Wildness and Masks-Chapter 90 – What is meaning?

Gorler (the mysterious knight): "No need, I don't care about such things."

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Recent experiences had cost him almost everything.

Including the little compassion he had left.

So even knowing what was about to happen, Gorler had no interest in warning those human nobles.

Not seeking revenge was already quite good for him.

His only interest now was following this somewhat unusual merchant to see how he would handle the upcoming events.

Gorler never believed in karma.

But Kakafil's actions intrigued him—he wanted to witness this guy's fate.

"Everyone must have desires, right?" Kakafil turned his head slightly to look at Gorler as he rode his steed.

"Desires... hehe."

Gorler chuckled strangely—desires... aren't they the root of all misfortune?

To be honest, he didn't even know what he wanted anymore.

He was truly lost.

Hatred and his mother's teachings constantly battled within him, maintaining a delicate balance.

"There's nothing wrong with facing desires," Kakafil smiled. "Gorler, I don't think people should feel guilty about their imagined desires; desires need to be controlled, but they shouldn't be completely abandoned. Without desires, can we still be called human?"

"Humans... aren't much different from beasts," Gorler rarely retorted.

"In a way, perhaps that's true," Kakafil tucked his wind-blown hair behind his ear. "Humans aren't that noble; we're just parasites on this continent—just a bit stronger."

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The human race.

Compared to Dragons and Elves, they could indeed be considered weak and inherently flawed.

But compared to other races, humans were already a 'perfect race.'

The ability to wield weapons alone made them stronger than many creatures.

Physically, they were much stronger than Goblins, small night demons, and dwarf beasts.

A normally developed adult female could defeat two adult male Goblins with a stick (in non-special hybrid cases).

Not to mention those powerful Professionals.

"Is it just because of strength..."

Gorler didn't feel like talking anymore; he had thought Kakafil might say something different.

"Strength is just the foundation for pursuing ideals. Surviving doesn't require being very strong, but people can't just pursue mere existence—that would make them no different from beasts and demon beasts. So I think pursuing something is fine as long as it makes you happy."

Kakafil looked ahead as he spoke.

"And what about other demon beasts... like Goblins?" Gorler asked, seemingly casually.

"How would I know what Goblins think? Maybe you should ask Kedo (the gray dwarf) that question," Kakafil replied.

"No... I just want to know how you view Goblins," Gorler asked after a moment of silence.

"What else is there to think about? A race that only pursues survival and reproduction—what pursuits or meaning could they have? My view doesn't change others' opinions."

Kakafil actually disliked the Goblin race.

But he later realized that no matter how much he disliked them, nothing seemed to change.

So he gave up on those meaningless personal opinions.

With that time, he might as well make more money.

"So you're saying it's just because Goblins aren't strong enough..." Gorler clearly misunderstood Kakafil's meaning.

But he drifted further along this line of thought.

'What if Goblins were strong enough...' Gorler began to imagine.

There were indeed many stronger race templates than Goblins.

For example, the centaurs on the plains, who also engaged in marauding and debauchery—only a few centaurs had decent civilized qualities.

On a larger scale.

Dragons, in essence, weren't much different from Goblins—equally greedy, equally lustful.

It's just that Dragons were so powerful that few dared to provoke them.

The mighty dragon power made their drakes quite popular—even humans were willing to mate with them.

Humans despised half-Goblin offspring but were eager to embrace those with dragon blood...

"That's not what I meant..."

Kakafil shook his head, interrupting Gorler's thoughts.

"What I meant is that it's hard to change anything based on one's perspective... Changing others is difficult, but changing oneself is easy. You can't decide others' choices, but you can determine your own meaning. This applies to any intelligent race."

Kakafil's words didn't sway Gorler.

He increasingly felt that the root of all his misfortunes lay in a lack of strength.

If he had been stronger, his mother wouldn't have been captured by those Ogres while protecting him—no, if he had been stronger, she wouldn't have been driven out in the first place.

If he had been strong enough to resist Muer (Gorler's so-called teacher), he could have ignored its orders and protected his 'brothers'...

He could have safeguarded that village...

"Not being able to influence others is just a sign of one's own lack of strength, Kakafil. I think I know what my desire is—I want to become stronger!"

A resolute gleam flashed in Gorler's eyes beneath his armored visor.

He wanted to become strong.

And then kill that so-called 'king'!

Only then could he truly save the Goblin race.

Thoughts were important, but the prerequisite for implementing civilized ideas was a strong foundation of power.

"To become stronger, perhaps, but in this world, the strong are always the minority. Many who can't become strong can still find meaning in life; ideals aren't exclusive to the strong."

Kakafil never directly refuted anyone—his words always left room for himself.

"That's not important."

Gorler shook his head, still firm in his belief, having suffered under ideals without power.

"Yes, it's all unimportant if you can't survive."

Kakafil turned his steed's head, looking back at the village they had just left: "Helping more people in need of clothing get through the winter is the most important thing right now—meaning and ideals come after survival; without meaning, maybe people aren't people, but if they can't even maintain basic survival, then they aren't even beasts."

Kakafil's glance back made Gorler turn his head too.

Looking at the villagers in new clothes in the distance, he couldn't help but ask Kakafil one last question.

"And what is your ideal (meaning)?"

"Me?" Kakafil was taken aback, then burst into laughter: "Hahaha, I'm just an ordinary person. Didn't I tell you my ideal when we first met?"

"I, Kakafil, will be the greatest borderlands merchant in the future..."

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