“So, let me summarize things.”
After hearing the whole story, I spoke calmly. First, about what I heard from Selena and Ramihi.
“So, until then, Lina, who had never used Holy Power before, suddenly used it, and it seemed that this Holy Power wasn’t the usual type?”
When I said this while looking at Ramihi, he nodded. Well, it makes sense. Who knows how much the elven elders are aware, but the last 500 years there hasn’t been a being that uses Demon God Baal’s Holy Power. He was a forgotten god, and it’s natural since Baal himself didn’t really want to create followers.
If elves who had some interactions with demons in the past dug up deeply buried records, there might be related stories, but that information was something only the elves at the very top would know. So, it wasn’t surprising that Ramihi, who hadn’t yet been educated as an elder, didn’t know.
Perhaps since he has a younger brother, he might become an elder… I don’t know if the elves have any bias towards males, but somehow, if those old fogeys had some old-fashioned thoughts, it wouldn’t surprise me at all.
“By coincidence, Selena and Jian, who were watching the scene, were discussing demons while Ramihi, hearing about the demon for the first time, went immediately to ask them, but they said they didn’t know well, so he should ask either me or Lina directly.”
Not only my gaze but also Lina’s was directed towards Jian and Selena. The fact that those two reacted that way seemed quite irritating, as Lina was tapping her fingers atop her crossed arms. I’m sure, under the table, she was shaking her legs in a delinquent manner. That’s the image that was currently visible.
“Uh…”
Selena answered quietly, as if she wanted to vanish into a mouse hole.
Now that I think about it, it seemed Selena was about to bring up something about Ramihi before encountering Remir. However, she didn’t get to finish because Remir suddenly interrupted.
“…But, as I felt as an elf, this seemed like quite an important and sensitive issue; therefore, I thought I might divert the topic without answering properly. So I was planning to follow secretly and listen.”
“Right.”
Ramihi nodded calmly.
I rubbed my face with my hand. Remir, who had been sitting next to Ramihi, bowed his head apologetically and glared at his oblivious younger sibling.
… I also had a lot to say, but sorting out the situation was the priority, so I decided to skip to the next topic for now.
“And then, I happened to visit you in a good mood after hearing some good news about the trial, only to meet my runaway sister who was coming to greet me since I was still at school.”
“Could you kindly say I was eloping instead…”
Remir corrected my statement with a voice that seemed to be crawling in.
“And even though Remir has lived for a long time in human society, he hasn’t lost his abilities as an elf, so he was able to recognize Ramihi, who was secretly following us.”
Ignoring his comment, I wrapped up my speech, and Remir nodded in a dispirited manner.
“…I’m sorry.”
And here was another one who looked dispirited.
With an expression I would never see under normal circumstances, Linea mumbled an apology, as if she had lost a country.
According to her, she felt that it was her duty to guard me, but she couldn’t notice Ramihi trailing behind, and if it had been someone truly evil with the intention of harming me, she wouldn’t have been able to protect me. To be honest, the guard following me is probably substantial, even though we just don’t see them. That is the impression that shows now.
Linea surely knew that, yet seeing her act like this indicates that the fact that she didn’t notice at all was personally a huge shock to her.
… Well, what should I say to this?
If I had no expectations toward her as a guard, that would be a lie, but I’ve never thought of Linea as my guard’s full potential either. Rather, she’s the most ‘trustworthy guard,’ someone I could entrust my life to as a close friend who would never betray me… Saying that to her would also be a shock.
And beside her, Aurora was even worse. Honestly, I never even thought of her as a guard. No, her title wasn’t even a guard but a Saintess’ aide. Why is she making that face?
Stifling a sigh, I patted both of their backs a couple of times and said, “… So, which story should we start with?”
“Whichever story we discuss seems like it will come with a lot of shocking content,” Satsuki remarked.
Being pulled into the cathedral only because we were nearby, Satsuki could be considered a pure victim among these people. Well, to be precise, there might not be anyone who isn’t a victim. But that was just to specify those who were newly caught up in the situation.
“No, more than that, I’m completely in the dark about this. Feels like everyone else knew something.”
“I didn’t know either. I just found out today.”
When Satsuki said this in a slightly hurt tone, Ramihi responded.
Well, I felt a bit guilty hearing Satsuki say that, but honestly, I couldn’t help but feel argumentative that Ramihi had chosen to tail us without asking verbally.
It was something that would eventually be revealed anyway. I never intended to hide it. If I wanted to keep it secret, Lina would have cried out from the start when Baal’s Holy Power was being used. Since the situation was one where an official cult might form, what would I be hiding for?
Sigh, well. Fine.
It wouldn’t be truthful to say that I had no hesitation. Elves have a deeply rooted aversion to demons. But when a Demon God who created the demons exists, and the church plans to rebuild worship for that god, how would that sound from the elves’ perspective?
