LE V1 (Main) C4-1

Chapter 4 - Determination - Part 1

TL: Eevee

Ed: Oer

"Are your parents dead?"

"They are alive and well."

Was she really disowned? Or had she committed some crime? Were there no child protection laws? If this was under our country's laws, she was at an age where as long as it wasn't anything major, she would get a not-guilty verdict no matter what.

Several questions floated around my head. And the conclusion I made at the end was that 'this is not Earth.' I'd been suspecting it all this time but now it was certain.

"Then why?"

"Because I am an Aless."

"What's an Aless?"

Flute looked at me as if it was weird that I didn't know what an Aless was.

"It refers to the people that have lost(less) the wings(Al) that prove they are the children of the Angel G.o.d, those who have lost their wings are al-less. They call these people Aless."

So this kid is from a race called angelkin, and she's normally supposed to have wings, but lost them somehow?

"What happened to your wings?"

"… … I lost them during the war."

"What?"

So in the middle of a war the enemy cut off the wings on her back, and her country abandoned her like that?

"Crazy little…"

Not even the Korean army that goes 'when you call them they are the nation's son, when they get hurt they're someone else's brat' just outright does that. And she's a child. The only thing that I could say was that this was madness.

There's so much I couldn't understand.

Then again, I like history so I like to think that I know quite a bit, but it's not like there's nothing I don't understand in world history either.(1) If the powers that be argue that it is so then so be it.

It makes me feel like I was lucky to be born in a democratic country, though.

"Although it doesn't mean much this late, it would be best if you leave me now and be on your way. Those who shelter Aless, regardless of race, are punished without exception. It was something agreed upon in the Seoul Treaty."

Why is Seoul popping up now.

I'd just come to terms that this was not earth but a fantasy world but since familiar names are cropping up I'm getting confused again. The same thing with the moon, maybe this isn't a simple fantasy world but a parallel universe.

"The perpetually neutral holy territory Seoul that the last G.o.ddess Sunang-nim rules over, all of the countries met there to honour the treaty."

I'm speechless.

"But there are other people without wings. I don't have wings either?"

"It doesn't apply to other races, because they are recognised by other methods to begin with."

"And your country approved that? They should have opposed it till they died."

"The nation that pushed for that motion the most was my own…"

Wow. Amazing. Really amazing. So amazing that you can take your impeachments or what have you and just f.u.c.k that and bury them in concrete up to their necks and scatter them from a helicopter into the Pacific Ocean.

This is seriously f.u.c.ked up.

Back in the Joseon era the women were dragged off during the Manchu wars.(2) The returners were called returnwh.o.r.es, and their children were called 'filthy brats' and couldn't even be treated like humans, so when you remember that you nod your head to an extent, but to someone from the modern era it's hard to swallow.

To think the day would come where I'd feel that the politicians of our country would feel like n.o.bility in comparison.

"What was that G.o.d named Sunang or whatever doing?"

At my words Flute looked shocked, and looked at me eyes that said 'what is this person's brain made of?'

So what. I don't need a G.o.d that doesn't have my back. What's different between that and the neighbour's golden donkey.

"While it is the first time I've seen someone say words like those to the sole remaining G.o.ddess, but to answer your question she did not do anything."

"Why?"

"She does not interfere between matters between nations. She only watches over Seoul as it is."

"Why did she stay if all she's going to do is look on. She might as well go home."

I'm pretty sure someone said that G.o.d was an 'all-purpose servant that came at your beck and call.' Was it Nietzsche who said that?(3) No, he said 'G.o.d is dead,' didn't he?

"… …, there is only one thing that catches her interest."

"What's that?"

"The civilisation before the age of mythology, the prehistoric civilisation."

If you're talking about prehistoric civilisations then you're talking about when our unnamed ancestors were walking around with stone axes going uga uga. She really has nothing to do. Why don't you leave that to the archaeologists and watch over the politicians and give them a good smack to the back of their heads.

The being called G.o.d here might not refer to an omnipotent being, but rather humans with unimaginable power like those of the Greek myths, and might not be all that different to humans, which would explain why she'd only geek out over her own interests.

"So like I've definitely explained, this is where I…"

"Shut up. Let them."

I know to put up with injustice, be weak in front of the strong but I don't want to act like a X.(4) If a sword was held to my throat then I might at least pretend to think about it, but for the time being I honestly don't want to do that.

Well, even then…

"Although I don't think I could do anything special for you."

What power do I have to restore you.

Although my nose is a foot long(5) but I would only be able to take her around that she'd neither starve nor be beaten. Even then, if everything in the trunk runs out then I have no answers for the future.

"Although I can't give you any guarantees, at the very least I'll stand with you as much as I can."

I could only hope that the future me wouldn't be yelling 'you lunatic why did you make that decision then!' Although, as long as nothing drastic happens to my personality I don't think that would happen.

I held out my hand.

After a brief moment of hesitation Flute reached out and took it.

(1) Hate double negatives? Have a triple!

(2) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qing_invasion_of_Joseon

(3) Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche, philosopher. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Friedrich_Nietzsche

(4) Censored like that in the raws, no clue.

(5) Idiom for someone who's blatantly lying and knows it

TN: Note that Korean is a language renowned for its prowess in its multiple ways to insult someone, so there is an insult localised to English, always a.s.sume that the original insult was much filthier and much, much more offensive.