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

Alliance is doing nothing to help them, but is that really

"Y-yeah. I mean…"

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

"…"

to the question. Perhaps because she

help they can get. It makes no logical

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

"Re, you—"

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

long as Ingroup bias existed, the way their perspective would be shoved into a potentially neutral scenario would often

at it, there's no reason why the Alliance would abandon those people unless, for

could already think of a few reasons why that could

don't have much to offer in terms of resources or military power. It's possible

would rather cling to the ultimate power they had as the ruler of a small land than

it was better to rule in hell than become

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

people were perhaps fed another narrative,

the leaders were

that has such insecurity and crisis, it's possible that the previous leaders who were approached with the deal and refused are already dead. It's been over ten years

silent once

also not as headstrong about her views

not as innocent as she thought. And even if some were, if the narrative they fed

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

If the other Nations were uncooperative, and the Alliance itself was in

on the group

taste in my

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

his logic

is perfect. No, it's far from that. There are many unsavory parts about them. Still… we can't blame them for every

get it. But, Rey, the solution

to these people for over a

week in each settlement, so it

if it's the fault of their leaders that they weren't able to join the Alliance

hands on Esme's shoulders

also don't

again—a mix of

They both smiled.