Chapter 411: Nonsense
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 411: Nonsense
“We elves are not being imprisoned or detained by the East.”
The first to speak was Alisha. Her voice was clear and held no doubt. It seemed she had matured a great deal mentally since our last encounter, and I couldn't help but realize I was right.
All eyes seemed to focus on her in an instant. At the center of it all, Alisha, the queen of the Eveluse Kingdom, slowly began to speak.
“Due to the commotion, my introduction was delayed. I am Alisha, queen of the Eveluse Kingdom, located in the East.”
Everyone nodded. They had likely heard a brief introduction before entering the conference room, but curiosity flickered across the faces of those who were now seeing the fabled Queen of the Elves in person. The elves in the East had lived very quietly, but it wasn't as if elves were completely unseen on this continent.
They were quite active in fields such as adventurer's guild receptionists, free economic zone administrators, interpreters, translators, and psychotherapy counselors.
Some claimed that the elves were actually subordinate to the Green Skins, but those in positions of power knew they lived in a small kingdom they had built in the East.
“We have heard much about you, Queen Alisha.”
“It is an honor.”
Just after the Gray Queen bowed her head in thanks, another voice was heard.
“If it’s not too much trouble, could you please tell us what is happening?”
“Of course. That is why I am here.”
Their eyes showed great curiosity. To be honest, I hadn't coordinated my story with Alisha beforehand. This was an indirect way of expressing my intention to acknowledge the Eveluse Kingdom as an independent nation with its own free will, not a vassal state of the Brother's Land. I figured Alisha probably knew this as well.
“Our kingdom was ruled by humans for a long time. It was different from the current situation, but the ones who imprisoned us and treated us as slaves were the Japanese.”
“Slaves, you say…”
“It is shameful, but what you are thinking is correct.”
At Alisha's words, people began to fall silent. It was a natural reaction, as the detailed story had never been told.
“At the time, I was the third princess of the Eveluse Kingdom. Through the sacrifice of my sisters and my mother, the former queen, I was able to cross over to this continent by chance. It was after that that I met the current Chieftain.”
“Hmm…”
“I requested help from Blood Dagger, who was the chieftain of the Brother's Land at the time, offering our elven territory as a condition. The Great Tribe Leader of the Green Skins, Blood Dagger, came to the East in less than a year, and with that, the positions of the elves and the humans were completely reversed.”
I was the one who demanded the territory first, but seeing her speak as if she had been the one to offer it, I let the corner of my mouth lift in a slight smirk. Those who knew the truth nodded, but those who didn't looked at me with slightly strange expressions.
From their perspective, I must have seemed like a heartless bastard, so it was no surprise they were suspicious about me saving the elves. If there had been nothing to gain, I wouldn't have bothered going to the East to do such a thing. I could fully understand why they wore such expressions.
“Really…”
“Yes. What I have just said is the truth, without a single lie.”
“I thought there must be some story behind it, but…”
“To think something like that happened…”
After the murmuring died down a little, Alisha continued.
“Not only that, but he also allowed us elves to live in our former territory, and even helped those who did not wish to live there to relocate elsewhere. Personally, I am also very grateful to Blood Dagger.”
Her skill at singing my praises was extraordinary; I wondered if she was trying to score points. I glanced over at the elven faction where Alisha was and saw many of the elves in their seats looking at me with sparkling eyes.
From my perspective, I hadn't expected to receive such looks for what was a trivial favor. It wasn't a bad feeling. As I quietly nodded, another voice spoke up.
“May I ask a few more questions?”
“Of course.”
“We would like you to tell us exactly what is true and what is false in the claims being made by the Western Clan Alliance.”
“Yes.”
[Wasn't it a mistake to bring that child?]
Jang Ye Ri's message came in suddenly. I understood what she meant, of course. They were pushing the difficult questions—the ones they couldn't ask me or Jang Ye Ri—onto Alisha. I had a feeling that Alisha would be the one receiving the most questions here today.
[She wanted to come herself, so I brought her. The elves can now be considered members of the continent, so she is more than qualified.]
[I can't deny that.]
On the current continent, the elves served as a bridge connecting humans and Green Skins, who could not otherwise communicate. Although the number of humans who could use translation magic was on the rise, the elves had nevertheless established themselves as a significant presence on this continent.
Just as I was wondering how she would answer the question, Alisha slowly began to speak.
“Underground in the East live the humans you call the Japanese. It is a city where not a single ray of light enters, a barren city with nothing to eat. They survive by eating the leftover garbage of the elves on the surface, and when that is not enough, they kill and eat each other.”
