Type-Moon: The Human Love Simulator [12] (Patreon)

"Lord Kaelar, thank you for your mercy. I, Powell, will forever remember your kindness!"

After realizing that Kaelar truly intended to release them, Powell was not only surprised but filled with genuine admiration.

After all, Kaelar was a Celtic lord.

Yes, what made the Saxons so grateful was, in large part, due to Kaelar’s status as a Celtic leader.

For other lords, captured prisoners were as good as dead—cut down and sacrificed...

Prisoners? What are those?

Aren’t they just prime materials for a blood sacrifice to the war gods?

“But without a ship, how will you get home?”

Kaelar recalled ordering the Saxons’ ships to be burned. Without a ship, they’d have to travel overland... right?

Yet taking to the land route was out of the question. The Celtic lords in these territories were not known for their hospitality. A small band of Saxons on land would be a death wish.

“We’ll swim back,” Powell said, patting his chest confidently. “It’s not that far. We sailors can help each other make it.”

It wasn’t far—less than a thousand miles. Besides, the seas of the Age of Gods had only a few moderately-sized sea monsters. Nothing too serious.

Kaelar remembered: this was Britain in the Age of Gods, where human limits were not what they seemed. People of this era were as strong as trained athletes, and even this seemingly elderly sailor could boast about swimming across islands.

“That’s not so simple, is it?” Kaelar smiled, his gaze sweeping over the dirty, weary Saxons. “Without enough food, will you even have the strength to swim back?”

“Lily, go fetch some food and fresh water for them!” Kaelar ordered. “I’d rather lose resources to sustain your lives than let you perish for lack of such common necessities.”

Under his three years of governance, Maple Ridge had thrived, becoming one of the richest territories in all of Britain. A true city-state with the foundations of a feudal system, far more advanced than the primitive clan society of the past.

Even if he had to provide for a hundred thousand people, tightening the belt would make it possible.

“Why... why would you do this?” Powell’s voice cracked. “We were invaders, coming with malice in our hearts. Not killing us was already an act of great mercy. Why go further?”

Why would you treat us as people?

Why would you care so much about our lives?

Why... would you, of all people, be a Celt?

In this era, the concept of human rights was nonexistent. No one was born thinking of themselves as a person; they were born into roles, into positions—perpetrators or victims, oppressors or the oppressed.

“Because, as I said, I forgive you,” Kaelar answered calmly. “This is my teaching, and you must remember my law—killing is a curse.”

“Life is precious, and I will not allow any life to be lost in my presence.”

Powell was utterly humbled. He knelt to the ground, kissing Kaelar’s shoes. “Lord Kaelar, I will spread word of your mercy. I will preach your teachings among the Saxons.”

“If we meet again on the battlefield, I would rather die by your hand. You are a true man of virtue.”

“That’s not necessary. To love others, you must first love yourself,” Kaelar said, lifting the old sailor to his feet. “Your lives are your own. It’s not worth dying for unjust lords.”

Teaching and enlightening others isn’t difficult; it’s just exhausting.

Words alone do not make a true sage. There is no education without sacrifice. Investing resources and showing respect while imparting your beliefs is not hard—it’s just effortful.

Kaelar could personally educate every individual who stood before him.

But there was only one Kaelar, and countless people who needed guidance.

[You released all the invading Saxon raiders. This action surprised the Saxons, but they were relieved that no one died. When they learned that you not only spared them but also gave them supplies, Hengist and Horsa—the Saxon chieftains—mocked you for your foolishness in aiding the enemy.]

[No one cared about the thoughts of lowly sailors. The upper-class elites felt they controlled everything—whether power or ideology.]

[Some of the more cunning might have realized what was happening, but what does the heart of the common folk mean?]

[Who cares what the lower classes think?]

[But what the brothers Hengist did not realize was that a new ideology—one that would shake the foundations of the False King’s tyrannical rule—was beginning to spread among the Saxons.]

[Sir Ector heard of your actions. He rode from the capital to Maple Ridge in just an hour, mocking you loudly for your foolishness and weakness. He claimed that your actions would only embolden the Saxon wretches, leading to even more frequent attacks on Maple Ridge.]

[And if even one person died at the hands of the Saxons you released, you would be an accomplice to murder.]

[Poor Sir Ector, a man who only knew how to kill, resorting to learning dialectics just to argue with his own son.]

[You replied earnestly: Education takes time; it cannot be rushed. It takes at least a generation or two for minds to change. But at least I’m doing something—it’s better than doing nothing.]

[Sir Ector, enraged, nearly came to blows with you. The father and son parted on bad terms, with Ector shouting, “I’ll be waiting to see your so-called success! I hope you’re right, you foolish boar!”]

[He rode away, but when he returned to the capital, he quietly asked the Druids to send ravens to watch over Maple Ridge. If a large Saxon force attacked, he would return to save his foolishly soft-hearted son.]

[Once Ector had truly left Maple Ridge, the Hengist brothers dispatched their trusted captains—dozens of longships—on a raid against Maple Ridge.]

[After several years of relative peace, the Saxons gathered thousands to once more invade.]

[You understood that your path of mercy and forgiveness, of education, had encountered its greatest obstacle. Ideals must be backed by strength. True authority comes from the tip of the spear.]

[To prove your ideals are right, you must first demonstrate your power.]

[In war, the knights of Maple Ridge were still willing to follow your lead. Though they found their lord naive, they knew you would always guide them to victory.]

[The five hundred elite knights were your trump card. But if you used them all on the frontlines, defeating the Saxons now would leave you helpless against the next wave.]

[You needed a complete, overwhelming victory—the kind that would rival the legendary triumphs of the Qi Family Army.]

[You mobilized the serfs, using the war as a pretext to forcibly conscript them from the knights’ estates. You assembled three thousand serf soldiers, promising that if they fought, they would be integrated into the regular army after the war, freed from slavery, and their descendants would live as free men.]

[After twelve years in this world, you took the first crucial step toward abolishing slavery. It was a small step, a light step, but it was a step toward changing this world you could no longer tolerate.]

[This move earned you the ire of the knightly class. If you lost the war, you would face their full wrath.]

[Employing a strategy of infantry-cavalry cooperation, using your knowledge of the terrain and the desperate determination of the serfs, you once again crushed the disorganized Saxon raiders. With Powell and the hundred Saxons you had spared spreading tales of your kindness and mercy, most of the exhausted Saxons chose to surrender when you called for their submission.]

[Yet, over a thousand lives were lost in the battle. The Saxons’ casualty rate reached thirty percent, mostly from the newly recruited serf soldiers. You looked upon the fallen, and a strange fire ignited within you. You felt no sorrow—for in war, there is no true right or wrong.]

[You concluded that you were still too weak. If only you had been strong enough to defeat thousands of Saxons alone, you wouldn’t have had to rely on the serfs, and those lives could have been spared.]

[A subtle shift occurred in your thoughts.]

[The infantry-cavalry combination was perfectly complementary. The cavalry struck and charged while the infantry finished off the wounded—an incredibly efficient method of killing. Your casualties were minimal, and your prestige soared to unprecedented heights. Even the most stubborn knights did not dare to oppose any of your commands now.]

[The knights’ slaves were freed and integrated into your household guards. The knights now had to pay part of their estate’s income to hire free laborers. While their profits decreased, they still stood above the commoners.]

[Your prestige made the knights obedient. Maple Ridge became the only territory in Britain without slaves.]

[You became the first person in Britain to abolish slavery.]