CHAPTER 7

MEN WAGE WARS FOR WOMEN

  As Hans absorbed his grandfather's words, a feeling of pride bloomed inside him like a flower reaching for the sun. His head lifted towards the elders as if daring anyone to challenge his newfound confidence. He was determined to seize this opportunity to get some answers he sought but was too hesitant to ask his grandparents. With a deep breath, he turned to face Samwell, meeting his gaze with unflinching determination.

As if waiting for a signal, Samwell's lips parted and his words cut through the awkward silence. "What is it you desire, Hans?" he asked, his voice measured and steady.

"Just answer my questions," Hans replied, his tone firm and resolute. "My grandparents hardly tell me anything, so I need to know."

Simple, just answer my questions. Granma and grampa hardly tell me anything.

Samwell nodded sagely, his eyes softening in understanding.

"Then ask away," he said. "I'll do my best to answer."

Hans wasted no time, firing off his first question like an arrow shot from a bow.

"Why are you forcing us to leave?" he demanded.

Samwell's expression grew solemn as he replied,

Because we need your grandparents. These are dangerous times, and if the great Utar barrier is breached, there will be no safe haven for anyone. That's why we're calling back all able-bodied individuals.

Hans wasn't satisfied yet. He fired another question at Samwell, his doubt apparent.

If the situation is this dire, why is my grandma so opposed to leaving?

Samwell's eyes flicked towards Sierra, and for a moment, a shadow passed over his face. But he composed himself quickly and answered Hans with care. "It's not entirely clear to me why she's protesting, but the answer probably lies with my little brother, whom you resemble."

Hans hesitated, sensing there was more to the story than Samwell was letting on. "Why is she so worried?" he pressed. "I just look like him. He can't be a bad guy, right?"

Samwell let out a heavy sigh, his shoulders slumping with the weight of his words.

"It's complicated, kid... I mean, Hans. For some, Samson was a descendant of the gods, a hero destined to bring salvation. But for others, he was a harbinger of destruction, a force to be feared. Everyone has their own interpretation of him. To your grandparents, he was like their own child who was abandoned when he was no longer needed."

  As Samwell gazed at the child before him, memories of his younger brother flooded his mind. The boy in front of him bore an uncanny resemblance to his beloved sibling, who was now long gone. A bittersweet smile flickered across Samwell's face, replacing his usual stern expression.

"This resemblance of yours," he began, his voice tinged with melancholy. "It will bring both joy and trouble."

Hans furrowed his brow in confusion. "Why?" he asked.

When one person has more power than another, it breeds jealousy.

Why? Hans asked again.

Samwell let out a heavy sigh again. "When one person has more power or possessions than another, it breeds jealousy," he explained. "It's just the way we humans are. We always want what someone else has, and if we can't get it, we try to tear them down."

  Hans struggled to grasp the concept of greed and envy, his innocent mind unable to comprehend such darkness. But Samwell was quick to reassure him. "Not everyone is like that," he said. "My brother was a great king, and his people loved him more than anything. They were willing to die for him, and he would have done the same for them. There are good people in this world, too."

Hans pondered this for a moment before posing another question. "Then why did a great person like your brother die?" he asked.

Samwell's expression grew heavy with sorrow. "My brother had a vast wealth of rare sunstones, but he was stubborn and refused to share them," he said, his voice tinged with regret. "In the end, it was his downfall."

As Hans struggled to understand the concept of the rare sunstones and their significance, he interrupted Samwell with a question. "Isn't it just a magical ore?" he asked, hoping for a simpler answer.

Samwell shook his head. "No, it's much more than that," he asked.

How much do you know about mana ores?

Hans shrugged, admitting,

Not much, just that they're condensed mana.

Samwell explained further, "There are three types of mana ores found in nature," he continued.

The first is the mana stone, which is an exhaustive resource that becomes useless after depletion. The second is the mana gem, which is a crystal of small size but high concentration. It's expensive, but it can recharge itself after use.

Hans listened intently, but when Samwell stopped at two, he couldn't help but ask,

Didn't you say there were three?

Samwell nodded.

Yes, there is a third type of ore, but it's also exhaustible and contains too much power. Researchers still struggle to define its origin.

  Hans was fascinated, but also overwhelmed by the complexity of it all. He realized that there was so much he didn't know about the world beyond this place. As Hans fell into a contemplative silence, Samwell took the opportunity to speak.

"Apart from my brother, many people possess the power of sunstones, but none have matched his proficiency," Samwell said, his voice tinged with pride and sadness. "The only one who came close is my father, Alliance head Norwin. He helped Sam build the Grand Utar barrier that imprisoned the red Demons in the Deadlands."

Stolen novel; please report.

  Hans couldn't help but feel a pang of jealousy at the thought of Samson's incredible power and the admiration he commanded from others. He was starting to understand the darker aspects of human nature, and how envy could be a dangerous thing as he himself was feeling jealous of him.

Changing the subject, Hans asked, "What are the red demons?" He had already heard about them from Sierra, but he was curious to hear Samwell's perspective.

  Samwell sensed that Hans was not well-versed in the world's lore and thus provided a brief explanation without delving too deeply into the well-known tale of the red demons that circulated throughout Genas. He did not wish to squander their time with a story intended for young audiences.

Samwell began to speak, his voice heavy with the weight of the past.

Not long ago, a race from another world had invaded, their entry point being the northern nation of Utar. The humans had lost their land, becoming nothing more than livestock to the invaders. To halt their advance, Samson had provided sunstones, while our father, Norwin designed the Grand Utar Barrier, now renowned throughout the land.

