Xingyue, is Xiaokai also considered Kai?

"If there really is a God, I think He would definitely hate humanity because of this."

"Is that so? I think God neither hates nor particularly likes people. Maybe He's not even that interested in them."

"It is because of punishment that the world is not loved by God. Father Faria, is this the doctrine you believe in?"

"I'm not sure about that, but I quite like this world."

“You have been imprisoned for three years, from 1811 to 1814, and based on the known facts, there is no possibility of your release.”

"Even so, I still love this world."

"Hello, I am James Moriarty, a prison inspector."

215: Moriarty: Faria!!! (7000)

"Although you probably already know my name, let me introduce myself anyway. Hello, James Moriarty, I'm Faria..."

Favia paused during her self-introduction when she saw the silver-haired young man before her, then continued, "...Williams."

James Moriarty, seventeen years old, is a first-year student at a university in England and has already secured a mathematics teaching position. By all accounts, a very bright future lies ahead of him.

The Napoleon of the criminal world.

Of course, he hasn't made any important choices in his life yet; he's still just a student.

Although his eyes are somewhat fierce, he still has the traits of a kind-hearted person and a fragile spirit. Overall, if he weren't in prison, his first impression on people in college would be that of a cheerful young man.

At this moment, he came to the Château d'If in France only because he thought he might gain something from the evil people imprisoned there. However, over the past few months, Moriarty has not gained much from these prisoners.

Since it wasn't about bad food or being wronged, but about wanting freedom... he naturally understood that such a request was perfectly reasonable for someone imprisoned.

However, there is a slight sense of regret... because in Moriarty's view, it was too mediocre and not pure at all.

But in the dungeon of the Château d'If, James Moriarty found the Italian priest Faria, though somewhat strange, to be extremely interesting.

"Oh?"

Moriarty raised an eyebrow slightly, probably surprised by the name 'Williams' which was not recorded, but he didn't think much of it. After all, in his view, it was just a name. Whether it was Father Faria or Faria Williams, there was no difference in the field of calculation.

According to records, this Faria served as a secretary to a cardinal for twenty-eight years before being imprisoned in the Château d'If for unknown reasons. Although the details of the imprisonment were not recorded, based on the events of those years, Moriarty could guess that the Italian priest was imprisoned because of Italian issues.

So he continued:

"I've been sent to inspect the prison and hear the prisoners' requests. What are your requests?"

"For prisoners, the greatest desire is naturally freedom."

Moriarty was somewhat disappointed; he had expected to come up with other, more interesting ideas, but they turned out to be just as mediocre.

As criminals, they are not only guilty of sins as defined by the world, but they have also truly committed 'sin', so it's better to be more authentic.

"Why are you disappointed?" Although the silver-haired youth had a good expression, Favia could still see his disappointment in his subtle movements. "In your opinion, is it wrong for prisoners to pursue freedom?"

"This is only natural, and I won't comment on it too much."

Moriarty didn't react much to the fact that his feelings had been exposed; he remained expressionless as always.

“Is that so?” Favia shook her head. “Then why do you think prisoners would pursue freedom?”

"Because you are going to die, it is too painful for you."

"That's right, you're right. It's because you want to live that you suffer. Your body wants to live, so it suffers. This pain from your body not only means that you are still alive, but also that you are fighting, that you are resisting the fate of being eliminated."

In Moriarty's view, the priest before him was peculiar because he was unlike any other believer he had ever met. Even the impression that he was a priest was very vague; it would be easier to believe that he was a gentle old man.

"Punish the guilty. This is not a matter of personal demand. Even if you give them freedom, what good will it do? The wicked will only continue to degenerate."

"Indeed, those who commit crimes should be punished, and there is absolutely no need to complain about it."

"It seems you know it too."

Moriarty stared intently at the old man before him.

It's as if it's saying that since that's the case, there's no need to pray for freedom.

As if reading his expression, Favia smiled sheepishly.

"But what if there were a man who was sentenced to five years of hard labor for trying to feed his sister's seven children a loaf of bread? This completely unfair treatment led him to attempt to escape four times, but he failed each time. In the end, he served a full eighteen years of hard labor before being released. Do you think such punishment is fair? Can't he pray for his freedom?"

