Chapter 256. α (5)
The scene shifts momentarily to a modern studio.
“…….”
“…Hunter?”
The smoothly explaining Blond Man suddenly shuts his mouth.
After a long pause, he continues speaking.
“Ms. Seonwoo-yeon. By any chance, did you notice anything odd in what I just explained?”
Odd?
If we’re to be honest, there isn’t a single part that isn’t strange.
The man in front of me has revealed that he’s an alien, and Justitia is verifying the truth of the conversation beside us.
Clank.
Even as I speak, the scales lean to the right.
The dark-haired woman trembles slightly as she asks.
“What exactly am I supposed to find strange…?”
Her focus is half-lost.
But that was enough for the man to continue the conversation.
“If you examine it closely, I used to think it was perfectly acceptable to kill the invaders from the satellite.”
“Excuse me?”
“Disregard for life~”
“Ah….”
“When I was the dean, I was on the verge of being killed myself. Even if they’d generously called it self-defense. I never hesitated when dealing with satellite people.”
“That was the case.”
“Above all, it was hard to communicate. I likely considered them just as peculiar beasts with unusual cries.”
An alien in the guise of Kim Gi-ryeo moves.
He tries to move his hand as slowly as possible so as not to startle Seonwoo-yeon.
And then pushes away a nearby blanket.
An action that seems meaningless, but if you dig deep, it was indeed a type of preparation.
“So I didn’t shy away from dissecting prisoners, torturing them, or butchering them under the pretense of developing technology to end the war.”
“Ugh.”
“In the end, I really did achieve peace with these hands, but during that process, I killed an enormous number of Beta Species.”
“…….”
“At the very least, I should have distinguished between soldiers and civilians. Once a living being is dead, you can’t bring them back….”
The Great Mage consistently engaged in small actions throughout the conversation to ease Seonwoo-yeon’s wariness.
At the same time, he made eye contact with the guest.
“Well, anyway. Now that you’ve heard various stories, you understand that I am a war criminal.”
He deliberately skipped over much of the boring lecture part, worried that Seonwoo-yeon might run off in the middle.
In reality, the basic education he received in his youth was horrific.
Except for the magic part, everything else was terrible.
From the perspective of Earthlings, it was akin to indoctrination through propaganda media.
“This… should I consider this a kind of oligarchy?”
Tsk.
The studio owner clicks her tongue.
“During that time, teachers would indiscriminately badmouth Beta Species. They wouldn’t provide unnecessary information to the students in the Nurturing Facility either.”
They, who came from the sky, possessed very lowly and filthy souls, unlike us who live drenched in water.
Dull-witted, vile creatures that slaughtered our poor compatriots indiscriminately, and so on.
“Anyway, I remember the level of society described in the textbooks from back then was utterly absurd.”
Several lessons still flash in his mind.
“But those white aliens were actually all highly intelligent… our level of civilization wasn’t much different aside from the language barrier.”
The Blond Man rests his chin on his right arm.
It resembled a posture he often displayed in his previous life.
“After the war started, the moderate faction from the satellite stated that they should cease territorial expansion.”
“Uh….”
“They had enough territory for their race, so wasn’t it time to stop the meaningless slaughter?”
A small intake of breath.
“Was a species capable of such high empathy really just a beast that had to be hunted down?”
Seonwoo-yeon no longer tenses up even when the studio occupant shifts position.
“Indeed, one should not recklessly participate in the extinction of a race. At least some effort for preservation…”
A twenty-something man with three hundred eyes rolls around.
After confirming Seonwoo-yeon’s expression, he consciously adjusts his facial muscles.
“Still, don’t worry. What I’m saying right now is basically a typical tale of good and evil.”
“Excuse me?”
“The war criminal before your eyes has already paid for his sins, so to speak.”
With slightly raised eyebrows and a frown, he reflects.
“In a way, it was because of those sins that I ended up here… Ms. Seonwoo-yeon.”
“Yes, yes.”
“However, the truth is, I’ve gone through a lot of hardships in the past, and now that I have a chance to pour my heart out to someone, it feels really refreshing.”
“Uh….”
“It’s both liberating and gratitude inducing… So if you don’t mind, could I be a bit more detailed in my explanations from now on? As I said earlier, no one has listened to my story for a long time.”
