Chapter 73 – Aftermath (4)

April 4th, 2023

“It’s just fun.”

Queen Arwen of Alvenheim looked at the tenth volume of Xenon’s Biography that she held tightly with both hands.
Her lips protruded like a pouting little girl, clearly expressing her frustration. 

If the Council had seen her in this state, they would have tried to restrain her as a queen should maintain her dignity, but now no one was around.
There is no risk of eavesdropping as it is an audience room.

“The elves should be noble, they say.
They don’t like it when the books make elves responsible for pride.
They complain that the romance between elves and humans is ridiculous.
What kind of nonsense is this, even for children?”

Arwen had just sharply criticized the council that had been pressuring her until now, knowing that no one was around to see her.

This moment, when no one was at work, was like a drought-breaking rain for Arwen.
It was suitable for her to speak up about what had been bottled up inside her.

Externally, Arwen was praised as a kind and affectionate queen, but she had a very girlish heart like this.
She only concealed this aspect of herself because the council told her to maintain her dignity as a queen, but she was only 150 years old.

If it were human, it would be considered quite old, but that’s only based on human standards.
Even by elven standards, it is sufficient to be a member of society, but she still belongs to the younger side.
And Arwen ascended to the throne at the young age of 50 and has ruled over Alvenheim ever since.

For the Elves, in their 50s, all education is completed and it serves as a stepping stone to enter society, but being a queen is not an easy position.
However, seeing how she has ruled over Alvenheim without succumbing to the pressure of the Council of Elders for over 100 years, we can see how exceptional her political skills are. 

‘Xenon probably went on a break because of people like the Council of Elders.
Humans say there are places worse than the Council, it must be really tough.’

Arwen looked at Xenon’s Biography, which she held in her hands, with sympathetic eyes and murmured to herself.
She too is one of the many fans of Xenon’s Biography.
She knows very well how much influence Xenon’s Biography has on the world and is aware that it can be easily used politically. 

Perhaps even she herself, the queen of Alvenheim, may exercise less influence.
Even an Elf chosen by the gods can become helpless against the enormous power of ‘culture’.
That’s why it was even more regrettable. 

Even though he had hidden her status, he was still mentally struggling, so the author must be under a lot of pressure.

‘Still, we should just write down what will happen to the teacher and the queen.
This bad author.’

But that’s that and this is this.
Arwen was curious about what would happen to the relationship between the teacher and the Elf queen in the story. 

Even though the Elf queen in the story is a fictional character far removed from herself, she somehow became deeply immersed.
Especially, the Elf queen in the story is struggling on a level that is not less than hers, if not more.

The Elder Council is facing severe pressure, and there are occasional descriptions of the looming danger in Alvenheim as devils appear throughout the world.
Due to these reasons, it was almost acceptable to have no privacy.

 In such a situation, the only person who could provide emotional comfort to the Elf Queen was her teacher, so their relationship could only become more poignant.

‘Xenon is truly amazing.
How is he able to penetrate the details of Elf mythology so deeply? Elf-related myths and history are not well known to humans.
Was he a scholar educated in Alvenheim?’

Xenon’s Biography did not receive much attention from the Elves until the appearance of the Seven Deadly Sins.
The protagonist was a human who had brought great shame during the racial war, and until the appearance of the Seven Deadly Sins, he only worked in human society. 

Scholars had read it thoroughly for research purposes, but among the Elves, it was just a book that only a few people read.
However, it was hardly ever said to be uninteresting.

Interestingly, Arwen had been a consistent reader of the series from volume one.
Since she had always loved books, she naturally came across Xenon’s Biography, which had hit the world, and was fascinated by his excellent writing and absorbing story.

However, the situation turned around after the appearance of the Seven Deadly Sins and the protagonist and his group entered Alvenheim. 

It was enough to create various rumors that one of the devils executives was one of the Elves, and moreover, the ‘pride’.
The Elder Council was also pressuring the Elf Queen over Xenon’s work, but when Alvenheim actually appeared, they couldn’t help but be afraid. 

