Chapter 74 – Aftermath (5)

April 4th, 2023

The three species, demons, humans, and beastmen, all reach physical maturity in their early to mid-20s, but elves do not finish physical growth until their much longer 30s. 

The fact that physical growth ends in the 30s means that adolescence is very long for elves, and regardless of species, they learn faster than other age groups during adolescence.

Furthermore, long-lived species like elves and demons share the common trait of having exceptional memory.
When these two advantages are combined, when an elf becomes an adult, they possess a vast amount of knowledge, like a walking library.

However, although an elf’s 30s are the age at which they are recognized as adults physically, the age at which they are recognized as adults socially is around 50 years old on average.
During this time, they must find the path they want to take and delve into it intensively to master specific skills and be recognized as a respectable adult.

Elves are inherently advantaged in acquiring broad knowledge, but compared to humans’ learning ability, they may lack some luster.
However, unlike humans, they never forget their knowledge, so they have the same advantage.

“I did well, right? Hehe.”

“… …”

Arwen, the elf queen who ruled Alvenheim for 100 years from a very young age, was not even able to smile when Rain smiled brightly.
She couldn’t easily accept what was going on.

She had experienced numerous incidents and accidents during the long period of 100 years.

To stand up against the senior council members who looked down on her for being young, she poured in a considerable amount of effort, and even when there were occasional disputes with neighboring countries, she was able to cleverly resolve them using her talents. 

Recently, due to the Xenon incident, the council had caused trouble, but now she had grown enough to easily brush it off.
Compared to when she started as a novice queen, she had reached an unprecedented level.

‘… This is fucked up.’

However, Arwen felt the biggest crisis in her over 100 years of life.
If it was only a national disaster of some sort, she could prepare for it somehow, but it was far beyond that. 

The reason was the dark elf girl, Rain, right in front of her.
Yet she didn’t even realize what she had done. 

‘Oh my goodness.
You…’

She tried her best to maintain her composure, but her head was pounding.
She felt like grabbing Rain’s shoulder and lamenting.
Currently, Rain was just over 10 years old, a very young age, and every action Arwen took as a caregiver was important. 

She could accidentally cause an unhealable wound to the girl.
Of course, the biggest reason was the strong premonition that if she got angry here, it would explode uncontrollably.
For now, it was better to tire her out and scold her later. 

Arwen barely shook off her almost whitening mind and calmed down.
It would be better to explain the situation to Rain right now.

“…Rain? Do you know what you’ve done?”

“Yes?”

“I asked if you knew what you had done.”

Arwen asked with a soft tone, but deep frustration was hidden within.
However, the young and innocent Rain didn’t notice it.

She just blinked her eyes to figure out what Arwen’s intentions were.

“Sigh…”

In the end, Arwen couldn’t help but let out a sigh she had been holding in.
Seeing that face, which had no malice, made her feel more frustrated.

She had brought this draft purely to make herself happy.
It was praiseworthy in intention, but the result was the worst.

“…your Majesty?”

Rain also noticed Arwen’s reaction and asked with a cautious voice, realizing that she had made a mistake.
Her worried and concerned gaze was reflected in her deep blue eyes.

Arwen bit her lip and then forced a smile.

“Rain, even if you wanted to make me happy, this is a wrong action.
Stealing someone else’s belongings is never the right thing to do.
How would you feel if someone stole something precious from you?”

“Well… I would do the same thing.
Or I would just take their everything.
That’s what I learned from my teachers.”

It was a typical way of thinking for a Dark Elf.

If someone else did something wrong to them, they would seek revenge that was even worse.
Conversely, if they received a favor, they would do everything they could to repay it.

The fortunate thing is that at least she seems to know that stealing is bad.
Because she recognizes that you have to have been wronged to take revenge.

However, the fact that she knew it was wrong and still committed the act weighed heavily on Arwen, who was serving in her parents’ stead. 

As someone fulfilling her parents’ role, it was only natural for her to feel hurt.

“… Just out of curiosity, do you know how valuable this paper is?”

“Anything that’s the first of its kind is usually highly valuable.
That’s why I brought it.
It could be helpful to the queen.”

