The point of view briefly shifts to a modern studio apartment.
"..."
"...Hunter-nim?"
The blond man, who had been explaining things smoothly until then, suddenly fell silent. Only after a long pause did he finally continue.
"Seonwoo Yeon-ssi. By any chance, did you notice anything strange about what I've explained so far?"
Something strange? If we're being honest, there wasn't a single part of this story that wasn't strange. The man in front of her had just claimed to be an alien, and beside him, Justitia was verifying the truth of their conversation.
Clank.
Even at this very moment, the scales were tipping to the right. The black-haired woman trembled slightly as she asked,
"What exactly am I supposed to find strange...?"
Her eyes were half unfocused. But those words were enough, and so the man continued.
"If you look closely, you'll notice that my past self considered killing the upper beings completely natural."
"Yes?"
"A disregard for life-"
"Ah..."
"In the dean's case, if I had done nothing, I would've been the one to die. So even if you generously call that self-defense, when it came to dealing with the upper beings, I never hesitated at all."
"That's true."
"Above all, since we couldn't communicate properly, I think I simply saw them as beasts that made strange cries."
The alien wearing Kim Giryeo's skin moved. He shifted his hand as slowly as possible so as not to startle Seonwoo Yeon, then pushed aside the blanket beside him. It looked like a meaningless gesture, but on closer inspection, it was a kind of preparation.
"So, under the pretext of developing technology to end the war, I didn't hesitate to dissect, torture, or slaughter prisoners."
"Ugh."
"In the end, I really did bring the war to an end with these hands—but in the process, I killed an enormous number of Beta beings."
"..."
"At the very least, I should've drawn a line between soldiers and civilians. Once you kill a living being, you can never take it back..."
The great mage subtly mixed small, seemingly harmless gestures into the conversation, steadily lowering Seonwoo Yeon's guard. At the same time, he maintained eye contact with his guest.
"Well, anyway. After hearing all that, I think you've probably figured it out by now—I'm a war criminal."
Worried that Seonwoo Yeon might run out halfway through, he had deliberately skipped over much of the boring lecture material. But in truth, the basic education he had received in his youth had been horrifying. Aside from magic, everything else had been abysmal. From a human perspective, it was practically ideological indoctrination—nothing more than propaganda.
"Would this... be considered some kind of ochlocracy... or something?"
Hmph.
The tenant of the one-room apartment clicked his tongue.
"Back then, the teachers indiscriminately slandered the Beta beings. They also deliberately withheld unnecessary information from the students at the training academy."
Those who came down from the sky were a lowly and filthy kind of soul, unlike us, who always lived immersed in water. They were unintelligent, vicious beings who indiscriminately slaughtered the pitiful inhabitants of wandering planets, and so on.
"Anyway, I remember the way the textbooks described their society being absolutely ridiculous."
A few fragments of those lessons still came to mind.
"But those white aliens were actually highly intelligent... Aside from the language system, their civilization wasn't all that different from ours."
The blond man moved his right arm rather than a tentacle and rested his chin on his hand. It resembled a posture he had often used in his previous life.
"Not long after the war began, a moderate faction among the upper beings rose up and argued that territorial expansion should stop."
"Huh..."
"They said their species had already secured enough territory to sustain itself, so wasn't it time to put an end to the meaningless slaughter?"
A quiet breath.
"Could a species capable of such profound compassion really have been nothing more than beasts to be hunted?"
Seonwoo Yeon no longer tensed up even when the resident of the one-room apartment changed his posture.
"As expected, I really shouldn't have taken part in the extinction of an entire species so thoughtlessly. Without even making the slightest effort to preserve them..."
The man in his twenties moved the borrowed Sambaegen eyes that were not truly his own. After checking Seonwoo Yeon's expression, he deliberately adjusted the muscles of his face.
"Still, don't worry. What I'm telling you now is actually just your typical good-versus-evil story."
"Yes?"
"The war criminal sitting in front of you has already paid the price in his own way. That's the point, right?"
The inner ends of his eyebrows lifted slightly, while the corners of his mouth turned downward.
"In a way, it's because of that punishment that I'm here right now... Seonwoo Yeon-ssi."
"Y, yes."
"But the truth is, I've been through quite a lot in the past. Now that I finally have the chance to open up and tell someone about it, it feels... different."
"Yeah..."
"It feels refreshing, and I'm grateful... So, if it's all right with you, could I explain things in a little more detail from now on? Like I said before, no one's ever really listened to my story."
"Hmm."
