"Hmph, bastards like illegitimate children are such petty creatures."
"Exactly. Looks like we were too lenient earlier. People like that should've been killed as soon as they were born."
"Right! Even if you were too softhearted to kill him, you should've at least thrown him away. It's unthinkable that the Emperor would actually give someone like that a knighthood."
They had been serious at first.
But once they started talking about Perry, they were all filled with righteous indignation.
It wasn't as if Perry had caused them any real harm.
They simply couldn't believe that an illegitimate child like him would dare fight back!
Wasn't that completely backward?!
"Wait, then doesn't that mean Perry has, to some extent, evolved?"
Someone suddenly realized this and asked loudly.
His shout once again brought the conversation to a halt.
The nobles who had been criticizing Perry fell silent.
Evolution.
It was something nearly every ruler on the continent was pursuing.
No one could say why they pursued it or where the idea had originated.
But everyone knew one thing.
Evolution would surely bring them benefits.
No matter what direction it took, it had to be better than things were now.
Or, to put it another way, any change was good—as long as they didn't stay as they were.
"Though, even if that's true, does fusing with a monster really count as evolution?"
Someone said with a frown.
Some of the nobles agreed with his question.
"Indeed. The more I think about it, the more it seems like a monster."
"No... I don't think that counts as evolution. I'd say looking neither human nor beast is more like degeneration."
"Hah! A monster? Degeneration? Whatever you want to call it, the fact that Perry managed to create something like this proves he has value."
Someone