Episode 84 — Overclocking Neighbors

From my Throne of Sloth, I watched the footage of the man on the monitor—the demon with the distinct, warm-toned complexion, quietly staring at his cards. The high-definition data Volg had brought back spoke volumes. This man wasn’t just "lucky"; he was hacking his way to victory using an abnormal level of computational power.

"So, Gustav. What kind of people are these Magic Races exactly?"

At my question, Gustav, who was sitting upright on the sofa, let a slight cloud of concern pass over his face.

"The Magic Races... they primarily live in the Dalglarea territory. Until the 'Gray Winter' three years ago, they were our trading partners. They are said to be highly dexterous and possess their own magical technologies, making them exceptionally skilled at manipulating mana."

In my mind, I began sorting the racial information of this world into directories, merging them into a single folder.

(Elves are the high-battery-capacity models—lots of mana storage. Magic Races, on the other hand, are the high-manipulation models—less mana, but superior operational precision. That’s the only real difference...)

But as if to cut through my systematic analysis, Gustav let out a heavy sigh and continued.

"But Mr. Zect, the rejection they face didn't just start with the invasion three years ago. Long before that—even when trade was flourishing—there was a deep divide between humans and demons. Their unfamiliar appearance, the fact that they live far beyond the forest... these things were always objects of an eerie fear for humans. On the surface, people would smile and shake hands, but behind their backs, they loathed them as 'unidentifiable monsters.' Squabbles and unfair treatment were constant. The 'Gray Winter' may have simply been the moment that long-smoldering fuse finally exploded in the worst possible way. Now, the hearts of the people are filled with accumulated terror and a firm sense of rejection, believing they were betrayed."

"I see."

I took a sip of my Cola, staring at the sharp gaze of the demon on the monitor. A mountain of invisible bugs had been accumulating in the system long before the major error of the war three years ago.

"Gustav. That is what we call 'prejudice.' It’s the most irrational and illogical emotion there is."

"What?"

Gustav’s eyes widened, caught off guard by my words.

"You’re using the war three years ago as a justification, but that’s not the core of it. You’re just trying to exclude them from the system because they’re 'a little different.' There’s no dramatic difference in ability. Their lifespans—elves, demons, humans—they’re all the same, a hundred years at most. You’re being swayed by the noise of your emotions and losing sight of the essence. It’s the height of absurdity. And Gustav, I’m certain of one thing."

"What would that be, Mr. Zect?"

"Elves, demons, humans... in the end, aren't they all just the same?"

As I said it plainly, Gustav leaned forward, unable to hide his shock.

"Wh—!? What are you saying, Mr. Zect? Their features, the way they use mana—it is fundamentally different from ours! The emotions we carry, the grudges we’ve built up... throughout history, we have been different species that could never coexist, shedding blood for centuries—"

"They are the same!"

I cut Gustav off with a voice that was surprisingly sharp, even to my own ears. I pulled my back away from the Throne, leaning in to fix Gustav with a piercing stare. The air in the living room tightened instantly under the heat of my words.

"Elves just have a bit more mana. Magic Races are just a bit more dexterous. If the hardware’s service life is the same, then the internal OS is the same model. They’re just the same species with slightly different settings and a different casing color. To classify them as 'different' or 'enemies' and toss them into separate databases is the height of administrative inefficiency. Listen to me: discrimination is inefficient. By basing your judgment on something other than an individual’s actual ability, you lose the capacity to make correct decisions. It’s a bug that degrades system performance. Besides... having to judge how to treat someone because they’re a demon every single time is just a waste of brain resources."

I recalled a story I had heard in my old world.

"A man I know had several sets of the exact same outfit, and he wore the same thing every single day. He said that spending resources on the trivial decision of 'what to wear' was a waste. He diverted all those saved resources into the critical decisions needed to change the world. ...Do you understand?"

Gustav sat there, stunned, processing my words. Beside him, Volg brushed back his bangs and narrowed his eyes with interest.

"I see. So that’s why you’re always wearing those same 'grey robes,' huh. To save on decision-making resources."

"Yeah, sure, let’s go with that."

I gave a half-hearted reply to cover my tracks. (No, I mean... these are just gray sweats! A three-thousand-yen bargain set! This is the second time I've had to make this correction... Also, I'm just lazy, and this house has a reset function, so I don't need to do laundry.)

I pulled myself back together and pointed at the monitor.

"Either way, this demon’s ability is a valuable asset for accelerating Felsen’s growth. Throwing that away just because he looks different is a total system failure. ...Gustav. Let’s delete the unnecessary calculations called prejudice from Felsen. If we simplify the logic, this city’s development speed will skyrocket."

"The cost of decision-making... You define prejudice as a waste of resources... Mr. Zect, you are cold-blooded to the very end..."

"Cold-blooded, huh? If that’s how it looks to you, fine."

I looked down for a moment, watching the small ice cubes in my empty glass. Then, leaning deep into my Throne, I added in a low voice, almost as if spitting out bitter poison to no one in particular.

"And if—by some twisted miracle—discrimination were 'efficient,' and the world was some piece-of-crap bugged reality... I would still hate it."

A silence as deep as the ocean floor fell over the living room. After a while, it was Volg who broke the silence.

"I’m with you on this one, Boss."

Volg brushed his hair back and laughed with a distant look in his eyes. His expression wasn't his usual cynical smirk; it held the raw conviction of a man who had lived it.

"I was born in a place like the slums of the Old Town. Even if you aren't a demon, you can't even get a decent job because of where you were born. Finding a place to sleep was a struggle."

Volg looked at his own palm and continued.

"Now, you picked me up, and here I am, working face-to-face with a Lord. Honestly... it’s fun. Your cold-bloodedness—treating everyone as a usable resource regardless of their race—ended up pulling a sewer rat like me out of the gutter. So, I’m casting my vote for bringing that demon in as a part of Felsen."

Gustav looked at Volg, then at me, and gave a deep, deep nod.

"I understand. Mr. Zect, Volg. I will treat demons and humans equally as 'residents' of Felsen and prepare a place where they can utilize their abilities."

"Man, I’m tired. Both of you, go home. I’m going to sleep."

I gave a small nod while looking down, forcing the conversation to an end.

"Oh, and Gustav. That demon... capture him gently and bring him here. I have some questions for him."

"Yes! Understood, Mr. Zect! I will erase every unnecessary constraint from Felsen!"

Gustav responded with a powerful voice and left the living room with Volg.

The door closed, and silence returned. I turned off the monitor and buried myself deep into my Throne. Outside, a new law was about to sweep through the city. Demons, humans, elves. All of them as just the same residents.

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