Chapter 327: Stubbornness

Point-of-View: Sylvar Miirphys

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"I do not agree with this approach," Frowned Bell, pacing about restlessly as she added, "Why are we not doing anything!?" 

You know, for once...

"I totally agree with you. Lord Laus told us that we won't attack the human nations unprovoked, but I'm feeling very provoked after they killed nearly a hundred thousand of my fellow Elves in cold blood," I replied in frustration. 

We still hadn't even finished repairing all the damage caused by the attack, or even cleaned the forest of all the corpses scattered about, of which there were both Elf and human. 

The Dwarves were in the process of deciding who the next Earth Sage was going to be, after Belia killed Giddur during that battle. The remaining three of us Elemental Sages spoke with Sant a couple of days ago to discuss how to retaliate, but to our dismay, he refused to let us attack the humans.

He claimed that since the humans that attacked us are being manipulated by Belia, it'd be wrong to attack them. But...that just seemed like an excuse, it's more that he just doesn't want to initiate an attack against another side. 

And as for Kuro and Abyss, Sant decided that we should leave them alone, as Kuro had warned us to do, even if that means the Water Spirit remains in their hands. But afterwards, as I discussed the matter with Bell and Maie, and they were both of the opinion that Belia's forces as well as Abyss are threats that we shouldn't let exist. 

"I feel the same as the two of you do, however...we cannot disobey Lord Laus, he has made his decision, and whether we approve of or agree with his decision or not is irrelevant," Sighed Maie. 

"Even so...they murdered children and the elderly, not even those that could not defend themselves were spared. Those savage creatures must be eradicated," Growled Bell, her eyes starting to glow as her rage smoldered, clenching her fists while gritting her teeth. 

"Hey...we should try and convince Lord Laus somehow. After all, this affects us a lot more than it affects him, so-," I began to suggest. 

"Careful, Sylvar...you almost make it sound like Lord Laus does not care about what happens to us," Remarked Maie, narrowing her eyes at me. 

Of the four races under Sant's rule, Fairies have the greatest sense of loyalty towards him, even slightly unflattering comments about him can be a huge offense in their eyes. 

"Tch, that is not what he said, and I agree with him, we must convince Lord Laus somehow," Countered Bell, defending me before adding, "We must destroy the humans before they can destroy us."

Oh, and Halflings are the least loyal...that said, they're definitely not disloyal, no one from any of the four races would ever disobey Laus, however, Halflings are the most likely to show their displeasure when he makes a decision they don't agree with. In other words, they're the most independent-minded of the four races. 

Elves are usually highly loyal too, but thanks to my past human memories, I tend to think a bit more objectively than the other Elves when it comes to Sant. Dwarves are on about the same level of loyalty as Elves, generally speaking. 

"And besides, Maie...you were there when Belia killed Giddur...are you really okay with her getting away with that? Don't you want revenge?" I inquired, raising an eyebrow at her. 

"I-...that is not-...fine, yes...of course I want to make her pay for what she did! But...if that means disobeying Lord Laus, I cannot agree to it," She responded with a conflicted look on her face. 

Let's see if I can push her a bit more and maybe convince her... 

"And what about the Water Spirit? A being that's supposed to be symbiotic with the Fairies is currently trapped inside a human body. Are you fine with that?" I inquired pointedly. 

"That is enough, Sylvar...I-I do not wish to continue with this conversation," She replied with a conflicted shake of her head. 

Damn it, this is impossible...after all, what I'm asking her is to literally go against her own biological nature, this is a completely futile effort on my part... 

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Point-of-View: Kuro Black

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"Nice to finally meet you, Sant A.C. Laus...now, then, let me get right down to the matter of why I'm here," I remarked with a smirk. 

"You must be Kuro Black, the ruler of the human nation known as Abyss...what brings you here? And how are you unaffected by the protective barrier?" He responded, both his tone and expression calm and even. 

"Hm? Oh, anti-infliction-spell enchantment...basically, any spell that's inflicted without direct physical contact, or in other words, ranged spells, won't affect me. And like I said, I was just about to get to why I'm here...I'm here to propose an alliance, you see," I informed him. 

Man, he really does look like the depictions of Santa Claus in my old world, except that he's buff instead of fat, and then there's the angelic halo and wings. 

"An alliance, you say?" He responded with a raised eyebrow. 

"Yeah, that's right...other than the time I fought the two Elemental Sages that trespassed near my nation, our two sides haven't had any conflicts, so there's no justified animosity between us. Actually, calling it an alliance is a bit of a stretch, what I'm proposing is more of a non-aggression pact...you leave us alone and we'll leave you alone, simple as that. Though if you're willing to ally with us in order to take down Belia and her army, I'm definitely open to that. So...what do you say?" I proposed, looking at him with an inquiring smirk. 

"Hm...very well, I have no intention of causing any conflict with the humans, so this is something I can agree to-."

"Well, not so fast, just your agreement isn't gonna be enough...the Elemental Sages, I'd like to hear their thoughts on this too. If two of the remaining three agree to leave Abyss alone, we have a deal. Mind gathering them here, say, tomorrow at the same time? I'll be back by then, you'll probably need some time to convince them and stuff, right?" I remarked, before adding ,"Well...see ya."

With that, I summoned and reverse-summoned a Snow Serpent to teleport myself back to Abyss. I've still got plenty of monsters cast with invisibility and soundproof spells scattered throughout the Laus Domain, and honestly, even if they do agree to my proposal, I don't expect it to last forever, which is why I'm continuing to leave my monsters scattered throughout this place, so that if they do decide to attack Abyss, I'll know right away. 

However, before or until that happens, I suppose that I might as well attempt to reach the peaceful solution with them. I mean, if nothing else, it's worth a try, at least... 

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Point-of-View: Sylvar Miirphys

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"I'm sorry, what?" I blurted out in shock. 

"He was here!?" Exclaimed Bell with a frown. 

Sant had just finished telling us how Kuro suddenly appeared, proposed an alliance or something, and then just left...like ten minutes ago. 

"Yes, and I believe that his proposal is worth considering," Replied Sant, stroking his beard thoughtfully. 

"My lord, we can't trust them, this could easily be a ploy to get us to lower our guards," I pointed out. 

"No, I do not believe so, they have no need to do so. Judging by the fact that the entire Elf forest was frozen without killing a single person, the Water Sage is exceptionally powerful, and their leader, this Kuro...he was unaffected by my protective barrier. If they truly wished to eliminate us, they would have already done so."

He's wrong, he still doesn't fully understand how humans think, there's a good chance that this is just an extra precaution to ensure that we'll be taken by surprise if and when they do attack...yeah, maybe this proposal is legit, but the risk if it's not is just too high. 

"I respectfully disagree, my lord, they're unaware of exactly how powerful we are, and because of that, they'll be cautious. We Elemental Sages and the strongest members of our respective races combined make for quite a formidable fighting force, they'd be right to be wary of us," I argued objectively, before recalling something, "And you yourself, my lord...if you were to unleash your full power like Belia apparently does, then-." 

"That is absolutely out of the question," He interrupted immediately, "Releasing that seal is forbidden, just because Belia broke the taboo does not mean that I will. Even if she were to attack me in that form, I will not respond in kind, I will not release the seal on my full power."

Huh? You've...you've gotta be kidding me. So, then, if the likes of Belia or Kuro or that Water Sage ever attack us in earnest using their full power, our best chance to defeat those powerhouses won't even be an option? Sant...why is he so damned stubborn all the time!? 

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