Ch.234Balance (1)

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I am a slave… no, an assistant to Elena, the history professor at Halo Academy. I might even be next in line after Cindy to become her future assistant.

Naturally, I have many duties besides writing – helping Elena, teaching Cindy (who just got her doctorate) how to write properly, and so on.

Working as an assistant has taught me many pros and cons. Let me start with the cons: it’s busy. Extremely busy.

It’s not just regular busy – there’s a mountain of research to do, requiring me to run around everywhere.

I have to visit other professors for Elena’s research materials, and not just history professors but those from other departments too.

As I mentioned before, there’s no internet here, so finding materials means searching through books or running around on my own two feet. That’s what I’m doing right now.

Also, Elena seems to value my historical knowledge and philosophy, as she asks for my opinion whenever she writes a paper.

The problem is that she has accumulated knowledge and experience that humans can hardly approach, which makes it quite challenging. So I’m working hard to be of even a little help.

The advantage, similar to the disadvantage, is the flood of historical knowledge.

Elena’s research room is already filled with countless historical books and papers, and even rare ancient texts from who knows where.

She even has a diary written by a human soldier during the Racial War. It’s so well preserved that it has tremendous historical value, yet Elena just casually tossed it to me to read.

When I asked if it was okay to give me something so precious, she said it wasn’t that old by her standards. That reminded me again that she’s an elf with a lifespan of nearly 1,000 years.

For an elf, 300 years ago would be like 30 years ago for a human, so our perspectives naturally differ. Still, by my standards, it’s quite an important artifact.

‘The military is the same everywhere.’

The diary’s content is truly military-like, or perhaps unnecessarily realistic. It’s filled with the experiences of a powerless soldier #1 who just keeps struggling.

It describes charging forward to somehow kill an elven warrior regardless of whether comrades fall nearby, getting stomach problems from improperly purified water, or finding sand in bread.

What stands out is the PTSD. There are daily complaints about military life, but interestingly, PTSD symptoms are barely described.

Of course, there are mild symptoms like nightmares about comrades dying or hearing their voices, but they’re less severe considering the harsh military environment.

The reason becomes apparent during every battle with elves. Each time they fight elves, there are expressions of hatred like “pointy-eared bastards” or “those who deserve to be torn apart.”

‘There’s contempt for elves scattered throughout.’

Post-traumatic stress is difficult to treat, but there is a way to alleviate it: giving “justification” to one’s actions.

You can understand what I mean by comparing soldiers from World War II and the Vietnam War.

World War II had a firm belief in fighting against the great evil of the Axis powers, while the Vietnam War was simply fought for national interests, making it different.

The diary’s owner is similar. Apparently, before the Racial War, elves not only looked down on humans but treated them like monkeys.

Even the diary’s owner had experienced blatant racial discrimination from elves in the past, and this attitude seems to have been prevalent among all elves.

In response, humans formed an alliance and declared war on Alfheim. It was self-inflicted, and the elves’ downfall came from underestimating humans too much.

This seems to be why there’s a difference between old-generation and new-generation elves.

‘The ranks… are almost the same as now.’

The ranks of common soldiers resemble those of ancient Rome in my previous life, with titles like “leader of ten” and “leader of hundred.” The diary’s owner was initially an ordinary soldier before being promoted to a leader of ten.

Even so, he was just an ordinary soldier compared to knights. The gap between knights and soldiers is unbridgeable, mainly due to the ability to use “mana.”

Even in a world with mana, not everyone can use it. Except for elves and demons who are exceptions, in the distant past, only chosen humans could manifest it.

Fortunately, as time passed and civilization developed, accumulated know-how made it more accessible.

Currently, all martial students at the Academy can use mana, and even I, who only received basic physical training at the mansion, can use mana for body enhancement.

But that’s it – I can’t slice through rocks by imbuing a sword with mana like some people. Projecting mana externally requires arduous effort, unlike using it internally.

Of course, an unprecedented genius could use mana however they imagine. These are commonly called “heroes.”

‘Looking at it this way, it’s amazing that humans won the Racial War.’

The power of elven warriors described in the book is truly catastrophic. Cutting five soldiers in half with one sword strike is basic, but what’s more terrifying is magic.

The diary describes how magic unleashed by cornered elves as a last resort devastated the surroundings and nearly annihilated them.

Fortunately, that elf was defeated with the support of knights, but the diary owner’s unit suffered critical damage and took a long time to regroup.

After the war ended, he was discharged, married his fiancée, and had lovely children, which is how the story ends.

