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Chapter 192 Good And Evil [Pt 1]

"I couldn't speak to them because… they were scary. Bad people… they were all bad people."

As Rey heard Esme mutter those words, he began to understand a little more about her.

'She must have seen their Alignments and noticed the Evil attached.'

Rey wasn't so sure if 'Alignments' properly made a person Good or Bad.

He remembered feeling frustrated after seeing that Billy had a 'Good' Alignment, thinking it had to be a farce.

But, in actuality, Alignments were based on the personal values of an individual and how they interacted with the world around them.

To Billy, his actions were good, but he did them in evil ways, which made him have the [Chaotic Good] Alignment.

It was his own subjective definition of 'good' mixed in with the actions of the opposite proportions.

'I think men like Asher know what kind of actions they engage in. Still, they indulge in it because it's the only path they can take or desire to take to get to their goals.'

For Asher and many members of the KariBlanc Group, Rey assumed they operated on self-interest, and they would do anything to gain profit… as long as it was in accordance with their code.

'That's why… I don't think there's any good or bad people here.'

Rey could never proclaim himself as a good person.

And he could never completely label Asher as a bad person.

In the end, they were just performing good or bad deeds using their own subjective motivations and interpretations to guide them.

'I can't tell her any of that, though.' Rey sighed internally and nodded slowly at her words.

"I understand." He could only mutter.

"I trust you because you're Neutral Good. You also saved me, so…"

As her voice trailed, he founded gaze wandering.

'Is she worried about the other slaves?' Once he had this thought, exude to comfort her a little.

"Don't worry. I saved everyone. They were taken to the Royal Estate, so they should all be with their families shortly."

Rey knew life wasn't as simple as that, but for the sake of the innocent-looking girl in front of him, he had to make it seem so.

"A-ah… that's a relief." Esme smiled, though her gaze still seemed distracted.

'That isn't it? Then why is she looking like that? Come to think of it… I know nothing about her!'

Even though the System said she was a Half-Elf, she looked pretty human to him.

She didn't even have pointy ears or blond hair that Elves were known for.

She just looked like a really, REALLY pretty girl. Perhaps even a princess of some faraway kingdom or something.

'But her Stats don't lie. She's definitely special.' With that in mind, Rey proceeded with his question.

"Could you tell me your story? How did you end up where I found you?"

There were a bunch of things he was curious about, that was the first and foremost.

'I can at least get a glimpse into her background and figure out her origins. Maybe even learn more about Elves…'

"My story, huh? To be honest, it's nothing too special." As Esme spoke, her gaze seemed to be on something far away.

Her emotionless face made it seem like a statue was speaking.

"I never knew my real parents. I was found and raised by the Orphanage where I grew up. Many times, families would want to adopt me, but I refused each one."

"Why? Because they were bad?"

Esme nodded with some hidden enthusiasm the moment Rey asked the question.

It felt a little endearing seeing her, with her stoic face, display so much energy.

"I told the Orphanage of my gift, and I aided them in properly appraising anyone who wanted to adopt a child. I became indispensable to them, to the point that they finally agreed to let me remain there."

Her small smile showed Rey that she indeed enjoyed her time in the Orphanage. They were probably the only family she wanted.

As such, it was a mutually beneficial arrangement for both sides.

"Once I became an adult, I took on more important roles in the Orphanage and took care of the kids there. Most of the people I grew up with had gone, but a few of us remained."

Esme went on to explain some mundane activities that they did in the Orphanage and how it was managed.

Rey thought she would go on forever, but he didn't stop her.

He couldn't.

"I… was happy then."

The fond eyes she used to look into the distance, and the sweet smile that radiated from her face as she recollected the good times… Rey took all of them in.

However, all of those were soon discarded as soon as she continued her story.

A dark cloud came over her bright face, and her eyes darkened almost instantly.

As she explained the horrors that came next, even Rey felt his chest tighten.

