Ch.117Punishment (2)

The land of elves, Alfheim, the land of dwarves, Kingdom of Makina, the land of beast-people, Kingdom of Animus, and so on. As there are various races in this world, there are numerous countries representing each race.

Humans, due to their large population, have various countries such as the Empire of Minerva, Kingdom of Teres, Dutchy of Bellua, and Papal Kingdom of Sabre, but other races mostly have only one country. This is because people, like humans, tend to gather with their own kind.

However, Helium is somewhat different. As everyone knows, demons, unlike other races, did not exist from the beginning but emerged after the Demon War.

They have a tragic history of suffering severe discrimination due to their close resemblance to demons, and were even massacred by humans. Because of this, they were fugitives until Helium was founded, unable to establish a proper foundation.

But as they say, patience always brings opportunity. The demons found suitable land and founded Helium while other races were busy keeping each other in check. They transformed barren land into fertile fields through magic and achieved remarkable growth in the blink of an eye.

As a result, ‘Helium’ was established in the land where demons had fled. In fact, the first king of Helium built it for their safety and was willing to give up the land if other races would accept them.

Of course, the hatred toward demons was no joke, so as time passed, they unexpectedly became a powerful nation. Even during the Racial War, they offered such terms, but were ignored as others claimed demons were trying to deceive them with sweet words.

Because of this, Helium’s founding ideology was somewhat unique compared to other races. Not for greater development, but as a cradle for fugitives.

However, since the publication of the Biography of Xenon, things have changed 180 degrees. Helium is preparing to become a true nation in every sense.

“Our Helium is ready to move forward as a race, not just as a cradle for fugitives. So we’ve begun ‘diplomacy’ in the language of this world. A few days ago, Helium’s delegation visited the Kingdom of Teres and presented them with specialty goods.”

“What specialty goods?”

“Silk woven with magic. Since we demons of Helium have honed our magic to survive by any means, we can proudly say we excel at creating magic-related items.”

“Better than dwarves?”

“While dwarves focus on manufacturing itself, we concentrate solely on magical items. For example, dwarves can make even a basic sword into a masterpiece, whereas we demons may lack manufacturing skills but compensate with magic to create masterpieces. We enhance cutting power or durability by enchanting with magic.”

Just hearing this, I can’t help but think they truly are an overpowered race. I looked at Gartz Balack, who had explained everything with sincere admiration.

“Then isn’t that much better than dwarf-made items?”

“Not necessarily. While dwarf-made swords have excellent cutting power and durability on their own, ours require mana infusion to activate their effects. Moreover, no race in this world can match dwarves in weapon crafting.”

“Still, it’s impressive nonetheless. Have people been unaware of this fact because you haven’t engaged in diplomacy until now?”

“Yes. Now that we’ve sent delegations and gifts, they’ll soon notice. And since it’s been revealed that the director of the Matrix troupe is a demon, they’ll also realize our deep appreciation for the arts.”

While listening to Gartz’s explanation, I didn’t forget to look around.

A day has passed since Gartz visited our mansion, and I’m currently walking through the streets of Helium. Just as humans imitated elven civilization, demons have imitated human lifestyles, making the streets very similar to what I’m familiar with.

There are roads where carriages pass by, with various colorful buildings alongside them, and the building styles are similar to what I saw in the capital of the Empire of Minerva.

The difference is the people walking the streets. They all have black hair and red eyes, and their horns are slightly different from each other.

Still, since it’s a place where ‘people’ live, the streets are lively, and the sight of children laughing and running around gives me enough sense of security.

‘There’s really no difference at all. How are these supposed to be demons?’

The reason I could arrive in Helium so quickly was, of course, thanks to Gartz’s magic. After all preparations were complete, he bid farewell to my parents and teleported us to Helium’s border. Then we naturally went through basic entry procedures and entered.

When the soldiers (warriors) were surprised to learn I was human during the entry process, Gartz casually explained I was a tourist, and we passed through surprisingly easily. However, they didn’t forget to give a few warnings.

First, if I’m caught deliberately using discriminatory language or behavior toward demons in Helium, I’ll be punished even as a foreigner. It was essentially racial discrimination, so I didn’t take it too seriously.

Second, avoid wandering around at night or dawn if possible. When I asked why, they said many demons who can’t endure the evil cycle roam at night.

While fellow demons can help if they spot them, foreigners might get hurt. As soon as I heard this, I remembered Cecilly Drat Isillia Vin pushing me with tremendous strength.

