Chapter 82

Chapter 82

From then on, the defensive preparation went smoothly...

...No, allow me to correct myself.

The preparation for the defense met a significant hurdle.

"Eeeeek?!"

The issue arose the very next day.

Initially, I had just brought Godhand to introduce him to Lilly, but Lilly got a fright.

"Your, Your Highness. Your Highness. Come over here for a moment."

Pulling me aside into a corner of the workshop, Lilly whispered with her hand covering her mouth.

"That new member of the sub-party, an Elf... correct?"

"Yeah. Howd you know right away? Yeah, its an Elf."

"Hee, Heeeeee!"

Lillys face turned pale, and she started to tremble. Whats the matter?

"Hoo... Your Highness."

After a deep sigh, Lilly started speaking with her hand covering her face.

"You know, right? How I got the [Flame Skin] characteristic."

The characteristic that lets one deflect all physical attacks at the cost of expending Magic Power: [Flame Skin].

Thanks to this characteristic, I was able to clear Stage 0. Of course, I remembered. I nodded in acknowledgment.

"It was because of the goblins that invaded the village, right?"

In order to avoid getting hurt from the blades swung by a swarm of goblins, Lilly had awakened the [Flame Skin] characteristic.

Thats what I knew, but...

"Yes, thats right. But who do you think let that swarm of goblins into the village by opening the village gates?"

"..."

"The Elf family who were our house slaves."

I swallowed my dry spit.

Lilly kept shaking her head in disbelief.

"My parents took pity on that Elf family who were being chased by slave hunters, and took them in. They were provided a separate house within our premises. They were employed as house slaves for a year, and were provided with everything they needed. But then..."

A look of agony appeared on Lillys face, a look I hadnt even seen when she fought against the black spider legion.

"...But then one day, after a year had passed, they suddenly declared that they could not forgive humans. They opened the gates of the village and called in a swarm of goblins."

"..."

"The village was set on fire, my parents were butchered, and I was left alone."Fôllôw new stories at novelhall.com

I remained silent.

After glancing quickly at Godhand, Lilly said to me hurriedly.

"Your Highness. No matter how much goodwill we show, they still hate humans. They will surely betray you one day."

"..."

"This is for your sake. No matter the circumstances under which you recruited them, do not trust them. Just like how they opened the gates of my village, they could also lead to the destruction of our frontlines here."

After silently listening to everything she had to say, I carefully asked.

"Lilly, do you hate the Elves?"

Without any hesitation, Lilly nodded her head.

"As much as I fear the goblins blades, I hate them."

"Even though they werent the ones who wronged you?"

"Would you, Your Highness, let a monster that hasnt killed anyone yet into our ranks?"

"..."

"You cant possibly mean that."

Lilly was adamant.

"I feel the same. And probably, they feel the same too."

This was reality.

"We just cant help but despise those who arent of our race."

It was a long, deep-seated chain of hatred borne from the ancient history of this land I did not know.

***

It was then.

"Excuse me."

"Eek?!"

Godhand, who was eavesdropping our hushed conversation from the corner, approached us. What a shock!

"Eek?!"

Although I was a bit startled, Lilly nearly caused an uproar.

"Gulp, gulp!"

She even started hiccupping. She must really hate elves...

I gently patted Lillys shoulder. Calm down, friend.

"I would like to apologize first."

"Lady Lilly. Isnt it the same for you?"

Lillys eyes widened.

Godhands gaze brushed past Lillys legs, which were confined to a wheelchair.

"Isnt it for the sake of protecting your loved ones that you serve on this monster front line, despite your physical discomfort?"

"I am..."

"Elves and humans may not get along well. However, we share a common enemy and fight for the same purpose: to protect our loved ones."

"..."

"Do we need more reasons to fight together?"

Lilly, with her lips firmly shut, shook her head.

"I can fight alongside the monsters once. But I cant forgive you. Never."

"That doesnt matter."

Godhand spat out indifferently.

"Its something Im used to."

Lilly, who had been glaring at Godhand for a while, slowly turned to me.

"Just until this defense battle, Your Highness."

"Hmm?"

"I will fight with you in this battle. But if that party remains here after the defense battle is over, I will leave this front line."

"..."

"Ill go in. I need to rest a little."

Lilly disappeared into the workshop, dragging her wheelchair.

I wiped my aching forehead with my hand.

Oh, what a headache.

The Lilly I know is a kind person.

Considerate, capable of caring for others, prioritizing the greater good over personal safety.

For such Lilly to express such outright hatred.

I can fully understand.

If she had experienced such things in her childhood, it would make sense to hate the entire Elf race.

Numerous incidents, emotions, and prejudices would have built a huge wall between humans and other races.

Its deep.

Much deeper than I thought.

So deep it cant be filled, this chasm of hatred.

The emotions are as deep as the history of this world.

In the game, there was no need to consider such things.

No matter the race, characters were selected based on performance and crammed into one party.

But this place is reality.

Origin. Race. Power. There are many more dynamics between people than what meets the eye.

I need to look at all these factors comprehensively for the front line to roll smoothly.

Organizational management is tough...

I sighed and looked back at Godhand.

"I came to introduce you, but I ended up getting interrogated."

Godhand chuckled bitterly.

"Its okay. This is really a common occurrence. Compared to others, Lady Lilly is rather gentle."

"Everyone seems to be more sensitive to this issue than I thought. Am I being dense..."

As I awkwardly scratched the back of my head, Godhand carefully spoke.

"Your Highness is intriguing."

"Huh?"

"Even the human beings who treat us well, inevitably, their eyes convey prejudice. Theres an undeniable hint of caution."

Godhand subtly lowered his gaze towards me.

"But Your Highness, you dont show any such signs at all. Thats why its interesting, and also... we are grateful."

"..."

Thats just because Im an outsider who has inhabited another world.

Back on Earth, I was an incredibly narrow-minded commoner too.

I awkwardly moistened my lips. I cant tell him the truth... nor can I pretend to be open-minded.

"So please dont be too concerned even if others are cautious or look down on us."

Godhand discreetly glanced towards the workshop where Lilly disappeared.

"We will prove ourselves in this defense battle. That we too have our worth."

I wish the main party and the sub-party would get along.

Sparks are flying even before the battle, and to be honest, it worries me.

Well, having to deal with such headaches from personnel issues is probably part of the job of a frontline commander.

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