Ch.135To Alfheim (2)

The next day after it was confirmed that I would be heading to Alfheim, Arwen came to visit my quarters personally.

Since she was using magic to conceal herself, she entered my quarters secretly without anyone noticing. At first, I was startled when a voice came from empty air, but soon realized it was Arwen and felt relieved.

After Arwen arrived at my quarters, before we began our conversation, I informed her of the news—that I would be going to Alfheim.

And Arwen’s reaction was quite amusing to watch.

“W-what? What did you just say?”

“I’ll be going to Alfheim soon. My friend suggested we go together, and I thought it would be good timing, so I agreed.”

“Then…”

“It means I’ll be watching your speech with my own two eyes.”

“Ugh…”

She hadn’t expected me to visit Alfheim at all, and Arwen groaned while touching her ears with her hands. It was quite fascinating to see her grabbing her long ears like handles. It seemed to be a habit that emerged whenever she was flustered.

Meanwhile, Arwen seemed concerned about me watching her speech and spoke in a somewhat anxious voice. Her hands were still firmly gripping her ears.

“C-can’t you not come?”

“Why?”

“It’s just… embarrassing.”

“What’s there to be embarrassed about when I’ve already seen everything?”

She seemed to feel embarrassment in strange places, as Arwen’s cheeks turned sunset-red. Having witnessed her inciting others with my own eyes, I couldn’t help but snicker.

But I’m not completely unsympathetic. When you receive an ability and then have to demonstrate it in front of many people, having the person who taught you watching would double the pressure.

She’s already under enough pressure to perform well, and having me watch would make that pressure enormous.

“Anyway, watching your speech is already decided. I’ve already booked the teleport, and I have no reason to refuse.”

“C-couldn’t you say you’re writing a book?”

“I don’t think so. If anything, they’d think the opposite. Why would I refuse when there’s such good material available?”

“Nnngh…”

Has she accepted that I’ll be watching her speech? Arwen squeezed her eyes shut while still holding her ears.

Then, after letting out a deep sigh, she slowly released her ears that she had been gripping like handles and muttered quietly.

“I guess there’s no helping it… But don’t expect too much. Even if the speech you gave me is excellent, it depends on the person delivering it.”

“Have confidence. If you do it like you did last time, there won’t be any problems.”

“I hope so…”

It seems Arwen is feeling quite a bit of pressure. Well, she did say this would be her first national address, so it’s natural to be nervous.

Even just presenting in front of people can be nerve-wracking, let alone giving a speech—a national address, at that. As the day approaches, Arwen’s anxiety will likely intensify, and there’s a high possibility she won’t be able to sleep properly.

If it had been someone I didn’t know, I might have ignored it, but since it was Arwen, I somehow wanted to help her. Despite her mistakes, she took responsibility, and in a way, she’s one of the people I could call a “friend.”

With my extremely limited social circle, I wanted to help a friend if possible. In a way, I was deeply involving myself in state affairs, but I could overlook it because it was simply helping a friend.

“Should I cheer you on? Or maybe pat your head?”

“…Don’t treat me like a child. Despite appearances, I’ve lived many times longer than you.”

“For a grandmother, you sure have a sweet tooth.”

“You… Huff.”

Arwen started to bristle at being called grandmother but then patted her chest as if to calm herself. I’ve teased her with “grandmother” so much that she seems to have gotten used to it.

Actually, calling her grandmother is only possible because it’s Arwen. I tried it once jokingly with Cecilly and nearly had my ears torn off, so I never do it again.

In contrast, Arwen’s reactions are too entertaining. She usually acts childlike, but when teased like this, she tries hard to act like an adult.

And when she gets upset, she pouts like a rabbit that’s had its food taken away, making it difficult to stop teasing her.

“…You’re probably the only human who speaks so casually with me.”

“Does that mean I’m special?”

“Hmm…”

I said it jokingly, but Arwen stared at me intently. This made me feel embarrassed instead.

Meanwhile, she nodded and spoke in a calm voice.

“Perhaps that could be true. When I lived in human society, I never made human friends.”

“Huh? Weren’t you from Alfheim?”

“I’m a half-blood with human blood mixed in. I forgot to mention it.”

It’s somewhat surprising news that Arwen is a half-blood. I had the preconception that the Queen of Alfheim would naturally be pure-blooded.

But as Cindy mentioned before, Arwen ascended to the throne on her own merit, without the backing of any noble family. If she were an ordinary elf, it might have been suspicious, but being a half-blood changes the story.

“I had no idea. So did you also live in the human world until one of your parents passed away naturally?”

“My mother departed to Mora’s embrace shortly after giving birth to me.”

