Chapter 27: Prejudices
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Everyone at the scene was surprised and got confused. They looked at Reika, who said such words.

"W-What do you mean by that, Miss Reika?" Silas asked her.

"T-This commotion wouldn't even happen in the first place if you'd just set your prejudices aside..."

They got even more confused by her remarks.

"Prejudices...?" One of the village women asked.

Reika pointed to someone randomly amongst the crowd.

"Just think about it. How can you be sure that they're vile and vicious monsters?"

"Uh... It's because the adventurers who experienced and witnessed them say so!" one of them answered.

"Who says they pillage villages and rob them?"

"W-Well, according to the hearsay that was passed by other people from faraway lands, they saw multiple sightings of goblins pillaging villages without mercy!"

Reika raised one of her eyebrows.

"So you didn't experience it firsthand and simply believed the words of the outsiders?"

All of them went silent for a moment.

"Y-Yes..."

"Did any of you see these faces, these very goblins right in front of us today, robbing and harassing your fellow people before?"

All of them couldn't speak another word at all. The crowd remained silent, embarrassed by the fact that Reika had made a point.

"You see, making assumptions and stereotypes about someone just because they look different, especially believing the judgment of others, was the most illogical way of creating a conclusion based on those opinions."

"Just because they were classified as "goblins" and had a reputation of being vicious and threatening doesn't mean all of them are the same. You're just generalizing them," Reika added and shrugged.

"What if these goblins are actually innocent and friendly towards others, and those accusations about them pillaging and attacking adventurers are false? We have different ideals and personalities after all, thus stereotypes between groups differ..."

Several murmurs could be heard among the crowds. They discussed Reika's standpoint, especially their prejudices against the goblins.

"We are all living, sentient beings. Each of us has a free will of our own, so you should use that will of yours to judge others thoroughly first without making assumptions as a basis for drawing conclusions. Interact and create a connection with them first, then verify those stereotypes to see if they were right or not."

Reika turns away without the intent of looking back.

"I-I simply said what's on my mind. Whether you take it to heart or not is up to you..."

Reika walked away without saying another word. After her adrenaline calmed down, her sense of embarrassment finally kicked in, and she ran inside her room in a hurry. Meanwhile, the crowd was left speechless and started to reflect their actions. Veylir followed her as they went back inside the house.

Ashamed by their actions, the crowds simply scattered without saying another word and went back to their work. Only Silas, Alguis, Aeden, Gobuchiki, the other two goblins, and Soru were left at the scene.

"What Miss Reika said was right. Judging them just because the others say so was a mistake..." Silas said.

Silas lowered his head in front of the goblins.

"On behalf of the village people, I apologized for those harsh words we've said about your kind. I hope you'll forgive us..."

"It's okay, kind sir. We were accustomed to such harsh judgments, just because we are goblins. This is just an average day for us!" Gobuchiki replied with a smile on his face.

"Yes... normal, it... is," the other goblin said.

"Is that so..."

While Silas and the goblins were having a conversation, Alguis was left in a daze at the corner. He remembered what Reika told them minutes ago. Aeden noticed him and confronted the dwarf.

"Are you alright, Your Ma... Sir Alguis?"

Alguis didn't reply right away and took a glance above the blue sky.

"Being a king of Dwarven Kingdom for 100 years, I managed to maintain the strength and glory of the dwarves during my reign. Peace within the kingdom and diplomacy with other nations—I could say I've handled it well. But connecting the hearts of our fellow dwarvenkind is something that I've overlooked."

"What do you mean, sir? You were loved by your subjects back then!"

Alguis chuckled at Aeden's remarks.

"Hah! All of my public speeches are basically political propaganda!"

Alguis stared at the village people doing their tasks.

"Sure, I could lift the spirits of the masses, but I can't change the hearts of the people."

Meanwhile, Gobuchiki and the other two goblins decided to thank Reika for what she did for them. Thanks to Silas' guidance, they found the door that leads to her bedroom.

As they approached the door, the three of them overheard Reika and Veylir's discussion. Gobuchiki stopped the other two and listened to their conversation in secret beyond the wooden door.

"I couldn't believe it, Master Reika! You managed to silence those annoying humans with your words alone!"

"Shut up! I simply acted on a whim just because I don't want to bother Mister Alguis. And before I knew it, I blurted those words in front of the crowd!"

"But still! Your speech was convincing enough for them to end the conflict and left speechless, and it also saved me from taking the blame just because I let them in."