If the author really understood the situation and culture of Alvenheim, they could also suffer great damage.
In reality, the Council, or the ‘Assembly,’ a political organization in the work, is pressuring the Elf Queen for no apparent reason.
If it was a historical fact, it was satisfying and bittersweet for Arwen.

‘By the way, will ‘Dark Elves’ be appearing next?’

As Elves have a lifespan several times longer than other races, their recorded history is very extensive.
Human history dates back to when they established their civilization 5,000 years ago, but Elves go back almost twice as long, 10,000 years ago.

Over those millennia, many incidents and accidents occurred.
There were times when they tried to dominate the world using their innate abilities, and times when they fought wars among their own kind. 

And about 5,000 years ago, a serious civil war broke out.
The reason for the civil war was simple. 

Religion.

Elves worship three gods – Luminous, Mora, and Harte – together, but in the past, they competed and fought against each other.

Naturally, the gods intervened and tried to stop the conflict, but the Elves did not listen.
Ironically, the Elves had longer ears than other races to hear the gods’ voices more clearly, but they did not listen when it was needed most.

The religious sect that suffered the most was Mora.
Mora wanted to compromise more than conflict, but unfortunately, that was a time when might was more important than words.

Furthermore, from the perspective of Luminous, who serves the light, Mora would have been seen as a thorn in the side.

So, Luminous and Harte joined forces to expel them, and of course, they had to suppress them by force in the process.
The Dark Elves, who were mostly expelled, have grey skin and are almost non-existent in Alvenheim. 

Most of the Dark Elves served Mora, and since they were all expelled, it is no wonder that there are almost none left.

As a result, the Dark Elves developed a hatred towards their own identity as elves and cut their pointed ears in half.
This tradition continues to this day, and when you see a Dark Elf, you can confirm that their ears are indeed cut in half.

‘Still, to human eyes, they probably all look the same.
But knowing their history, I wonder when they’ll come out and how they’ll appear.
It’s really intriguing.’

Two thousand years later, during the Demon War, the elves were in crisis and sought help from the Dark Elves they had previously banished.
However, the resentment that had built up over 2000 years was not easily resolved.

Fortunately, they helped their fellow elves to defeat the demons, but they did not set foot in Alvenheim. 

This was due to the mutual distrust that had accumulated over 2000 years, especially among the elder council who tended towards racial superiority and would find it uncomfortable to accept the Dark Elves who had discarded their racial name.
The Dark Elves also dislike the stubborn elder council.

‘In any case, the problem is the old fogies.
They don’t even know how strong they are.’

Arwen criticized the elder council, who seemed to interfere everywhere.
Since her coronation, she has been working to re-accept the Dark Elves.

After all, they were also from the same roots, and they believed that the Elven race could only be completed with them.
Moreover, only the elder council, who prioritizes tradition and law, dislikes the Dark Elves, while the young ones feel sorry for them.

After all, it was because of their ancestors’ misdeeds that they had not set foot in their homeland until now.
Arwen felt the same way.

‘Oh, what’s the use of worrying like this? The next volume won’t be out for two years!’

Arwen hugged the book tightly and whined like a child.
Although two years may be a short time for the elves, it somehow felt like a long time.

Perhaps the two-year wait for Xenon’s Biography is the longest two years in the world.
She wished that the time of two years would pass quickly.

Shaaa-

“Yes?”

As she leaned against the throne, Arwen suddenly sensed a change in the flow of mana.
As someone innately sensitive to mana, she knows what this means. 

Someone has used magic, but except for the king, magic is prohibited in the palace.
Arwen quickly straightened up and checked who had invaded.
The council would not use magic in the palace, but there was always a possibility.

Then she activated her detection magic and could be relieved.
It’s a very familiar feeling to her.

“…Enough with the jokes.”

When Arwen weakly opened her mouth, someone slowly revealed themselves in front of the throne.
Even though she didn’t know what magic was used, it blended perfectly with the surrounding environment and was completely invisible.

