Book 1 Chapter 752

752.

The capital of Debian, Deang.

It was currently declared a neutral zone to prevent the civil war between the First Princess faction and the Second Prince faction from escalating.

Of course, the declaration of a neutral zone was not made through voluntary negotiations between the First Princess and the Second Prince.

The capital of a country is the city where the king, the pinnacle of that country, resides.

As such, for the First Princess and the Second Prince, who coveted royal power, it was a place they would stop at nothing to capture.

The civil war in Debian had actually begun in the capital, Deang.

A brutal battle took place in the very heart of the capital.

However, the fierce fighting in Deang soon came to an end, and the First Princess and the Second Prince had to leave Deang, driven out with their forces.

This was due to the intervention of the three forces within Debian.

The loyal retainers who held the core military power of Debian and were defending the eastern front against Tartarus had intervened in the civil war.

This was the first and last time the loyal retainers of the Tartarus eastern front intervened in a civil war.

"Why don't the loyal retainers of the eastern front intervene in the civil war any further?"

Airan asked with a perplexed look.

The elves, led by Runia, also looked curious.

Although they had intervened in the civil war at the request of the Second Prince, for them, as other races, they could not understand why the heroes and loyal retainers who defended the eastern front of Tartarus, which could be considered the core of Debian's power, were not mediating this civil war.

In response to Airan's question, Leo folded his arms and glanced at Celia.

Lordren was the hegemonic power in the western continent, and the intricate web of vested interests within the country was even more complex than in Debian.

And Celia was the highest-ranking military nobleman of that country.

She could explain the current situation well to the elves.

"It's because the nobles defending the eastern front of Tartarus have no justification."

"No justification?"

"Yes. Both the First Princess and the Second Prince of Debian have justification for their claim to the throne. In contrast, all the loyal retainers defending the eastern front of Tartarus had sworn allegiance to the late Crown Prince."

Therefore, they had no justification to participate in the war of succession.

Their participation in the battle for the capital was merely an attempt to force a justification that did not exist.

They could not stand by and watch their capital be destroyed.

"Isn't there any peaceful way to decide the succession? For example, the Princess and the Prince could compete based on their personal abilities."

Rea of Seirun, who was heavily bandaged, asked with a puzzled expression.

Elena, looking at Rea, burst out laughing.

The marks of teeth were clearly visible on Rea's face.

It was the mark of being bitten by Lisinas earlier.

Of course, it wasn't a major disaster that tore the flesh and caused profuse bleeding, requiring stitches.

If Lisinas had bitten her in earnest, that would have happened, but she had only bitten her lightly to scold Rea, who had spread rumors about her as if they were true.

Still, the clear marks of teeth were unavoidable.

"Leo-kun, Leo-kun, doesn't that seem funny to you?"

"It does."

'That witch of Zerone!'

Rea glared at Elena, her eyes blazing.

She was already embarrassed, and Elena was rubbing it in front of Leo, whom she respected, which made her feel resentful.

Of course, Elena was in the 5th grade, but what could she do if she glared at her?

She was a student of Seirun.

Moreover, her family was not inferior.

If the Zerone family was the disciple family of Lumern, she was from the family of the Comet Mage.

Both were mage families with deep ties to the heroes of creation, so there was a strong rivalry between Zerone and Tinggel.

"Oh my~ I'm so scared."

Elena said playfully.

"Ahem! To answer Rhea Tinggel's question… If they were people who were so confident in their abilities, they wouldn't have started a civil war like this."

Celia, clearing her throat to prevent the conversation from straying, continued her explanation.

In fact, if even one of the two had been a little wiser and more capable, the loyal retainers who followed the former Crown Prince would have sided with them.

But unfortunately, neither the First Princess nor the Second Prince resembled their father, the late king, or their eldest son, the Crown Prince, in the slightest.

They were devoid of ability but full of greed.

The surrounding nobles were also incompetent nobles who, like flies attracted to the stench of power, sought to cling to the royal family's influence.

Originally, people with no connection to royal power were now anxious as the king's position dangled before their eyes.

Even so, if one side were chosen, the nobles who followed the Crown Prince would have attempted a bloody purge, even if they tried to stop it.

Ultimately, the opposing faction would fight to the death to survive.

At that moment, the country would truly split in two.

That was why the loyal retainers who followed the Crown Prince could not easily intervene in the current civil war.

With the front against Tartarus being unstable.

If a larger internal problem arose, the continental situation would undoubtedly descend into unpredictable chaos.

With the political situation unstable both internally and externally, and no optimal choice, choosing the lesser of two evils was the best course of action.

In human royal society, justification and legitimacy were such things.

