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

Human Alliance is doing nothing

"Y-yeah. I mean…"

war against the Dragons?" Rey

"…"

question. Perhaps because she already knew the obvious

fighting the war, and to do that they need all the help they can get. It makes no logical sense that they would ignore potential fighting power,

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

"Re, you—"

of the Dragons,

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

there's no reason why the Alliance would abandon those people unless, for some reason, they refused

of a few reasons

resources or military power. It's possible that they wouldn't

the ruler of

in hell than become a

you saying they lied to me? I don't think so, Rey. I can see their Alignments, rememeber?

with the Alliance, and they refused. The people were perhaps fed another

leaders

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

fell silent

but she was also not as headstrong about

rescued 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 enemy

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

kept secret. If the other Nations were uncooperative, and the Alliance itself was in a crisis, it wouldn't make any

focused on the group that was actively fighting against

leaves a bad taste in my mouth…'

of Esme, he didn't like the fact that

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 them. Still… we can't

it. But, Rey, the solution I offered them

as well. The damage that had been done to these people for over a decade could not be resolved by Esme in

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

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

also don't

eyes met once again—a mix of red and blue, reflecting in each

They both smiled.