Ch.181Bait (2)

# The Senate

A political institution with a history so long that it can be said to have shared the history of Alfheim.

When a specific civilization is established, a ‘leader’ is needed to guide that civilization, and that leader usually appears in the form of a ‘king’.

The king has the duty and responsibility to ensure that the people can live more stable lives and to help the country grow prosperous despite surrounding dangers.

However, when Alfheim was founded, there was no ‘king’. Originally, a king is a being who reigns over the people with immense power. A class that common people must look up to.

At that time, elves extremely refused to be ruled by anyone because of their pride in being chosen by the gods. They insisted that only the gods could rule them, and they persisted with the mindset that they would rather receive divine oracles and run the country.

Because of this, the first leaders were ‘priests’. The priests received oracles directly from the gods by offering quality tributes, and they ran the country smoothly. The people of Alfheim lived on without major issues, albeit with some friction.

Until the event called the ‘Demon War’, which made them doubt the power of the gods, if only slightly.

Fortunately, they managed to repel the threat after receiving the seed of the World Tree, but the elves finally realized: if something similar happens again, it might be too late before they hear the voice of the gods.

They realized that for Alfheim to develop in the future, it needed to be run by elves themselves, not by gods. This led to the birth of the political institution known as the ‘Senate’.

At first, elves were reluctant to be ruled by mortals rather than gods, but as time passed, that sentiment faded.

And as is often the case with beginnings, the Senate wisely governed Alfheim with pure hearts and unwavering beliefs, and even Dark Elves were part of it. It could be said that this was the last time elves existed in the true sense of the word.

However, as power grows stronger, morality disappears and corruption sets in. The Senate gradually began to check other forces to secure their own interests.

A prime example was the Dark Elves. They were a minority with different skin color and even worshipped different gods, making them perfect targets for oppression. The result was the exile of the Dark Elves.

In a way, the Senate was deeply involved in the exile of the Dark Elves. Outwardly, it was a religious dispute that turned into madness, but the Senate was the one who lit the fuse.

Afterward, the madness subsided through divine intervention, and the Senate committed the act of destroying records to cover up their worst disgrace. Although it was a political institution that had already thoroughly rotted, it continued to exist rather than being abolished.

The exile of the Dark Elves was already a major incident, but the corruption of the Senate was fully exposed during the Racial War. They were the culprits who imprisoned even the Warchief who could have given them the upper hand in the war, ultimately leading to the country’s defeat.

Things that had been hushed up normally exploded all at once, increasing the number of citizens requesting the abolition of the Senate, which became the catalyst for the birth of the ‘throne’. However, despite this, the Senate stubbornly maintained its existence.

The Senate, by its very existence, is a symbol that has shared Alfheim’s history, for better or worse. Eliminating that symbol would be tantamount to Alfheim enduring a great loss.

It’s a clear expression of the elven characteristic of particularly disliking ‘change’ compared to other races.

“Please, sit comfortably. Ah, is there anything you’d like to eat?”

“I’m fine, thank you.”

In a reception room of a mansion in Yggdrasil. Two men were facing each other across a table in the modest reception room.

Phiren Gerrit Stormwalker, the head of the Senate, and his loyal subordinate Karlas Shadowsinger.

While Phiren wore a smile like that of a gentle grandfather, Karlas’s face was somewhat stiff, perhaps from tension.

“This is tea brewed from the leaves of the World Tree. Perfect for fatigue.”

“I’ll drink it with gratitude.”

When Phiren urged him to drink, Karlas glanced cautiously before looking at the liquid in the teacup. It had a faint green tint and a subtle fragrance that stimulated the sense of smell.

Tea brewed from the leaves of the World Tree is, as the name suggests, terrifyingly expensive. Not only are there few people who can directly approach the World Tree, but magical treatment is essential to preserve the freshness of the leaves.

In return, its effects are excellent. It’s outstanding for fatigue and, like a calming pill, has excellent effects on stability. It’s the perfect tea for Karlas, whose heart is currently racing with tension.

