Driven by denial and the sickly need to find a flaw in this supposed utopia, the first thing I did that same night was to go out on my own. Covered with a thick cloak and a hood that hid my distinctive features, I blended in among the shadows and the lights of Chiple, determined to confirm with the inhabitants themselves what my heart refused to accept.
I walked for hours, talking to several people in the alleys and squares, trying to draw out information about the supposed change, but most only repeated praises or showed a satisfied indifference that frustrated me. After not getting much useful information or criticisms of the current monarchy, my steps finally led me to a familiar place; a small outdoor food stall I had visited decades ago, a few months after receiving the Dragon God's Fragment alongside my father, the former King of all this.
"One soup, please." I asked with a hoarse voice, sitting on one of the wooden stools in front of the almost empty bar due to the late hours of the night.
The owner, a woman of the demonic race with wrinkles marked by time, served me a steaming bowl with a kind smile. Taking advantage of the moment, and seeing that there were not many customers nearby, I decided to ask casually.
"Excuse me, I have a doubt if you allow me. A few decades ago I visited this place with my son." I lied, protecting my identity, while I stirred the broth with the spoon. "And well, I must say that now it is a completely different place. What happened for it to change so much?"
The lady, illuminated by the warm glow of the Luminorbs hanging from the ceiling of the stall, smiled with pride, as if she expected someone to ask her that question.
"Yes, yes, it has certainly changed much…. since before everything you see now, was a dump covered in rats." She responded with melancholy, before continuing. "But thanks to the Dragon God who watches over this Kingdom, the Supreme Ruler changed everything."
"S-Supreme Ruler?" I asked, stopping the spoon halfway due to the devotion with which she said that title, turning my stomach. "Do y-you mean the King of this Kingdom?"
"Yes!" She answered, nodding while she wiped the bar with a rag. "Although in truth, now the title of whoever reigns these lands is Supreme Ruler. Since the Supreme Ruler himself changed it after coming into power to distinguish himself from the previous Kings, who between us, did nothing for these lands."
"T-That is... curious." I finally murmured, realizing that the demon was waiting for a reaction to her words. Correcting my tone quickly, I decided to change the subject to continue my investigation. "I see, I see... sounds imposing. But, what about the city? What exactly happened? Now it is very different, more modern, and… safer."
"Yes, I was getting to that." She said, leaning her elbows on the bar to tell the story. "You see, the city before was very chaotic, it was full of fights, murders, and drug sales wherever you looked. We lived with fear. But after the Supreme Ruler took power, he started making major changes in the Kingdom. And one of the first was here."
She paused, lowering her voice a bit so that the other diners wouldn't hear, leaning slightly toward my ears.
"After one month of ascending the throne, he came personally and executed the noble in charge of these lands….
Ahh… I still remember how the people of Chiple were when they found out, it was as if a God had come down from the heavens to judge them."
"I-Is that true?" I asked, confused by the demon's words.
"Yes, it's true. Our Supreme Ruler killed him for his incompetence and… I think also for the clear corruption he had with the traffickers who ruled the streets. The thing is, after that, he put someone else in charge; Madam Rosse of the Kela House."
"The Kela House?" I repeated, recognizing the surname of a minor noble family, not well known in the castle.
"Exactly. A human noble already very old when she took office, but despite that, in the years she was among us, she ruled with an iron fist before passing away seeing the fruit of her efforts.
You see, she, in a short time, started to clear the streets with the help of the Kingdom's army. At first it was difficult, there was a lot of resistance from the mafias, but over the weeks it was achieved, leaving the city free of most criminals that inhabited it. Then, with programs the Supreme Ruler implemented in the Kingdom, Madam Rosse put in new infrastructure, similar to that of the capital and even better."
"What...?" I asked, unable to hide my surprise at those claims.
It can't be… Did he really do that…? But… It—it can't be.
I looked around discreetly, noticing for the first time the details in the streets; the sewer systems that didn't exist before, the widening of the streets and how the light poles had designs I had never seen, plus all the wiring passed through the ground, and no longer through the streets.
Where did he get all this? Did they invent it?
Regaining my composure, I continued with the talk, trying to find the weak point of this story.
"So... did he arrest so many people?" I asked, calculating mentally. "And where did they put them in the end? Because keeping thousands of prisoners and criminals must have been very expensive for the city's coffers."
