Chapter 364: An Unexpected Encounter(3)
Chapter 364: An Unexpected Encounter(3)
As you know, the Race War was a great war that broke out 300 years ago.
If you're wondering just how long 300 years feels, in Earth terms, it’s roughly the time since the Industrial Revolution first began in Britain.
Two hundred years passed after that before World War I erupted, followed shortly by World War II, which became a major turning point for humanity.
If even a decade can change the face of the land, imagine what three centuries can do. A period that long belongs firmly in the realm of 'history,' not the present.
Even those we call 'living witnesses' of history are usually elderly people who have lived long lives, and even then, it is rare for them to surpass a hundred years of age.
"To think Xenon is reading something I wrote. It’s a strange feeling."
And yet, a living witness of history—no, a man who was practically history itself—was currently sitting right in front of me.
An Elf who looked exactly like Thor, the tragic hero, Iker Lightsinger.
He was a figure described in the chronicles of the Race War from 300 years ago, yet here he was, sitting large as life before me. It was hard to wrap my head around.
I had met many Elves by now and knew their lifespans were several times longer than mine.
However, it rarely felt 'real' to me. I usually just brushed it off as a racial trait and moved on.
But Iker was different. He was a great man clearly recorded in history, a name mentioned time and time again.
I might be recorded in history books myself as time passes, but I had no certainty that I would still be alive and well 300 years from now like Iker.
"Are... are you really the actual Iker?"
"I am."
"The one who fought in the Race War?"
"If you call cutting off supply lines 'fighting,' then yes. Though I was imprisoned by those pointy-ears afterward."
"..."
I stared at Iker with a dazed expression. To be honest, I still couldn't quite believe it.
Even including my previous life, I was barely forty, but Iker was a man from 300 years ago.
In other words, he was at least 300 years old, and Elves are only considered socially mature around the age of fifty.
Furthermore, Iker was someone who had already reached the rank of 'Warlord' during the Race War. Putting it all together, it meant he was at least 500 years old.
...That's an unfathomable amount of time.
I realized once again just how long an Elf's lifespan truly was. Having history itself sitting before my eyes left me feeling lightheaded.
That aside, I wondered why Iker was even here.
According to the rumors I'd heard, he was supposed to be living a life of seclusion, confined to his home.
"Weren't you living in seclusion at your estate? That's what I heard."
"What would I do stuck at home all day? My lifespan is pointlessly long as it is; I have to keep myself busy. Reading is one of my hobbies."
His deep, resonant voice vibrated in my ears. I nodded slowly at his words.
It still didn't feel entirely real, but it seemed certain that the Elf before me was indeed Iker.
Especially the way he used the term 'pointy-ears.' Most Elves wouldn't even dream of uttering such a slur, but he was different.
Just how casually did he have to use that word for it to roll off his tongue so naturally? In the past, it might have been fueled by rage and hatred, but now it just seemed like a habit.
"It's truly amazing. I'm reading a book, and the author is right next to me. Someone I thought I'd only ever see in a history book."
"It's just as amazing for me. The famous Xenon is sitting next to me, reading a book I wrote. It’s a bit embarrassing, yet quite a curious feeling."
Iker seemed to find it fascinating as well, rubbing under his nose with a faint chuckle. It was truly an unexpected encounter, a complete coincidence.
I had met a man I'd only seen in history books, and Iker had met Xenon, the most famous person in the world today.
What a bizarre twist of fate. While Iker rarely left Albenheim, Albenheim itself was vast.
To have a chance meeting like this in such a large place... I suppose this is what people mean when they say it's a small world.
"Did you come to the Holy Land just to read?"
"That's part of it, but my wife came here for research. She's currently on a business trip, so I have to stick by her side whenever she's around."
"Your wife must be a scholar."
"Indeed. And she's more beautiful than anyone else."
He didn't really need to add that last part. I could already smell the traces of a devoted husband.
Since things had turned out this way, I figured we might as well chat. I'd always been curious about the man named Iker, so this was a good opportunity.
I already knew from his book that he wasn't exactly a solemn person, but he was a patriot who loved Albenheim more than anyone.
Moreover, he wasn't the typical pretty-boy Elf; he had a rugged, 'alpha male' style that looked like it belonged in a Viking saga, which made him even more interesting.
"Do you happen to know how you're portrayed in the history books?"
