Posts from Lafrenia Auto-translated

— When you weed, does that mean you are oppressing the weeds? And when you chase rats out of the barn? Maybe when you treat a sick person for parasites?... The framework of your words consists only of emotions, and there is no substance in them, and therefore you will never understand the necessity of our work.
From the tone of Zlatolik, it was clear that he treated Mira with more favor for some reason than he did her.

Added 4 minutes later
Raum took an old-looking, but no less sharp, dagger in his hands and held it to his throat. The prospect of the next few moments horrified the villagers, but they were unable to resist the determination of the leader, whom they respected so much.

I'm going to sleep.

Please talk him out of it; it feels a bit out of character for me to refer to an inquisitor with that kind of language.

"Is a disciple of the true gods inciting another to commit a mortal sin?" Mira gasped, staggering and getting to her feet. "This is madness! People! Can't you see where you're headed?" The question was addressed to her subordinates. "This serpentine path leads to the abyss, a much deeper one than the one you're pushing these poor souls into." "Come to your senses, commander, you're mistaken! Think again, people! We studied under the same theologians! The path of the church is the path of kindness, forgiveness, and humility! It is the only path to salvation, laid down by the Father in our being! If these wretched souls have committed a crime, they must be judged fairly and impartially according to the letter of the law! If not, then you will be committing heresy, a worldly and spiritual crime! You will stain not only your own souls but also all the ideals that you and many thousands of other believers follow!" She clutched her head. "All these wretches are locals; they live on the outskirts, leading the simple life of laborers, peasants, and hunters. They do not engage in conquests, robberies, or banditry, do not spread heresy, and do not appear near settlements. They are not subject to the impulses of evil; otherwise, they would have long since perished. Since that is not the case, the Wise One has a plan for them that neither I nor even your pious mind can comprehend, commander. The strongman said that he follows the ideals and laws of the Father. The fact that they breathe and walk on the same earth as us, and are not burning in eternal flames, confirms this. You can believe it or not; it's your business, but do you have the right to deny salvation to someone in need? No! Perhaps he seeks to correct the mistakes of his ancestors, who, willingly or unwillingly, fell under the influence of evil. Perhaps, by his example, he can give hope for salvation and purification to all the others—through patience and diligence, not cruelty and destruction. Perhaps this is one of the facets of the Father's plan, destined for this being. I will not claim this because of my human limitations, but I am content to see that it is both in the letter and in the spirit of the teachings of our creators. Those who followed the path of destruction were punished—by the will of the gods, not men. All that remains for us is to follow the path of creation and have firm faith in it. I implore you one last time—come to your senses, comrades! By overcoming this base impulse, you will bring bright light into this world, which is so much in need of it in these difficult times. By succumbing to it, you will condemn it to bloody darkness.

Although the monkey attack was anticipated, the recruits lacked the experience and skill to easily deal with them – they only managed to withstand the onslaught at the cost of several squad members' lives. Although attempting to save them was a logical decision, Ashur watched with some regret as his comrades opened the package and took the medical supplies. However, even so, it was not possible to avoid losses in their ranks – the ranger Milo lay lifeless. The merchant was no stranger to witnessing the untimely death of those who protected him, but the very fact that they had managed to suffer losses so early clouded his thoughts. After the squad said goodbye to the deceased, Ashur shouldered his bag again, noting with mixed feelings that it had become a little lighter. No more enemies were encountered on the rest of the journey, and soon they reached the cave where the demons were hiding, and where the cargo was intended. However, before the recruits could leave the lair, more guests arrived – this time from the Order of Innocent Lafrenia. Their armor-clad leader offered the people to leave the place before his planned cleansing of the demons. Raum, the demon leader, expressed his willingness to sacrifice himself for the unhindered retreat of the others. The situation was escalating... Ashur stepped forward. “Esteemed Cardinal! It seems that the situation here was not quite correctly perceived by the Order, I believe, due to incomplete information. The situation is that this place is a supply route for humanitarian aid to the inhabitants of Eolia, and therefore it should be considered as part of a safe corridor, where aggression is unacceptable. I ask you to take into account that this event is being carried out under the auspices of the trading guild of the Eastern Federation. As an authorized representative of it, I have the right to strongly ask you to move the location of your initiative to other demon shelters, if any can be found.

