"There's no need to act so anxiously, Ryan," Yoona said with a smirk.
"You think I'm anxious?" Ryan realized his poker face was slipping in front of the High Priestess under all this pressure.
Yoona chuckled, then summoned the servants to place some bread and meat onto the plates. "You are clearly anxious. How could you not be?"
"Haah... It's that obvious, aye?... All of this is hard for me to accept. I mean, so much stuff has happened to me in such a short time," Ryan said as he looked Yoona in the eyes.
"You will be fine," Yoona said as she took a bite of her bread. "The Goddess of Nils seems unorthodox in her choices, but it's only because we can't fully comprehend her visions. And it is never wrong."
"Who is the Goddess of Nils?" Ryan asked.
"Our Goddess, Nils, is the Dark Goddess. Her true form is kept hidden away in Darkness." Yoona explained as she took a sip of her wine. "But she's our goddess of rebirth, of life, and death."
'Huh? Hidden in shadows? Did she come to me in my dreams last night? I don't like this.' Ryan shivered at the thought of the goddess messing with his dreams.
"You said she's the goddess of life and death?"
"In this world, we have two kinds of people. Those who live, and those who die. As they say, 'Only the strong survive.' Plus, there's the nonliving, of course." She says with a smirk.
"So, how bad is the division between the races?" Ryan asked as he felt a sense of déjà vu, as if he'd seen this cliche scenario in anime before.
'This sounds way too familiar. It's starting to feel too similar to fiction. I don't need to be caught up in a war of the races.' Ryan thought.
"Very good, Ryan. You're a smarter one, aren't you?" Yoona looked him straight in the eyes with an amused look.
'Shit!' Ryan accidentally let his facade of acting dumb slip in front of Yoona. 'Now it's going to be harder to play dumb in front of her in the future. Maybe it has something to do with the food they gave us or this mana that's absorbed into my body? I'm having a tougher time trying to play coy with the Sorellians.'
"Yes, we share this world with many other races."
"Which races?" Ryan asked.
Yoona smiled. "There are other Dark Elves, also humans, dwarves, and demi~"
*SLAM!*
Hiro slapped both of his hands on the table and yelled.
"And d-d-d-demi-humans!?" Hiro screeched with excitement, interrupting Yoona. His outburst caused everyone to jump in their seats as they all turned to look at the human. The dark elves at the table had a look of shock or annoyance written all over their faces.
'Damnit, Hiro! I almost had a heart attack because of you!' Ryan thought as he tried to calm himself and noticed some Dark Elves glaring at Hiro.
Yoona shook her head. "Yes, there are demi-humans. I don't know why that's such a big deal. They are a migratory race. Quite a boring species if you ask me."
'I've never seen Hiro so starry-eyed before. Haah... He has a one-track mind. I need to ignore him and find something edible to eat. I'm going to need my strength if I'm going to get out of here...'
Ryan looked around at the food on the table, 'God, this meal looks disgusting... J-Just don't look at it and try it, Ryan. You ate their crap earlier, and it was fine... I think,' Ryan thought as he summoned the strength to try eating his unusual elven dinner.
He selected a piece of deep blue food. As he raised it to his mouth, it was difficult to discern whether it was meat or a vegetable. He hesitated, not wanting to consume something that looked so unappetizing, but his hunger drove him to give it a try.
To his astonishment, the food tasted surprisingly delicious, but he found it necessary to shut his eyes as he took a bite of the dark blue-hued meat. It resembled a lamb shoulder blade, and there were assorted vegetables that Ryan couldn't quite identify.
'Anyway, it seems like Hiro is contemplating how to get his fantasy waifu he's always wanted. I pity the demi-human that comes across Hiro.' Ryan shook his head before getting his thoughts back on track. 'Well, let's find out who the Dark Elves are warring with?'
"So, what race is your enemy?" Ryan asked as he finally finished his elven cuisine.
"Our main obstacle is the Alliance of the Divine Three. They're a combination of human kingdoms." As Elianna jumps into our conversation. "They're ruled by the Kingdom of Nordland and the Holy Kingdom of Chalced. When the Alliance of the Divine Three was formed, the Dark Elves were forced to make peace with them."
"More like a non-aggression pact than a peace between Sorellia and the Divine Three," Yoona adds as she sips her tea.
Ryan nodded. "Why is there friction between Sorellia and the Divine Three? It seems like there's more to this story?"
"That is because of the current king of the Divine Three... His name is Rolmund, and he has the backing of their Prophet," Elianna said with a sigh. "He's got a penchant for purifying anything that is unholy in the eyes of the Divine Three."
"Purify?" Ryan asked with worry. He assumed that the war was over land, but if this is about a holy war, then this is a bigger issue than he had first anticipated.
Elianna nodded. "When the Divine Three found out about us, they sent an envoy to tell us to leave the area or be destroyed, and by leave, they meant purged. It didn't take them too long before the Divine Three brought their paladins to purge us. It was like they wanted to murder my people for fun."
'FUCK! Did we get summoned to stop a genocide? Are you kidding me!? I don't even have enough time to get a good night's rest! Why the fuck are we the ones that have to solve their problems?' Ryan's heart sank as he listened to Elianna's tale.
"Our Goddess sent us the Twins of Mournhold in our time of need. So we could summon the Chosen Ones. So, we are able to destroy all of those whom the Goddess has deemed Unholy," Yoona explained as she sat back in her chair.
Ryan wanted to cry right then and there, but he couldn't. He was just a little too exhausted. He couldn't believe what he had just heard.
'Is this how I'm going to die? Being a hero for these crazy elf women?... I-I need to keep cool and get stronger. Then I need to find a way back home to my family.' Ryan's mind started to wander as he sat there.
The elves continued to eat their food as Ryan pondered over what they just told him. "So, you mean to say that there are other races out there that want to purify all those who aren't worshiping similar gods?"
"Correct. It's not only the Divine Three that want to end us, but the Angels and the High Elves wish for our demise as well."
'So, I'm on the side that has Angels coming after them. Great!' Ryan was beginning to grasp the increasing complexity of the situation. It seemed as though the entire world was bent on the eradication of the dark elves.