Ch.363Unexpected Encounter (2)

I may not have mentioned this before, but the most severe racial slur against elves is “ear-head.”

The elongated ears of elves are known as organs for deeper communication with the gods, so making them objects of ridicule naturally provokes anger.

This is so serious that if I were to say it jokingly to Arwen right now, our relationship could end. She might overlook it the first time as a slip of the tongue or a joke, but there would be no mercy afterward.

When even loving relationships can be destroyed by it, imagine what happens when said to a stranger. Killing someone who hurls such an insult could be considered justifiable.

It’s probably comparable to using the N-word toward Black people in my previous life. That’s how deeply the term “ear-head” insults and wounds elves.

Dark elves are the exception. They hate their elven identity so much that they cut off their ears, so they don’t care much about it.

As a side note, humans are surprisingly less sensitive to racial slurs. That’s because they clearly recognize themselves as the weakest race.

Anyway, this history book written by Icare. From the very first sentence, he hurled the worst insult at elves.

To include racial slurs from the first chapter despite being an elf himself. I wonder how much resentment he had built up.

‘I’d be pissed too.’

Honestly, I’d be angry too if I were him. Looking at the humiliation Icare suffered, I can fully understand.

His allies looked down on their opponents, suffered consecutive defeats, and when they finally decided to change tactics, the Senate found fault.

Furthermore, he was thrown in prison for allegedly breaking the law, resulting in Alfheim’s humiliating defeat.

Fortunately, the country wasn’t overthrown and the war ended with an agreement, but looking at the terms, it was essentially a defeat.

If they had done as Icare suggested, all the unfavorable clauses for Alfheim would have been excluded.

Those clauses included opening Alfheim’s sacred sites and teaching magic, along with unconditional openness for the next 100 years.

[300 years ago, humans worshipped Alfheim as the land of gods. We treated such humans as livestock within our borders and considered it natural.]

[But look at the present. Are they truly our livestock? They are intellectuals capable of thought and God’s creations who stubbornly rebuilt civilization after it collapsed during the demon war.]

[They are also a race that firmly endured without extinction during the demon war. They may fall but never kneel, they may kneel but never bow, and even if they bow, they never submit.]

[But we elves have never knelt to anyone except the gods. This confidence turned into arrogance, and that arrogance ate away at us. The result was revealed in the war.]

[If humans had remained weak as before, it wouldn’t have mattered. But I noticed that demons had taught humans magic.]

[Yet the Senate, those ear-head bastards, never believed me. They didn’t understand, let alone try to understand, why demons would help humans. They only focused on how my actions violated their antiquated ‘laws’.]

The overall content was closer to an autobiography than a history book. Most of it contained critical views toward elves.

There was some favorable evaluation of humans, but since he was someone who fought in the war, it wasn’t overly favorable.

Instead, he questioned how humans came to compete equally with elves, where their tenacity came from, and why they went to such lengths.

He posed various questions and presented hypotheses based on his research, creating a true “history book.”

[I protested vehemently. Human tactics were becoming more ingenious by the day, causing even us significant damage, so I suggested striking first. If they were reluctant to take lives, I proposed using magic to destroy supply routes.]

[But these ear-head bastards refused. They said nothing was more barbaric than starving people to death. And they insisted that Alfheim didn’t need ‘tactics,’ forcing us to focus solely on defense.]

[But did they know? Alfheim had never fought ‘wars’ among civilizations except against demons. Even when we banished the Dark Elves, it was closer to a political struggle. However, humans, through numerous wars while building their civilization, developed far superior strategies and tactics than us.]

[Sometimes idiots say this: if you copy what that guy is copying, you become just like him. The ear-heads said the same thing. That we, blessed by the gods, shouldn’t do such lowly things. That we should always govern with a noble mindset.]

[What bullshit. This is war. A place where all kinds of lethal magic and weapons fly back and forth, where nobility is nowhere to be found. In war, I have people above and even below me spouting such nonsense. My adjutant is somewhat normal, but it doesn’t mean much when the sovereign speaks such nonsense. I can only choose my words carefully to avoid harming my adjutant.]

The writing is filled with bitter curses, as if he couldn’t contain his anger while writing.

Why am I reminded of the colorful curses from my previous life in this world I’ve now adapted to? It comes as a surprise from Icare of all people.

The Icare I’ve thought of until now was literally a tragic hero. A hero who always loved his country but was betrayed by that very country.

This type of hero, while strict in military law, tends to be quiet in personal matters. The type to bury personal concerns in their heart.

And now he’s pouring out all his feelings in this autobiography. It’s practically a diary, which would have been awkward to publish.

The reason it’s kept in the sacred site is probably because he’s an elf too. The purpose of the sacred site is to store all books from the mortal world.

‘So not many people have read this?’

There are very few records related to Icare except for a few. Most books only mention that Icare was imprisoned for blocking supply routes.

Most focus on the “tragic hero” aspect, with nothing as personal as this.

In the Biography of Xenon, there’s a character modeled after Icare. His name is Ruden.

A Dark Elf hero who “fuses” with Eir, sweeps away all demons, and then perishes along with the World Tree, which became Diabolos’s nourishment.

He’s the epitome of a hero, with a calm and serious personality.

‘He’s actually the opposite of Icare.’

The Icare in the autobiography is quite smooth-talking and cheerful. But he’s very strict when it comes to military law.

This isn’t because he’s an elf, but because he’s a soldier. He’s an enlightened elf despite being from an older generation.

However, since it’s an autobiography, some parts need to be considered carefully. Regardless of race, people tend to be lenient toward themselves.

