Volume 5 Chapter 37 'Necessity' And 'Justice
"Horace. I know you have the power of the dragon. And you're a monster. I'll kill you and take that power back."
"...I see."
Horace, hands in his pants pockets, kept walking. He gave a casual reply to the members of the Order of the Sealed Dragon, who had just declared they'd kill him without hesitation.
"I don't know how you got here, but a monster like you entering this place is clearly an 'act of invasion.' The law doesn't apply to monsters, but self-defense is fully justified!"
"It seems the term 'self-defense' came from another world about 1,800 years ago... Anyway, I'll say two things. First, 'If you misuse righteousness, there's no turning back.'"
"Who says it's misuse! The Order of the Sealed Dragon protects human society from the threat of the demi-human territory. Our principles and actions are, without doubt, 'absolute justice'!"
"..."
Horace had heard this kind of reasoning before, but sometimes he wondered.
Simply put, 'justice' and 'necessity' are different.
Not taking things from people is 'justice,' but if that becomes absolute, you can't confiscate dangerous items. So, to ensure safety, sometimes taking things is 'necessary.'
In other words, confiscating dangerous items is only 'necessary' for security. Calling it 'justice' is a mistake.
The Order is the main force preventing the invasion of human society by those from the demi-human territory.
This is a fact, and they're doing what's 'necessary.'
Plus, many people don't even know what 'beyond the Western mountain range' means, let alone the Order's existence.
However, their claims still don't qualify as 'justice.'
Horace himself can't come up with a perfect answer, and it's too early to decide what true justice is in human society.
Yes, in short.
To stir up 'fools' who can't rest without reaching a conclusion or who lack balance, even though they're active... well, they're just tools.
Humans do what they believe is right in their 'normal,' 'everyday' lives.
They don't bother creating logical reasons or inventing a 'justice.' They just do what's right.
'Justice' is a principle, and 'necessity' is an action.
They shouldn't be debated on the same level or seen as the same thing.
"...Haah, well, it doesn't really matter how you all view human society."
Even if they discuss justice or necessity, it doesn't mean much when looking at Horace as an individual.
Essentially, he's 'irresponsible.'
He acts because he wants to. When obstacles arise that he can't handle alone, he involves people who can solve them.
The 'Demon Lord' with male-dominated skills is something he can't handle by himself, which is why he trained Rangella and others──that's his reasoning.
The world was saved because of that, but to Horace, it's a trivial matter.
"...One more thing. I'm a monster, so it's probably fine to kill me, or something like that... It seems like I'm making excuses, but wasn't the demi-human domain all about survival of the fittest?"
"What a barbaric thing to say. If you advocate for 'survival of the fittest,' then demi-humans invading human society is correct. That's why we're here, to stop that!"
"...You're saying it so smoothly. It's like you've been taught by some doctrine. But that's not what I'm getting at."
"What is it, then?"
Horace took his right hand out of his pocket and summoned a sword.
"I'm a monster. Come at me quickly. Or do you have to keep 'justifying' your actions every step of the way? Do I have to prove I'm not evil before I can act? Even though I'm fighting in a place like this, my level is low."
Living normally in human society goes against intuition, but the basic idea is: 'Even if you look human and speak human language, killing monsters is right.'
The Bloodline Nation, Theocracy Nation, and Adventurers' Association all agree on this completely.
Of course, whether you kill a monster upon seeing it or not is your choice, just as it's your choice whether to harm Horace or not.
To begin with, monsters don't have property rights.
Horace physically protects what he has, and the *Hero Community* exists to *discourage anyone from taking anything from Horace*. That's the extent of his ownership.
If goblins hoard gold and items, it's considered right for people to take them.
Of course, you'd need to consider the goblins' subsequent actions, but that's a separate issue of *causing trouble for others*. Taking the items itself is deemed right.
It's that *absolute*—that *fundamental principle*.
It's not about justice or necessity; rather, it transcends those—it's a *core principle*.
"Whether I have dragon powers or not is irrelevant. This is the law of the jungle in the demi-human realm, and I'm a monster who's appeared with business in this treasure vault. Come at me."
Horace glared at them with a cold gaze.
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