Chapter 229: The Elven Princess
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 229: The Elven Princess
Alisha desperately wiped away the tears that threatened to fall as she ran out of the room.
“E-Elisha.”
It was only natural that her heart sank once more at the curse she heard from behind the door. The pain in her chest was so sharp that she had no choice but to flee to her own room.
‘Filthy bitch.’
The words began to echo relentlessly in her mind.
“Sob… sob… sob…”
She buried her face in her pillow, trying to muffle her cries, but the tears wouldn’t stop. Just then, she felt someone slowly open the door and enter.
“Elisha.”
It was her middle sister, Elia.
“Elisha… Eldest sister seems to be having a very hard time. I think she’s not in her right mind and said those harsh things without realizing it. She probably regrets it already. Once she’s calmed down a bit, let’s go see her together.”
“No. That’s not it.”
The look in her sister’s eyes had been one of pure hatred. Thinking about it, she could understand why. Her eldest sister had lost everything. She had lost their mother and her fiancé, who had lived with them in the kingdom. Unlike the women who had survived, the invaders had killed all the elven men, save for a few.
All she had left was the kingdom itself, the Eveluse Kingdom. That was why Alisha had been so startled when her sister mentioned seeing something in her mind.
Her eldest sister was not a mental-type magician. She had said she saw Alisha’s memories during the healing process, but Alisha assumed she hadn’t been able to see everything. Nevertheless, Alisha couldn’t help but bite her lip hard.
She feared her sister might have seen the ambiguous feelings she held for the chieftain of the great tribe. At first, she had thought it was just an aftereffect of entering his mind, but lately, she had begun to think otherwise. The way he lived his life had left a profound impact on her.
“Eldest… Eldest sister is right. I am a filthy bitch. Sob… sob… While you and she were going through this, I was…”
“That’s not true. Elisha, it’s not your fault.”
“No. No, sister… It is my fault.”
From her eldest sister’s perspective, while they were suffering, she had been nurturing precious emotions. Even when she had entered her sister’s mind, she could tell that her sister thought of herself as having a defiled body.
Alisha knew, of course, how much her eldest sister cherished the kingdom their mother had built, how much she loved it, and how many memories were tied to this place.
Although she’d had no choice, it was still just an excuse. She thought that if she had been just a little smarter, things might not have progressed this far.
She saw her middle sister bite her lip. Her thoughts must have been just as complicated.
“Perhaps… couldn’t he show us a little more consideration…? He seems like a good person…”
“N-No!”
Alisha shouted before she could stop herself. On the surface, he was courteous. Despite his immense power, he was considerate and cared for those he considered his allies. This was true even for those he deemed useful. But the moment he considered someone an enemy, he became more ruthless than anyone.
He never let his enemies be. Having seen his life, Alisha believed she understood him better than anyone.
After dying a miserable death as a human, he was reborn in the body of a Green Skin. She knew it sounded impossible, but after seeing his memories, she had no choice but to accept it as fact. The clear line he drew between friend and foe was most likely a result of his past life.
The enemies of his past life, the enemies of his present life—no one who became his enemy lived an easy life. He would claw his way up, tooth and nail, and utterly destroy his opponent to a sickening degree before losing all interest. The only reason he had been kind to her middle sister, Elia, was because she had not yet been recognized as his enemy. Or perhaps it was because he thought she had some use.
If she said the wrong thing, she would be forced to live a life so miserable it would make their past seem like heaven. A sudden realization struck Alisha like a bolt of lightning.
“N-No… Sister… you must never ask him for mercy or consideration. Never… He is a man with no mercy for his enemies. The only reason he’s nice to you is because he doesn’t see you as an enemy yet.”
“E-Elisha, what are you talking about…?”
“Did you hear anything else from eldest sister?”
“She said that as soon as her body recovers, she will formally protest this matter…”
“No! Absolutely not… You must not let her say that. Never…”
“Alisha…”
For a moment, a flicker of suspicion seemed to cross her middle sister’s eyes. But seeing her shake her head, Alisha bit her lip hard once more.
“Please leave.”
“E-Elisha.”
“Please leave, sister.”
“If I misspoke, I want to apologize.”
“That’s not the problem. Sister, if you don’t leave now, I will drag you out. And tell eldest sister this: tell her she must never protest this matter to him. Never. You must also tell her that if she says anything foolish to him, I will not stand by idly. Everything will proceed as planned. The thousand elves, including myself, will remain here, while you and eldest sister will leave the Eveluse Kingdom. There are no other options. If you try anything foolish…”
“You… you really…”
“Get out.”
