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."

you talking

United Human Alliance is doing nothing to help them,

"Y-yeah. I mean…"

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

"…"

Perhaps because

do that they need all the help they can get. It makes no logical sense

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

"Re, you—"

Alliance abandoned them, or how they were helpless against the might of the Dragons, while the Alliance

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 often present themselves as being in the

Alliance would abandon those people unless, for some reason, they refused to be a part of

few reasons why that could be

that they don't have much to offer in terms of resources or military power. It's possible that they wouldn't have much of governmental control within the Alliance, and even their highest leaders would be

cling to the ultimate power they had as the ruler of a small land than to merely be little fish in a

to rule in hell than

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

The people were perhaps fed another narrative, which passed around until everuone believed they were

leaders were

place that has such insecurity and crisis, it's possible that the previous leaders who were approached with

fell silent

disappear, but she was also not as headstrong about

as innocent as she thought. And even if some were, if the narrative they fed her was wrong,

course, there's a chance that I'm wrong. After all, the Alliance could have some hidden motives I am unaware of. There's 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

that information was kept secret. If the other Nations were uncooperative, and the Alliance itself was in a crisis, it wouldn't make any utilitarian sense to divide the attention

had to be focused on the group that was actively fighting against

in

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

his logic clashed

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

Rey, the solution I offered them

these people for over a decade

a week in each settlement, so it wasn't like she

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

both hands on Esme's shoulders and

also don't

mix of red and

They both smiled.