It was not helpful at all.
It was a ticking time bomb.
Arwen barely held back a sigh and continued speaking.

“… How important is this paper to humans?”

“Of course, I know.
If we use this well, we’ll be unbeatable, even if the humans make a fuss.
We’re stronger than them.”

Knowing one thing but being ignorant of many others, and above all, arrogance was a distinct trait of their race, whether they were elves or dark elves.

The combination of youthful ignorance and their race’s inherent arrogance had led to this result.

‘… I must be going crazy.’

Arwen silently whispered to herself, desperately wanting to cry.

If possible, it would be best to return it to its original place, but it was too late now.
Even if she were to return it, it could be questioned whether the manuscript was genuine or fake, and it would take time for Rain to return to the publisher.

Above all, the publishing company is currently in a situation where they have dispatched an investigative team from the Minerva Empire’s royal family.
No matter how skilled Rain’s hiding techniques are, if they are caught, it would be the end politically or personally.

As the one who rules Alvenheim, it is better for Arwen to choose the lesser of two evils in order to avoid the worst outcome.
Therefore, it is advantageous to leave the manuscript alone for the time being.

“Okay, I will take it for now.
However, I have some things to think about, so take a break for a moment.”

“Yes!”

“And get ready to face the consequences later.
I need to inform the elders about this along with disciplinary measures.”

“Yes… what?”

Didn’t everything go smoothly as expected? Rain widened her eyes in surprise at Arwen’s cold words.

Arwen glared at Rain with a slight frown.
Even if Rain was like her family member, she still had to discipline her.

“Isn’t it natural to be punished if you did something wrong? Although I am your guardian, I am also acting as a substitute for your parents.
If you did something wrong, you must be punished firmly.
And the actions you have taken now can bring great danger to Alvenheim.”

“Really? Why?”

“Because humans are much stronger than you think.
There are many things that they are lacking compared to us, but we must not ignore them.
And not only humans but also demons will cause chaos.”

“D-Demons too? Even so, we…”

As Rain tried to argue, Arwen could only laugh bitterly.

Rain is probably thinking something like this by now.

Why should we, the chosen race by God, bow our heads? We may have made mistakes during the racial wars, but things are different now.

However, moderation is the key.
Rain currently holds not pride, but ‘arrogance.’ Given that she is already going through an emotionally unstable adolescence, her arrogance will only grow stronger.

[Human beings are lower than themselves, so there is no need to treat them as equals.
Therefore, it will not be a big problem if you do wrong to them.]

It is highly likely that this is the reason why she stole the manuscript, even though she knew it was wrong.

Arwen has also had such moments, but she has learned a few things over the course of more than a hundred years. 

No matter how chosen a race is by God, they are still mortal beings who experience joy and sorrow.
The moment they become arrogant, they become blind.

There was a time when she foolishly and boldly made a move and suffered a significant diplomatic blow from the human nation.
From that point on, she saw humans as a species that should not be underestimated and could change her mind.

Therefore, how can we fix that arrogance? Arwen quietly opened her mouth, promising to properly educate Rain one day.

“That’s right.
We were chosen by God as you think.
But that doesn’t change the fact that we can make mistakes.
Unforgivable deeds cannot be forgiven.”

“But still…”

“What do you mean by ‘still’? I’m trying to hold back my temper, even though I want to throw a tantrum.
My head hurts now, so how could you say ‘still’ here?”

Did Rain feel that Arwen’s words were sincere? Her expression darkened in an instant.

Although Arwen never scolded her for his bad deeds, today seemed to be different.

“…I understand.
I hope Mora will grant you rest.”

Rain left with a customary greeting in a subdued voice, seamlessly blending in with his surroundings using the perfect concealment spell.

As soon as Rain disappeared without a trace, Arwen immediately cast a detection spell.
There was no sign of Rain, nor anyone else in the vicinity.

“Phew…”

Thud!

Then, she let out a deep sigh and flicked her fingers, unleashing another spell just in case.
A round shield-like barrier appeared around her.

