The days passed by as the convoy made its way through the winding, mountainous, monster-infested terrain of Iona. As we began to approach the border, monster density began to drop sharply, until eventually the monsters were no longer present.
While the borders between the other nations were kind of hazy and unclear, the point at which Iona ends and the Republic begins could not be more obvious. A jarring connection between a dirt road and a paved one made with tiled bricks lay ahead of us, and on top of it lay a station manned by republican legionnaires. As we approached the station, the convoy slowed down until we stood nearly 20 meters away from the border checkpoint.
The door to the major’s carriage opened, and Major Amset stepped out confidently to approach the guards who awaited her arrival. Now that I think of it, I hadn’t seen any people from the Republic in general. Well, aside from the occasional adventurer on the Serpent’s Throat and academy students like Atria.
Minutes later, the major walked back and entered her carriage, and the convoy began to move again. The border guards gave us a polite nod as we passed by them, and the carriages’ noises changed from the quiet sound of the occasional pebble being run over or tossed aside to the same racket it made within cities. Mere minutes into it and I was already thoroughly annoyed.
“This grating noise is going to make our trip miserable, isn’t it?” I said.
“Mhm.” Nico mumbled.
“I wonder if all the roads in the Republic are paved like this. If they are, it must’ve cost a fortune!”
“Mhm.” Nico mumbled.
Hmm…
“Nico, there’s a rat in your hair.”
“Mhm.” Nico mumbled.
“Nico, take a look at this!” I said as I hurriedly tapped Nico’s shoulder with a closed fist.
“Huh?” she said, turning her face my way only for her my index finger to dig into her cheek.
“Your head’s been in the clouds for so long that I thought your soul would follow suit. A copper for your thoughts?”
Although the road should theoretically be safe with the terrain evening out, the rest of the team wasn’t taking any chances until we made it to Romellus. There’s no telling what the major was going to throw our way, after all, which made it all the more concerning that Nico’s mind is elsewhere.
“Sorry if I worried you. It’s nothing serious.” Nico said.
Just as I was about to bring up her decision to communicate with me better, she elaborated on her own initiative.
“I always knew that other countries don’t do things the way we do, and that Iona generally holds the complete opposite view of Tamery’s on social hierarchies. I was just busy thinking about what the man we encountered in Syressa was saying and how it conflicted with my views, especially with Lady Mett’s ideal.”
Huh, so that’s what it was.
“Why not just forget about it? It’s just one foreigner’s opinion. Why let it influence your view of your country’s way of life?”
Nico shook her head.
“I can’t just ignore his words without undermining the integrity of my beliefs. Two conflicting statements can’t both be right, and just disregarding anything I learn because it doesn’t fit my views is not just willful ignorance, but criminal negligence. As one of the highest-ranking nobles in the country and Lady Mett’s champion, my views aren’t simply inconsequential opinions. They have the potential to influence the whole nation.”
“Fair enough. But what did he say that’s shaking you up?”
Stolen story; please report.
“Saying that Lady Mett is the Goddess of Order and Justice is not entirely accurate. To be more specific, Lady Mett is the Goddess of Justice through Order. Her doctrine states that law, hierarchies, due process, rights and responsibilities, and separation of powers, among many other state concepts, are an inseparable part of justice. Justice without order is no justice at all; it is merely the ugly excuse vigilantes and lynch mobs use for their behavior. These nuances are difficult for the average, uneducated commoner to truly understand, hence the need for the simplification.”
“Makes sense,” I nodded, “But how does that relate to what the Syressan man said?”
“I am getting there, don’t worry. Anyways, with Lady Mett’s ideal, every member of society has their place, with rights and responsibilities to match. We need a far larger number of peasants tilling the land than we do nobles governing a city, even if both are necessary. This also means that we cannot simply grant everyone nobility. With this in mind, even the pharaoh herself may not violate the rights of the lowliest peasant, and the gods are there to enforce them if need be. The problem arises when people try to challenge that by stepping out of their assigned roles, like the Syressan implied.”
By now, the terrain had flattened into open plains, with nothing but the endless paved road in sight.
“I am not concerned about his fears of a tyrant abusing his power; the gods have stripped nobles and even a few pharaohs over abuses of authority, and they have hundreds of years to confirm their successors’ qualifications and sincerity. Lady Amn has already taken up Lord Anobus’s place splendidly, and no issues appeared ever since.”
My head was starting to spin as I began struggling to wrap my head around everything Nico was talking about.
“I am not sure I got everything you said, but it sounds to me like nothing he said is causing you problems, right? So, where’s the problem?”
Nico chuckled.
“Right, I forgot you didn’t get a formal education. Let me simplify things a little; my biggest concern is with what he said about ideas being heard based on how good they are and nothing else. I wonder, how many people had the right idea about where a problem or a solution were, but their voices failed to reach the right ears? I myself am proof of that; I am only thinking about all this just now because a foreign commoner pointed it out to me without fear or respect to my status.”
“More importantly, even if we each have our lot in life, nobles still have it much better than commoners, even with the added responsibilities and duties we carry. Is it truly just to condemn them for being dissatisfied with that? I never even asked if they were satisfy- Kiara, are you listening?”
“Mhm.” I mumbled, only to get a flick on the forehead for my trouble.
“That’s what I get for trying to explain my troubles to you.” Nico said as she shook her head.
“Hey, I’ll have you know I was listening! I just lost you at some point.” I said, rubbing my forehead.
Nico rolled her eyes and chuckled.
“I know, doofus. I was just messing with you. Don’t worry about me, I’ll figure this out on my own, and I won’t let it affect my showing in the tournament.”
“Well, there’s the Nico I know. Welcome back!” I said with a wide grin.
“I didn’t go anywhere! Also, thanks for worrying about me.” She said, looking away awkwardly.
“I know, I know, I am amazing. You may complement me some more. You’re welcome by the way!”
“Don’t push your luck!” she yelled, her head snapping back to me.
As we started bickering as usual, Durreg shook his head.
“Ahh, youth.”
“We’re the same age, dammit!” I yelled.
***
As we moved down the road, we slowly began encountering sporadic farms on our way. Each person we saw tilling the land looked like they came from a different country than the next; the only things they shared were the cheap rags they wore and the iron chains on their arms, legs, and necks, which were attached to a separate weight. It was surreal watching them drag the weights with a step before swinging a hoe in the dirt in the next.
“Those are slaves from the nations the Republic conquered.” Nico said, answering my unasked question.
“The Republic is really one nation ruling over several conquered ones, with those who fought against the Republic’s armies being enslaved. A slave’s child is also a slave in the Republic, which has led to a sizeable population even to this day. It’s a tactic to intimidate your enemies into submission as well as getting free labor, two birds and all that. It’s also one of the many reasons they’ve been shunned by the other nations, not that any of their histories were much cleaner on this crime. The practice ceased elsewhere after the end of the Celestial War and the ascension of the gods, who put a final end to it, with Lord Hurun leading the initiative on that front.”
Nico’s explanation faded in my mind as I stared at the slaves working the fields. I carved the sight of their wounded bodies and broken wills in my mind, never to be forgotten. This could have been my fate had Alanus succeeded in his attempt to subdue me, back when I was a mere rank D drakeling. My wrath over that transgression on my very thoughts had never waned, and I felt my soul oath resonate with it. From the moment of my birth, my sense of self was my most valued possession, and it continues to be so. It is thanks to it that I can enjoy the life, family, and friends that I have now.
I swore to make Alanus pay for threatening it, and it was about time I made good on my promise.