BXBX NOVEL Chapter 37: Carriage
Silva was asked to meet at the house of the baron. He was taken inside to the baron\'s office, and there they met each other.
"So, you are the Silva that everyone is talking about," Baron Ezra said and stretched out his hand for a shake.
Silva took his hand and bowed his head slightly.
"Raise your head, son. You and I will be spending quite some time together; you should be free with me," Baron Ezra said.
"I understand, sir. I\'ll do my best," Silva responded.
"Alright, the carriage is getting set up, but while we wait, let\'s talk a little," the baron said and offered Silva a seat.
Silva accepted and sat down; the baron did the same.
"I would have poured you some wine, but you can\'t drink until fourteen, or are you man enough now?" the baron asked.
"I\'ll have to decline, my Lord. My job is to protect you and be your aide. I can\'t drink now; it could cause issues later," Silva said.
"Hmm, a proper kid, I see. You will go places, boy.
Not only did you win the genetic race and get good looks, but you also have immense magical abilities and strength, and a legacy added.
In all my years of running this town, you are the first I have seen with such growth. In fact, in all the places I have been to, I haven\'t seen a child like you.
When your sister awakened her legacy and word got to me, I was surprised. I felt we finally had a prodigy in this town, and then you came along.
Well, all that aside, you will be going with me as my guard, but mostly to show off a little, so I\'ll ask that you try to be a bit of a show-off.
I know this is a bit much to ask, but it is very much needed. The life of a noble may look all flashy and good to commoners, but the weight we carry is great.
We have to constantly force ourselves to do things we don\'t care about because we need to behave according to our status, to not be looked down upon and to gather allies.
The worst thing that can happen to you as a noble is not having allies; you will fall from your position of greatness at a crazy speed.
I have seen nobles that lost all their allies, and in just days, their great lives vanished; some of them even died.
We live with all this pleasure, but there are many sleepless nights and constant issues that may claim our lives," the baron spoke in a regretful tone.
"So why not stop? Why not leave this whole nobility and live off somewhere else?" Silva asked. He could guess why, but he wanted to be certain about it first.
"Oh, it isn\'t so simple. I\'ll get killed if I ever do that. I\'ll be seen as a traitor who enjoyed the lavish goods of the kingdom and then decided to stop when I had my fill.
Even if I manage to get away, anyone affiliated with my bloodline will be publicly executed, and their heads kept for display as a warning to traitors.
The reason I am telling you this is because you have also stepped into that world. When you complete this quest, you will become a B-rank per my orders to the guild.
B-ranked adventurers and above are seen just like nobles; their lives stop being in their hands.
When I heard of you and all that you are doing, I had to bring you in. And do you know why?
With great power comes great responsibility, and with that responsibility comes the bondage that follows.
We can never be truly free, but the weaker you are, the freer you become. But that is no life, because you are free from the direct hand of politics but not from the chains.
If a B-ranked adventurer suddenly took a woman as his slave, not many would care, because she was weak and useless," the baron said.
"So it is a sick cycle. The stronger you are, the more shackles are put on you by the person on top. But if you stay weak, those that are stronger than you will put you in shackles.
It is a system that uses the survival of the fittest, a system where the only way to chase true freedom is to become stronger than the one on top or become so weak that your presence vanishes from the sight of those stronger.
Both are extremes that may not be possible to meet, yet they are the only way to be truly free," Silva explained how he saw things.
"Indeed, young one, you understand how it goes. So do your best to rise and keep rising.
But your view has one mistake: you can never be weak enough to vanish because there will always be one being that will still be capable of seeing you, and you will get eaten up.
So the only route to true freedom is to go up and keep going up no matter what.
If you are in a sea, the only way to go is up, swim up until you get to the top. If you swim down, the pressure will kill you. The pressure of all those above you will crush you, and you\'ll die.
It may take very long to swim out, your legs may be weak, your body may become heavy and tired, but you have to keep swimming if you are ever going to come out," the baron finished what he was saying. He got up and looked out of the window.
"Hmm, seems our carriage is ready. That was a good chat, Silva. We should head out now; it\'s time."