Ple-Sen
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1. You are a traveler who stopped to catch your breath and recover your strength in a demon village you happened upon along the way. You were very well received, but at some point during your stay, a squad of demon hunters appeared at the village gates. The leader of the squad offers to let you leave in peace so that he may carry out his mission. Without your help, the village will most likely be destroyed, whereas your participation guarantees victory for the demons, though you risk losing your life. What would you do and why?
However, I have strayed a bit from the topic, and the question here is purely hypothetical. Let us assume that I am interested in the well-being of the village. From the perspective of the laws of Sakuromoria, the demon hunters are within their rights, and their actions differ little from hunting wild beasts. Of course, the situation changes somewhat if they are prepared to attack me first. In such a case, their actions cannot be called legal in any way. However, the opposite is also true — if I remain to defend the village and the hunters ignore me until I raise a weapon against them, then I will be considered the guilty party. Essentially, my hands are tied by the law, regardless of possible personal sympathy for the villagers or willingness to risk my own life. It is also worth keeping in mind the fact that such a visit from hunters is not necessarily their sole personal initiative. It is quite possible that they were specifically summoned here by a local governor concerned about the security of his own lands. Hypothetical obligations imposed upon me, such as the need to care for my family, could serve as an additional constraint. It is important to realize that this is not abstract heroism, but the trading of one set of lives for another. Any lives destroyed as a result of such a decision would be on my conscience.
But even if we set all these objections aside, what are the chances of a happy future for the village after this? Even in the event of victory, it is unlikely that there would be no casualties on their side. They would have to find a new home, and it is unknown whether they would have enough supplies for the journey, whether the wounded and elderly would survive the long road, or if another squad of demon hunters would lie in wait for them. The chances of this are especially high if the hunters are part of a larger organization aware of this mission, or if they were carrying out the will of local authorities. In that case, next time the squad will be larger, better prepared, and the hunters themselves will be able to secure outside help. Because now it is not just a demon village, but a demon village with the blood of several humans on its hands. Quite a bleak situation for the village, which one person is hardly in a position to resolve.
The best option for the demons would be diplomatic, but the chances of success here are negligibly small. It is unlikely that a squad threatening the future of the village consists only of intimidated locals led by fear. Most likely, it is a well-prepared squad of hardened warriors who engage in such work either for personal gain or for ideological reasons. And while it might be theoretically possible to buy off the former, negotiations with the latter are unlikely to suddenly make them reconsider their views on life. The intimidation option is also unsuitable, as it would not solve the problem but merely postpone the inevitable. So, even taking as truth the existence of an altruistic demon village that warmly welcomes strangers, I believe the most correct and reasonable decision is not to interfere in the conflict.
2. You are the captain of the city guard and are investigating the murder of your subordinates in broad daylight.
Crime scene: Tifa Lit's house. Signs of a fierce struggle are visible at the entrance to the house, there is a smell of medication, magic burns and cold weapon strikes are noticeable on the interior; gunpowder traces are present in only one of the rooms — where Nicholas was killed.
Will you be able to determine the sequence of events and name those responsible?
The situation with Nikolai is also unclear — a mystery man who, according to the testimony of Naole and Rushi, broke into Tifa's house with ill intentions. It isn't even stated which member of the group looted the man's body. Was this motivated by panic? Perhaps the group planned to rob Nicholas from the start? If Panza's words about Ailis are taken as truth, this is entirely possible. Rushi's injury, in that case, could have been a response to aggression from the mercenaries. Or they might have staged the attack on Rushi altogether, given that the group has both people capable of handling such weapons and those capable of healing fatal wounds. After all, it would be strange to attack a person alone in a house packed with armed thugs. But it would also be strange to attack the guard after such a staging. Of course, one could argue that Waifova, according to the same Panza's testimony, is an innocent and trusting girl — just look at her tear-streaked face. But that doesn't negate the potential possibility that she was forced to do it again, whereas the idea of putting a bullet in the chest of one of the unwilling companions, even if fake, might have brought her joy. One could also assume that she is simply an extremely talented actress who bewitched the swordsman with her charms and traveled with the group solely for her own interests. Why didn't she fight then? Perhaps she was busy stripping Nicholas's body bare. Or perhaps she was looking for a way to sneak out of the house while her companions were occupied with the battle. And then she failed and resorted to plan B — tears. I note that I am in no way asserting that such a hypothetical situation is necessarily true; this is pure speculation on my part, but under current conditions, it can neither be confirmed nor refuted. Therefore, for lack of information, it is difficult to say anything for certain.
3. You are a traveler who has accepted work from the mayor of City M; your duties are patrolling the surroundings and detaining/eliminating violators. In one of the forests near City M, you find a group of violators among whom is also the mayor's son. During negotiations, it turns out that the mayor plans to kill a large number of people to restore his health through magical means, and the violators are trying to prevent him. The violators offer to part ways in peace; what are your actions?
