The study room in Prince Gro's palace is very large and spacious. There are many bookshelves in it, and the bookshelves are filled with books.
When unfamiliar people come in and see the appearance of the study, they will think that Gro is a knowledgeable prince who loves to read, but in fact, Gro has never read these books. The study was not his. Although it belonged to him in name, the actual owner was his teacher—a court tutor—one of the few people he trusted.
Gro was disheveled and walked into the study. He saw a silver-haired old man sitting in the study, reading a book with gusto. Because of his poor eyesight, the old man almost put the book on the tip of his nose.
The old man looked at it very seriously and did not notice his arrival at all.
After a long time, the old man felt thirsty. He put down his book, picked up the cup that had become cold and took a sip. Only then did he see an extra person in the room. Seeing the way Gro had just gotten up, the old man was not surprised at all, and looked as if he was not surprised at all. He just shook his head slightly and picked up the book, ready to continue reading.
At this time, Gro couldn't help but speak out, looked at the silver-haired old man and said, "Teacher."
"Um?"
"You said..." Grok frowned and asked, "You said, am I a failure?"
"What's wrong?"
"You see..." Grodao, "I can't compete with my elder brother in politics. There is nothing outstanding in other aspects. I can't bear hardships and punishments, so I am not good at swordsmanship, poor horsemanship, lack of knowledge, and lack of courage. He is small and has almost no prestige. To be honest, it may be a good thing for the eldest brother to become the king. If I become the king, I will definitely not do well and may mess up the entire kingdom.
Recently, I have been trying wizard meditation, but even with some potions, the effect is not obvious. I feel like I'm really a useless person and can't do anything well. If I didn't have the identity of a prince, but the son of an ordinary farmer, I would probably be dead long ago, right? I feel like there is really no point in living like this. "
After Gro said, he looked frustrated and looked like he was hoping to be persuaded.
The silver-haired old man spoke slowly and said to Gro: "No."
"Huh? Teacher, you mean I'm not that bad?" Gro's eyes lit up slightly.
"No, I mean, if His Highness the Prince really became the son of an ordinary farmer, he would die very early. And your life, Your Highness the Prince, and the lives of many people, are not meaningless, but meaningless. It never made sense."
"I… "
"Your Highness the Prince..." The silver-haired old man turned his head, looked at Gro with narrowed eyes, and said softly, "Actually, you have to know, ahem, most of the people in this world are ordinary people. Whether they are farmers' sons or nobles, There are very few people with such qualities as courage, wisdom, decisiveness, and reason. In fact, there are not many people who are cruel, evil, cold, and bloodthirsty. Most people are essentially the same, timid and ignorant. You can call them ordinary or mediocre.
Your Highness, you are aware of your own mediocrity. This is very good. You are already better than many people. And next, all you need to do is accept this mediocrity. "
"I… "
"What's so bad about being mediocre? Why should we pursue anything as a human being? Once people have pursuits and desires, it means the beginning of pain. People should actually be willing to be ordinary, so that they will not get much happiness. , after all, this world cannot be changed by one or two people.
We... ahem, we are just a bunch of bugs on the earth. We are born, live, and eventually die. Our lives may not necessarily have any meaning, just like the fat chickens raised in the palace kitchen. Your Highness, do you think their lives have any meaning? It is meaningless to them, but it is meaningful to us because we have to eat its flesh. "
"I… "
"Ahem... A person's life does not necessarily have to have any meaning. Your Highness, the reason why you are thinking about this issue is just because you are alive. In fact, so many beasts and so many people on the earth really have meaning. No? No.
As long as enough land taxes can be collected, the lord does not care whether the farmers in his territory are happy or meaningful. A hundred peasants, and a hundred other peasants, made no difference to the lord.
Prince, in my opinion, the whole world is chaotic and full of temptations. It is easy for an ordinary person to get lost and be attracted by something, such as love, wealth, or power, and then mistakenly think that is the so-called meaning of life, and then pursue and fight hard.
Maybe you catch up in the end, and then find that everything is nothing more than that. Maybe he didn't catch up in the end, and then he died with his eyes open. In fact... this is just a deception of life. Life has no meaning. The only difference between it and death is that it is alive. Your Highness, you are a prince. This is naturally your luck. You don't have to think about food and heating issues like ordinary farmers, but other than that, there is nothing else.
You can be a good prince or a bad prince, but you are just a prince and you can't change much. Even your eldest brother, the new king, is just a king, and he cannot do anything at will to make any changes in the world.
We are all bugs on the earth, and we live either a difficult life or an easy life. Accepting that our lives are meaningless and facing death with peace is all we can do. Do you know why I have been studying here? Because only reading can make me forget all this and get a moment of peace. "
"I..." After listening to this long teaching, Gro felt that his whole body was not good. His already depressed and decadent mood fell directly to the bottom of the valley. He felt that the whole world was gray, and everything was really nothing. Pointless.
The teacher in front of him seemed to be right, everything was meaningless.
What he pursues and wants has no value, and brings him no benefit except pain and trouble.
But deep down in his heart, Gro had a vague feeling that something was wrong.
Is everything really meaningless
What is the purpose of all these people living in this world in a muddle-headed manner? Is there no one who has actually thought of something truly meaningful to do
It's a pity that he can't answer this question. Maybe someone can answer it
Gro lay softly on the wooden chair in the study room, and couldn't help but think of the person he met in the forest of the Border Viscount Lanster's territory - the young wizard.
Doesn't the other person's life also mean nothing? If the other party has meaning, what is it? Does the other person know the meaning of life and the world
(End of Volume 1)