Reika sighed.

"My initial idea was simply introduce you to them and save Mister Alguis from taking the blame at the same time..."

"Why did I even take that responsibility instead? Ugh, sometimes my common sense leads to my ruination!"

"W-Well, it makes sense since you are my master, and masters sometimes take responsibility for the troubles that their subordinates have caused."

Reika glanced at her with a disappointed look.

"You're lucky that I saved your ass just because of my meaningless yapping..."

Reika lay on her bed and stared at the ceiling.

"Oh god, I am embarrassed to go outside and face them after I scolded them just because they're being racist!"

Hearing that the room inside went silent, Gobuchiki assumed that it was the perfect opportunity to enter. He knocked on the door three times, which made Reika and Veylir notice it.

"Miss Reika, this is Gobuchiki."

Reika stood up from lying down and sat on her bed.

"Come in...?"

Reika whispered to Veylir, asking the purpose of their arrival.

What are they doing here?

Gobuchiki entered the room, which made Veylir unable to reply to her question. Along with the other two goblins, they approached Reika.

All of a sudden, the three of them bowed in front of her.

"Although we are used to constant mockery just because we are goblins, it's the first time that someone stood for us and told right to their faces that they were wrong. Thank you for what you did back there, Miss Reika!" Gobuchiki exclaimed.

"Thank... you!" The other two also exclaimed.

"Hmph! You should be grateful. Thanks to my master's benevolence, she saved you from leaving this settlement in shame—"

"Alright, alright, I will take it from here. Thank you very much~!" Reika said as she tried to stop Veylir from spouting nonsense further.

Reika faced the goblins while wearing a bright expression on her face.

"You're welcome. Just treat it... as a parting gift! So that you won't be troubled by it anymore while walking back to your village."

Gobuchiki smiled at her and bowed once again. After that, they excused themselves and said goodbye to her. 

Seconds after the goblins left the room, Silas knocked on the door and called Reika to eat breakfast. Reika stood up and went outside, while Veylir followed her.

Now that the entire settlement knew about Veylir's existence, she could go out without turning herself invisible. However, material objects could still permeate through her body.

While Reika was eating her breakfast with Veylir sitting at the treetop located not far from her, Reika paused when she noticed Sylva approaching her while holding a bowl. She lowered her head out of embarrassment.

Sylva sat beside her and ate her breakfast without saying another word. However, the silence between them ended when Sylva spoke first.

"Sorry for what we did to your... friends back then."

Reika stopped for a brief moment before continuing to eat her breakfast.

"I-It's okay. I only did what was right..."

"Every time I remembered your serious look, it sent shivers down my spine, you know that?"

Reika lowered her head and blushed out of embarrassment.

A!@&gg$&¡(;$9@9#9!!!!

"But still..."

Reika noticed Sylva staring in the distance.

"Your speech managed to wake those people up. I hope they'd take your words to heart..."

Reika didn't respond further and decided to remain silent as she continued to eat her fill. Not hearing a word coming from Reika at all, Sylva decided to continue her breakfast as well.

Suddenly, their attention was stolen when they saw several children surrounding a tree.

"Hey, what's with that cute-looking creature above? It's sooo cute~!"

"You're right! Can we pet it?"

"I will pet that cutesy animal first!"

"No! I will!"

"But how should we pet that? It was too high for us to reach it!"

Hearing their childish conversation, Veylir was starting to get annoyed by their loud mouths.

"Ugh, these human children are loud and obnoxious!"

Suddenly, a pebble flew toward her. But due to her body being intangible, the pebble simply flew past her body. All the children, including Sylva, who witnessed it, were surprised.

"Uwah! The pebble didn't hit that pet!"

Sylva's young sister confronted the boy who threw the pebble at Veylir.

"Hey, what are you doing? You could've hurt that poor creature!"

One of them picked up another pebble and threw it on her once more. Veylir noticed the kid and decided to do a little bit of trolling.

When the pebble managed to reach her, Veylir suddenly vanished into thin air. The kids were shocked by her disappearance, including Sylva.

"Don't worry, she just turned herself invisible," Reika told Sylva.

Witnessing the disappearance of the adorable creature right in front of her eyes, Sylva's young sister began to cry.

"Uwaaah! You killed that cute creature!"

Reika and Sylva looked at each other and chuckled in unison. Sylva stopped afterwards and ran to her crying sister.

Reika watched them all, trying to comfort her in order to stop her from crying.