Ignoring them could shake the entire country.

"Bloodline is more important to humans than you might think. Sometimes, it surpasses individual abilities."

Celia smiled bitterly.

In fact, among all races, the race that values bloodline the most is none other than the elves.

However, there is one crucial difference between them and humans.

That is the absence of the principle of primogeniture.

They value noble bloodlines, but they do not pass down status to those who lack the supporting 'ability'.

For elves, a noble bloodline means 'a lineage from which superior individuals are born.'

Human noble families would wait for the next generation if the heir's ability was lacking.

However, in elf noble families, it was not uncommon for the position to be replaced by another individual in that generation, or for the family itself to lose its status if there was no one of comparable ability.

'That must be why the elves, despite being the smallest in population among all races, are renowned as the most powerful race.'

Unlike other races that have spread and taken root across the continent, elves only have their power in the northern part of the continent.

Looking at the territory they occupy on the continent, it is the smallest, and as they occupy the cold northern continent, they are also the race with the most barren territory.

Despite this, elves are the most powerful race among all races.

"So, even with the same bloodline, those born earlier are considered to have more legitimacy."

Rea nodded as if she understood.

The Tyna siblings, famous for being twins, also looked surprised.

"Why is that?"

"I wonder."

Celia chuckled at their reaction, who understood the answer but not the principle.

"Well, from your perspective, it might not be rational. I also think…"

"Perhaps it's because if you're born first, you've been seen for the longest time?"

At that moment, a Seirun student proposed a hypothesis.

More precisely, the earlier one is born, the higher the probability of having the ability to be an heir.

Unlike elves, who are called the race of magic, ordinary people are born among humans, whose average racial ability is relatively lower.

However, the elves did not seem to intend to understand that far.

They simply interpreted it in a way that suited them.

"Yes. Because they are seen for a long time, parents naturally grow more attached to them."

"Mm-hmm! I see!"

The Lumern student thought, looking at the elves who had come up with their own hypotheses.

'They'll think it's an irrational culture where succession is decided based on affection.'

'It's not the first day the elves have been arrogant.'

"Humans are truly a race that pursues love! Prioritizing their children's love over the fate of their families!"

"As expected, the race of love!"

"There's a reason Luna-nim's lover is Kyle-nim!"

"They are also a race of faith!"

"Ah. Even if they are a little lacking, they embrace them with faith!"

"Yes! At first glance, it seems unreasonable, but it is because of that faith that human noble families stand shoulder to shoulder with elf noble families!"

"Wonderful!"

"A race of love and faith!"

The Lumern student's jaw dropped at their conclusion.

No. Why would they reach such a twisted conclusion!

Elena, watching their reaction, said with a nonchalant expression.

"Sometimes I think elves are stupid, as a race."

"Are you insulting our race now?"

Runia bristled in an angry voice.

But Elena calmly stated her opinion.

"Think about it. Your race has been born with the blessing of magic since ancient times, hasn't it? Has there ever been a time in world history when elves were a weak race?"

"……"

No.

Although they were the smallest in number, elves had always been a race competing for supremacy.

Superior mana sensitivity.

And physical abilities such as strong strength and quick agility, not quite reaching beastmen, but still strong.

Dexterity second only to dwarves.

And excellent intelligence.

Elves have always taken pride in their racial culture and have flourished with culture and power to that extent.

Indeed, humans, beastmen, and dwarves have experienced crises of extinction, but elves have not.

Conversely, humans, beastmen, and dwarves have held immense power that has dominated the continent, but elves have not.

"I'm not calling you stupid because your heads are bad. It's just that your flexibility of thought is rigid, so it's like stone."

Runia could not refute Elena's words.

"Now that I think about it, they are such a cheating race that perhaps the creator, with their last conscience, gave them such racial traits."

To refute would be to see her classmates and juniors, who were genuinely admiring humans, calling them a race of love and faith, and wanting to emulate them, blinding her eyes.

She agreed that humans should be emulated.

But they should not emulate things that are groundless.

Moreover, more than half of them firmly believed that elves were superior to humans until recently.

And now, overnight, they had become 'human lovers.'

While it was better than looking down on and being hostile to humans,

'No, these damn long-eared freaks really don't know moderation!'

Groaning, Runia tore at her hair.

Watching Runia, Leo said,

"You have it tough."

"What would Luna-nim have done?"

Runia muttered with a gloomy expression.

It was not a question that expected an answer.

But unfortunately, there was someone here who could answer.

"She would have tried to break your head with her staff to snap you out of it."

"……"

Runia wanted to deny it, but this time too, she couldn't refute it.