Chapter 130

"If there really is a God, I think He would definitely hate humanity because of this."

"Really? I think God neither dislikes nor particularly likes people. Maybe He's not even that interested in them."

"Because there is punishment, the world is not loved by God. Priest Faria, is this the doctrine you believe in?"

"I'm not sure about that, but I quite like this world."

"You have been imprisoned for three years, from 1811 to 1814, and based on the known facts, there is no possibility of your release."

"Even so, I still love this world."

"Hello, I'm James Moriarty, a prison inspector."

215: Moriarty: Faria!!!! (7000)

"Although you probably already know my name, let me introduce myself anyway. Hello, James Moriarty, I'm Faria..."

Favia paused during her self-introduction when she addressed the silver-haired youth before her, then continued, "... Williams."

James Moriarty, seventeen years old, is a first-year student at a university in England and has already secured a mathematics teaching position. In every respect, a very bright future lies ahead of him.

The Napoleon of Crime.

Of course, he hasn't made any important choices in his life yet; he's still just a student.

Although his eyes are somewhat fierce, he still has the traits of a kind-hearted person and a fragile mentality. Overall, if he weren't in prison, his first impression on people in college would be that of a cheerful young man.

At this moment, he came to the Château d'If in France only because he thought he might gain something from the evil people imprisoned there. However, over the past few months, Moriarty has not gained much from these prisoners.

It wasn't about bad food or being wronged; it was about wanting freedom... He naturally understood that such a request was perfectly reasonable for someone imprisoned.

However, there is a slight sense of regret... because in Moriarty's view, it was simply too mediocre, not pure at all.

But in the Dungeon of the Château d'If, James Moriarty found the Italy Priest Faria, though somewhat strange, to be extremely interesting.

"Oh?"

Moriarty raised an eyebrow slightly, probably surprised by the name 'Williams' which was not recorded, but he didn't think much of it. After all, in his view, it was just a name. Whether it was Priest Faria or Faria Williams, there was no difference in the realm of calculation.

According to records, this Faria had served as a secretary to a Cardinal for twenty-eight years before being imprisoned in the Château d'If' If for unknown reasons. Although the details of the imprisonment were not recorded, based on the events of those years, Moriarty could deduce that the Italy Priest was imprisoned because of issues concerning Italy.

So he continued:

"I've been sent to inspect the prison and hear the prisoners' requests. What are your requests?"

"For prisoners, the greatest desire is naturally freedom."

Moriarty was somewhat disappointed; he had expected to get some more interesting ideas, but they turned out to be just as mediocre.

As criminals, they are not only guilty of Evil as defined by the world, but they have also truly committed 'sin,' so it's better to be more authentic.

"Why are you disappointed?" Although the silver-haired youth maintained his composure well, Favia could still discern his disappointment from subtle gestures. "In your opinion, is it wrong for prisoners to pursue freedom?"

"That's only natural, and I won't comment on it too much."

Moriarty didn't react much to the fact that his feelings had been exposed; he remained expressionless as always.

"Is that so?" Favia shook her head. "Then why do you think prisoners would pursue freedom?"

"Because you are going to die, it is too painful for you."

"That's right, you're right. It's precisely because you want to live that you suffer. Your body wants to live, so it suffers. This pain from your body not only means that you are still alive, but also that you are fighting, that you are resisting the Fate of being wiped out."

In Moriarty's view, the Priest before him was peculiar, unlike any other believer he had ever met. Even the impression that he was Priest was faint; it would be easier to believe that he was a gentle old man.

"Punish the guilty; this is not a matter of personal demand. Even if you grant them freedom, what good will it do? Those who commit evil will only continue to degenerate."

"Indeed, those who commit Evil should be punished, and there is absolutely no need to complain about it."

"So you knew that too."

Moriarty stared intently at the old man before him.

It's as if it's saying that since that's the case, there's no need to pray for freedom.

As if reading his expression, Favia smiled sheepishly.

"But what if there were a man who was sentenced to five years of hard labor for trying to feed his sister's seven children a loaf of bread? This completely unfair treatment led him to attempt to escape four times, but he failed each time. He ultimately served a full Number Eighteen years of hard labor before being released. Do you think such punishment is fair? Can't he pray for his freedom?"

