Chapter 72
What comes to mind when you hear "primitive civilization"?
Primitive humans dressed in animal skins, chasing beasts with stone tools? Or perhaps something even earlier?
Kait was fully aware that the "primitive civilization" he understood was, in essence, based on the standards of Earthlings.
"Haa... So this is what 'primitive' means, huh."
He muttered absentmindedly while gazing down from the treetops at two species locked in conflict.
He recalled how even the ancestors of Earthlings expanded their territories by driving out or interbreeding with similar-looking kin. Perhaps there were other intelligent beings among them, or perhaps not.
The ones fighting below had lizard heads and human bodies, and bull heads with human bodies. Their head shapes merely resembled animals from Earth—was it really okay to call them lizardmen and minotaurs so casually?
"So, when you go out into space, other planets turn out to be primitive fantasy worlds? Not even worth a dime novel."
Beside him, George was staring intently at the scene below, seemingly overwhelmed.
Kait suddenly thought, Gorou would probably be thrilled if he brought him here.
Now then. As for the lizardmen (tentative) and minotaurs (tentative), neither side seemed to have a clear advantage or disadvantage at the moment. Their physiques were nearly equal. Judging by their use of crude stone tools, their level of civilization didn't differ much either.
"If one of them suddenly got access to an advanced civilization, it'd ruin everything. No wonder the Federation avoids interference."
Letting civilization develop naturally and having one side be eliminated—that's what true evolution is. No artificial hand should interfere. He now understood, on a visceral level, why Terapolapaneshio and the others had made it taboo.
What they were doing now—this situation—was ultimately a result of the lawlessness of the Divin people. Had their ancestors been deprived of opportunity, or had they been guided?
Or, like these two species, what if their neighbors had completely different values and biology? Would they have fought too? Or perhaps coexisted and created a new civilization?
"It wasn't necessarily monkeys that ruled."
No, what if Earth had developed life on its own, without the hand of the Divin?
Feeling as though he'd been confronted with the sinfulness of being alive now, Kait shook off the thought. Those to whom they owed penance had never even been born, so there was no way to atone. And they themselves were also victims, caught up in it all.
While once again recognizing the depravity of the Divin, he renewed his conviction that they must not interfere with this planet in any way.
***
At the very least, there were no traces of the man named Carlos or the wreckage of a ship in this place. There was no sign of him either. The battlefield plains had no cover—probably why it became a battleground—and they couldn't just charge straight through.
Planning to detour and move from another location, he called out to George, who was watching the battle from a lower angle.
"We can't go through here. Let's go, George... George?"
"Amazing, it's amazing."
Apparently, George was excited—probably seeing a battle between different species for the first time.
"Hey, Captain! Isn't this awesome? Movies can't compare—this is real! It's incredible, it's romantic!"
"Is that so."
George clenched his fists, eyes sparkling. He was good-natured, but the way he got excited over conflict showed a lack of caution. Back on Earth, maybe he'd been an indoor type.
First, he had to calm him down. Kait pointed toward a part of the battlefield.
"Yeah, it's real. That over there, the one who's dead, and the one wounded and collapsed—that's the real thing right in front of us."
"Ugh!"
A minotaur (tentative) lay with its skull split, and a lizardman (tentative) had a stone tool lodged in its throat. One had died instantly, and the other would likely die soon from the wounds.
George gasped. Perhaps he realized how narrow his focus had become in the excitement of the battlefield.
"Come on, let's go. What if Carlos got caught up in that mess?"
"R-Right. Let's go."
George nodded with a face like he'd swallowed bitter medicine.
They had cloaked themselves with psychic power, but being seen would still be a problem. The two of them quietly climbed down from the tree and crouched as they retreated into the forest.
***
"Hey, Captain."
"No."
As they ran through the trees, Kait replied instantly without a second thought to the words thrown at him. He could feel George's dissatisfaction behind him.
"I haven't even said anything yet."
"You're going to say we should do something about that conflict, right?"
"So you do understand. I knew it, Captain—you feel the same way!"
"Not at all. In fact, if you'd started talking about helping them, I was ready to knock you out and drag you back to the ship."
"Why the hell!?"
George stopped in frustration. Kait stopped too.
Thinking he might need to explain, Kait saw George reach behind him. He pulled out the Psionic Launcher and strapped it to his right wrist.
Feeling the hassle of dealing with George's killing intent, Kait opened his mouth.
"Under Federation law, reckless interference with undeveloped planets is taboo. Don't say you want to help just because of a passing whim."
"Federation law? I'm not a Federation citizen. If you say absolutely not, then I'll go alone. Even if I have to fight you!"
"Is that so? And? Which side are you going to help?"
"Huh?"
"The lizard-like ones or the bull-like ones. Which are you planning to help?"
"Which...?"
George, who had been fired up, faltered. Aware he was starting to sound preachy, Kait continued.
Being good is fine. But directing that goodness at the wrong target is unacceptable.
"They were fighting, weren't they? On their own terms, unrelated to us. You don't know why they're fighting, what their cause is—so how exactly do you plan to help them?"
"That's..."
"What will you do after helping them? Preach that fighting is wrong? Show them a path to coexistence?"
"Is that... not okay?"
"No, it's not. Are you planning to play god?"
He spat the words out in disgust.
The vile acts committed by the Divin were a secret only Kait and Emotion had agreed to keep. He had no intention of telling the naive man before him.
George still hadn't given up. So Kait had to say it.
"In the name of god, would you distort their evolution and rob them of the freedom to choose?"
"So you're saying it's okay to abandon the lives dying right in front of us?"
"Abandon? No. We respect their choice. The choice to fight, to destroy their enemies, and to leave the best future they can for their descendants."
"But they don't have to do that! We know there's another possible future!"
"No, we've seized that future. Our ancestors did—by risking their lives!"
If George said he was ready to play god, Kait knew he wouldn't be able to suppress his anger.
Unaware of Kait's thoughts, George only got more heated.
"Isn't that what we should teach them!? What's so wrong with that!?"
"To act without reflection or regret, and simply hand them that future—that's abandoning responsibility! Let me ask again—are you planning to play god? Are you ready for that?"
"Ah—"
"So you are. You're ready to be worshipped as a god, to block their freedom to choose, to hinder their own path of development, and to selfishly overwrite the future they were meant to seize on their own."
To do that.
George's mouth froze as he tried to speak. It wasn't Kait's psychic power that stopped him. He simply couldn't commit to the resolve Kait's words demanded.
George seemed to have cooled down instantly—but he still hadn't removed the Psionic Launcher. In other words, he was still in combat mode.
"The reason I wanted to rescue Carlos wasn't out of goodwill. If we casually made contact with the local species and got worshipped as gods, it would affect the future of this planet."
"That's not what I meant..."
"The Federation doesn't interfere with them because a civilization twisted like that has no future. I'll say it again. If you're going to spout sleepy nonsense about saving them just because of the mood—"
Sparks of purple lightning danced from Kait's hair.
"You are my enemy. I will stop you. Even if I have to kill you."
Because that's what must be done—as a fellow Earthling.