Ch.96Strange Fate (2)

I felt a momentary chill down my neck, but my conversation with Arwen continued without interruption.

I liked Arwen, who pretended to be mature but occasionally acted childish, and it seemed she was fond of me in her own way too.

What I later discovered was that Arwen was also a bookworm who loved books immensely. And true to being a long-lived elf, she possessed far more knowledge than I did.

I realized that the saying about adult elves being like walking libraries was no exaggeration. She not only answered all my questions thoroughly but also provided additional explanations that left me amazed.

But that wasn’t all. She made me truly understand how vast the gap between elves and humans really is.

“Hmm… I didn’t expect this book to be here. It’s about 80 years old.”

“E-eighty years? Is it really that old?”

“It was quite famous among us elves. I believe it’s also kept in our sacred grounds.”

It was no empty boast that she had lived nearly ten times longer than me. Arwen had read books that had gone out of print long before I was born. She even remembered them in detail, surprising me once more.

Normally, books published over 20 years ago are difficult to find in circulation, let alone purchase. Even in libraries, they’re stored in obscure corners and hard to locate.

Because of this, unless it’s a worldwide hit like the Biography of Xenon, acquiring even a single copy requires a complicated process.

Yet Arwen not only had read these books when they were first published but remembered them completely. This made me look at her with renewed admiration.

Though I had been speaking casually to her because of her girlish behavior, I started wondering if I should switch to more formal speech.

“Well, there’s no need to speak formally to me. Isn’t this more comfortable for you?”

“…It is comfortable. But what’s surprising doesn’t change.”

“From a human perspective, I suppose so. But for us elves, it’s perfectly natural. Each of us is like a walking sacred ground and a powerful legion in our own right. Remembering the stories of books is nothing special.”

Elven racial characteristics certainly don’t disappear. When I expressed genuine admiration, Arwen raised her chin proudly, displaying her pride.

Yet it wasn’t arrogance or conceit, which truly manifest only when they harm others or oneself. In Arwen’s case, it was pure pride in the genuine sense.

Of course, with her cute, girlish appearance, she looked like a child showing off. Despite being much older than me, her behavior was unmistakably childlike.

As she continued to gloat, as if daring me to be envious, I chuckled and jabbed her with a fact.

“Weren’t those same elves severely humiliated in the racial war 500 years ago?”

“… …”

When I hit her with this historical fact, Arwen’s smile shattered like glass.

Elves have a tradition of valuing history, so the racial war must have been the ultimate humiliation for them. Yet it was history they needed to learn.

“…Our ancestors were indeed foolish.”

Arwen turned her head away slightly and muttered timidly. The fact that she didn’t deny it suggested she had a clear understanding of the concept.

I smiled slightly at her reaction, then quickly brought up something positive to improve her mood. If I only spoke ill of elves, Arwen might come to dislike me.

“Still, elves made great progress by learning from that mistake. Despite various incidents along the way, they now actively engage with neighboring countries. I heard the current Elf Queen has implemented a full-scale open policy?”

This was something I learned from Cindy.

In the past, elves firmly believed they were chosen by the gods and kept their distance from other races. More precisely, they didn’t interfere in the affairs of other races.

They felt that intervening would only result in suppression by force, and they didn’t see the need for it anyway. This was actually true.

But things changed after other races’ civilizations developed to rival the elves’, and especially after the racial war broke out.

Elves clearly recognized that they too were mortal beings living in this world and began actively engaging with others.

“Y-yes. Until just 100 years ago, Alfheim operated as a nation almost completely isolated from its surroundings. But everything changed after the Queen’s ascension.”

Arwen seemed somehow proud when I mentioned the Elf Queen’s achievements. I guessed she admired the Elf Queen, just like Cindy did.

I smiled gently at Arwen as she puffed up again. Though she was much older than me, her appearance made her look like a child pretending to be an adult.

“You seem to think highly of the Elf Queen. The elf I know does too.”

“That elf must be young and have a proper perspective. Indeed, the current Queen has governed well.”

“For all that, I heard she made a major diplomatic blunder about 80 years ago. She miscalculated tariffs and suffered significant economic losses.”

It’s true that the current Elf Queen has generally governed well, as Arwen said. However, perhaps because she became queen at an unusually young age for an elf, she had many shortcomings.

One of them was the tariff incident I just mentioned. The Empire of Minerva cleverly exploited tariff issues to essentially extort money from Alfheim through diplomatic means.

If she had been more experienced or just a bit more cautious, she would have immediately noticed it was nearly fraudulent, but the Elf Queen failed to do so. The Council of Elders should have stepped in at this point, but I suspect they deliberately let her fail.

Until now, elf monarchs have often stepped down under pressure from the Council of Elders, so this might have been part of that pattern.

“Th-that couldn’t be helped! Besides, there haven’t been any problems since then…”

Arwen first exclaimed in surprise, then her voice gradually became smaller. Judging by her dejected expression beneath her robe, it seemed I should stop teasing her.

Still, I wanted to see her reaction. To soothe her gloomy mood, I pointed out some positive aspects.

