NOVEL NEXT Chapter 90: What Does It Mean To Do The Right Thing?
"Forgive me for interrupting, but there is something I don't understand and I was rather hoping you could rectify my ignorance," Mikayla spoke up, drawing the attention of all three Hans.
"Oh?" Duchess Han raised a curious eyebrow at her.
"I've heard a lot of things about this Template, but everything I've heard so far implies that there is no room for personalisation and adaptation within it. But in my humble opinion," she tried not to let the sarcasm bleed through, "that seems short-sighted,"
"And why do you think that?"
"Yevgenia - the Rosebush Huntress - lived two hundred years ago. The world has not remained stagnant in that time. New weapons have been created, new styles have evolved, new monsters are appearing. Duke Han," Mikayla decided to test the waters, see if the other party would be more agreeable. "I take it that you are responsible for the impressive collection of artefacts that I've observed all throughout your lovely home?"
"Why yes, I am," Lord Han looked pleased by the comment, but noticed that his wife was eyeing him. His tone was noticeably colder as he added, "But I don't quite see what you are getting at,"
"Those ancient weapons are all very impressive. Yevgenia - the Rosebush Huntress," Mikayla added to clarify. She was far too used to thinking of Nocturnus' ex-girlfriend by that name and Nya as Nya. "She was active as a huntress and assassin before Cores came into wide use, she used mundane weaponry. But she saw that times were changing, and adopted Armour and Weapon Cores. Does it not now behoove Yevgenia to be open to further improving the style of the Rosebush Huntress?"
Duchess Han snorted. "Cores were acknowledged by the Rosebush Huntress, in her wisdom. Are you attempting to claim that you, a child, believe you can rival her expertise?"
"No, of course not. But if Yevgenia," Mikayla gestured at Nya for clarity - starring Hell 'Yevgenia' didn't sound like a name anymore - "is to live up to her status as the Reborn Rose, then shouldn't
she
be able to?"
"Once she has reached the Level of the Rosebush Huntress, perhaps. But she is young yet, so at this stage, to deviate is to fail,"
Mikayla folded her arms. "There is another thing to consider. In that time the Template has proliferated, to the point where it wouldn't be that hard for someone to learn how Yevgenia fights and how best to counter her. Isn't it better for Ny-Yevgenia to have something to surprise an enemy with?"
"The techniques of the Rosebush Huntress have no counters when perfected. If the Rosebush Huntress' style is defeated, the fault lies not in the style, but in the user who has failed to apply it properly,"
Mikayla had to bite back her immediate response, which was '
You're fucking delusional.'
"But you are mistaken on a key point, young Aye-adon. The fighting style of the Rosebush Huntress is not the core part of the Template, and it is not where my concerns lie. It is much more important that Yevgenia maintains the mindset that is necessary for the Reborn Rose, and that is what I fear you may be compromising,"
Mikayla paused, considering her response. As she did, a fresh round of servants brought in the main course. She recognised the smell; it was roasted mutton, slathered in what looked like expensive sauces and spices.
"Are spices expensive?" she asked out of idle curiosity. The history of spice trading was, essentially, the history of
trade
. It came up a lot back on Earth, and finding out whether it was the same in this semi-medieval world seemed like a safe topic.
"Oh, yes, but they've been growing cheaper with the growth of the Train Core network," Duke Han sounded aggrieved by that.
"Is that a bad thing?"
"At this rate, it is only a matter of time until spiced food is no longer prestigious. And then what will we do about banquets?" he grumbled.
Mikayla did her best to look sympathetic, despite how stupid that sounded to her. She took a bite of the mutton that dripped with dressing, and . . it was fine. More heavily peppered than it needed to be, in her opinion - not to the point of ruining the dish, but it seemed that the food had been prepared with the
actual taste
as a secondary concern. It definitely wasn't the sort of anime-ish divine cuisine she'd half expected to find.
"Getting back to the subject of Mikayla's wish to learn Engraving," Nya tried after a few moments of eating in silence.
"Ah. Yes. What brought on such an odd request, young Aye-adon?" Duchess Han arched an eyebrow.
