Chapter 209: Ch 208: Love is Blind, Love is Deaf

"Elves were originally a secluded race, content to stay among themselves and not cause outsiders any trouble. But that changed one day when one of them wandered a little too far and found humans. In the end, the root of all evil is humanity. Don’t you agree?"

The corruption hummed as it spoke. It was trying to get a reaction out of Kael, but he was not going to give it one.

Instead, he focused his attention on what was going on inside the village.

Kael watched as the elf brought the human back to her territory to heal him. But she was denied entry on account of bringing an outsider.

A fight broke out between two factions. One wanted to maintain their isolation and refused to admit the human inside their barrier, while the other wanted to help him and seek out new lands and opportunities.

Both sides eventually descended into a civil war, and the inciting factor was the human. However, instead of looking guilty or even remorseful, the human looked delighted that a war had broken out over him.

Kael decided to take a closer look at the human. He could feel something awakening his senses, and it made him feel uncomfortable. He got the answer behind this strange feeling the moment he got closer to the human.

The reason he was feeling uneasy was because this ’human’ was not actually a human at all.

"Is that...a homunculus? It feels like a mix between a dead human and corruption."

Kael whispered while looking at the situation objectively. For now, this was the best conclusion he could come to.

"Oh, you are rather sharp. I like how you analyzed the situation and quickly came to a conclusion. I am rather impressed."

Selene pressed her body against Kael’s back as she spoke. Her hand rested on his shoulder while her breasts pressed against his back.

Her presence was far too close, and her corruption was making Kael feel light-headed.

He elbowed her to get her to leave him alone, and Selene decided not to push her luck any further.

"There is no need to get so annoyed with me. All I am trying to do is give you the full experience. If you become too conscious of me, then you won’t be able to enjoy the show."

She told Kael, and he hated to admit it, but the corruption was right. The more he paid attention to her, the less he would be able to focus on what was happening below him.

And currently, the human who had arrived here was sneaking around, trying to find the elves’ holy tree for his own purpose.

It did not take long for him to get caught and be brought before the High Elder.

"What do you think you are doing? You are a guest, and not a welcome one at that. Did you think we wouldn’t catch you trying to sneak around?"

The High Elder asked, bringing the human in all tied up and leaving him near the holy tree. Loud gasps followed her declaration, causing everyone to look at the human with suspicious glances.

But the human did not look worried.

Instead of looking ashamed, he simply looked concerned and even met the High Elder’s gaze.

"I had no intention of causing you all trouble. Rather, I was trying to help you. I sensed a source of corruption in this village and wanted to investigate it."

A dozen loud gasps filled the area. This was the first time the elves had heard of corruption, but they were aware of the concept.

But to even suggest that such a thing existed in their holy land was blasphemy.

"How dare you suggest such a thing? Corruption in our holy land blessed by the gods? Are you trying to curse us? You shall be thrown out this instant-"

"Mother, please don’t! I am sure it is not his fault. Maybe he sensed something different and mistook it for corruption?"

The High Elder’s daughter defended the human with all her might. Her face looked similar to Selene’s, and her body language was tense but pleading.

By all accounts, she looked like someone deeply in love.

For most people, the High Elder’s daughter would come across as a charming young woman fighting to protect her lover from her tyrannical family. But to Kael, she looked like a foolish elf too deeply in love to see the truth.

Her mother seemed to feel the same because she let out a tired sigh and rubbed her forehead to relieve her stress.

"My daughter, get away from that sinner right now. Or else-"

"Or else what? I have decided that I want to accept this man into elven society and spend my life with him. Mother, please grant us your blessing."

Another wave of gossip followed this declaration, and the High Elder immediately rejected her daughter’s request.

"You will not marry a human, and that is final. We high elves have a duty to uphold, and that means marrying someone who can protect our legacy. You will not be selfish and break that tradition. As for the human...since it is your request, we shall let him go. But he is not welcome here ever again."

The decision had been made, but the High Elder’s daughter did not look happy.

She kept looking at the human, who returned her gaze with love-filled eyes.

It was a nice love story, but a foolish one at the same time. Honestly, Kael could not see what was so charming about the human that made the High Elder’s daughter throw everything away and want to spend her life with him.

"Love is often blind and deaf. It makes people make foolish decisions they know are not right. But people brand something so selfish as beautiful and hold it in high regard. Our desire is something similar, so why is it treated differently?"

Selene’s corrupted body asked with a small giggle. But her question felt serious. The corruption was asking Kael a question he had no answer to.