"If you're busy... I'll try to summarize it as much as possible, but..."
The alien shaped the borrowed face into an expression that easily evoked sympathy from Earthlings.
Unfortunately, the moment he imitated that particular expression, Seonwoo Yeon fell for the deception completely.
"It's, it's okay. Today's a holiday, so what could possibly come up? Feel free to say whatever you want."
Everything was going according to plan.
As he had said from the beginning, the mage wearing Kim Giryeo's skin had already figured out his guest's personality before starting this conversation.
.
.
.
Let's continue the explanation.
[Alphaurn]
An odd-numbered year had arrived.
In truth, war was often accompanied by unexpected stillness—as long as one wasn't standing directly on the front lines.
An assassin from Beta Star had infiltrated deep into the sleeping quarters. Then there were the petty conspiracies of allied mages, driven by jealousy of their comrade's overwhelming talent.
Indeed, all sorts of disturbances occurred during that period, but every attempt ultimately proved futile before a true genius.
Ah, these damn mosquitoes. They should know by now that it doesn't work, so why do they keep coming back?
It was just after the twenty-fourth assassination attempt had failed.
The green-cloaked mage grumbled to no one in particular as he laid the Beta assassin's corpse in front of the barracks.
This time, he put a little more effort into the aftermath.
He drained the copper-colored blood from the enemy's body, mixed it with the blood of other Betas he had stockpiled, and froze it into a particular shape above the sea.
It became a massive message of blood and ice—large enough for the Betas beyond the front line to see and understand.
[Stop]
[Sen][ting]
[This]
[Scum][bags]
However, since the writing was in the Alphaurn style, there was no guarantee they would understand what it meant.
Blood and flesh.
Even on this ocean planet, destroying a body was considered an especially brutal form of violence.
Precisely because of that, one deep-sea dweller paid even more attention to making death as spectacular as possible.
When a creature was broken apart in bizarre and unimaginable ways, the enemy who discovered the remains was usually thrown into shock.
Battles of momentum are important.
A green mage who instinctively knew how to overwhelm others.
And whenever he appeared on the front lines, the invading army retreated as though they were bacteria exposed to penicillin.
No matter how the war front shifted, the nation could no longer afford to treat him poorly.
One who can wield 6th-tier magic.
One whose internal mana quantity exceeds 100 units.
Had the era not been so turbulent, he would soon have been revered under a new title, having already fulfilled even the most difficult conditions said to be the true gateway to becoming an (Archmage).
But unfortunately, because it was wartime, he could not possibly fulfill one of the most traditional and essential requirements.
In other words, during the era of war with the upper beings, there was no (Archmage).
Haa...
Of course, even without the title, the young green mage was already highly regarded as a battle mage whose strength allowed him to stand shoulder to shoulder with the military's great mages, particularly due to his exceptional combat ability.
But in the end, an individual was still only an individual.
How could a warrior from some remote corner of the deep sea resolve a conflict between celestial bodies in such a short period of time?
How long am I supposed to keep doing this?
There were limits.
Even this monster, who seemed to become an entirely different person with every battlefield he experienced, could not end a war that had already dragged on for years.
Truly, comparing them to bacteria hadn't merely been an insult.
The reason was the reproductive ability of the Beta beings, which had adapted to Alphaurn's abundant environment.
They were nothing like ordinary animals such as rabbits. Their rate of cell division was so rapid that it could be compared to that of a single-celled organism.
Leave them alone for only a few days, and they could form eight or nine large colonies.
Each of those colonies possessed combat strength comparable to that of a small Alphaurn nation.
So even if the front line was pushed forward, it would soon come surging back down again.
The Beta beings were like summer floodwaters, swelling and pouring in endlessly.
Furthermore, the method of neutralizing them by tearing open their skin with (Telekinesis) was a unique technique that only this green mage could perform.
It feels like this will never end.
After spending some time deep in thought, the young mage eventually found his answer.
Fortunately, it did not take him long to reach a decision.
After considerable deliberation, he chose to withdraw from the battlefield for a while.
If Alphaurn was going to secure victory, they needed something innovative.
It was obvious that if they focused only on winning the battles directly in front of them, they would never have time to create the means necessary to win the war itself.
This can't go on.
The green mage soon decided to develop anti-Beta technology that even ordinary soldiers—not just genius mages—could use easily.
He obtained several assistants from the state and, after secluding himself in a safe house with them, began his first large-scale research project.
