◈ 082. [Side Story]
After Lily, preparations for the defense battle went smoothly… … .
… .
… no i will correct it
Preparations for defensive battles met a large reef.
“Hey, hey!”
The problem arose the very next day.
First of all, I came to greet Lily with only God Hand, but Lily was frightened.
“Your Highness. majesty. Come here for a second.”
Lily, who dragged me to the corner of the workshop, covered her mouth and whispered softly.
“That new sub party elf… Right?”
“uh. I know right away. that’s right. It’s an elf.”
“Hee hee hee hee!”
Lily’s face darkened and she trembled. what’s the matter?
“Huh… majesty.”
Lily let out a long sigh and opened her mouth, covering her face with her hands.
“You know. How I got the [fire skin] trait.”
A property that drains all physical attacks instead of consuming mana. [Flame Skin].
I was able to clear stage 0 using this attribute. Of course I remember. I nodded.
“Wasn’t it because of the goblins that invaded the village?”
In order not to get hurt from the blades wielded by the goblins, Lily awakened the attribute [Flame Skin].
I knew that.
“that’s right. But then, who do you think opened the town’s barriers to let the goblins in?”
“… .”
“They were a family of elves who were the gano of our family.”
I swallowed dry saliva.
Lily shook her head.
“My parents took pity on the elf family that was being chased by slave hunters and gave them an annex to the mansion. I hired him as Kano for a year and took care of everything without lacking in food, clothing, and shelter. however… .”
Lily’s face showed pain that she hadn’t shown even while fighting the black spider army.
“… But one day, a year later. Suddenly, saying that he could not forgive humans, he opened the village’s barrier and called in a group of goblins.”
“… .”
“The village was burned, my parents were hacked to death, and I was left alone.”
I was silent.
Lily glanced at God Hand and quickly spat it out at me.
“majesty. No matter how good this side is, the other side still hates humans. One day I will definitely betray Your Highness.”
“… .”
“I am speaking for Your Highness. Whatever your reason for recruiting them, don’t trust them. Just as you opened the barriers in my village, you might destroy the front here as well.”
After silently listening to all the stories, I asked carefully.
“Lily. Do you hate elves?”
Lily nodded without hesitation.
“I hate them as much as I fear knives.”
“Even though they weren’t the ones who sinned against you?”
“Your Highness, if there is a monster that hasn’t killed anyone yet, will you embrace it and bring it into the frontlines?”
“… .”
“Can’t you?”
Lily was adamant.
“Me too. And maybe they do too.”
this is reality.
“We are a different race… I can’t help but hate it.”
It was a long and deep chain of hatred born of the long history of this land I did not know.
***
It was then.
“excuse me.”
“Whoa?!”
God Hand approached us and talked to us, who were silently exchanging stories in the corner. It’s a surprise!
“Hey, hey!”
I was a bit surprised, but Lily almost started the game.
“Hiccup hiccup!”
Even started to hiccup. I really don’t like elves… … .
I gently patted Lily on the shoulder. Calm down friend.
“First of all, I would like to ask for your understanding.”
When Lily finally calmed down and began to breathe, God Hand calmly opened her mouth.
“Since I worked as an intelligence agent, I had no choice but to listen to the conversations around me even if I didn’t want to listen. I overheard it unintentionally.”
I broke out in a cold sweat.
“uh… Did you just overhear the conversation?”
God Hand bowed to Lily and me.
“It’s very rude, but it is.”
Lily’s complexion turned white when she heard that she had just heard the story.
Looking straight at Lily, God Hand spat out in a dry voice.
“Lily. I would like to tell you one thing.”
“What is it… ?”
“I have no intention of asking you for forgiveness first.”
God Hand continued politely but in a cool voice.
“Just because I apologize doesn’t mean that the family you lost will come back, nor will the wounds you have suffered disappear.”
“… .”
“Your emotional rift against our race will never be repaired.”
Lily bit her lip. God Hand continued.
“But Lily. We are facing a war.”
“… .”
“Even before my country was destroyed, humans and elves fought together against the invasion of monsters. We have a common enemy before our eyes.”
God Hand slowly lowered his head.
“I think it’s time to put aside our personal feelings and follow the will of His Highness and fight together.”
right theory.
God Hand’s words were the truth itself.
But Lily shook her head.
“You’re so good at faking your feelings.”
“yes?”
“Aren’t you like me? Be honest, elf. Don’t you hate humans too?”
Lily grinned wildly, uncharacteristically.
“You don’t like us destroying your country and enslaving you, do you?”
“… .”
“We fought for a thousand years and were enslaved for a hundred years. We can’t help but hate and doubt each other. Continue until either side is completely gone.”
Lily turned her head to me.
