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Bordering the Kingdom of Graim to the north, the Kingdom of Hallain to the south, and connected to the Duchy of Lastil and the Teikan Kingdom to the east, the Holy Basutalon Empire was a powerful nation with over a thousand years of history and tradition.

Although its territory was no better than that of the Kingdom of Graim or the Kingdom of Hallain, in terms of population and national power, the Holy Basutalon Empire prided itself as the strongest on the continent. It was also known as ‘the Land Blessed by the Lord Seiya.’

The Pantheon, the headquarters of the Seiya Order, was located here, and it was the only nation given the authority by the Papal Office to claim the title of Emperor as the leader of humanity.

In the eastern territory of the Holy Basutalon Empire, in the County of Yod, there was a temple of Seiya.

In the confessional booth, a young man, separated by a wooden screen, was confessing with a trembling voice.

“Priest, I have sinned. I seek forgiveness.”

A gentle voice replied from the other side of the screen.

“The Lord Seiya loves all. Confess your sins and receive absolution.”

The young man slowly began to speak.

“I have fallen in love with an elven woman who serves my family. Though she is an elf, she is more lovable and beautiful than anyone, singing like a nightingale.”

It was not a grave sin. For a young noble to be involved with an elven slave was not respectable, but it was not uncommon either.

In terms of severity, it was less serious than bestiality but more severe than being with a prostitute. Thus, the priest could respond calmly.

“Desiring an elf is certainly not something to be proud of, but the desires of youth are also difficult to suppress. Since you have realized your sin and seek forgiveness, all sins shall be absolved in the name of Seiya.”

However, the young man continued with words that were entirely unexpected by the priest.

“No, I do not think loving her is a sin.”

“…Then?”

“I am thinking of leaving my family with her. I want to go to a place where we can love each other openly. But when I think about the worry it would cause my remaining parents… how can I bear that sin?”

The priest’s expression became serious as he replied.

“Umm, think carefully. You are still young. It is natural to feel such emotions when blinded by lust. But everything is temporary. Calm your heart and think it over. Finding true love takes time.”

“I have already found true love.”

His attitude was resolute. The priest, feeling pity, began to persuade him patiently.

“Seiya decreed that they were destined to be human slaves. While seeking a moment of pleasure may be acceptable, rejecting one’s given destiny is a great sin. Would you like to change your confession? Seiya will forgive you.”

“I will not confess. I do not believe it is a sin.”

The young man shook his head with a firm attitude.

“I did not come here seeking understanding. I came because I worry about the parents I am leaving behind. I want to atone for causing them pain.”

“But running away… Where will you go? No matter where you go, elves are only slaves. So, there is no need to run away. If you stay with the maid for now, over time…”

“I am going to the Duchy of Antares.”

The young man interrupted the priest. The priest burst into laughter.

“Ha ha ha… Do you believe those rumors?”

“They are my only hope.”

The priest continued to try and persuade the young man. He couldn’t bear to see a young man with a bright future ruin his life in a futile illusion.

But the young man was unyielding. He did not change his stance at all. The priest sighed in resignation.

“How unfortunate… I can only pray to Seiya that you escape your delusion soon.”

The young man stood up with a determined expression. As he was about to leave the confession room, he suddenly turned back and asked.

“Is there any chance you might tell my parents about this…?”

Although he didn’t mention a name, the priest already knew the young man’s identity. Who else in this area would have the power to keep elf slaves? It could only be Ruwen, the heir of the County of Yod.

The priest shook his head weakly.

“Of course not. What happens in the confession room cannot be revealed, not even to a king. But remember this: Seiya sees everything.”

With a resolute face, the young man, Ruwen, left the temple. Even though he had confessed to the priest, his heart did not feel lighter at all. Instead, it still felt choked, as if something was blocking it.

“I am sorry, Father, Mother. But I could not deceive my own heart…”

Beretti was different from the elves who simply obeyed their master’s commands to share a bed. She truly loved him, and he sincerely loved her. The fact that they were an elf and a human was not an obstacle to their true love.

However, there was no realistic way for Ruwen and Beretti to achieve their love. No matter how much Ruwen cherished and loved Beretti, she was ultimately a sex slave and nothing more than a pet elf. He had lived cursing himself for being unable to do anything while the one he loved was treated in such a manner. It was when he had given up on everything that he heard the rumors about the Duchy of Antares.

The stories were too numerous and credible to be mere rumors. And Ruwen was desperate enough to cling to even such rumors.

‘Now, I have to leave with her. To a place where we can live together openly…’

Ruwen furtively felt inside his coat and took out a leather pouch. It was filled with gold coins and jewels he had secretly stolen from his family. This amount would be enough to cover the expenses to head to the Duchy of Antares and to settle down there.

With a pounding heart, Ruwen headed to the rendezvous point. By now, Beretti would have also sneaked out of the mansion and be waiting for him.

He walked on, filled with excitement, exhilaration, and a bit of fear. And he arrived at the rendezvous point.

Under the large elm tree where they had promised to meet, dreaming of a rosy future, Beretti was not there. Ruwen looked up dazedly at the elm tree.

Hanging from a branch of the elm tree, a beautiful black-haired elf dangled with her tongue sticking out.

“Ah…”

The wind blew. The corpse swayed in the wind.