“Oh… I’m sorry.”

I regret asking. I had naturally assumed she lived a full life before passing, and I worried I might have touched on a painful subject.

Fortunately, Arwen didn’t seem too bothered as she shook her head, reassuring me. Then, as if recalling past memories, she began to share her past one by one with a distant look in her eyes.

“After my mother passed away, my father took me and traveled all over the world. I saw both the bright and dark sides of humans with my own eyes and made their strengths my own. It proved useful even after I entered Alfheim, and further helped me become queen.”

“Did you manipulate the noble families?”

“You could say something similar. I asked them to lend me their power to check the Council of Elders. As it happened, the noble families also felt the need for a means to check the growing power of the Council, so they helped me.”

“So you didn’t attend the academy?”

From what I heard from Cindy, the elves of Alfheim receive education at what is called the first academy. And they do so until they’re 50 years old.

The reason they’re called walking libraries is because they receive education continuously until they’re 50. Of course, unlike some countries, it’s not rote learning but focusing on what they enjoy, so there’s no dissatisfaction.

And elves are recognized as proper members of society only after graduating from the academy. However, I’m not sure how it works for half-bloods.

“Half-bloods can attend the academy. From what I’ve heard from other half-bloods, most enter Alfheim after their human parent has lived a full life. The doors of the academy are always open to fellow elves, so receiving education is not a problem.”

“What about being educated until 50?”

“That’s a general statement, and it varies from person to person. If it’s just about graduating, it can be done in 10 years.”

“That’s quite lenient for fellow elves.”

“It might be possible because of our long lifespan. It’s hard to gauge someone’s age by appearance. Even among elves, most infer age through speech patterns and demeanor.”

In some ways, they show a merciful aspect towards fellow elves. But judging by the current uproar over the half-blood issue, there’s still a long way to go.

If this situation doesn’t calm down, won’t they intensify half-blood inspections? I worried that if oppression takes place, a truly fascist state might emerge.

If that happens, even Arwen could be exiled. I stared at her for a moment and then asked in a quiet voice.

“Will you reveal that you’re a half-blood during your speech?”

“Huh? Isn’t that obvious? Without that, the desperation wouldn’t come through.”

“You always have a strong sense of responsibility.”

“Hmph. I’m not at all pleased by your compliment.”

Arwen cleared her throat, but I could see it—a faint blush appearing on her pale cheeks.

Moreover, her long ears were twitching up and down. No matter how much she tries to hide her emotions, her ears seem to betray her.

“Not pleased? Then why are your ears moving like that?”

“T-this is unavoidable!”

“How do you face off against the Council of Elders when you can’t hide your emotions?”

“As I said earlier, you’re the only human I can speak casually with. In fact, I don’t have many friends.”

Why does she seem so pitiful? Perhaps the reason she protected Rain so much was because she was lonely.

She started wandering right after birth, and after entering Alfheim, she ascended to the throne. It’s fair to say she had almost no time to maintain personal relationships.

On the surface, she spoke calmly, but there are probably very few people she can speak openly with like this. In fact, she even affirmed when I jokingly asked if I was special.

“Friends… Well, you’ll make friends as you live. You still have many more days to live than I do.”

“I hope so… but the problem is that I can’t easily trust people because of the Council of Elders. I have to be cautious in everything because I don’t know where their eyes and ears are.”

“That’s the perfect situation for developing paranoia.”

Arwen silently nodded. High-ranking politicians like her all know how futile “trust” can be.

Politics is inherently linked to power, and the higher the power, the further it distances itself from morality. Trust naturally loses its meaning as well.

Moreover, the moment power weakens, hyenas rush in. Historically, many tyrants are born from an obsession with power, but most become violent due to paranoia.

‘What if Arwen becomes like that too…’

Could a fascist elf really emerge? She might push away the entire Council of Elders by force, becoming the sole ruler—potentially the worst record in Alfheim’s history.

Of course, given Arwen’s kind-hearted nature, the probability is slim, but one never knows. There are countless examples of benevolent rulers who turned to evil due to various incidents.

I looked at Arwen with a concerned gaze. Recognizing my look, she smiled bitterly and said:

“You don’t need to look at me like that. This is the path I’ve chosen, so I can’t complain. I’m not as weak as you worry I am.”

“Why did you choose to become queen? You could have lived a normal life.”

To achieve a specific goal, one ascends to a high position. So what is Arwen’s goal?

Hearing my question, she pondered whether she should tell me, then met my eyes. My face was reflected in her silvery-gray eyes, which sparkled like the Milky Way.

Then, Arwen smiled and spoke in a prim tone:

“This is something I haven’t told anyone. Since you’re special to me, I’ll personally tell you.”

