BXBX NOVEL Chapter 368 Break, Reform, And Nurture (2)
I am given a breather now that the war has concluded and the territories have been acquired, but I still have something to mind about. I will still need to attend the Demon Kings Summit in less than three months. In other words, I still have to fight the Demon King's Generals. I want to leave for Ne Okozmo as soon as possible, but it is impossible given the situation.
No one in the Demon King's Army is good at crowd control. They can control people, but it will result in people's deaths. I need to help Haletha rekindle the broken relationship between Dark Elves and Light Elves. The latter are naturally kind, so they are willing to admit their mistakes and forego their grudge over their dead comrades. The former, however, are not so happy after knowing the truth. They don't demand the latter's extermination, but with how they behave around the latter, it is quite impossible to form a harmonious relationship.
"I think we can leave separately for a few hundred years and let the heat of the grudge cool down first," Eryn suggests in the meeting to tackle the problem.
"That is what we have been doing for millennia. Nothing will change if resort to that solution," Haletha responds bitterly.
"We can imitate what the previous rulers of Lithandrel have been doing," I remark. "We need a scapegoat and a little bit of manipulation."
Everyone listens to me tentatively. Fast forward to the afternoon, just a few minutes before dusk, we are standing in the center of the Empire. There is an execution platform behind us and the Light Elf Elders are there. Every curious Elf is there to witness the execution. Those who live too far from the site are watching its broadcast from wherever they are.
When dusk comes, I stand beside the lined-up Elders. Haletha immediately begins her speech, telling the Elves how they are wronged by the selfish bastards lined up beside me. The said bastards are trembling in terror as they meet the Elves' hateful glare. Of course, they are not afraid of their glares. They are afraid of what will come. They didn't forfeit their throne just to be executed in public.
"We are innocent! We were merely doing the task that our predecessors gave us. We were protecting you, descendants of Galhador! You can't throw the blame on us and act innocent. What we did was all for your sake. If you want us to take responsibility, you should too!"
The crowd goes silent as the Elder's words sink in. Haletha's face immediately develops a scowl as the Light Elves in the crowd hang their head low. The Elder that causes the reaction smirks. He must think that even after they die, the situation between the two sides will not improve. The bloodbath will continue, making our victory futile. Surely, he doesn't consider the established reality that most Light Elves are different from them.
"My children have never spoken ill of Dark Elves or harmed one of them. I will offer you my life, so please let them be."
"My parents used to think that Dark Elves were up to no good, but they are good Elves. Let me pay for their sin instead."
"My siblings never harm a Dark Elf, unlike me. They are innocent and I will pay for my sin."
One by one, everyone steps forward, offering their lives. The Elders widen their eyes and stare at his foolish kin in disbelief. Haletha also widens her eyes but for a different reason. The Dark Elves in the crowd look around in astonishment before shaking their heads. The way the Light Elves react to the Elders' words is enough to fortify Haletha's claim. They are but the victims of the selfish rulers of Lithandrel.
"Your Majesty, no Light Elves other than those on the platform should die today. I represent my family and hereby declare we hold no grudge against the innocent Light Elves!"
"I vouch for his claim."
"Kill them, Your Majesty. Let their death be the beginning of our harmonious relationship with the Light Elves!"
The Dark Elves soon realize that holding their grudge will not improve their situation. To let it go after millennia of ostracization and discrimination is a painful thing to do but a must to move forward. History will only repeat itself if they keep being caught up by what happened. Therefore, they destroy their previous relationship and reform it. Everyone starts anew. Whatever happened remains unforgotten yet already forgiven. To mark the establishment of the rekindled relationship, I cut the Elders' heads.
Everyone cheers. Elves are naturally a peaceful bunch. They were very distant just a few moments ago, but now they are already hugging each other with a smile on their face. Humans might be able to do it, but I doubt they would be as genuine. I walk to Haletha, causing her to turn around and face me. I raise my hand slightly and she immediately understands what I mean.
"I am planning to hold a banquet. We want to thank you for everything you have done for us," she reasons.
"That can wait, Haletha. I will have a lot of free time after the Demon Kings Summit," I explain. "Arieda and Eryn are still busy tending to the injured soldiers, so please send them my regards. I need to get to Cresundia as soon as possible."
She looks hesitant but eventually acquiesces. "Very well. I guess I will see you sometime later in the future." She shuffles slightly before steeling her gaze. As I quirk an eyebrow, she envelops me in an embrace. "You are always on the move, so it's very hard to spend some time alone with you. Pardon me for my impudence, but I am frustrated by our stagnated relationship."
A wry smile creeps up my face as I return her embrace. It makes me wonder why the women in my life easily fall for me. I hope it is not because of the pheromone my body passively secretes. I separate myself from Haletha and bid her farewell. I teleport to where Millonia, Eliseus, and Aurelia are waiting for me as soon as the Elves' gazes land on me.
Upon noticing my appearance, Aurelia assumes her Dragon form. We immediately climb up her back and set off for Cresundia. The flight is mostly spent in silence. There is not much to talk about and the girls seem to notice that I am deep in thought. I wouldn't mind if they talked more to me, but I appreciate the peace.
Subjugating humans and governing them is not as easy as doing that to the Elves. They are selfish, opportunistic, and full of grudges. The only way to force them to accept my rule is by using violence. I need to beat them first for them to listen to what I say. In short, I will repeat what I did to the people of Antares. The reason why I stayed in Lithandrel for three days was the preparation of the Magnam Geas.
Rebellions are bound to occur somewhen. I don't want to risk chaos from happening while I am gone, so it is better to prepare a preemptive measure. Anyone who has the Geas will die the moment they hold ill intent that may jeopardize my occupation of Cresundia. They will also be suggested to love the new Cresundia, so they can accept my occupation faster. I have no time to wait for them to develop a genuine appreciation for my rule.
Doubts are bound to bloom when they see some people die out of the blue after talking about rebelling, but they will eventually get used to it. As long as I don't give them any reason to rebel, the resentment will be limited to those who miss the old glory. Moreover, I have Lunea and Celia on my side. Lunea can persuade the people to accept me and Celia can convince the people that Demons are no different from the other races.
"Commander!" Decima greets me as soon as we arrive at Cresundia's palace. "Everyone has been waiting for you."
"Lead the way, Decima."
Decima escorts to the room where the meeting between Lemius and the important figures of Cresundia is ongoing. Their eyes turn to me as soon as I enter the room. I scan the room before taking the head seat which Lemius immediately empties. The three Nobles of Cresundia who have sworn allegiance to me are inside along with the newly appointed leading figures and Lemius.
A quick inquiry tells me that they are discussing how to tackle the forming of the rebellion group. The Nobles already know about the Magnam Geas but still worry that many people will die because they can't accept my occupation of their Kingdom. I dismiss their concern and tell them to propagate the atrocity that the previous King did to Lunea instead. Moving on, we talk about how we should reform Cresundia.