As he tilted his steaming cup, Subaru also listened to what Frederica had to say.
"The Demi-human War - do you know what kind of conflict it was in the first place, Subaru-sama?"
"As I said before, I didn't ask about the details. However… it's not like I can't imagine it based on the text and the historical background."
"Oh, that's interesting. Can you tell me what you think?"
Frederica smiled, hiding her mouth, as Subaru responded to his question.
Laughing while hiding the fangs in her mouth is something that has become an ingrained habit for her. She is often seen doing so.
Even though he laughs a lot, I think he doesn't want others to see his smile.
Subaru closed his eyes and scratched his cheek with his fingers as he prefaced his statement with, "That's right."
"I don't know how long ago that war was, but I can imagine that it's not unrelated to the 'Witch of Envy'. I know that Emilia was treated like a thorn in the side of the royal castle, and that half-elves are disliked by a lot of people."
The "Witch of Envy" is a symbol of absolute evil that is even mentioned in picture books and is said to be unknown to anyone. Emilia was treated so unfairly just because of the similarity between them - she is a silver-haired half-elf. Subaru could imagine that the aftermath of that would lead to a quarrel over something so trivial.
"So a half-elf is the child of a human and an elf, right? If there is a trend of hating half-elves… then it's not surprising that there would be prejudice against people who are half-breeds, because they are the offspring of a human and another race, and they would be considered heretics."
"...Please continue."
"This is just my imagination, but the trend towards rejecting half-elves will lead to the rejection of half-humans as well. And to take it even more extreme, there might even be people who think that the very existence of demi-humans, who could be the reason half-humans are born in the first place, is scary."
As far as Subaru knew, the most common race in this world was still humans. The existence of elves and beastmen like the three beast-kin siblings had also been confirmed, but even from his experience spending a few days in the royal capital, it seemed that the absolute number of demi-humans different from humans was smaller than that of humans.
And simply being in the majority can be justice.
"I don't think that everyone, everyone, would lean towards that way of thinking, but it's the same wherever you are, the people with loud voices stand out. And so they hate demi-humans... their true feelings are that they're scared of them, I guess. All of that dissatisfaction comes pouring out of them, and in the meantime..."
"Conflict broke out between humans and the demi-human race. The smoldering embers eventually grew stronger and spread, reaching out to cover the entire land of Lugnica."
Taking over from Subaru, Frederica spoke in a gloomy voice.
Subaru looked at her with one eye closed and her head slightly bowed. Frederica nodded once and then raised her face towards Subaru,
"It was such an unassailable guess that there was almost no need to elaborate. …Have you really never heard any detailed information?"
"No way. If this is mostly correct, then it's a victory for my imagination. Or maybe it's just my reading experience... In light novels and the like, racial conflicts are commonplace."
Still, the fact is that Subaru has naturally never been aware of such issues.
Although racism did exist in his original world, it was something far away for Subaru, and he perceived it as no different from the problems of another world.
It would be correct to say that I had a cold-hearted attitude of "I am me and others are others," but in reality, I should say that I turned a blind eye.
"However, even if your imagination can keep up with the outbreak of the problem, it's impossible to rack your brains to come up with a solution. But since it's in the past tense, at the very least, the demi-human war itself must be over, right?"
"Yes, for the time being. However, the scars of the war are still deep, and the seeds of prejudice against children of demi-humans and humans are still deeply rooted."
Perhaps because she herself was born into a background that made her the target of prejudice, Frederica's words carried a weight that could not be understood by simply hearing them from the outside.
Subaru hesitated to ask further, wondering if it was OK to ask further, but Frederica sighed as if she had read his intentions, and
"I'm sorry for bothering you. Let's continue the story."
"I want to tell you that you don't have to push yourself, but if this story directly relates to what I want to ask, I can't say that. Please push yourself."
"My my. Subaru-sama, you're really good at motivating people."
Taking Subaru's selfish remark in a positive light, Frederica tilted her cup and moistened her tongue, then,
"The Demi-human War began about fifty years ago. It continued for nearly ten years after that... but the records show that it ended forty years ago."
