CHAPTER 32: ¼
Sipping the steaming tea, Subaru listens to Frederica's words.
Frederica: “The Demihuman War—Firstly, would you know of the general content of this dispute?”
Subaru: “It's like I said before, I haven't stepped into it far enough to hear the details. But... It's not like I can't imagine something, going off the name and historical background.”
Frederica: “My, intriguing. May I ask in what manner you conceive it?”
Frederica hides her mouth, smiling. Seems like hiding her rows of fangs when she laughs is a deeply-ingrained habit of hers. Subaru keeps noticing her do it. He also thinks: She smiles so much, but doesn't want others to see it. Subaru closes his eyes and scratches his cheek.
Subaru: “Right,”
Subaru: “Dunno how long ago the war was, but I can at least imagine its start wasn't unrelated to the WITCH OF ENVY. There's how Emilia was treated in the palace like a tumour, and I know that lots of people hate half-elves.”
The WITCH OF ENVY, appearing in picture books, an unparalleled symbol of absolute evil. A silver-haired half-elf, from which point of resemblance alone Emilia received such unjust treatment. Subaru imagined off the wake of that, disputes arose from excessively trivial starting points.
Subaru: “A half-elf'd be a child born between a human and an elf, right? If half-elves are born into that loathing... then it wouldn't be weird for prejudice to arise towards half-bloods born between humans and other races.”
Frederica: “...Please do proceed.”
Subaru: “I'm just going off imagination, but the thought of rejecting half-elves ties into the thought of rejecting half-bloods. And if I'm gonna speak in extremes, the likely starting point for half-bloods —demihumans—are terrifying... is the junk I'm sure some guys started thinking.”
Far as Subaru's aware, the most numerous race in this world is indeed humans. He knew of the existence of elves and beastmen like the triplets, but going off time spent in the Capital, the various races of demihumans appeared to absolutely number fewer than humans.
Subaru: “I don't think everyone of everyone adopted that thinking, but I'm sure the loud and visible types're the same anywhere. And from that came hatred of demihumans... in honesty, maybe fear of demihumans. While that dissatisfaction was spilling out everywhere and all whatever else's when...”
Frederica: “Antagonism erupted between humans and the demihuman races. The smouldering coals at last caught aflame, spread vigorously, and ultimately had reached across the whole of Lugnica.”
Says Frederica, her tone gloomy.
Frederica: “Your conjecture gives so little purchase for objection that supplementations would be practically unnecessary. ...You sincerely have not heard a detailed account of the event before?”
Subaru: “Nope. If it really does practically all match up, then it's a victory for my imagination. Or for my reading experience... really common for there to be antagonism between races in light novels and stuff.”
Of course Subaru hadn't been truly conscious of this being a problem in reality. Discrimination existed between races of humans in the original world, but that was a matter for a world distant from Subaru, which was why he conceived it as not being greatly different from parallel world problems. You are yourself, others are others—was the cold kind of thinking he had possessed, and although correct, in reality it should perhaps also be called 'averting his eyes.'
Subaru: “But even if my imagination caught up with the problem's outbreak, no way I can work my brain all the way to the conclusion. But since it's in past-perfect tense, the Demihuman War's at least been sorted out now, right?”
Frederica: “Yes, more or less. But the scars from the war run deep, and the sprouts of prejudice towards children born between demihumans and humans remain thickly ingrained.”
Perhaps due to being of a pedigree potentially subject to that prejudice, Frederica's words come paired with a weight unattainable for anyone who had merely heard the story from outside. Can I ask what happened next? Are the words Subaru feels hesitation about flinging at her, but Frederica seems to grasp his intention and sighs.
Frederica: “My apologies for having caused your concern. The story's continuation, would come next.”
Subaru: “You don't have to force yourself—is what I'd like to say, but this talk's directly connected to what I wanna ask so I can't say that. Please force yourself.”
Frederica: “My, my. You are certainly adept at bestowing others motivation.”
Giving Subaru's selfish words a positive interpretation, Frederica takes a sip from her teacup.
