The Main Character is the Villain

Time passed, and the day of the trial arrived. I attended the trial venue with a stern expression. I had no objects to present as evidence. All I had were my holy sword and mace. My opponent was looking at me with a triumphant expression. Grand Duke Rubicon was nowhere to be seen. It seemed coming all the way from the Northern Region was too much of a burden. Only the Lord of Amur stood in the opponent's place.

I licked my lips. This was a problem. If things went south, I’d just have to smash both the lord's and the judge's heads in and bolt.

He was a fleshy man with a rat-like beard. The Lord of Amur spoke.

"High Priest Peta Lusius. I respect your love for the mermaid, but the case of a mermaid killing a noble's young master cannot be tolerated. I hope you understand as well."

I didn't bother to answer. It was a matter to be discussed again once the main trial began anyway. When I didn't answer, the Lord of Amur said no more. It seemed he realized that any provocation was meaningless since I had decided to ignore him.

"The judge is entering."

The judge entered the makeshift assembly hall where we were. He was dressed in judge's robes and had a long beard and a persnickety-looking impression. Sternness was plain to see on his gaunt face. He stepped up to the judge's seat and spoke.

"Then, we will now begin the dispute resolution between Amur Territory, Grand Duke Rubicon, and Peta Territory. Both sides, please present your basis or logic as to whether Peta Eve is human or not human."

As soon as he finished speaking, the Lord of Amur opened his mouth.

"There is no reason to proceed further with this trial on this topic. Mermaids have always been prey for humans, and their playthings. How can speaking human speech be evidence of being human? Demons can also speak human speech, and goblins can speak it to a limited extent. The demi-humans of the mountains and the beastfolk of the eastern plains can also speak human speech. Respected judge. Are they human? They merely imitate thinking and speaking like humans; they are not human. They should not be treated as human simply because they speak human speech." The judge looked at me. I asked the Lord of Amur.

"Lord of Amur. What is your definition of a 'human'?"

The Lord of an Amur pondered my words for a moment before opening his mouth.

"A hairless being that walks on two legs and has red blood."

"Then if I pluck all the feathers off a chicken, is it human?"

The Lord of Amur shook his head at my question.

"Just because you pluck the hair off a creature that originally had hair, it doesn't become a hairless being. It just becomes a being with its hair shaved off."

"Then by your logic, Lord of Amur, are dwarves with a lot of body hair not human?"

The Lord of Amur's shoulders trembled slightly before he shook his head and said.

"Don't you know that the hair of dwarves is fundamentally different from the kind of fur we're talking about? A being covered head to toe in shaggy fur like the beastfolk of the plains cannot be seen as human. It is said there are rare types of dwarves whose whole bodies are covered in hair, but these are treated as an exception."

"They are both hairy, so what is the reason one is an exception, and the other is classified as non-human?"

"It is because dwarves wish to assimilate into our human society, and beastfolk do not. They harass us by looting the Eastern Plains Region every year."

"In that case, if a beastfolk wished to assimilate into human society, would they also be human?"

"That is a matter to be discussed when such a beastfolk appears."

The Lord of Amur thought for a moment, then opened his mouth again.

"Even so, do mermaids not have blue blood? It means they are ultimately a creature with different blood from us. How can we accept a being with different blood and a different ecology as human? A mermaid is not human. And this case is a horrendous incident where a mermaid murdered a human. The Grand Duke Rubicon of the North was deeply aggrieved upon hearing this sad news. He said he could not even begin to understand that his son was killed by a mermaid.

High Priest Lusius. If you truly intend to claim that mermaids are human, then try saying so in front of Grand Duke Rubicon. I dare you to claim that mermaids are human in front of the man who has spent his life hunting and killing demi-humans."

"The reason mermaids have not become human is that we have refused to let them become human, not because they lack the qualification. What is an insult? An insult is when you spew shameful or foul swear words for the purpose of making the other party feel shame. We do not insult a pig. Lord of Amur, if a resident's dog barks at you, do you take that as an insult?"

"I do not."

"Then have you ever mocked a resident's dog?"

"I have not."

"That's right. We only insult humans. Because only humans can feel shame and anger at an insult. That day, Rubicon Condrix used words like 'fish prostitute' and 'half-fish' to my wife, Peta Eve, and continuously committed provocations by showing her a mermaid-skin wallet. What does this mean? It means Rubicon Condrix insulted my wife. Even if others might not perceive it that way, it means that until the moment before his death, Rubicon Condrix saw my wife as a human who could feel insulted.

