第１９４１堀：びっくり報告と新たなる見方 (Part2)
"They are, in fact, being uncharacteristically cautious regarding that matter. It is a deeply rooted issue, after all. Even the Giadana Kingdom, with its long and storied history, may have been aware of the persecution of demi-humans, but they remained ignorant of the true origins. It seems they view this as a rather troublesome affair. Well, it is the sort of situation that could overturn the very foundations of the Central Continent’s perception, even without any clumsy interference."
"It is indeed strange that only the perception of demi-humans as 'evil' or 'enemies' remains. One would expect the cause to be documented somewhere, yet even the nations themselves are in the dark. If one were to offer a convenient lie, it would be the claim that they are minions of the Demon Lord..."
"At this point, that feels far too hollow, doesn't it? In the Giadana Kingdom, the atrocities committed by the Clearstream Church are becoming widely known. There is no threat from monsters. They are simply driving the demi-humans out. I suppose that is considered standard practice in the Central Continent, so no one thinks to question it."
"Indeed. Moreover, due to the pre-existing discrimination, they have lived in separate communities. While there are villages of demi-humans, humans rarely set foot in them. The nations have avoided trouble while still collecting taxes from them. Their recent behavior—effectively abandoning that revenue—is incomprehensible."
The more we spoke, the more the movements of the Central Continent eluded my understanding. Even if they were to paint the demi-humans as villains, I felt there should be a more compelling reason for it.
"Your Majesty?"
Quar, sensing my internal struggle, spoke up with concern.
"No, I was just thinking. What kind of methods could they be using to sway public sentiment, to incite them to capture the demi-humans living in the Central Continent?"
From what I had heard so far, the nations of the Central Continent were moving toward the persecution—or rather, the capture—of demi-humans, all under the pretext that they were colluding with the Demon Lord. It felt deeply unnatural. And yet, if there were another way to achieve this...
"Hmm? I see. Well, perhaps something like the theft of a precious item, or a heinous crime?"
"True. If something like that were to occur, it would provide a reason to ostracize them. But do you really think it would be enough to justify wiping out every village in the Central Continent?"
"...No, that is impossible. Perhaps a single village, the birthplace of the perpetrator, might be razed, but to persecute all demi-humans for that? Even if the commoners were to clamor for it, the lords, who are capable of calculating profit and loss, would never simply agree. The nations would be the same."
That was exactly it. Even with the grand justification of the 'Demon Lord,' they would not simply annihilate innocent people. More to the point, neither the nations nor the lords would permit it. While discrimination certainly existed due to past grudges and deep-seated prejudices, they had largely maintained separate spheres of existence, and there were many, like Baron Siana, who interacted with demi-humans regularly.
Would so many nations really move toward such drastic actions? And even if they hadn't taken physical action yet, what was the reason for them to outwardly obey the Clearstream Church?
"Could it be that something of that magnitude happened a thousand years ago?"
"If that were the case, it would be strange for the King of Giadana to be unaware of it. It is also bizarre that other nations are in agreement regarding the persecution."
"It is not necessarily a given that *all* of them are in agreement, is it? It might just be for show, or perhaps the influence of the Clearstream Church is simply that pervasive."
"Hmm, well, that may be true, but neither explanation feels satisfying. Would they really adopt a policy that damages the trust of their lords and their own citizens, even if only for appearances? Besides, the Clearstream Church has only been around for fifty years. If it were the Clear Church, I might understand, but this feels... subtle."
"Indeed. ...Hmm. Then, shall we try changing our perspective?"
"Perspective?"
"Until now, we have been looking at it through the lens of 'nations' and 'citizens.' What if we tried a different angle?"
"Is there really a perspective beyond that? People are, after all, subjects belonging to some nation or another."
I understood what Quar was saying. Changing one's perspective can indeed reveal things previously hidden. Yet, what other perspective could there possibly be?
"The only other one I can think of is the demi-humans themselves. Even if one doesn't know, someone else might. And there are those who are protecting them, are there not?"
"Ah, that's true."
"Furthermore, it is not only the military or the Clearstream Church that fights the monsters. There are the adventurers."
"I see. Adventurers are, at their core, an organization, and their scale is entirely different. A different perspective... indeed."
That being the case, perhaps I should contact *her*. She had just finished her work and returned to her duties at Weed. As for the land battleship, I had basically given up on it. Well, the fact that it was completed at all is a good thing! I decided to settle for that for now.
And so, I resolved to seek her cooperation to unravel the baffling movements of the Central Continent.