Chapter 518: 464 not worth saving
The sun was gradually setting.
The sky was covered with the evening glow, making the sunlight that fell on the earth much gentler than during the day, not as intense.
Reiger and Altoria were walking along the shore, listening to the sound of the waves and feeling the sea breeze, which was so pleasant.
Yet, neither of them spoke, nor did they look at each other. They simply walked in silence, without a word.
This state had persisted for quite some time now.
Ever since they left Ecter’s workshop, this had been their situation.
Reiger had not initiated any conversation.
Altoria did not know what to say.
Thus, the two of them had become like this, and for a moment, it seemed as though there was nothing left to say.
Of course, this silence was not uncomfortable; rather, it felt like they were seriously thinking, carefully considering what to say next. It was like the tense moment before a highly charged debate was about to begin, filling one with a sense of power brimming within.
Finally, Altoria was the first to speak.
"So, you knew about the prophecy child, huh?" Altoria laughed foolishly, jocularly adding, "I thought you had no idea, which was why you saved me."
After such a long silence, the first topic Altoria brought up was this.
This made Reiger feel both amused and frustrated.
"Does it make a difference?" Reiger did not look at Altoria, but kept his gaze forward, continuing to walk as he spoke, "Whether or not you are the child of prophecy, I would have rescued you in that situation regardless, so you don’t need to dwell on this."
This was the truth.
Altoria immediately realized this and felt a secret joy in her heart.
However, outwardly, Altoria maintained an indifferent facade.
"Of course, you’re a good person; you wouldn’t just stand by." Holding the chosen staff, Altoria followed closely behind Reiger and whispered, "It’s odd for such a good person to say that this country isn’t worth saving."
This was the second point that Altoria cared about after the issue of identity.
She had never thought that someone would utter such words.
From the time Altoria could remember, everyone around her had told her that she was the child of prophecy, destined to defeat the queen, be crowned as the true ruler, and save the fairies and Fairy Country. Thus, it was the first time someone told her this country wasn’t worth saving and that she didn’t need to follow any mission.
This was a novel and somewhat unsettling argument for Altoria.
But that was what Reiger had said.
"Firstly, I’m not a good person, at least not the kind you mention who would help anyone in trouble. That idea is definitely wrong." Reiger said without turning back, "I’m not someone who would help just anyone in need. For instance, if I were you, I definitely wouldn’t have any attachment to the village of Tintagel anymore, especially not to the extent of stopping someone from drawing a sword to kill the village fairies while being thrown in a dungeon myself. I couldn’t be that kind."
Altoria knew Reiger was referring to the incident with the wind clan fairies when they first met in the dungeon.
At that time, seeing Reiger prepare to draw his sword, Altoria, with her unique "eyes", saw through Reiger’s intent to kill.
If this man drew his sword, those few wind clan fairies would definitely be killed.
With this conviction, Altoria, without thinking, called out to stop Reiger, making him halt his action.
Even though she was imprisoned by the villagers and slated for execution, Altoria was still willing to help the fairies in the village. Reiger clearly stated that if it were him, he definitely couldn’t do that.
"What kind of good person does that make me? You’re the good person here, and a foolishly good one at that!" Reiger said, "Based on this, your view has been wrong from the start, understand?"
Having said that, Reiger stopped in his tracks and didn’t continue walking.
"Ah!"
Altoria, almost bumping into Reiger’s back, let out a startled cry and hastily stopped.
Reiger then turned around and faced Altoria.
"Secondly, I don’t think there’s anything wrong with what I’ve said." Reiger looked at Altoria and asked, "I’m asking you, do you think this country is worth saving?"
This question caught Altoria off guard.
Is this country worth saving?
Really, Altoria didn’t know.
Up till then, Altoria had barely left Tintagel. While she had seen many fairies, they were mostly from within Tintagel. She had hardly seen any from outside.
In other words, while Altoria knew she was in Fairy Country, what the country was truly like beyond what she had seen was clear to her, and how could she have seen it all?
Since she hadn’t seen it all, lacking full knowledge of the country, how could Altoria brazenly assert whether the country was worth saving or not?
Reiger seemed to catch on to this as well.
"Next, what I’m about to say is from my perspective, that is, from a human viewpoint."