“Hmm.”
“If you’re busy… I’ll try to summarize somehow… but…”
With a face that makes it easy to feel sympathy for the Earthling, a certain alien mimicked a specific expression, causing Seonwoo-yeon to fall for the ploy.
“W-Well, it’s fine. Since today is a holiday, what could I have possibly done? Please feel free to speak.”
It was going according to plan.
As stated from the beginning, the Mage wrapped in Gi-ryeo’s skin had already grasped the guest’s character before starting this conversation.
.
.
.
Let’s continue with the explanation.
[Alphauri]
An odd-numbered year had arrived.
Originally, war is not just about direct contact with the enemy; it often involves unexpected stillness as well.
Beta assassins invading deep into the quarters.
And trivial schemes from allied mages jealous of a compatriot’s overflowing talent, and so on.
Indeed, there were many upheavals during that time, but all those attempts were ultimately futile in front of a genius.
“Ah~ these pesky little flies. They should know by now that it’s futile to keep coming here!”
The twenty-fourth assassination attempt had just failed.
The Green Mage grumbled to himself, ignoring anyone who would listen, as he laid out the Beta corpses before the barracks.
This time, he put a little extra effort into it.
He extracted copper-colored blood from the enemy’s body.
Combined it with the gathered Beta blood and froze it in a specific shape upon the sea.
This was a vast blood ice message that even the Beta Species beyond the front lines could perceive.
[Only] [Look] [At] [This]
[You] [Scavengers] [Should]
[Back] [Off]
Written in Alphauri script, how much of the message would actually be delivered, was anybody’s guess.
Blood, and skin.
The act of mangling bodies felt quite brutal, even on this ocean planet.
However, one Deep Sea Person was more concerned with the splendidness of death precisely for that reason.
If one breaks a living being in a bizarre way, the enemies who find it usually fall into shock.
It’s crucial to dominate the battlefield.
The Green Mage intuitively knew how to overwhelm others.
Moreover, the moment he stepped onto the front lines.
The invading army would retreat as if they were germs fleeing from penicillin.
No matter how humble his background was, the nation could no longer ignore his worth.
● Someone who can wield 6th-tier magic.
● Someone with over 100 units of magic power in their body.
If it hadn’t been a time of chaos.
Having met the above conditions, often called the most challenging gate through which [Great Mage] must pass, receiving a new title in glory would have been a breeze.
Yet regrettably, during the ongoing war, it was impossible to fulfill any of the traditional specific requirements.
In other words, he was not a Great Mage during the Satellite War era.
Hah….
Of course, this young Green Mage was considered an outstanding sorcerer enough to stand shoulder to shoulder with the barracks’ Great Mages, even without a title.
But in the end, an individual is just an individual.
How could a warrior from a deep sea backwater solve colossal cosmic clashes in a short time?
How long do I have to keep doing this?
There were limits.
Even this monster, who grew like a different person every time he traversed the battlefield, could not end the war for several years.
It’s no wonder I caught myself comparing them to germs.
The reason was the reproductive capability of the Beta Species, adapted to the affluent environment of Alphauri.
Not merely beasts like rabbits but at a cell-proliferation rate potentially comparable to them; in fact, the Beta Species was very numerous.
Even if he merely let his guard down for a few days, they would create around 8 to 9 enormous colonies.
The fighting strength of a single colony equated roughly to that of a small nation of Alphauri.
Thus, even if he pushed the front lines, they would quickly fall back.
They would pour in relentlessly.
Much like a creek swelling in the summer, the existence of Beta Species was such.
Moreover, the disarming method utilizing [Telekinesis] to tear apart enemies’ skin was a technique known only to this Green Mage at this place.
This won’t end.
Finally, amidst the flowing concerns, an answer arose.
After lengthy contemplation, the young Mage decided to cease his battlefield involvements for a while.
For Alphauri’s victory, something innovative was needed.
It was evident he wouldn’t have time to create that innovative means while just busily winning the battles at hand.
I can’t take this anymore.
The Green Mage soon decided to develop a technology targeting the Beta Species that even non-geniuses could handle, procuring a few assistants from the nation.
He then hid in a safe house and began his very first large-scale magic research with them.
