Two years passed like this after the demons arrived in Ulster.
At first, their presence had been far from accepted by everyone. The adults who had lost loved ones during the demons' attacks had needed time before they could simply tolerate their presence in the same streets. Some still avoided their neighborhoods, while others continued to watch them with suspicion, and it was not uncommon for a conversation to fall silent whenever a demon passed nearby.
Yet things had gradually changed. After constantly seeing them work, live, and take part in everyday life without causing the slightest incident, the fear had begun to lose its intensity. Children, as always, had adapted much more quickly. To them, demons had become a familiar, almost ordinary presence. Some had even started playing with their children, using the red demons as climbing walls and then as slides, without really understanding why their parents had so much trouble looking at them.
The population living within Unlimited Blade Works had also continued to grow during those two years. Emrys had continued traveling throughout Britannia, searching for populations suffering from wars, conflicts between races, or simply those who had nowhere safe left to live.
Whenever he found a group that met his criteria, he offered them a place within his refuge. Some accepted immediately. Others hesitated for several days, or even several weeks. But little by little, the territory that had initially consisted of only a few villages had become home to numerous different communities. Humans, demons, and other races were beginning to coexist behind the same borders.
Throughout his travels, Emrys had never stopped fighting demons and, occasionally, other races as well. He had also noticed that he was becoming increasingly well known. He was now being hunted by Stigma and the demons. As for the demons, he could understand why. After all, he had done nothing but constantly get in their way. But Stigma was more complicated. He couldn't understand how they could have discovered that he was responsible for the complete disappearance of one of their bases, but he figured that perhaps some kind of magical ability had allowed them to find out.
He easily eliminated his pursuers, even though they were becoming increasingly powerful over time. He even occasionally found himself fighting higher-ranking demons and actual goddesses.
But that wasn't going to stop him.
This time, he had decided to travel to a region where several particularly powerful presences had been detected.
Giants.
Emrys was moving through a vast forest accompanied by seven people.
Rou walked slightly ahead with Farel, Adrian, Grey, Heim, Nono, and Lonni. The seven had insisted on accompanying him when he announced his departure, and Emrys had eventually accepted. They now regularly traveled with him whenever he went out to meet a new population.
Over the years, they had become much stronger.
Their training had allowed them to develop their physical abilities, coordination, and capacity to defend themselves. They were still nowhere near strong enough to rival him, but they were no longer the inexperienced children he had once met in Fondval.
They could even defeat blue demons despite their overwhelming speed.
Yet despite their progress, something remained unchanged, and Emrys knew it.
He suddenly stopped.
The seven others immediately came to a halt as well.
"Is something wrong?" Rou asked.
Emrys didn't answer immediately.
He had just sensed several massive presences.
Emrys had come to consider a detection range of two hundred meters ridiculously small and had extended his detection range to two kilometers. By doing so, he sensed the giants before they even entered the others' field of vision.
"We're not far now. Come."
Emrys started running, and the seven troublemakers exchanged glances before following him.
A few minutes later, the trees began to thin out. They eventually left the forest and entered a rocky quarry.
Then they saw them.
Gigantic silhouettes were moving throughout the quarry.
Several dozen giants were moving around.
It seemed that they were constructing dwellings large enough to accommodate their size. They didn't appear to be preparing for battle. There were no weapons being brandished, no military formations, and no signs that they were preparing to attack anyone. And their complete lack of injuries made it doubtful that they had just returned from a battle.
Emrys observed the scene carefully.
These giants didn't seem particularly aggressive.
Quite the opposite.
They actually seemed peaceful. Something Emrys had to admit he had never seen in any giant other than Dubs.
He slowly stepped forward, keeping his hands visible so that he wouldn't give the impression that he intended to attack.
One of the giants noticed him and stopped. Several others then turned their heads.
The difference in size would normally have made the encounter intimidating, but Emrys remained perfectly calm.
"I'm not here to fight."
The giant who appeared to be leading the group stepped forward.
After several exchanges, Emrys quickly understood their situation.
They had no interest in participating in the wars ravaging the world. They weren't looking for additional territory, nor did they seek domination over other races. They simply wanted to live peacefully, far away from conflicts.
Emrys listened to them until they had finished speaking.
Then he offered them the same thing he had offered the other populations.
A place to live.
The giants were initially surprised.
Naturally, they wanted to know why a human would make such an offer to them.
Emrys simply explained that he had created a territory for people who wanted to live in peace.
He also explained that they wouldn't be forced to participate in wars or fight for him.
After several minutes of discussion, the giants accepted.
Emrys gave a slight smile.
"Then welcome."
He was about to begin preparing their transfer when his attention shifted toward the seven people accompanying him.
They hadn't moved.
But their expressions had changed.
Emrys slightly frowned.
He knew those expressions.
More importantly, he knew what he could feel through them.
Hatred.
A deep hatred.
It was different in each of them, but its origin seemed to be the same.
The seven were staring at the giants with an hostility they were clearly trying to hide.
Emrys said nothing for several seconds.
He could have confronted them immediately.
But he had understood for a long time that their hatred had never truly disappeared.
