Why can't humans do it too?

"Go! Hurry!"

After a brief hesitation, the clanging of metal and the roaring above their heads showed no signs of abating. Sur even heard new howls coming from elsewhere—the orcish reinforcements!

"Give me a hand," there was no time to waste here. As he spoke, Sul took a deep breath and turned his arm, which had been dislocated by the white-haired orc, toward Lennie. Lennie understood what he meant, and despite the pain, he grabbed Sul's arm and pushed it upward with all his might.

Click!

"Ugh!!"

Even though he had been prepared, the pain still made Suer cry out briefly. In a sense, it was like calling for a miracle. His body regained its strength, enough to help him and Lennie escape the area.

Suer never wanted to die, and the hope of life lay ahead!

The two silent figures leaned on each other, swaying as they made their way across the towering rocks. Lenny, who was usually so talkative that he couldn't help but chatter, remained completely silent. He didn't tell Sue that he seemed to be getting used to the pain, and even felt as if he hadn't been injured at all.

"Go, go to the front, to that hidden place, that's all we need to go," Lennie's voice gradually weakened. At first, he was the one supporting Sull, but now it was Sull supporting him.

"Don't talk, hang in there, Lenny," he comforted Lenny through gritted teeth. The sweat on his body was constantly drawing away his body heat as it came into contact with the cold wind blowing through the air, but it seemed to be enough.

After crossing the huge rock above, Sull saw several familiar figures who had noticed his and Lennie's approach and were shouting something as they came closer.

They are safe.

--------------

Lenny's condition was critical; he had lost too much blood, and the robe he used to cover his wounds was soaked with blood in most of it. As a result, the group had to quickly change Lenny's clothes and then move to another location.

Fortunately, even though they had only harvested less than a third of the herbs, it was enough to stop Leni's bleeding. It was no longer the time to consider future planting.

While quickly eating to replenish his strength, Suer listened quietly as Lennie boasted about his 'great adventure.' His face was completely drained of color, as pale as a corpse, and his breathing was rapid. Yet, he was speaking with great enthusiasm. If his physical condition hadn't prevented it, Suer had no doubt that this man could have jumped up on the spot and recreated the scene himself.

“…Sul? Sul!”

Sull vaguely heard himself being called, and he quickly raised his head to look at Lennie—Lennie's lips were moving constantly.

"Pfft, so this is how you lured the Oaks here?" Sull asked quietly, then saw Lennie's smugly smiling face again. This would be a source of pride for him for the rest of his life.

“There’s nothing we can do. Our demon language isn’t as good as yours, Sull and Riku’s. Not everyone can master several languages ​​like you,” Lennie sighed dramatically. “But I only need to remember a few special words, hehe.”

"Those Orks were indeed looking for Orcs, so as long as they hid in the direction leading to where you were captured and called out 'Orcs' a few times in the Demon language, those not-so-bright but incredibly perceptive Orks actually found out where the Orcs were."

"Yeah, yeah, to be honest, my back was so nervous I was drenched in sweat. I bet those orcs definitely spotted me, but as expected, they only care about the orcs compared to us."

"Oh! I'll have a lot to talk about when we get back to the village. I'm already looking forward to it, hahaha."

"..."

The small cave suddenly became noisy. After calming down, Suer's companions were incredibly excited about what had just happened—they had successfully tricked the demons and beastmen for the first time!

But compared to these things, what Suer cared about more was something else entirely.

Even if it's incredibly cruel and ungrateful for him to say such things, but...

"Thank you everyone, thank you for coming back to save me," Suer suddenly said, his gaze falling on each and every one of them, on these most lovable people who believed in him and were willing to die for him. If it weren't for them, he probably would have already died at the hands of that orc.

He was still able to breathe the cold air, see the color of the sky, and eat enough food to fill his stomach, all thanks to their life-risking rescue. Although everyone spoke of it so casually, as if it were just pouring a glass of water, how could Su'er believe it? How could risking one's life to lure the demons in that direction be a simple matter?

They truly teetered on the brink of death and came back.

The warm feeling of being loved still lingered in Suer's heart. If he hadn't been trying so hard to suppress it, he probably would have burst into tears. This feeling of happiness from being loved, and the deepest gratitude in his heart for Lennie, for Bull, for Gado, for Mori, for everything they had done—but was it really right?

One person's life versus four people's lives.

Why, why break the rules that everyone has already set out?

why?

Why turn around and save the life of someone who survived by sacrificing the lives of others according to the rules, and who should also be sacrificed here according to the rules?

Suer's throat was stinging.

This is not fair.

Chapter Fifteen: The Ironclad Rules That Must Be Upheld

It is neither fair nor permissible, so... it must be nipped in the bud.

In such a chaotic and unrestrained era, a rule that sustains everyone's survival must never be broken.

no matter who.