“These are the seeds of turmoil, Your Highness.”
Lily insisted on me, who kept her mouth shut.
“It’s not just me. The fact that there are elves on the front line alone will make the other soldiers uneasy.”
“… .”
“Using them is too shortsighted. Ask to reconsider. We can fight well enough amongst ourselves without the elves! It already has!”
“Lily. Then you may have to go to the front again and again.”
“I’d rather do that! Rather than fighting alongside the elves, I will always be on the front lines!”
To the extent that Lily, who was impatient with wanting to retire somehow, said this.
I wiped my forehead because it was a pain in the ass.
Lucas was also uneasy about using an elf.
Perhaps most of the soldiers’ opinions were closer to Lily’s.
‘What should I do… … ?’
It was then.
“I will be honest. Lily. As you said, we do not like the human race.”
God Hand acknowledged it, and Lily opened her ax at me.
“Look, Your Highness! Because that’s how it is!”
God Hand let out a long sigh.
“But does that mean anything?”
“yes?”
“My country is destroyed and the reality is that my people live under humans. The right to life and death for our team and our entire tribe belongs to the Empire and to His Highness the Prince.”
God Hand showed a ‘leash’ worn around his neck.
A red jewel, the detonator of the bomb necklace, glittered around his neck.
“Without the warmth of the Empire, our people are just small creatures that are not strange even if they die at any moment. Even if there is resentment, it’s your life under your Highness’ feet anyway.”
“… .”
“I just hope that my people back home can live one more day. And the team members who are together are a little more… … May you be happy.”
Closing his collar, God Hand lowered his head.
“That is all I hope for.”
“… .”
“Lily. Isn’t that the same for you?”
Lily’s eyes widened.
God Hand’s gaze passed Lily’s leg in a wheelchair.
“Isn’t the reason why you are serving here on the monster front even though you are sick to protect your precious people?”
“I am… .”
“Certainly, elves and humans cannot be good friends. But we face the same enemies and have the same purpose to fight for those dear to us.”
“… .”
“Do we need more reasons than this to fight together?”
Lily, her mouth shut, shook her head.
“At least once, you can fight alongside monsters. Even so, I cannot forgive you. never.”
“It doesn’t matter.”
God Hand spat out calmly.
“Because it’s familiar.”
After glaring at God Hand for a long time, Lily slowly opened her mouth to me.
“It’s only until this defense, Your Highness.”
“huh?”
“We fight together in this defense battle. However, if that party remains here after the defensive battle is over, I will leave this front.”
“… .”
“I’ll go in. I need to get some rest.”
Lily dragged her wheelchair into the studio and disappeared.
I wiped my aching forehead with my hand.
‘It’s an ego trouble.’
The Lily I know is a good person.
He is thoughtful, considerate of others, and knows how to serve the greater good rather than his own comfort.
To the extent that Lily would openly express her hatred like this.
‘Understanding goes well enough.’
If you went through something like that in your childhood, you might be able to hate the entire race of elves.
Many incidents, emotions, and prejudices piled up to build a huge wall between humans and other races.
‘It’s deep.’
much more than i thought.
‘The gap of hatred is so deep that it cannot be filled.’
The feelings of wealth are as deep as the history of this world.
The game didn’t have to take this into account.
Regardless of race, characters were selected according to performance and put into a party.
But this is reality.
Native. tribe. Influence. There are far more dynamic relationships established between people than can be seen.
If you look at all of these factors as a whole, the wire will roll more smoothly.
‘It’s hard, management of the organization… … .’
I sighed and looked back at God Hand.
“I came to say hello, but I was just ignored.”
God Hand laughed bitterly.
“it’s okay. It’s something that happens really often. Rather, Lily-sama is more of a gentleman.”
“Everyone is more sensitive to this issue than I thought. Am I dull… … .”
As he shyly scratched the back of his head, God Hand spat out cautiously.
“Your Highness is amazing.”
“huh?”
“Even the humans who treat us well inevitably feel prejudice in their gaze. There is a light of vigilance that cannot be hidden.”
God Hand slightly bowed his head to me.
“But Your Highness doesn’t look like that at all. So it’s interesting and… … I am also grateful.”
“… .”
It’s just that I’m a guy I possessed from another world.
I was also a petit bourgeois who was narrow-minded on Earth.
He gulped his appetite. I can’t tell you the truth… … . Pretend to be open minded.
“So don’t worry too much if others are wary of us or despise us.”
God Hand peeked into the workshop where Lily disappeared.
“I will do my best to prove it in this defense match. That we also have our own use.”
I hope the main party and the sub party get along well.
Since sparks are flying even before the battle, I’m honestly worried.
Indeed, the frontline commander would have to embrace the headaches of personnel affairs like this.
