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 talking

Human Alliance is doing nothing to help

"Y-yeah. I mean…"

against the Dragons?" Rey asked, his tone as calm

"…"

said nothing to the question. Perhaps because she already knew the obvious

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

refer to the very people she saved—the ones who suffered before her eyes—as the ones to

"Re, you—"

they were helpless against the might of the Dragons, while the

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 often present themselves

Alliance would abandon those people unless,

few reasons why that could be the

to offer in terms of resources or military power. It's possible that they wouldn't have much of governmental control within

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

was better to rule in hell than become

Rey. I can see their Alignments, rememeber?

they refused. The people were perhaps fed another narrative, which passed around until

the leaders

possible that the previous leaders who were approached with the deal and refused are already dead. It's been over ten years since

silent

to disappear, but she was also not as headstrong about her

she rescued were perhaps not as innocent as she thought. And even if some

also the fact that they hid the information about those other Nations from us as Otherworlders—which means they didn't want us to know

Alliance itself was in a crisis, it wouldn't make any utilitarian sense to divide the

had to be focused on the group

leaves a bad taste in my

he didn't like the fact that he was

his logic clashed with

the Alliance's existence is 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 many unsavory parts about them. Still… we can't blame

the solution I offered

been done to these people for over a decade could not be resolved by Esme

barely spent a week in each settlement, so

they weren't able to join the Alliance and enjoy its benefits, I don't want

hands

don't

met once again—a mix of red and

They both smiled.