Strictly speaking, that Demon God was backstabbed by the demons, but stories like this can’t be rationalized.
I surveyed the people sitting in the reception room. The table in the reception room wasn’t so small that it could be described as cramped, but it certainly felt full given the number of people seated.
… Perhaps, it would be better to start by narrowing down the number of subjects?
For now, I would postpone discussing Krah’s trial and allow anyone wishing to hear what they are curious about to speak first.
“Well, first, let’s start with the story about the Demon God that Ramihi was curious about—”
“The Demon God is the god who created the demons long ago, but now they have betrayed him and are no longer looking out for him. They are in a hostile relationship. Naturally, since he is a god, those who believe in him can use Holy Power. You saw my Holy Power, right? That’s what it is. Oh, and I’m a turned demon.”
Thud!
Oh my, Goddess Ariel.
Hearing Lina’s words, I slapped my forehead. I mean, yes, it’s nice that she explained it. That’s good, but… Was it really necessary to mention she’s a demon at that point? I’ll have to clarify that later! To someone who I couldn’t trust trailing us!
“Well, why, what.”
Lina asked, looking at me with a mischievous expression.
“Ugh…”
I tried to say something but ultimately got tangled in my thoughts and ended up making only nonsensical sounds.
“Anyway, everyone would find out eventually. If they’re curious, let’s answer right away. The most frustrating thing for those listening is when it gets dragged out.”
“Though that’s true!”
Even soda must mind the! Time! And! Place!
Look! Ramihi’s wearing a rare blank look! Besides, I’m the one who knows the most about the Demon God and Ariel here! If I’m going to explain, I need to clarify everything for them to understand! Ah, what’s wrong with postponing things that I have to cover!
“Demon…?”
Ramihi asked with a face that seemed unable to believe it, and Lina shrugged.
“Yup. Among demons, I’m a succubus. It’s about a sheet of paper difference from an incubus.”
“But what I saw—”
“If it was the one you saw on the beach, most of them are like beasts with no intelligence at all. Different places use different kinds of demons, you know? You watch the news, right? There are reports where they’ve fished out demons that were hiding after robbing the government.”
“….”
Even after saying that, Ramihi still had a look of disbelief. He had the expression that he couldn’t believe he wouldn’t recognize a demon right beside him.
“Um, Saintess.”
While rubbing the back of my neck lightly, I heard someone calling me, so I turned my head to see Remir had gotten up and come to stand just behind me.
“Is that person the one from the rumors…?”
Ah, right, of course.
Though he is an elf, he’s someone who has devoted himself to the church as a clergyman. Moreover, his position is fairly high, so it’s natural he’s heard some rumors floating around the church.
“Yes, that’s right.”
I answered with a slightly awkward expression, but Remir looked at me, hands clasped together, eyes sparkling.
“So, it’s the Saintess…! Even making demons repent!”
Well, it’s not entirely wrong…
“Saying that you forgave the elves who threatened the Saintess’s life made me think your generosity is vast, but it would be like this!”
Wait a second.
Isn’t that a bit too sensitive to discuss?
Ramihi, who had been wearing an odd expression since a while ago, turned his face towards this side sharply.
Moreover, even Satsuki, who had been deep in thought with a serious expression, was now looking this way.
… Ah, come to think of it, isn’t Satsuki’s father an elf? Even if it was for a brief time she lived in the Elven Village during her childhood.
Well, how should I put it?
Haha, this is quite a mess.
*
But now that the situation has come to this, I rather feel at ease. It’s better than pondering in solitude about where I should begin speaking; now the situation demands that I just speak up.
Maybe I’m the type who performs better when the stage is set for me unexpectedly?
“…”
Ramihi and Satsuki, who listened to my explanation, were enveloped in complete silence.
I had expected that mentioning demons and demon gods would cause an explosion, but evidently, it was what I had experienced within the Holy Tree Arlil that shocked Ramihi far more.
Well, that was a story about the deep-seated hatred and grudges between elves and demons.
The more I spoke, even Remir, who had been exhilarated by meeting those who followed Goddess Ariel and Demon God Baal simultaneously, started to calm down gradually. Of course, Remir had already read my report and knew most of the story, but still, hearing it once more felt different.
“…”
After finishing all my explanations, Ramihi was nearly expressionless.
And it wasn’t just plain expressionlessness; it was an expression that resembled someone who was deliberately trying to hide their feelings behind a mask.
Within Ramihi’s almost blank expression, the tips of his eyebrows twitched slightly.
Perhaps, he was feeling that a significant part of what he had believed until now was being denied.
He might have thought that the elves and demons lived together peacefully, but suddenly the demons ruthlessly wiped out the elves, however, in truth, the relationship between elves and demons was primarily one where elves offered themselves almost unilaterally. Even sacrificing their own kin.
