The second war of all races

The Second War of All Races

As soon as Ethan heard those words, fragments of the original Ethan's memories flashed through his mind.

He stopped walking.

Arthur noticed and looked back, seeing Ethan blinking in remembrance.

In a puzzled tone, Ethan muttered, "You mean the war started by the Mad Emperor, Alfonso III?"

Arthur raised an eyebrow. "So you do know about that."

Ethan nodded, looking a bit sheepish.

"Well, I know that the Mad Emperor Alfonso III started that war... and that he lost in the end. Other than that, I don't really know much."

He sighed, scratching his head. "I never really liked reading history that much."

Arthur waved dismissively. "Yeah, yeah, I get it. Studying is hard—especially when you can do so many other things instead of listening to some tutor drone on about boring stuff."

Ethan felt conflicted.

"Is he consoling me or mocking me?"

Arthur continued, "So yeah, that's probably why you don't see people from other races that often."

Ethan frowned. "So… it's because of the Mad Emperor Alfonso III?"

Arthur shook his head. "Not really. It's actually much more complicated than that."

"Really?"

"Yeah." Arthur's tone shifted into one fit for a lecturer as he started explaining.

"The war became so big because of the treaties."

Ethan tilted his head. "Treaties?"

Arthur nodded. "Yup." He continued, *"After the First War of All Races, every kingdom was on edge. The casualties were far worse than anyone had expected, and everyone was desperate to find a solution. No one wanted another war like that.

So, they started forming treaties—alliances that could guarantee their safety if another war ever broke out. It was a way to ensure they wouldn't stand alone.

Treaties already existed before, but never on this scale. For the first time, they became the foundation of world politics.

And it worked."*

Ethan listened intently.

*"With every nation interwoven by alliances, war became dangerous. If you attacked one kingdom, you weren't just fighting them—you were fighting all their allies, and their allies' allies.

Because of that, wars almost stopped completely. Sure, there were small conflicts here and there, but nothing ever escalated into a full-blown war.

The world finally found peace."*

Arthur's voice carried a hint of bitterness.

*"This peace lasted for almost four hundred years. Some scholars even theorized that war might be over forever—because no one in their right mind would dare to start another war. The consequences would be too massive.

Only a madman would even consider it."*

Arthur's eyes darkened.

*"But… they were wrong.

Because a madman did appear.

Alfonso III—the Thirteenth Emperor of the Kailea Empire. The one history remembers as the Mad Emperor."*

Ethan narrowed his eyes. "And he… what? Just decided to start a war?"

Arthur exhaled sharply. "For some reason, he wanted to wipe out the entire Elven race and destroy the World Tree, Yggdrasil."

"The World Tree?"

"Yeah. And here's the thing—many kingdoms and races had treaties with the Elven Clans. You know why?"

Ethan thought for a moment. "Because… the World Tree produces fruits?"

Arthur smirked. *"Exactly. Those fruits are incredibly valuable—so naturally, plenty of nations had treaties with the elves.

So the moment the Kailea Empire attacked, those nations had to fight back—because of the treaties they had signed.

And Kailea wasn't alone either. It was a massive empire with its own web of treaties.

Before anyone realized what was happening, a chain reaction started.

One nation after another got dragged in.

Clan after clan, kingdom after kingdom—all bound by treaties they couldn't ignore.

And just like that—without any warning—the Second War of All Races erupted."*

Ethan clenched his fists. "So… the very system that was keeping the world at peace… was also what turned the war into a global catastrophe?"

Arthur nodded. *"Ironic, isn't it?

The treaties were meant to prevent war, but in the end, they became the reason for the biggest war in history."*

He sighed.

"The casualties were… insane. Especially after the dragons and phoenixes got involved."

Ethan's eyes widened.

"The dragons and phoenixes too?"

Arthur nodded grimly.

*"Many races almost faced extinction.

Things got so bad that…

It's said that the deities themselves had to intervene to stop the war."*

Ethan's breath hitched. "The gods interfered?"

*"Yeah. They divided the land into six continents and separated the races. Each race was placed on a different continent.

And that's how the war finally ended."*

Ethan's mind spun.

"So… who won?"

Arthur's expression turned bitter.

With a helpless smile, he said, *"I don't know who won…

But I know everyone lost."*

Silence hung between them.

Then Arthur sighed. *"And that's why you don't see many non-humans here. They live in their own continents now.

You might occasionally see some… but they're rare. Not many like to travel between continents—it's a huge risk."*

Ethan scratched his face. *"So that's it, huh?

The war happened because no one ever expected a madman to appear… and use the very system designed for peace to launch the biggest war in history?"*

Arthur gave a small, tired chuckle.

*"Like I said… it's far more complicated than that.

But yeah. That's the gist of it."*

Ethan placed a hand on his chin. *"But… why?

Why attack the Elven race? What did they even do to him?"*

Arthur frowned.

*"That's the thing.

Nobody really knows why.

Even now, people haven't been able to figure it out.

There are theories, of course… but none of them make sense."*

Ethan leaned in. "Like what?"

Arthur smirked. *"Well, one theory says Alfonso had an Elven tutor when he was young.

And that tutor was… extremely strict.

Apparently, the tutor punished him harshly—so when Alfonso became emperor, he wanted revenge.

By, you know… wiping out the entire Elven race and destroying the World Tree."*

Ethan stared at him, incredulous.

"That's… absurd."

Arthur laughed. *"Oh, you think that's absurd?

There's an even worse theory."*

Ethan's curiosity piqued. "What is it?"

Arthur grinned.

*"Some people believe Alfonso's tutor was actually a woman.

And that she was exceptionally beautiful.

The theory goes that Alfonso fell in love with her—but when he became emperor and asked her to marry him…

She rejected him.

Because she already had a lover.

So… Alfonso went insane from heartbreak and decided to take revenge by exterminating all elves and destroying the World Tree."*

Ethan's jaw dropped.

"That's even more ridiculous!"

Arthur burst into laughter. "I told you!"