District 42-Chapter 266: Those who died for freedom
The small and dirty house settled in somewhere inside District 42 fell into silence after the end of that story.
Casper was still sitting on top of the bed, he didn’t move an inch since the old man started to tell him about it. His eyes were distant as he imagined how all that drama unfolded.
He still had a lot of questions, but that alone already helped him to know about the Frelsis’ nature. They, indeed, weren’t as bad as people said. They weren’t terrorists at all. Unfortunately, one could say that they were criminals before the rules of District 42, but their anarchism was justified by their real intentions.
’In the end, probably most of the Frelsis are just a lot of people who needed to forcefully know how misery tastes since the day they were born. It’s not their fault that they rebelled at all. Even if their actions nowadays can be more chaotic and harmful for others, it is still the consequence of the terrible system that operates in District 42.’
Javir was quiet, looking at him with his usual serene eyes and waiting that Casper said something. He knew that the soldier was still trying to reason and absorb it. After all, he probably had been fighting against the Frelsi for a considerable amount of time, and now that it all wasn’t exactly the right thing to do, it must have hit him deeply.
’All this while I fought beside the Royal Family and the Jarls, but always trying to know more about the Frelsis. However, now that I know exactly what is going on, I wonder how I need to proceed.’
The White warrior stared at his eyes. Somehow, that lull on his countenance helped Casper to soothe his mind.
"So, that’s how you initiated the Frelsi, huh?" He spoke, trying to break the silence.
"Yes. It’s very resumed. We needed to pass for a lot of harsh times when trying to overcome the masks restrictions. You know, it was hard to program something that the masks didn’t allow us to do. Maybe that’s why our results came halved. Anyway, until now we couldn’t pull through the other half to make our freedom complete."
"That’s what I was wondering. The Frelsi was born fifty years ago. If that’s how it is, then why there weren’t any progression on your hacking? At this point, following the same progression you had before, which took only some months, you should be already there."
"Well, there is a reason for this, naturally..." Pity was the first hint of emotion that Javir showed to Casper instead of that serenity of his. However, now he could clearly see sorrow in his eyes. "They died."
Casper guessed that. If he was right, then it was more than reasonable why their improvement regarding the mask’s hacking was stuck.
"Drott and other comrades died in a fierce battle that happened. It wasn’t too long since we became Frelsi. The government, of course, didn’t like the idea of people walking around there without more than half of the restrictions of the masks and doing ’terrorist acts’. So, they sent the Aesirs to stop us. It was a slaughter. The first time when the Frelsi nearly got destroyed was less than a year after their birth.
"Drott got caught. They were smart and didn’t want to die before they could accomplish the plan to take our freedom completely. When they were sieged, they just raised their hands in surrender to the Aesirs... Do you know what those god warriors did?"
Casper went silent. He didn’t want to say anything although he was sure about what happened.
"They killed them. They ordered them to kneel on the ground, handcuffed them, and when their hopes were raised that they would survive, that guy they call as Boss ordered coldly the execution."
When Casper was hearing the story of Javir, he was always wondering how someone as calm and mellow as him was before that cold and short-tempered guy. Now, he was seeing the traces of it. His darkened expression showed the fury that grew inside his heart each day more.
’This guy is mad at the Aesirs. Could this be that... that this change on the Frelsis’ behavior, the cruelty, the bolder acts, are all because of it? Is this really the domino effect I am supposing that it is?’ Casper barely could believe when those points started to connect.
’All their actions are justified, but so are the actions of the Ridires, Aesirs, and Jarls. One is trying to get his freedom back and get out of extreme poverty, while others just fight for what they forced them to believe since the day they were born; they think that they are maintaining the order and doing justice.
’This all means that the real enemy here is... the Royal Family, only!’ The White warrior concluded.
"How could you become someone so calm after being tormented for so long?" Casper decided to ask only this. He knew that his new conclusion couldn’t be said out loud for the time being. But now he was sure what he needed to do.
"I am not, White warrior. There is a huge difference between absence and suppression. The absence of fury is when it doesn’t exist inside you. Suppression... you already know."
The White warrior gulped, looking down again. He could imagine how hurt that man was, and he knew that it was excruciating.
"Inna... the way you described her remembered me a lot from that lady of black hair." Casper wanted to ask about Inna’s death and that was the most delicate way to do it.
"Yes. You guessed it right. Camilla is our daughter. She gave born to her three years before she died. Another battle took part... and Inna was killed by one of the Aesirs. It has been twenty-five years since she died."
"Inna alone couldn’t help in the mask’s hacking after Drott died?"
"No. They both were geniuses. The only people that could overcome the masks’ restrictions and destroy the Forger’s perfect creation. However, they could only do that together. After Drott died, we couldn’t find any person that could do what he did. Inna is the same. The gods worked perfectly in getting those two amazing minds together and making them do a splendid job, but... well, it ended quickly."
After analyzing that situation for a while, Casper wondered:
’Was it premeditated? I have the feeling that they were aiming at Drott and Inna since the start. They knew that the advantage of the Frelsi would be really huge if they could find a way to break the masks completely, after all. The Royal Family and the Aesirs are cunning, they wouldn’t let such a point pass so lightly.’
The White warrior wasn’t sharing his thoughts and conclusions with Javir for the time being. He didn’t want that the man felt that he was going to his side. It was better to just observe things and play neutral.
"You said that Drott and Inna could match up with the Forger, right? For all this time that I have been in District 42, people seem to see the Forger as if someone comparable to a god or something. Do you know who is he or saw him in person?"
Javir noticed that Casper was far beyond his expectations. His focus was something to be admirable. After all, even after hearing such a story, he was still trying to get the information needed for his objectives.
’He is a difficult guy to deal with. I can’t take how the Princess could pull through until now, needing to keep in an intellectual battle with him all the time. I need to give her my compliments.’ Javir thought.
"Again, you are a smart guy, White warrior. But I won’t get trapped in your mind games. Don’t use the fragility of an old man to take advantage of him." Casper just gave to him a wry smile. Even though his story was sad, the soldier didn’t pity the man. He knew that there was a lot to extract from that wise mind about both Frelsi and Jarl, so he would be as cold and apathetic as possible to reach his goal.
"Well, as I said, for further information you will need to keep cooperating with me. Since you are already on our base of operations, I would like if you follow me in a stroll throughout the place."
Casper shrugged. Nothing was helping it, he went so further on that situation, anyway.
He got up from the bed and started to look around while Javir walked beside the exit door of that tiny house.
"So... there is a secret passage for this base or something? Maybe a teleporting pad nearby?"
Javir shook his head, casting an ironic look towards Casper while opening the door.
"Our basis is here already. I think you didn’t get me. We are in a specific part of the west region, the place of birth of the Frelsi, and about 60% of this place is our operation base!"
