Free Web NovelSitting in Lynch’s villa, the flickering fireplace cast a warm glow across the room. Akumari didn’t understand how such a small flame could heat such a vast hall—but that didn’t matter. What mattered was the question Lynch had asked him.
Akumari had a strong feeling this conversation would change him, perhaps even the fate of Nagaryll.
He had to take it seriously. He threw himself into deep thought.
After a long silence, he finally said a single word: “Spirit.”
He looked at Lynch after giving his answer.
Lynch pondered for a moment, nodded, and said, “Go on.”
Akumari took a deep breath and began to explain, “After coming to the Federation, I realized the biggest difference between here and Nagaryll is the spirit of the people.”
“I don’t know how to express what I feel accurately, Mr. Lynch, but everyone here seems to genuinely love life. That might be normal to you.”
“But to me—and to the people of Nagaryll—that’s rare.”
“The oppression from the rotten ruling class made us numb. We would rather rot away in the sewage than stand up and work hard to earn a living.”
“We don’t love life. We keep living only because we fear death more than the misery of life. It’s tragic.”
“Without love for life, we lose our sense of self. That’s what we used to be…”
He thought of the old Nagaryll, a dead society in every sense.
What he saw every day were people lying in front of their homes with empty stomachs, waiting for food. Their eyes were blank, numbed by life, void of hope.
They didn’t try to change anything—because trying changed nothing.
The wealthy foreigners and the ruling class didn’t just steal their wealth—they stole their chance to earn any.
In a life like that, how could anyone love living?
After struggling so much, the most they could hope for was a slight improvement. They still couldn’t afford what they needed, and nothing really changed. The only thing that increased was their exhaustion.
When people lose hope for the future, they lose love for life. They become walking corpses, wasting away in time.
To awaken the souls of Nagaryll’s people, they must be given spirit. They must learn to love life.
Akumari’s eyes burned with conviction. His thoughts radiated with light.
“Mr. Lynch, I was once against your arrival. I even hated it. I thought you were just another group of invaders, no different from past foreigners—or our own rulers.”
“I thought you’d enslave us and make life even worse. But I was wrong.”
“You brought real change. And I realized: the future and hope won’t come to us—we must create them with our own hands.”
“Work earns wages. And those wages can visibly, quickly improve our lives. A single ray of sunlight can melt the snow.”
“Mr. Lynch, I—and those around me—have started to love life. Their spirit is no longer the same. They’ve become more like real people, not just the living dead.”
“To love life, and to believe in the change it can bring—that’s what Nagaryll’s society needs most.”
“We don’t need violence. We don’t need confrontation. We just need the people of Nagaryll to learn to love life.”
“A peaceful, orderly society. A life with hope. To change our country doesn’t require earth-shaking power. Just a little love is enough.”
Akumari’s emotions surged. He spoke from direct experience—from what he’d seen and felt.
The Federation didn’t rule with iron fists like Nagaryll’s past regime. The ruling class lived well—but so did the people.
Maybe, this was the future Nagaryll needed—just a little love.
Lynch was deeply moved. “What you said was excellent. A little love…” he nodded repeatedly. “But I’ve heard some advocate for violent or armed revolution to change Nagaryll’s social structure.”
From the original Nagaryll Youth Party to the chaotic movements that followed, that philosophy seemed to be deeply rooted in them.
Their assault on the royal palace made it clear—these were not people who would sit quietly.
And their restlessness didn’t disappear with the formation of the new federation. It was still growing—quietly spreading in the shadows.
It was inevitable. Rapid social progress is like a race track where everyone is sprinting forward.
Some have natural strength and explosiveness. They take the lead—this is their advantage.
Behind them are the strong runners—the upper-middle class of society.
Then come the ordinary people. They’re not as fast as the first two groups but they don’t fall behind.
But there are others who lag further and further behind, for all kinds of reasons. They don’t reflect on themselves. They don’t ask why they’ve fallen behind. They just resent being left behind.
These people become the breeding ground for extreme ideologies.
Like now—Nagaryll is developing rapidly. Anyone willing to work hard can find a suitable job.
Yet some people refuse to work and hate those who have changed—and those who gave them the opportunity to change.
There are still many who believe violence is the only way to change Nagaryll. These people can’t hear any other ideas.
But in truth, they are society’s failures—unwilling to admit defeat. While making excuses for their failure, they foolishly try to change the situation through destructive means.
Letting them spread unchecked is dangerous. After all, to Nagaryll’s people, those from the Federation are still outsiders.
And outsiders will always be seen in opposition.
Race, nation, society, culture, identity…
How to address these issues is exactly what the Nagaryll Joint Development Company is now facing.
Compared to those who believe in rounding up and killing these people, Lynch believed the better solution was to introduce a competing ideology and allow natural selection to phase out such views over time.
It wasn’t particularly dangerous, and it gave more people a chance to make comparisons.
No matter what others thought, Lynch was convinced this was the best way to solve the problem.
Originally, he had planned to use Asel for this role—he was a perfect fit, honestly.
Asel had worked in the Federation before returning to Nagaryll. He had personally experienced the differences between the two societies. He was also a native of Nagaryll and represented the lower class.
His voice carried more weight than others.
After asking his question, Lynch looked at Akumari. This was a test. If Akumari could pass it, Lynch would give him the chance to become the person he wanted to be.
After a brief moment of thought, Akumari looked Lynch in the eye without hesitation, showing the sincerity of his conviction.
“Mr. Lynch, violence is not the best way to change the course of society.”
“I’ve recently read some books here in the Federation—history, sociology—and I noticed a very clear pattern.”
“Rulers who rely on violence rarely bring happiness to their people. Violence only leads to tyranny. This has already been proven true by Nagaryll’s former government.”
He gave two examples—one being the founding of the Federation, which didn’t involve any large-scale wars. It wasn’t built through war.
Of course, Akumari didn’t realize just how shameless the Federation’s government, capitalists, and historians had been.
The Federation was formed not through violent unification but by decision. At that time, they were too busy hunting natives and cutting off ears to fight among themselves. The founding of the country was essentially a compromise between capitalists and politicians, since a unified government served everyone’s interests better.
Akumari also pointed to Gephra as another example. They too had unified not through war but through persuasion—the royal family convinced the nobles, the joint parliament dissolved, and the monarchy rose to power.
The world’s two most powerful nations were both nonviolent in origin. That fact spoke for itself.
Violence cannot bring lasting peace. Tyranny born from violence will eventually be destroyed by a new wave of violence and tyranny.
If Nagaryll is to change, violence is the worst path.
Akumari explained his viewpoint patiently and in detail. He believed real change must come from the bottom up—by shaping a social consensus that serves the interests of all.
Eventually, that consensus would influence the ruling class. When faced with overwhelming pressure, whether they wanted to give up power or not, they would have no choice—because they would be up against the people, against society itself.
If they refused to compromise, society would abandon them. That is the future of Nagaryll. The future of every Nagaryll citizen.
When Akumari finished, Lynch applauded his thinking. “Brilliant insight!”
He paused for a moment. “I believe your ideas should be heard by more people in Nagaryll.”
