The other side, Part III

The Cursed weren't evil.

Whoever had spread that idea generations ago—be it the Order, the priests, the commonfolk or the Divines themselves—was a liar or, at best, a victim of their own ignorance.

In other words, my devout following of the Divines might've all just been—

No, not now.

I'm not ready to confront something like this.

It was easier to draw a mental line.

On one side, the truth about the Cursed that I was experiencing first hand. On the other, my beliefs about the doctrine of the Divines.

Keep both separated, at least for now. Deal with the matter at hand before anything else.

"The behavior of runecrabs can be complex and it varies depending on their environment," the leader of the White Crab Kin said. "However, this thing you call an invasion is in fact a migration. Millions of young runecrabs travel south-east during this time of the year, and it just so happens your lands are in the way. Their true goal is the sea beyond."

It made too much sense.

"Many of those Cursed end up settling in our lands, and that's a well-known fact."

"Yes, some do. It's a survival tactic to spread their species. Those runecrabs can become more territorial and hunt with vigor once they get accustomed. You are in your right to slay them if they pose a threat to your settlements."

"What about the Cursed King? The invasion… I mean, the migration worsens whenever one appears because it spawns them by the hundreds. That's why this year it started an entire season earlier than usual."

"We call those Water Goddesses. It's true one of them caused an additional wave of migration earlier than you're accustomed to, but not for the reasons you believe. The Water Goddesses migrate at a different pace, and when they choose a domain they displace all runecrabs in a wide area."

"So the Cursed that attacked early were the ones cast out by it? Then what about the rest?"

"Were all subsequent waves of runecrabs worse than usual?"

"Well… I can't know for sure, since I don't fight on the front. But our team did fight off a huge group of Cursed not too long ago that had somehow gotten past the Frontier."

"Whatever the reason for those, I can assure you it's not related to the Water Goddess."

"Are you certain?"

"I give you my word with the same confidence I'd have in placing my head between the pincers of Cuddlyhill."

Quite the statement—and one I didn't want to put to the test.

"So now that the Cursed King's settled, does that mean its presence will no longer influence the migration?"

"Indeed. If anything, next year she will block some of the migrating runecrabs and make them either take a detour through the sea or settle somewhere else in the desert." He proceeded to bow. "So please, let the Water Goddess live and allow the runecrabs to pass through your lands for their migration."

"I… I'm sorry, but I can't make such a promise by myself. I'd need to at least consult it with the High Knight and my companions."

After my words were translated, whispers began sneaking around us, sprouting a certain unease within me.

"Can I ask something?" I continued. "What will your people do if we don't agree to your request?"

The whispers intensified. The leader took a pause before answering:

"Nothing."

Eh?

He stood up and took a few steps back. "There's nothing we can do to force you, and our tribe will leave this region soon so we won't even know if you've heeded our request. The only incentive we can give you is that it is the right thing to do."

The leader proceeded to kneel down, and so did all the others including Ray. She must've taught them that. "The creatures you call Cursed are innocent and don't deserve to be killed indiscriminately. The Water Goddesses in particular are intelligent beings who can sometimes even be reasoned with to a certain degree. Please find in your heart the mercy to spare them, Paladin Corydorin."

I was unable to make any promises.

But I also couldn't be more certain about what I wanted to do.

Of course I'd choose to end our struggle with the Cursed if given the chance, especially when it was as easy as just having our people stop fighting them.

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"Yeaaah, no. That won't work out," High Knight Muskel declared while seated behind the desk of his office, leaning to the side.

"What do you mean? We can end all of this fighting. Knights won't have to die and they'll be able to see their families and—"

"Lose their jobs. The Council and the Order will give up a ton of power since humanity won't depend on us as much, and we won't be getting any more materials from their shells. Also, weren't you a firm follower of the Divine's doctrine? Doesn't this go against everything you believe in?"

"I… t-that's a matter for another time. Are you fine with risking your life every year fighting them off?"

"Am I willing to spend three quarters of the year on the equivalent of paid vacations and then fight off for a bunch of weeks? Sure. Our casualty rate isn't even that high, and now it makes all the sense in the world. The Cursed don't care about us and only fight back when we attack them first. This means I can adjust my troops' formation to make hunting them even easier."

"What? But… don't you even care that you're killing off innocent creatures?"

"Cory, my boy, do you feel bad for every fish you eat?"

"You know this is not the same."