‘This is really well written?’

Despite being just a diary, it’s incredibly immersive. There are deeply engaging elements throughout, and the unique military culture creates humorous incidents that make you chuckle.

Of course, it’s not without profound aspects. The diary owner sometimes questions whether what they’re doing is right and feels helpless when comrades fall and he can’t do anything.

Anyway, I can confidently say this diary has tremendous historical and cultural value. I closed the worn-out diary and fell into contemplation.

‘There’s definitely a huge difference between common soldiers and knights.’

Many people think of knights when they think of war, with common soldiers as an afterthought. As written in this diary, common soldiers are basically meat shields.

They can handle monsters or other human soldiers, but they lack what’s needed to face elves and demons who can use mana from birth, or beastmen with naturally superior hardware.

In gaming terms, it’s like a single zergling attacking a zealot, not even a marine. The reality for common soldiers is that they can’t even defeat human knights.

‘But elven common warriors are at the level of human knights.’

As mentioned, these are common warriors. Just as humans have knights, having imitated elven civilization, elves also have ranks similar to knights.

The difference is that warriors fight purely with physical specs, while knights are combat mages who also use magic.

It’s already difficult to face a single warrior, so imagine facing a knight. According to records, it took 4-5 human knights to bring down one elven knight.

The major internal division in Alfheim was a factor in their defeat, but humans also pushed through with sheer numbers like ants.

Moreover, with support from demons, they could at least defend if not attack. Humans were willing to use underhanded tactics to secure victory, while elves were not.

Warchief Icare tried to work for victory, but as we know, he was detained thanks to the Senate’s hard trolling.

Looking at it this way, the Senate’s actions were so incomprehensible that one might wonder if they were actually on the humans’ side.

‘Beastmen didn’t even have civilization, let alone proper integration at that time. Plus, beastmen only excel in physical specs.’

Common beastmen warriors can’t use mana either. They just have insanely superior hardware. The decisive reason why the beastmen holocaust was possible 300 years ago was the difference in civilization.

As the saying goes about divide and conquer, fighting 100 vs 50 twice is much more advantageous than fighting 100 vs 100. The beastmen holocaust was carried out through this process.

Anyway, 300 years later, with the development of civilization, various educational institutions were established, and mana accessibility dramatically increased, leading to upward equalization.

Learning to use mana absolutely requires a “master,” and educational institutions now serve that role. This is the experience humans gained through the Racial War 300 years ago and the driving force of development.

‘But how strong are demons, then?’

The Biography of Xenon features many demons mentioned in literature. Not the Seven Deadly Sins, but the commonly called “mob” demons.

The Seven Deadly Sins will be defeated by the protagonist’s group anyway, but the regular demons are the problem.

Demons are not only powerful but also horrifyingly numerous. The fundamental reason they could occupy Alfheim, or Elvenhome, was their overwhelming numbers.

Can the allied forces hold out while the protagonist’s group defeats the Seven Deadly Sins? With the basic spec difference, it’s obvious they’ll collapse helplessly, even though humans are also numerous.

Of course, readers would easily accept it if the story vaguely described how they somehow held out. After all, the Biography of Xenon is about heroes, not common soldiers.

‘To effectively counter such numbers…’

Magic is perfect. More precisely, overwhelming “firepower.”

This world does have gunpowder and cannons. However, only humans and dwarves use them – elves and demons naturally rely on magic, while beastmen don’t depend on machines.

Above all, there’s no need to use cannons when magic can produce several times more firepower.

In a world where magic substitutes for science, the development of “machines” is inevitably much slower compared to my previous life.

‘But they did invent the magic engine.’

Everyone must know that Eins invented the magic engine. Currently, he’s receiving support from the dwarven country, Makina, to co-invent the magic locomotive.

Despite the invention of the magic locomotive, a symbol of mechanical civilization, people are still skeptical.

They question whether machines can surpass magic and whether they’re more efficient.

‘I should include this in volume 19, not 18.’

Would you believe it if five human soldiers could exert power equivalent to a human knight?

By the way, I won’t resolve this foreshadowing in the Biography of Xenon but in the World War II I’ll write in the future. Although the worldviews aren’t connected, I plan to showcase the pinnacle of mechanical civilization.

Even though there’s a high chance that dwarves will bring tanks to the exhibition as Luminus said, I still need to write it. I looked at the moldy old diary and then turned my head.

Where I turned, I saw Elena writing a paper and Cindy researching materials beside her.

“Have you finished reading?”

