Chapter 73: The Aftermath(4)
Chapter 73: The Aftermath(4)
"It's actually quite fun."
Arwen, the Queen of Albenheim, stared down at the tenth volume of Xenon Biography, which she held carefully in both hands. Her lips were pouted out like a petulant child's, a clear sign of the dissatisfaction she was harboring inside.
If the Council of Elders had seen her like this, they would have nagged her about maintaining her royal dignity, but there was no one else here. Since this was the Audience Chamber, there was no risk of being overheard.
"Nattering on about how Elves must be noble. Grumbling about how they hate an Elf representing the Sin of Pride. Whining about how a romance between an Elf and a Human is impossible. Honestly, they're acting like a bunch of toddlers."
Since there was no one around to see, Arwen scathingly tore into the Elders who had been pressuring her until just moments ago.
This time of day, when she was alone during her duties, was like a refreshing rain during a drought. It was the perfect time to voice the thoughts she usually kept bottled up.
Publicly, Arwen was praised as a benevolent and gentle queen, but she possessed the heart of a young girl.
She only hid that side of herself because the Elders constantly lectured her on maintaining her dignity; in reality, she was only 150 years old.
A human might argue that was quite old, but that was strictly by human standards. Even by Elven standards, she was old enough to be a functioning member of society, yet she was still considered quite young.
Furthermore, Arwen had ascended the throne at the tender age of fifty and had ruled Albenheim ever since. For an Elf, fifty is the age when one finishes their education and prepares to enter society, but the throne is not a place for the faint of heart.
The fact that she had ruled Albenheim for over a century without buckling under the pressure of the Council of Elders was a testament to her extraordinary political acumen.
‘It’s because of people like the Elders that Xenon went on hiatus. I heard humans have places even worse than the Council; it must be so hard for him.’
Arwen looked down at the book in her hands with sympathetic eyes, murmuring to herself. She, too, was one of the many fans of Xenon Biography.
She knew all too well how powerful the book's influence was on the world, and she was equally aware of how easily it could be exploited for political gain.
Perhaps the author wielded even more influence than she did as the Queen of Albenheim. Even the Elves, who claimed to be the chosen of the gods, were ultimately powerless before the immense force of 'culture.'
That was why she felt even more sorry for him. Since the author had mentioned he was suffering mentally despite hiding his identity, she could imagine the immense burden he was carrying.
‘Still, you should have at least written what happens between the Master and the Queen before leaving, you wicked author.’
But sympathy was one thing, and curiosity was another. Arwen was dying to know how the relationship between the Master and the Elven Queen in the story would develop.
Although the Elven Queen in the book was a fictional character completely separate from herself, she found herself strangely immersed in the role. In fact, the Elven Queen in the story was suffering just as much as she was, if not more.
Not only was she being heavily scrutinized by her Council, but there were also frequent descriptions of demons appearing across the world, signaling a great crisis approaching Albenheim.
For those reasons, the fictional queen essentially had no private life. In such a situation, the Master was her only source of emotional comfort, making their relationship feel all the more poignant.
‘Author Xenon is truly amazing. How does he know the details of Elven mythology so well? Myths and history related to Elves shouldn't be well-known to humans. Was he a scholar who studied in Albenheim?’
Xenon Biography hadn't received much attention from Elves until the Seven Deadly Sins appeared. This was because the protagonist was a human—the very race that had brought great humiliation to the Elves during the Race War—and until the Sins appeared, the story took place entirely within human society.
Scholars read it deeply for research purposes, but among ordinary Elves, it was a book only read by a select few. However, almost no one claimed it was boring.
Uniquely, Arwen had been a devoted reader since Volume 1. Having loved books since she was young, she naturally encountered the series as it took the world by storm, and she was instantly captivated by its brilliant prose and immersive storytelling.
However, the situation flipped once the Seven Deadly Sins appeared and the protagonist's party entered Albenheim. The fact that one of the high-ranking demons was an Elf—and the one representing 'Pride' at that—was enough to spark endless controversy.
Even the Council of Elders, who had previously treated the book like kindling, couldn't help but feel uneasy once Albenheim was featured. If the author truly understood the reality and culture of Albenheim, it could cause them significant damage.