Lastly, don’t approach Helium’s royal palace without special permission. They informed me that a strong barrier is activated, making it dangerous for humans to approach.

You might wonder why we went through entry procedures when teleportation is possible, but Helium’s outer walls have a large barrier that prevents teleportation. It’s almost impossible to infiltrate via warp or teleport unless exact coordinates are entered.

When I asked Gartz about the principle, he said it twists the flow of mana irregularly to increase the failure rate. Of course, it’s a complex magic even for demons, so there’s no way I could understand it.

“Mom! Mom! Look! That red-haired man is human, right?”

“Shh! Come here. Don’t say that!”

Then I heard a child’s innocent cry piercing my ears. When I turned my head, I caught sight of a young woman, presumably the mother, hurriedly stopping a small child.

Perhaps because I was walking proudly without even wearing a robe, occasionally some people would glance at me, and curious children would openly shout.

I must stand out because I’m human and have red hair, which is rare in this world. Moreover, since demons all have the distinctive black hair and red eyes, I’m particularly noticeable.

‘As expected of demons, she looks young.’

Even the woman stopping the child looks so young that anyone would mistake her for an older sister. As a long-lived race like elves, their aging must be slow.

I suddenly became curious about how demons distinguish age. Elves, as a race chosen by the gods, instinctively know when they see others, but I wondered how demons do it.

“Mr. Gartz. Can demons instinctively distinguish each other’s ages like elves?”

“While it’s difficult to distinguish instinctively, we can usually guess by the color of the horns. Young demons mostly have black horns, but elderly demons have light gray ones. Also, as they age, the evil cycle occurs less frequently, and their desires diminish.”

“It still seems difficult to distinguish.”

“That’s why many mark their horns or use tattoos to indicate their age. Being old means having fought and won against inner evil for a long time, so elderly demons are highly respected.”

Indeed, demons are more likely to die by becoming devils than from natural causes. So it’s only natural that older demons are respected in their culture.

After that, I began to hear more stories about demons from Gartz. Perhaps because we arrived in Helium, my curiosity about demons grew rapidly.

When I was with Cecilly, I was too busy with other thoughts, but now I can focus solely on demons, so I asked various questions.

“Are there any difficulties when using dark mana? Like inner evil going berserk with excessive use?”

“First-generation demons experienced that in the distant past, but it’s fine now. Still, we take precautions just in case.”

“There are almost no first-generation demons left, right?”

“Practically none at this point. Unless demons cross over from another dimension and spread their seed like during the Demon War, first-generation demons won’t be born. But benefactor, may I ask you one thing?”

“What is it?”

As Gartz, who had been answering diligently, asked for permission to question me, I looked at him directly and agreed. His red eyes were so indifferent that it was difficult to read his thoughts.

Then Gartz opened and closed his mouth repeatedly before asking me in a careful tone.

“How does Helium appear to you, benefactor?”

“Helium?”

“Yes.”

“Hmm…”

Hearing his question, I looked around. Helium, where demons live, was initially a shelter for fugitives, but over the centuries, it has evolved into a powerful nation that yields to no one.

Although diplomatically they’re like frogs in a well, they’re likely to gain the upper hand soon. Therefore, Helium will step up as a country with immense development potential and strong voice.

But that’s only when looking at Helium’s national power. Inside… it’s no different from human countries. The sky is incredibly blue, and beneath it, people are busy going about their daily business.

Some people spread strange rumors without even visiting Helium—that the red sky is ominous, that devils live there and murders occur daily. But after setting foot here, I question all that.

Helium is a place that exudes the scent of people living their lives more than anywhere else.

“I don’t have any particular thoughts.”

“What do you mean by that…”

“It’s exactly the same as what I’ve seen before. A country is established, ruled by a king and nobles, and the people live according to the governance while enjoying their lives. That’s it.”

“…”

“I don’t know what answer you’re looking for, but that’s my thought. It’s a place that smells of people.”

“…Haha.”

Gartz let out a somewhat dejected laugh at my answer. I was surprised since I thought he was always stoic and expressionless.

Gartz smiled with what seemed like satisfaction and quietly spoke.

“I apologize for my rudeness. My question must have seemed too obvious to you.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes. A place that smells of people… that’s a deeply touching phrase.”

It was just a casual remark, but it seems to have deeply moved Gartz. I stared at him as he appeared lost in thought, as if savoring the moment.