"Then let me ask something else." He leaned forward, a crooked grin on his face. "What are you gonna do about it? Your title as Paladin holds no authority over me. Unless you can bring me a written order from the Council itself, I can't do what you ask even if I gave a shit about your cheap morals."

Corrupt asshole.

"Then I'm going to do just that."

I stormed out of the office, hearing an arrogant "Good luck" behind my back.

Talking with him was a mistake. I should've consulted with my companions first—Jacks would know what to do.

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"I'm sorry, Cory, but I disagree," Jacks said. We both sat inside one of the tents of the camp, alone.

"What? The Cursed can co-exist with people. They don't want to exterminate humanity. That's all a lie."

"And I believe you, but they're still wild and dangerous creatures. Muskel is wrong, the knights wouldn't lose their jobs—quite the opposite. Think about the consequence of letting them cross our territory every year while knowing some of them will settle around. First, you'd be asking for all trading to be halted during their migration and for every single denizen to lock themselves in the cities and villages.Then after the migration was over, the Order would need to scout the entire nation to clear out the Cursed who settled—or do you expect people to just wander around when they could be ambushed at any moment by them?"

"They won't be… I mean, people have to take care with other animals like bears, wolves or even boars. The Cursed wouldn't be that different."

"Now tell that to the powerless farmers, shepherds and merchants who've been raised to fear Cursed since they were kids. It won't happen. Unless the Order does an absolute cleanup after every migration, which would take months, people would hole up. Trade would stagnate, as would the relationships between cities, and the nation would fragment—perhaps even fall apart."

"So you're fine with murdering these creatures just for existing?"

"I didn't say that."

"Then what?" I threw my arms around. Jacks didn't blink.

"I'm saying your idea of an immediate change wouldn't work even if we managed to convince the Council, which we won't. Nonetheless, I do agree we need to do something about it."

He agrees.

My shoulders loosened and my tone softened.

"What do you have in mind?"

"Let's go little by little. First, we'll prove the Cursed can be tamed by doing so ourselves. We traverse the entire region as Paladins, so we'll be able to show everyone how harmless they are when trained."

"That's… actually a solid plan. Let's get Betta and Oscar and—"

"Cory. Still." He said as I stood ready to sprint out of the tent. "I understand you're young and impulsive…" Those words icked me, given I was twenty-seven. "But I'm telling you again: this isn't something you can rush. First of all, do you think Betta would just agree with any of this?"

"Well, surely she will if you're the one to tell her."

"I'm not her father. Her respect for me doesn't mean she'll take everything I say as law. As for Oscar… he's a good boy, but naive. Even more than you.

He leaned toward me. "We'll do this slowly. And before even beginning, we have to finish our current quest."

"You mean the Cursed King? But we don't need to kill her, she—"

"The knights at the Frontier expect us to deliver her corpse so its materials can be harvested."

"What if we say she escaped?"

"Then we'd be sent to venture the Cursed Lands as far as needed to find her. People fear the idea of the Cursed King too much. Even if you tell them it's an entire species and there are many around the world that don't care about us at all, they'd just take that knowledge as fuel for nightmares."

I bit my lip. "Is there no way around it?"

"I'm sorry, but this is something I can't budge on, even if she's a smart and reasonable being as that tribe claims."

Did she have to die?

Even though we could probably just scare her off and make her leave her territory?

Even though we might even be able to find a way to interact with her without it leading to a fight?

…

"Alright, you win. We'll do it at your pace. Let's keep Betta and Oscar in the dark for now and go slay the Cursed King. Then once things calm down, we'll begin our quest to change the world into a place that doesn't hate the Cursed."

Jacks crossed his arms and smiled. "That's surprisingly mature of you."

"Ugh, come on, Jacks, we've been at this for ten years. When will you stop treating me like a kid?" Despite my annoyed tone, I was smiling too.

"When you start making mature choices more often than childish ones."

I rolled my eyes. "You know, I'm also a bit surprised by how easily you changed your mind about the Cursed after hearing me out. I needed at least an hour to get used to the idea."

"I'd been suspecting something like this for decades. I've fought these creatures so long I'd need to be daft not to see the obvious signs that they aren't as vicious as stories say."

For some reason, his answer made me chuckle.

As always, Jacks is such a wise veteran.

His plan would work, it just required a little initial sacrifice, but after that we'd be able to change the entire world for the better.

Once we defeated the Cursed King, things would only get easier.