Heroine Worship

Chapter 31- The Way Forward

       After Lanying told Jae she was going to return to the Wēifēng palace, he decided to go along with her. He knew that he should probably be looking for the others, but, given the recent events, knew that information about Valeria was probably a top priority for all of them. Once the two were safely out of the way from any prying eyes, Lanying agreed to speak with him in her room. He could only briefly took in the surroundings, as his focus was directed elsewhere. The room housed a large bed, a wide vanity, a dressing room off to the side, and a spectacular view of the ocean. Certainly, it was a comfortable palace befitting of the Queen.

      "I suppose you're wondering why I'm so invested in this," Lanying removed her drab disguise and began to put a more regal outer layer, then moved towards her vanity, "I know you must be curious about your friend and what it has to do with me."

      "Well, yes," Jae nodded, feeling a little awkward to be speaking so casually with someone as important as Lanying in her chamber of all places. But if there ever were a place to provide absolute privacy, he supposed this would be it.

      "The issue is very complicated, as it goes back multiple millennia— far before I was born," the Queen prefaced, starting to comb her hair, readying herself to remake the extravagant updo she was known for, "but I'll just speak on what is relevant to Valeria," she opened up a large drawer filled with cosmetics and hair accessories, "Did you know that Valeria is a Hidden?"

      "I..." Jae began to think, "no, I did not."

      The first thought that crossed his mind was 'how can she be a Hidden? Aren't the Hidden only full-Elves?', but it was soon replaced by another. Recalling the time when they broke Arlo out and Valeria had somehow fought off the mutated drakes all by herself. Her cuts were to clean to be made by a person who was fighting in desperation— something else was going on. He supposed that her being a Hidden was a viable explanation.

      "Given that the Light Elves fought a brutal war against the Hidden not too long ago, relatively speaking, they still believe them to be their greatest adversaries," Lanying wove a section of her hair into a braid, doing the same on the other side. "Now, of course, every nation fights wars every now and then— it's just the way things go sometimes— but it was different with the Hidden. The Hidden were a decentralized group of nomadic people of all different creeds who banded together because of their unique condition— the ability to take powerful weapons out of their bodies. Eventually, they settled in a territory that now belongs to Isilynor, creating their own unique culture and settlement. Given that the Hidden were made of peoples from all across Sairesa, they had many trade opportunities readily available, which each citizen being fluent in at least two languages. Surely enough, all sorts of people flocked there, including those known as low-level Demons. You know, Succubi and the like."

      "So the Light Elves didn't like them because they settled on their land?" Jae guessed, taking a few short steps towards the Queen, "surely there must be more than that."

      "You are correct," Lanying began to re-apply her eye makeup, "the Light Elves believe that they have been charged by Sairesa itself to purify the world and protect 'Those Born in the Light' from any evil. I am not going to judge their religion itself, but I do have opinions about how they carry it out," finishing her eyeliner, she continued, "indeed, their calling is incredibly noble, and they have done good for many. However, I object to their belief that entire people groups are evil simply because of how they were born."

      Jae sat down at a nearby desk, leaning in for the Queen's next words.

      "Now," Lanying set down her cosmetics, studying her reflection, "I personally do not think evil can create— it only has the power to influence. Therefore, if there is something about someone that they cannot change, then it is only a mere difference between types of peoples, not a cause to call them evil by default. Even creatures we call monsters do not differ greatly from those we call animals, but they can be manipulated to become more aggressive, and therefore evil," Lanying turned to face Jae. "Unfortunately, this belief isn't particularly popular with anyone. Fundamentally, we all want to put people in easy-to-understand boxes to justify our actions, failing to grasp the nuance that resides in all of us."