Well, he’s a soldier, and strong enough to serve as Cecilly’s knight. Being so strong, he must have been handling threats to Helium all this time.

Now, it’s enough to make him think he’s protecting people, not demons.

“I understand why the princess shows such deep interest in you. Even if you weren’t a writer, you deserve respect as a person.”

“You’re flattering me. As I said before, I don’t have any particular thoughts.”

“That’s what’s most important. It means you’ve seen us demons as people all along without even being conscious of it.”

Is that how it works? While I tilted my head in confusion, Gartz reached out into the air. Then a book appeared in his hand.

It seemed to be magic, and as I was looking at it with curiosity, Gartz carefully asked me while holding out the book.

“After hearing that, I can’t hold back anymore. Just one request.”

“What is this?”

“It’s the Biography of Xenon, Volume 5. The book that depicts the end of Sacran and marks when our demons’ perception began to change significantly.”

“Why this…”

As I looked at him with a puzzled expression, Gartz opened his mouth with his characteristically stoic and indifferent expression.

“Please sign it.”

“…”

“I was going to ask after the princess received hers, but I feel like I won’t get another chance if not now.”

He was so sincere that I just did it.

Anyway, after signing for Gartz, I moved to the villa where I had arranged to meet Cecilly. Since I couldn’t enter the royal palace, we had arranged to meet at Cecilly’s private villa.

Her villa was located inside Helium, and surprisingly, there was a lush forest right in the city. Gartz explained that it was the Forest of Repose, a kind of sacred place that only the royal family of Helium could enter, and there was a separate villa inside.

He told me it could be used for various purposes such as practicing magic or calming the mind through meditation, and it had defensive barriers to prevent accidents.

I was worried about entering such a sacred place freely, but Gartz assured me it was fine since Cecilly had given permission. Thanks to that, I could enter the forest without any concerns.

“Issac!”

Cecilly was waiting at the entrance of the forest. She wasn’t wearing the red dress from the festival, but a black dress that revealed her shoulders and collarbone.

When Cecilly ran toward me, holding the hem of her dress, I was momentarily flustered, but having already made up my mind, I opened my arms to welcome her. Seeing my welcome, Cecilly smiled like a blooming flower and threw herself into my arms.

*Thump*

“Mmm… are you really accepting me now?”

“What’s there to hesitate about when Marie has already given permission?”

“I love you. Really…”

As I embraced Cecilly, I could feel the softness of her chest, but I endured until the end. If we had been alone, I might not have been able to resist, but Gartz was nearby.

No matter how much he might like me, his loyalty to Cecilly, whom he’s supposed to protect, would be incomparable. I couldn’t destroy the goodwill I had built up.

So after sharing a deep embrace with Cecilly, I slowly pulled away and looked at her face. Her red eyes, filled with affection and love, caught my attention.

Even I thought to myself that I was truly blessed. Not only Marie but also women like Cecilly, each with their own outstanding charm.

But we couldn’t dwell on the joy of reunion forever. There was a fundamental reason why I came to Helium.

“Sis. Where are the thieves? I’d like to deal with them quickly so I can explore Helium.”

“They’ve already arrived. Let’s go.”

“Okay.”

Cecilly also seemed eager to decide on their treatment. She linked arms with me and slowly began to walk. Gartz followed behind us.

After briefly admiring the natural beauty of the forest, Cecilly spoke.

“Oh, by the way. They’ve already decided among themselves what punishment to impose. You just need to make the final judgment, Issac.”

“Really? What kind of punishment?”

Honestly, I expected they wouldn’t impose a severe punishment, thinking they’d protect their own. After all, it wasn’t an elf versus elf issue, but an elf versus human one.

What’s the big deal about stealing a draft? I thought they might have that kind of mindset.

However, the severity of the punishment Cecilly mentioned far exceeded my expectations.

“500 years.”

“What?”

“They’ll be imprisoned for 500 years. Given the nature of the case, it seems the dark elves have imposed a heavy sentence internally.”

“…”

That’s quite a fierce race. I chuckled and shook my head.

To be honest, since they were strangers, I didn’t care much, but I planned to decide on their treatment after seeing if they showed remorse.

So we reached the meeting place and…

“…Arwen?”

“…”

“Why are you here?”

I encountered an unexpected guest.

The little elven lady, Arwen Elidia, gave a bitter smile when she saw me and said in a voice that seemed tired:

“…We meet again.”