The play (3)

"That's the story of Fiore, the first human emperor and the one who established the Fiore Empire," Alex replied to Freya.

"You seem confident about your guess," Freya remarked.

"That's because I am," Alex nodded with certainty. "After all, I know this history intimately."

In his youth, Alex had been notoriously lazy, shirking responsibilities in most aspects of his life. Whether it was his martial arts training or lessons in noble etiquette, he avoided them at every opportunity. No one dared to force him otherwise, as his father—the patriarch of the Eswald family—had always instructed the household to let Alex do as he pleased.

However, there was one area in which his father never allowed any leniency, and that was history. By his father's decree, Alex had to thoroughly understand the origins of their family and its long, illustrious lineage.

Given how deeply intertwined their family's history was with the founding of the empire, it was inevitable that Alex would be forced to learn not just about the creation of the Eswald family but also about the first emperor and the imperial lineage as a whole.

As the curtains rose once more, revealing the stage for the second act, Alex's guess was proven correct.

The man whose village and family had been slaughtered by orcs—Fiore—had begun his bloody arc of vengeance. He made no distinction between the orcs who had attacked his village and others of their kind. Every orc he encountered was killed on sight.

The more orcs he killed, the stronger he seemed to become, evolving into what the orcs had once been to the humans: a relentless hunter.

He single-handedly obliterated entire villages and strongholds of orcs, his efficiency in killing increasing with each encounter. It was as though his thirst for revenge was directly fueling his power.

At that time, people were unaware of the concept of leveling up or gaining strength through absorbing mana. In fact, only a handful of individuals could consciously manipulate mana. For most, it was an unconscious force, and they primarily relied on their innate physical attributes. While the entire continent of Imperion was engulfed in chaos, with every race fighting to assert dominance over the others, humans simply wanted to be left in peace, knowing full well they were no match for the other races.

Alas, that peace was denied them. It became common to witness horrors similar to what had happened in Fiore's village unfold in countless other human settlements.

The obvious repercussions was that along his way to avenge his family and massacre the orcs, many people joined Fiore in his quest. Some, like him, harbored a deep hatred for the orcs, while others carried similar feelings toward other races, such as ogres, goblins, and even elves.

As more and more people rallied behind him, Fiore's goal evolved from simply killing orcs to the extermination of any race that wasn't human. Over time, this mission expanded further as his group began rescuing people, saving villages, and offering protection to those in need.

"My friends," the actor playing Fiore cleared his throat to draw attention to himself. Around him, the fifty or so members of his small unit stopped what they were doing and focused on him. "The chaos on Imperion is increasing every day, and humans across the continent are suffering. We can't save everyone because we can't be everywhere at once. So I thought of something—how about we create the first human civilization on Imperion? That way, all the humans on the continent could rally together and face the other races as one."

This idea of creating a civilization exclusively for humans was met with overwhelming enthusiasm by Fiore's unit.

From that point on, when they saved people or villages, they escorted these survivors to the place they had established as their headquarters. Slowly but surely, that headquarters transformed into a bustling village, and then into a thriving city where people of all ages lived comfortably under the protection of Fiore and those who had taken up arms to defend the human race.

Ironically, despite being the one to suggest the creation of a human civilization, Fiore initially refused to lead it. His sole focus had been avenging his family and slaughtering orcs. He believed that becoming the leader of the new human settlement would distract him from his mission. Unfortunately for him, his followers insisted, leaving him no choice but to assume leadership.

Up until that point, everything seemed to be progressing smoothly. However, the moment other races learned of the humans' intent to establish their own civilization, chaos erupted.

All of a sudden, the newly formed human settlement came under siege from neighboring races. These races, unwilling to allow the "weak" humans to claim their own piece of land, launched relentless attacks.

Fiore and the makeshift army he and his followers had assembled managed to hold their ground for a time. But they quickly realized that if the fighting continued, it wouldn't be long before their small city was destroyed.

As fate would have it, rumors began circulating about a group of humans living in a forest not far from their settlement. The peculiar aspect of these rumors was that the forest in question was as inhospitable to humans as a dungeon.

This forest was the site of an ongoing territorial war between the elves and the Virax, two of the most powerful races on Imperion. Most other races avoided the forest entirely. Yet, somehow, a group of humans was reportedly living there?

Fiore and his followers were skeptical of the rumors, but they decided it was worth investigating. If true, it would mean these humans were powerful enough to survive in the forest and perhaps could lend their strength to the settlement's defense.

To their surprise, there was some truth to the rumors. A group of humans was indeed living in the forest, but contrary to their expectations, it wasn't all the humans in the forest who were exceptionally strong. It was just one individual.

The other humans in the forest were skilled fighters who had managed to survive in such a dangerous environment. But their survival was only possible because of one person, and after further investigation, Fiore and his subordinates discovered his name: Osmond Eswald.

When this name was revealed, a wave of surprised gasps swept through the theater. The audience was visibly stunned to learn that the powerful human who had kept the elves and Virax at bay was none other than Osmond Eswald. His name was widely known because he was the ancestor of the current Eswald ducal family.

Freya instinctively glanced at Alex to gauge his reaction to hearing his ancestor's name, but what she saw unsettled her.

Alex's expression was somber, his silver eyes fixed on the actors playing Fiore and his subordinates with a cold intensity Freya had never seen before.

Why does he seem angry? she wondered. She wanted to ask him, but before she could, the "camera" focus shifted, signaling a transition to another scene in the play.

In the new scene that unfolded before their eyes, several weeks seemed to have passed. The background shifted from Fiore's bustling settlement to a secluded area deep within a forest. The tall pine trees stretched skyward, their dense canopies filtering the sunlight.

In this scene, Fiore stood before one of the towering pine trees, his long hair flowing as if caught by a phantom wind. An undeniable aura of regal majesty surrounded him, exuding both power and authority. His sharp gaze was locked on a particular branch high above, where another man, seemingly in his forties, leaned nonchalantly against the tree trunk.

The man had long, messy deep blue hair that cascaded over his shoulders, a slightly tanned complexion that hinted at a life spent in the wild, and a casual demeanor. His eyes remained shut, and a relaxed smile played on his lips, giving him an air of mystery.

"Are you Osmond Eswald?" Fiore inquired, his voice calm and composed. There was no trace of arrogance or superiority in his tone. Instead, his words carried a quiet strength and authority that demanded respect without needing to ask for it.

"I might be," the man replied lazily, his tone as relaxed as his posture. Without opening his eyes, he continued, "Who's asking, and why are you here?" His voice carried an easygoing yet sharp undertone, as if he were simultaneously unconcerned and highly perceptive.

"My name is Fiore, and I'm—"

"Oh, you're the human playing king outside these lands?" Osmond interrupted smoothly, cutting Fiore off mid-sentence. A smirk formed on his lips as he finally opened his eyes, revealing deep blue irises that shimmered with an almost otherworldly light. "To what do I owe the honor of your Majesty's visit?" Osmond inquired, glancing at Fiore.

When Osmond's piercing, ocean-deep eyes locked onto them, both Fiore and his subordinates felt an overwhelming weight settle over them. It was as if they were staring into the endless abyss of a bottomless ocean, their very existence laid bare. The pressure they already felt intensified tenfold, making it difficult for some to even breathe.

"Be direct," Osmond said sharply, his gaze narrowing. "What do you want from me? I don't have patience for people who waste my time beating around the bush."