"Absolutely," the young Moriarty said calmly. "However, Priest, what you've said is just a story, a conjecture. From a broader perspective, most prisoners don't need to pursue freedom."

"Do you know what crime I committed to get me locked up here?"

"There's no detailed record in the file, but I believe that someone like you, Priest, will inevitably be released in time. You have a great talent for languages and are a valuable asset to human society. I will also give you a proper evaluation in the file and won't let you waste this talent."

"Yeah."

Suddenly, Moriarty noticed a hint of loneliness on Faria's face, and instinctively fell silent.

Why did I suddenly fall silent?

Before Moriarty could resolve his doubts, the old man smiled at him.

"But what about those who lack talent? Were their lives wasted from the very beginning?"

"..."

--The greatest schemer in history, the mastermind behind all atrocities, the nerve center controlling the underworld, the brain that dictates the Fate of nations--that's the kind of person he is!

This is Sherlock Holmes' assessment of Moriarty in the original story.

But to be honest, most of the descriptions are mentioned by Sherlock Holmes himself. According to Conan Doyle's the Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, he was simply a character created to end the life of Sherlock Holmes, a tool with almost no descriptions, just to conclude the story.

However, in the Type-Moon universe, James Moriarty is a real person, and he was even indirectly involved in Dr. Jekyll's attempt to remove his own evil and become the ultimate good.

It's not that he destroys the world because he is evil, but rather that he becomes evil in order to destroy the world. This is probably the best way to describe this person.

That's right. He didn't commit evil out of any profound reason, but simply out of his own logic. An ordinary person, using simple morality, would know that Moriarty was definitely wrong. However, since Moriarty's evil deeds were based on reason, it was impossible to move him without breaking his logic. And since he had no logical flaws, it was impossible to break his logic. All one could do was say, "I disagree."

"For example, what should people do if they are born with an unfortunate destiny?"

No parents, poor family, no knowledge, needing food to survive, unable to speak properly, lacking all the normal body parts of a person... Furthermore, what about children who are abandoned at the moment of birth, abandoned in a desolate wilderness?

Moriarty was speechless.

If he were in his old age, he might have been able to give a perfunctory or speculative answer, because at that time he would be the 'Napoleon of Crime', and naturally he wouldn't bother with something he couldn't change. He would simply laugh it off as a criminal who was beyond moral control, beyond legal Judgment, beyond the reach of education, and beyond the power of words to persuade.

However, in his youth, he was a rational and cheerful person, and had not yet been tainted by too many things.

Until now, he has lived through various calculations.

His brain calculates and tells him based on his experiences so far:

The distinction between valuable and worthless people is clear from the moment they are born.

No matter how hard an incompetent person tries, they can never become a valuable person. The idea that "effort can breed success" is a huge misunderstanding.

No one can "become" talented; rather, one is born with so-called talent.

If killing a hundred useless people could save a thousand useful people, then surely someone would be willing to bear this Sin.

Does this mean that it's acceptable for people without talent to waste their potential, in order to give more capable people room to grow?

Even though his brain calculated it to be this way, his inner voice was preventing him from saying it.

No... While that's true, human life is not something that can be judged so simply and clearly!

Therefore, the young Moriarty could only lower his head and whisper:

"I have no idea."

"Right, humans can no longer live as simply and clearly as beasts, precisely because we are not yet Perfection to ignore Sorrow... No, that's not Perfection. It's precisely because we can feel Sorrow that humans possess emotions, and life isn't some mandatory competition. I don't think this world should require desperate struggles for someone to care about another person."

"But does Priest Faria believe that anything can be achieved through hard work? If hard work were enough, there would be no weaklings in this world."

In response to Moriarty's rebuttal, Favia continued to reply with a smile:

Ultimately, there is no definitive judgment on whether something is useful or useless. One's understanding of things changes as one changes oneself. Whether something is beautiful or ugly depends on how it is interpreted. All people are born into the long history of humankind and also die within the long history of humankind.

"As you say, people are indeed divided into useful and useless. Take, for example, those who are born burdened with unavoidable misfortunes. How could such people possibly move forward so easily and survive so tenaciously? The vast majority of them would become actual evildoers, and thus, naturally, they would be useless to humanity. Please refute my statement!"

