Chapter 324: A Miserable Meal - Part 2
Political? Kir bit back the spike of fury he felt at the implication that being forced to "advise" a slaver wasn’t political.
Jeviel continued, "I understand that you, like many in Norneau, have... acquired a certain belligerent quality in believing that the practices of people like Mr. Goldman are unnecessary. I would like to educate you on why you are wrong."
Kir pried his way in before the odious angel could continue. "With all due respect, I would think Heaven’s claim to higher morals would come with more respect for the people they say they protect."
Jeviel plucked a single slice of ham off of his pizza with a fork and chewed it, having used Kir’s interruption as a chance to sample his dish. Then he looked up. "Have you ever had pets, Professor?"
"No."
"Then I can see where you would find your misconceptions." He sampled a slice of pepper next. "Many wolfkin to the south, in the Plains, keep actual wolves. A couple might actually be seen as the leaders of a pack, even if there is no direct communication, there is a natural order that asserts itself. A higher-order being and many lower ones, working for mutual benefit."
"So you assert that the people of the Myriad are wolves as you would be to ’higher-order beings’."
"Exactly!" Jeviel was oblivious to Kir’s statement as a statement, seeming to interpret it as a question. "You are capable of understanding, but possessed of the wrong interpretation about what the truth of the relationship is. Were I not a diplomat, we would be enemies, but I consider myself your teacher more than such a banal simplification."
"And what is it you think you can teach me?" Kir asked, his fist clenching under the table.
"That we can work together for our mutual benefit! Heaven rules, and nothing can challenge that, and amidst rulers, there is some disagreement over how to look after our... packs. There are those in Heaven who see Norneau’s rise as an... anomaly. Something to be wiped off the map. But I see an opportunity. A new symbiosis."
Kir remained silent.