Ch.171Forbidden Magic (2)

Arwen almost snorted when she saw Phiren’s body flinch. On the surface, he was making a serious issue about forbidden magic, but inside, he was pitch black with ulterior motives.

The fusion mentioned in the Biography of Xenon—or rather, unification—is certainly a theoretically dangerous magic. Unification itself is essentially offering oneself as a sacrifice, and furthermore, it indiscriminately absorbs surrounding energy, so its impact cannot be ignored.

But Phiren’s true intention is not to warn about the dangers of unification. If one carefully reconsiders the process of fusion described in the Biography of Xenon, one can roughly figure it out.

A simple forbidden magic appearing in a book could be subtly addressed through later political proceedings. Creating such a commotion and being so rude seems excessive.

Moreover, Phiren already knows that unification is a magic that only elves can use. For Phiren, who has ruled Alfheim for hundreds of years, prohibiting specific magic is an easy task.

Additionally, after the recent speech, public sentiment toward the Queen, Arwen, has risen sharply in Alfheim. If Arwen strictly designates something as forbidden, the citizens will readily comply.

‘But the problem is that it’s fusion with a dark elf, not another elf.’

The issue is that the fusion involves an elf and a dark elf, not two elves. Although somewhat overshadowed by the mixed-blood issue, the appearance of dark elves has caught readers’ attention.

Who are the dark elves? Another race of elves with the same roots but completely different culture and traditions.

Occasionally they reveal themselves in human society to buy necessary items or conduct research, but it’s really only occasionally. Because of this, when humans meet dark elves, they look at them with curious eyes or directly express their curiosity.

Thus, dark elves were originally one of the lesser-known races in the world, but when they appeared in the Biography of Xenon, many people focused on them, wondering if Xenon knew a lot about dark elves.

And the portrayal of dark elves, based on information consulted from Cyris, was almost identical to reality. From their specialization in ambush rather than direct confrontation to their ability to permanently conceal themselves.

If there was any difference, it would be the titles, but that could be overlooked. The biggest issue was the relationship between elves and dark elves.

Although overshadowed by the mixed-blood situation, the Biography of Xenon explains in detail why the relationship between elves and dark elves is bad, and how dark elves were banished from Alfheim due to a certain incident.

Thanks to this, it became widely known that dark elves chose self-exile to avoid fratricide. The truth of history, deeply embedded in sacred grounds, was revealed through the Biography of Xenon.

Elven scholars, including humans, began serious research asking if this was really true, and there were rumors that some had even set out to travel to dark elf settlements.

Currently, it’s quiet as evidence is being gathered for verification, but once it’s proven true, Alfheim will be engulfed in another shock.

‘The dark elf issue is relatively manageable.’

Arwen anticipates that matters related to dark elves can proceed smoothly. After all, isn’t that why she has been maintaining underground exchanges with dark elves all this time?

Rather, she should be prostrating herself in gratitude to Issac. Despite Rain, a dark elf, stealing the draft, the Biography of Xenon portrayed them favorably.

Therefore, the fusion of elf and dark elf described in volume 14 can be seen as representing the true integration of the two races. In a moment of crisis, they set aside the conflict that divided their races and fight against the evil threatening the world.

As the saying goes, clothes get wet in drizzle; though still minimal, if Alfheim’s view toward dark elves changes little by little, it’s only a matter of time before they enter Alfheim.

No matter how hard Arwen tries, if the citizens of Alfheim are reluctant, integration with dark elves is almost impossible. But if perspectives change through the Biography of Xenon, they can clear up misunderstandings and take a step forward.

And Phiren was planning to censor volume 14 of the Biography of Xenon to prevent this by any means. The forbidden magic is just a pretext, and his true intentions are extremely sinister.

“Sigh… Council Member Phiren.”

“…Yes, Your Majesty.”

“Is it really because of the dark elves? This book contains fusion between an elf and a dark elf, and you know well what this means. It represents two races, separated by past fratricide, becoming one for a common purpose. This would be a very sensitive matter for certain individuals who insist on pure blood.”

“Dark elves are those who hide in darkness. Those who don’t even show themselves cannot be trusted.”

When Arwen pointed this out sharply, Phiren seemed to no longer want to hide and revealed his true feelings. Arwen almost made a contemptuous expression upon hearing this but barely suppressed it.

In the end, that pure-blood ideology hasn’t gone anywhere. Unification is clearly dangerous magic that shouldn’t be performed, but even this is just a “pretext.”

She had wondered why he came to the audience chamber without his usual council members, even being rude, but nothing has changed. In vulgar terms, it’s clear he barged in because he was panicking.