As if sensing my gaze, Elena put down her pen and looked at me. She pushed up her slightly slipped glasses, looking intellectual.

Hearing her question, I lifted the old diary and spoke.

“Where did you get this?”

“From my student. I heard it was a diary written by their ancestor.”

“What is that student doing now?”

“Dead. The descendants died early too, so it was passed to me.”

“…”

Another stack of elven prestige is added. While I was feeling awkward, Elena rested her chin on her hands and made a subtle expression.

I’ve seen that expression many times and know what it means. It’s the face she makes when she wants my impression after throwing me an interesting paper or material to read.

“So, what did you think after reading it?”

As expected, Elena asked for my impression of the old diary. Cindy, who was researching materials nearby, also put down her pile of documents and shifted her gaze to me, apparently curious.

Despite her dark circles and hollow eyes, they contained deep curiosity. I don’t know why they all have expectations of me.

I rolled my eyes, wondering what to say, and then just expressed what was on my mind.

“I’m curious about how elves discriminated against humans in the past. Throughout the diary, there’s contempt for elves. At the same time, there’s awe for elven power.”

“You read it correctly. You’re right. During the Racial War, elves were the epitome of arrogance. They put not only humans but all other races beneath them.”

Elena said this and then shared something that made me shudder.

“Until now, I’ve wondered why these arrogant elves didn’t conquer other countries. Even elves aren’t completely devoid of the desire to dominate. But thanks to the Biography of Xenon, all my questions were answered at once.”

“…The Biography of Xenon?”

“Yes. It’s explained in the Biography of Xenon. The Dark Elf Exile incident. They caused trouble trying to dominate each other, and it backfired. That incident probably led to an atmosphere of self-restraint. Of course, their arrogance wasn’t fixed, so they suffered during the Racial War.”

“Ah.”

That could be it. As she said, elves before the Racial War had somewhat fascistic tendencies.

It was a situation where imperialism could have flourished and conquering other countries wouldn’t have been strange, but the Dark Elf Exile incident happened, making them more cautious.

Moreover, they had shackled themselves with “laws,” and given the pedantic nature of elves, they probably remained still.

“That could be. But do you really believe everything written in the Biography of Xenon?”

“That one thing explains why the Senate insisted on those laws, and furthermore, why Alfheim remained still. I’m going to present it at Yggdrasil soon.”

Yggdrasil is where renowned scholars gather periodically to present their research results. There’s no exact name, but it’s a kind of seminar.

Originally, only elves could attend, but after Arwen’s open policy, other races became able to attend too. As a result, its scale has become vast.

Although there are occasionally unfortunate incidents due to lifespan differences. Sometimes when some humans disappear, the elves only then realize the difference in lifespans.

While pondering Elena’s story, a question suddenly occurred to me – something I thought of while reading this diary.

“Professor.”

“Speak.”

“What do you think would have happened if there was no mana in the world?”

At my question, both Elena and Cindy blinked with blank expressions. They seemed completely unable to understand.

I didn’t ask a difficult question, so I don’t know why they’re reacting like this. While I was tilting my head in confusion, Cindy asked in her characteristically sluggish voice.

“What do you mean…?”

“Pardon?”

“No mana… I don’t understand…”

Elena followed after Cindy.

“Me neither. A world without mana? Is that even possible? If there was no mana, humanity would have gone extinct long ago.”

“Uh… is it that serious?”

“Of course. It’s hard enough to subdue orcs, let alone ogres, with bare hands. We elves would be nothing but uselessly pretty dolls without mana. Our lifespan is closely related to mana, so it would become similar to humans’. Humanity would have gone extinct together.”

Rather pessimistic speculations poured out. Cindy beside her seemed to feel the same, nodding in agreement.

As someone with memories of a previous life, I couldn’t help but feel bewildered. Well, I have clear memories of my previous life, while they are people living in this world, so there’s bound to be a difference.

I scratched my head and reluctantly spoke as if agreeing.

“Um… I understand your thoughts. You’re saying it’s impossible.”

“It is impossible. Unless weapons comparable to magic emerge, if you were to write a paper about it, it wouldn’t be a paper but a novel.”

I flinched at those words. I tried to maintain my composure and quietly spoke.

“…Then what do you think about the magic engine that Eins invented?”

“That’s possible because Xenon is from the future. If not for that, no one would have even thought of it.”

So that’s what she meant about bringing tanks. I heard her answer and gave a bitter smile.

‘…I’ll just drop this hint.’

I was considering writing it as a paper, but I’ll have to put that aside for now.