“Perfectly so,” the young Moriarty said calmly. “However, Father, what you’re saying is just a story, a conjecture. From a broader perspective, most prisoners don’t need to pursue freedom.”

"Do you know what crime I committed to get me locked up here?"

"There is no detailed record in the dossier, but I believe that someone like you, Father, will surely be released in time, because you are very talented in languages ​​and are a great benefit to human society. I will also give you a good evaluation in the dossier and will not let you waste this talent."

"Yeah."

Suddenly, Moriarty noticed a hint of loneliness on Faria's face and instinctively fell silent.

Why did I suddenly fall silent?

Before Moriarty could resolve his doubts, the old man gave him a smile.

"But what about those who lack talent? Was their life wasted from the very beginning?"

"........"

—The greatest conspirator in history, the mastermind behind all atrocities, the nerve center controlling the underworld, the brain that dictates the fate of nations—that's the kind of person he is!

This is Sherlock Holmes' assessment of Moriarty in the original story.

But to be honest, most of the descriptions are mentioned by Holmes himself. According to Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes stories, he was simply a character created to end the life of Sherlock Holmes, a tool with almost no descriptions, just to conclude the story.

However, in the Type-Moon universe, James Moriarty is a real person, and he was even indirectly involved in Dr. Jekyll's attempt to remove his own evil and become the ultimate good.

It's not that he destroys the world because he is evil, but rather that he becomes evil in order to destroy the world. This is probably the best way to describe this person.

That's right. He didn't do evil out of any profound reason, but simply out of his own logic. If ordinary people used simple morality to judge, they would know that Moriarty was definitely wrong. However, since Moriarty's evil deeds were based on reason, it was impossible to touch him without breaking his logic. And he had no logical flaws, which meant that it was impossible to break his logic. All one could do was say, "I don't agree."

"For example, what should people who are born with an unfortunate destiny do?"

No parents, living in poverty, knowing nothing, needing food to survive, unable to speak properly, lacking all the normal body parts of a human being... Furthermore, what about children abandoned at birth, left in a desolate wilderness?

Moriarty was speechless.

If he were in his old age, he might have been able to give a perfunctory or speculative answer, because at that time he would be the 'Napoleon of the criminal world', and naturally he would not bother with such a thing that he was powerless to change. He would simply laugh it off as a criminal who could not be restrained by morality, judged by law, reformed by education, or persuaded by words.

However, in his youth he was a rational and cheerful person, and had not yet been tainted by too many things.

Until now, he has lived by various calculations.

His brain calculates and tells him based on his experiences so far:

Valuable people and worthless people are clearly distinguished from the moment they are born.

No matter how hard an incompetent person tries, they can never become a valuable person. The idea that "effort can breed success" is a huge misunderstanding.

No one can "become" a talented person; rather, one is born with so-called talent.

If killing a hundred useless people could save a thousand useful people, then surely someone would be willing to bear this sin.

Does this mean that it's acceptable for people without talent to be wasted, in order to give more capable people room to grow?

Even though his brain calculated the result to be this, his inner voice was preventing him from saying it.

No... While that's true, human life is not something that can be judged so simply and clearly!

Therefore, the young Moriarty could only lower his head and whisper:

"I do not know."

"Right, humans can no longer live as simply and clearly as beasts, precisely because we are not perfect enough to ignore sadness... no, that's not perfect. It is because we can feel sadness that humans possess emotions, and life is not some necessary competition. I don't think this world should require desperate struggles for someone to care about another person."

"But does Father Mofarlia think that anything can be achieved through hard work? If hard work were enough, there would be no weaklings in this world."

In response to Moriarty's rebuttal, Favia continued to reply with a smile:

Ultimately, there is no definite judgment on whether something is useful or useless. One's understanding of things changes as one changes oneself. Whether something is beautiful or ugly depends on how it is interpreted. All people are born into the long history of humankind and die in the long history of humankind.

"Indeed, as you say, there is a distinction between useful and useless people. Take, for example, the people you mentioned who are born with unavoidable misfortunes. How could such people possibly move forward so easily and survive so tenaciously? The vast majority of them would become true evildoers, and thus be useless to humanity. Please refute my statement!"