“Then I don’t need to hear it.”

“L-listen to people until the end!”

Teasing Arwen is always the best. She blushed and huffed as I chuckled.

It feels like teasing an innocent child, and I can’t stop. But it seems like a serious conversation, so I’ll listen.

Seeing that I was adopting a listening posture, Arwen cleared her throat and glanced at me. Then, in a quiet and gentle voice, she said:

“As I mentioned earlier, I traveled the human world with my father. Watching their bright and dark sides, I realized many things. One of them is that humans experience too many failures. In other words, they constantly challenge themselves.”

“Hmm…”

“What about us elves? We only walk on paths that others have already walked. The problem is that even with just that one path, we can overwhelm other races. It might be fine now, but there will surely be a big problem in the future.”

“Because of humans?”

“More than that, our complacency will be a bigger issue. Even though the shadow hidden in the light, the racial war, has been completely exposed, the Council of Elders still hasn’t come to their senses. Even though their power isn’t as strong as before, it’s gradually becoming more powerful. You can tell by how frequently the throne’s owner has changed.”

Indeed, the kings of Alfheim have changed quite frequently compared to their lifespan. From Arwen’s story, it seems to be due to severe checks from the Council of Elders.

“I wanted to prevent that. Furthermore, I’m constantly challenging. Even if conflicts arise, if those conflicts are resolved, there’s a slight ‘change.’ If such changes occur frequently, surely our elves will also experience development.”

“I don’t know if you’re aware, but many humans also dislike change.”

“But there are still people who challenge. I just want to encourage our citizens to challenge. It doesn’t matter if someone says it’s a useless policy. The evaluation might change in the distant future, even if not now.”

As Arwen said, policies that received harsh evaluations in their time are often praised as achievements in the distant future. She’s more concerned about the future than the present.

But there are still worrying aspects. I asked her in a concerned voice:

“What about you? Are you okay? You could be exiled if things go wrong.”

“If it’s the citizens, not the Council of Elders, who drive me out, I’ll gladly accept it. That too would be a change.”

“Looking at you like this, you really don’t seem like an elf.”

“Not like an elf, you say…”

Hearing my words, Arwen shrugged and replied nonchalantly:

“Perhaps that could be true. I’m a half-blood with human thinking embedded. But I still have pride as an elf.”

“Now that sounds like an elf’s answer.”

“Then what do you think an elf is? Do you think, like other humans, that we’re an arrogant and stubborn race?”

“Well, just…”

I shifted my gaze elsewhere and pondered deeply. Like humans, elves are also a race that can’t be easily defined.

As Arwen mentioned, elves have arrogant and dogmatic aspects, but conversely, they are a race with high pride and bravery. If humans have clear light and shadow, elves have such strong light that the hidden shadow is also large.

But one thing seems certain. I faced Arwen directly and spoke:

“A race that needs a good hit to come to their senses.”

“…What?”

Arwen blinked at my answer. It was a reaction of complete surprise.

To this, I continued with a bit of humor:

“Elves are a race that needs a good hit to come to their senses. The racial war, the discord between elves and dark elves that you told me about—they’re all similar, aren’t they? You don’t think about moving until someone hits you.”

“…”

“So someone needs to hit you for you to develop. Do you understand what I mean?”

“…”

Whether she was dumbfounded or stunned, Arwen blinked with an innocent face. She looked so cute that I almost patted her head without realizing it.

Eventually, as if she had organized all her thoughts, Arwen smiled. Then, shaking her head, she said:

“Really… what an extraordinary answer. But it’s so accurate that I can’t refute it.”

“If you understand, then hit hard during your speech too. I’ll give you the speech draft.”

“Thank you. And… Issac.”

“Yes?”

Arwen called me but hesitated to speak. As I gave her a puzzled look, she made a small request:

“If I ever walk down the wrong path… could you hit me once?”

“What?”

“You’re the only one I can call a friend, and the only one who can hit me.”

So she’s asking me to reprimand her whenever she goes astray? Despite the odd choice of words, Arwen is essentially asking me to be her brake.

It seems her statement about considering me a special person wasn’t a lie but the truth. I was a bit taken aback but eventually accepted.

“Alright. That should be easy enough.”

“Thank you.”

Arwen gave a gentle smile and then spoke softly:

“I’m truly fortunate to have met you.”

A few days later.

“Is Cecilly going too?”

“Yes. She’s planning to go with Lord Balack.”

“Why is Gartz coming?”

“I’m just bringing him along. He’d want to meet you, so it’s killing two birds with one stone.”

And so, I departed for Alfheim.