Chapter 129: Mixed-blood(1)
Chapter 129: Mixed-blood(1)
As had been mentioned repeatedly, Volume 12 of the Xenon Chronicle was released quite ahead of schedule. Coming out a mere fifteen days after Volume 11, it was more than enough to catch many readers off guard.
While all sorts of speculation swirled due to the rapid release, readers ultimately decided to just enjoy the good news, eagerly anticipating what kind of story would be revealed this time.
Volume 12 of the Xenon Chronicle unfolded as a lovely and touching tale, offering solace to readers who had been deeply traumatized by Kair’s death.
The story initially built a sense of unease by showing the current state of the Elf Queen, Elisha, who had fallen into a state of ruin following Kair’s passing. Even though several months had passed since his death, Elisha’s condition showed little sign of improvement.
She was unable to perform her duties properly, and at times, she would break down into fits of wailing and lamentation. Her fragile mental state was laid bare, tugging at the readers' heartstrings.
It heightened the anxiety that the tragedy of Kair and Elisha might be repeated with Xenon and Mary.
However, as if mocking those expectations, the story washed away that anxiety like melting snow by featuring a scene where Mary confesses her feelings to Xenon.
But that wasn't all.
A famous line appeared that seemed to resolve the dilemmas of interspecies couples hesitating to confess due to their inherent limitations—almost as if the author were cheering them on.
[“I don’t want to live with regret like some people. To me, it might only be a fleeting moment, but I’d rather live a life of longing than a life of regret. I want to be able to look back on those times forever, without being tormented by painful memories. I want to fill a part of my life with your existence, Xenon.”]
This was the shy confession Mary, the heroine and elven mage of the Xenon Chronicle, gave after calling Xenon to a secluded spot. It was the sincerity she had kept tightly bottled up in the depths of her heart.
Until now, the two had only indirectly expressed their feelings for each other, never revealing them outright. Like any man and woman, they had lacked the courage.
However, having witnessed the tragic narrative of Kair and Elisha with her own eyes, Mary was able to steel her heart. She did it to prevent such a tragedy from repeating itself for her.
She mustered a tiny bit of courage so that she could live her life longing for the person she loved, rather than living in regret in the distant future.
[How many people could actually summon that kind of courage? And what kind of lives are those who have actually experienced such things living?]
[A small word of encouragement from Xenon to those who hesitate. This encouragement will have a massive impact on couples who were on the verge of giving up.]
[A beautiful yet sorrowful, but ultimately realistic story. A warm confession that is only possible because it’s the Xenon Chronicle.]
In the case of the other interspecies couple, Jin and Lily, there was no issue as they had confirmed each other's feelings even before meeting Xenon.
Since Jin had been able to escape a miserable life thanks to Lily, he was able to look only at her.
As the once-obvious love between Jin and Lily was rediscovered, the popularity of the Demon race skyrocketed, setting them on the path to what one might call a "massive surge."
Lily accepted Jin, who was always at risk of becoming a devil, and Jin suppressed his inner darkness and devoted himself to her. It was a romance that was impossible to ignore.
Of course, the readers were unaware that Isaac had simply set this up without much deep thought. However, the character interpretation was so excellent that even Isaac found himself nodding in agreement.
This incident resulted in the perception of Demons, which was already improving, becoming even better. In particular, the keyword "sincerity" fit the Demons perfectly, creating an immense synergy.
The idea that a Demon gathering the courage to confess was a sign of pure sincerity, devoid of even a hint of darkness, took hold. With people dating Demons popping up one after another recently, this was like pouring gasoline on a fire.
[Since the release of Volume 12, the number of humans confessing to Elves has been surging. While most cases end in failure, news of successes is heard quite frequently.]
[Furthermore, cases of Elves confessing to humans are also appearing quite often. In these instances, unlike the former, most are successful.]
And this wasn't just limited to Demons; it was the same for Elves. While love between Elves and humans was said to be the stuff of novels, that wasn't true for everyone.
Though they were Elves chosen by the gods, they were ultimately just people—mortals who experienced joy, anger, sorrow, and pleasure.
Despite the common perception of Elves being arrogant, they were devoted beings, and when it came to "love," they were just as sincere as Demons.
[Elves are famous for looking toward only one partner for their entire lives. But how must they feel when they choose a human as that partner?]
[Is it truly happiness to fill the remaining years with longing for the sake of a hundred years of joy?]
However, as critics pointed out with such stinging reality, love between Elves and humans is not easy. The difference in lifespan clearly exists, and nothing in this world lasts forever.