"Of course I do. Though I was disappointed that most of them focused only on the events. Fortunately, they did explain in detail just how badly the Elder Council botched things."
"Comparing then to now, which is worse?"
"The only good pointy-ear is a dead pointy-ear. Not that it matters now that they've all been rounded up."
His voice was already deep enough to echo, but combined with such chilling words, the impact was on another level.
This was exactly what it felt like for words to have 'teeth.' His hatred for the Elder Council was that intense.
"However, there's something I don't quite understand. May I ask?"
"Go ahead. Three hundred years have passed since the Race War. The Elder Council has vanished into the shadows of history, and all I have left is my leisure."
Iker's cool, straightforward manner eased my worries about asking a sensitive question.
I was concerned it might trigger some trauma, but fortunately, it seemed he had moved past most of those emotions.
To think they threw a man like this into prison just because he 'violated the law.' I realized once again how severe the Elder Council's madness had been.
"Was the Human Alliance really that strong? No matter how much they united, Albenheim should never have lost."
"May I ask why you think so?"
"Albenheim is a land flowing with milk and honey. It's a land so fertile that it doesn't just sustain itself; it currently supplies food to the entire world. Not to mention the power of the Elves."
War is a path to ruin, but the defender usually has the advantage. What if the defending nation is both economically prosperous and militarily powerful?
It would be like trying to breach an impregnable fortress. No matter how strong the Human Alliance was, or even if they learned magic from the Demons, there were clear limits.
From Albenheim's perspective, focusing solely on defense should have been enough. I found it strange that they ended up signing such unfavorable terms.
Even if Iker was imprisoned due to the Elder Council's incompetence, it seemed odd for everything to collapse so rapidly.
"Did Albenheim really destroy itself?"
"As you said, Albenheim brought it upon itself. The price for looking down on humans was far too high."
"Was the Human Alliance that strong back then?"
"In my opinion, they weren't particularly strong. But they were cunning and vile. They fought like absolute bastards."
"..."
For a moment, I doubted my ears, wondering if I'd misheard. To hear such profanity come from such a dignified-looking man...
Hearing it directly from a hero who lived through the Race War made the impact twice as strong.
Moreover, Iker's expression was dead serious. It wasn't an exaggeration; the humans had literally fought like bastards.
He crossed his arms as if reminiscing, then began to vividly describe the events of that time.
"It was a truly grueling fight. Since they had almost no way to win in a head-on confrontation, they used every petty trick in the book. Using catapults to hurl barrels of filth or rotting corpses into our camps was common, and they would constantly provoke the Elves' pride to lure them into traps. Most warriors who fell for those traps didn't meet a pleasant end."
"Uh... that's... quite something. Anything else? Were there no cases where they fought fair and square?"
"I've seen them fight 'cowardly-and-square' plenty of times."
What kind of tactic is 'cowardly-and-square'? The more I heard, the more I felt a sense of disgust at the human tactics of that era.
But at the same time, I understood. Since they stood no chance against the Elves in a direct clash, they must have resorted to such petty methods.
In war, there's no reason to be picky. You have to win by any means necessary.
"But the humans must have suffered heavy losses too, right?"
"At the start of the war, yes. When we bombarded them with magic, they were slaughtered helplessly. But then they learned magic from the Demons and began to fight back. That's when they started challenging us more boldly."
"How did you know the Demons taught humans magic? That's a fact barely mentioned in the books."
Until I heard it from Cecile, even I thought they had learned it from the Elves. That's how secretly the knowledge had been passed down.
If it had been officially revealed, public opinion would have turned ugly. Back then, the perception of Demons was nothing more than the common enemy of all.
In exchange, the Demons received material compensation, as Cecile had told me, so it was a win-win for both sides.
"Ah, that? My adjutant went on a scouting mission and brought back the intel. He said the Demons were teaching the humans magic. Of course, the Elder Council didn't believe it."
"Why didn't they believe it? That alone would have been enough to flip public opinion."
"Do you think those pointy-ears, bloated with pride, even knew what 'public opinion' was? Even if they did, they probably thought they'd win anyway. They were the same fools who got scammed during the treaty negotiations, after all."
"What?"
What was that about? My eyes widened in surprise.
According to the records, Albenheim ended the war by signing a humiliating treaty with the Human Alliance.
While there are still various theories as to why they signed it, it is a clear fact that Albenheim made the first proposal.