"Ten years... that's a long time. It seems that in the history of my hometown, there have been wars like the Hundred Years' War and the Thirty Years' War."
I don't have a deep knowledge of historical novels, so I only have a passing knowledge of these cases from glimpsing their names in textbooks, etc. However, since they have names like that, they must have lasted at least that long.
The thought of continuing to hate and fight someone for thirty or even a hundred years was terrifying.
Subaru has only been in this other world for about two months.
"Even though I'm so exhausted, I can't keep fighting someone for decades."
"Anyway, a war broke out between one demi-human settlement and the humans. It was a conflict that should have been resolved there and then, but... because of an incident that occurred afterwards, the heat of the war flared up all at once. A brutal, bloody conflict broke out all over the place."
"The incident that followed?"
"Right after the first conflict broke out, the then King of Lugnica, who took the situation seriously, sent one of his aides as an emissary to bring about peace. The chiefs of several races on the demi-human side were supposed to gather together, welcome the emissaries, and attempt to settle the matter through negotiations, but..."
As Frederica tried to avoid saying anything, Subaru silently tilted his head, urging her to continue. Frederica closed her eyes at his gesture,
"Everyone who attended the meeting - the envoys from the royal castle and the clan leaders - were all killed on the spot."
"Kill them all...? By whom and why?"
"To this day, the perpetrator is unknown. However, it seems that both the humans and the demi-humans at the time concluded that it was a plot by the other side. As a result, a small spark turned into a big fire that could not be easily put out, and it continued for ten years..."
"What are you doing? Let's talk it through more properly... is that just an idealistic idea?"
Considering the feelings of the people at that time, this was perhaps a very divine perspective.
He was a close aide to the king, dispatched from the royal castle. Considering his honor being killed at a meeting, it would be a disgrace to retreat without identifying the culprit. On the other hand, the demi-humans also ended up with all their leaders killed. It's terrible to count lives, but if you compare them purely, the damage is greater.
Moreover, between the two of them there is a foundation of racial ties that arose due to the existence of the ``Jealous Witch.''
It was difficult to even begin to repair the relationship, and while they stood still, they were slow to address the next problem that arose - it is not hard to imagine how they fell behind and delayed their efforts, leading to tragedy.
"The Demi-human War ended in the end with the surrender of the Demi-humans. That being said, it's not that the Demi-humans admitted to their involvement in the summit, but rather that they simply acknowledged the futility of continuing to fight."
"Personally, I think it's wise to give in early in a muddy fight. Besides, this is like a civil war, right? There's nothing to be gained from it as a country."
"That's true. While Lugnica was preoccupied with the Demihuman War, its national power declined significantly. It was fortunate that the situation of the neighboring countries was not stable at the time, but a weakened Lugnica may have been replaced by another country."
Perhaps it was a blessing in disguise, but the other three countries, excluding Lugnica, were all preoccupied with their own affairs at the time, and Lugnica managed to avoid being stabbed in the back.
The country is currently facing a crisis no less dire than that crisis.
"But it's amazing that he was able to make the decision to end a war that had been going on for so long. It must have taken a lot of courage, and it's not easy to do considering the resentment from the hardliners."
"…There were some incredible beings among the humans that could even break the hearts of those hardliners. The sword saint of that time, Thearesia van Astrea, had all the demi-humans bowing their heads before her brilliant swordsmanship… what happened?"
"No, it's not that I don't know your name, I was just surprised to see it. It's a small world."
I've heard it a few times, Wilhelm's wife's name was definitely that of Thearesia.
The Sword Saint at the time, which would have been Reinhard's predecessor, was said to have been the woman who had been in charge of it and who had singlehandedly demonstrated such deeds that she was able to bring the war that had lasted for ten years to an end.
"Well, I understand the flow of the Demi-human war. And I can roughly imagine some of the problems that will arise from it."
"Subaru-sama's guess earlier was almost correct. You seem to have an unexpectedly quick mind, I'm surprised I was mistaken."