There were any number of things Mikayla could say to that. She wanted to meet Allis Ruogang. She wanted an in with the White Skies Institute. She wanted a Companion Core of her own. But none of those were good answers, because Duchess Han didn't care at all about what Mikayla wanted. As far as they were concerned, Mikayla existed solely to be Nya's shield, and shields had no need to learn Engraving.
But there was a paradox to grapple with, in that she couldn't take the obvious route and say she wanted to make better equipment for Nya. The Han family was rich and could buy the best on the market, and Duchess Han was convinced that the Rosebush Huntress style was already perfect and any attempt to improve Nya's equipment would only be a downgrade.
The response she settled on was, "I believe that it would behoove me to have the freedom to change my build and experiment with how best to defend her. There are things that exist in my world that this world has never seen before, and the only way I can see to add such things to my arsenal is to create them myself,"
Mikayla paused dramatically, lowering her head and squaring her shoulders. "But this discussion was never about Engraving. It's about assessing me and my suitability as Ny-Yevgenia's retainer," That one hadn't even been intentional.
"Correct. From what Yevgenia has told us, your academic performance is to be commended, and your martial prowess is crude but effective and promising," Duchess Han mused, and suddenly this felt like a job interview.
So Mikayla decided to treat it like one. "I do feel that I have an unfair advantage in that regard relative to my classmates, but that only goes to show that you won't find someone better suited than me to be Yevgenia's partnered defensive specialist,"
"Perhaps," The word felt like a glacier sliding out of Duchess Han's mouth and onto the table between them.
"Besides. I've only known her for a couple of weeks, but she's already done so much for me," Okay, that was a bit of an exaggeration. Mikayla knew that she was laying it on thick, but talking about the sympathy she felt for Nya's severe indoctrination and her desire to free her
to the woman who had indoctrinated her
was obviously a bad strategy.
Nya cast her a look that mixed confusion with appreciation, but Mikayla didn't respond, knowing that Duchess Hans was scrutinising her. Instead, she finished, "So of course I'm going to stand by her. It's the right thing to do,"
That had been the wrong thing to say.
"The
right thing to do,
" Duchess Han slowly, spitefully, parroted. "Young Aye-adon, you are under a severe misconception if you believe that such vacuous sentimentality has any place in the life of the Reborn Rose. To be the Rosebush Huntress is to be the perfected sword, the champion that defends the City of Roses by mercilessly slaughtering anything and everything that would threaten us. That is Yevgenia's place. What is
right
does not matter. That sort of moral weakness is nothing but a fatal flaw, and I will not see it be the demise of my daughter!"
Mikayla would have flinched away if she wasn't sitting down, her eyes widening. She rallied, trying to figure out how to salvage the situation that had so abruptly gone sour. "Ah. Forgive me, that was not what I intended to convey. I believe there may have been a hiccup in the translation that the Ataraxian System provides between your language and mine,"
"Oh?" Duchess Han's tone was frigid. "Then what did you intend to convey?"
Mikayla took a deep breath. Time to see if she could string a bunch of buzzwords into something plausible and coherent. It was just like writing an academic paper.
"We have a principle in my world that we call
enlightened self-interest
. I'm sure it exists here, too, though I don't know if you call it the same thing. People live in communities, and take actions to benefit others, so that others will also take actions to benefit them. Generosity, kindness, altruism. It's a game, one that everyone plays together. Some people believe in it, some are just pretending to in order to reap the benefits. And it doesn't matter which is which, because it's all tribalism anyway. If Yevgenia is the champion of the City of Roses, then her role in the tribe is to protect from exterior threats, while everyone else's role is to provide for her in return for that protection. Whether they're doing it because they love her or because they're obligated to doesn't actually matter, because that's how the system sustains itself and if people stop doing their part the system breaks down. And this means that, for Yevgenia, the right thing to do is to act in that role as the champion, acting as part of the system,"
Duchess Han looked less enraged than she had a moment ago, but her countenance was still stormy. "So then what is the right thing for you, young Aye-adon?"
"To repay the kindness that she and you have shown me by acting as her retainer, her protector, and her friend. That's the role I'm in, that's how I contribute to the system, and therefore the right thing to do is to look for ways I can better perform in my role. IE, Engraving,"
Mikayla swallowed a sigh of relief. She'd actually managed to spout off all that crap. The mandatory Ethics and Philosophy courses back on Earth had been useful for something after all.
