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It was better than the eastern continent, which had been completely devastated by the vassals originating from the Elder Loa, but the western continent was not a human-friendly environment either, and in a situation where they had to do anything to survive, disregard for human life was not unusual.

An era where one had to risk their life just to pass through villages and cities.

The human villages that had come under the protection of the Loa were desperate not to escape from that protection.

Above all, the Loa often had strong pride, and if the humans they were protecting did not please them or tried to escape their protection, they often erased the villages or cities altogether.

In the western continent, the existence of the Loa was ‘god’ itself, just as humans called them land gods.

The human sacrifices offered to Anaktus increased as Poheln grew.

“Frigos called Poheln Anaktus’s two-legged sheep farm back then.”

When Poheln’s population was small, they waited until it grew because if too many people were reduced, the village itself could collapse.

“The population continued to increase, but the number of humans sacrificed was not small, and Pteras, who became the head of the city from the village chief, is said to have even sacrificed travelers who visited Poheln and had no apparent connections, in order to make up the numbers.”

Poheln was a city of sin that was maintained by sacrificing its own people and the innocent in order to maintain its prosperity.

Frigos felt a sense of futility in such a situation and sought to kill Anaktus and find freedom.

Frigos gathered those who had lost family or friends to Anaktus under the surface.

The bronze sword made by humans was more powerful than the teeth of beasts, but the opponent was the Loa, a transcendent being. There was a high possibility of a dog’s death.

If they failed and Anaktus’s anger engulfed Poheln, their own people would be able to blame them for stirring up a hornet’s nest.

And when the preparations were finished and the day of execution was set, Frigos’s group met Aliya and the succubi.

“Humans die so quickly. Ah, not because they lack strength, but simply because of their lifespan as living beings. We, born from the Elder Loa, live for hundreds of years, or even longer, but even in the safe western continent, humans seem to have a hard time living for more than 50 years.”

“Time is not a big resource for us. Enduring for decades is not a big deal.”

“Is that why? Humans sometimes do things that seem reckless. Like a flame.”

A situation where beings who were treated as somewhat unusual monkeys in the eastern continent were holding a sword to the supreme Loa for freedom.

Aliya, who was fascinated by humans, helped Frigos to deal with Anaktus.

The warriors of Poheln, who had prepared for death and defeat, embraced each other and wept as they looked at the corpse of the giant snake that was once a god, with the help of the succubi.

But Frigos was wary of the succubi who had such powerful strength.

As if there was no way that such strong beings would lend their strength for free.

He must have been wary of the succubi becoming the second Anaktus.

But Aliya went under Frigos without any compensation and helped him.

“Hehe… It took him several years to value me and even trust me. In fact, I might still be suspected to some extent.”

Poheln, who had killed Anaktus, enjoyed the freedom from the reign of terror for a while, but soon began to feel uneasy, like a child who had left their parents’ arms.

It was natural since the land god who had guaranteed safety for a long time had disappeared.

Even if they had sacrificed their own people as sacrifices.

“Anaktus has fallen by our hands! That means we no longer need the protection of those called gods! I will gather humans together and create a world of humans in this land!”

After declaring so, Frigos visited human villages and cities scattered throughout the western continent, seeking to become one.

There were villages and cities under the Loa like Poheln, and humans were naturally exclusive to humans from the outside.

Frigos began to forcibly subjugate the surrounding areas with well-equipped troops and the power of the succubi.

Aliya taught him the word ‘king’.

When the eastern continent was devastated by a long war, the wise snail Loa made a prophecy.

‘A person wearing a ring on their head will appear, end the long war, and everything in the eastern continent will be united under a great banner.’

“The ring is a symbol that signifies infinite circulation, completeness, and unity. The one who wears the ring means king.”

Those who were tired of the long war in the eastern continent were waiting for the one who wears the ring, the king, to come someday.

Aliya must have been one of them, and I could see how much Aliya expected of Frigos.

“Well… I guess this is the end of the story I can tell you.”

After finishing the long story, Aliya smiled with a look of relief, unlike her usual pretentious smile.