The identity of this spell was none other than…

“Kiiiaaaaa!!”

It was a soundproofing spell.
She screamed, sounding like a wyvern, while roughly ruffling her gray hair.

Normally, it would have been a scream loud enough to be heard outside the audience room, but there was no sound leaking out due to the soundproofing spell.

“Oh, Luminous One! Why do you give me such trials! Aaah!”

The stress that had been building up reached its limit and burst out uncontrollably.
Arwen forcefully suppressed the urge to run away.

The current situation could be said to be the worst.
Even if she wasn’t caught, it would still be the worst.

Furthermore, it must have been devastating for her to receive such a blow from someone she trusted, not to mention that it wasn’t even from a member of the council.
In her heart, she felt like collapsing on the ground and crying her eyes out.

“Whew… Whew… Whew…”

After a while of hysterically crying, she was finally able to calm down.
She felt a little better after letting out all the emotions she had been holding inside. 

However, her disheveled hair and cold, gray eyes filled with venom showed that her stress levels had reached an extreme.

It was already a situation where stress had been piling up, and now that she had encountered an unexpected crisis, she couldn’t help but explode.

‘But I can’t just sit here and do nothing.
I have to find the author somehow.’

She had to meet him on a strictly “personal” level without involving the country.
How was she going to meet him?

‘Well, let’s start by hitting him where it hurts.
I have no choice if I want to survive.’

She thought about hitting her where it hurts, even if it meant starting from her head.
She had to find a way to adjust to the author’s whims if she wanted to prevent Alvenheim from falling apart.

Considering the influence of Xenon’s Biography, this manuscript was no less lethal than a mass destruction spell, if not more so.
It was an object that should be designated as a national treasure, and even if she received a declaration of war, there was nothing she could do about it.

Moreover, Alvenheim had already issued a statement regarding the theft of the manuscript.
There was a high possibility that she would receive an immense amount of criticism for carrying out the secret plot and committing such a brazen act.

‘But what if he’s on a break while I’m looking for him? This could cause the book to be released even later.
What if protests break out? What should I do?’

Arwen nervously bit her thumb nail due to her anxiety.

To return the draft without any trouble, I have to meet the author personally.
However, the author is hiding his identity for some reason and is extremely reluctant to reveal himself.

Until now, I haven’t searched for the author due to various reasons, including problems with the Council of Elders, but today the situation has changed.
I have to find the author and somehow apologize and hand over the draft so that both myself and Alvenheim can survive the aftermath.

“Uhhhhhhh…”

There is no other dilemma like this.
To avoid the worst-case scenario, I have to meet the author, but as soon as I find him, there is a risk of inevitable danger.

Arwen thought and thought about how to smartly resolve this situation.

Should I deceive the Council of Elders for a moment? But if they retaliate, I’m done for.
They are cunning snakes, and they have enough ability to use me in reverse.

‘I have to meet the Dark Elf Elder first, even if there is a risk involved.
I have no choice but to find the author.’

Certainly, the second-best option is much better than the worst-case scenario.
Arwen made a firm resolution and hesitated for a moment about the draft.

The draft has more influence in the cultural sector than a mass killing spell in her hands.

‘Wait a minute.
If I use this in reverse…?’

If, after some time, the draft happens to end up in her hands, would people really believe it? Many people would doubt it, but since the item was already stolen, it wouldn’t be a problem if she acted brazenly.

There is no concrete evidence, and furthermore, Alvenheim is one of the strongest nations.
In diplomacy, it is often the case that national power speaks louder than words, so even the Minerva Empire wouldn’t say anything.
However, such thoughts were soon discarded.

‘No way.
The council will probably talk nonsense again.’

No matter where she went, the council was the problem.
Arwen let out a bitter laugh and lamented her situation, pressing her silver circlet on her forehead.
The blue gem at the center shone brilliantly, symbolizing the king.

Arwen then removed the circlet from her forehead and looked down at it with a wry smile.
She had been wearing this circlet for 100 years, but it had never felt as heavy as it did today.

“Really, what a useless thing.”

The storm had completely subsided, but its aftermath was brutal.