episode_0062

“Sigh… Who created the prejudice that elves are a peaceful race?”

I leaned back in my chair and gazed up at the ceiling.

Elves are a peaceful and quiet race.

In human society, there is such a fixed notion.

It’s just a misconception because elves rarely come out of their habitats, such as deep forests or desolate wastelands.

“Of course, we… can’t really say we were right.”

Oneroi said.

“But it was inevitable. You Koreans have practically become extinct as a race, and you don’t even make an effort to preserve it. Among the seven survivors who made descendants, there was only one… and even that person took their own life.”

“So what? Is it my fault for not making a child?”

“…You have the right to blame us. But even so, we must avoid the threat of the world’s destruction to some extent.”

In a peaceful era, it might be considered excessive meddling.

But the time elves live in is different from that of the long-lived races.

Most of them still remember the demon war that they fought for the fate of the world.

No, most of them are those who survived in hell.

I remember that time too.

So…

“Tsk.”

I couldn’t curse her, the elf, and the dark elf society anymore.

Logically, from the perspective of the long-lived races, the elves’ decision is correct.

What does the life and soul of a child matter?

It’s right to avoid the threat of the world’s destruction.

It is right…

“So… besides Kona, how many more are there?”

“Kona is still the only artificial monster. We didn’t make this extreme decision lightly. The death of Mr. Sangcheol was such a huge disaster…”

“Is that so…”

“…”

“…”

An awkward silence fell between Oneroi and me.

I anticipated what she would say next.

“…How many people?”

“We can discuss it after securing at least two digits. With Linda here, the number is still seven.”

“Three…”

“W-What are you talking about? T-Three? Are you saying you’re going to make three more kids like me…?”

Kona asked.

“No. The opposite.”

I shook my head.

“It’s the number of kids I have to make to not create more like you.”

“Me…?”

“It’s a simple calculation. When it comes to fighting monsters and wars, the most important thing is ultimately our Evonie. But right now, there are only seven. So, we need to increase that number.”

“That’s ridiculous…”

“Yeah, it’s crazy. But that’s how the world is… However, I have a condition too.”

“What is it?”

“Steria. If you guys help a little, we can easily get her away from someone like Slone.”

“I see… So are you going to mate with Steria to have a child?”

“I haven’t thought that far yet. Even if it’s not Steria, there are still five… no, four more.”

“Three… Did you exclude Linda from the calculation?”

“She’s a half-blood. Wouldn’t it be better to have pure-blooded ones?”

“Of course, pure-blooded is better. But are you okay with it? There are other male Evonies besides you…”

“Roderick is out of the question. It’s not happening.”

“But in terms of reproduction…”

“Damn it!”

I slammed the table again.

“If it’s not happening, it’s not happening! We only have six left, do you plan to make it five?! Huh?!”

Roderick… is gay.

And he’s also one of the most damaged guys in Vatori’s castle.

If I seriously propose that to him, Sangcheol might follow suit.

“I’ll take care of it… But please give me some… time. It’s a matter that needs to be discussed with the rest of the three…”

“Understood. Then… please inform Misty of the agreed terms by next year.”

“Misty…”

Yeah…

Misty probably knew about Kona as well.

No, could it be… So, was that why she told me to go find Oneroi?

“Anyway, I understand. Let’s stick to the agreement until next year… Oh, wait.”

Ah.

“What’s wrong?”

“Well, there’s a bit of a tricky issue…”

“An issue?”

“It’s about the Labyrinth. So…”

I made a promise to Pratia in the depths of the Labyrinth.

“What…! Are you out of your mind?! Ten years in the deep underground of the Labyrinth?!”

“Well, if I manage to retrieve Pratia within a few months, it should be fine.”

“What if you fail?! What if you get killed in there?! Does spending ten years in the depths of the Labyrinth make any sense?! You could be killed by monsters at any moment!”

“I’ll figure something out. And like I said, I just need to retrieve Pratia.”

“Ugh… It’s just that you decided on such an important matter without consulting anyone…”

“The Alchemists Guild Master and the Deputy Guild Master of the Mage Guild in the Labyrinth City are currently collaborating, along with the Dragon Slayer Rinde. The Lord of the Labyrinth City, Viscount Maze, is also fully supporting us. There’s a possibility.”

“It’s not enough to rely on possibilities. This issue… we definitely need to get involved.”

“Oh, I should mention, please refrain from kidnapping me.”

“…”

Oneroi looked at me with a dangerous gaze, her mouth shut.

She must have been thinking about it.

“I’d rather just commit suicide than be imprisoned again.”

“…”

“You know I’m not lying, right?”

“…Yes.”

Oneroi’s eyes narrowed as if she were tired.

“Well, I guess it can’t be helped. I can support you to that extent.”

“Really… Oh, are you going to do it yourself? Could it be…?”

