BXBX NOVEL Chapter 288: Impersonation (3)
Chapter 288: Impersonation (3)
Having finished a meeting with her advisors, where they coordinated their opinions, she was now alone in her office, with no one to witness her powerless reaction.
When sitting on the throne, she had to present a strict and dignified image, so this was one of the few times she could show her vulnerable side.
One was when she was alone like now, and the other was when she was with Isaac.
More precisely, this was her true nature. She had never shown her true self even in front of her dark elf bodyguard, Siris.
Isaac was someone Arwen felt comfortable dealing with, allowing her to express herself not as a queen but as her true self.
‘How did things end up like this…’
Currently, she was troubled by the recent incident in Alvenheim, the Kair impersonation incident.
If Cecily’s inspiration was Lilith, then Elisha’s inspiration was herself. This statement contained both the intention to check the rapidly growing Helium and her own personal interest.From the queen’s standpoint, the growth of Helium had to be slowed down somehow. Otherwise, it would remain Alvenheim’s most dangerous rival.
Originally, she had underestimated Helium, but after experiencing their cultural prowess showcased at the exhibition, her thoughts changed.
If things continued as they were, Helium would experience a terrifying growth rate and rise to become a superpower comparable to Alvenheim.
History has proven what results can occur when people unite with their leader’s intentions. During the race war, humans did so, while Alvenheim was busy with internal divisions. Despite the benefits, just having the people believe in their leader is a difficult task.
‘This is a public matter, so it can’t be helped.’
She wasn’t comforting herself but clearly distinguishing between public and private matters. Though she held compassion for the demon race, who were cursed from birth, Arwen was a wise leader.
Even if the demon race is pitiable, one must still be cautious where caution is due.
Despite the hiccups after the race wars, Alvenheim has secured its position as a powerful hegemonic nation.
Moreover, they have ousted the stagnant elders, who were so obsolete they were practically turning into fossil fuel, and are now experiencing a growth spurt.
“Do these fuckers think Kair is someone to be taken lightly?”
Being alone in her office, Arwen did not hesitate to speak harshly. Her delicate brows furrowed in displeasure.
Thinking about the events that have transpired in less than two years, and now this current incident, she felt a surge of irritation.
Although her statement was politically and personally motivated, she never imagined it would result in this.
Not just one, but dozens of people, adventurers, or mercenaries with notable reputations in human society, flocked in.
Not only do they insist that they are the real Kair, but they also frequently brawl at every opportunity, making it a headache.
‘This is an insult to Kair.’
The tragic romance between Elisha and Kair is one of Arwen’s favorite stories.
As an elf queen and a half-blood herself, she could deeply empathize with it.
In Xenon’s Biography, Kair is a gentleman, kind, and considerate.
A pure-hearted man who looked at only one woman until his dying breath, with a somewhat quirky personality but overall an exemplary human being.
Comparing him to the trash outside claiming to be Kair is an insult.
‘At least no one is claiming to be Xenon.’
If they did, Xavier himself would have personally intervened. If it were false, they would be dragged away for blasphemy.
Arwen wished divine punishment upon those claiming to be Kair, but it was a bit complicated.
The mindset of those claiming to be Kair was the problem. They truly believed themselves to be Kair.
Of course, their intentions were filled with impurity. Unable to contain her curiosity, she once approached them in disguise.
Even when they were staging protests or fighting amongst themselves on the streets, it was bearable. I just thought, how little do these idiots have to do to resort to such antics? But things changed after the evening.
To be sure, I had Siris tail them, and it turned out they were spouting all sorts of obscene talk, with most of them looking for a quick score.
As soon as I heard that, I wanted to banish them all out of sheer rage, but political complications made it difficult.
‘Fortunately, the people took care of it themselves.’
Arwen’s seething anger subsided as she recalled how her people had taken matters into their own hands, bringing a serene expression to her face.
The impersonators of Kair had crossed the line multiple times, earning the ire of the citizens of Alvenheim.
More importantly, the elves had decided to send Arwen to Xenon as a gift to avoid being outdone by the demon race.
Because the citizens of Alvenheim, not Arwen herself, had expressed this stance, the impersonators were now hesitant.
‘Isaac must have been… a bit flustered, right?’
The announcement declaring that Arwen was a gift for Xenon and warning others not to take her had stirred the world, but Arwen was satisfied.
She had always planned to make such an announcement, and the impersonators had provided the perfect opportunity.
Moreover, it wasn’t Arwen but the people of Alvenheim who had made the statement, making it all the more meaningful.
‘Anyway, Kair isn’t those fools but Isaac.’
Arwen was under a significant misconception, but considering her situation, it was an understandable one.
Despite the major mistakes she had made, Isaac had shown kindness to Arwen and even resolved the mixed-race issue.
He had even given Rain a suspended sentence instead of a real punishment during the manuscript theft incident.
Isaac might be a thoughtful and kind person, but I realized something after the not-quite-battle with Cecily last time.
Isaac came to this world from another one, and the world he lived in is similar to the one described in Xenon’s Biography.
To be precise, it’s an alternate form of this world that ceased to exist, a ‘future’ that vanished.
‘I understand now why he denies coming back from the future without hesitation. It’s not a lie.’
At first, I thought there was a ‘restriction’ preventing him from speaking. But in retrospect, Isaac never lied.
