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Chapter 14 - Chapter 14 Organizations

Clayton had been granted a vision of history's other face, but felt no longer surprised.

Anyway, now he only wondered how to sustain a peaceful life.

Quite by chance, Gilead's lecture stretched to this. "Innate nature, well, innate nature. Only a small portion of Darkins share human beings' innate nature. Even though I have said that Darkins can marry humans, that's a case only partly true."

Gilead enjoyed lecturing while Clayton proved an attentive student.

"Darkins' nature varies. To humans, some are as Ponies to Mountain Horses, others as donkeys to horses. Even though these severely mutated Darkins could still have offspring with humans, their offspring would be infertile, just like a mule."

"Some Darkins believe, though without solid evidence, that the world that the Dark Moon looms over and the current world differ greatly. Their abnormalities are part of their otherworld selves projected onto this world."

"Of course, it is mere guesswork. Many Darkins dislike the idea of being classified as an alien, so they would put the best spin on their transformation." As Gilead said this, he spun around and turned the dial on a safe.

Clayton stared at the dial from behind, trying to etch the password into his memory.

"How do Darkins get along with each other?"

"What else do you expect?" With a surprised gaze, Gilead looked over his shoulders at him. "Just like human beings, the stronger has the say."

"Then who would be seen as stronger?"

Gilead's hand stopped turning the dial as he grew thoughtful.

The sight of the constable's musing look excited Clayton. With the werewolf bloodline, his blood would stir at the thought of combat.

But he was an unmistakable pacifist.

"This is a controversial issue." Gilead sighed. "But the answer is more than clear..."

Clayton's forehead was now wrinkled with deep lines from his concentration.

The stronger among Darkins must be something like Divinely Blessed Warriors among Lowland Tribespeople. Those Warriors had long troubled the garrison in the colony. Even with a musket, average soldiers would miss them.

"... the stronger among Darkins are mammalian."

Gilead solemnly delivered the truth, only to be greeted with Clayton's bewildered expression.

"What? You find this inconceivable?"

Clayton sensed the veins on his forehead throbbing. "No, I just... want more details."

"Oh, I understand. Yeah, it's a bit vague. I shall give you more details." Gilead immediately saw the light.

"Among Darkins, presently, invertebrates unconventionally possess mightier combat and survival abilities. But they are rarely seen. In social adaptation, vertebrates apparently excel. If we probe deeper, mammalian Darkins outperform the rest of vertebrate Darkins."

"I have seen your trail left on the Mercy Street. You must be mammalian as well. It is something worth pride."

"Since we're warm-blooded, we have greater stamina, and our brains receive an ample blood supply. Or else we might become feeble as seasons change. In comparison, amphibian, reptile, and piscine Darkins favor a certain environment, more likely to expose themselves..."

'These are not the details I want...' Clayton felt somewhat numb. All he could do was wait until Gilead stopped talking.

Another five minutes later, Gilead ceased his lesson, but his eyes still glowed.

"Sorry, I'm a former biology teacher. Even though I was dismissed from the school, some of my habits persist."

Clayton twitched his lips but said nothing.

Since his students and colleagues couldn't remember his appearance, it's natural that Gilead had been fired.

Gilead finally opened the safe, revealing a heap of forms inside.

He took a sheet from the top and handed it to Clayton, along with the pen clipped to his jacket pocket. "This is the registration form for Sasha City's Darkins. Fill it in with your personal information, and then you will be counted as a member of the Council of Elders. "

Clayton took the form and the fountain pen, but didn't immediately start putting pen to paper. He examined it carefully, determining that it looked identical to that for a normal citizen; there were no columns for one's special ability and race.

Head raised, he asked, "If I don't fill it in, what's the consequence?"

"Absolutely no consequences." Gilead took out another completed form and pointed him to it, "These forms only circulate within the Council. If you want an ordinary life forever, then for sure you don't have to fill it."

His casual words intrigued Clayton.

"Supposing I complete the form, how will it shape my life?"