“Well, you’re right. After that incident, the Elf Queen hasn’t suffered any major diplomatic losses. She’s even managed to put us in difficult positions. Typically, elves tend to be complacent and undervalue progress, but this Elf Queen seems different.”

“How do you think she’s different?”

When I started to say something positive, Arwen looked at me with sparkling silver eyes, as if she had never been dejected at all.

Could this pure soul who makes no attempt to hide her emotions really be over a hundred years old? Humans tend to change as they become aware of aging, but perhaps this process is slower for elves.

I met Arwen’s expectant gaze steadily, then shrugged my shoulders and voiced my opinion.

“She constantly seeks progress and forms connections with other countries to achieve it. Some of the professors working at the academy are elves. From what I know, elves must go through a very rigorous process to become professors. From a human perspective, they’re talents we should be recruiting, yet she willingly sent them.”

“Hmm. Hmm. And?”

Arwen cleared her throat, urging me to continue. Unfortunately, my knowledge had reached its limit.

“I’d like to say more, but that’s all I know. Still, even this much is certainly a great achievement.”

Elves believed in their superiority over other races and rarely ventured outside. Occasionally, a few oddballs would go out to experience the world, but they were extremely rare.

But now it’s different. Many elven scholars travel the world acquiring diverse knowledge, and they’re gradually developing Alfheim based on what they learn.

However, due to the “leisurely pace” characteristic of long-lived races, progress is slow. Still, it’s remarkable compared to the past.

“Do you view the current Elf Queen favorably?”

“As a person, I’m not sure, but as a leader of a nation, yes. There must be much opposition to her policies, but that’s socially natural. You don’t have to look far—just look at human history. Policies implemented by those recorded as great figures were often considered absurd in their time.”

“Foresight” is when policies that face fierce opposition at the time later prove brilliant. I saw this phenomenon often in my previous life too.

But no person can be perfect. Even policies that seem visionary have side effects. Those who oppose them are likely concerned about these side effects.

“A wise ruler should understand the cause of opposition and determine whether it’s just to politically undermine them or out of genuine concern for the country. If it’s the latter, they should carefully consider how to minimize future side effects. If it’s the former… well, I don’t know much about politics. Often it’s a mix of both.”

“… …”

Even after I finished explaining, Arwen continued to stare at me intently. Her bright silver eyes reflected her interest in me.

“…Remarkable. You seem so young, yet you have such thoughts.”

“Anyone can understand these things if they study hard enough.”

“That’s knowledge, not perspective like yours. Having knowledge and applying it are worlds apart.”

“Really? I don’t see it that way.”

I shrugged at Arwen’s compliment.

The influence of my previous life probably contributes to my different perspective compared to others. Things that seem perfectly natural to me are considered groundbreaking in this world.

Even my writing style, which was ordinary in my previous life, is praised here for presenting a new paradigm.

“Anyway, let’s end the discussion here. Why did you come to the bookstore? What book were you looking to buy?”

“I don’t particularly want to buy any books. Our sacred grounds contain virtually every book in this world. I just visited because I was curious about the bookstore where the exhibition is being held.”

“So what do you think? Honestly, it’s not that impressive compared to the reputation of the Biography of Xenon, right?”

“To make a cold assessment, that’s true. Of course, my standards might be high because of our sacred grounds. But preserving books means preserving knowledge. Though small in scale, its significance should never be underestimated.”

Arwen expressed her thoughts in an elegant, gentle voice. It was a very distinctive answer, imbued with her race’s characteristic pride and her own beliefs.

I gazed at her profile as she browsed the books on the shelves, then moved on to my next question.

“What about the Biography of Xenon?”

“Huh?”

“As an elf, what do you think of the Biography of Xenon?”

Perhaps she hadn’t expected this question. When I asked about the Biography of Xenon, Arwen looked slightly flustered, as if caught off guard.

Then she averted her gaze from me, glancing to the side. Wondering if she was avoiding my eyes, I turned my head in the direction she was looking.

As expected, there was nothing but empty space. She really was avoiding my gaze.

When I faced Arwen again, she quietly opened her mouth.

“…It is.”

“What?”

“I said it’s really interesting.”

A positive answer came from her lips. Judging by her slightly reddened face, she seemed a bit embarrassed.

Still, as the original author, this was immensely gratifying. I smiled and bent my knee slightly to match her eye level.

Arwen was startled when our eyes met, but I looked directly into her silver eyes and quietly asked.

“Which part did you find interesting? I would have thought elves wouldn’t enjoy it much.”

“Wh-what are you saying! Although the protagonist is human, it’s like another world has been created. And we elves were also moved by the poignant story of Kayre and Elisha.”

Arwen, who had been excitedly praising the Biography of Xenon, mentioned Kayre and Elisha. Indeed, love stories seem to resonate with everyone, regardless of gender or race.

I smiled at her childlike demeanor and casually asked.

“Then would you like to see them end up together?”

“What kind of question is that? Of course they should be together. Wouldn’t that strengthen the relationship between us and humans, even a little?”

“Hmm… you think so?”

I’m sorry, child.

“That would be nice.”

Kayre is going to die.