episode_0087

“Then am I a pagan too?”

In fact, from their perspective, I am also a pagan. I think the bow is somewhat useful, but that doesn’t mean I have any reason to worship the World Tree or their gods.

“Oh, no… Eugene is not an elf.”

Their standards did not seem to apply to humans. Actually, it didn’t really matter. Since I am from another world to begin with, it would make no difference even if the people in front of me were not elves and dark elves but humans and dark humans.

“Anyway, I’m just trying to hear the story, so don’t interrupt me anymore. As you said, since I am an outsider, shouldn’t I be able to see things more objectively?”

Even after saying this, there are probably only two cases in which people show signs of confusion. Either the other side is so clear that mixing up even a single word is a huge waste of time, or they have something up their sleeve.

‘And if you look at the atmosphere, it seems like the latter.’

Somehow, this prediction does not turn out to be wrong. That’s how Carlmond’s explanation began.

“Our ancestors were originally ordinary elves living among those elves.”

Somehow, it was very interesting from the beginning.

“And all the elves serve Goddess Prinia.”

This is my first time hearing the name. However, when inferred from the context, there was a high probability that that name was the author who planted the World Tree. In other words, he is the maker of my bow.

“To put it simply… we are the ones who were ostracized by our fellow elves because we did not serve him. As I said earlier, they are subject to the stigma of being called dark elves.”

“Wow… this is a bit……”

When I made a disgusted expression, Ispi’s face became tearful. No, no matter what, it’s true. Isn’t it no different from seeing other selfish human beings, calling them names and rejecting them just because they don’t believe in God?

Usually, when I think of dark elves, I have radical images in my head, such as being evil beings who have been the antithesis of elves since birth, killing elves even if they were originally the same as elves, or burning down nature, including the world tree. That’s what happens in comics and games.

The more I thought about it, the more I realized that the elves here were truly miserable. To put it a bit excessively, it’s to the point where one wonders why they would differentiate themselves from humans.

“But one question remains. If that’s the case, then why is it that your body has become cloudy, befitting that derogatory name?”

All of the free elves, including Kalmond, had gray skin. There was no way his body could change like that just because he was persecuted by the elves. Still, Carlmond continued speaking as if he had been waiting for those words.

“Do you know about the structure of the elves? In human terms, priests are called high elves. They are the so-called chosen ones by God. To be precise, they are the descendants of those who ate the fruit of the World Tree long ago.”

For the elves who think of the World Tree as a link between God and the Underworld, that would be no different from the bloodline of God.

“Then maybe…?”

I put a question mark out of my doubts, but Carlmond nodded as if my guess was correct.

“That’s right. They branded our ancestors as pagans, cursed them, and drove them out of the Green Land. This ugly appearance is proof that the curse of the High Elves is still taking root.”

Carlmond lifted his bangs, emphasizing his ashen skin, graying hair like an old man’s, and sinister red eyes. So, they are saying that in order to persecute the heretics, they have been made to look like this from generation to generation.

“The curse is not limited to appearance. Because of this curse, we are unable to communicate with nature and make contracts with spirits. All of this is tyranny that stems from the fact that we do not trust Prinia. In order to resist such irrationality, we were fighting here to reclaim the land we lived on.”

It is so perfectly appropriate to be called a free elf. Carlmond delivered the message clearly with a voice so clear that he could easily win an award in an oratory contest. I wanted to applaud in admiration, but I had something to do first.

“Kaela. How do humans treat heretics?”

I asked Kaela, who was quietly watching the incident behind me, just in case. No matter how much I think about it, based on my common sense, I think I did something ridiculous, so the first thing I did was check that the common sense here may be very different from mine.

“Order of Stella…? They will see it as an object of evangelism. As far as I know, they always gather these people and offer prayers at certain times. Of course, if we just do it, it will have little effect, so we are shipping relief goods such as food.”

It was a completely normal form of religion that reminded me of my military training camp days. It seems to be a religion led by truly virtuous people. Not only did he give me a ring to become friends, but the more I got to know the Pope, the more I liked him.

“So… the elves are particularly sensitive.”

On the other hand, what about these damn elves? There was no other persecution like this. I understand that even when Joseon persecuted the Catholic Church several times, they punished the instigators and direct believers and did not even touch their relatives, but the elves of this world went one step further and placed a curse that was visible on their appearance for generations to come. It was truly something that even I, a human being, could hold out my tongue.

“Wow….”

“…….”

“Wow!!”

The elves, including Ispi, seemed to have realized that my exclamation had a not-so-good meaning, and they remained silent and carefully watched me. I paid no heed to it, admired it even louder, and then continued what I wanted to say.

“No… I tried not to bring up the past as much as possible, but it was also the case that they tried to separate me from the Holy See… What kind of elves are so evil…?”

If you think about it, the signs were already there. First of all, living sacrifices that are regularly offered to Arzen appear. Everyone in the world knew that Arjen treated tribute as a meal, so becoming a living sacrifice was tantamount to death. To put it another way, it was said that elves consistently produce violent criminals that rival humans.

‘No, one more drink.’

I haven’t forgotten yet. After I came here, when Arjen continued to suffer from hunger due to my attention, the person who ate for the first time in a long time was none other than a half-elf. Yes, it is not an exaggeration to interpret that the elf babies were sentenced to death just because they had human blood mixed in with them.

“Still, I thought he had an elf-like side…”

When Arjen was at the height of his curiosity and asked for elves to be sex partners, he showed his noble side by saying that they would all rather kill him. I really thought it was a noble choice, choosing death over humiliation, but maybe there was another reason.

‘It could be that they are such a faithful species….’

As I look at this large-scale persecution of pagans, a thought suddenly passes through my mind. In fact, I thought that everything I felt came from faith.

The reason half-elves were rejected as living sacrifices was because they were mixed with human blood, so there was a possibility of apostasy, and the reason they rejected Arjen’s offer was because they could not allow their bodies, a race created by God, to Arjen, a clearly different race. If you think about it, Agui was correct to some extent.

‘…And in this case, there is a high probability that the half-elf’s elf parents will not fare well.’

Probably a living sacrifice. If you hit it well, you will be cursed and exiled as a dark elf. Recently, I felt sorry for indirectly harming the elves due to Arjen’s appetite, which stopped eating humans because of me, and those thoughts stuck with me.

“Okay, I decided.”

From the beginning, I had no right to make any decisions as a third party, not even an elf, but I still said a word to clear things up.

“Freedom elves are the best elves in the world and are superior creatures compared to any other race! These white bastards who are too embarrassed to even say things in their mouths will be called Kanf from now on!”

The audience didn’t flip over or react to my bombshell remarks. This is because it was said in Korean so that no one could understand it. Only Sirocco, who was physically and mentally connected to me, roughly understood the nuance and chuckled. When everyone was looking at me blankly, not understanding what I was saying at all, I cleared my throat once and said what I had originally wanted to say.

“Hmm, I heard your story well. Elves, don’t you have any objections to what this person just said?”

The elves nodded to my question. At least it was proof that Carlmond had not lied or exaggerated anything.

“There is no problem on either side. At least I won’t be able to decide between right and wrong.”

Carlmond’s eyes, which had been confident just a moment ago, seemed to have been unexpected as he wavered back and forth in a very bewildered manner.