Alisha continued to bite her lip as she stared at Elia. She stood up, opened the door, and urged her to leave. She watched as Elia, her ears drooping, walked out.
Born the youngest daughter of the Eveluse Kingdom, Alisha had been raised coddled. She grew up monopolizing the love of her mother and older sisters, living a rather smooth life. She had grown up, in a word, like a true elf.
She loved peace, she loved nature, and she preferred to resolve conflicts through dialogue rather than fighting.
It was the same even after she was summoned here. In the trials given by the Mother of the Earth, it was her mother and eldest sister who fought to protect them.
Alisha could only ever watch from a step behind. Even as they built a new kingdom and started a new life, Alisha always complied. She complied with her mother’s will, complied with her sisters’ will, and simply lived in compliance.
It wasn’t frustrating. It was just her way of life. But the life Alisha witnessed in the memories of the great tribe’s chieftain was more than enough to have a profound effect on her.
‘Life.’
Struggle.
It was a struggle. His life was a struggle. To survive, for the future, for his brothers, for the ones he loved, for himself—he had lived his life through struggle.
Unlike Alisha, who had accepted and avoided adversity and hardship, he had fought continuously. No matter what difficulties assailed him, no matter what trials came his way, even when he was exhausted, fell, and shed tears, he would rise again and seize what he wanted through struggle.
Alisha herself didn’t know why she had cried that day.
The most fitting explanation would be that she was moved by his life. It was a cruel, wounded, mud-stained life… it was certainly that…
But it was a beautiful life.
Alisha bit her lip once more.
‘Struggle.’
Everyone was living their lives struggling, wounded. She had to fight, too. She had to wound others and be wounded in return. Alisha nodded and left her room.
*
“Taesung.”
“Hm?”
Jung Hayeon and Baek Ahyeon were looking at me, placing fruit in my mouth. Choi Eunju also seemed to want to be with me somehow, but since all the spots were taken, she stood a little ways off, gazing at me with a look of longing.
The fruit grew on the massive tree the elves called the World Tree. It was quite delicious, and it wasn’t just me; the other Green Skins also had a high opinion of it. Goff’s son, Gogh, was especially fond of it.
It also seemed to have a calming effect, to the point that even Little Finger was able to put aside his anger toward Giant Scream Apachi.
“M-My savior.”
As I opened my mouth for Baek Ahyeon, who was offering another piece of fruit with a trembling hand, it was immediately placed inside. This place was certainly not a bad place to live. The Goff Clan and the Black Spear Clan had begun work on clearing a path through the Foggy Forest to connect it with the Brother’s Land. For some reason, the fog had started to lift, so the work was proceeding very quickly.
Jang Ye Ri would occasionally visit the village with Mev and send a grumbling message asking when I was coming back, but honestly, this place was pretty close to paradise. I could see why those Japanese bastards had settled down here.
As I was lost in thought for a moment, I heard Jung Hayeon’s voice again.
“Taesung. Will it be alright?”
“Ahhh…”
I had a rough idea of what Jung Hayeon was talking about. She was undoubtedly referring to the elves.
“Well, don’t worry about it. It’s not like they’re officially doing anything to us yet.”
Just when everything was proceeding smoothly, the first princess had regained consciousness, and the situation had become a little strange. Jung Hayeon seemed to be worried about that. Since she was in charge of the talks with the elves, it was no surprise she was concerned.
Immediately after the first princess woke up and confirmed that the queen was dead, she had proclaimed herself the new queen of the Eveluse Kingdom.
There had been various movements, but they were mostly just sticking together amongst themselves and hadn't caused us any particular harm.
In truth, no matter what they tried, they couldn’t harm us. This wasn’t arrogance, but confidence. I could certainly see that their combat prowess was superior to the Japanese in some respects. Nevertheless, they were still at the level of children.
“Still…”
“If they turn their backs on us, we’ll just cut off their heads. That’s actually the easiest way, but I’d rather receive the elves’ voluntary service.”
“What?”
Choi Eunju looked at me with a startled expression at my words. It seemed I had chosen the wrong word, so I spoke again.
“No. Cooperation.”
They weren’t exceptional in combat, but they had many talented individuals. Their mental magic was one such talent, as was their farsightedness, and they had hands capable of various delicate tasks that Green Skins could not perform. Enslaving them like before wouldn’t yield proper efficiency. I was having these useless thoughts when the door slowly opened.
Hakajin appeared and spoke.
“The princess of the Eveluse Kingdom—no, the queen—has requested a meeting.”
Just as I’d heard. I gave a slight nod, and Jung Hayeon, with a calm expression, began to use her roots to form a table and chairs.