Yet, just as there is love that transcends borders, love that transcends species is bound to appear. As countless reports flooded in, shocking confessions began to emerge one after another.
[There are beings born between Elves and humans... They are living perfectly normal lives in Albenheim.]
[Mixed-bloods look no different from Elves. If there’s a difference, it’s just that their ears are slightly shorter.]
[Elves who live in human society instead of Albenheim hide their ears through magic, just like Mary in the Xenon Chronicle. To prevent social chaos...]
It was the emergence of "Halfs," the mixed-bloods born between Elves and humans, who had been strangely absent until now.
Occasionally, there were mixed-bloods born between humans and Beastkin, or humans and Dwarves, but mixed-bloods between humans and Elves had never appeared in the long annals of history.
It had been a full 3,000 years since humans built their civilization, and furthermore, they had clearly recognized each other's existence through the Race War 300 years ago.
It was a bit strange that there were no mixed-bloods in that long span of time, but the reason was revealed through their confessions.
[If you have human blood in you, you face all sorts of insults within Albenheim. That’s why most people hide it.]
[My mother told me never to reveal that my father was human. She said she never regretted loving my human father for a second, but she feared the eyes of those around her...]
[The lives of mixed-bloods are mostly similar. When the human parent dies of natural causes, they return to Albenheim to receive an education. Albenheim opens the path of education to fellow Elves, but strictly forbids it for mixed-bloods. Because mixed-bloods are not pure-bloods.]
[My father and mother were happy. Even now, they don’t regret the choice they made back then, and they vow never to forget even if they were to remarry.]
The reason was Albenheim's peculiar, rigid customs. Albenheim is famous for its prickly attitude toward outsiders, and it turned out they were treating mixed-bloods as outsiders as well.
Elves who were well aware of this custom would live in human society until their human partner died of natural causes, after which they would return to Albenheim with their children.
Until the Race War, Elves had essentially treated humans like monkeys. Therefore, the treatment of mixed-bloods was, to put it mildly, not good.
It was equally difficult for them to adapt in human society for various reasons. Their innate beauty made them dangerous in many ways, and hiding their identity was a chore in itself.
However, with the release of Volume 12 of the Xenon Chronicle and the topic of interspecies love rising to the surface, the mixed-bloods were finally able to raise their voices.
Their stories were diverse, but one thing remained the same: the love between humans and Elves was not ordinary, but it was just as passionate and intense.
Interestingly, there were at least three children born between humans and Elves. And they were of similar ages.
Elves viewed sexual intercourse as a sort of ritual, but humans were a race with formidable sexual desires. What if the object of that love was an Elf, famous for their beauty?
Naturally, nighttime activities would become frequent, and the structure made it inevitable that they would have many children. It might be distressing from the Elves' perspective, but given their nature of being devoted to their partners, they tended to accept it all.
In these cases, the children inherited all the characteristics of the Elves. They also inherited the adaptability of humans, so they had no trouble living in Albenheim.
[Do they also inherit the amazing learning ability of humans? Interest in mixed-bloods is increasing...]
[Rumor has it that one of Albenheim's warlords is also a mixed-blood...]
[How will Albenheim treat mixed-bloods in the future?]
Was this what they called the butterfly effect? Isaac had merely written a story about interspecies love, but the situation was spiraling in an unexpected direction.
The story of interspecies love naturally crossed over into reality, planting a seed of doubt, and that seed sprouted in reality to reveal yet another question.
And the fruit and flower of that process was the emergence of mixed-bloods—that is, Half-elves. People who had been forced to live in hiding due to Albenheim's archaic customs.
Because it was a tacit custom that had been passed down only among mixed-bloods since long before the Race War, even Arwen had been unaware of their existence. Only the Elves belonging to the older generation knew.
Even if such customs had faded, it was highly likely that the Elder Council, filled with racial supremacists, would have strongly opposed them.
The Half-elves were also mindful of the stubborn and inflexible nature of Elves, so they did not act rashly.
Instead, since most Half-elves grew up in human society before moving to Albenheim, their way of thinking was often quite different. Whether that was in a good way or a bad way.
Anyway, amidst this chaotic situation, Isaac, seeing the emergence of the Half-elves...
"What is this? Some kind of fantasy-version coming out?"
He was currently looking at the newspaper in bewilderment.
*
I had watched all sorts of reactions with my own eyes while releasing the Xenon Chronicle. At first, I was flustered by the intense reactions, but now I could just shrug them off.
However, the emergence of Half-elves was completely unexpected—a situation that had arisen as a sort of butterfly effect.
A romance between an Elf and a human appears in the Xenon Chronicle, and using that as a stepping stone, the number of Elves or humans gathering the courage to confess increases.