◈ ◈ ◈

Aliya, who had told many stories, began to perform her duties in front of the door again as if nothing had happened.

It was a complicated feeling.

Although she had spoken as if it was nothing, the story of Aliya and Frigos was a seemingly tragic history.

The history of the Elf race?

Although it had only been 10 years, the Elves born under the World Tree were a race at the top of nature from the moment they were born.

Moreover, even I, who had the memories of my past life, was an unconventional existence.

Even the wild gods, the Loa, who had lived for hundreds of years, were not above me and the Elves.

It seemed understandable that Frigos was desperate enough to kneel.

Even if not now, it was probably because in the future, he wanted humans to have the power to protect themselves, not with the help of outsiders.

In the first place, Frigos’s soldiers were quite trained for humans now due to their various combat experiences, but they could not hunt the Loa without the help of the succubi.

However, if it was martial arts, it was rare even in the Central Plains, but if a human reached the realm of Hwagyeong, they could be compared to the Loa even as a single individual.

With the current foundation of humans, it might take more than a thousand years for a human to reach Hwagyeong without my help.

Perhaps that time would be a long period of hardship for humans.

“Aliya, can I meet King Prigos tomorrow?”

“…! I will inform the King.”

Realizing the meaning of my words, Aliya looked surprised, and then disappeared into the shadows in an instant.

“…As expected, Aliya could use it too.”

There was no way that she, an Einherjar, could not use what even her vassal race used.

“She didn’t subtly mention her purpose in the end… Should I postpone fighting Aliya for now?”

In the room where Aliya had disappeared, I sat cross-legged on the bed for the first time in a while and began to circulate my energy.

◈ ◈ ◈

“Araya-nim has arrived.”

“Ah… She has arrived. Aliya, can you take care of the rest?”

Frigos, who was sitting on the throne and giving instructions in a room that was still so simple that it was embarrassing to call it a royal chamber, stood up from the throne with a face that barely suppressed the emotions mixed with tension and anticipation at my visit.

Following Frigos’s orders, the people who were engraving the clay tablets continued their work, following Aliya and me.

“…This way.”

“Hmm. Excuse me.”

In the Central Plains, it would be impossible for a king or emperor to get up from the throne and guide a guest to a room for a secret conversation without even taking a bodyguard, but perhaps because etiquette and authority had not been properly established yet, Frigos’s subjects did not seem to consider it a problem.

‘Come to think of it, it seems like they don’t even feel the concept of a king in a way that resonates with them.’

The room I was guided to became a perfect secret room when Frigos closed the door.

A room without windows.

However, when I felt the reverberation when I stepped on the ground, the walls of the room were thick.

It was a good place to discuss secret stories.

Because it was morning but not a single ray of light came in, the dark room was barely lit by a few small light sources.

Of course, it was not a big problem for me, but Frigos, who was human, moved cautiously.

On the stone table, there were teacups and snacks such as dried fruits that I had never seen before.

I had no intention of drinking the liquid that insulted the concept of tea made by humans yet and having a leisurely conversation.

“I apologize for the inconvenience.”

“Hmm, no, I’m not particularly bothered by the darkness in the first place.”

When I sat down calmly even in the dim light, Frigos also sat down awkwardly.

“…Are you afraid of me?”

“…I can’t say I’m not.”

“You don’t seem like the brave man who was going to charge at the Loa with only a sword.”

“…Did you hear that from Aliya?”

“It’s also the decisive factor in creating this place.”

Frigos smiled bitterly and said.

“It’s not like I wasn’t scared back then either. I was just desperate and struggling against a reality I couldn’t escape.”

“But if you hadn’t even tried, you wouldn’t have met Aliya. Heaven eventually helps those who help themselves.”

“That sounds like something that looks cool.”

“Is that so? But are you going to continue using honorifics?”

“…The current me is not a king sitting on the throne representing humans, but just a human begging for mercy from a great being.”

“…That word ‘great being’ is a bit embarrassing.”

A humble young man groveling to a girl who looks about 10 years old… It’s quite a funny sight for a third party to see.

I tapped the table with my index finger and opened my mouth.

“I had a lot of 고민 yesterday.”

