Gun of Ashes

Even those who undergo the Secret Blood Ceremony from the Demon Hunting Order may not withstand it, but Sabo did, though he ultimately couldn’t resist the erosion, and losing his mind was only a matter of time.

”Perhaps... a degraded Demon Hunter?”

Lorenzo thought about it. He felt that using such terms might make it more quickly acceptable to others.

”What do you mean?”

Arthur asked, while Merlin beside him spoke slowly.

”Do you mean it can also calm demonization, like controlling Secret Blood?”

”Complete control is fundamentally impossible, even the Order cannot do it. I think it can control to some degree, but compared to the Demon Hunter, it would degrade in many aspects, such as stability, overall strength, and so on.”

”Then it seems someone is secretly trying to replicate the Secret Blood technology of the Demon Hunting Order.”

”It’s obvious, even your Purification Mechanism has attempted something like that, right?”

Lorenzo thought of Eve. Initially, he didn’t know where the faint Secret Blood within Eve came from, but when he realized that Arthur was also Duke Phoenix, it all explained itself. Presumably, a long time ago, Eve had entered the secret center of the Purification Mechanism, but she had forgotten.

The secrets of the Purification Mechanism are not much fewer than those of the Demon Hunting Order, and because the full picture of the Purification Mechanism is unknown, Lorenzo now instead has a kind of ghost-seeing crisis, fearing that at any second a group of Armors of Original Sin might burst in, freeze him, slice him up for study.

At this point, the atmosphere fell silent. Actually, Lorenzo was saying this on purpose, also to test whether Eve’s Secret Blood was really related to the Purification Mechanism. Now, looking at the silence of the two, the situation was basically as Lorenzo had guessed.

No wonder your father cherishes you so much, turns out you were a monster in the past too.

Lorenzo whispered in his heart, suddenly feeling like laughing a bit, Eve was like this, Selyu too, he found that people he got along with weren’t normal at all, is this mutual attraction among freaks?

But these just flashed through his mind, he dared not speak them out, after all, Arthur had more than once wanted to kill him.

”Alchemy... perhaps alchemy could fill that gap.”

Merlin’s hoarse voice rang again, interrupting the runaway train of thought in Lorenzo’s mind.

”Alchemy?”

Lorenzo didn’t quite understand this nearly lost technology. In the Demon Hunting Order, his role was a warrior, a Forbidden Guard. He was the hand that gripped the sword, and the hand that gripped the sword didn’t need to know how the sword was forged.

”In the recent events, not only is it about the activity of demons...”

”Merlin.”

Arthur suddenly interrupted Merlin with a deep voice. That young yet sickly face turned towards Arthur, and he spoke slowly.

”No need to cover up, I trust Mr. Holmes’s character.”

”Are you sure you understand this lunatic’s style? I have a thick book of his dark history here. If it were sent to Suyalan Hall, under Ingwig’s law, he would be jailed for life, assuming he lives to be 200, of course.”

Arthur wasn’t reassured about Lorenzo, a tangible sense of hostility.

Lorenzo on the side didn’t care, just slightly changed his gaze towards Merlin, as if there was a certain empathy between the two, after all, nowadays discerning people like this were rare.

”Then let’s change the topic, Mr. Holmes, may I ask you a few questions?”

Merlin once again looked at Lorenzo. This seemed to be the first direct eye contact between the two. In the gray-blue pupils was reflected Merlin’s somewhat hollow gaze, causing an indescribable discomfort in Lorenzo. Merlin’s look was as empty as that of the dead; it seemed that the soul beneath this shell was long gone, now it’s merely a walking corpse.

”What do you want to ask?”

Lorenzo swallowed, adjusting his posture.

”Mr. Holmes, do you understand the trolley problem?”

Lorenzo was taken aback, seemingly not expecting such a well-worn question.

”You mean a trolley is coming down the tracks, five people on one side, one person on the other, should one sacrifice one person or five people, right?”

Merlin nodded.

”Then what would you do?”

Lorenzo paused for a moment, then leaned forward slightly, like a beast preparing to hunt.

”Actually, the essence of this question is whether we have the right to sacrifice the interest of a few to protect the interests of the many.”

His gaze grew sharp.

”Just like the Purification Mechanism, just like the Demon Hunting Order, in battling demons, should we sacrifice a small number of people to save more?”

Merlin nodded with a smile.

”Go on.”

”If it were up to me, I’d obviously kill one person to save five.”

Lorenzo answered directly without much thought.

”Why would you make that decision? Simply because more people can be saved?”

Merlin asked, resting his head on his hand, rare interest piqued.

”The lesser of two evils.”

Lorenzo answered simply, time seemed to fly by, the round table’s hall started to crumble, finally returning to that desolate [Gap], the man smiled at Lorenzo.

This was the principle he taught Lorenzo, also the principle he upheld. Sometimes Lorenzo felt he was so similar to him, similar enough that Lorenzo was like his shadow.

Lesser of two evils.

Merlin savored these words, but by this time Lorenzo had come out of his thoughts, asking.

”Is this your question? It’s a bit too simple.”

”Indeed, many only talk about it, but in reality, they would make different choices. Of course, some people fear making choices...more accurately, fear the ’guilt’ they would need to shoulder after making the choice.”

”Don’t tell me now there are six unlucky souls tied to a track waiting for me to make a decision? That would be too perverted.”

Lorenzo’s old face darkened, wondering if everyone in the Purification Mechanism was a lunatic.

”How could it be, Mr. Holmes, we wouldn’t do such inhumane things, but also because it can’t be practically proven, I hope you’d be serious enough to make a decision based on your genuine self.”

Merlin clasped his hands together, his expression solemn.

Lorenzo also answered seriously.

”Then that is my decision, the lesser of two evils.”

Merlin said no more, instead seemed to sink into deep thought. After quite a while, Lorenzo asked again.

”So is that your question? Honestly, it’s really not original.”

Merlin’s deadpan face slowly lifted into a smile, looking at Lorenzo.

”Mr. Holmes, do you think I’d be so boring? That’s not the whole question.”

”So there’s a second dilemma?”

Lorenzo chuckled, he was a man of firm will, his body was a cage, and inside he was locked with the demon, he must always be resolute and strong, only then could he suppress the demon’s will, only then could this body’s name be Lorenzo Holmes, and not some damned John Watson or any other damned name.

He is Lorenzo Holmes, always has been.

The conversation became tense at some point, Merlin sighed lightly, and then slowly spoke.

”The second question.”

”Suppose five people were tied to a railway, there’s only one track.”

Merlin added.

In Lorenzo’s eyes, he was already in that constructed world, five unfortunates tied upon the tracks, a steam train tooting a melodious whistle slowly approaching.

”There are no sidetracks, only you and another person standing by the track. The only two ways to stop the train from running over them.”

Lorenzo, as if sensing some crisis, witnessed the world being built by Merlin’s words, a person appeared at Lorenzo’s side.

Its form rapidly morphed, it could be Eve, or Selyu, or even Arthur who was so annoying. It could be anyone among the myriad of people.

”Two methods, push this person beside you onto the track, the train will run over him first and then stop, thus saving the five.”

Merlin revealed a sly smile like a cunning fox.

”Or rather...”

”I go, sacrificing myself for everyone, right?”

Lorenzo said.