In fact, the Council in the book—the political body known as the 'Senate'—was shown pressuring the Elven Queen for the most trivial reasons. Since it was so historically accurate, Arwen found it both satisfying and bittersweet.
‘By the way, will the "Dark Elves" appear next?’
Since Elves lived several times longer than other races, their recorded history was vast. While the timing of when humans established civilization was uncertain, the Elves had established theirs exactly 3,500 years ago.
Over those long years, countless incidents had occurred. There were times when they tried to rule the world using their innate abilities, and times when they fought civil wars against their own kind.
And approximately 3,200 years ago, a severe civil war broke out. The reason for the war was simple.
Religion.
Elves currently worship the three gods—Luminous, Mora, and Hirt—together, but that was a modern development. In the past, the sects were busy checking and fighting one another.
Naturally, the gods had tried to stop them, even sending down oracles, but the Elves didn't listen. Though Elves had longer ears than other races specifically to hear the voices of the gods more clearly, ironically, they failed to listen when it mattered most.
The sect that suffered the most damage was the Church of Mora. Mora desired compromise over conflict, but unfortunately, it was an era where might made right.
Furthermore, from the perspective of those who served Luminous, the God of Light, Mora was an eyesore. So, they joined forces with the followers of Hirt and expelled them. Naturally, the expulsion involved the use of force.
Most of those expelled were the brown-skinned 'Dark Elves,' which is why there are almost no Dark Elves living in Albenheim today. Since most Dark Elves worshipped Mora and were driven out en masse, there was no reason for them to remain.
Because of this, the Dark Elves developed a self-loathing for their Elven identity and cut their symbolic ears in half. That custom has continued to this day; if you see a Dark Elf, you'll find that every single one of them has ears cut in half.
‘Still, to human eyes, we probably all look the same. But since the author knows history so well, will they show up eventually? If they do, how will he portray them? He really knows how to keep a person curious.’
Two hundred years after the expulsion, during the Demon War, the Elves fell into a crisis and asked the Dark Elves they had exiled for help. However, the deep-seated resentment that had built up wasn't easily resolved.
Fortunately, they did help their kin to repel the demons, but they refused to set foot in Albenheim. It was due to the mutual distrust that had festered for two millennia.
The Council of Elders, in particular, tended to despise Dark Elves. As people steeped in racial supremacy, they found the Dark Elves—who had discarded their racial name—utterly loathsome. The Dark Elves, in turn, hated the stubborn Elders.
‘Anyway, those old fogeys are the problem. They don't even realize how strong the Dark Elves are.’
Arwen once again criticized the Elders, who seemed to have their hands in everything. Since her coronation, she had been working hard to reintegrate the Dark Elves.
She believed that they were ultimately kin from the same root, and that the Elven race would only be complete once they were reunited. Moreover, it was only the Elders, who prioritized tradition and law, who hated the Dark Elves; those who were more enlightened felt a sense of guilt toward them.
Because of the atrocities committed by their ancestors, the Dark Elves had been unable to set foot in their homeland for ages. Arwen felt the same way.
"Aaaah~ what's the point of worrying about this? The next volume isn't coming out for two years!"
Arwen hugged the book tightly and whined like a child. Two years was a blink of an eye for an Elf, but for some reason, it felt incredibly long.
The two years spent waiting for Xenon Biography would likely be the longest two years in the world. She prayed that the time would pass quickly.
Shhhhh—
"Hm?"
As she was leaning back against the throne, Arwen suddenly sensed a change in the flow of mana. Being naturally sensitive to mana, she knew exactly what this meant.
Someone had used magic. However, magic was forbidden in the Audience Chamber for everyone except the monarch.
Arwen immediately straightened her posture and hurried to identify the intruder. The Elders wouldn't be crazy enough to use magic in the Audience Chamber, but one could never be too sure.
However, as soon as she activated her detection magic, she was able to relax. It was a very familiar presence.
"...Stop playing around now."
As Arwen spoke weakly, someone slowly began to reveal themselves in front of the empty throne. Whatever magic they had used, they had been perfectly synchronized with the environment, making them completely invisible.
