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Such a monstrous being…

And what was even more incomprehensible was…

Why does he want to kill us to such an extent?

“Argh!”

Another of the few remaining mercenaries screamed a death scream as he died. Repenhardt’s eyes, as he tossed the body aside, flickered with fiery rage. The light that sprang forth in those eyes was unmistakably one of hatred. However, no matter how hard he thought, he couldn’t recall doing anything to deserve such profound hatred.

Having dealt with the last mercenary, Repenhardt turned his gaze towards Kronto. Kronto, who had been bracing himself for magic, stood there dumbfounded until all the mercenaries were dead, a natural response given the circumstances. If he had the mental fortitude and concentration to cast spells under such pressure, he wouldn’t have been limited to the sixth circle at his age.

Repenhardt leaped forward, closing the distance to Kronto in an instant. He suddenly reached out and grabbed the slender mage by the throat. With just a little more pressure, this thin neck would snap like a dry twig.

“Farewell.”

It was at that moment.

“Just, wait a moment!”

Kronto finally came to his senses, yelling out loud. A deep sneer appeared on Repenhardt’s lips.

“Begging for your life?”

To think that those who had mercilessly taken the lives of elves now deemed their own lives precious? With contempt, Repenhardt was about to squeeze Kronto’s throat.

Kronto gathered the last of his strength and shouted.

“At least tell me why I must die!”

“…Huh?”

Repenhardt unwittingly let out a chuckle. His grip loosened slightly.

Typical of a mage…

Normally, he wouldn’t have hesitated and would have just strangled him. But his opponent was a mage.

Mages live and die by their curiosity, and even with their lives at stake, unresolved questions are more crucial to them than the threat of death. Repenhardt, who had also reached high levels as a mage, could profoundly understand this sentiment.

Well, at least I can tell him why he’s going to die.

With slightly relaxed power, Repenhardt slowly replied.

“I believe I made it clear earlier. I’m here to collect the blood debt of the elves who died.”

Sure enough, Kronto’s expression was one of disbelief, as if he couldn’t believe what he was hearing. It was a look I had grown all too accustomed to seeing; thus, it left little impression on me.

However, perhaps because he was a magician, his reaction was somewhat different from the others.

“…Was there perhaps a human among those elves?”

Could it be that this young man’s acquaintance was caught and killed in their battle? If so, Kronto’s anger could be understandable. This was the most plausible explanation Kronto could come up with, given his understanding.

But Repenhardt flatly denied his question.

“I clearly stated I would avenge the elves.”

“So, you mean to say you did this merely because you killed elves? Where in the world is there a law like this?”

With a voice full of injustice, Kronto raised his voice. Repenhardt gave a bitter smile.

“Of course, there is no such ‘law’ in the world yet. But that doesn’t mean elves deserve to die like this!”

Repenhardt’s expression suddenly contorted.

“Didn’t you feel it when you were killing the elves? Were they truly just beasts? Did you feel nothing while you slaughtered those who think, feel, and act just like humans?”

Kronto’s face twisted.

“You’re mad… Just because they speak and act like humans, you think we should treat them as people?”

“Compared to you people driven by mere desires, they are far more human-like. You are a magician, after all. You should know.”

With a cold tone, Repenhardt posed a question.

“What is the difference between a person and a beast?”

Kronto swallowed hard. The grip around his throat was getting stronger. Answering carelessly here would surely lead to his neck being snapped. He stammered out his reply.

“A person is a being who can think for itself. Who possesses the reason to acknowledge the existence of things unseen, who doubts even their own self, who seeks a life beyond instinct, and who fears the unseen approach of death—that is what a person is.”

It was a philosophical answer that any magician would have learned in their youth. Repenhardt nodded.

“Then, tell me, is there even one thing among those you mentioned that elves do not exhibit?”

Grinding his teeth, Kronto quickly retorted.

“There are many among humans who are not human-like. There are those among humans who live as slaves because of their own sins. Elves, after all, are a race born to be slaves. Are you denying slavery itself?”

“Yes.”

“Then, are you claiming to be wiser than the world itself?”

With a cold stare, Repenhardt looked at Kronto, who had now forgotten the fear of death and faced him squarely.

“I might not be the wisest person in the world, but there is one thing I do know.”

Repenhardt began to speak.

“I do not wish to live as a slave.”

It was a given. No one in the world, after all, would desire to live as a slave.

“If that’s the case for me, then it would be the same for others.”

The all-too-obvious principle that one cannot impose upon others what they themselves do not desire.

“Where, then, is the fault in this obvious thought?”

Kronto looked at Repenhardt incredulously, thinking there was only one thing.