The entire cave suddenly shook, and some dust and pebbles fell around the group, some even hitting them, but everyone remained motionless—they all knew about the existence of that rule and what they had done.

Every individual exists for the sake of the whole and must work for the sake of the whole. Personal feelings cannot be taken into consideration. Only by making full and reasonable use of every individual can humanity band together to survive in such a world. For this reason, it is necessary to sacrifice one person to save two others and to give up the minority for the survival of the majority.

All those grand principles about human rights and how life cannot be measured in this way are utterly meaningless. The greatest value and the most important meaning is that more people survive after making sacrifices.

Beautiful words cannot save lives.

This is the rule, and it is also the biggest reason why the settlement where Suer is now located has achieved the proud result of not losing a single person due to illness or food shortages for five whole years, except for the normal outings to collect supplies, and has been able to develop thrivingly.

To achieve such a feat in such a world and environment is nothing short of miraculous!

Everything depends on these rules, these inviolable ironclad principles.

Suer hated it immensely, but had to admit that it was the right ironclad rule.

silence.

"...Haha, it looks like there's a fierce fight outside," Mori said, scratching his head awkwardly, sensing the heavy atmosphere. "Also, Suer, you didn't need to say that. You've done so much for us, so it's only right that we do this. We can't just stand by and watch you die like this, can we?"

"That's it, we all agree with Lenny's plan!"

"Everyone's back alive now! It couldn't be better."

Not dwelling on those words, Suer belatedly turned his head to glance at the direction of the cave entrance, then lowered his head again the next second. If he didn't, the tears that were about to burst from his eyes would probably be seen.

"Is it very noisy outside?" Su Er asked quietly, calming his breathing.

"Huh? It's huge. And there are roars from the Orks and shouts from the Orcs. They must be fighting with reinforcements. The battlefield looks wide. It's been going on for a long time... By the way, Sul, didn't you hear anything before?" said the brown-haired young man, Bull, asking curiously.

"I see..." Without answering Bull's question, Sur just muttered to himself softly.

He already understands.

"But didn't I already order you to run away? Take the herbs you've gathered and go back to the camp."

Cruel words swirled in Suer's mouth, yet he uttered them softly without hesitation.

"Why go and lure the demons? What if you all die there...?"

Such high-risk and high-loss behavior must never be allowed to happen again, therefore, it must happen right here...

To those who have just risked their lives to save their own...

“There are very few adults left in the settlement who are capable of going out to gather supplies. If you all suffer losses here as well… then we will… then we will lose five…”

Suer's words were already broken and he could barely continue. Each word was squeezed out from between his tightly clenched teeth, filled with struggle—he hated himself for having to do these things.

There was no need to worry about her tears being seen anymore, because her choked voice had already betrayed her.

“That orc didn’t attack immediately, and I was the only one who could talk to him and stall him. It’s enough that you survived after losing me.”

"One life versus four lives."

"So, next time..."

"Please don't do this anymore... okay?"

With his fingers digging deep into his hair, Suer trembled as he uttered his final request, or perhaps his command.

I'm sorry, Riku.

I can never be like you...

The echoes of Sull's voice lingered in the air. Silence reigned; no one spoke. The only sounds were Lennie's rapid breathing and the occasional explosion-like noises coming from the cave entrance.

“…It’s different, Sur,” after a long silence, Bull gently shook his head in denial, “Your survival is different from our survival.”

"What's the difference? What's the difference between us?" Before Bull could even finish speaking, Suer raised his voice in anger, "If we can't follow this principle, then how can I, who once ordered Worry to die... face Worry's ghost and his wife?"

His lips were trembling, and he was shaking uncontrollably. Suer clutched his face in anguish, tears mingling with his loose hair and clinging to his fingers, as if the long-gone Wori were holding his hand.

In the past, he would often be startled awake on every dark night in the cave, as if a non-existent yet substantial soul was sitting beside his bed, speaking to him—"I'm watching you."

We're watching you.

Wori, the kind-hearted old man who always smiled and liked to sit quietly by the pond in the center of the settlement in his spare time, gave his life last year to draw the attention of the giants and cover the escape of Sur and the others.

It's not just him.

“I gave the order myself…” He was curled up, his words barely audible, his voice hoarse as if struggling to escape his throat, “If I disobey even myself… what kind of person am I…”

The cold in the cave seemed to grow even more intense.

"No, only you and Riku, only you two are different."

Almost without pausing, and completely unfazed by Sull's words, having already prepared his answer, Bull continued without hesitation: "If you and Riku are the minds that lead everyone to survive in this cruel world, then we are merely the hands and feet."

This man, who had always trusted and obeyed any of Sul's orders and words, calmly met Sul's gaze at this moment, his eyes filled with determination; he had never been so serious before.

"We can still move forward even if we lose our hands and feet, but if we lose our minds, we would probably all die from falling off a cliff in the dark."

"I say with certainty," Bohr said.