“…”
“The drinking water is contaminated, and to wash their bodies, they must rely on mages with residual magic. The climate is harsh; they must endure scorching days and freezing winters. Their magic circuits are all broken, and some are even half-paralyzed. Humans missing an arm or a leg are very easy to find, and those who cannot see or hear are also common. All they do all day is search for the rare magical beasts, or stare at the sky, watching what happens on the surface. Humans who are disliked are captured and killed, and sometimes they are forced to participate in various magical experiments. That is the current state of the humans living underground in the East.”
Alisha smiled faintly. I suspected that a few people must have gotten goosebumps, because the smile Alisha showed looked so pure.
A light silence fell over the hall. She was so confident that there was nothing to say. The expressions of some of the humans from the North were, of course, twisted.
“Th-That’s… you call that…”
“Yes. I do.”
“We are not playing with words right now, Queen Alisha. What you are doing is…”
“What they did to us. For the simple reason that they didn't like us, they tore us apart, killed us, and raped us. They cut off our arms, legs, and necks, laughing and chatting as they forced us to eat their feces and urine. The women who were taken to the soldiers' quarters couldn't even wash their bodies and died after being subjected to all sorts of grotesque acts. They ordered mothers to kill their own children, and when a mother refused, they burned her to death along with her child. They are the ones who raped women in front of their husbands, and when they didn't like the look in their eyes, they seared them with a red-hot sword, forced them to fight each other, and watched with amusement.”
“Ugh…”
“That’s…”
“If the Green Skins had not come to the East, the ones living underground right now would be the elves, not the humans.”
After hearing what Alisha just said, no one could say anything else. It was as if I was exacting revenge on their behalf, but in truth, the lives of the humans underground in the East were not so different from the elves' past. If you consider that their emotions have been completely castrated, the humans might even have it slightly better.
They were simply getting back what they had dished out. From my perspective, it wasn't a strange story at all. Some swallowed hard, perhaps thinking of things from Earth, while others stared at Alisha as if they were sickened. The one who stood out was the North Knight, Kang Changhoon.
He was nodding his head with a very satisfied expression. Come to think of it, I remembered something Choi Seulgi had said before.
‘I happened to hear it too, but that man is supposedly a descendant of an independence activist. That character of his didn't come from nowhere.’
I felt like I finally understood the reason for his expression.
Just when I thought no one would speak up easily, the guy who had thrown that absurd remark at me earlier slowly began to talk.
“Of course, I understand how you feel.”
“I am glad you understand.”
“It is only natural that those who have committed a crime should be punished for that crime. However… I question whether it is necessary to judge them in such an inhumane way. I am not trying to defend or protect them because we are both human.”
“Then I am curious as to what you are trying to say.”
“I am saying that even those who have committed crimes should be given another chance. These are thinking people. I don't know if you can accept my words, Queen Alisha, but to be treated worse than beasts for a single mistake is a way of thinking that does not befit a civilized person.”
To summarize, he was saying that even criminals have human rights. I don't know if anyone else sympathized, but unfortunately, I couldn't agree with that way of thinking. It seemed the elf in front of me felt the same way; Alisha began to stare at the man, looking dumbfounded.
“I do not understand. Are you saying there is a reason to treat beasts that are not human as if they were? The human way of thinking is quite convenient, isn't it? To think there is still room for mercy after they tore the innocent to pieces and killed them.”
It was unexpected to hear Alisha, who was once an elf, say such a thing. It must mean she had been influenced a great deal.
“That is not what I mean. Goodness… how should I explain this…”
“I know what you are saying, of course. In your words… human rights. I understand you are talking about that. However, I do not understand why you are trying to persuade me.”
“That is…”
“If you wish to look after their human rights, then you may do so. They did not commit a crime against you. They committed a crime against us elves, and the elves are punishing them in our own way.”
“There must be innocent humans mixed in. There must also be those who are receiving a punishment far heavier than the crime they committed.”
“We elves were innocent as well. I cannot understand why you are more concerned with the perpetrators than the victims, but no matter how I think about it, I cannot comprehend your words. You can judge them by your standards, and we will judge those who sinned against us by ours.”
“That action is causing a war.”
“We elves are not belligerent, but we do not shy away from a fight that comes to us. Furthermore, we will never back down from a fight against those who lack a just cause, like the Western Continent. We are your allies, but we have not requested aid from the warriors of the North. We will take responsibility for our actions.”
There was nothing more to say. Alisha calmly poured out her thoughts, engaging in a debate with a few of the humans. The situation was becoming interesting. I began to watch the nameless guy.
Because I felt like I knew what he wanted.