Chapter 126 Preparing For War (1/2)

Hua Tuo woke up with a message from Roovan saying that Zenobia had summoned everyone for an important meeting at nine in the cave. The doctor was slightly surprised that they would be summoned so soon. He didn't think that Carrabas would be moving so quickly but at the same time, he knew it would only be a matter of time before they attacked. The physician decided that he would talk to his apprentice before they went to the meeting.

Zero woke up a few hours later, expecting it to be yet another eventful day. He wasn't disappointed but the seriousness on his teacher's face surprised him. It wasn't usual for Hua Tuo to be so tense in the morning. The physician was usually in a better mood in the morning and crankier in the afternoon.

”What's going on?” Zero asked, slightly worried when his teacher wouldn't talk even after a few minutes. The silence was making him nervous.

Hua Tuo didn't know how to phrase what he was going to say. He wanted to be as delicate as possible about the topic of death but there really was no good way of putting it. As a doctor, one had to save as many as they could. With Zero's abilities, it was highly possible he could save everyone if he wanted to, including the lives of his enemies. Hua Tuo didn't know how Zero would react if he told him that enemies cannot be saved during the war even if he had the ability to do so. As such, the God of Medicine was conflicted.

Zero waited as patiently as he could. Whatever his teacher had to say must be important.

Finally, Hua Tuo spoke.

”Zero, the village is going to war with Count Carrabas.”

The brunet blinked. He knew that already. Why was Hua Tuo stating the obvious? Nobody told him that explicitly but Zero was a smart boy. He'd put the pieces of the puzzle together himself and figured it out.

”We will not be interfering with their fight, only healing and saving the villagers who need it. You are not to attack anyone on the enemy side. Most importantly, you cannot save the enemies. The dead must stay dead. If they don't have a healer who knows revival magic, that is their fate. You are not allowed to use healing magic on the enemies.”

Zero blinked. He knew what wars were. Enemies were the bad people. For Zero, anybody who made his newly-found friends miserable would be considered an enemy. Anyone who wishes harm on another person is not a friend in Zero's books. He was very clear about where he stood. There were some people who do not deserve to be saved, Bell had said so before and Zero agreed when he heard about what they did.

”I understand,” he told his teacher calmly and Hua Tuo was slightly surprised.

”Are you sure?”

Zero frowned. ”We are talking about bad people, right? People who do bad things to make others miserable and all? Bell told me about these types of people. He said that they are the true definition of evil instead of the stereotypes that humans have about demons and other species. People fight all the time over different things. However, some people don't fight because of a difference in opinion about what's best for them or their families. They fight because they want to see others suffer. I don't want to save these kinds of people. I'll let En handle their punishment.”

Hua Tuo was mildly surprised at Zero's mature response and nodded in satisfaction. It was hard to predict how Zero would react but he was glad the brunet agreed.

”That means that I will save those innocent people who were forced to fight because of Count Carrabas. I just won't be saving the person called Count Carrabas,” Zero beamed and Hua Tuo wanted to smack his head into a wall.

”No, Zero. You can't do that in a war. Anyone who fights against the village is an enemy. You can't save them if they are killed.”

Zero looked confused. ”But they're not evil... why can't I do that?”

Hua Tuo looked exasperated. How could he explain the concept of war to Zero without confusing the boy? In war, sometimes the innocent must be sacrificed for a victory. Good men must die for their country. Evil men must be befriended for an advantage. Lying and cheating is not something frowned upon during a war as it was considered strategy.

Thankfully, Hua Tuo had a little more time to think of a way to explain this concept to his disciple. Roovan swooped into their apartment from the window to let them know that the meeting was about to start soon. They followed the raven beastmen to the cave with Zero feeling proud of himself and Hua Tuo feeling mentally tired.

The day had only begun but already, the physician didn't have the energy to continue the rest of it.

Zero was surprised to see everyone in the cave. It was usually very spacious but today, it was a little crowded. Zero didn't mind, he liked being in the company of others. However, the mood was what threw him off. Lady Zenobia stood on the stone platform in front and everyone was standing at attention, waiting for her to speak.