“Old man. This is a belief that I’ve held since long ago.”

That human nature is inherently evil, rather than inherently good[1].

I can’t prove which one is right, but I personally believe that human nature is innately evil.

Was it not the humans who made the distinction of good from evil in the first place?

From the moment ‘good’ was defined, the primordial and instinctive actions of human beings were bound to be defined as ‘evil’.

So I believe in the theory of innate evil.

Honestly, I’d rather not believe it.

But I still think it’s right.

“What are you talking about so early in the morning?”

Bernard massaged his shoulders as if his whole body was sore, and rubbed his sleepy eyes.

Somehow lifting his twitching eyelids, he looked at Callius.

“Man is inherently evil.”

“So, what kind of shit was that all of a sudden… huh, I see.”

Sighing, Bernard responded to Callius, who’d been looking at him, without pondering the issue further.

“It could be, but at least I don’t think so.”

“Why not?”

“If human nature is inherently evil, wouldn’t this world be too difficult to live in? Wouldn’t it be more convenient to think it as good even if it were evil?”

“Hmm… I try to think of it as evil though.”

Humans are inherently evil.

However, by learning to live in society, you can know the wrongness of evil and restrain it.

Because if you live within a society surrounded by laws, even if you end up committing an evil, you can still return to yourself.

The principle of human behaviour is to not want to cause trouble.

To be honest, it’s hard to say which theory is right and which is wrong. But at least in my personal opinion, the theory of innate evil is the correct one.

So here’s the question.

‘Callius.’

Callius has a violent and promiscuous personality that is an ideal example of those who believe in the theory of innate evil.

In terms of superficial behaviour, he is undeniably evil.

I believe that humans are inherently evil, but they do good because they know the rules and norms of society.

Then, why do those who do not do so, act outside the rules of society?

In my view, because their heads are rotten.

Yes.

Callius has a rotten brain.

Despite knowing good from bad, he repeated his stupid actions.

Because he couldn’t live up to his father’s expectations.

Even though he was a direct descendant, he became a maniac and a scapegrace because he was constantly compared to the children of the collateral branch, and realized the depths of his own incompetence.

There was no justification for his actions.

Just because he wasn’t good enough.

Thus, an idiot named Callius was born into this world.

That was his setting in the first place.

I made him that way.

“But why are you asking that all of a sudden?”

“I don’t quite understand it.”

“What?”

“… The heart of a maniac.”

“What kind of nonsense are you spouting again…”

Haa – With a sigh, I left Bernard’s tent.

It was the crack of dawn.

Leaving Bernard muttering ‘madman’ behind me, I looked at Jevarsch from afar.

The soldiers were busy since before the dawn, standing guard, and preparing to meet the rising sun.

‘Shit.’

Just looking at them made me angry.

A situation where the excitement of the battlefield had been dominating my body, a situation where Bernard had been in my front.

If not for such a situation, I would’ve exploded in a frenzy every single moment I had been inside Jevarsch.

Tuk.

“Oh! I’m sorry!”

A soldier scuffed my shoulder as he walked by.

He was holding a large stack of munitions in his hands.

Looked like that he didn’t see me in the way due to how high the munitions had been piled up. It was quite plausible and understandable.

Isn’t this a time of war?

A soldier wouldn’t normally dare touch me, but this just happened because of the emergency wartime situation.

But –

I drew my sword without any hesitation over such a trivial matter.

“You’re not somebody who can touch me.”

Irrespective of my own will, the trait of a maniac dominated my whole being.

“Ah! I, I’m sorry! Please forgive me just this once!!”

As his neck neared the brutally drawn blade, the soldier fell flat and begged for his life. Callius naturally stepped on the soldier’s head. So natural was the action that there was no way to stop it.

“You shall be forgiven.”

“Th-, thank you…?”

“God in heaven will forgive all your sins.”

Saying that, Callius immediately struck down with the Predator Sword.

“Ugh, aaaaaah!”

The aura of murder emanating from Callius, honed from his three days of repeated slaughter in the battlefield, enveloped the soldier.

The soldier, fallen on his back, peed himself at the sight of the blade hovering over him.

“Tch… go away.”

“Yeah… yep! I’ll go away!!”

Just before slicing off the soldier’s head –

He’d blocked his right hand with his left.

‘This shitty trait.’

His left hand, which he had used to momentarily block his own sword arm with so much force, was tingling.

The trait of a maniac demanded that he really kill that soldier with a single sword.

The combination of his terrible traits put Callius in such a dreadful situation.

The soldiers and the Knights performing their respective missions were looking at him in surprise.

“This is why I didn’t want to come to the North.”

The coercion of his own character.

The characteristics of the Scapegrace of the Count Family was holding him by the ankles and slowly taking over his body.

The more he would approach the centre of Jevarsch, the more this dominance would grow.

‘My notoriety will spread more widely.’

Jervain’s maniac, who they’d thought had awoken, did not actually change.

The rumour would spread like this.

“Haa…”

Notoriety doesn’t matter however widespread it is, but the important issue is elsewhere.

The real problem is that I can’t control myself.

Murmur, murmur.

When I put divine power into my ears, whispers that I would not normally be able to hear were heard and interpreted by Bard’s Blessing.

It wasn’t very good.

– They said he was a maniac… That’s not the level of a maniac, that’s just insane.

– Shh, be quiet, or that crazy guy might hear.

– I thought a war hero had come to save us…

So I heard.

And as soon as I heard, my heart sank, because my crazy trait activated.

“Now isn’t this because of the original Callius’ innate nature?”

I don’t even know what that is.

That’s why I didn’t want to get close to Jervain.

Were that all, I’d have been able to endure it, but the fragments of Callius’ memories and emotions keep rushing in and making my blood boil.

Memories of being ignored.

Of enduring corporal punishments for committing adultery.

Memories like that just keep coming to the surface of my mind.

“I need to look for a way to silence the trait.”

Or, leave here. Either one should have been an option, but unfortunately –

[Fatalite’s Wheel]