The lady quickly shook her head and a hand, letting out a dry laugh that lacked any humor.
"No, no, no, no. No one here was arrested." She said with a naturalness that froze my blood. "By order of the Supreme Ruler, everyone with serious crimes was executed immediately. This was done to teach the rest that there would be no mercy, unlike the old times, where the other Kings were weak and did nothing for us."
"I see..." I said in a low voice, feeling how my appetite disappeared completely.
I finished eating what was left in the bowl quickly, feeling the urgent need to get away from there. I left some coins on the bar, thanked her with a quick gesture and lost myself again in the darkness of the street, with my mind in a mess from the confirmation of what Irisha and the others told me.
…
Frustrado and with blood boiling from the information I had just gathered, I moved away from the commercial area to go deep into the deepest and darkest alleys of Chiple. I hid my presence almost completely, leaving just the right trail to look like an easy prey, a lost tourist with money in his pockets.
Come on... dare. I thought, sharpening my senses while walking through the gloom. Show me that all this is a sham. Mug me, try to kill me... do something that confirms to me that this is still the nest of rats I remember.
I walked for hours, crossing corners that in the past would have been a certain death sentence. However, the silence was absolute. There were no gazes lurking from the shadows, nor the gleam of knives waiting for a slip. Nothing. The safety was so overwhelming that it was insulting.
Finally, after turning into an alley slightly more lit by some low-intensity pink Luminorbs, I felt movement. Before I could react, or even wish to do so, I was softly intercepted by a pair of female figures who came out of a side door.
"Well, well... what is such a handsome man doing walking alone here?" A sweet voice whispered in my ear.
They were two girls, a human and a demi-beast, dressed in light clothes that left little to the imagination, highlighting their curves under the dim light. Without giving me time to respond, they pressed against my body, one on each side, trapping me in an embrace that had nothing hostile about it, but a lot of intent.
"What's wrong honey? Why that face? It seems you had a hard day." Purred the human, sliding her fingers across my chest while looking at me with eyes laden with feigned desire. "It shows in your tense shoulders. How about you come inside with us? We could help you release all that stress... and have a very pleasant moment."
"Sure... with its respective payment, of course." Added the demi-beast, winking at me while taking my hand delicately and guiding it firmly to her bare waist, while her companion did the same with my other hand.
I felt the warmth of her skin under my palms, but my mind, cold and calculating like that of an old dog, didn't let itself be clouded by lust. Instead, logical analysis took control.
"Excuse me…" I said with a calm voice, without taking my hands from where they had placed them to not look aggressive or distant, but without yielding to their advance. "I have a doubt. Is this not illegal? I heard that the Supreme Ruler prohibited crimes and cleared the city. Don't you fear being executed or something like that?"
The girls looked at each other and let out a soft giggle, as if I had told an innocent joke.
"Oh, honey, what things you say..." Responded the human, bringing her face close to mine until I could smell her cheap but sweet perfume. "This is not a crime. We are not stealing, nor scamming, and much less killing anyone."
"Exactly." Continued the other, brushing her leg against mine. "This is just a job. We have our licenses, we comply with the health regulations of the Kingdom and we pay our taxes to the castle. As long as everything is consensual and there is no violence, the Supreme Ruler has no problems with people... enjoying themselves."
Regulation... not prohibition. I thought, feeling how the last piece of the puzzle clicked into my mind with a thud.
With care, I moved my hands away from their waists and took a step back, breaking the physical contact after getting what I wanted.
"I see... sounds very organized." I said, maintaining a friendly tone. "But I'm afraid I'll have to decline your offer for today. Maybe another day."
"Your loss, handsome." Said one of them, shrugging her shoulders without insisting further, before returning to their positions at the entrance of the place.
I walked away at a slow pace, leaving behind the pink lights of the alley. As I walked back toward where our lodging was, the reality of the situation hit me with more force than any sword.
Boris condemned violence, theft, and chaos to death, but he allowed everything else under the strict supervision of the Kingdom. To me that was… a base, but efficient system. Brutal with the violent, but permissive with the vicious. A perfect balance to keep the population controlled and, worse still... satisfied.
"Shit!" I complained in a low voice, clenching my fists as I realized that, much to my regret, Boris's ideas had worked.