"If we continue to interpret it as a compliment in a positive way, the Demi-human war may be over, but the prejudice against Demi-humans won't disappear easily. Of course, that kind of resentment wouldn't be openly expressed in public."
Even in the royal capital, humans and demi-humans passed each other on the main street lined with fruit shops. I don't know how much hardship they must have faced before this common sight became a normal part of life, but while there are places where this is normal, there are also places that are never able to maintain this normalcy, and are always hidden away.
"A closed village with a small population where outsiders don't come in... If there's someone with a problem in a place like that, it feels like they're going to be bombarded with criticism."
"That's exactly the kind of environment my brother and I found ourselves in."
Frowning in pain as she remembers the past, Frederica calls her younger brother - Garfiel - by that name for the first time honestly, and looks into the distance.
"My brother and I are siblings with different fathers. That's why we have different family names... I use my father's family name. My brother uses our mother's family name."
"Speaking of surnames, if I remember correctly, Frederica's is... Baumann?"
"Yes. And I think my brother is called Tinsel. My mother was... a very clumsy woman, and also unlucky."
Frederica was choosing her words carefully, but not completely. When I didn't understand what she wanted to say and showed my lack of understanding with my expression, she prefaced it with "I'm embarrassed to say this, but..."
"My mother was about to be sold off to pay off her debts, but was captured by a group of demi-human thieves who were targeting slave traders... and that's where she met my father."
"What?! Wait a minute! I can't ask that without being prepared!"
"However, my father also died soon after, and while he was at a loss with me as a baby, he was captured by another group of demi-humans. There, he met Garfiel's father again..."
「Wait, wait, it's my fault! I never thought things would get this serious!」
"So I'll keep it brief so it's not too heavy. Anyway, that's when Garfiel was born, but he couldn't live with his younger brother's father either, and the three of them were at a loss as to what to do, and just when they didn't know what to do, they were picked up by the Mathers family."
Having casually confessed her burdensome past, Frederica sighed, her eyes filled with nostalgia. Then, stroking the railing of the chair she was sitting in,
"At the time, the head of the Mathers family was already in his early teens... Lord Roswaal, who inherited the throne, so my brother and I truly owe him a debt of gratitude. I feel honored to have the opportunity to look after him in this way."
"So the two of them were put into the 'Sanctuary' and lived there... By the way, this is a bit difficult to ask, but what happened to your mother?"
From what he had heard about their origins, it seemed that their mother was purely human. In other words, she should be able to leave Sanctuary normally. On top of that, he had never seen her anywhere in Sanctuary, let alone the mansion.
Subaru couldn't believe it and imagined the worst, but Frederica shook her head at him,
"You seem worried, but please rest assured. My mother left my brother and I in the care of Lord Roswaal and then immediately left the mansion and disappeared. We don't know where she went after that. But I hope she's well."
"――――"
Subaru was speechless and fell silent at Frederica's nonchalant attitude. The worst thing Subaru could have imagined was a death, but the reality turned out to be even more cruel, causing the two of them to betray each other.
However, after hearing these circumstances, a question arises.
"Even though he was separated from his mother like that, that bastard Garfiel took his family name to match his mother's. Frederica is his father, right?"
"There are no records or anything left, so we have to rely on our mother's memories passed on from generation to generation… but they're not very reliable. The reason my brother took our mother's family name is because… he didn't know our mother, and even though he acts tough, he has a strong heart."
"You have strong feelings..."
Thinking of Garfiel, Subaru crystallized his image of the person in his mind.
He's quicker to act than to think, and he's foul-mouthed and rude, but he's logical and not incomprehensible. He thinks he's stupid, but that doesn't mean he doesn't think, and he doesn't stop thinking. His impression is that he's a thug who carries on the image of a good old delinquent.
If we evaluate him simply for being consistent, I won't deny that he is a good man with a strong sense of duty and humanity.
"Subaru-sama. --Do you know how the barrier of 『Sanctuary』 selects its targets?"
As Subaru was lost in thought, Frederica suddenly asked him a question.
Subaru couldn't comprehend what that meant and was slow to react. He looked back at Frederica with a puzzled expression, and then said, "Um," with an unsure air.