"Our town was pillaged by Bandits. They called themselves members of the Mercenary Gang."

Rey recognized the name.

They were rumored to be the strongest force in the Criminal Underworld, and were often hired by top players—including the Obsidian Council.

Rey didn't think they would be mere pillagers.

"They slaughtered so many people before my very eyes. The men were mercilessly executed on the spot, and the women were… were… violated."

Rey could see Esme tremble as she shared the story.

It seemed she was trying her hardest to control her emotions, and despite how pained she looked, not a single tear fell from her moist eyes.

Her tone also seemed clear despite how many times it trailed.

She was so hard to hold herself together.

'Should I do something? No…' Rey decided to just watch.

'I really am no good at these things.'

"I was separated from my friends as we tried to escape. Unfortunately for us, we were caught and taken as slaves—just as all the viable young adults and children."

Rey didn't know why he felt relieved that Esme didn't experience the 'violation' that the other women encountered.

She was plenty attractive, and any man would desire her body the moment they laid eyes on her.

Despite all of this, she remained untouched.

Rey could already guess why.

'They probably thought she looked too pure and didn't want to sully the goods. I can only imagine how much she was going to be sold for.'

Considering her looks, and the fact that Evals Redart could see the potential of the slaves he wanted to sell, it was probably going to be at an astronomical level.

"I remember thinking: why are they doing this? What did we do wrong? We were just living our simple lives when they chose to ruin our lives…"

As Esme spoke once again, Rey narrowed his eyes.

'If I had to guess, the Mercenary Gang was hired by Evals to obtain a whole bunch of slaves from their insignificant settlement while disguising it as a raid or pillage.'

It was done for profit—nothing more, nothing less.

"That was when I looked at their Stats and found the true reason. It's because they're evil. Good people would never do such things!"

Rey didn't know what to tell her. He knew he personally wouldn't engage in such atrocities, but…

'No one is truly innocent. Not even the good ones.'

*

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*Chapter 193 Good And Evil [Pt 2]

Rey knew there were good people in the world.

He considered Alicia a good person, and to an extent… he thought he wasn't too bad either.

Perhaps he had a few gray areas in his life, but he knew for sure that people like Alicia would not stand for evil actions.

Still…

'When push comes to shove, we sometimes have to make certain decisions that could be considered evil.'

There were quite a number of people in the world he came from who argued for the rights of animals, especially appealing to the fact that some were highly intelligent and sentient.

This group of people proved that animals indeed felt emotions and pain; and in fact, we're capable of feelings like love and attachment.

They were highly complex beings.

Yet… people killed them every day. They did so for various reasons—like sustenance, enjoyment, or dietary requirements.

Genuinely nice and downright pleasant people would consume the very animals that were said to be sentient.

Rey didn't know which path was right or wrong.

He only knew one thing.

'This is just the way life is.'

And so, as he looked at the girl before him, truly empathizing with her for the horrors she suffered, he couldn't help but feel a little numbness inside him.

'I don't think I would ever go that far with humans, but…'

If intelligent Monsters were happily living in their territory—without bothering anyone—he wouldn't hesitate to kill them.

His reason for doing so would be justifiably simple.

—EXP!

Just as people consumed animals to survive, Rey didn't mind killing Monsters to get stronger.

It was unfair on the Monsters who—if left alone—would have lived out their lives in relative peace.

However, Rey didn't care.

'The same Monsters would do the same under similar or certain circumstances.'

As he looked at the girl before him talking about Good and Bad people, he wondered what it would take for her to take a life or torture someone.

It was a terrible thought to have—especially when looking at Esme's adorable face.

But he couldn't help but wonder.

"… I don't know what became of the others, but that's how I found myself in there."

As Rey watched her stop talking, he realized he had to say something soon.

"You don't think they were among the batch of slaves I saved?"

"No." She slowly shook her head. "They took them to a different Warehouse."