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Duchess Han's eyes narrowed. "That is not good enough,"
Mikayla took a deep breath. "Well, that's what I'm offering. And either it's good enough, or it isn't - but there's something else you should consider. It's one thing to decide I'm not good enough, but is there anyone better? Anyone else who likes and trusts Ny-Yevgenia, who you can be certain doesn't have other loyalties, who is competent and motivated and already conveniently her classmate and her roommate?"
Duchess Han's lips twisted.
"What is it you want that I'm
not
offering, anyway?" Mikayla questioned. "Because, again, I want to do my part to the best of my ability. If I'm lacking in some way, then please, explain what I'm doing wrong so that I can fix that,"
"What I want is devotion. Belief. Faith in Yevgenia, in the Rosebush Huntress that she will become. My daughter will be the champion that this city has been waiting for and I cannot afford to let even the slightest imperfection into her regimen! Yevgenia cannot fail!" Duchess Han almost shouted the words. She paused, realising everyone, even the servants hovering around the edges of the room, and her composure snapped back into place. "And that is why we must be absolutely certain that you are devoted to working towards that goal,"
Mikayla's eyes narrowed. "You're afraid of what will happen if Nya doesn't live up to the expectations placed on her. Why?"
"You have no right to question -"
"I'm not questioning anything," Mikayla overrode her, raising her palms. "Look. Things in this city are very different to how they are in my world. There are things you take for granted that I cannot begin to imagine. Please, do not mistake my ignorance for malice. I sincerely wish to understand your meaning, because to me, with my alien sensibilities, this doesn't make sense at all. Help me understand?"
Duchess Hans scrutinised her for several long moments. Then she heaved out a sigh. "I suppose I might have been somewhat presumptuous in expecting you to understand. Very well,"
Mikayla nodded encouragingly.
"It has been one hundred and sixty years since the Template was completed, since the City of Roses began birthing Yevgenias as their heirs. In all that time, there was never a perfect match for her DNA. The best anyone had ever managed was ninety-nine point one percent. Until our Reborn Rose,"
"My genetic profile is a match of ninety-nine point
seven
percent," Nya contributed with obvious pride.
"When the results of our Yevgenia's assessment came in, shortly after she was born, the city was in uproar. There were parties in the streets. This estate, the equipment, the training - it was all funded by the city trust, money set aside to ensure that the Reborn Rose would not be crippled by being born to a family with insufficient means. Since the day she was born, Yevgenia has been a hero to the people of this city, and the commoners are fickle. To say nothing of her competitors, the lesser Yevgenias, and the hundreds of pretenders who lack the profile to bear the honoured name. It would only take one mistake to expose a weakness, and the vultures will swoop. And should that happen, Yevgenia will no longer be seen as a safe investment by the ruling council of this city, and our family will be left destitute, thrown to the fickle mercy of the rabble who will tear her apart in their grief for their idol. Yevgenia is,
must be
perfect. Because if she is not, then she is not Yevgenia,"
Mikayla closed her mouth tightly and carefully controlled her features, because she felt like vomiting.
She'd tried to be open-minded, tried to respect the beliefs that went into the Yevgenia cult, but now she knew for sure that Nya needed to be removed from her messed-up family as soon as possible.
Because Duchess Han had just all but admitted that Nya was their
cash cow.
Sure, they were dressing it up by talking about dubious threats to Nya's life, but that was what it boiled down to. The Hans had nothing to their name but Nya, and her continuing to perform in the role of 'Yevgenia the Second' meant that the money kept rolling in, that people treated the Duke and Duchess like movie stars just because they'd won the metaphorical lottery with Nya's ninety-nine point seven percent Yevgenia DNA. It reminded her of those stories about parents who forced their children to compete in endless pageants and shows for the sake of second-hand success and fortune, only on a scale she'd never thought possible.
Mikayla had never been more disgusted in her life.
