The Paranoid Elf Queen Turned Me Into Her Sister

“Commander!” The blue-skinned man, upon seeing this fully armed man who revealed not a trace of skin, immediately knelt on one knee to show his respect.

The armored man waved his hand, signaling him not to salute, but the blue-skinned man insisted on doing so.

“Where is this lady from? She seems unfamiliar.”

“Reporting to Commander, the two of them just entered the city today, their identities are still unclear, but they should not be spies from the Empire.” The blue-skinned man expressed his opinion.

“You two don’t seem to have come to join us, so may I ask what business brings you here.” The Commander looked calmly at us, and the gaze released from the slit of his helmet gave me a formless pressure.

“Also, Miss, I was quite interested in what you said just now. May I have a word with you privately?” The Commander gestured to the blue-skinned man beside him.

After a slight hesitation, the blue-skinned man made a “please” gesture to us. “This is not the place to talk. Please, follow me.”

I glanced at the Commander whose face was hidden under armor. This was already their territory, and if they wanted to harm us, they wouldn’t need such a complicated process.

Yimi still clung tightly behind me, (rubbing) at a skirt, but it wasn’t her own, it was mine, as if doing so could bring her some comfort.

Following behind the blue-skinned man and the Commander, we arrived at what was once the Lord’s Manor of Mosuo City, now the headquarters of the insurgents, with many furnishings still left untouched.

The residential areas of Mosuo City weren’t much better than Kanz City, with only slightly more markets and fewer shabby wooden houses, but upon entering the inner city where the nobles had lived, it was a world of bright lights and indulgence.

Although it had suffered some damage due to the insurgents, one could still see how fine and exquisitely carved the buildings here were, with stained glass windows, rooftops adorned with jewels and enamel, an appearance of luxurious extravagance.

The insurgent soldiers guarding the inner city gates saluted the Commander, and upon entering the inner city, I noticed a detail: the residential houses in the outer city were severely damaged, while the damage in the inner city buildings was relatively minor, as if these insurgents had deliberately avoided damaging these lavish structures after entering.

It was clear who had given this order.

I looked at the Commander walking in front of me, every inch of his skin covered strictly by armor. If it wasn’t just his personality, then perhaps…

Perhaps this Commander wasn’t as willing as the blue-skinned man to accept his new identity.

Entering the Lord’s Manor lined with silk and fur carpets, this Commander did not hesitate to sit on the highest golden-carved main seat, symbolic of the lord’s authority and able to overlook the entire hall, and gestured for me and Yimi to sit on the guest seats to the side.

The crystal chandelier in the lord’s hall shone with dazzling luxury, while in comparison, even candles were a luxury for the common houses.

“To introduce myself, I am Kledin Arlan, born into a hereditary knight family of the Empire.” Kledin sat upright in the main seat, introducing himself earnestly, hiding a certain pride in his family background.

“Pleased to meet you, Mr. Arlan. I am Teresa, and this is my sister, Yimi. We both came from Coleman Academy.”

Hearing me call myself her sister, Yimi, sitting steadily in her seat, felt a subtle warmth in her heart.

“Oh? You two are students of Coleman Academy?” Kledin was not surprised at all to hear that we came from Coleman Academy; he had already seen that we were not ordinary.

“What family do you two come from, and what wind has blown two top students of Coleman Academy here?” Kledin could tell we were from the same family.

“We have no family.”

“Oh, is that so.” Kledin did not pursue the topic.

As if. To study at Coleman Academy, how could we be commoners with no family name? He knew we said this simply because it was inconvenient to reveal our family background.

Kledin did not press further, but he felt a certain discomfort in his heart.

Looking at his current self, no noble in their right mind would reveal their family name to him.

He could no longer be considered human.

At this thought, Kledin felt restless, and even sitting on the high seat symbolizing the lord’s authority, he was merely a leader unrecognized by any faction.

“Miss Teresa, earlier on the street, you said we have fallen into another cycle?” Kledin’s tone and manner of speaking were very refined, clearly showing he was intentionally maintaining the demeanor of his human days.

“As a top student of Coleman Academy, I would like to know why you said that.” Kledin looked at his subordinate. “We are an army of justice rising to overthrow the corrupt rule and corrupt nobles, under the guidance of the Seven Saints, aiming to topple this malignant tumor that plagues the world. Are we wrong in doing so?”

“You two came from Coleman Academy, so you must have seen much along your way through the Empire. Do you still think this thoroughly corrupt Empire can be saved?”

“This chaotic world needs to be torn down and rebuilt.” Kledin said calmly and firmly, with the blue-skinned man beside him showing complete agreement and support.

“Before that, may I ask, Mr. Kledin, what are you fighting for? Is it merely revenge?”

“Of course it is for justice and fairness, and revenge is simply a step in fulfilling justice.” Kledin spoke righteously.

“Then, Mr. Kledin, if you truly overthrow the Empire and become the new rulers of this land, what will you do next? I suppose you will find a new nation, won’t you?” I played with my hair, a faint smile on my lips.

“Of course. A family cannot go a day without a head, and a nation cannot go a day without a ruler. Those with virtue replace the failed kings; isn’t this a blessing for the whole world?”

“And after that? You said you would enslave the nobles and their families, is that correct?”

“There is nothing wrong with that. Let them pay for their actions.” Kledin said. “Only when the pain they inflicted upon others is returned to them will they truly regret what they once did.”

“So, to put it plainly, what you truly want is revenge, isn’t it?” I rested my chin on one hand. “Overthrow the nobles, then become the new privileged class. In truth, you do not hate privilege; you merely hate not having privilege yourselves, and that it is you who are oppressed rather than others.”

