Chapter 46
Chapter 46
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 46
Chapter Title: Standing Firm Against the Tribe
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Chavid.
The widest yet most barren nation.
With its nomadic culture of constant wandering came an equally free-spirited atmosphere, giving rise to a matriarchal society.
That was why its values had always clashed with the continent's, why it prioritized different things—and why the humans at the continent's heart had long discriminated against Chavid's beastkin.
Even calling them the "Ain race" and treating them as a proper species was a courtesy extended only in the last two or three hundred years. Before that, they'd been treated more like talking livestock for far longer.
A chain of hatred spanning decades, even centuries.
It wasn't surprising that it would snap again someday.
"But why now...?"
Luna bit her pink lips hard.
"That arrogant human—what is he? Why bring him into Chavid? Have you sold out our beastkin pride to side with humans? You're not after our sacred relics or holy sites, are you?"
The giant sheep they'd ridden, Mayil, had been let loose a short distance away to graze. Now the tribe chief—a mountain goat beastkin—sat on a rock a bit apart from Adelian and grilled her.
As the chief's slit pupils narrowed on Luna, the girl's shoulders shrank even further.
"It's not... like that..."
Tribes were ranked by size and the number of strong warriors they boasted: premier tribes at the top, runner-ups just below.
In Chavid, where no king held absolute power, the authority of the fewer-than-five premier tribes and fewer-than-ten runner-ups pierced the heavens. For timid Luna, whose shyness hadn't fully faded, her legs couldn't help but tremble.
But if she just kept meekly saying "yes" here and wilted under their pressure, she wouldn't help Adelian at all—in fact...
"I can't be a burden..."
"Young master was just... on his way with me to my tribe. He has nothing to do with holy sites or relics."
The mountain goat beastkin snorted at Luna's soft, quivering words.
"How can we trust that? I don't like that slippery, arrogant human. No faith in him at all. Besides, Chavid's mood is foul right now—send your precious master back for his own good."
"But... the young master is a good person. Those worries..."
"Humans are cunning and selfish. Even those you've lived with for five or ten years will betray you for their own gain without a second thought. What if you're being fooled too? If you want to go home so badly, go alone."
Luna lifted her bowed head as the mountain goat beastkin bent one leg to rest her hoof on the rock.
'What? How dare she insult the young master?'
Not to her liking...?
A premier tribe chief, no less?
A strange rebellious spark welled up, and Luna opened her mouth.
"No. Why are you doing this to us? At least tell us what the problem is."
"What?"
"It's true, isn't it? Merchants come and go without restrictions, as the young master said. Is what you're doing now something agreed upon with the other premier tribes? Or is it just venting frustration?
If Adelian had seen it, he might have murmured, "Is it madness or sycophancy?!" But at Luna's sudden eloquence, the mountain goat woman tilted her head in surprise before speaking.
"Venting? Hah... Well, you could call it that. Fine. It's worth explaining to you—might even change your mind. You know the desert's been expanding for seventy years now, right?"
Luna nodded, and the mountain goat beastkin extended a hand. A leopard beastkin—whose spotted pattern floated only on his skin—quickly placed a waterskin in her grasp.
"We recently discovered humans entering the desert's heart and conducting some magical research. No matter how I look at it, it seems like they're accelerating the desertification. It's their fault we're living in such harsh conditions."
"And Chief, tell her this too. Slave hunting's gotten worse lately."
The leopard beastkin egged her on mid-sentence. The mountain goat woman gulped down water, wiped her mouth with the back of her hand, and continued.
"Right. And slave raids are rampant now—way too rampant. We knew humans slipped in occasionally to hunt, but now every human who enters looks like a hunter."
"Merchant caravans move slow with their loads, so we can track them easily. But those small groups of two or three who snatch kids? We can't catch them easily."
The mountain goat and leopard beastkin weren't alone. The other beastkin behind them grew fierce-eyed, murder in the air.
"Those bastards kill any beastkin they deem too old or worthless on the spot. Not just that—they slaughter all the livestock like horses, sheep, goats. They even burn the modest crops we manage to grow."