Frederica: “The Demihuman War began approximately 50 years ago. It consequently proceeded for approaching 10 years... its end is recording as having had been 40 years ago.”
Subaru: “10 years... man that's long. Though I think my hometown's history had a Hundred Years' War and a Thirty Years' War or something.”
Since Subaru didn't particularly have a deep relationship with history novels, his knowledge comes from glancing over names in textbooks. But being that those wars had those names, they had probably been ongoing for at least that much of a timespan. Just thinking of hating someone and continuing a war for 30, 100 years was scary.
Subaru something somethings making a reference to what I think is some war simulator video game
Frederica: “Regardless, the war began between humanity and a settlement of demihumans. The conflict fundamentally should have been settled while confined only to that place... but because of the incident that followed, the blaze of war intensified. A horrific conflict began, washing the blood of every land with blood.”
Subaru: “The incident that followed?”
Frederica: “Following the start of the dispute, the then-King of Lugnica viewed the situation seriously and immediately sent his aide as an envoy to stage a peace conference. The chiefs of various demihuman races gathered to welcome the envoy and resolve the matter through diplomacy, is what was supposed to have happened, but...”
Subaru tilts his head, urging Frederica to continue. She closes her eyes.
Frederica: “Those who attended the conference—the envoy from the palace and the chiefs alike— were unanimously slaughtered.”
Subaru: “Slaughtered? By who, and for what purpose?”
Frederica: “The perpetrators are yet unknown.3 However, it appears that both humanity and demihumans of the time judged that IT WAS THE OTHER SIDE'S PLOT. Embers resultingly became an inferno, and incapable of halting the blaze, ten years.... would be what it became.”
Subaru: “The hell were they doing. Have a more proper discussion about it... would really be too idealistic?”
Considering the feelings of the people at the time, that would perhaps be a viewpoint coming quite from a god. Dispatched from the palace was the King's aide. Taking his prestige into consideration, withdrawing from the matter while leaving the culprit unknown would be a slight on his name. The demihumans, too, had their chiefs slaughtered en-masse. Degrading it to a question of numbers was pretty terrible, but by pure comparison, the demihumans were more severely injured. And adding to that, the relationship between the two races had the groundwork of being the origin of the WITCH OF ENVY. To begin mending relations would be difficult, and while stepping into that issue, they would be slow to deal with the next arising problem—It wasn't hard to imagine that forstallments and forstallments invited tragedy.
Frederica: “Ultimately, the demihumans capitulated—would be how the Demihuman War was concluded. That having been said, the demihumans refused to acknowledge any compliance in the incident with the conference, and rather acknowledged the pointlessness in continuing the war any further.”
Subaru: “I personally think the first party to fold in a stalled argument's the smarter one, though. And on top of that this was a civil war kinda thing, right? The country's not getting anything out of this.”
Frederica: “You are precisely correct, Lugnica's national power declined heavily over the period of embroilment with the Demihuman War. It was fortunate that conditions in the neighbouring countries were not calm, otherwise Lugnica may have been overtaken by another nation.”
Call it fortune amid misfortune, the other three countries had their hands full as well at the time, and Lugnica managed to avoid being stabbed from behind.
Subaru: “But man, it's amazing that they decided to end a war that'd gone on so long. It must've taken some courage, and thinking of how the diehards'd resist it'd be pretty impossible.”
Unclear if perpetrators is singular or plural.
Frederica: “...It was because humanity had a presence among them overwhelming enough to shatter the diehards' hearts. Every demihuman race out there bowed their head before the adroit swordsmanship of the generation's Sword Saint, Theresia Van Astrea-sama... would something be the matter?”
Subaru: “No, just surprised at hearing a name I know. Small world.”
The name of Wilhelm's wife should be that Theresia. She was the Sword Saint of that generation, meaning that'd probably place her as two generations before Reinhardt. Hearing that this woman alone engaged in enough activity to drop the curtain on a ten-years war indeed made it possible to comprehend the bullshit that was the Sword Saint.
Subaru: “Well, I've figured out how the Demihuman War went. And I can also generally imagine some problems that derived from it.”
Frederica: “Your prior conjectures were almost entirely accurate, Subaru-sama. You appear a considerably quicker thinker than expected. It startles me how I have misjudged you.”
Subaru: “Going along positively interpreting that as praise, the Demihuman War ended, but prejudice against demihumans wouldn't disappear so easily. Though 'course that kinda animosity wouldn't appear so blatantly in places with public gaze around.”
Humans and demihumans lived lives passing right next to each other along lines of fruit stalls in the Capital. Subaru didn't know how much effort it had taken for such an ordinary scene to become ordinary, but contrary to places that had become like that, there would definitely be places where no matter how much time passed, that lifestyle couldn't be erected.
Subaru: “Like small-population, closed-off villages, beyond outsider's access... say there's guys living in that kinda place who sorta had a problem, and I feel it'd be a bath of concentrated fire.”
Frederica: “It would be acceptable to say that my brother and I had been exactly in that environment.”
Furrowing her brows with pain at recalling the past, Frederica refers to her brother—to Garfiel— earnestly as such for the first time, her gaze distant.
Frederica: “My brother and I are siblings born of different fathers. That is why our surnames are different... mine is my father's. My brother uses the surname of our mother.”
Subaru: “Surname, yours was Frederica... Baumann?”
Frederica: “Indeed. And my brother should be using the name of Tinzel. Our mother had been, ah... a woman rather lacking savvy and very lacking luck.”
Frederica's choosing her words but not choosing them fully. Not understanding what she's trying to say, Subaru's expression shows his lack of comprehension.
Frederica: “Although it is rather embarrassing to say...”
Frederica: “Just when it seemed our mother would be converted into a collateral payment, the brigade of demihuman thieves targeting the slave traders bound her... and that would be where she met my father.”
Subaru: “What!? Hold on wait! I can't hear this without preparing my heart first!”
Frederica: “But she promptly parted with my father by death, and while bringing along my infant self and bewildered on where to proceed, a different band of demihumans captured her. This time was where she would meet Garfiel's father...”
Subaru: “Waitwaitwait, I'm sorry! I didn't think it was gonna get this heavy!”
Frederica: “Which is why I am keeping it relatively weightless and brief. Now, Garfiel was born, but indeed we could not stay with my brother's father and the three of us again proceeded lost, and just when the situation had turned hopeless, we were righted by the Mathers household.”
Exposing her heavy past, nostalgia rises in Frederica's eyes as she gives a sigh. She strokes the arm of her chair.
Frederica: “Back then, the head of the Mathers household had already been the Master... been Roswaal-sama in his early teenage years, so in the truest of meanings he is the benefactor to my brother and I. I consider my providing this service a privilege and an honour.”
Subaru: “And you were brought to SANCTUARY, and lived there... by the way, and this is kinda hard to ask but, what happened to your mother?”
Going off what Frederica has said, it seems like their mother was a pureblooded human. Meaning she could go in and out of SANCTUARY whenever she wanted. And further, Subaru hadn't spotted her once in either SANCTUARY or the mansion. Subaru's expectations are bad, but Frederica shakes her head.
Frederica: “I would surmise that I have worried you, but I do request for your calm. Our mother entrusted my brother and I to Roswaal-sama, after which she left the mansion by her own feet for places unknown. Her trail following that remains unseen. I do at least wish her health, though.”
Subaru goes silent. Subaru's bad expectations were that she'd died, but the reality is that she cruelly betrayed them. But that presents another question.
Subaru: “Then why's that Garfiel using the surname of a mother who left you like that? I mean you're using your father's.”
Frederica: “She left no records or anything else, and so to spread and hear more of our mother's memory... or such flakiness would not be it. My brother's usage of our mother's surname... is because he does not know our mother, and because although he acts worse than he is, he has some stubbornness to him.”
Subaru: “Stubbornness...”
Subaru goes over his impression of Garfiel. He's quicker to put up dukes than think, speaks sharply and rudely, but does appreciate sense and practice. He judges himself as being dumb, but he is still thinking and he doesn't freeze up or act without thought. The impression's one of a punk taking inspiration from old-style, good-natured delinquents. Appreciates sense and practice—would be the point where if you judged him, you couldn't deny him as a nice, moral, humane dude.