“Miss, your words are unreasonable!” The blue-skinned man stood up, visibly upset.

“Unreasonable? Sir, could you please point out exactly what part of my words was unreasonable?”

“...Shouldn’t those greedy nobles who committed countless evil deeds pay for their actions?” The blue-skinned man thought hard, but could not find anything unreasonable in what I had said, yet he still felt extremely uncomfortable.

I crossed my long legs, lazily resting my chin on my hand, tapping my toes lightly.

I could guess the reason for his discomfort.

It was the feeling of having the part one tried to hide being exposed.

“They should pay for their actions, but not in this manner.”

“Of course, I am not saying your desire for revenge is wrong, but since you claim to act under the banner of justice, you should not constantly remind others of how miserable you once were.”

“The nobles could oppress you because you were weak, but if one day you become stronger than the nobles, you will, in turn, oppress the nobles and their families. This is merely the law of the jungle, and has nothing to do with ‘justice’ or ‘fairness’.” I continued, observing the changes in Kledin and the blue-skinned man’s expressions as I spoke.

Kledin’s expression was hidden, but from subtle movements, I could tell that my words made him want to refute yet left him speechless. The blue-skinned man was even more visibly displeased, showing hints of hostility.

After all, the truth was the hardest to hear.

“Miss Teresa, to put it bluntly, you are also a noble, just not one from the Empire, correct? I guess you’re a noble from the Kingdom side?”

“Hah, nobles are the same everywhere. You’re just trying to speak up for your fellow nobles, aren’t you? Maybe some of your distant relatives are among the Empire’s nobles?” The blue-skinned man snorted coldly.

“Are you here to be a lobbyist? How could a noble lady like you possibly understand the suffering and despair of us people at the bottom?”

I fell silent at those words, considering whether to tell them about how, at the start of my journey here, I had starved, begged on the streets, and scavenged from trash cans.

“I just feel that since you despise the Empire’s actions and claim that once in power you would never be like those ugly nobles, you should show that difference.”

“If, after gaining power, you act exactly as they did, then your downfall will also only be a matter of time, and who knows—” I paused.

“Who knows, you may become even greedier than them.” People who have no worries about food will not react much to a lavish feast, but what about those who have long been starving?

When these poor, inexperienced people storm the Imperial Capital and see the piles of gold and jewels in the palace, how great will their greed be? The chaos they would cause might even surpass that of an enemy nation’s invasion.

“So, if your uprising is merely for revenge and the redistribution of power, then it is simply the law of the jungle, and you should stop complaining about your grievances, because your oppression was simply due to your weakness.”

“By the same token, if you overthrow the Empire because you are stronger, it is natural, and you need not care about the nobles’ grievances or opinions.”

“...”

The blue-skinned man and Kledin both fell silent.

“Mr. Kledin, you said you were born into a knight family, so forgive me for speaking frankly, but if you truly care about justice and fairness, your primary concern should be the people’s lives, and your focus should be on the people, not...” I glanced around the opulently decorated Lord’s Hall. “This.”

“I don’t know if you have received the news, but Kanz City has fallen, sparked by a collective uprising of the oppressed people there.”

“The fact that they could raise their swords for their demands, I consider it a good thing.” Kledin spoke each word clearly.

“Then would you be willing to offer them assistance?” My eyes glinted as I pressed further.

“If they are willing to gather under my banner, I would be glad to take up their swords and fight for our shared goals and vision.” Kledin declared righteously.

Provided they were willing to gather under his banner.

The meaning was clear: even among insurgents with the same goal, there could only be one leader, and that would be him.

“Currently, Kanz City has encountered something unexpected. A terrifying monster has been released.” I moved to the main topic. “Very soon, this monster will sweep across the entire Empire.”

“Mr. Kledin, honorable knight, are you willing to draw your sword without hesitation and fight this monster that should not exist in this world, for justice and fairness?” I pressed my hands together, my pure, flawless eyes filled with hope as I looked at the silent knight before me.

“Miss Teresa, since you say that this monster could topple the entire Empire, I think that even if we were to intervene, it would probably be futile, and... I must be responsible for those who follow me. Moreover, this is trouble the Empire brought upon itself, so why should we fight for our enemy?” After a long silence, Kledin finally spoke.

“Mr. Kledin, I am not asking you to fight for the Empire, nor for the Empire’s nobles.”

“This is to fight for the countless unfortunate people who share the same fate as you and your comrades.” I stared into the knight’s eyes.

“Sorry, Miss Teresa, it seems there is a misunderstanding between us.”

“At present, our foundation is still unstable, and our usable manpower is limited. If the monster you speak of is truly as troublesome as you say, then even if we give our all, we would be powerless.”

“I understand.” I stood up and gave a slight bow to Kledin.

Elves had strong empathy, and even Yimi beside me could sense that this knight named Kledin was not speaking his true thoughts.

What he said was not the real reason for refusing to help.

The real reason was his selfishness, which was clear from how he had lavishly decorated this hall, a symbol of authority, and from how much he valued his noble family background.

As for the impenetrable knight’s armor.

Some people wore armor to constantly remind themselves that they were knights who would sacrifice themselves for justice. Others wore armor simply to hide their ugliness, to hide the fact that they were no longer human, and along the way, to hide their desire for power and domination.

Having recovered some memories, I could see that after tasting the sweetness of power, the knight’s selfish desires were stirring.

Of course, this did not mean he was wrong.

Knights were also human, and as humans, they would have selfishness and desires. A purely selfless knight might not even exist in this world.

I understood this, yet I still held a faint hope in my heart.

Reality was harsh.