“…”

“I know roughly what I need to know, so I’m wondering whether to just leave, help with your request, or… kill you.”

Frigos’s breathing faltered for a moment.

Tension, fear of death, despair.

But it was only for a moment, and it calmed down after some time.

Frigos, who was covered in cold sweat, took a breath and opened his mouth.

“So what answer did you come to?”

“…Just like Aliya saw potential in you, I also saw potential in you.”

“…”

“The problem was that I couldn’t tell whether the potential you had would benefit us Elves or not. That’s because you’re the one who wants to open an era of humans in this land, aren’t you?”

“That’s”

I scratched my cheek and said.

“Don’t worry so much. Well, it’s not like I haven’t thought about killing you for that reason, but even so, the Elf race has the role of Regulator, so it would be funny to kill everyone just because they might be a little threatening to us.”

I said, recalling the history Aliya had told me yesterday.

“Even if humans are a little threatening to the Elves, as long as humans don’t try to make the western continent like the eastern continent, we won’t see humans as a hostile species.”

Frigos, who was pondering my story, had a bright expression on his face.

“Does that mean…?”

“If it’s conditional, I’ll teach you martial arts… how to use the energy of nature.”

Frigos’s Adam’s apple moved once.

“Human King Frigos. What do you want to achieve with martial arts?”

“…I want humans to live on this land on their own.”

“Aren’t you living well now? Just looking at Poheln, it can’t be compared to the human villages I’ve passed through so far.”

“I don’t know how much of the human world Araya-nim has traveled… but human life lives by parasitizing the whims of nature and transcendents. No matter how prosperous an old human village is, if merchants visit at some point, only ruins remain and it disappears. If we are satisfied with the current prosperity, Poheln will disappear as a history of the past, just like any other human group.”

Then, as if remembering something, he continued with a bitter tone.

“The current prosperity is simply Anaktus becoming Aliya and her sisters.”

“Did Aliya ever ask for tribute from you?”

Frigos shook his head.

“Not exactly, but if their interest ever fades and they leave, things won’t be much different from before. I hope that we have the strength to protect ourselves, not through the power of something else, but solely through the power of humans.”

“Is that why you’re trying to unite the humans?”

“A single human, even a strong man, can hardly handle a single beast encountered in the fields. But if there are three, the beast will be wary and retreat, and if there are ten, it won’t even approach, only watch. What the weakest species in the Western Continent, humans, possess is dexterity, wisdom, and unity that beasts do not.”

I thought of the slaves repairing the walls of Pohlen.

There were even children among them.

“Because of that act, even if humans who don’t want to be united are exploited by other humans?”

“You saw the humans building the walls.”

Frigos pondered for a moment before speaking.

“Actually, I’m not sure about that part. In a way, I, a human, might be an Anaktus to them. But if someone other than myself has to decide their fate, I hope that it’s a human, not another species.”

“Humans have to risk their lives just by stepping outside the village fence, outside the city walls. This land is where all species fight to prove their worth, not just humans. Aliya said that the humans of the Eastern Continent lost that fight and hardly left any traces. There’s no guarantee that the Western Continent won’t end up the same way.”

“The slaves may be a tragedy as individual humans, but from the perspective of the entire human species in this harsh world… I don’t think I’m wrong.”

“This world, this land, is a world where all species struggle to sit on the throne of what they believe is right. I hope that the human species will sit on one of those thrones.”

Sometimes confidently, sometimes with self-doubt, Frigos continued to speak.

I mulled over Frigos’ words for a long time.

Looking up at the ceiling, I opened my mouth.

“Don’t be so tense while watching, Aliya.”

“…?”

Frigos looked around at my mutterings.

The secret chamber, with only the two of us, still had only the two of us.

“I understand your intentions. I will teach you martial arts.”

“…!”

“However, there are a few conditions.”

“…I will meet any conditions as much as possible.”

“Hmm.”

I stood up and slowly extended my hand to Frigos.

“If you and the humans keep the oath you make with me today, I swear on my name.”

Frigos, as if possessed, grabbed my hand extended in the dim light of the stone chamber.

“I will give humans the strength to stand on their own someday.”