"The verdict for your disposal has already been made. Are you still going to remain silent?" A spirit magician named Loran sits with his leg propped up in front of me, his posture looking rather indecent.

It was this very spirit who used magic to ambush and capture me, and then at that trial, he made an odd proposal amidst opposition - to have me educated at the spirit's academy.

"What the hell are you up to?" I roared at the spirit in a near-frantic tone.

During the time I was brought here or when I was alone in a room with her, I always wanted to subdue her when she was off-guard, force her to tell me the best escape route, and then kill my way out of this hellhole back to my tribe.

However, I am not even able to move a finger now. This magician carefully "ordered" me to sit cross-legged in front of the desk, while she leisurely sat on the desk, looking down at me.

This damn magic tool collar makes it impossible for me to resist her. I have to find a chance to destroy it...

"It's useless to try to destroy the collar. It's a custom-made magic tool I made as the Chief Magician of Sedian. It can withstand any hacks, chops, fire or floods."

She saw right through my thoughts and showed a teasing, shallow smile at me.

"In a way, you should be grateful to me. It was my efforts at the trial that saved you from being imprisoned for life." Her voice was filled with laughter.

"Pooh! I never asked you to do that!" I glared back at her without any gratitude.

"Oh dear, how rude! You kept saying that your race, the beastmen, are civilized at the trial, and yet you can't even have a calm conversation?" She dealt with my rudeness with ease, her laughter still on her face.

I was rendered speechless and couldn't argue.

Well, though very reluctantly, this spirit's eloquence is obviously greater than mine. I can't outtalk her...

"Alright, enough teasing." She adjusted her posture slightly with a victorious smile. "To be serious, you should have understood at the trial that I want you to study at my academy-"

"I refuse!" I interrupted her before she could finish.

"Refuse? Sedian Central Academy is the most prestigious school in this country, and countless spirits would want to study here. You're not even a spirit, and you dare to refuse?"

"I'm not a spirit!"

"Oh? So if you refuse, that might lead to the extinction of your tribe? Are you sure you're okay with that?"

"What!?" I was alarmed.

"Hehe, looks like you're finally interested in the topic." Loran smiled.

"Cut the crap! What do you mean my tribe would be wiped out?" I immediately pursued the topic.

"First, answer me this question: If your tribe were to go to war with the Sedian, who do you think would win?"

I fell silent once more.

The answer to this question was all too obvious. The elf nation, Sedian, had a long history and was a powerful nation, while our Blood Axe tribe, which had settled in the valley only a few years earlier due to drought, didn't stand a chance in an all-out war.

"The valley you are occupying is right on our nation's border. Although it's not suitable for elf habitation and has not been annexed, no elf would want a group of beastmen living nearby. You should know that beastmen were once under the control of the Demon King, and have always been our mortal enemy."

"But the Demon King is dead! We rebelled against the Demon King and shed blood for our freedom long ago! Our tribe was forced to migrate here because of the drought in the north. We just want to live in peace and have no intention of invading your territory!"

"But not many elves would believe that." Loran finally stepped down from the table. "To be honest, our nation is now considering a proposal to forcefully expel your tribe. However, some people are hesitant, as war would lead to casualties. It would indeed be great if we could solve this peacefully."

"Then why not do that? You never gave us a chance to negotiate from the start! You rejected our emissaries, and only heavily armed troops approached our valley. Moreover, you ambushed our chieftain and me!"As I spoke, my anger surged again.

"Haven't you realized it yet?" She shook her head and sighed, "What kind of existence do beastmen have in the traditional beliefs of elves? You should have some understanding of this through that trial, right?"

I was speechless.

"Come, these picture books and novels are the best-selling works created by elves about beastmen. Read them, and you should gain a deeper understanding." Loran took a few books from the shelf and spread them on the floor in front of me.

I looked at those books, unable to move.

"Elvish writing may be difficult for you to read, but just by looking at the covers, you should be able to imagine the content of the books, right?" Loran stood next to me, bent down, and spoke to me with a smile.

Scattered on the ground, the cover of each book depicted male beastmen and female elves, and they were all drawn in a rather...indescribable way.