Light! That arrogant little mage. Does that brat not even have the word "respect" in his head? How dare he treat an elder like me as a servant and speak to me so casually!
Come on. It's all under orders from the nation, isn't it? Just put up with it. I'm sure he doesn't mean to treat you that way...
Are we really not allowed to go outside? Not even a single step?
To think we have to live in this cramped room until the war ends...
Experiment.
Experiment.
Experiment.
The comrades seemed completely fed up with the repetitive work performed under such strict confinement.
Don't you ever get tired! You brat! Don't you ever want to go outside and have some fun?
No matter how long that life continued, the deep-sea dweller remained as energetic as ever.
Why would I play? There's work to do. Soldiers in the upper layers are still dying to protect the planet.
You're speaking informally again!
I've hated entertainment since my school days. I never had enough time to study, so I just suppressed those annoying urges.
Heuk?
Now that we're talking about it, should I cut your nerves too?
N, no, I mean... I'm sorry... really...
Why are you apologizing? I'm offering because I mean well. This procedure—it actually feels pretty good afterward.
I said I'm sorry, okay!
Hold still. We're in the middle of a war anyway, and it's not like you'll be using them. We might as well remove those energy-wasting reproductive organs while we're at it.
Compared to the Alphaurns of the same era, the green genius gave off a strangely alien impression.
During that period, the Alphaurn gene pool still retained a strong tendency toward altruism, making it relatively easy to find what one might call "good people."
But this deep-sea dweller was so remarkably cold and strange that he stood out even among them.
In short, his innate disposition was rather unpleasant.
Once the war ends, I'll put everything back together properly. In theory, there shouldn't be any problems.
Kyaaah!
Fortunately, however, the green mage was not behaving this way out of malice.
He simply wanted to end the Great War as quickly as possible.
Who could blame him if that goal happened to coincide perfectly with his obsession with efficiency and manifested in an extreme form?
Compared to the dark, tranquil, and violently stormy Jupiter-like planet, his homeland was a place where every day seemed to pass slowly and steadily.
There's no point in a mage wasting energy screaming like that.
To him, the majestic scenery of this ocean planet felt like something worth protecting.
There's also a painless technique I'm developing. I'll test it right away...
Soldier! Soldier!
And there were those foolish compatriots of his who were terrible at communicating...
What is it? Why are you calling me? I'm busy.
We got a huge shipment from the higher-ups today. Fresh shellfish raised in the ### family's territory! I've never seen shellfish this plump in my life!
Hmm.
Here, you're a soldier, so you need to eat properly. Take my share of the spiky shellfish too!
Really? Why?
I just told you, didn't I? You're indifferent to everything else, soldier, but when it comes to food, you always pay attention.
No... that's...
Purrrr.
As the small-bodied Alphaurn hurried into the makeshift room, transparent bubbles streamed from the breath they exhaled.
I came here thinking about you, soldier. I didn't touch a single shell on the way here. Since you're always working so hard, I'll at least give you this much.
The creature's tentacles carried elegant containers. When they were opened, a row of luxurious delicacies that Alphaurns went crazy for was revealed.
And yet, such expensive food was being handed over to a crazy soldier who had deliberately dulled the sensitivity of his own taste buds.
That's strange.
Yeah.
It really was strange.
But every time the green mage witnessed such incomprehensible behavior from his fellow countrymen, he found himself becoming even more determined to end the war as quickly as possible.
Furthermore, during his time on the front lines, there had been an occasion when he pushed an enemy aside and urgently canceled a spell to protect a civilian who had wandered into the area, despite knowing full well that doing so would cause his own tentacles to burst.
The planet.
The creatures of its ecosystem.
Even magic.
Whoever created all of them, it was difficult to understand why this world contained so many things worth loving.
Anyway, since you're giving it to me, I'll eat it. No taking it back later, though!
Oh, don't worry.
A thoroughly self-centered individual who might almost have been considered a psychopath by the standards of the time.
And yet, despite his cold nature and rational tendencies, there had always been things he found endearing.
The seaweed that grew long between the rocks every summer.
The fins of fish moving with graceful precision, as though designed according to a blueprint.
Alphaurn.
Some might call such things trivial.
But perhaps, whenever he looked upon those elements of his homeland, he felt an indescribable sense of beauty.
Not long after that, the deep-sea dweller who had fought tooth and nail to defend the planet
finally completed a secret technique capable of driving out the enemy.
And with the spell he created, a historic event took place in which approximately 870 million Beta aliens perished.
It was the beginning of the end of the war.
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