The Human Alliance jumped at the chance. If there hadn't been terms that satisfied the Human Alliance, the war would have continued to the bitter end.
"Scammed? I've never heard of that."
"Do you know the contents of the treaty?"
"Yes. For the next 200 years, Albenheim was to provide the Human Alliance with food, magic, mana tributes, knowledge, and so on. It's how the Human Alliance entered its golden age."
"They excluded the tariffs."
I blinked at his answer, then let out a hollow laugh. Even just for the food, the tariffs would have been astronomical, and they excluded all of them?
As Iker said, they were essentially scammed on a national level. The Human Alliance likely united to import most of Albenheim's specialties with ease.
So they lost through diplomacy.
Come to think of it, the history books rarely mentioned a decisive military victory. They only stated that Albenheim effectively lost by signing humiliating terms.
One might wonder if all Elves were idiots, but one shouldn't overlook the fact that Albenheim was a 'frog in a well' at the time.
As time passed and they saw the humans developing at a visible rate, only then must they have realized their mistake.
Elven pride and self-destruction, combined with human strategy and tactics, had created a synergy that led to Albenheim's humiliation.
Add to that a lifespan difference of ten times, and it was a complex war in many ways.
"Hearing it from someone who was there makes it feel new. I always wondered why Albenheim lost so strangely."
"It's also true that we lost on the field. It’s a bit awkward saying this to a human like you, but when they swarmed us like a pack of dogs, even skilled Elven knights were overwhelmed. Especially since there were some standout individuals among them who caused a lot of damage."
"Haha."
Just as I burst into laughter at his witty response, Iker looked at me intently and spoke quietly.
"Speaking of which, there's something I'm curious about. May I ask?"
"Hmm? Oh, yes, of course. Go ahead."
"What do you think will happen to Albenheim in the future?"
Despite being betrayed by his country, a patriot is still a patriot, it seems, as he tossed a meaningful question my way. I answered immediately without even having to think.
"There will only be days of progress ahead. As long as Arwen sits on the throne."
"Hmm... That's an answer I can accept immediately. And as long as you are alive, things won't become politically unstable."
"Then what do you plan to do, Mr. Iker? Are you perhaps..."
Just as I was about to ask if he intended to return to the military, Iker shook his head as if he had anticipated my question.
The Elder Council that had constantly hindered him was gone, but he seemed to have no intention of returning.
"It has been 300 years since I laid down my sword. Other warriors have long since replaced me. Returning now would only cause confusion."
"That's a shame. You would be a great help to the country."
"Haha. You're quite blunt about wanting me to return. Well, unless demons come pouring in like they do in the Xenon Biography, I don't plan on picking up a sword again. I've decided to enjoy the rest of my life."
His words sounded like those of a loafer, but they suited him well. It was also a very patriotic answer in its own way.
If I had met him a little sooner, perhaps the character inspired by him would have been a bit brighter.
The character portrayed in the Xenon Biography was somewhat cynical.
As I continued my conversation with Iker...
"Honey, I found all the materials... Oh?"
"Hmm?"
A very familiar voice reached my ears. I stopped talking to Iker and turned my head.
My eyes widened at the woman who came into view. Her face was far too familiar.
A beauty with light green hair tied back in a ponytail, wearing glasses that gave her an intellectual air.
Her slender figure was clearly visible beneath her black suit.
"...Professor Elena?"
"Isaac? What are you doing here... Ah, right. You did say you were coming, didn't you?"
It was Elena, the history professor and my academic advisor. Her eyes widened for a moment upon seeing me, then she nodded as if she understood.
Wait, what did Professor Elena just say?
I immediately looked at Iker. He was making a surprised expression, his lips rounded.
"Ho. This is a strange coincidence indeed. So the student Elena has been talking about lately was you? She said she had a truly remarkable student, and she was right."
"Uh... yes. But did the Professor really just..."
"She is my lovely wife."
"Oh, honestly. What are you saying in front of him?"
Unlike her usual self, Elena gave Iker's shoulder a playful, embarrassed nudge. The intellectual scholar I knew was nowhere to be found.
But there was something more important. I calculated Elena's age in my head.
Since she belonged to the new generation of Elves, she couldn't be more than 300 years old. In fact, I'd heard she was around 200.
"Um... Mr. Iker? If I may ask, how old are you?"
"As of this year, I have seen 681 springs."
"..."
"Why are you making that face?"
He's a total cradle robber.