What Do You Mean I'm The Captain Of A Yandere Mercenary Company? Chapter 871: Different Roles In Their Society

Holding back my feelings out of politeness, I simply let the girl prepare the meal. To distract myself, I turned my attention to the Dragonling seated opposite me. "So... Umm... I suppose we should have a conversation now?"

Vieretha interlaced her fingers, her gaze thoughtful. "Hmm... You don't seem to have much interest in this whole setup? It feels as though... You've experienced something similar before?"

"Ah... Well... I have dined in establishments like this previously... And to be honest, I'm quite capable of cooking myself."

"Oh? You possess culinary skills as well? My, my... My fascination with you grows ever stronger, Lady Tera."

I cleared my throat,."Ahem... So yes... Regardless... As I was saying... We can converse now, correct?"

"Fufufu~ Indeed, of course. Since this is your inaugural encounter with a Dragonling such as myself, I imagine you are eager to learn more about our kind, aren't you?"

While that wasn't precisely the question I intended to pose, it was true that I harbored a desire to understand more about the Dragonling civilization; thus, I wouldn't refuse the offer.

As if perceiving my thoughts, Vieretha began to speak, idly tracing the rim of her water glass with a finger.

"Hmm... Where shall I commence? I believe I should recount the aspects that would most captivate outsiders~ As I've previously informed you, our social order is determined by the hue of our scales. The deeper the shade, the higher one's standing within the hierarchy."

"Yes, you did mention that earlier during our journey here..." I offered as a reminder.

"Hmmm~ Precisely. Therefore, as you can observe, my scales possess a rather deep coloration, wouldn't you agree?"

"I can certainly see that... Are you implying that your lineage is akin to... royalty, perhaps?"

"Goodness me? No, no, fufufu~ Our status is not quite that elevated, Lady Tera. I would venture to say our family ranks among the highest echelons, just below the royal lineage, though we are certainly not the Royal Family itself. It is worth noting, however, that in certain regards, we wield influence that technically surpasses that of the Royal Family~"

Wonderful... I sincerely hope her family isn't harboring aspirations of a coup or anything of that nature...

"So, who occupies the lowest rung of your social ladder?" I inquired.

"Well, isn't it self-evident? The white dragons, naturally."

"And what is their societal standing?"

"Fufufu~ Conventionally, the majority serve as slaves or retainers, Lady Tera."

I might have expressed surprise at this revelation, but truthfully, I did not.

Considering that slavery was a commonplace institution within this universe, the notion that an entire civilization segment was automatically relegated to servitude based solely on their scale color did not strike me as particularly astonishing anymore.

"I am surprised that there hasn't been a rebellion or similar unrest..." I commented casually. "I would have presumed there would be at least some form of uprising amongst your enslaved population, especially given their access to the GalaNet, wouldn't you?"

She met my gaze with a smile. "Fufufu~ I understand your apprehension, but such an eventuality is nigh impossible. You see, within our society, the color of one's scales signifies their hierarchical position not due to an arbitrary birthright, but as an embodiment of the responsibilities one is destined to bear from birth."

I raised an eyebrow. "What exactly do you mean by that?"

"It implies that a Black Dragonling is expected to provide for all those beneath them, as this responsibility is inherent to their being. All others are raised with the understanding that they must support the Dragonlings positioned above them, thereby receiving care in return. After all, they benefit from the protection and the attentiveness to their welfare provided by the Dragonlings above them."

"Hmm... Do the lower-ranking Dragonlings never contemplate achieving independence or even ascending to the pinnacle of the hierarchy? Surely some harbor grand ambitions, correct?"

She let out a soft giggle. "Fufufu~ Our societal structure does not operate in such a fashion. Every individual comprehends their designated purpose and life responsibilities, thus preventing deviations from the established order. Are there individuals who deviate from this norm within our society? Of course, but they are exceedingly rare. We have learned to permit these outliers to pursue their inclinations, for they will inevitably realize that their predestined role remains their most fulfilling position in life. This system has been functional for several millennia, and nothing has necessitated a change thus far. This should stand as sufficient proof that our methods are optimal."

Huh... I suppose Dragonlings are fundamentally distinct from humans... Which, in retrospect, should hardly be surprising?

I mean... I should already be cognizant that every race possesses unique characteristics, considering I have several non-human individuals within my crew at this very moment... Each of them exhibited distinct perspectives and beliefs when compared to ordinary humans.

Vieretha then narrowed her eyes at me, "Surely Lady Tera is not one of those people that try to convince us that whatever we are doing is immoral and we should change our way of life to suit some kind of arbitrary standard, right?"

I raised my eyebrow, "Do you get conversations like that often?"

"Hmm... No, but they certainly exist."

"Well... I have yet to meet anyone like that, so... I’m definitely not one of them and if they show up in front of me, I would disagree with their way of thinking as well."

The black Dragonling broke into a smile, "Fufufu~ I knew it~ There’s no way I would choose someone who was completely incompatible with me~"

"What do you mean by that?"

"Fufufu~ Nothing for you to worry about, Lady Tera~ You really are an interesting one~"

That came out of nowhere but... Ok?

I decided to bring the conversation back on topic, "So anyway... You mentioned people in your society having been born with destined purposes right? What is your purpose then?"

"Fufufu~ That question is up to each individual to figure out themselves, Lady Tera. But there’s a general rule that everyone follows according to their role in society. For example, I know my role is to stand above all those who are below me and to lead them as their superior. Thus, I work hard to make sure I can remain in this position and have all the right to guide those that look up to me as their better."

I tilted my head at her, "So what about me? Are you here because you believe that I am someone beneath you as well?"

She reacted to my question in an unexpected way as she slammed the table and leaned forward out of her seat in a panic, the sound causing both my girls and her guards to take a step forward thinking something had happened only to stop when they realised it was just Vieretha responding to me.

"Not at all, Lady Tera! Please do not misunderstand! This hierarchy only exists for our people! Not outsiders! I would never ever think that you are beneath me, Lady Tera!"

I quickly waved my hand at her placatingly, "I was just joking, no need to take that seriously..."

She let out a sigh of relief and sat back down in her seat.

I quickly changed the topic to stop the atmosphere from becoming awkward, "Anyway... Now I’m curious about something... You said this only applied to your own people but... Are there any instances of your people breeding with Dragonlings of different scale colour? What happens to the offspring in such cases? And what about Dragonlings and other aliens like us? Do the children from these pairings end up being affected too?"

Her smile returned on her face, "Fufufu~ I have to say, Lady Tera... For you to think about such things that most people would not even consider... You certainly really are interesting~"

Er... I mean... I think other people also think about it but they probably don’t ask it out loud?

Vieretha gestured to herself, "You might like to know that I was actually a child of two different Dragonlings. My mother was a black Dragonling while my father was a white Dragonling. My status was determined by my own scales and not my parents’, which I assume answered your question about a mixed blood Dragonling?"

I nodded. So basically whatever colour the child is born as between the pairing, that’s what will determine their role in their society.

She continued, "As for a pairing between a Dragonling and someone outside of our species... I’m afraid I do not know of any examples right now. I know that there are couples that have been formed that involve outsiders, but they are rare and they are not very well connected so news about their lives and their involvement in our society is limited. What I do know is that we have no problems with alien pairings of course."

She said the last part with a wiggle of her eyebrows as though she was suggesting something.

Well... I was saved from needing to answer her by the chef coming over to serve the food she had prepared for us.

Right... Let’s just try out the food she prepared first.