"Yevgenia has proven herself to be my friend," Mikayla spoke up after a few moments of eating in silence. "As such, I wholeheartedly agree with you that she deserves all the aid she can get in becoming the best that she can be. I understand the significance that she holds as the Reborn Rose, but even if I were to pretend that it matters to me as much as it does to you, I don't think you would believe me. But that doesn't matter, because whether or not Ny-Yevgenia succeeds or fails as the Reborn Rose isn't up to either of us, it's up to her. Right?"
"I don't believe there's any possible way I
could
fail to truly become the Reborn Rose," Nya tossed out there. "But the evidence I have seen so far indicates that Mikayla's aid will be a boon,"
Duchess Han nodded her approval as she regarded Mikayla coolly. "It is Yevgenia's destiny to be the second coming of the Rosebush Huntress. To be the hero that stands at the forefront of this city and protects the weak and helpless rabble, just as the first Yevgenia did when this city was founded. She has all the necessary qualifications, all of the skills, all of the equipment - but she is yet lacking in steadfast allies. The only thing that matters is whether you will ease her path or impede it,"
"Then let me make one thing clear as crystal," Mikayla said in a very tightly controlled voice. "Ny-Yevgenia has proven herself to be my
friend
. I don't think I can find the words to express how much that means to me. As such, I wholeheartedly agree with you that she deserves all the aid she can get in becoming the best that she can be. I understand the significance that she holds as the Reborn Rose, but the fact that she is my friend is more important to me than that. But that doesn't matter, because I will protect her from anything that impedes the path she chooses. Even you, if I have to,"
Duchess Han's eyes narrowed. "Is that a threat?"
"If you feel threatened, perhaps that says more about you than it does about me," Mikayla coolly retorted.
"I do not appreciate your tone, young Aye-adon,"
"You don't have to. You just have to trust in my sincerity,"
A small smile tugged at Duchess Han's lips. "So by your reckoning, the onus is to fall on Yevgenia whether she chooses to live up to her potential or not, and she shall have your support regardless?"
"That's right. She's my friend, and that's the only thing I care about," Seated across from her as she was, Mikayla couldn't ignore the way Nya's eyes had widened and softened, a faint smile tugging at her lips.
"Then our interests are aligned, and I have no reason to be concerned," Duchess Hans took a delicate bite of mutton. "You may continue enjoying our hospitality. I'll allocate the funding for you to study Engraving. I trust that you will remember my generosity,"
Mikayla was careful not to let any of her relief, of the thrill of being victorious, show on her face. But this was exactly what she'd been hoping for. She'd figured out very quickly that Duchess Han was a true believer in the cult of Yevgenia, and so self-assured in that belief that the idea of Nya abandoning that dubious 'honour' of her own volition was unthinkable.
So now Mikayla just had to help Nya find the cracks in the Yevgenia-shaped prison that her mother had built around her.
"How about a lighter topic? I'd still absolutely love to hear about that mural on your front porch," Mikayla twisted in her chair to focus on Duke Han, whose eyes lit up at the invitation.
"It is a depiction of the battle against the First Monster King, naturally! Yevgenia's greatest success . ."
Mikayla was careful not to let her smile turn strained. The mural depicted Yevgenia single-handedly fighting the Monster King? Erasing the contributions of the rest of the Four/Five Heroes? That was
perfectly
on-brand.
<=====}—o
"I must say, I had my worries, but young Aye-adon is quite charming. Much more cultured than I expected from some otherworldly savage," Duke Han mused as they watched the two students leaving the Han Estate through the windows of the drawing room.
"We cannot trust her," Duchess Han asserted.
"Oh, no, of course not, but at least she makes for pleasant company,"
"We need some way to keep her in line. We cannot rely on continuing to buy her loyalty, not when she's a ward of the Cosmic Isles. She's clever. Too clever by half. The ideas she could put in Yevgenia's head . ." Duchess Han let out an undignified groan. "Why did she have to be Stranded? Whatever sordid past she might have is completely inaccessible to us! How are we to control someone with no strings to tug on?!"
"No one can move through this world without leaving footprints, my dearest," Duke Han rubbed his hands together. "I shall have our intelligence agencies see what they can turn up. The Cosmic Isles' protection is not an insurmountable obstacle. She has a weakness, everyone does. Liquor, or games of chance. Prostitutes are always popular with youngsters. Or something more exotic. She'll have something we can use, it is simply a matter of time until we find it,"