“But Your Majesty must know. That unification is a very dangerous magic. Now that it’s been exposed, there’s no point in hiding it. Before the forbidden magic spreads widely, beyond the dark elf issue, we must quickly ban its publication.”

“I wonder if you think this is realistically possible. Alfheim has been engaging in exchanges with other countries for decades. Even the Biography of Xenon has seen a surge in demand in Alfheim recently. And suddenly blocking it? Don’t you know that this would damage our diplomatic credibility?”

In Alfheim, the Biography of Xenon was a book read only by certain people, but from volume 12 onwards, its demand skyrocketed.

First, the fact that the female protagonist Merry is an elf drew a lot of interest, and the tragic narrative of Kayre and Elisha caused social ripples regarding “mixed blood.”

Above all, even if coincidental, revealing the contamination of the World Tree’s roots was more than enough to draw elven interest. Thanks to this, the publishing company is enjoying extremely happy days.

“Of course, I know that well. But isn’t the Empire of Minerva in an ambiguous position to mention, even if the publishing company isn’t? Even if Xenon is from the Mayshall territory, no one knows where he currently lives. The rights to the Biography of Xenon belong to the publishing company, not the Empire of Minerva.”

But Phiren was no pushover. As he said, Xenon, or rather Issac, only mentioned that he was from the Mayshall territory, so the Empire of Minerva has no authority.

Unless Issac revealed his identity and affiliated with the Empire of Minerva, the situation remains as is. Also, the moment the upper echelons harm the publishing company, there’s a high possibility of the worst-case scenario: “serialization suspension.”

Having properly tasted the bitterness of serialization suspension and its effects, the Empire of Minerva could only be in an ambiguous position. Clearly, the book is selling like hotcakes in their country, but they have no rights to it.

All the Empire of Minerva can do is collect taxes from the publishing company. They conduct surprise inspections every month to somehow extract more, but since the publishing company’s president is already seasoned, there’s no significant gain.

“So even if we censor it in Alfheim, the damage will only go to the publishing company, with minimal impact on the Empire of Minerva. With the timely pretext of forbidden magic, there should be no problem with censorship.”

“Pretext…”

Arwen murmured softly at the word “pretext” that Phiren had repeatedly mentioned. She could ignore all sorts of nonsense up to volume 13, but this time the pretext is clear.

Forbidden magic is an ability that should never even be mentioned in books. There might be “books” about necromancy, but no “grimoires.” If anything is explained in detail, it must be burned.

And the fusion described in the Biography of Xenon is somewhat ambiguous. The process of fusion is not detailed and is filled with rather abstract phrases.

Is this alone reason enough for censorship? After much deliberation, she let out a sigh she had been holding back.

“I deny it.”

“But…”

“Do you really not understand how much impact the Biography of Xenon has? Do you really think censorship will prevent forbidden magic from spreading widely?”

There’s a saying: telling someone not to do something makes them want to do it more. Especially scholars and magicians with high academic fervor often make such mistakes.

Censoring the Biography of Xenon is fine. There’s an excellent pretext that it contains forbidden magic.

But scholars or magicians already dispatched abroad might question this news. Why is this considered forbidden magic? they might ask.

Above all, the biggest hole is that it’s already widely spread in the human world. Many elves already live in human society, and some mixed-bloods are among them.

The powerful force and influence of culture that has already penetrated to the roots cannot be stopped by mere “censorship.”

“Even chil…”

In slight excitement, she almost said his real name. Arwen quickly improvised and continued naturally.

“…even children read this book. I question whether censorship is possible. Wouldn’t it just increase illegal activities, don’t you know that?”

“… …”

“You said earlier that dark elves are untrustworthy. Perhaps you think they might hold a grudge and perform unification to threaten our Alfheim?”

“…The possibility isn’t entirely absent. But Your Majesty, do you really trust them? Those whose insides are as dark as their appearance?”

Phiren harshly criticized dark elves, mentioning their skin color. At this, Arwen lightly snorted.

I’m not sure who’s calling who dark inside. When he himself has the most sinister intentions.

“They’re far more trustworthy than those blinded by light who can’t see anything. At least they have the ability to penetrate darkness and see the truth.”

“… …”

“Let’s forget about the censorship. Leave the Biography of Xenon imported into Alfheim as it is. Do you have any final words?”

“…Your Majesty. Do you really plan to let them into Alfheim? It’s been over hundreds of years since they were banished. Such a long time means their culture and traditions are likely very different.”

Sensing that he couldn’t change Arwen’s decision, Phiren continued in a calm tone. Arwen listened silently, waiting to see what nonsense he would spout next.