The purpose was solely to maintain the Holy Tree that supported their empire.
In fact, the rise of that empire was facilitated by kidnapping and sacrificing other races to grow stronger in devotion to the Holy Tree Arlil. The last elf saintess betrayed her own race—not to mention for revenge against her people, became a witch, and despite being defeated by the formidable demon army, they clung to their past glory, escaping while still holding onto part of Arlil.
And they still serve that cursed tree to this day.
… If the humans of this world were not strong enough, if they were outnumbered by elves, perhaps the elves would have kidnapped every human available, who possessed more divine power than beastmen, to sacrifice to Arlil.
“…”
I closely observed Ramihi’s expression. Would he empathize with his kin? Would he think Arlil was still a worthwhile existence to use for the powerful forces?
Well, I didn’t believe he would think that far.
Ramihi is a pureblood elf and takes pride in it. But at the same time, he is someone who empathizes with the people around him.
I believed this based on how I have seen Ramihi judge others until now.
… Of course, he did mistrust me today and ended up trailing me.
In reality, his judgement turned out to be reasonably accurate. Although he had intended to speak at some point, my personality likely meant I wouldn’t have brought it up today.
And isn’t Ramihi a student of the Academy?
He hadn’t been taught to sacrifice someone. He could sacrifice, but it had to be a result of tireless effort until then. If Ramihi received that teaching properly—
Well, I don’t believe he would think of Arlil as something that should be kept for its “usefulness.”
“…Sister.”
“Yeah?”
Remir, who was holding his breath and observing the situation like me, blinked as he suddenly heard his name called.
“Did you not know that and decide not to return to the village?”
“…”
For a while, Remir stared silently at Ramihi. Then he let out a brief chuckle and replied with a slight smile on his face.
“No. Actually, I had no idea until you told me, Saintess. In fact, this is a story that almost no one in the village knows unless they’re in the very small minority.”
“…”
He didn’t respond at all, but Ramihi’s eyes seemed to say, “Please continue.”
“I haven’t returned to the village because my perspective changed a lot while observing the world.”
Remir paused for a moment, glancing upwards with reminiscing eyes.
“My father said that humans are cruel and barbaric, but I sometimes thought, is that really all there is to them? If they were truly all that bad, they wouldn’t have been able to endure this long, possibly even longer than our original world. Don’t you think?”
He lowered his gaze again and looked directly at Ramihi.
“Making a sweeping statement while only seeing the ugly side is not objective at all. I sought out places where they did good deeds. And I formed my own ‘evaluations.’ Despite this, I’m still a pure-blooded elf just like you.”
He chuckled lightly as if lost in thought.
“Objectively speaking, one hero is much more important than hundreds of people. If it were elves, they would have sacrificed many just to save that one hero, because it’s the ‘calculably correct’ thing to do. But what I saw wasn’t like that. Every single person, far superior to an ordinary being, sacrificed themselves for every single person.”
Remir slowly turned his body and walked up to Ramihi.
“So after continuously observing, I realized that the work done by ordinary people contributes to supporting society everywhere. Even those who seem to lack any ability could show their talents one day, and there are people yet to find their skills. In the elven villages, those who couldn’t contribute to the village were simply abandoned, right?”
Hearing this, Satsuki nodded slightly. For her, who had been ostracized in the village due to carrying human blood and unable to take on the responsibilities of an elf, this would resonate deeply.
“Of course, not every human way is fantastic. There are many who discriminate against the disabled or look down upon those they deem useless. There are criminals and racists too. But at least they’ve tried to establish systematic measures. Whether in reality or not, they’ve made efforts to accept beings different from themselves—even beings from entirely different races from another world.”
I mean, there are posters against racial discrimination plastered everywhere. Talk of inequality between the rich and poor keeps emerging long-term, and discussions about disabled rights persist.
However, honestly, I found it hard to agree fully with Remir’s words. From my perspective as a human living in this world, such glowing praise sounded like it belonged in a positive thinking manga for young boys. Even if the humans bands together against a common enemy, violence and murder still exist in their society. There is inequality, regional sentiment, and discrimination based on skin color or origin.
Even if I had sold my conscience, I couldn’t quite call it an ideal world.
… Yet, from the elves’ perspective, it might be seen differently.
The saying that “there’s always someone lower below” holds true.
“…”
I couldn’t tell what thoughts were lurking behind Ramihi’s crafted neutral expression. Was he empathizing with his sister’s words?
His gaze moved from his approaching sister to me and then finally returned to Lina.
And for a moment, his eyes that stayed on Lina shifted back towards me.
“…I understand.”
What?
I almost blurted that out loud but managed to hold it back. I’ve indeed improved my social skills.
As I praised myself inside,
“I’ll try to make an effort to understand.”
But, I really don’t get why he’s saying that while looking at me.
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