets, and their messaging technique was even older while their ship.

It’s the good old sailboat and not even a motorboat.

"Isn’t there loads of money in your business? Why are you guys such misers?"

"... There is so much money only because we do it cheaply."