Although the man's voice was very calm, his heart was actually pounding.

Moriarty felt more excited and thrilled than ever before in his life. He couldn't wait to hear what the priest named Faria would say next; it was incredibly exciting for him.

Father Faria, what else can you say?

He couldn't help but think so.

However, Faria, who was standing in front of him, simply nodded slightly and then looked away.

"...I admit that it is a sin to presume to move forward without having personally experienced the past of others. But the limit of my language is only the limit of what I know. After all, since language is something created by humans, it is certainly not perfect. Moreover, beauty is not perfect; it is derived from emptiness according to people's individual ideas."

"...Hmph, it seems you do have some self-awareness."

For some reason, Moriarty was in a bad mood for a moment.

Perhaps he was hoping for a more forceful rebuttal.

"But no matter what, there will be setbacks, or times when you can't bear the glory of your goal and bow your head. Even so, you won't understand some things if you don't try them. On the road to progress, even if you encounter failures and setbacks, you will still feel great."

As he spoke, Favia coughed lightly a few times.

"The reason I acknowledge what you said is because I cannot speak for everyone, since I haven't seen them all, so I naturally wouldn't dare to speak for myself. But I will speak for all those who have witnessed misfortune yet still move forward, saying that indeed not everyone can succeed, but it is precisely because they have all tried that the world has come to where it is today."

"Father, are you perhaps suggesting that so-called good perpetuates the world?"

Upon hearing this, Moriarty, who had been expressionless, suddenly burst into laughter.

“Weak goodness will only be ruthlessly trampled in the face of cunning evil. In fact, most of the kings and so-called heroes who have risen in history are villains. As long as you look at history carefully, anyone will notice this. Even you, the founders of the church, have countless blood on your hands.”

At that moment, it was as if time had stopped; the two remained motionless.

Moriarty's eyes were fixed on Faria, his gaze seemingly trying to pierce through her.

His words were enough to suffocate ordinary believers.

"Yes, it was indeed stained with blood. I admit that. Whatever the reason, a lot of people were killed."

However, to Moriarty's surprise, Falivey nodded without hesitation.

"For example, humans who can't lie don't exist in this world. And so-called lies, like breathing, are unavoidable and a necessary means of survival."

Therefore, no matter how lofty the justice one proclaims, no matter how dazzling the ideal one upholds, one will not purely believe in such things. Even when accepting lies as a necessary evil, it will be the most reliable weapon.

"Ha, that's not something a priest should say."

"Necessary evil is better than pointless good. There is no need to regret it or feel ashamed because of it. The victory of immorality is greater than the defeat of virtue. Even if condemned by conscience, the victor still has a chance to redeem himself, while the loser has no chance to turn things around."

"...All that has been said is ultimately just the rhetoric of the victors. In such actions, it is always the kind and innocent who suffer."

Moriarty withdrew his smile and his face became expressionless again, though his breathing rate showed that he was forcing himself to remain calm.

"In that case, for the sake of kind and innocent people, can you destroy this world where evildoers run rampant?" James Moriarty.

"Huh? What did you say—"

Next, Moriarty will likely never forget the old man's pale blue eyes and his words that shone like stars.

Although no magic was used, the voice resonated deep within him, and from those words, he sensed a truly sincere prayer.

"To become the 'evil' that brings darkness, pain, and despair to those who wantonly plunder hope."

"what?!"

"If it were you, could you do it? James Moriarty, could you do it? No, if it were you, you certainly could, Mr. James Moriarty."

"Putting aside this so-called evil, why do you think I am definitely capable of doing it?"

"Because, just like you, I calculated it, calculated the result of 'James Moriarty can do it,' and thus concluded that 'James Moriarty is feasible.'"

Favia answered decisively.

"...Ah, people always want to challenge their limits, and they can't help but want to prove their conclusions are correct. In other words, it's a boring idea, which is truly a beauty without calculation."

The young Moriarty spoke in a very heavy voice.

"If it's a coincidence, how many consecutive occurrences must it happen before it becomes certain?"

Favia shook his head again as he spoke.

He believed that no matter how many times a chance occurrence happens, it can never become a certainty.

No matter how many times a chance event occurs, it is still a chance event; even if it never happens, it is still an inevitability.