"Honestly, I don't know. Even though I'm sure there is a barrier there or not, I can't feel it in the first place. I think it's something magical that checks the people who pass by..."
"The barrier searches for the bloodline within the body of anyone who passes through. There is human blood and demi-human blood there. The true nature of that barrier is to repel anyone who can clearly identify these two."
"...What are you trying to say?"
The method for selecting barriers was suddenly mentioned. Unable to understand the meaning behind this information, Subaru lowered his voice and asked Frederica the question. In response, she nodded slightly,
"Do you know why I have left the barrier and am outside of the Sanctuary?"
"...No, to be honest, I don't know. After hearing the conditions of the barrier, I'm even more confused. On the way back, I saw that Lewes was close to the barrier and was feeling unwell, and when we entered the 'Sanctuary', I knew that its effects were real."
Just before her intense first encounter with Garfiel, Emilia passed through the barrier and collapsed. Considering how powerful it was, it would be foolish to doubt its existence.
"--Huh, why?"
At that moment, a shock ran through Subaru's mind.
It was on the way back with the refugees accompanied by Lewes. They left the forest, passed through the barrier and headed outside the Sanctuary, and felt something was off when they parted ways with Lewes, their guide.
That was the answer to that strange feeling. As Subaru watched Lewes reluctantly distance herself from the barrier, that was what had been bothering him.
"If the conditions were the same... why was that bastard Garfiel in such good health even though he was so close to the barrier?"
Garfiel surprises Subaru and the others who have overcome the barrier, and performs a spectacular performance in which he throws Patrasche and the dragon carriage together.
There's no doubt that he wasn't being serious at that point, but there was Emilia who lost consciousness just by passing through the barrier, and Lewes who nearly fell ill just by being close. Garfiel's behavior was far too different from theirs.
--It was as if his body was not affected by the barrier.
"Because he has the trait of reverting to his ancestors, at first glance it may seem like my younger brother has a lot of demi-human blood in him, but in reality that's not the case. Just like me."
"If the thickness of blood is the condition for the barrier to distinguish between half-Japanese and non-half-Japanese people... what if one of the blood types was thin enough to escape that condition?"
"My brother and I have different fathers, but neither of us were pure demi-humans. We're both half-humans, and when we mate with a human mother, the baby is an incomplete being with only a quarter demi-human blood."
"Quarter... that's why you weren't caught in the barrier."
Because it's a barrier that blocks half people, it doesn't block quarters. It's a clever way of talking like Ikkyu-san, but some of the various doubts tell Subaru that it's true.
Regarding Frederica's escape from the Sanctuary, Lewes was vague in his words, but said that she was an exception, and now that he had heard it, he could understand her true intentions.
But that also raises another question.
"Wait. So, does that mean Garfiel can also leave the Sanctuary? If he feels like it, he can do so regardless of the success or failure of the Trials."
If that is true, it would be a surprise but a welcome one.
If the barrier that was getting in the way of pulling him out of the Sanctuary wasn't an issue, then there was a chance he could be brought out when his powers were needed, like when Erza attacked.
This time, he had almost completely crushed his chances of defeating Elsa, and was only thinking about how to get the remaining people out of the mansion, but――
"If he can get out, then..."
"It's true, my younger brother can leave the 『Sanctuary』 just like me. When I left the 『Sanctuary』, he went with me to the barrier. But..."
Then, cutting her words off, Frederica looked at Subaru, who felt as though he had found some bright spot. The emotion brimming in her eyes was so deep that Subaru felt his enthusiasm cool off in an instant. And then, to Subaru, she said,
"My brother remained in Sanctuary. And as long as Sanctuary is not liberated, I don't think Garfiel will ever venture outside. He's a very passionate and kind boy."
"Strong emotions... No way."
Subaru raised his eyebrows at the thought that had occurred to him. As if to confirm his surprise, Frederica pulled her chin in and hid her mouth with her sleeve,
"He's not the kind of kid who would just leave the residents of the Sanctuary, who can't go outside, behind. For better or worse, he's honest... he's a troublesome little brother."