"However," Samwell continued, "as I've mentioned, sunstones are a finite resource. Some of the stones have already begun to lose their power, creating openings in the barrier and allowing the red demons to escape."

The way Samwell defined red demons was similar to Sierra, but if sunstones are losing power, then they could fix it by just replacing it, so he laid out his innocent thought in front of his talking guest.

Hearing this, Hans offered a simple solution. "Why not just replace the old sunstones with new ones?"

Samwell let out a sigh before responding.

In Genas, there are no sunstones. They never existed. According to the mage tower, excavation or creation of them is impossible. That's why people believed they were a gift from the gods, sent to save us from the red demon onslaught.

Hans, perplexed, interjected.

But you just said that Samson had many of them. There must be some left.

Samwell's response was filled with bitterness.

That's what I like to believe, but we lost the location of the sunstones when he died. He didn't share that damned thing with anyone until his last breath. It was the primary reason the world abandoned him in the Elven war, and he perished at the hands of the Clandorians.

The mention of the Elven War piqued Hans's interest, and he looked at Samwell curiously. Samwell let out a sigh, not expecting to have to delve so deeply into history when asked to answer a child's questions. He began to speak, recounting the events of the war.

Samson of Parv and the Clandor Elves battled each other in the Elven War, which was the first large-scale conflict between humans and elves. The difference was that other human nations sided with the elves instead of Sam, as he refused to share the power of the sunstones with anyone.

Hans asked,

Is that why no one supported him?

Samwell nodded.

Yes, Sam believed that the sunstones held a greater purpose and refused to use them for personal gain. He stuck to his principles till the end, and the war never saw a single sunstone from his side.

Hans became confused.

"But aren't the red demons a greater purpose?" he asked.

  Hans had previously believed that his grandfather, Rudolf, could defeat anything he wanted, but he now realized that the world was much more vast and dangerous than he had initially thought. King Samson had opted to preserve the sunstones at the cost of his life, and his actions clearly held great significance.

Feeling a loss of confidence in his grandfather's strength, Hans grunted.

Shit, I am losing confidence in my grampa’s strength.

Samwell reassured him,

Sir Rudolf is undoubtedly strong, but he is just one knight. Numbers have strength, Hans, and it has always been the greatest advantage of our kind. That's why you should always live with others, not alone.

  Samwell's words of reassurance fell on deaf ears as Hans couldn't stop thinking about King Samson. His mind was consumed with questions, so he couldn't help but ask Samwell once again.

"Why didn't Gramps help him while he was in danger? If he held this much importance, you should have saved him," Hans pressed on, not considering Rudolf's regretful feelings.

Samwell sighed deeply, knowing that this was a painful topic for many. He took a moment to gather his thoughts before answering carefully.

"I couldn't save him because he did something pretty bad," Samwell explained.

Even his own people betrayed him for it. The Alliance supported the Clandor, and the war happened while Sir Rudolf was fighting red demons alongside Lady Sierra. Unfortunately, the news hardly travelled to Deadlands.

  Hans's curiosity had been piqued by the word "Alliance" for some time, and now he finally had the opportunity to get an answer. Samwell, anticipating what was to come, cursed his own mouth. Every time he introduced a new word to Hans, it seemed to create even more questions. He let out a heavy sigh before explaining,

"The Alliance is an organisation formed by all the Nations of Genas with the purpose of stopping the red demons."

Hans wasn't convinced, and he mocked Samwell.

If the Alliance's goal was to defeat the red demons, then why did they oppose someone who could have helped them?

Samwell gave a sombre response.

The Alliance was already against King Samson because he was hoarding the Sunstones. They feared that if he found himself on the verge of defeat, he would use the location of his secret treasury to bargain for help. But when he died without informing the Alliance, they shot themselves in the foot.

Samwell's voice was low as he recounted the tale of Samson's downfall to Hans.

In war, Samson could have used sunstones in committing genocide against elves but he kept his word to the bitter end that sunstones were for a greater purpose and never used any of it," he said, his eyes glistening with respect for the late king's honour.

  Hans was not Samson so no matter how hard he try to deduce the dead king's inner thoughts. But doing something so irreparable to elves that they launched a war against him was more enticing to know. "Just what did he do to elves?" he asked, unable to resist the urge to know more.

Samwell revealed with a tinge of embarrassment.

He was obsessed with their crown princess and couldn't see her marrying someone else, so...he abducted her.

Hans was stunned.

Woah! Seriously? He does not sound like someone...who gets killed because of a woman," he quipped.

  Samwell realized that Hans was expecting a more dramatic reason for Samson's death, such as stealing a treasure or destroying the Elven woodland. But the truth was simpler than that - a great man like Samson met his demise because of a woman.

Samwell's smile turned embarrassed as he continued to explain the situation to Hans. "Yes, it was shocking news because she was the bride of his best friend. Samson, Reina, Elanor(her betrothed), and one more person were all inseparable friends," he said.

Hans was surprised by this revelation, exclaiming,

Woah!, Woah!, he snatched his own friend's bride?

Samwell didn't want to delve any further into the topic, so he quickly added,

That's how the smartest person I know died an unsuitable death.

But Hans was still struggling to understand why Samson had to die. He became fond of his character like the protagonist of his favourite stories. "Why? Just why did he have to go out like that?" he asked Samwell.

Samwell replied,

Being deeply loved by someone makes you strong, but loving someone deeply gives you madness. Your grandfather knows this all too well. He fought for two days straight to win the heart of Lady Sierra, and he succeeded. But not everyone is so lucky. My brother was not. He loved deeply, but his love was not returned, and it ultimately led to his downfall. You'll come to understand this one day when you find that special someone who captures your heart.

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