Frederica: “Subaru-sama. —Would you be aware of the manner in which SANCTUARY's barrier discriminates its targets?”
Says Frederica, suddenly flinging that one at a thoughtful Subaru. His reaction is slow. He looks back at Frederica dumbly.
Subaru: “Uhhh,”
Subaru: “Honestly, no. Since even saying the barrier's definitely right there, I can't feel it anyway. I kinda think it magically checks the people passing through, but...”
Frederica: “The barrier investigates the blood inside the bodies of creatures passing through it. For human blood and demihuman blood. It repels those upon whom it can distinctly register those two. That is the essence of the barrier.”
Subaru: “...What are you trying to say?”
Frederica: “Would you have come to understand why I have exited the barrier, and am outside of SANCTUARY?”
Subaru: “...No, honestly I don't. Hearing the conditions's probably made me not understand. I saw Lewes-san's physical condition break down when we neared the barrier on the road back, and those effects being genuine's something I saw when entering SANCTUARY too.”
Right before Garfiel's smashing introduction, Emilia broke down as she passed through the barrier. Thinking of that strength, doubting its existence was ridiculous—
Subaru: “—Wha, why.”
A flash goes through Subaru's mind. He had felt unease when he parted with Lewes on the road here. Now he had the answer to that unease.
Subaru: “If the conditions're the same... how the hell was Garfiel so damn lively when he was that close to the barrier?”
Garfiel had attacked Subaru and the others on their arrival, tossing around both Patrasche and the carriage. He definitely wasn't putting his all into it, but Emilia had lost consciousness just by passing over the barrier, and Lewes' physical condition had collapsed just by getting near it. Garfiel's behaviour there differed from them way too much.
—It was almost as if the barrier was having no effect on his body.
Frederica: “He has the characteristic of Ancestral Return, so by a glance my brother's demihuman blood may seem thick, but in reality that is not the case. —Identical, to me.”
Subaru: “If the blood's thickness is the condition for how the barrier discriminates between half-bloods and non-half-bloods... a side of the blood can be thin enough to get around it?”
Frederica: “My and my brother's father had their various differences, but neither were pure-blooded demihumans. Both were half-bloods, and when mixed with our human mother, the births would be halfway beings which would only inherit one fourth of demihuman blood.”
Subaru: “Quarter-bloods... and that's why you the barrier didn't catch you.”
The barrier rebounds half-bloods, so it doesn't rebound quarter-bloods. This explains why Lewes named Frederica as an exception, but gives rise to another question.
Subaru: “Wait. Then, that means Garfiel can leave SANCTUARY too? That if he feels like it, he can just do it regardless of the TRIAL's state?”
If true, that's surprising, but welcome. If you lose the preamble of dealing with the barrier for pulling Garfiel out of SANCTUARY, then it's possible to bring him to the scene of Elsa's attack, where his strength is needed. Subaru had already basically given up on repelling Elsa this time, and had been thinking entirely of methods to get the people in the mansion outside, but—
Subaru: “If he can come outside, then...”
Frederica: “Indeed, my brother is equally as capable as I of leaving SANCTUARY. When I left SANCTUARY, I proposed we go together, him coming as far as the barrier's edge. However...”
Cutting off there, Frederica stares at Subaru, who feels he's found some bright prospects. The emotion in Frederica's eyes is deep, instantly cooling Subaru's zeal.
Frederica: “My brother remained in SANCTUARY. And I believe that so long as SANCTUARY remains unfreed, Garfiel will never go outside. He is a stubborn, kind boy.”
Subaru: “Stubborn... no way,”
Subaru's brows rise in surprise as he hits on an idea. Frederica nods as she hides her mouth with her sleeve.
Frederica: “He is not a boy who is capable of going outside, leaving the people of SANCTUARY who cannot go outside behind. For better or for worse, honest... and thus troublesome, is my brother.”
No Comments Yet
Post a new comment
Register or Login