Eventually, the appearance of the opponent who broke the magic was fully revealed, but it was difficult to confirm their face because they had flipped their robe.
However, Arwen knows well who this unknown intruder is.

“…Rain.” 

“Hello, Your Majesty!”

As Arwen called his name, the intruder named Rain brightly greeted her.
Despite her lively voice, her low tone was attractive.

Swift-

After greeting, the woman of unknown identity swept her robe behind her.
She had a faint reddish tint in her dark hair contrasting with her ashy skin.
However, the most noticeable feature was her ears. 

Although they appeared long like other elves, they were cut in the middle.
From this, one could assume that the woman before Arwen was a “Dark Elf.”

“Did the groundlings bother you again today? Judging by your posture on the throne.”

Rain asked with a grin, looking at Arwen.
Arwen cleared her throat upon hearing her question, which openly criticized the Council of Elders.

Although it was fine to criticize the Council, Arwen was more concerned about maintaining the dignity of the queen.
No matter how close they were privately, there were certain things that needed to be upheld.

“Well, there were a few problems.
But what brings you here today?”

“I have a gift for the Queen!”

“A gift?”

“Yes!”

Rain was always good at giving gifts to Arwen.
Arwen was implementing policies to accept Dark Elves, and Rain was one of them. 

Not only Rain but also all Dark Elves were favorably disposed towards Arwen.
Therefore, the Dark Elves sent Rain to form a bond of intimacy.

Although there may have been political motives behind sending Rain, Arwen liked her.
There was no reason to dislike an innocent girl like Rain, and besides, she always brought news of the latest developments in Xenon’s Biography.

You could think of her as a messenger, but there was no problem since Rain was moving voluntarily.
In fact, it became a catalyst for Arwen to like her even more.

“I’m curious about the gift you’re giving.
What kind of gift is it?”

“I think the queen will love it.
It’s closely related to Xenon’s Biography.”

“Xenon’s Biography? Is that true?”

“Yes!”

As Rain said that the gift was related to Xenon’s Biography, Arwen’s gray eyes were filled with doubt.
Rain had already given her 10 volumes of Xenon’s Biography as a gift.

Moreover, Xenon’s Biography had declared a two-year hiatus.
It was difficult to grasp what kind of gift it could be.

“Ta-da!”

While Arwen was curious, Rain pulled out something that she had kept deep in her embrace and showed it to her.
Arwen focused her gaze on the gift that had come out of Rain’s embrace.

At first glance, it looked like an old, crumpled stack of paper.
So the question was amplified even more.

“Here it is!”

“Thank you.”

When Rain handed over the crumpled paper stack, Arwen expressed her gratitude and confirmed the identity of the gift.
It was not a simple ball of paper, but a manuscript paper with quite fluent handwriting.

“Who wrote this? And…”

As she read the first sentence, Arwen couldn’t help but blink.
Because the first sentence was very familiar to her as someone with a good memory.

I’ve said it before, but Arwen is one of the avid readers who has read Xenon’s Biography from the first volume.
And as a devoted reader, she often goes back to reread from the first volume to the latest.

She started reading the manuscript quickly while wondering.
Each familiar sentence struck Arwen’s brain.

“…Huh?”

Why is this here? Didn’t they say it was stolen? The author is even begging for it to be returned because of this one thing?

Arwen’s mind momentarily stopped working.
But without knowing her inner thoughts, Rain, who delivered the gift, proudly explained with her hands on her waist.

“It’s the draft of the first volume of Xenon’s Biography! I happened to visit the publisher and they were unveiling the draft, so I secretly took it with me that night.”

“…”

One thought floated in Arwen’s head after hearing that explanation.

“Since Your Majesty likes Xenon’s Biography, I thought you would like it.
This can be a big help to you, right?”

This is fucked up.

She thought about it again, but she couldn’t believe the reality.

“If you tell the author about the draft, they’ll have to come find it.
They’ll come looking for it.”

“…”

“I did well, didn’t I? Hehe.”

Arwen could only think that this was really fucked up.

Translators note:

Back and praying I passed.

Anyway this shit is hilarious lmao.