— When you weed, does that mean you are oppressing the weeds? And when you drive rats out of the barn? Maybe when you cure a sick person of parasites?... The framework of your words consists only of emotions, and there is no substance in them, and therefore you will never understand the necessity of our work.
From the tone of Zlatolik, it was clear that he treated Mira more favorably than her, for some reason.

"Is he an idiot? He's already answering the wrong question for the second time, has he even read any books? If not sacred ones, then at least books on formal logic, or something?" the elf thought benignly.
"Emotions... Well, maybe there are, although it seemed to me that my speech was calm. Yes, my speech is usually calm, but still, I'm probably wrong, and this person is not stupid, he is insightful, and that's why he noticed that I really don't want to lose the person who has been telling me about the living words of the Father for several days. But these are virtuous emotions, if not, then the entire Scripture can be thrown into the sea to Mana, but I believe in books more than I believe in you, cardinal."
"Hmm, how is this even done, and what should I say next..."
The girl thought about how to appease the servant, and, of course, she immediately knew how to object, what examples to give, the only question was how to present the material - obviously, it would not be out of place to kneel before him now, as that reftite was doing... Indeed, hearts in which at least some of the original harmony has been preserved could be tried to be appeased in this way, and to awaken their conscience.
But in the end, that very reftite intervened, and then the merchant, after the latter, it was strange to say anything. It would be good if this convinced him, if the cardinal accuses the merchant of fraud, then that's probably it, after that he will become unyielding.

to other demon havens, if any can be found.

"And what if there are righteous people there too? Whose side are you on?" Na thought sadly in the end.
(If anything, she is ready to give one last speech, if the previous speakers don't succeed).

The Cardinal remained silent. Perhaps those gathered thought he didn't know how to respond to these sudden monologues, but it was also possible that he was simply a strong and thoughtful leader.
— Brothers and sisters! Even though they are deeply mistaken and however irrational it may seem, it would be cruel of us not to respond to the cry of these people's souls. We retreat!

The soldiers sighed with relief and soon left the vicinity of the cave.

-May Mana protect you – Coriel addressed Mira and Ashur – you have truly accomplished a great deed today, preventing unnecessary and senseless bloodshed. This is the greatest feat a person can achieve.

They will return later, when we leave, with a crowd twice as large and kill everyone.

“That’s true,” Raum hid the dagger, on whose blade a drop of his own blood had already appeared, and instead picked up Mira, setting her on his shoulder. “You have a golden heart, little one.”

Despite her earlier show of confidence, Ayrlis was extremely surprised and pleased when the words of her companions had the desired effect and, judging by all appearances, reached the ears of the uninvited guests. It would be difficult to say how things would have ended if it weren't for Myra's appeals to conscience and Ashur's cunning, but it clearly wouldn't have ended well. All that remained was to thank Ghoul, who had sent her such companions. Kaolike had much to learn from them. — What are you going to do now? — Ayrlis looked questioningly at Raum. — Now they know about your settlement, and even if they leave now, there is no guarantee that they will not change their minds. Or that others will not come instead of them.

– Thank you, – Noah said quietly to Mire and Ashur. Her face was calm, but the feverish and seemingly uncontrollable tremor in her knees betrayed her.
“Convincing these people was quite an achievement. You did well.”

— Yes, that is a problem... — Raven apparently didn't fully trust the cardinal's words. — They probably won't leave us alone. — I think we need to gather our things and leave as soon as possible to find a new place. — Seir suggested. — I feel sorry for the children, — Salazara sighed, — they have already gotten used to this place... And the elderly will find the transition difficult. These thoughts made the demons collectively feel down.

-- How did they even find them? Were they monitoring the newcomers? Maybe they still have scouts on duty; you won't be able to hide... We need someone who can offer protection, someone they wouldn't dare mess with.
"But where would we find such a person?"

Realizing that they are unwelcome in Arven and other cities of Eolia, an atmosphere of doom and gloom descended upon them, fueled by Coriel's words.

Seeing this, Lily approached Raum and, without words, tried to embrace him, showing that she wanted to share their fate with the village. Besides, the wise follower of Dante still hadn't told her everything he knew, it was too early for him to give up.
-- Everything is alright. We'll manage somehow... Maybe I'm wrong.
"After all, they left now, which means they still have a heart, right?"

With one girl on his shoulders and another in his arms, Raum became very embarrassed, which in turn made the others laugh.