Gilead thought a while before replying, "If the Kingdom is preparing for a war, then the Recruitment Office personnel won't come to you. Re-enlistment will also be none of your business. If you're already an employee of some government department, before the department is disbanded, you will never get laid off. Of course, the Council of Elders won't secure you a job. You're on your own for finding your way in."

"Aren't these all benefits?"

Despite all these benefits, Clayton wasn't happy at all.

Till this year, he had lived as a pure-blood human. He couldn't switch sides easily.

He found one thing particularly unacceptable---- this bunch of monsters was living a life too cozy!

They didn't even have to fight for the country, but ran factories and invested in lucrative businesses in the rear areas. Some of the richest among them had even garnered occasional press. Some had grown rich from wars as a military equipment supplier. If they worked in a government office, they even enjoyed better treatment.

Who the fuck did the country belong to?

His elder brother died for the country!

"Then do we shoulder corresponding obligations?"

As this sentence escaped his lips, Clayton anticipated that Gilead would cite Darkins' contributions that justified their better treatment.

Gilead waved at him. "Yes, some obligations, but not for all of us. Blending in as an ordinary person and maintaining secrecy are your obligations as newborns."

The White Church had been publicizing their existence, but ever fewer people believed the propaganda thanks to the Darkins' concerted efforts.

Clayton uncapped the pen and, without the least hesitation, swished its tip across the sheet. Before long, he passed the form back to Gilead.

He hated this world!

Gilead placed the sheet atop the pile, then thudded its bottom against the tabletop, arranging the stack neatly. Then, he stuffed these forms back into the safe and shut the door before turning back to Clayton with a hopeful smile.

"This weekend, I will take these forms along on my return to the headquarters. Later, the Council will send a representative to verify the information with you. Any other questions? I am free now."

After some thought, Clayton decided to resolve all his concerns here and now.

"Of course, Mr. Gilead, have you ever heard of the Holy Grail Society?"

Gilead's face stiffened as if under a petrification spell.

..........

The Holy Grail Society had originally been part of the Holy Grail Church under the White Church, but now they had already been branded as heretics.

It was an ancient, traditional organization.

According to the White Church's doctrines, Heavenly Father Carola granted his blood to all creatures, enlightening their minds. Therefore, the Holy Grail---a golden goblet considered the source of wisdom----would be used in newborns' baptisms.

However, the Holy Grail Society asserted the Holy Grail's other aspect.

"...They believe that although human beings have gained wisdom, the divine blood has also given rise to the longing of desires. So that Heavenly Father's blessing entails even the evil, which we need not shun."

"Of course, this is entirely a misunderstanding."

In the classroom, Jili, Joe Mani's Godfather, a spare, chestnut-haired man, smashed a pointer against the blackboard, producing a clang that jolted all of his students awake from their dreams.

Joe was the only one who stayed awake the whole time.

Seeing the surrounding people bloating like tumbleweed having soaked up water, he started coiling up and leaning away.

Back when Father Petri told him that his Godfather had been arranged, he never expected so many 'classmates'.

All his fellow students were wet-behind-the-ear brats from poorhouses, thinly built and dumb to boot. With snot all over their faces and dressed in filth, they frolicked all over the place. Furthermore, their art of thievery outclassed Joe's.

If not for Godfather Jili, who had caught them stealing from Joe, Joe might not have discovered in time that his belt had been missing.

The last thing Joe wanted was to touch them.

"All the evil has stemmed from those monsters spawned in the darkness, who defy Heavenly Father by descending upon this world and spreading evil ideas among people."

As Jili swung around and wrote the sentence from Sacred Text down, the friction of the chalk against the blackboard sounded sleepy.

"So we need... appreciate... the mercy and kindness of .... Heavenly Father and all the Saints, approach ... the Exalted Ones, purify our beliefs ... shun vices... shun ..."

"Grumble----"

During Godfather Jili's murmuring, Joe heard the sound indicating hunger.

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