The Martial Unity

Chapter 3333: Nature is Cruel

”The giants declaring war with the light elves is good for us.”

Emperor Rael’s tone was optimistic.

He gazed at the reports in his hand with a hint of relief in his golden eyes as he skimmed through the intelligence reports that the True World Intelligence Consortium had managed to get its hands on regarding the giant invasion into East Genora.

Opposite him was a pensive Mother Alicia, who simply had a complicated expression on her face as she studied the many reports cluttering Emperor Rael’s dead table. The air in his Royal Office was one of silence and even a hint of gloom despite the bright light of the morning Sun that peered through the windows of the office.

”When you say ’us’...” Mother Alicia raised an eyebrow.

”I’m talking about human civilization, of course,” he nonchalantly clarified. ”This is definitely bad for you dark elves, and you have my sympathies. But I can’t say I’m sad that the light elves are suffering as a direct result of their consequences. Their fissure with you, dark elves, and the weakening of the Genora bloc, as well as the death of their Mother of Nature, contributed to this event. They have nobody to blame aside from themselves. As a leader of elven civilization, I’m sure you understand why two of human civilization’s enemies going to war with each other is good news for me.”

”I do.” She heaved a sigh. ”I am not just not eager to witness my former sisters suffer, even if we have recently broken up with them. I dislike the idea of the giants setting foot on Genora as well.”

”That is indeed something I can relate to as well,” Emperor Rael replied. ”The giants were different from the other settlers on this continent that came in the first month after the Unfolding. While other settlers weren’t good, there was a degree of respect for the land and the treasures it possessed, but with the giants, it felt they were raping our homeland with their voracious appetite. As much as I dislike the Evolutionary Army, they didn’t disgust me as much as the giants did.”

”Giants are among the most hated races in Gaia,” Mother Alicia replied knowingly. Their limited rationality and yet their extraordinary innate capacity mean that their propensity to listen to reason is not the highest. It takes a lot to make the giants listen to you, and power is the only way to do that. They respect the strong and heed their words more. But given that they are one of the most powerful races in the world, that means that very few people are able to earn their respect and their sense of reason.”

”So they are able to listen to reason when they are defeated, is that it?” Emperor Rael huffed. ”That’s not too different from human beings, then. This conflict will ameliorate some of the pressure that human civilization is experiencing from its enemies. I assume that the giants will be busy with the light elves for the time being, which greatly reduces the probability that they will attack us.”

”Giants are not the most rational, thus they may attack two places at once even if it is strategically foolish, but yes, it does bode well for human civilization,” Mother Alicia remarked. ”Dark elven civilization, on the other hand, needs to prepare for the possibility that they may make it to the West if our former sisters fail to stop them.”

Emperor Rael raised an eyebrow. ”I thought elves were invincible in their homeland, no?”

Mother Alicia smiled bittersweetly as she gazed out the window at the cityscape of Vargard, as well as the rich, blue Kandrian skies.

”Your son has called into question that presumption,” Mother Alicia remarked with a thoughtful tone. ”We too assumed that we elves were invincible in Genora. We certainly are extremely dominant, but now I’m not entirely sure whether we can call ourselves invincible in Genora anymore after the most recent events. What is especially stunning is the fact that your son did warn me that the longer our power remained untested and unchallenged, the more it would diverge from reality. He called it, I believe, ’tactical evolution.’”

Emperor Rael nodded, putting the sheets in his hands aside as he gazed into Mother Alicia’s sapphire eyes with a knowing expression. ”He is correct. Power is brittle if grown without natural selection. You elves have avoided serious conflict for a long time on your home continent, so you have no idea how strong you are and whether your growth is truly viable or just empty hot air. That is why war is necessary. To ensure that civilizations battle-test their power and grow through tactical evolution through natural selection. That is the reason that the light elves were defeated by my son.”

She heaved a sigh.

”Nature is cruel.”

Emperor Rael’s eyebrow rose as he studied her with a curious expression. ”I did not expect to hear that from Mother Nature herself.”

”It is true,” she remarked with a pensive tone. ”Nature is cruel for making us elves pacifist by nature. It is cruel to make us love peace and community and nature in a world that rejects nature and wages war. It is especially cruel to make war a necessity for growth and survival.”

”I suppose that it is true,” Emperor Rael replied thoughtfully. ”Evolution by natural selection is a cruel process that relies on the suffering of the weak to filter out the strong. But given that these are the cards that we have been dealt, would you not rather be strong than weak?”

”I would, but we rarely live that out in our daily lives. I suppose we should do our best and learn from the tribulations of the light elves as if they were our own.”

”That would indeed be optimal,” Emperor Rael replied. ”Now then, give me an update on the search for Rui. It’s been two weeks since his battle. I’m sure that you will have come to some kind of conclusion as to where he is.”