After taking a sip of the tea, a cool taste spread throughout his mouth. Despite its green color, it had no taste at all, only a refreshing coolness.

“So, have you found Xenon?”

Phiren skipped the small talk and went straight to the point. It was natural for him to be expectant since he was the one who had ordered Karlas to find Xenon.

Karlas hesitated for a moment but soon put on a natural smile. If Phiren became suspicious here, he would have no choice but to let his ears rot black.

No matter how much he belonged to the Senate, his ears weren’t precious enough to cut them off himself.

“Of course. As expected, humans are nothing special. Especially the publishing company president, who was an incompetent human, making him easy to track.”

“Oh. That’s impressive. I thought Xenon would have hidden his identity with the help of other races. For example, demons.”

Phiren spoke as if casually, but Karlas couldn’t help but feel caught.

There is a demon at Xenon’s mansion. And not just any demon, but Cecilly Drat Isillia Vin, the princess of Helium.

Moreover, Xenon’s father was a knight renowned as the Red Lion. It wasn’t that the publishing company president had been careless; the people around him were far beyond the category of ordinary people.

“He must have been confident. There’s no other explanation.”

“A fitting price for arrogance. So, can you tell me his name and where he lives? I’d like to see his face later.”

Here it comes at last. Karlas racked his brain while Phiren was asking the question and drinking his tea.

When he was caught at the Mayshall estate, Issac had kindly recited each detail for the report to be submitted to Phiren. From the alias to the residential area, and finally, detailed appearance.

Karlas moistened his lips so that Phiren wouldn’t notice and calmly informed him.

“His name is Xenon Cloud. He was an old human living in the Hask region of the Kingdom of Teres. As for his appearance… I can only say he looked like a sage to anyone who saw him. He had a neat beard, white hair, and blue eyes.”

“That’s enough. By the way, I’m curious if you ‘persuaded’ him well.”

Phiren slickly used the word ‘persuade’. The persuasion he mentioned was about standing on the Senate’s side and utilizing the influence of the Biography of Xenon.

Currently, the Senate’s power has weakened due to the Biography of Xenon. Until now, they had only been wary, but the situation changed drastically when the pollution of the World Tree’s roots became a reality.

As everyone knows, there is a political institution called the ‘Council’ in the Biography of Xenon. It’s obvious that it was modeled after the Senate.

The problem is that the actions committed by that council were all serious, and the real Senate had actually done those things. The most significant example is the exile of the Dark Elves.

No matter how Xenon knew, the Senate couldn’t help but feel guilty because they were involved in the exile of the Dark Elves, even if they didn’t directly carry it out.

So they intended to persuade him somehow, but if persuasion didn’t work, the plan was to forcibly establish a cooperative relationship using ‘means’. Now that his identity had been exposed, they essentially had the upper hand.

To this, Karlas smiled somewhat vilely and answered.

“Well, as you expected, persuasion didn’t work. Rather, he turned me away, saying he didn’t want to be associated with those who censor precious culture. You know how artists are, don’t you?”

“That is a characteristic of artists. And then?”

“I took some measures to ensure he would never think that way again. When I threatened to make him unable to write for the rest of his life, he quickly begged, crying.”

“Hahahahaha!”

Phiren burst into hearty laughter, seemingly satisfied with the answer. It felt like a weight had been lifted off his chest.

However, when a person’s mood improves, their judgment becomes extremely clouded. This applies even to Phiren, who has been active as the head of the Senate.

If he had thought just a little, just a little deeper, he would have severely reprimanded Karlas for his ‘mistake’. How high Xenon’s reputation currently is, and how strong the resulting impact is.

It could be said that Phiren’s biggest mistake was seeing Xenon only as a threat.

“Very good. I’m curious about what kind of measure it was, can you tell me?”

“Well… I broke his fingers so he couldn’t write for a while. The Hask region is far from the city, so he won’t be able to get treatment from a temple. But I did give him a potion.”

“Satisfactory. And?”

