When the group finally left, the boy shouted, "Grandpa, it's obvious they're hiding something."
"Even if they're hiding something, it's not something we should be digging up," Ren faced him with a frown. He felt uncomfortable with where this was headed.
"Little Wu, stop this nonsense," Shen added.
"But why?"
"If I tell you to stop, you should stop!" his grandmother repeated with greater urgency.
Little Wu was just a child, so when he was being yelled at by his grandparents, he felt indignant. How could he sit back and wallow in the abuse? He gritted his teeth and yelled, "A weird accent, cloaked appearance, they must be-"
Before he could finish his words, Ren roared furiously, "Wu Fan!"
With a voice so loud that everyone's ears were ringing, the boy looked up to his grandfather in fear. He was frozen stiff with his words hanging in his throat, refusing to come out. Unbeknownst to him, his back was wet with sweat. He had never seen his grandfather this angry before!
Once everyone calmed down, Ren returned to his usual calm. "Let's call it a day. Don't speak another word of this matter, okay?" he said, to which both Little Wu and Shen nodded. Only Little Wu was confused about the reason why. Although he was scared, the boy had no way of knowing that his grandfather was ten times more scared.
Currently, Ren's entire body was completely drenched in sweat. His fists were as white as a sheet, as he resisted the urge to puke. With his heart beating faster than any drum, he was paralyzed. It was like he aged ten years in a flash! The man was doing everything in his power to suppress his fears and appear normal. At his old age, any slight scare was enough to send him to the grave. Who knew if this was it? The man forcefully swallowed his saliva and parched his dried throat. He had to look! Without daring to move his head, he quickly glanced out the windows from the corner of his eyes, but only darkness greeted him. A wave of relief washed over him. Perhaps his fears were unfounded.
Alas, ignorance was bliss. In reality, several Perception Realms were waiting outside, some on the roof, some on the ground, and others in a variety of locations. They had excellent vantage points and covered the building from head to toe. There was nothing that escaped their senses! A light breeze rustled their cloaks, revealing the armor of the Royal Guards! This was not too surprising. Elizabeth's protection was their paramount priority, and anything that had to do with her was heavily scrutinized. If these people posed a threat to the crown, in any way shape or form, they would have to be silenced. It was that simple! Thankfully, Ren and Shen noticed something was amiss and averted disaster. If Little Wu carried on, things might have turned ugly. The Royal Guards and Grand Knights lingered for a while longer before they grew satisfied. In the blink of an eye, they vanished.
***
Meanwhile, Elizabeth and her friends were walking back to the fortress. A brisk autumn wind swept through the desolate streets and chilled them to the bone. It reminded them how cold it was getting. Winter would be descending soon. Although Elizabeth could call for a carriage or horses, she decided not to ruin the delicate atmosphere. Either way, with Sir Winstin and the other guards here, it was as safe as could be.
Everyone was engrossed over the previous conversation with Ren since it was their first experience talking with a person from the Xingyuu Empire. The Imperial Princesses did not count since they never had a 'normal' conversation. On one side was the Imperial Princesses, and on the other was the heir apparent of the Alzar Kingdom. Both sides had their reservations and refrained from speaking their minds. The run-in with Little Wu and his family was different because from their point of view, they were talking with fellow neighbours. There was no need to hold anything back.
Freon had to say, "You three really should have chosen fake names. They probably knew who we were."
Elizabeth frowned. In hindsight, she realized this too, but it was too late for regrets. Besides, it was not much of a problem to her whether they knew or not. What could they do? It was the Royal Guards and Grand Knights that were more concerned about keeping her identity a secret. She decided to change topics and said, "What did you think about our conversation?"
"What a load of rubbish it was," Freon snorted. "The Alzar Kingdom kills his children, and he shrugs it off, because he can't do anything about it? He must have hated them to begin with."
"I don't think so," Shirley denied with a hint of melancholy. "From the way he acted… I could tell his emotions were genuine. He really does love his family."
"Love thy heavens, love thy family, and love thy self. People from the Xingyuu Empire believe that being filial is one of the greatest principles that they must uphold," Benedict said. "They treat it far more seriously than the Alzar Kingdom or the Zino Kingdom. In all likelihood, I don't think he was lying to us. They must be his honest thoughts."
"That's true. They don't have any reason to lie to us," Elizabeth pondered.
"It's specifically because the Xingyuu Empire believes in filiality that he shouldn't forget about his grievances," Freon pointed out. "They're his own family! If you put yourself in his shoes, could you forgive the Xingyuu Empire?"
Elizabeth recalled the slaughter of New Havens, Benedict recalled Isabella's death, while Shirley recalled the invasion of Lour Island. All three of them made the same face of disapproval. Obviously, none of them had the altruistic mind to let bygones be bygones. It was the same for Freon. Too many injustices fell on their laps, how could they smile and ignore it? They could not! They had to return these favors ten-fold! Even Elizabeth, someone who advocated for peace and stability, could not say she could forgive the soldiers that slaughtered her family and destroyed her life. If so, that begged an important question. When the flames of war settle down, who would decide right and wrong? Who would deliver the blade of justice?
She did not know. If the Alzar Kingdom defeated the Xingyuu Empire, things would be simpler. The victor would be right, while the loser would be wrong. They could simply kill and destroy everything they disliked, washing away the losers in the annals of history! As they say, the winner takes all! But Elizabeth knew such an ending would be cataclysmic to the empire. The rivers would be filled with blood, and the corpses would scale the skies. The Alzar Kingdom would not hesitate to execute a grand genocide! After all, the kingdom was founded off the ideology of 'us or them'. It was so rooted in society that the Xingyuu Empire was a demonic evil that must be purged. When she departed from Castle Reinhard for the battlefield, she was reminded of this.
A peaceful ending where everyone left satisfied… did not seem realistic. Everyone wanted to win, but not everyone could win. For example, Elizabeth wanted to take revenge on the soldiers that slaughtered her family. She should be on the righteous side. However, what if the soldiers were like Little Wu and his family? What if they lost family to the Alzar Kingdom too? By the same reasoning that made Elizabeth stand on the side of righteousness, these soldiers were righteous too. It was a slippery slope without an end, as every grievance could be traced back to another. Like what Ren said, these seeds of hatred would carry on through the generations. It would form a never-ending cycle!
When the First Great Kingdom War ended, King Harth and Emperor Lianghu ran into the same problem. To appease both sides, they were forced to make a few commitments, release prisoners of war, and execute others. Some citizens were pleased by this, but the majority were unhappy. After all, they lost so much in the wars, so they wanted the other side to pay! They felt letdown by their monarchs. There were even some riots in the capital that wanted more heads to roll. No one could accept this outcome. However, King Harth and Emperor Lianghu's hands were tied. Since the peace was a mutual one, neither side could be too overbearing in their demands, lest they trigger another war. They had to do this.
Maybe this was why the Second Great Kingdom War happened so quickly. Empress Mei Li's death was the spark, but that was not enough to cause the raging inferno that burned the lands. Indeed, the kindling was the resolution of the First Great Kingdom War! Even if the Imperial Council and Minister Linshi stayed their hand and never conspired against Emperor Lianghu, people would still find another reason to fight. The Second Great Kingdom War was an inevitability. It was destined to happen! In that case, then what did the peace that Elizabeth and the Imperial Princesses wanted… What did it look like? What was peace?