4. You are a student at the military academy of a powerful empire, and during one of the holidays, the Empress herself unexpectedly, but with all due solemnity, visits its halls surrounded by her retinue. You and other students are expected to approach Her Majesty, kneel, touch her boot with your lips, carefully wipe it with a handkerchief, thank her for such an honor, and accept a wrapped gift. How do you proceed?
5. You are the princess of a small kingdom whose capital has a crime problem. While patrolling the city streets, you notice a suspicious group of foreigners. When attempting to stop them for questioning, one of them begins to insult and threaten you. The fate of this man and his companions is in your (or rather, the group of riders accompanying you) hands; what do you do and why?
6. You are a citizen of an empire with great class inequality, and you have the opportunity to join one of the political factions to change the order of things in the country. Which faction's goals are closest to yours (you may define your own social status in this society)?
As for the closeness of ideals, I probably find those of the Empress's faction to be the closest. Although magical sciences evoke a certain interest in me, I am not yet sure of my readiness to dedicate my life to this cause, nor am I sure that the wizards' approach to the development of sorcery is not counterproductive, given their desire to limit access to the study of magic to only a narrow circle of persons. Ideas regarding the popularization of magic are closer to me. As for the elimination of class inequality, it serves the creation of a more efficient society, although my perspective as a resident of Sakuromoria surely plays a role in this position.
7. While traveling with your friends through the desert, you encounter a merchant. He offers to sell you unknown fruits at a favorable price. According to him, they taste very foul but are extremely beneficial for health. Will you taste them?
8. What, in your opinion, are the pros and cons of being tall or short, and having a large/small chest? What role do these physical characteristics play in our society and on the battlefield?
Human height can also affect career choice, although it is far from critical everywhere. For example, shortness is preferred for jockeys, whereas in the modeling business, the situation is completely opposite. Heavy physical labor is also much easier for tall people than for someone who isn't particularly tall. More examples can be found if desired, but I don't think there is any point in listing them all — the idea is clear enough. One should not forget the possible influence on personal life, where unsuitable height can complicate the search for a partner. Another possible drawback follows from this, consisting of the possible influence of your height — namely, its perception by the public — on your internal state. In the case of guys, for example, tall height is usually associated with masculinity and considered attractive, against which a short youth may develop complexes. As a result of these complexes, he will try to compensate for this "lack of masculinity" with something else. At the same time, a tall youth who is popular with girls can instead become an overconfident possessor of an inflated ego and be excessively demanding of potential partners. Or complain that such popularity is linked to his appearance rather than personal qualities. There could be many examples.
As for the role of height on the battlefield, although a imposing stature makes you look menacing, at the same time it makes you an easier target. Especially in situations involving ranged combat. You are not only more noticeable to the opponent yourself, but not every cover will protect you from possible hits. Perhaps the main advantages of great height manifest in close combat. Besides the obvious advantage of greater physical strength, stature and the accompanying length of limbs can be converted into greater range and hit radius of your attacks. An opponent of shorter height will find it harder to get close to you, even if you are equipped similarly. Tall height also helps during various forced marches, thanks to the same limb length. With short height, the situation is completely opposite — you will have a harder time in close combat, even despite the existence of techniques allowing one to turn the opponent's strength against them. But in ranged combat, it will be harder to hit you, or even to notice which specific cover you are hiding behind.
Let's move on to the chest. In everyday life, I see absolutely no downsides to a small chest, which is perhaps its main plus, whereas for a large one, the downsides are directly proportional to its size. Your back hurts from it, it severely limits the list of comfortable sleeping positions, complicates the choice of clothing, and generally tends to get in the way when performing certain actions. Some of these points can be compensated for with special clothing, but far from all of them. Pluses in everyday life? Nothing comes to mind immediately. In personal life, it's exactly the opposite, although I'm not sure if chest size affects success in personal life more, less, or to the same extent as height. I am only sure that it can exert a similar influence on a person's internal state. In professional activity, the chest plays a slightly smaller role, and this role is mostly limited to fields of activity where your external attractiveness is important or those associated with high physical activity. I have also read that for lilies, chest size is inextricably linked to their magical abilities, or is a consequence of the development of these abilities, but I am unable to confirm or refute such claims in any way. Most likely, it is nothing more than rumors. On the battlefield, in my opinion, a large chest has absolutely no plusses, although many minuses can still be compensated for with specially created clothing. In some cases, for example when shooting a bow, such wardrobe elements are indispensable. For a small chest, again, the main plus lies in the absence of minuses.
9. State your thoughts on Sakuromoria.
10. What are your expectations for the time spent at NAILS?