“I’ve also brought something that you’ll find satisfying.”

As Karlas searched inside his clothes, Phiren’s eyes filled with curiosity and expectation. He was already satisfied with the part about teaching Xenon a lesson, but this loyal subordinate seems to have brought even better news.

When Karlas handed over a piece of paper, Phiren took it with an excited expression. Judging by the mana contained in it, it’s not an ordinary piece of paper.

“This is…”

“A covenant, sir.”

“A covenant?”

“Yes. Please read it.”

At Karlas’s urging, Phiren began to slowly read the clauses written on the covenant with anticipation. A smile formed on his lips from the first clause, but as he read more, his satisfaction swelled.

He hadn’t expected that a covenant would be made. And to such a satisfactory degree.

Originally, he had intended to end with just finding Xenon’s identity and residence, but Karlas had gone a step further. He had resolved all the complicated thoughts Phiren might have had.

“Truly… excellent. I didn’t think you would accomplish this much. It seems I underestimated you. I apologize.”

“Not at all. I was just lucky. Besides, we didn’t know what kind of person Xenon was until now.”

“That’s true, but it’s undeniable that your abilities are outstanding. Thanks to you, our Senate will be able to exert its power.”

On the surface, it was a warm scene of harmony, but the reality was different. It was a scene filled with the filth of censorship, oppression, and scheming.

And there was one person watching this filthy scene…

‘…It makes me sick.’

Cyris Lunatic, a Dark Elf who had infiltrated the mansion by breaking through all the security magic. She was watching this entire situation with her eyes and recording everything.

If it had been an ordinary thief or magician, they would have been detected by the security magic, but she is a Dark Elf. If she moves carefully, infiltration is not difficult.

Moreover, she didn’t forget to receive holy power from Mora as a precaution. No matter how excellent the infiltration abilities of Dark Elves are, there are clear limitations.

Fortunately, or perhaps unfortunately, Phiren’s mansion is relatively vulnerable in terms of security, befitting its owner’s character. It seems he didn’t expect anyone to infiltrate this mansion.

“You’ve done a truly excellent job. Keep up the good work in the future.”

“Thank you. But it seems there aren’t many young people trying to join the Senate these days. Is that okay?”

“You don’t need to worry about that. We need talented individuals like you rather than such riffraff.”

Hearing that conversation, Cyris almost snickered. The reason why the new generation of elves stays away from the Senate is simple: they recognize that it’s thoroughly rotten.

Power tends to corrupt anyway, but how much worse must the Senate be? Moreover, due to the longevity of elves, the ‘stagnant water’ phenomenon is bound to be more pronounced.

As time passes, the power of the Senate will weaken, but that time takes too long, and no one knows what incidents might occur in the meantime.

‘Now that time will be accelerated.’

After listening to the conversation between Phiren and Karlas, Cyris quietly disappeared. She had already secured decisive evidence, so all that remained was to deliver it to Arwen Elidia.

‘Will we also be able to enter Alfheim soon?’

The exile of the Dark Elves is an event that occurred just 800 years ago from now. There are still Dark Elves who remember that event, but they still long for Alfheim.

Some new generation Dark Elves don’t understand them, and Cyris feels similarly. However, her heart changed slightly after reading the newly published Biography of Xenon.

They can’t live in the forest forever, and even though they cut off their own ears, they still have the pride of being chosen by the gods. The Biography of Xenon has gradually moved the hearts of not only elves but also Dark Elves.

‘The Queen will handle it well.’

Cyris moved towards where Arwen Elidia was staying, carrying mixed emotions in her heart.

*****

A few days later, at a publishing company in the Empire of Minerva.

“Is, is this real?”

“…Yes. It is. Judging by the handwritten signature, albeit crooked…”

“Ah…”

The publishing company president despaired upon seeing the letter sent by Issac. The content of the letter…

[Dear readers. I apologize. Due to an attack by assailants, my right hand has been severely injured. Serialization will be impossible for the time being…]

It was enough to light the fuse that had been set up in advance.