Chapter 815 814: Differences

Chapter 815 814: Differences

"Was that..."

Mary trailed off as she stood beside me, the mature, conflicted woman alternating her gaze between me and the elderly woman still cleaning everything up from the floor, her old bones working against her as she tried to make amends for her mistake, trying to gather pity from everyone else, but...

Sadly for her, those that had influence here, those that mattered, had no pity to spare for an ignorant, idiotic old woman; not myself, not Jahi, not the other Demons, not the Vampire Princess, and not even her own leader.

No one was able to help her, for fear of being punished themselves of a severe lack of care as they continued to eat their own meals - and interestingly enough, some of the humans fell into the latter, staring at Beckandra with disinterest, whilst a few even had smugness in their eyes.

It was interesting, seeing some of my knowledge of psychology being validated thanks to their reactions - how most found the scene pitiful and wanted to help, how some couldn't care less, and how some simply found it thrilling to know that they were above this woman.

"Was that entirely necessary? Was that what you were going to ask?"Trace the roots of this material to n0v★lbin

I used the ladle to fill a bowl with some of the stew and handed it to the woman beside me, staring into her eyes as I added "Because if so, then yes, it was. On one hand, I'm a petty woman. I spent time making that food. Time preparing a meal to sustain you and your flock. Specifically, I did it for the children; they've been through enough, and I didn't want them waking up to no meal because we ate most of what you had for dinner last night."

She nodded again, this time wearing a wry smile as she looked back down at the stew, replying "I... understand. I'll make sure everyone else understands as well. It's just... I worry that stubbornness and anger might make things difficult, and-"

"And they'll learn through their mistakes. Maybe they'll think of it as prejudice, maybe they'll realize that they can't do certain things without consequences. Where you might have been able to bad mouth someone and not worry about repercussions, in the Empire you'll learn that you need to be able to accept that there are repercussions, and so long as you aren't maimed or killed, there is nothing a Guard will do. Make sure they understand that. It's a tad barbaric, but it's effective; if you can talk some smack, you can take a smack."

Her smile widened a tad at that, and I smiled back at her as I patted her shoulder, only to gesture to her bowl as I said "Eat. It's getting cold."

Looking towards the rest of the humans, my smile faded as I shouted "Eat while its hot! Or don't; you're all adults, capable of making your own damn decisions. You can either eat or starve... not like I care."

With my own plate now properly made up, I made my way over towards Jahi and sat beside her, starting to eat even as I continued to watch the struggling woman from afar, wondering just how long it would take before she cracked.

When would she snap and demand aid, or plead for forgiveness and desire to be granted mercy, to have her punishment rescinded?

I was curious, so I continued to watch, observing not only her, but the rest of the humans as well.

How would they all react..?