‘This guy, crazy as he is, is crazy in a logical way.’

Having lived a long and tumultuous life, Kronto felt he had seen all sorts of disgrace. Despite the many twists and turns, he had lived diligently, but to encounter such a ‘properly mad man’ at this stage!

Yes, the words were right. They were obviously true. But does life always follow theory? There are always those who gain and those who lose, such is the nature of the world. There are those who are dominated, and those who dominate. More than anything…

“Even if you believe so, that does not justify such a massacre, does it?”

Kronto was furious. After hearing the story, he felt it was too unjust to die this way.

“Let’s say according to your theory, we have committed sins! However, hunting other races is not considered illegal anywhere on this continent! We were neither taught nor aware of it being a sin, so why should that become a reason for us to die?”

Can an act committed in ignorance constitute a crime? Kronto touched on a fundamental part of the principle of culpability while gauging Repenhardt’s reaction.

Of course, in reality, ignorance does not absolve one legally. But the opponent was more theoretical than practical. If one could challenge his logic with theory, there might be a way to stop him.

‘Since he’s logically mad, maybe there’s a chance to survive…’

Suddenly, Repenhardt seemed to understand.

“That might be true… Indeed, you were merely acting according to your own morals.”

‘Hm?’

With hopeful eyes, Kronto looked at Repenhardt. Had it worked? But Kronto’s face soon turned grim.

“Had it been before your people raided the village, before the elves were slaughtered, I would not have resorted to such cruelty.”

With cold eyes, Repenhardt began to survey the horror at his feet.

“But if I were to let you go now, who would avenge the elves who died?”

Kronto’s face began to pale. The grip around his throat was getting stronger.

“Can it really be said that slaughtering elves, who think, feel, and act just like humans, was just ‘an act committed in ignorance, and therefore not a crime’? Just because everyone thinks so?”

“Gak! Ghk!”

His breathing became more labored. Kronto’s eyes widened as he struggled. But it was as if he were stuck between rocks, unable to move at all.

“Even if the culprits did not know they were committing a crime, even if it was an act of ignorance, for them, it was an act done without any pricking of conscience…”

Repenhardt declared firmly.

“A crime does not cease to be a crime.”

With his last bit of strength, Kronto lashed out.

“Then are you going to judge others solely based on your own beliefs? What kind of extreme arrogance is that!”

“Yes, it is indeed arrogance,”

Repenhardt’s forearm muscles twitched.

“But to follow the so-called common sense of a twisted society, to show humility when you know it is wrong just because everyone accepts it…”

Snap!

Kronto’s neck twisted at a strange angle. The eyes of the old mage, once full of life, quickly lost their light. Repenhardt let go of his hand. Kronto’s body thudded onto the blood-soaked sand.

“…I would rather be arrogant.”

* * *

The elven maiden, Shailen, gazed at Repenhardt with a vacant look in her eyes. Thanks to her innate hearing, she could clearly hear every conversation.

Even when Siris first appeared, and when they began to confront the slave hunters, Shailen was not at all pleased.

Her elven senses told her that this elven girl was from the same Dahnhaim clan as herself. However, the girl’s attire was distinctly human. It was clear that she was an elf who had fallen into human slavery—a being of her clan that had lost all honor and dignity, now a slave without any value.

As expected, a human, who seemed to be their owner, soon appeared and began annihilating the slave hunters. Shailen was well aware of how highly elven women were valued in human society, and she quickly understood the situation. It was evident that another greedy human had come to attack them.

Thus, Shailen remained uninterested even as the slave hunters were being killed off. It was merely another human who had come to target them instead of the ones who had raided the village. The fate of being sold into slavery remained unchanged.

However, as she listened to the conversation, something seemed strange. According to the big human’s words…

‘It’s almost like… he’s saving us?’

After the battle ended, Siris quickly ran towards the camels. About a dozen camels stood idly on the sand, and behind them were elves, their wrists bound, standing feebly. Siris swiftly cut the ropes with a dagger and asked in a gentle voice, clear in Elvish.

“Are you okay?”

“……”

Shailen did not respond. Although she had heard Repenhardt’s words, she was hesitant to immediately consider them allies, given the many wrongs the Dahnhaim clan had suffered at the hands of humans. She closed her eyes and began to ponder how she could escape from them this time.

Then, Siris continued in an unsure voice.

“Perhaps…”

Looking at Shailen’s face, she furrowed her brow and hesitantly asked.

“…Shailen unnie?”

Startled, Shailen opened her eyes. She stared intensely at the elf in front of her, a clanswoman who had become a human slave. Memories from decades ago replayed in her mind, and she realized that she recognized the face of this elven girl.

“…Serendi?”