BXBX NOVEL Chapter 147: Honor cannot kill [2/2]
"Then what would you all have done if I had abandoned your guild after I had taken advantage of you?"
One of the girls, eating a {Heal} tablet, looked at me as she answered.
"That was a risk we were willing to take, Patron. If even one of us found favor in your eyes, we hoped you would keep us by your side."
"Why didn't you all just leave Golden Wick and join one of the better guilds?"
A childish voice from one of the girls squeaked in anger. "Because they are bad people, Patron! They cheat and blackmail new Wraiths just to fill their quotas! Golden Wick is not like that!"
"Yet they are able to survive while you throw yourselves at a man you don't even like," I replied coldly.
"That..."
"What's the point of sticking to such principles if you end up in such pitiful circumstances? Does your honor make it all worth it?"
Another girl with fierce eyes replied with a determined voice.
"Patron, we have not been blessed with power or wealth. It may mean nothing to you, but honor is all we have. We refuse to compromise our principles just to survive."
These stupid bitches, being idealistic was all well and good, but in the end, only power mattered. Whoever had the biggest stick would rarely ask if they were right.
I needed to educate these kids or they would end up dead sooner or later.
"You! You were one of those who accompanied Phillip when the night began, right? What is your name?"
"You are right, patron, your servant's name is Aisha."
"Aisha, do you remember the scene you saw then?"
Fear and terror were visible on Aisha's face as she hugged herself.
"I do, patron, I am afraid it would give me nightmares for years to come."
"Is that so, then are you aware that two Wraiths and a Phantom died before I arrived?"
"..."
"Do you think they cared about honor when the undead tore their bodies to pieces?"
"I..." finding it hard to answer, Aisha stammered.
"Did you even have the courage to see the torn bodies of the defenders?"
"No patron, I didn't."
"I am not trying to bully you lot, but virtue is a privilege of the strong. If you are weak, swallow your pride and do whatever it takes to survive."
"Would you be willing to do what you preach, Patron?" a girl asked me in a condescending voice.
"CLAIRE! Shut up!" Yvonne yelled.
"But Yvonne! This man speaks such drivel just because he got lucky!"
"CLAIRE!"
Claire stood up and walked over to me. "Patron Limitless! You can say shit like that because you have everything! Have you ever tried being looked down upon and cast aside because of your {Fate}? People like us have to crawl in the dirt every night just to survive!"
Her passionate words forced me to stand up and meet her, even in my presence, she didn't cower but continued to shout emotionally.
"Our honor is the only thing that allows us to have pride in our lives! No matter how difficult it gets! Even when the world shuns us! We can hold our heads high because of our honor! Someone like you would never understand that!"
I didn't answer right away, waiting for her to finish. She was winded from throwing a tantrum.
There were people like her in the world. It was picture perfect, a beautiful young girl standing up for morality like a saint.
'But like I give a shit about honor.'
"{Draw} Ebony."
Claire visibly took a step back as I drew a weapon. Unlike Aisha, who saw the battlefields I walked, or Yvonne, who saw me show my {Fate}, this idealist didn't know. That I was not saying these things because I thought I was better.
I placed the Colt 1911 in Claire's hands. Those who noticed the gun immediately understood my true nature. I could say all this because I personally walked the path I preached.
The reason I murdered those reapers in the recruitment. The reason I used petty tricks against the Slayer. The reason I desperately fought the undead, no matter how battered my body was.
Claire, feeling the cold sensation of the metallic weapon, murmured in disbelief.
"Patron, you are — Formless?"
My despair was born from a simple reason.
"Honor cannot kill the undead," I said in a cold voice.
"What?"
"You can keep your honor because people like me die out there every day. Because you insist on keeping your virtue. Your {Fates} have yet to develop and you contribute nothing."
"..."
"And while you are wasting your time, more and more people are dying because of your stupidity. What will happen when there are no more bodies left to defend you? Will you cling to your precious honor to the end?"
"I would fight if I could!" Claire shouted with tears in her eyes.
In her rage, she held the 1911 in both hands and pointed it at me. Her thin arms trembled as my words shattered her worldview. Her eyes showed agony as she processed the implications of what I had just said.
This was one of the things that disgusted me about Hellsgate. The general Reaper population had no sense of urgency. They believed that Hellsgate would never fall. That someone would continue to defend it.
But people like me, who saw the number of zones falling every day, knew differently. Unless something changed, Hellsgate would fall. It was inevitable.
I grabbed the muzzle of the 1911 and lowered it.
"Then show me. If your precious morals can protect you from the dead, join me and fight them."
"W-what?" the young girl stammered.
While the results of Maneuver AB were impressive, it had one critical flaw. The more I analyzed it, the more I knew it was a mere band-aid. What necessitated the specific actions I took was that I would die if I was surrounded.
The fundamental problem was that I needed more people with guns. It did not matter to me what or who they were. All that concerned me was that they were willing to fight.
And after listening to Golden Wick, I found the next target group for my army after the Formless.