To explain this, we need to delve deeply into the truth that even gods find difficult to handle: ‘time.’
Let’s say someone came back from the future to the past. Then, they start changing things one by one in the past, which has now become the ‘present.’
Can we still call the future they came from the future? A future that has already changed too much?
It was a once-famous theory, but it was buried due to its complexity and the fear that it might challenge the place of gods.
Not an artificially erased theory like the Dark Elf expulsion incident or forbidden magic ‘fusion’, but one too complex and fearsome even for elves, thus abandoned.
But if we apply this theory to Isaac, it fits astonishingly well.
Of course, for him, it is the future, but he used the above theory to cleverly avoid the truth. Even the gods would take his side.
In other words, Isaac is a returnee who has experienced all the incidents and accidents in Xenon’s Biography and came back.
After much logical deduction, Arwen reached this conclusion. If Isaac heard it, he’d probably think she was writing a soap opera by herself.
‘The future has changed quite a lot, though…’
Arwen recalled the women by Isaac’s side. Women who are in no way inferior to her and even surpass her in some aspects.
She wanted to abandon her duties in Alvenheim and run to Isaac, but her work was too taxing.
Elisha in the book must have felt similarly. However, unlike her, Arwen would never experience a tragedy.
The Council of Elders, who constantly kept her in check, had exited the stage of history, and the people were actively urging her to marry.
Everything was perfect. The only thing left was to expel the greedy impersonators.
After that, she could go to Isaac, explain the situation, and use the excuse of ‘I had no choice’ to embrace him.
Thinking about embracing him made her blush, but no one could stop her from letting her imagination run wild.
Knock knock knock
[Your Majesty. It’s Keir. May I come in?]
That person just appeared.
Arwen quickly composed herself as Keir, recently appointed as a bodyguard, knocked on the door.
She couldn’t show this unsightly appearance to anyone except Isaac. So she shook her head quickly.
“Ahem. Come in.”
Arwen cleared her throat and granted entry.
As soon as she gave permission, Keir carefully opened the door and entered.
“What is it?”
“I have urgent news to report.”
“Are those people causing trouble again?”
Arwen’s beautiful face crumpled in displeasure. Since the impersonators had arrived in Alvenheim, there hadn’t been a single day of peace.
Not only were the impersonators deluded, but they also coveted Arwen’s status and appearance.
Having revealed herself once, their obsession grew stronger, leading to frequent conflicts with the people of Alvenheim.
“They should know by now. Not only did I, but also the people like you declared with one heart and one mind that I, Arwen Elydia, am a gift for Xenon.”
“Yes, I understand. I agree as well. But the problem is…”
Keir hesitated, unsure whether to continue, then sighed deeply.
He gave a bitter smile, as if dealing with a headache, and looked at Arwen before speaking.
“It’s not those guys, but another one who has crossed the line.”
“What do you mean?”
Again, the world is vast.
“Now, it’s not someone claiming to be Kair, but someone calling themselves Xenon.”
“…What?”
There are more crazy people than expected.
Arwen’s silver-gray eyes widened, then blinked in disbelief at Keir’s report.
Pretending to be Xenon instead of Kair was truly crossing the line, no matter how many lives they had.
More surprised than angry, she stammered as she asked Keir for confirmation.
“Is… is that really true? Not Kair, but Xenon?”
“Yes. Even without asking Luminous, it’s 100% a lie… You know that, right?”
Keir subtly hinted to Arwen with a cautious tone. It was a piece of advice, indicating that things would get more complicated.
As soon as Arwen received the question, her mind raced. Despite the warnings not to cross the line, the impersonators had dared to do so.
Exile them as they are? Even if exiled, their voice will echo around the world, and impersonators will spring up everywhere.
The best way is to take them to the temple for verification, but will they comply?
Moreover, they are impersonating not ‘author’ Xenon, but the ‘hero’ Xenon from Xenon’s Biography.
Not only Arwen, but others would also know this, making it all the more absurd.
It’s not a new suicide method, so how bold must they be to impersonate Xenon? Did they covet his position that much?
“…Can you tell me what they said?”
“They’re going around saying they’ll make you happier than Kair and asking to marry them. They also said they’re going to be a hero, so treat them accordingly.”
“What kind of idiot…”
Arwen stifled the urge to call them god-like fools. She patted her chest to calm herself before barely speaking.
“…Just tell me their name and characteristics.”
“They’ve listed their name as Xenon on their entry application. Should I call them that?”
“Just call them a fake.”
Xenon, my foot. They’re a counterfeit.
Keir shrugged at her words and continued slowly.
“Understood. By human standards, he’s just turned 17, and he’s been boasting about being Xenon in the mercenary guild. So, it’s highly likely that his real name is Xenon.”
“And?”
“He’s said to have quite strong skills for his young age and is very talented. Probably because of this…”
Arwen sighed, realizing what was going on.
‘What an immature human…’
*****
Meanwhile, around the same time at the Temple of Luminous.
“Someone in Alvenheim is claiming to be Xenon?”
“According to the news we’ve received, yes. Will you go?”
“Of course.”
Kate, who had received the news faster than anyone else, smiled brightly at the messenger’s question.
“I’d love to see what kind of madman dares commit such blasphemy.”
She said this with a truly chilling smile.
Translators note: