episode_0066

“…The reason?”

I asked quietly.

Getting angry suddenly because of something like this is pointless.

“The elders of the Elves and Dark Elves have determined that it would be better for Slone to have Stellia and the child than you.”

“…”

Even though they are wise elders of the Elves, their judgment is too quick.

They must have been considering this from the beginning.

The fact that they came to this conclusion after a premeditated discussion feels absurdly heavy.

It’s the conclusion reached by those who are wiser and more experienced than me.

“Tell me more… in detail.”

But it’s even more unreasonable to just let it go here.

“The reason Slone wanted Stellia is simple. It’s because of her lineage. The Mithril mine is the backbone of this country. We can’t leave it to the demons, so we decided to use the most effective Evony tribe.”

Funny.

Even though Kona, an artificial demon, was allowed to escape.

I guess even Elves bend inward when it comes to their own interests.

Of course, it’s undeniable that the Evony tribe is a much more humane and stable solution than artificial demons, but…

Still, we…

“…What about Kona? What if Kona can stabilize the Mithril mine in this country?”

Kona is a being that even subjugates superior demons, probably close to a queen.

Of course, there is a possibility that Kona will be sacrificed for this, but it’s better than sacrificing Stellia.

“Y-Yes. The demons in that mine were very kind to me and listened to me well.”

Fortunately, Kona supported my words.

“Wasn’t Kona needed for the research work in the Labyrinth?”

Onello pointed out.

“Ha, I’m not comfortable saying this. But think realistically. What’s important to us Elves is preventing demon wars and coming up with a plan. I’m sure you share those values too.”

“…”

“The king of this country chose the Evony tribe as a means to deal with the crisis caused by demons. Doesn’t it feel very similar to a certain situation?”

There is only one undeniable argument.

“If this country can use the Evony tribe to subdue the demons in the mine and solve the problem, it could be a model case. Fighting demons and gaining experience and knowledge firsthand. This practical wisdom is what is most needed in war.”

“It’s much better for me to teach than to learn. I have experienced war. I know more about that fight than anyone else.”

“Sorry, but that’s not true.”

“What? Where is there an expert better than me… Ah.”

“Stellia has plenty of experience. In some ways, she could be a better teacher than you. You fought on the front lines, but the one who survived by fighting demons face to face is Stellia. She can raise children to be excellent warriors.”

“My use of the spear is a story from 500 years ago. Even now, I can fight just as well as Stellia. I am an adventurer trained by Misty for 100 years. Adding fights against monsters similar to demons, my experience doesn’t seem lacking compared to Stellia.”

“You can’t compare demon wars and the Labyrinth. The Labyrinth is a set place, with similar enemies, and you can escape to safety at any time.”

“Hah, you know a lot about the Labyrinth.”

It’s a sarcastic remark, but it’s not wrong.

Of course, the Labyrinth is a dangerous place where people can die easily, but comparing it directly to demon wars is absurd.

Think.

What should I present to shake things up?

“…Will it be okay? Even with this country? You must have said that.”

“…I see. I clearly stated it. The fortunes of this country are shifting, and there is a high possibility of a major upheaval happening soon.”

“Indeed. With the pillar of the country missing, how long do you think it will take for the Evoni tribe to grow again and stabilize the mines? Will the people of this country really wait for that time?”

Perhaps this is my final argument.

If I retreat now, there is nothing else I can do.

“If safety for Evoni is important, then my side is safer than this country.”

“That’s right. That’s why it took some time to make the decision.”

Damn it…

Did they even consider that?

But… but…

“How on earth…?”

“It will be a difficult decision, but the Elves and Dark Elves have agreed to support this country, Brigal.”

“What?! Does that make sense?!”

No matter what, I never thought about this.

“Three mithril mines. That’s enough to rival the budget of a small country. It’s almost like war reparations level of money. And you’re going to keep doing it? Until the newborns become seasoned warriors?!”

“…Yes.”

Unbelievable, damn it…

“Of course, we can’t support all that money. However, we can provide a somewhat unreasonable level of food distribution to somewhat appease the people of Brigal. After all, we are the ones with the most surplus food in this world.”

Damn it…

“If you’re going to spend that much money, you might as well send it to me! With just a fraction of that, I can raise the warriors you want!”

“Even so… yes.”

“Why on earth?!”

“Because you are an adventurer, and Slone is a king.”

“What…!”

“Think about the difference in environment. And above all, we are also considering positively creating a royal bloodline mixed with Evoni’s bloodline this time.”

“Don’t be ridiculous! By whose authority?! We swore never to attract attention in the world! Do you want to repeat the tragedy of Batori?!”

“…Sigh.”

Onelloi sighed again.

But deep within that sigh, there was not embarrassment but sympathy.

What the hell…?

“The reason you fell was because of that. Isn’t it a cruel fate? The heroes who saved the world, practically extinct because of one human.”

“Why did you…!”

“That happened because of human greed. But why couldn’t it be prevented?”

“…!”

“Because you couldn’t intervene in human society and couldn’t become of high status. If you were nobles, could that Batori have overpowered you?”

I couldn’t take it anymore and grabbed Onelloi’s neck.

“Agh…!”

Kona screamed in surprise, but it didn’t register in my ears.

“Because we couldn’t intervene in human society? Whose fault is that?”

My thoughts were not flowing smoothly.

Only the emotional scars were deep, and the thoughts and emotions I had constantly pondered during that time naturally seeped through the reopened wounds.

Those thoughts, those emotions.

Even after hundreds of years, they still lingered somewhere in my heart.

“We were living well originally. We were living well in our homeland. Forcibly kidnapping us, giving power as they pleased, exploiting us, and ultimately devouring us, what kind of heroes are they?!”

Of course, there were discussions after the demon war ended.

Even after 100 years, the debate was ongoing on whether to continue holding onto hope to return or to completely settle in this world and live.

But right after the excessively long war ended, we were too tired, and we wanted rest instead of focusing on those discussions.

If we had a little more time, perhaps everything would have been different if Batori had been born just ten years later.

And then, another 300 years after Batori.

The only emotion left at the bottom of us is resentment.

In our hometown language, it’s called “han.”

We have lived in this world for 500 years, harboring this emotion.

Understanding this feeling is something only we can do in this world.

Living for so long, far beyond human cognition, has made us a little crazy.

So, I must save Steria.

Even if the situation were reversed, she would have saved me.

Even though it might be a bit annoying…

“…Ugh.”

Onelloi, who had grabbed my neck, couldn’t bear it any longer and grabbed my hand.

I felt the urge to break it or suffocate him, but I managed to endure it.

“K-kuh, ugh… Haah, haah… I… I know your situation…”

When I let go of his hand, Onelloi stroked his neck and spoke.

“You know?”

“But we… we also have lives. It was a cruel thing for you, but this world survived. Even though you sacrificed a lot, still…”

“Are you thanking us? You don’t think of us as slaves, do you?”

“Not at all… Not at all. So…”

“Then why… why didn’t you let us kill Batori with our own hands?”

The time when Steria and I were most in agreement was right then.

When all the truth came out, Batori was naturally arrested.

And among the survivors, Steria and I strongly demanded that her fate be left to us.

The other five didn’t even want to get close to her face, let alone support us in killing her. At least that much.

If Steria and I could have avenged and killed her as much as we wanted at that time…

“That was for your… souls. From the beginning, you and Miss Steria didn’t intend to kill her.”

“…”

“Surely you tortured her until she aged and died. No, even after she died, you might have resurrected her with dark magic and tortured her… Maybe even until now.”

“So what?”

“Such actions… are not what humans should do… I understand your resentment and anger, but we had to prevent you from falling as humans. Your lives are important, but so are your hearts.”

“Damn it…”

Yes.

Onelloi is right.

In fact, we never intended to kill her.

She would have been tortured until she aged and died, just as she said.

If she died, she would have been resurrected as an undead and kept until now.

No doubt.

“…Let’s get back to the main point. Now, as you are called Ebony, protecting the lineage of humans is more important than anything else. And the most effective means for that is your status.”

“…”

“Do you still… not understand?”

“What?”

“Steria, until recently, was in a noble family, but her status was not that of a noble, it was an ambiguous position. But now, she has become a viscount, a very high status.”

“No way… Steria chose that?”

“…Yes. It was a choice made by Steria herself. She chose to become a noble and protect the other six.”

“This idiot…”

The other six…

She must have heard the story of Sangcheol’s death, including those she had never met.

She’s truly like her.

“So, Mr. Lashwood… please, go back as you are. You have things you need to do, right? Just like Steria chose what she wanted to do…”