During the two years following the demons' arrival in UBW, he had deliberately observed their behavior. They were extremely friendly toward the demons. In fact, there was no one more friendly toward the demons than them. But the moment they saw the giants, they had the exact same expression as the inhabitants who hated demons.
He had known for a long time that their hatred toward those who had attacked their village had not faded, but he had thought it would eventually disappear with time.
Well, he had been wrong.
This time, I'll have to intervene directly.
"Rou."
The young man raised his head.
"Yes?"
"Come here. All of you."
The others approached.
Emrys looked at each of them in turn.
"You're going to tell me what's wrong."
Rou immediately answered.
"Nothing."
Emrys raised an eyebrow.
"Nothing?"
"We're just surprised to see giants."
The other five agreed.
Emrys remained silent.
"You know, I have an ability that I don't reveal very often," Emrys said. "Actually, there's only one person besides me who knows about it. You already know that I'm blind and that I use a technique to sense people's auras. What I haven't told you is that, with that technique, I can also see other people's emotions."
They all froze.
Rou slightly looked away.
"Since when?"
"For a long time."
Emrys crossed his arms.
"And your emotions are particularly easy to understand."
Nobody answered.
"You hate them."
Their silence confirmed his words.
Emrys sighed.
"I've already asked you several times if something was bothering you. Every time, you told me everything was fine."
He looked toward the giants in the distance before turning his attention back to them.
"So I'll ask you a different question."
He removed his mask and stared at all of them. It was pointless considering he couldn't actually see anything, but it still put a certain amount of pressure on the young men, even though they knew he was blind.
"Why?"
Rou clenched his fists slightly.
"Because..."
He stopped.
Emrys didn't pressure him.
Eventually, Rou spoke.
"Because they're like the ones who attacked us."
Emrys slowly nodded.
"I see. Well, that's completely stupid."
The children took a step back at the bluntness of his words.
"The people who attacked Fondval are dead."
Their expressions changed slightly.
"The ones who destroyed your homes and hurt your loved ones... I've already exterminated every single one of them."
Rou lowered his eyes.
Emrys continued.
"Your revenge against them has already been accomplished."
Nobody objected because they knew he was right.
"So if you continue seeking revenge against people who have nothing to do with them, what exactly are you doing?"
Rou didn't answer.
"These giants didn't attack your village. They aren't responsible for your past. They simply want to live peacefully."
Emrys paused.
"If you start hurting them simply because they belong to a race similar to that of your enemies, then you'll end up doing exactly what the people you hate did."
This time, nobody could find anything to say.
"You'll become people who hurt innocents simply because they belong to the wrong group."
Emrys looked directly into Rou's eyes.
"And at that point, what will differentiate you from them?"
Silence settled over the group.
Emrys could still feel their hatred.
It hadn't disappeared.
But something had changed.
For the first time, it was accompanied by doubt.
He could clearly sense it.
That was enough.
He had never believed that a single conversation could erase years of hatred.
Human emotions didn't work that way.
He simply wanted them to understand that their hatred couldn't become an excuse to hurt people who had done nothing to them.
"I'm not asking you to forget."
Emrys looked away.
"I'm not even asking you to forgive."
He looked toward the giants, who were still waiting in the distance.
"But from now on, you'll come with me on every journey."
Rou suddenly raised his head.
"What?"
"You heard me."
Emrys turned around.
"You're going to meet other races. You'll see them live, work, laugh, argue, and raise their children. You'll see for yourselves that they aren't all responsible for what certain members of their race have done."
He took a few steps.
"And if you still feel hatred, you'll tell me."
The seven remained silent.
Then Rou slowly nodded.
"Understood."
Emrys continued walking.
From then on, the seven began regularly accompanying Emrys on his travels.
The next encounter took place several weeks later.
Druids.
This time, Emrys carefully observed the seven when they arrived in their community.
Nothing.
No hatred.
No anger.
Not even the tension he had felt when they encountered the giants.
The seven spoke normally with the inhabitants and seemed simply curious about their way of life.
Emrys made no comment.
He simply continued with his work.
Most of the druids worshipped the goddesses and had been willing to follow their every order, but they had begun to increasingly question the legitimacy of the Holy War. They had therefore decided to withdraw, even if doing so meant risking Stigma's wrath.
After speaking with them, Emrys offered them the opportunity to join Ulster.
They accepted.
Some time later, it was the beastmen's turn.
Once again, there was no negative reaction.
Rou and the others observed them with curiosity, but their behavior remained perfectly normal.
Emrys was beginning to understand.
Their hatred wasn't directed toward every non-human race.
He received confirmation of that when they encountered the fairies.
The moment the seven caught sight of their village, Emrys immediately sensed the change.
The hatred returned.
Abruptly.
Rou stiffened.
Farel turned his face away.
Adrian clenched his teeth.
Grey, Heim, Nono, and Lonni reacted in exactly the same way.
Emrys remained silent.
This time, he didn't ask them why.
Emrys therefore continued his journey.
Over the following months, more populations joined Ulster.
Isolated communities, families fleeing conflicts, and groups that no longer had a territory of their own. Each new arrival increased the diversity of the refuge, and the inhabitants gradually learned to live alongside neighbors they would never have imagined meeting before.