So are you the latest guild to take him in? You can do a lot better than that loser!
I don’t really feel like I need to express how many levels of fucked up this kind of is. Karol is twelve years old. The fact that fully grown adults are mocking him and publicly humiliating him to the point of wanting to avoid his own home town is an action that I feel should speak for itself in terms of acceptability.
But this needs to be addressed. By this point in canon, Karol has already been shocked- thrilled, but surprised beyond belief, that Yuri was taking him seriously, be it about guilds or anything else to be honest. Karol is a smart kid. He’s shown himself to be talented, well oriented in what he’s doing in the world- he knows cardinal directions, maps of multiple continents by normal recall; he’s proficient with the blastia regardless of his confidence and courage. He fights monsters that most children his age would balk and run at even regardless of the ones he subsequently balks and runs at.
How on earth ( or Terca Lumeries if we must ) has no one accepted that he is a child and should be tended to and taught rather than publicly mocked and ridiculed for perceived weakness? People wonder why Karol has an innate tendency to lie and bolster his own worth when faced with this?
All this kid can brag about is the number of guilds he’s joined! Oh right, that’s a bad thing.
Is it?? First of all: you were employing and expecting an adult work load out of a minor. Which is kinda shitty. Second of all, he’s probably, at this point, got more marketable and useful skills than you do due to the plasticity and intellect of children. So fuck you?
But gosh, then there’s Yuri to the rescue. If anyone ever underplays Yuri’s importance in Karol’s confidence and subsequent success, I will literally tear my own nails off in rebellion because he is so important to Karol. To call out those that are demeaning him and to support and validate Karol? Yuri is one of the first people ever to show Karol that he intrinsically has worth and merit just in being him, let alone how incredible his skillset is for someone of his age. He doesn’t diminish him for being scared or for being a damn kid- the things he’s doing? facing? enduring? Everyone else in the group has at least some metric more of life on him. It’s no small feat that he’s keeping pace with them. That’s worthy of praise. And the fact that Karol is being demeaned for it on a public forum is horrific.
And the shock! In Karol’s expression as Yuri calls them out! “Are these your friends? You can do better than this-” And Karol looks horrified and shocked- because this is probably the first time that someone has stood up to these people, stood against them instead of vindicating their position and invalidating Karol’s struggle to be enough for these people. He does everything he can, works so hard, and for once, someone is supporting him. And he. . . doesn’t know really what to do with it other than be horrified- because Yuri is an outsider, Yuri doesn’t understand, it’s his fault, he’s not enough, he needs to do better, don’t stand up to these guys when you aren’t from here- but also holy shit that was really cool you can actually say that stuff is it okay if I say that stuff can I stand up for myself does that work-?!
And then Estelle to support-! My heart is so full! The poor kid looks like he’s going to cry, feeling supporting and validated by his companions ( friends? Karol wants them to be but I’m sure at this point he’s nervous to insist that )`. Also shoutout for Estelle for calling their toxic masculinity out ‘cause choice. And for them to follow it with shut up only corroborates her point.
EVEN RITA?! LIKE yes she says it in a weird wrap-around way, but to agree with Estelle at this point, I think even Karol can appreciate that of all people, Rita ( who is soundly convinced hates him at this point because well yeah ) agrees with Estelle. . . well maybe they have a point! And maybe. . .maybe that’s enough. . . ?