“…Yes. That’s right. It was me, my sister, and her husband who turned Kona into an artificial monster.”

“What?!”

Kona was startled and fell away from Oneroi.

“What, what are you talking about?! My sister…?”

“That’s right. You probably don’t remember, but… yes. We did it. On the day you were born…”

The younger the test subject, the more stable the artificial monster transformation procedure becomes.

I know that it was not difficult for any child born less than a year into the Monster War to succeed.

“This is unbelievable! It’s a lie, right?!”

“…”

“I, I…!”

Kona turned her back and ran towards the door.

I grabbed her arm as she passed by me.

“Hey… let go of me!”

“No.”

“Why?! Mr. Lashwood must be the most tormented person! You wouldn’t want to hear such an absurd story either!”

“No. I don’t want to.”

“Then why…!”

“You… have you ever seen a war?”

“If you mean fighting…”

“War is… a crazy thing. It’s what crazy people do. Otherwise, you can’t win.”

Simply fighting and waging a war for each other’s survival are different.

There comes a time when you have to let go of someone you used to eat and chat with, to let them die.

There comes a time when you have to watch your drinking buddy, who shared precious stories with you over a drink, die.

There comes a time when you have to go to a place where you or someone you know is likely to die.

And there comes a time when you have to kill someone with your own hands, who is struggling to live.

That’s war.

That’s why I follow Oneroi’s and the Elves’ and Dark Elves’ decisions.

War must be avoided.

But if war does happen, you shouldn’t hesitate to use any means and methods to minimize the damage and end it quickly.

It’s a truth I’ve learned over the tiresome century of the Monster War.

So preparing for such a war is not wrong.

“There are no signs of the Monster War happening yet. Of course, we never know when it might happen, but at least it won’t happen right now. It might not happen until you become an adult.”

“…”

“And if you run away, you’ll just be caught again. There are trackers better than me who will follow you.”

The senses of elves and dark elves far surpass those of humans.

“…But.”

Kona spoke up.

“Then… where should I go? I don’t have a mother or father…”

It was also a subtle way of expressing that she didn’t want to go to Oneroi.

Linde overlapped with that figure.

“…Would you come with me? Is that okay?”

I asked Oneroi.

“If we solve the problem with the Labyrinth, there shouldn’t be any problem. Misty is there too. Of course, you too…”

“Yeah. Did you hear?”

I turned back to Kona.

“Do you want to go to the Labyrinth City with me?”

“Labyrinth City… I understand. If it’s Mr. Rasiwood…”

“Thank you for trusting me.”

“…”

“Well then. The conversation is roughly over, right? Steria will take care of your side. I’ve already sent someone to inform Loreldia about the issue with the mine, so it shouldn’t be difficult.”

“Already…?”

Oneroi was slightly surprised.

“There are nobles in Loreldia who know me. Do you have someone like that in Loreldia too?”

“Of course.”

In the Labyrinth City, there was Misty, and in Brigal, there were Oneroi and her sisters.

There would be elves or dark elves in places like Loreldia or Kapumo who held high positions in their own right.

Living in places where humans couldn’t easily invade as a race unit, but that didn’t mean they completely cut off from outside news.

They would probably be even more attentive to what was going on.

“…Could there be a war?”

The conflict between Loreldia and Brigal was already a foregone conclusion.

It was like when I sent the specter to Phesto.

Of course, human wars were disasters, but compared to the demon war, it was just a happening.

At worst, it meant that two human countries would disappear.

You couldn’t compare it to the survival competition of races.

Of course, there was the Kingdom of Kapumo between the two countries, so direct conflict would be difficult.

“It’s probably unlikely. Because there’s the Kingdom of Kapumo.”

Oneroi seemed to have the same thoughts.

“But they will probably demand a huge compensation. Brigal has already suffered a severe blow to its finances with the mithril mining coming to a halt. They probably won’t be able to meet Loreldia’s demands. In that case… Loreldia might even push a bit too hard, but they might seek cooperation from the Kingdom of Kapumo. Kapumo also has its citizens suddenly losing their jobs.”

“I see… Well, the citizens of this country will have a hard time.”

The Brigal servant who brought us to the mine passed by.

He realized that the fanaticism had stopped and decided to leave the country, sensing the impending murderous taxes.

Leaving the country where you lived was not an easy thing.

Fortunately, he said he had a place to go, but the vast majority of the people who couldn’t find such a place would suffer in this country.

As he said, there would be many people starving to death, and perhaps a rebellion…

“…Are you okay? Angry mobs might storm the capital.”

“I’ve been working here for almost 300 years. There have been several riots during that time. But you know what’s interesting?”

“What?”

“No matter how much rioting there is, places with books are never attacked. Do you know why?”

“Ah…”

“No one is interested in books.”