In a World without God

Chapter 16

The descendants of Ygraine were not human. They had eyes, noses, limbs, and a beating heart, but to the public, they were not human. They were nothing more than something in the shape of a human.

The public is cruel to "others". They deserve to be hurt. They can cry. They deserve to have their limbs torn off. Woe to the witch's offspring. Woe to the cursed bloodline!

But the moment Enri threw himself to save Tarik, Enri was no longer "others". Not a single person in the stands now wanted him to get hurt.

"Look at that kid's heart. Isn't it as fine as his face?"

"How can a witch's offspring be like that?"

"Who says a character has to follow blood? Look at our neighbors, the head of the family is an asshole, but the daughter is a sweetheart."

"But... if that's the case, then why does the Fey family have a saint festival every year...."

The seeds of doubt that Edulis had planted in the public mind began to sprout. At the same time, the authority of the Fey family began to waver. Tarik was blindsided, unable to comprehend what was happening.

"What's going on? Why is everyone cursing me? I'm the descendant of a hero, and I'm supposed to be defeating the witch's offspring!

He wanted to be popular, he wanted to be on the lips of the people, but how did he end up being pointed at by everyone? Tarik looked around the room, unable to pick himself up off the floor. Tears welled up in his eyes from shame and embarrassment. That's when Enri reached out to him.

"Are you okay?"

Tarik looked up at Enri. It was the first time since the festival began. He looked Enri in the face. His silvery eyes peeked out from beneath long lashes. Enri was a boy with a face almost as pretty as Kurzina's. His long, slender fingers were like lily petals in full bloom.

"Take my hand."

Tarik stared at Enri's face and then at his hand, and then he took it. Enri's body heat was transmitted to Tarik's hand.

At that moment, Tarik understood why the crowd was pointing at him, and what he was doing. He didn't understand. Why did he want to kill this boy? How could it be fun to watch this innocent boy suffer?

Eventually, Tarik stood up and shouted."We lost."

Tarik walked off the field and returned to the waiting room. Inside, the head of the Fey family, Kindatu, and Tarik's father, Dumuzi, were waiting.

"Tarik, I assume you know what you did?"

Tarik didn't respond.

"You are too fast for a week in solitary confinement. Reflect on your mistakes in the dark and cramped cell!

"I understand my mistakes, but...."

Turning to Dumuzi, Tarik asked.

"Father, what crime have those kids committed?"

***.

The Fey family estates have a high tax rate compared to the rest of the country. The only other region that comes close is Kaldura. Despite this, there is little resistance to taxation because the Fei family rules the land. They are the descendants of the hero Bosha after all.

The Fey's authority is derived from the hero vs. witch narrative. That's why they keep the descendants of witches in Kaldura, and why they're invoked at every saint's festival. The presence of the witches' descendants reminds the public that the Fey are the descendants of heroes. House Fey officers, including Kindatu, understood that deeply.