However, contrary to her expectations, Phiren’s words were extremely realistic.

“Cultural collision means fracture. Although Your Majesty views it with hopeful eyes, they might not. They might be consumed by fear that their culture and traditions could disappear. That fear could soon cause another social chaos like the mixed-blood situation.”

“… …”

“Are you certain, Your Majesty? About the integration of two races with the same roots but different stems? Rather than relying on just a book, I want to ask about realistic measures. Dark elves are different from the mixed-blood situation, so please reconsider.”

From Arwen’s perspective, who has been secretly communicating with dark elves, this is an absurd question. However, since the council, including Phiren, hasn’t noticed this fact until now, it was a reasonable question.

The problem is that the question subtly looks down on Arwen. Even with Issac’s help with the mixed-blood situation, dark elves are different.

The mixed-blood issue was stopped just before the stem diverged, but dark elves are already in a state where the stem has split into two. Phiren was asking if this was truly a realizable ideal.

‘He’s really good at making people angry.’

After the racial war, the king of Alfheim was frequently replaced before Arwen’s ascension. With the council constantly scraping at their insides like this, it’s no wonder their mental strength was depleted.

But she is different. Born mixed-blood and mastering all sorts of worldly wisdom, this is no problem. Arwen smiled inwardly and spoke in a gentle voice.

“An ideal… Then let me ask in return. Council Member Phiren, what is your ideal?”

“Naturally, the peace of Alfheim. If anything disrupts that peace, I can do anything.”

“Then can you stake even your position for that peace?”

“… …”

When Arwen asked directly, Phiren didn’t answer. No, he couldn’t answer.

“Ruling Alfheim peacefully… It sounds good at first glance. But Council Member Phiren, that peace is nothing more than stagnation with no development. The people might be satisfied with what they see, not knowing what’s wrong. Always turning away from uncomfortable truths, no different from frogs in a well.”

“…Do you really want to break the peace, Your Majesty? That’s tyranny.”

“No. I too like the current peace. But look at humans. They break their own peace and achieve endless development. Even in the racial war, humans declared war on us and claimed victory beautifully. For development, one needs to be prepared to break peace. However…”

She then looked down at Phiren with a gray gaze that seemed contemptuous. She saw an old-fashioned person waiting for obsolescence without doing anything.

“What do you truly want? ‘Peace’ and ‘security’ must be strictly distinguished. You’re only thinking about avoiding a huge storm that’s approaching, without any thought of preparation. At least that’s how I see it.”

“… …”

“But if the typhoon gets stronger, even avoiding it becomes impossible. Because there will be nowhere left to hide. But those who prepared, expecting damage? Unlike those completely swept away and disappeared, they will firmly hold their ground. That’s development, and peace always follows after a storm. As it has always been historically.”

After this lengthy explanation, Arwen delivered the final blow.

“Was my speech too difficult? Then let me ask another question. Why do you engage in politics?”

“… …”

“Do you really think Alfheim will become peaceful just by implementing policies that are nothing more than hiding your eyes and saying ‘boo’? I think it just increases smuggling and citizens committing illegal acts.”

*Clench*

When Arwen directly questioned the very existence of the council, Phiren’s fist tightened. From a politician’s standpoint, it was truly insulting.

But what caused even greater anger was that he couldn’t even refute. The queen, whom he thought was a novice, had gained even more standing after the mixed-blood situation.

And the decisive cause for this increased standing… at the moment, only one thing came to mind.

Phiren barely suppressed the boiling anger inside him and quietly opened his mouth. His words carried a subtle anger due to his extreme rage.

“…I understand Your Majesty’s thoughts. Let’s forget about the censorship.”

“Very well. Do you have anything else to say?”

“No. However, I will handle the matter of Xenon’s whereabouts separately. The fact that he knows forbidden magic itself indicates he is a dangerous individual.”

After already visiting the publishing company, now he says this. Arwen suppressed her inner thoughts and answered as if it were absurd.

“Do as you wish. If you’re confident you can handle the storm that will come from messing with Xenon.”

“I won’t yield so easily. Farewell for now.”

Phiren left with those words, striding toward the firmly closed audience chamber door. After his figure completely disappeared, Arwen released the tension in her body with a sigh.

Although it had consumed a lot of mental energy, it wasn’t without gain. She looked around and then looked down at her thigh with a pleased expression.

On her thigh lay volume 14 of the Biography of Xenon, which Phiren had failed to collect.

“Well, it’s not completely useless.”

Arwen began reading the rest of the book with glee.