An Extra’s POV

Esme ended up building strongholds for the people in those settlements and teaching them a few things they could use to develop their lands.

She aided in their agriculture, helped to defeat the Monsters that terrorized them, and solved a lot of their crisis; both internal and external.

The process was long and arduous—hence the reason for her late arrival.

"You should have seen them, Rey. They looked so miserable…"

To say his heart ached upon hearing all about what Esme witnessed would be an understatement.

"I… always thought I was helping all of humanity by siding with the Alliance. But, I guess I was wrong." He mumbled.

"I was only helping some."

"Yeah. From what I heard, the Alliance doesn't even bother with these small regions. I find that to be very distasteful." Esme's face darkened even further as she frowned.

"The people in charge here… I despise them."

"Is that why you barged in and caused such a commotion? You didn't care about them?" Rey chuckled as he sat on the bed, right beside her.

"It's not funny, Rey. The people out there were suffering greatly, yet the Alliance that's meant to be aiding humanity sat by and did nothing!"

"No, Esme. You're being a little too shortsighted." Rey sighed, finally settling in on the bed, crossing his legs as he sat up.

"What?"

"We still have insufficient information to blame the Alliance for the suffering of those people."

"Did you not hear a word that I said? Those people were—!"

"I did. I heard you quite well. And I understand that those people have been through rather unfortunate times."

"Then—!"

"It, in no way, means the United Human Alliance is at fault here." Rey sighed.

The United Human Alliance was—at its core—an amalgamation of different countries and cultures. When the war of the Dragons came, they gathered their strength together to fight.

"So it only follows that the Nations you saw were excluded from the amalgamation—either of their own accord, or due to their inability to reach the standards of an alliance."

are you

Alliance is doing nothing to help them, but is that

"Y-yeah. I mean…"

currently fighting in the war against the Dragons?" Rey asked, his tone

"…"

to the question. Perhaps because she already

do that they need all the help they can get. It makes no logical sense that they would ignore potential fighting power, so chandes are that the Nations in question are the

face twisted the moment she heard Rey refer to the very people she saved—the ones

"Re, you—"

how they were helpless against the might of the Dragons, while the Alliance was better off. They

always tell a story that suited their narrative. As long as Ingroup bias existed, the way their perspective would be shoved into a potentially neutral scenario would

abandon those people unless, for some reason, they

a few reasons why that could be

military power. It's possible that they wouldn't have much of governmental control within the Alliance, and even their highest leaders would be nothing

a scenario, some people would rather cling to the ultimate power they had as the

was better to rule in hell than become a

think so, Rey. I can see their Alignments, rememeber? I also know when someone

the deal with the Alliance, and they refused. The people were perhaps fed another narrative, which passed around

the leaders

with the deal and refused are already dead. It's been over ten years since the Alliance

silent once

but she was also not as headstrong about her views as

she thought. And even if some were, if the narrative they fed her was wrong, then the Alliance was not the enemy she

some hidden motives I am unaware of. There's also the fact that they hid the information about those other Nations from

information was kept secret. If the other Nations were uncooperative, and the Alliance itself was

group that was actively

it leaves a bad taste in my mouth…' His eye narrowed a

United Human Alliance in front of Esme, he didn't like the fact that

was where his logic clashed with his

to combat the great evil that is the Dragon Scourge. I'm not saying the framework is perfect. No, it's far from that. There are

Rey, the solution I offered

figured that out as well. The damage that had been done to these people for over a

fact, she barely spent a week in each settlement, so it wasn't

leaders that they weren't able to join the Alliance and enjoy its benefits, I don't want to sit by and let them suffer

both hands on Esme's shoulders

also don't want

again—a mix of red

They both smiled.