Everything collapsed. He couldn’t even scream.

Ruwen, trembling, approached the corpse.

“Be, Beretti?”

There was a piece of paper beneath the corpse. Ruwen picked up the paper with trembling hands.

I’m sorry, Ruwen.

I am an elf, an unworthy being who cannot receive your love.

I dare not commit the sin of being with you. It would invoke the wrath of the gods, and our souls would fall into hell to suffer in the brimstone fire.

Find a good woman. Not a lowly elf like me, but a noble human woman who can truly be your partner.

Becoming happy with her is the right path for those like us.

Please forgive me for presumptuously tempting you all this time.

Ruwen screamed.

“This can’t be!”

Beretti left such a note? And then hanged herself?

Just yesterday, she was filled with hope. It was she who had encouraged the excited Ruwen after hearing the rumors about the Duchy of Antares and the secret news of elves escaping from various places on the continent.

“Such a drastic change in Beretti’s attitude overnight is impossible!”

Gnashing his teeth, Ruwen examined the will. He wondered if it might be a fake left by his parents who had discovered his plan.

However, it was undoubtedly Beretti’s handwriting. There was no room for doubt.

No matter how many times he scrutinized it, it was futile. Her habits, quirks, traces, and marks were all clearly visible in the handwriting.

“Ahhhh!”

Ruwen screamed.

“Why!”

He hadn’t asked for much. All he wanted was to live with her, to proudly introduce her as his wife, and to see her smiling brightly beside him like everyone else.

“Why on earth!”

Tears burst forth.

“Ughhhh!”

The wind blew. Below her swaying corpse, holding her trembling will, Ruwen cried and cried.

* * *

The Juran River, forming the border between the Kingdom of Hallein and the Kingdom of Teikan.

In a hut located by the river, a woman in her early forties was engrossed in writing.

Already, countless manuscripts were piled up beside her. She frantically scribbled with her pen and suddenly, with a brightened face, placed the final period.

“Ah, it’s finished.”

The woman, Trudy, looked at the desk with a satisfied gaze. A thick stack of hundreds of pages lay there, bearing the working title ‘The Orchard Orc Uncle’ on the cover.

Trudy was a priestess who served the deity Seiya, dispatched to a local temple in the Juran Diocese.

This place, located in the central basin of the Juran River, was traditionally a region where grape and peach farming thrived. As such, most of the territory was occupied by orchards.

Crops like wheat, barley, and sorghum don’t require as much labor in proportion to their scale. During the busy season, there’s hardly a moment to breathe, but once the off-season starts, it becomes quite leisurely.

However, orchard farming demands year-round effort. Unlike crops that are harvested and threshed all at once, fruits must be picked individually by hand, pests must be constantly managed even during the off-season, and the trees must be cared for to prevent freezing during winter.

In short, it is an extremely labor-intensive task.

Therefore, all the orchards in this area were large-scale farms that employed hundreds of orc slaves. Due to the labor-intensive nature of the work, the profits gained from using slaves were substantial. Individual orchards couldn’t compete with them in terms of productivity.

Most of the residents within the diocese were farm owners, so Trudy naturally came into contact with the orc slaves in her daily life. And sometimes, she found herself frowning upon witnessing their lives.

No matter how they were slaves, the life of the orcs was too miserable. They lived a life of constant labor with only three small meals a day and no time to rest.

The farm owners claimed that the orcs were too stupid to realize how hard their lives were, but every orc Trudy saw had an expression of suffering.

The teachings of the Seiya Order said that they were livestock, not humans, but to Trudy, the orcs looked like people too.

However, Trudy couldn’t do anything about this reality. She was not a legendary saint but merely a low-ranking priest in a local area. She didn’t have the courage or conviction to dare oppose the teachings of the Order. She had lived her life simply grateful to be born human.

What changed Trudy’s thinking were the rumors about the Crovence civil war.

She wasn’t the only one who had these thoughts.

There was someone else in the world who thought like her.

Knowing this moved the timid Trudy. So she wrote. She documented the life of the orcs she had always observed, neither adding nor subtracting anything, just stating the facts. This became “The Orchard Orc Uncle.”

“Will this… make people change their minds a little?”

As she organized her manuscript, Trudy murmured softly. She had no intention of defying Seiya’s teachings. She just hoped to improve the orcs’ treatment by letting the world know about their lives.

To show it to the publisher, Trudy put the manuscript in a sack. Then she knelt and prayed.

“Seiya, although it is different from the teachings of the Order, I believe this is truly following your will…”

With her hands neatly folded over her chest, Trudy continued her prayer with a mix of tension and excitement.

Suddenly, the door of the hut burst open.

“Oh my!”

Trudy, startled, opened her eyes and looked towards the door.

“Who is it?”

It was an ordinary-looking man in a black jacket. Early thirties, perhaps? Thinking he might be a traveler, Trudy spoke again, maintaining a polite demeanor befitting a priest.

“I am Trudy, a servant of Seiya. What brings you here?”

There was no answer. The man merely alternated his gaze between Trudy and her manuscript with an indifferent expression. Upon seeing the title on the manuscript, the man murmured.

“No doubt about it.”

Suddenly, the man raised his right hand. Trudy’s expression turned wary. The man’s metal glove sparked, and a shock struck Trudy.