Soon, the figure of the person who had deactivated the magic was fully revealed. They were wearing a hooded robe, making it difficult to see their face clearly. However, Arwen knew exactly who this unidentified intruder was.
"...Rain."
"Hello, Your Majesty!"
When Arwen called her name, the intruder named Rain greeted her brightly. Unlike her bubbly voice, her tone was quite low and charming.
Slide—
The unidentified woman pushed back her hood after greeting the Queen. She possessed wheat-colored hair with a subtle reddish tint, contrasting with her bronze skin.
But the most noteworthy feature was her ears. They were long like any other Elf's, but they were cut in half. From this, one could easily guess.
The woman standing before Arwen was a 'Dark Elf.'
"It looks like the old geezers were giving you a hard time again today? Judging by how you were sprawled out on the throne."
Rain asked Arwen with a beaming smile. Arwen cleared her throat upon hearing her question, which openly insulted the Elders.
She didn't mind the insults toward the Council, but the part about her not maintaining her royal dignity bothered her more. No matter how close they were privately, she wanted to maintain some boundaries.
"Ahem. Ahem. There were just some... issues. But what brings you here today?"
"I came because I have a gift I want to give you, Your Majesty!"
"A gift?"
"Yes!"
Rain was usually quite good about bringing gifts to Arwen. Arwen was pursuing policies to reintegrate the Dark Elves, and since Rain was a Dark Elf herself...
It wasn't just Rain; the Dark Elves as a whole tended to be friendly toward Arwen. That was why the Dark Elves had sent Rain to build rapport.
While Rain had been sent for political purposes, Arwen genuinely liked her. There was no reason to dislike the innocent, girl-like Rain, especially since she always brought the new volumes of Xenon Biography as soon as they were released.
One might think of her as a mere errand runner, but since Rain did it voluntarily, there was no issue. If anything, it was the reason Arwen had grown so fond of her.
"A gift from you? I'm curious. What is it?"
"You're going to love it, Your Majesty. It's closely related to Xenon Biography."
"Related to Xenon Biography? Is that true?"
"Yes!"
When Rain mentioned the gift was related to the book, Arwen's silver-grey eyes filled with curiosity. Rain had already given her Volume 10.
Furthermore, the author had declared a two-year hiatus. She couldn't fathom what the gift could be.
"Ta-da!"
While Arwen was wondering, Rain pulled something out from inside her robe that she had been cherishing. Arwen focused her gaze on the gift.
At first glance, it looked like nothing more than a bundle of old papers. This only served to deepen her confusion.
"Here you go!"
"Thank you."
As Rain handed over the bundle, Arwen thanked her and checked the identity of the gift. It wasn't just a bundle of paper; it was manuscript paper, covered in quite elegant handwriting.
‘Who wrote this? And...’
Arwen couldn't help but blink as soon as she read the first sentence. For someone with her excellent memory, the very first line was incredibly familiar.
As mentioned before, Arwen was a devoted reader who had followed the series since Volume 1. And like any devoted fan, she had reread the series from the beginning to the latest volume multiple times.
With a sense of disbelief, she began to read the manuscript rapidly. Every familiar sentence struck Arwen's brain like a thunderbolt.
"...Huh?"
Why was this here? Hadn't it been reported stolen? The author was practically begging for someone to find it.
For a moment, Arwen's thoughts ground to a halt. Unaware of the Queen's internal turmoil, Rain, who had delivered the gift, put her hands on her hips and explained proudly.
"It's the original manuscript for Volume 1 of Xenon Biography! I happened to be visiting the publisher's office when they were putting it on display. So, I snuck in that night and took it."
"..."
As she listened to the explanation, one single thought floated to the surface of Arwen's mind.
"I knew you loved the series, so I thought you'd be happy. This will be a huge help to you, right?"
I'm fucked.
She tried to process the reality, which felt impossible to believe, but the thought remained.
"I think you can use this to meet the author. If you use the manuscript as leverage, he'll have no choice but to come find you."
"..."
"I did good, right? Hehe."
She could think of nothing else except the fact that she was truly, utterly fucked.