Although the man's voice was very calm, his heart was actually pounding.

Moriarty felt more excited and thrilled than ever before in his life. He couldn't wait to hear what the Priest named Faria would say next; it was incredibly exciting for him.

Priest Faria, what else can you say?

He couldn't help but think that.

However, Faria, standing before him, merely nodded slightly before turning his gaze elsewhere.

"... I admit that it's a sin to presume to move forward without firsthand experience of others' past. But the limits of my language are only the limits of what I know. After all, since language is a human creation, it's bound to be Perfection. Moreover, beauty isn't Perfection; it arises from emptiness based on people's individual ideas."

"... Hmph, it seems you do have some self-awareness."

For some reason, Moriarty felt a bit down for a moment.

Perhaps he was hoping for a more forceful rebuttal.

"But no matter what, you will encounter setbacks, or there will be times when you can't bear the brilliance of your goal and bow your head. Even so, you won't understand some things unless you try. On the road to progress, even if you encounter failures and setbacks, you will still feel great."

As he spoke, Favia coughed lightly a few times.

"The reason I acknowledge what you said is because I cannot speak for everyone, since I haven't seen them all, and naturally I dare not speak for them. But I will speak for all those who have endured misfortune and still moved forward, saying that indeed not everyone can succeed, but it is precisely because they have all tried that the world has come to where it is today."

"Priest, are you perhaps suggesting that so-called good perpetuates the world?"

Upon hearing this, Moriarty, who had been expressionless, suddenly burst into laughter.

"Weak goodness will only be ruthlessly trampled in the face of cunning evil. In fact, most of the kings and so-called heroes who have risen in history have been villains. Anyone who looks at history carefully will notice this. Even you, the founders of the Church, have countless blood on your hands."

At that moment, it was as if time had stopped; the two remained motionless.

Moriarty's eyes were fixed on Faria, his gaze seemingly piercing through Faria.

His words were enough to suffocate ordinary believers.

"Yes, it was indeed stained with blood, I admit that. Whatever the reason, many were killed."

However, to Moriarty's surprise, Falivey nodded without hesitation.

"For example, humans who can't lie don't exist in this world. And so-called lies, like breathing, are unavoidable and a necessary means of survival."

Therefore, no matter how noble the justice one proclaims, no matter how dazzling the ideal one upholds, one will not purely believe in such things. Even when accepting lies as a necessary evil, it will be the most reliable weapon.

"Ha, that's not something Priest should say."

"Necessary evil is better than pointless good; there is no need for regret or shame. The victory of immorality is greater than the defeat of virtue. Even if condemned by conscience, the victor still has a chance to atone, while the loser has no chance to recover."

"... All that has been said is ultimately just rhetoric from the victors; in such actions, it is always the kind and innocent who suffer."

Moriarty withdrew his smile, his face becoming expressionless again, though his breathing suggested he was forcing himself to remain calm.

"In that case, for the sake of kind and innocent people, can you destroy this world where evil prevails? James Moriarty."

"Huh? What did you say--"

Next, Moriarty will likely never forget the old man's pale blue eyes and his words that shone like Stars.

Although no Magecraft was used, the voice resonated deep within him, and from those words, he sensed a truly sincere prayer.

"To become the 'evil' that inflicts darkness, pain, and despair upon those who wantonly plunder hope."

"What?!"

"Could you do it, James Moriarty? No, you certainly could, Your Excellency James Moriarty."

"Putting aside this so-called evil, why do you think I'm absolutely capable of doing it?"

"Because, just like you, I calculated it, calculated the result of 'James Moriarty can do it,' and thus concluded that 'James Moriarty is feasible.'"

Favia answered decisively.

"... Ah, people always want to challenge their limits, and can never resist the Desire to prove their conclusions correct. In other words, it's a boring thought, which is truly a beauty without calculation."

The young Moriarty, however, spoke in a very heavy voice.

"If it's a coincidence, how many consecutive occurrences must it happen before it becomes certain?"

Favia shook his head again as he spoke.

He believed that no matter how many times a coincidence occurs, it can never become a certainty.

No matter how many times something happens, it's still just a coincidence; and even if something never happens, it's still inevitable.