In the distance, Soru had finished eating his breakfast. Now that his hunger was sated, he sat in silence while staring at the bustling settlement. 

While observing, he noticed Aeden and Völun ahead, preparing themselves for their spar. Soru stood up and went towards them. Upon his arrival, Aeden noticed him right away.

"Oh, Mister Soru, what brings you here today?"

"I wish to continue our training."

Hearing his reply, Aeden smiled back.

"That's the spirit!"

Völun approached Soru and placed his arms on his shoulder.

"Yay! Thanks, bro! You saved me from that madwoman this time!"

"And also, please don't use your strange powers against me this time!" Völun whispered at him.

Aeden's eyebrow twitched while staring at Völun. She immediately grabbed his ears.

"Ow!"

"Who says you are excluded from our practice?"

Aeden starts to walk while grabbing Völun's ear. Soru quietly follows them.

"You'd be our target practice, idiot!" 

"What!? Please don't do this to me!"

While he was being dragged to the training grounds, Völun was pleading not to partake in the training.

"Come on, why won't you just create a wooden dummy instead of using me? Just give me a break already!"

"Do wooden dummies dodge and counter attacks? Only a dummy like you could do that!"

When the three of them reached the center, Aeden unhanded Völun's ear. It was throbbing in pain.

"So what now? Should I stand still while Mister Soru and you attack me?"

"No, I have a better idea."

Aeden turned her head and looked towards Soru.

"Mister Soru, I need you to train your muscles today. Do a hundred push-ups, a hundred sit-ups, a hundred curl-ups, and 100 laps around the training grounds."

Völun was surprised upon hearing Aeden's orders to Soru.

"H-Hey... isn't that a bit overboard for him? It's not normal for a human to do such vigorous training!"

Suddenly, Aeden chuckled.

"Heh, you already forgot what he is capable of?"

Völun was baffled by her words. Suddenly, his eyes widened.

"No... Don't tell me...!"

Aeden faced Völun and looked directly to his eyes.

"While he trains, all of his fatigue will be transferred to us instead."

Völun was shocked by her idea. His eyes widened, and his mouth was twitching in disbelief.

"Y... You...!"

"Great idea, right? And during that process, we will spar each other!"

Völun was left speechless after hearing such absurdity.

"Mister Soru, is it alright if we use your ability?"

"Yes. Since you taught me, then fulfilling your request should be no problem."

Aeden smirked and looked directly into Völun's eyes with a serious look on her face.

"You heard the man, Völun!"

Völun wants to run away by stepping back slowly. Aeden noticed it and immediately took a stance.

"Here I go!"

Aeden suddenly jumped and began to dash towards Völun. She was laughing like a maniac as their distance was getting shorter.

"You're crazy! A madwoman!" Völun exclaimed as Aeden was getting closer to him.

"I REGRET TRAINING WITH YOUUUU!!!!"

Several minutes had passed since their training began. Aeden and Völun were still in the midst of their sparring session, panting heavily while exchanging blows.

"Hahh... Hahh... I couldn't believe how hard this is! It's only half an hour, yet I felt like I was battling with you for hours!" Aeden exclaimed.

Völun, on the other hand, was wheezing due to exhaustion.

"Ghk! This is simply torture... My muscles are screaming in pain!" Völun said while dodging her attacks.

Meanwhile, Soru was minding his own business and was focused on his training. He was using his powers on them nonstop for half an hour, transferring his fatigue and muscle pain to them constantly. He took a glance at the exhausted Aeden and Völun to check their situation.

Seeing that they had no intention of stopping their match, Soru didn't say a word and continued his training.

Alguis arrived at the scene and saw Aeden and Völun's faces. He stood there and observed their fight.

So they do this during their free time, huh...

Alguis noticed Soru was running around the grounds without breaking a sweat.

Mister Soru was training too!? 

Although Alguis was present, both of them didn't notice his arrival. They were too fixated on their match.

While Aeden was busy blocking his attacks, she noticed Völun's fist coming from his right. Aeden decides to grab his wrist to parry his punch, but the exhausted Völun kicks Aeden's legs with all his might. 

Aeden lost her balance and fell to the ground. Völun also fell due to Aeden still grasping his wrist, thus dragging him along with her.

"Dang it! I almost won this time!" Völun exclaimed.

"Hahh... Hahh... I won't let you take the win..." Aeden said while panting.

"Aeden, Völun."

Both of them looked up and saw Alguis approaching them. They immediately stood up and greeted him.

"Sir Alguis...!"

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