Chapter Two Hundred and Three: The Stage for Assertion 3
“Wait—hold on a second!”
Marian shouted to the audience, then strode over to Karen and whispered in a low voice:
“Do you think you can stop this flow with such a stupid argument!? Don’t you have some sure way to persuade us!?”
At Marian’s flustered state, Karen laughed.
“So you thought I had words that could persuade everyone here, Marian? I’m so trusted.”
“What nonsense are you saying!?”
“Honestly, isn’t it impossible to persuade everyone?”
Karen looked around at the gathered audience.
No matter how absurd it might have sounded to them, this was a defining experience for Karen. It was not just idealistic talk; it was the very reason Karen had tasted injustice firsthand and come to want to change the world.
“Among these people, there are probably quite a few women who can sympathize with my experience, right? But it’s difficult to convince everyone.”
“If you have no chance of winning, just crush this stage! You can do that much, can’t you!?”
“I could—but I chose not to.”
“Why not!?”
To Marian, who spoke with a face tinged with anxiety while keeping her voice low, Karen narrowed her eyes.
“So after all, you prepared this stage for me, Marian. Did you hear from Mr. Eugene that I wanted this kind of opportunity?”
“…Yes, Father instructed me. He said you wanted to use our antagonism to spread your ideology… As an apology for the trouble we caused, he told me to let you use Gubert before we perish, so I thought I’d let you make effective use of it at the end.”
Karen had been grateful for the statement Eugene had issued the other day. It had been meant to corner Karen, but even so, having her views spread was exactly what Karen wanted.
She had been enthusiastic about the conflict with the Gubert Trading Company. The more they clashed, the more people’s attention would gather, and it would be etched into many people’s memories. That’s what gossip was like. It would be a lie to say she wasn’t afraid, but she thought it wasn’t a bad means to achieve her goal.
“I appreciate Mr. Eugene’s consideration. Could you thank him for me, Marian? Speaking of which, you said he collapsed—is he all right?”
“You have no right to worry about him. You knew everything all along, so why…!?”
“I didn’t come here intending to lose, but I’ve already factored in the possibility of losing here and now.”
She wasn’t here out of compromise, thinking it was okay to lose.
“Come at me with everything you’ve got to crush me, Marian. So that the sight of my defeat remains deeply in everyone’s hearts, so unforgettable that no one can forget it.”
Karen’s goal was to engrave her way of thinking into as many people’s hearts as possible. As long as she could accomplish that, whether she won or lost, Karen’s purpose would be achieved. So that when Karen eventually became an S-rank alchemist, everyone would remember this.
Besides, if she could gather the attention of those directing hostility toward the magicless onto herself, she could divert their gazes away from the magicless.
At Karen, who spread her arms wide, Marian twisted her face.
“Don’t you know how much hatred is gathering toward the magicless right now…? I never liked them to begin with, but even I find that hatred grotesque… All that hatred will be directed at you. I’ve guided things to make it so.”
“That helps. Honestly, I didn’t know how to protect the F-rank people. If the hate comes toward me, I can fulfill my promise too.”
Karen had promised Horst. In exchange for information about Julius’s condition, she would protect those with little magical power who would likely face prejudiced eyes from now on.
“Well, that said, I might still end up talking you down and convincing everyone, Marian.”
“Impossible. If you don’t have some special strategy, I’ll win.”
Marian quietly declared her victory.
“Even I, who feels indebted to you, can’t accept your theory of equality. Sure, once in a while, an F-rank person like you might show promise, and the thought of obstructing someone like that is frightening—but people like you don’t appear so easily.”
“That’s why I’m saying it’s not about whether someone shows promise or not—”
“I’m sorry, but I can’t understand what you’re saying at all… I thought you’d make me understand, so it’s disappointing.”
Marian spoke with a calm expression. There was no disgust or anything there, just bewilderment at not understanding Karen’s words. This was the very common sensibility, way of thinking, and underlying ideology of this world.
It was almost strange how much Marian had believed that Karen could repaint the feelings of all sorts of people with just a single speech.
“If that’s what you want, I’ll crush you with everything I have, Karen.”
She averted her eyes from Karen and strode away.
Pressing the magical tool to her throat, Marian looked around at the gathered audience and said sonorously:
“I gave this woman a chance to reform, but it was pointless! She has no intention of changing this ridiculous thinking! I’m going to list this woman’s crimes from now on. Karen, if you have any objections, try asserting them in front of everyone here! Everyone present will judge which of us is right!”
Karen intended to fight back desperately; she had never come here resigned to losing from the start. But she just realistically thought persuading everyone would be impossible. And she would simply use this as groundwork for the future.
“You really are a huge fool, Karen.”
Marian temporarily removed the voice-amplifying magical tool to curse, then moved to press it back to her throat.
At that moment, a voice rose from within the crowd.
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