Free Web NovelChapter 553: Chapter 554 Telling You a Secret_1
The waiters began serving the dishes, but Deborah didn’t even glance at the appetizer on her plate, her gaze fixed on Aiden as she said, "Their relationship did indeed start off just like that. My father was initially a bounty hunter who worked exclusively with officials, and my mother was a phantom thief who targeted Empire nobility, robbing the rich to aid the poor; they met as adversaries. You must know, the phantom thief always announces her next move in advance."
"Yeah, that’s the mark of a true thief," Aiden nodded in agreement.
In the book, the phantom thief Liv would anonymously submit to the media before each theft, using a riddle to hint at her target. This setup was also based in reality.
However, in reality, Liv’s theft announcements weren’t by way of intricate riddles; she would directly state her target. Occasionally she would issue false targets to mislead, but she always acted after making an announcement.
"One time, after my mother made an announcement, the noble she was targeting hired my father to guard their place. That was their first confrontation. The hound who had never failed didn’t catch his prey, the thief who had never failed didn’t steal what she wanted, and from then on, they were set on outdoing one another."
"That’s also how it’s written in the book," Aiden said, lifting his glass of aperitif for a sip, "Before you told me, the last I heard was Mr. Duboman ended up pursuing Phantom Thief Liv to the Northern Continent." frёeωebɳovel.com
"Yes, at that time they were still adversaries, but later on, my mother reached out to my father and asked for his help."
"Help?"
"Back then, the Empire’s colonial activities hadn’t yet begun, and only merchant ships and freighters traveled between the southern and northern continents. There were many fugitives like my mother who fled to the Northern Continent, among whom were some extremely vile criminals. At one point, my mother discovered a serial killer, who was wanted all over the Empire, had fled to the Northern Continent to continue his spree. He preferred young girls as his victims, assaulting, then killing them, and would even sever and collect their right ring fingers. She wanted to lure out and get rid of this criminal but lacked the confidence to do it alone."
"Was the criminal that strong?"
"The serial killer was a sorcerer skilled in dark magic, responsible for the deaths of several Heretic Inquisitors and bounty hunters who had gone after him. My mother, although exceedingly good at disguises and evasion, wasn’t adept in direct combat. So she contacted my father, recognizing his capabilities," explained Deborah.
"Wasn’t she worried about being caught by Duboman?" Aiden asked.
"She asked my father to put aside their personal vendetta; as archenemies for years, they knew each other very well. My father would not go back on a promise he had made, and my mother trusted his word. Thus, they worked together to capture the criminal. My mother baited him out, and then my father made his move and killed him." freewēbnoveℓ.com
"So it was then that they recognized each other’s worth?"
"Right, that was their first collaboration. My father realized my mother wasn’t just a simple thief; she had her own sense of justice and she chose targets that were malefactors out of the law’s reach." As she spoke, Deborah’s face was filled with admiration.
"You admire your mother a lot?" Aiden caught the expression on her face.
"Yes, operating outside the law and upholding one’s personal sense of justice seems to me a very dashing affair," Deborah suddenly realized something mid-sentence and looked at Aiden with concern, asking, "Mr. Aiden, don’t you think... that might not be such a good thing?"
"Why the sudden doubt?" Aiden was a little surprised.
"You once worked for the Inquisition Bureau, and now you’re in charge of a prison. You’ve always been an enforcer of the law, and I was wondering if you might be an absolutist when it comes to the law."
"Not necessarily. Precisely because I enforce the law, I have my own understanding of it. The goal of the law is a tool for the ruling class to maintain its interests, creating a stable order for society to operate, while maintaining the ruling class’s dominance, not to uphold morals universally acknowledged," Aiden stirred the food on his plate with a spoon, "For society, a stable order is necessary, so the law is necessary. But any specific law isn’t necessarily the best or most suited for that society. No perfect law exists in this world; nearly all laws are compromises with reality. As society progresses, laws will be amended, corrected, and even redrawn. The supremacy of law is merely a slogan."
"I knew I hadn’t misjudged you!" Deborah’s eyes instantly lit up, "You also approve of my parents’ actions, right?"
"You mean, being outside the law, implementing their own brand of superhero and vigilante justice?" Aiden put down his utensils and looked directly at Deborah.
"Yes!"
"It depends on the context. In times when outlaws are hailed as heroes, it’s often an age when the ruling class is corrupt, and the law has become a tool of oppression against the people. But conversely, if the law can maintain order and generally align with moral values, then such forces operating outside of the law are more likely to do harm than good. Although imperfect, a society without law is unacceptable. If everyone enforces their own justice through personal means, then order will fall into chaos," Aiden calmly replied.
"The Empire is a decaying society now, with nobles oppressing the lower classes, and the entire nation oppressing the people of another continent. The country is now tainted with sin, and its laws reek of corruption. My father once served the officials too, but eventually, he grew utterly disappointed with the Empire’s upper echelons," Deborah spoke with earnest seriousness, "Not only the Empire but also Gistas, the second strongest power on the continent, is the same. We are living in the kind of era you described."
"If that is truly the case, then I still rather admire their approach," Aiden chose his words carefully.
In his view, rather than calling these countries corrupt, it was more accurate to say that the world’s level of social development had not yet reached a sufficient height. Whether between states or within a state, national and class interests still far outweigh human rights and morality, with colonial activities, terrorist attacks, racial discrimination, and class struggles being rampant. But the progress of society is an incremental process; each era has its limitations.
"You may not be fully aware of these nations’ sins," Deborah noticed Aiden’s reserved attitude, "Let me tell you a secret then..."
"What secret?" Aiden took a bite of his food.
"The Empire has actually conducted experiments on fusing humans with demons," Deborah whispered.
Aiden nearly choked upon hearing this.