And naturally, a question arose: the existence of Half-elves. Other mixed-bloods, excluding Demons, were quite common, but only mixed-bloods between Elves and humans had been absent.
'It's amazing how it's not even that forced.'
In my past life, there were many times when someone said one wrong word and it snowballed into a major incident, dragging people down like a string of sausages. Didn't a president get arrested because of one such thing?
If someone starts the fire and you add firewood to it, the rest is easy. The Xenon Chronicle was that very spark.
'By the way, so the children always take after the Elven traits...'
According to the testimonies, Half-elves are long-lived like pure-blood Elves and possess beautiful appearances. In particular, if the human parent had a specific outstanding ability, the Elf would possess a corresponding learning ability.
This meant that if the human was a knight, they would show talent in swordsmanship or other miscellaneous martial arts; if a mage, in magic; and if a priest, in divine power. And that was in comparison to pure-blood Elves.
'Mendel would wail if he heard this.'
It was interspecies genetics that chewed up and spat out things like Mendelian genetics. I’d need to do more research to know if it was only Elves like this or if there were variations between individuals, but I was certain that the genetics of my past life would never be able to explain it.
But that wasn't the important part. Currently, Albenheim was in an uproar over the treatment of Half-elves.
As I mentioned before, Half-elves had unknowingly blended in as members of Albenheim, and quite a few people who had risen to high positions with their genetics-defying talent were among them. There were even rampant rumors that a warlord was a Half, causing social chaos.
One might ask what the big deal was, but given the era, "pure blood" held very important symbolism. You didn't have to look far to see how Adelia was treated by her own family.
Of course, Half-elves were a slightly different case. However, racial supremacists like the Elder Council existed in Albenheim, and there was a gap between the new and old generations.
But what if the factions were also split between pure-bloods and mixed-bloods? For Albenheim, it would be a headache so bad it felt like their skulls were cracking.
In a way, it was a perfectly natural social phenomenon, but it could be seen as having appeared too suddenly.
'Still, isn't a sales ban a bit much?'
Furthermore, to make matters worse, I had dropped a hint at the end of Volume 12 that Albenheim would be invaded. Albenheim, the home and spiritual sanctuary of the Elves, would be subjected to an aerial assault by demons.
Ultimately, unable to just stand by, Albenheim had even issued a statement saying they would ban sales if the story continued this way. Since it had caused social chaos, they had plenty of justification.
However, as one can see from the long span of history, this too was a natural occurrence and one of the hardships that had to be endured eventually. I was curious if they would still be busy trying to hide it when I eventually wrote the story about the Dark Elves.
'It feels a bit like China.'
This reminded me of the China from my past life, which was notorious for cultural censorship. The difference, however, was that in China, even the citizens participated, whereas in Albenheim, they didn't.
Perhaps there was currently a lot of backlash within Albenheim as well. I felt a bit sorry, as if I had unnecessarily fueled the conflict between the old and new generations.
'At this rate, if I write a story about illegitimate children in the Xenon Chronicle, will a Me Too movement start?'
Since events like the Jayros Revolution had already happened, it wasn't an entirely impossible story. I just had to start the fire, and the agitators would pour the oil.
However, this issue was one that could engulf the entire country in flames, so I had to be careful. Even if the Ters royalty who broke Adelia's heart were despicable, I couldn't let my emotions lead.
'The illegitimate child issue... I should put that in the sequel.'
I was talking about the sequel to the Xenon Chronicle, not the World War II content. I just needed to expand the world-building and work hard to coordinate so that setting conflicts wouldn't occur.
I stared blankly at the newspaper, which was pouring out breaking news due to Volume 12, before slowly looking away.
'Come to think of it, I wonder if Arwen is okay?'
Okay? Far from it.
"Your Majesty! Are you just going to stand by and watch the current situation?! Please, look after the state affairs!"
"For Albenheim to be attacked—no matter how much it is a work of fiction, it is something that must never happen. Furthermore, are you just going to stand by and watch mixed-bloods operating in Albenheim?"
"We must drive out those filthy half-breeds immediately. Otherwise, the survival of us Elves, chosen by the gods, may be at stake!"
"... ..."
The Elder Council was already pestering her so much she felt like she was going crazy.
Arwen stared blankly at the Elder Council members pleading before her, her lower eyelid twitching. Last time, she had just thought of them as old fogeys, but today, that changed.
'Disgusting old fogeys.'
Disgust was added. And one more thing.
'I'm a mixed-blood too, you bastards.'
She clearly realized that all the rotten parts of Albenheim were gathered in the Elder Council.