Death, Devotion, Dissonance

The plump teacher's eyes went wide for a second, and she eyed Phel with great scrutiny. Phel didn't know what she thought about the question and what kind of conclusion she made in her head, but eventually, Teouka opened her mouth. 

"Murder of who?"

Phel expected his random question to be ignored or taken as a joke, but the fact that Teouka needed to ask for clarifications sent a chill down his spine. 

"A student," Phel replied with a cracking voice, a state of disbelief permeating his mind. 

"It depends on the circumstances," Teouka replied after thinking a bit.

"Are you serious? Why aren't you simply answering no? How is it that you actually have to consider the circumstances of murder?!" At this point, it was getting harder and harder for Phel to stay calm.

Teouka sighed and sent a glance towards Lucien. The latter nodded and walked away. He went to each Talisman around the place and ruined the Rune on it.

"Phel, what is the kingdom's stance on murder?"

"What kind of question is that? They condemn it! It should be obvious from how they treat mages who murder non-mages."

"Yes, the punishment for a mage who murders a commoner is… quite severe, to say the least. It's the same for killings between non-mages. But what about murders between mages? But what do you think the kingdom think about murder between its most powerful weapons? … I can see that you're coming to a conclusion that you don't like."

"…"

"I'm only telling you this because you're the heir of a Viscount family, but listen well. The kingdom encourages isolated cases of extreme violence between mages, especially in the younger demographics. As I mentioned earlier, the kingdom's ruling class does not look at us like normal human beings. Instead, we're more akin to weapons. For them, the earlier a mage gets introduced to the concept of extreme violence and murder, the better it is."

"…"

"The reason for that, is that when mages see death so close to themselves, most of them tend to yearn for more strength. You think I'm making things up, or maybe you think the Kingdom's run by psychopaths, but when you compare the growth of students who had a relatively peaceful time during their childhoods and students who closely felt the need of power while growing, the results are obvious. Although it might seem disturbing to you now, there is undeniable truth in this claim. Just like how a sword needs to be constantly smacked with a hammer to become sharp, the weapons known as mages need to be constantly pressured to become strong. There are even live examples right next to you. Just look at Evin and Bellaslayn."

"What about Evin and Bellaslayn?" Phel finally opened his mouth. 

Sure, the two were stronger than everyone else, but that didn't mean that they suffered through a tragic childhood… or did they? And it was Phel who just didn't know anything about it. Bella's interactions with her father were mostly normal, as far as Phel could tell. But for Evin, Phel never heard the boy mentioning his parents before.

"You don't know?" Teouka looked shocked, and then confused. "I guess it makes sense, considering their dispositions."

"Can you tell me about it?" Phel asked, but the teacher shook her head firmly. 

"The secrets of your friends aren't mine to share… and we're getting off topic, anyway. But like I said, they haven't become strong, just because they were born naturally talented. They became strong because they needed to become strong. And the kingdom knows it as well. But obviously, they can't be going around designing tragedies for the young mages, and they also have to intervene if things go too far."

"That can't be right. How are mages okay with being treated like that in the first place? Sure, they can be considered weapons, but they still have their own feelings and thoughts, don't they? How are you okay with this?"

Teouka sighed deeply and looked at Phel with a tinge of guilt. "You… You'll understand when you're older. All I can tell you now, is that there's a fundamental difference between beings with mana-cores and those without it. And despite what you might think, it's hard to say which side is better off."

Phel wanted to protest 'Of course, mages have it better', but the unusually heavy tone that came from this usually cheerful teacher made it hard for him to speak up. 

"Hah…" Teouka suddenly sighed again. "I'm sorry for ruining your mood like that, but since you asked something so serious, I judged it improper to give you a half-baked answer."

Phel bit on his lips and fell into thought again. Like always, the problem remained unsolved. He hoped that if he suggested something extreme to the teachers, they'd intervene on the subject and save Evin, but the answer he received was definitely not good. 

'To say that whether or not the murder would be sanctified would depend on the circumstances, isn't it basically saying that they'd let the murder happen and then decide whether they would issue punishments or not? Isn't that basically the same as leaving Evin to die?'

He could never agree with the thought of Evin dying so that he could encourage the other students to work harder. And not only that, this stupid system that promoted the deaths of young mages should be abolished as well.

'No… I can't let that happen,' Phel was suddenly filled with a great sense of responsibility when he realized that no one was going to help him out. Even if there was no chance for the teachers to help him out, he should at least make the attempt, shouldn't he?

"Teacher, can I ask you for a favor?" he began.

"I can't say I'll agree, but I don't mind hearing you out," Teouka replied.

"I fear that Decatur is going to kill Evin inside the Temple. He has him trapped there since yesterday afternoon and is now preparing for a final push. Please help me save him."

Teouka made a strained smile, and shook her head. From this, Phel immediately realized that he wouldn't like the answer. "We know what's happening in the Temple. Don't misunderstand. I want to run there and save Evin myself, but the teachers were specifically ordered to turn a blind eye to the situation… In fact, me speaking about it is already out of line."

"No," Phel wanted to cry. "Shouldn't they be trying to save a talent like Evin? Tell me! I know that he has the potential to become stronger than any random mage! Shouldn't the kingdom be trying to nurture and raise him, instead of letting him die so he an inspire the lazy and the privileged?"

"You will know the answers to these questions in the future," Teouka cut off Phel with her hands. "But… I just want to say that I'm proud of you for trying to help Evin. I hope you'll keep trying the same way from now on as well. Remember that the worst kind of regrets are the ones that stem from inaction."

"I… I will do my best. No, I will save him."

Phel was still shocked by what he learned through the conversation but something about the teacher's last words resonated deeply with his heart. 

'Of course, who cares about my friendship deteriorating with Decatur? Since we'll still be alive, I can work it out later. It would be a bad joke if I let Evin die while wallowing in indecision.'

And just as he finally made up his decision, he heard a familiar voice from one of the tents around the place: "Is it true that Evin's in a pinch?"