And my wife, upon hearing Rubicon Condrix's statements, felt insulted and attacked."

The Lord of Amur said.

"To claim they are human just because words for demi-humans were mentioned is weak logic. And to claim they are human because they feel insulted is also flawed logic. Even a dog or a cat will bare its teeth if you throw a shoe at it. They cannot be called human just because they feel insulted.

Even if Rubicon Condrix saw the mermaid as human, what difference does that make to this topic? Will other people see mermaids as human? If I were to call that chair a human, would you, High Priest, be willing to see that chair as a human?"

"The conversation is just going in circles. Is the only reason they cannot be called human because they cannot be called human? If so, what is the reason a human becomes a human? Isn't a human a human simply because they are called human."

"We and mermaids are fundamentally different."

"What is different? I will not hear any more talk of red blood and blue blood. Through this trial, I intend to sound a warning to this society that meaninglessly massacres mermaids. Are mermaids an important resource that our society cannot do without? If we don't kill mermaids, will they sink our ships? In the past 10 years, excluding Peta Eve, there has not been a single case of ship damage caused by mermaids. The mermaids have sent us a clear message that they hope for coexistence. But we did not listen."

"You try to say all mermaids are peaceful, but does your wife not have a criminal record? In the end, the reason mermaids don't attack us is because they lack power, not because they are peaceful. Your wife's criminal record proves this."

"And it was humans who made mermaids violent. There is a cause and effect for everything. Your statement is like blaming a person who fought back against a slave hunter for being violent."

"But a mermaid is not human. If a bear that lost its cub attacks a village, would you, High Priest, sympathize with the bear and accept it as a member of the village? If your young master was killed by a bear after tormenting it, could you propose to let the bear go without taking revenge?"

"In the end, you're only saying that a mermaid is not human. Mermaids are humans with whom we can coexist. This is because they hope for coexistence with us and can use human intelligence and language. The side that hopes for coexistence and the side that mercilessly draws its sword. Which side is more 'human'? Are mermaids as dangerous as wild beasts like bears to be compared to them?"

The Lord of Amur remained silent for a moment before spitting out a single word. His stubbornness was palpable from his tightly shut lips. I really wanted to smash that rat-bearded lord's head in.

"A mermaid. is not human."

"What is the reason you wish for mermaids not to be human?"

I asked. The Lord of Amur did not answer. I asked again.

"Is the reason you don't see mermaids as human simply because if they became human, you couldn't use mermaid skin anymore? I've heard that nobles and some Archdeity Church clerics enjoy using ornaments made from mermaid skin. That's because a mermaid's scales sparkle and are beautiful. Isn't it that you can't admit that? You can't admit to the fact that you've adorned your bodies with ornaments made from human skin, so you insist that mermaids are not human, isn't that it?"

"No matter how you insist, a mermaid can never become human. In the end, they are a being with blue blood, that eats fish, and has the lower body of a fish. How can such a being be the same as us humans? If they become human, then who will become human next? The beastfolk of the plains? The demi-humans of the mountains? If they become human one by one, how many more concessions will we have to make? High Priest, you are blinded by love and are missing many things. No one would want such a future."

The talk of blue blood came up again. The moment I was about to open my mouth to rebut, someone kicked open the door to the trial venue and entered.

"Enough of this trivial debate! Even at this moment, the demi-humans in the North are moving to seize the mines, and the beastfolk are swarming in the eastern plains! How can the Southern High Priest turn a blind eye to this miserable reality? A mermaid is human, you say? News has arrived that mermaids are collectively attacking ships in the Western Coastal Region!

A mermaid is human, so they must not be insulted? A mermaid is not human! A mermaid is nothing but an enemy that attacks us! Demi-humans and beastfolk are all just targets to be defeated! Why do you still not understand that the Human Kingdom must join forces with the Dwarf Kingdom and the Elf Kingdom to overcome this situation! High Priest Lusius! Admit your wrongdoing and apologize at once! I do not wish for a great reward for the death of my son! Frying that atrocious mermaid to death! I want this case to end with just that!"

Grand Duke Rubicon had revealed himself. Dressed in thick clothes that made a mockery of the southern region's warm weather, he seemed to be the very personification of the abstract concept of the North. A shaggy beard, a towering height that looked to be 2 meters, and a rugged impression with piercing, wide eyes. He dominated the trial venue with a formidable first impression.

Now, the real game was starting.

Well then, time for An Honorable Contest.