"I see…"

As Rey rubbed his chin, he felt a slight pinching sensation in his chest.

'If that's the case, it's probably already too late for them. They would have already been sold as slaves. Or…'

If Rey assumed that the schedule for their sale was the same as Esme's, then by capturing Evals Redart, it was possible that the sale was delayed.

In that case, there was a chance they were still at the Warehouse.

'I just have to get the addresses and connect the dots.'

Rey was sure he could just ask the Royal Council for the information they had gotten from Evals, and it would be good to go.

'I don't even know why I am thinking of going so far for her. Maybe it's because of the System…?'

"What do you want now?" He blurted out, staring straight into her eyes.

For a few seconds, she kept quiet.

It seemed like the question caught her off guard, so she was taking her time to properly articulate her thoughts.

Then—

"I just want a proper home. To be with my family."

—She gave her response.

'Her family, huh? I'm guessing she means the Orphanage members.'

Rey already suspected she would say such a thing, so he recognized that aiding her with this task would make the System satisfied.

'And then I should get whatever rewards are waiting for me once it's done.'

"Don't get me wrong. The people here have treated me kindly, and they've done everything to make me comfortable. Even though I don't speak to them, they always seem to know exactly what I need."

Rey felt a smile tugging at his lips as he imagined Asher ordering all of Esme's attendants to do their jobs perfectly.

'That guy…'

"This place also looks amazing. I've never seen such luxury in all my life. But… I don't feel comfortable here."

Rey felt his smile build up as he saw her honest face speak to him without hints of fear or nervousness.

Throughout their conversation, she hadn't shown even the slightest hint of intimidation.

'Is it because she's convinced I'm trustworthy?' He mused.

"I feel uneasy here. I want to reunite with my friends and family that were separated from me. I want to rebuild that orphanage and live there with them. That… is what I want."

It was a simple task; not too ambitious.

'That doesn't mean it'll be easy. The tough part is finding her friends.'

Rey wasn't sure about finding all of them, but if he could get most of them—maybe half—then that would be fine.

Maybe they would mourn the loss of the rest of their friends and move on.

'Unfortunately, don't think I can half ass this."

He had a feeling that unless Esme was satisfied, he wouldn't be successful.

'I'll just have to find all of them. Hopefully it won't be too much of a hassle…'

It wasn't like he was a cold-hearted monster or anything, but Rey had learned a long time ago never to be optimistic.

He genuinely hoped he could find all her friends, but there was always the possibility of tragedy.

'… And it would be dangerous if I set my hopes too high.'

"I'll try my best to find them." The moment he said this, Esme's face brightened up.

"You just have to be a little patient, but I'll definitely try my best."

"I trust you." She smiled at him and nodded.

For a few seconds, none of them said anything. They only stared into each other's eyes.

Crimson… reflecting Azure.

It felt as if the world held its breath as the two of them remained still.

"I should probably excuse myself. You want to continue your conversation with that man, don't you?"

"Yes, thank you."

Esme rose to her feet, bowing slightly to Rey, who kept his position.

"Thank you for saving me, Rey. And thank you for choosing to help me."

Rey felt his heart skip a beat as she called him by name. He remembered the first time he saw her; as she called for him weakly.

The girl back then was so different from the one who stood in front of him. freёwebnoѵel.com

"I don't know why you are interacting with these people, but I trust and know you're a good person."

Rey wanted to tell her she wasn't completely right, but he kept his mouth shut and watched her walk to the door.

"Please be careful. Don't… don't be like them."

Rey slowly nodded upon hearing those words.

He didn't know an ominous feeling rose from within him, but he somehow felt her words went beyond mere advice.

It was a warning.

Esme gave him one more smile as she left the room, causing Rey to be only one there.

He inhaled deeply and closed his eyes, thinking about everything that just happened.

… All he had just heard.

And after mulling over them, only one word could come out of his mouth in a croaky whisper.

"Fuck…"

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