Anyway, Icare can be considered a hero born at the wrong time. If he had been born in the current era, he would certainly have been a great asset to Alfheim.

“Tsk tsk.”

I clicked my tongue, genuinely feeling sorry. What’s even more unfortunate is that while the word “ear-head” appears frequently, he never curses Alfheim itself.

This shows he’s a true patriot who worries about his country rather than being loyal to individuals.

Moreover, he’s an indispensable talent who researched humans in various ways, perhaps out of curiosity during the war.

I hear he’s currently living in seclusion in his mansion, and I’d like to meet him someday.

Of course, if I asked to meet him, he would reluctantly agree. But I don’t want to force someone who doesn’t want to come out.

“…Huh?”

Just as I was about to focus on the book again, I suddenly felt a strong gaze from beside me.

I hadn’t noticed it at all until now because I was so focused, but given how intense it is, someone must be staring directly at me.

I turned my head to see who it was.

“…”

“…”

It’s Thor. A long-eared Thor is staring at me.

A beard connecting to his sideburns. Sunken eye sockets and a straight nose.

His blue glowing eyes were filled with curiosity, and he had shoulder-length hair like a warrior from a Viking movie.

An elf who looks exactly like the God of Thunder from movies in my previous life is staring at me.

Usually, elves, whether male or female, are famous for their literally beautiful appearance. In contrast, this elf looks manly rather than beautiful.

That’s not to say he’s ugly at all; he looks like a manly man. The kind of person who seems like he’d wield an axe in each hand.

“…Hello?”

I felt awkward because he was staring so intensely, so I gave a simple greeting.

The elf looked alternately at the book and my face, then quietly opened his mouth.

“Are you perhaps Xenon?”

Wow. His voice is incredibly sexy.

For a moment, I felt like I had entered a cave as his deep voice penetrated my ears.

Usually, when someone looks like that, their voice often cracks, but this Thor… no, this elf has a voice that perfectly matches his appearance.

I don’t know what my voice sounds like, but I really envy him.

Anyway, I should answer.

“Yes, I am.”

“As I’ve heard, your red hair is impressive. Your appearance is excellent too.”

“Th-thank you.”

I’ve heard such compliments countless times before, but hearing it directly made me feel strangely embarrassed.

Moreover, the effect seems doubled when hearing it from an elf rather than another race.

I scratched my head awkwardly and checked the book the elf was reading.

‘It’s a history book. But…’

Why does it look so small? I couldn’t help but rub my eyes as I looked at the book held in both hands by the elf.

Whether the book itself was originally small or the elf’s build was large, there was a discrepancy in perspective.

It’s not like he’s holding a notebook, but how can it be that small?

Even I, who has consistently exercised, am considered quite built, but this elf is comparable to my father.

“Are you interested in history?”

While I was gauging the elf’s robust physique, his deep voice penetrated my ears once again.

His historical drama-like speech pattern was somewhat unique, but given the atmosphere, it really suits him well.

“Yes. Beyond interest, it’s a field I love.”

“Which period interests you the most?”

“Currently, I’m most interested in the racial war. It’s a monumental event where humans first challenged elves, marking the beginning of change.”

“Change… that’s right.”

The elf nodded, indicating his agreement with my words.

Despite his warrior-like appearance, he seems to be someone with a great interest in history.

“Ah. Just in case, I’m not a strange person. I was just curious because a famous person who shook the world was reading a book next to me.”

“That’s understandable. Are you interested in history?”

“Rather than history, I focus on races themselves. Particularly, I’m studying humans intensively.”

“Humans?”

“Yes. A race born weak but with nowhere to go but up.”

It’s a statement that succinctly summarizes humans’ inherent weakness and their contrasting achievements.

I nodded, secretly impressed by his eloquence.

“Then what about elves?”

“They could be described as a race born at the highest place, unable to see below.”

“You’ve analyzed quite incisively.”

When I spoke with admiration, the elf smiled gently and laughed slightly.

While he had seemed gruff when expressionless, his smile made him appear cheerful.

“Is that book interesting?”

Then the elf tilted his head and asked a question. The book that could be called Icare’s autobiography.

To be honest, it’s quite an interesting and entertaining book. Beyond the critical view toward elves, it’s good to know about Icare as a person.

I realized that a tragic hero could have a cheerful disposition rather than being serious about everything.

Come to think of it, the character who resembles the elf in front of me had a similar personality, if I recall correctly.

“Yes. As you know, Icare is known as a tragic hero. But most books mainly explain the events, with almost no description of him as an individual. This book reveals all of that, which makes it better.”

“I see. Then how would you evaluate him? I’m curious about the assessment from none other than Xenon.”

“I haven’t finished reading it yet, but…”

Although I haven’t completed it, I’ve long understood what kind of person Icare was.

Recalling the intensely strong first sentence, I spoke to the elf who seemed to be expecting something.

“Patriot. This one word is enough.”

“Patriot?”

“Yes. Alfheim abandoned Icare. But while Icare curses elves as ‘ear-heads,’ he doesn’t curse Alfheim. He can be seen as a true patriot who doesn’t abandon his country even though his country abandoned him.”

“Patriot…”

Perhaps the word “patriot” left an impression? The elf raised his gaze and seemed lost in thought.

Meanwhile, something occurred to me, and I carefully opened my mouth.

“By the way, I don’t know your name. What is it?”

“Hmm? Me?”

“Yes.”

The elf stared at me after hearing my question and smiled slightly.

Then, in his distinctive deep voice, he clearly told me his name.

“Icare.”

“Ah, that’s… What?”

“Icare Lightsinger.”

The elf who resembled Thor.

“The author of that book.”

“…”

The foul-mouthed one was right in front of me.