Ugh! That young, snobbish little sorcerer. Doesn’t he know the word respect! How dare he treat an elder like me with such disdain!
Goodness, it’s for the nation’s sake! be patient. It’s not that I want to…
Are we really not allowed to set foot outside at all?
I can’t believe we have to live in this tiny room until the war ends…
Experiment. Experiment. Experiment.
The compatriots seemed thoroughly fatigued by the repetitive tasks carried out under strict control.
Don’t you ever get tired! Young fella, don’t you ever want to go out and play!
The Deep Sea Person felt vibrant and alive, no matter how long this lifestyle continued.
Why play? We have work to do. Soldiers upstairs are still dying to protect the planet.
More disrespect!
I’ve hated entertainment since my school days. I didn’t have time to be bothered with those annoying desires, so I just suppressed them completely.
Huh?
Speaking of which, should I cut your nerves as well?
Oh, no, I-I’m sorry!
Why are you apologizing? I’m just giving you good advice. After this surgery, you’ll feel much better.
I said I was sorry!
Just wait a moment. It’s hard even to use during wartime, so let’s just remove this energy-wasting copulatory organ now.
Compared to his contemporaneous Alphauri, the atmosphere surrounding the Green genius was distinctly alien.
During the Mid-Ages, the Alphauri gene pool still had not lost its altruism, making “good people” relatively easy to find.
Even so, this Deep Sea Person was handling coldness and oddness uniquely.
In a nutshell, his innate nature wasn’t exactly pleasant.
When the war ends, I’ll do a proper reattachment. Theoretically, there shouldn’t be any problems.
Ahhh!
But fortunately.
This Green Mage didn’t act this way out of ill intent.
He simply desperately wanted to end the Great War as soon as possible. This desire coincided with his individual efficiency manifested in an extreme form; whom could he blame?
Dark and calm, unlike the fierce storms surrounding gaseous planets, his hometown seemed gentle every day.
A Mage can’t waste time going scream crazy.
The vast scenery of this majestic ocean planet felt invaluable to him.
Besides, I happen to be developing a pain-free method. I’ll test it right away…
“Soldier! Soldier!”
Additionally, stupid compatriots who couldn’t even communicate well enough.
What? Why are you calling? I’m busy.
Today, we received an incredible supply from above! I’ve never seen such plump sea snails, cultivated from the ▦▦ family’s territory!
Hmmm.
Now, soldier, you like eating, so take all the sea snails including my share!
Really? Why?
Didn’t I just say? You may be indifferent to everything, but you do enjoy your food!
No… that’s…
Slurp.
As the small Alphauri rushed in breathlessly, the clear bubbles of breath created a transparent froth.
I came here thinking of you, so I didn’t touch a single sea snail on the way. Since you’ve been working hard, I’ll let you have this much.
On both its tentacles was a container filled with exquisite treasures. Opening it revealed a lineup of high-quality ingredients cherished by the Alphauri.
And yet, to hand such valuable food over to a mad soldier who had dulled his taste sensitivity?
So strange.
Yeah. Quite unusual.
Each time the Green Mage witnessed those incomprehensible actions from his compatriots, a strange desire to win the war more quickly arose in him.
Moreover, while he was on the front lines, there were times he would cancel a spell in haste to protect a civilian who had unwittingly wandered into danger, knowing full well his tentacle would burst.
The planet, the ecology, all creatures, and magic.
Whoever created them, why were there so many things in this world worth caring for?
Well then, thank you for your generosity. I’ll eat well. And you can’t ask me to spit it out later!
Oh, don’t worry.
In those days, treated almost as a psychopath, the Green Mage was a self-centered individual.
Yet this cool soul, endowed with rational tendencies, always found something to adore deeply within him.
The water plants growing long in the rocky crevices every summer.
The swimming fish moving gracefully as if designed in blueprints.
Altruism.
Some might call it trivial, but why did he feel an unspeakable beauty every time he saw such elements from his hometown?
A short while later.
The Deep Sea Person, working hard to defend the planet, finally completes a secret technique to drive the enemy out.
And with the mass spell crafted by him, a historical event occurs which results in the deaths of about 870 million Beta Species.
This marked the beginning of the end of the war.
