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

said the United Human Alliance is doing nothing to help them, but is

"Y-yeah. I mean…"

war against the Dragons?"

"…"

the question. Perhaps because she already knew

logical sense that they would ignore potential fighting power, so chandes are that the Nations

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

"Re, you—"

Alliance abandoned them, or how they were helpless against the might of the Dragons, while the Alliance was better off. They said all those things, presenting themselves to be

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

no reason why the Alliance would abandon those people unless, for some reason, they

already think of a few reasons why

It's possible that they wouldn't have much of governmental control within the Alliance, and even

they had as the

better to rule in hell than become a servant

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

possible that only the leaders are aware of the deal with the Alliance, and they refused. The people were perhaps fed

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

fell silent

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

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

the fact that they hid the information about those other Nations from

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

the group that was actively fighting against the

bad taste in my mouth…' His eye

in front of Esme, he didn't like

logic clashed with his

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 them for every misfortune

Rey, the solution I offered them was

these people for over a decade

a week in each settlement, so it wasn't like she could do much work for each

the Alliance

placed both hands on Esme's shoulders and

also don't want

again—a mix of red and blue,

They both smiled.