Humans already lived in far richer lands on the continent, yet they weren't content to leave Chavid barren—they kidnapped children, brutally murdered the elderly beastkin, torched their property and fields.
"How many of our kin are starving to death because of it? We import all our food, but humans jack up prices knowing our plight!"
"No full-grown sheep left to sell—we can't even buy grain anymore. Tribes are slaughtering young lambs just to survive, not for the future. Some elders starve to reduce mouths to feed."
Luna's shoulders shrank again at their furious cries, but she straightened her wobbling body and defended him in a trembling voice.
"It's tragic. Yes, a true tragedy. But what does that have to do with our young master? He just came with me to see my family."
When Cain had gone home, Luna had thought of her own parents and siblings.
Adelian, sensing it, had given her this chance: visit her tribe, share traditional food, greet her parents—a joyful time.
Her eyes and nose stung. She sniffled, then spoke again.
"Slave hunting? Food shortages? I know it's all dire and heartbreaking. But our young master didn't do anything wrong. We just... wanted to go home."
Some carnivorous beastkin's eyes flashed at Luna's tiny, shivering body as she barely exhaled the words.
"Daring to side with a human?"
"Been tainted after going to the continent. Too tainted by humans, not your kin."
Herbivorous beastkin like rabbitkin were especially fragile against carnivores' killing intent.
But.
'The trolls in that labyrinth were scarier...!'
Instead of trembling in fear, Luna steadied her breath and stood tall.
If she cowered here, they'd use it as an excuse against Adelian. If they'd politely explained from the start and asked his understanding...
'Young master is kind.'
If it was just her, he might have stepped back for another chance. But they'd pressured and bullied first, using nonexistent crimes as pretext...
'I can't back down. For the young master.'
She clenched her small mouth, stepped one foot forward slightly, weight on her big toe for instant balance—that moment, a faint voice reached her ears.
"Go, Cainmon."
"What's with the crap at the end."
Thud, thud!
The sound of stepping on a shield conjured in midair.
Boom! Cain dropped from the sky, smashing the ground hard, and stood before Luna.
"Suddenly from above?"
"Wasn't he over there?"
The beastkin tensed, drawing weapons at Cain's sudden descent. Then came clapping.
"Hero landing."
"Young master..."
Adelian approached with an arrogant yet beautiful smile where Luna glanced.
* * *
"Rabbit senior... you okay?"
I shushed Zero's worried voice with a finger to my lips, then turned.
"What're they saying?"
"The desert's expanding lately."
"Again?"
"And slave hunting's rampant."
Cain the all-purpose eavesdropper.
At first, excluding the two beastkin watching us, they'd all swarmed off with Luna, so we couldn't know what was happening.
Realizing why people record on phones or leave calls open for sneaky talks, I vowed again to mass-produce Sirens.
Just in case, I whispered to Cain if he could hear. He goes, "Can't you?"
Ugh, annoying protagonist... Thinks everyone's superhuman like him?
Thanks to that, I whispered low enough our watchers couldn't hear.
"And now?"
"They're blaming humans."
Cain wore a strange expression.
"Blaming us for things we haven't done."
This... like catching a rat stepping back from a cow.
Cain, who always spat "humans, human scum," seemed rethink seeing others do it.
Yeah, see? Lumping all humans together looks pathetic, right?
Bad guys are bad, good ones good—race blind from now on? Huh?
I smugly analyzed Cain's face when it hardened.
"They're about to emit killing intent. No, they are."
"Huh? That's bad, right?"
"What? No way they're messing with tiny Luna alone."
I frowned, saw from afar they were pressuring her, and pulled the Codex from subspace.
"Go, Cainmon."
"What's with the crap at the end."
One meaningless exertion.
"Uwo...!"
Cain snatched me and Zero, kicked off like leaping into air on the translucent Patsu Shield—and vanished. I conjured another where he'd land.
Wind whooshed past my ears.
"W-Where you going! Stop!"
"What? Flying?"
Our guards chased late, but we were long gone.
Midway, Cain dropped us safely behind, then I conjured one more Patsu Shield ahead. He stomped hard, leaped huge, and landed before Luna.
Knees bending perfectly to absorb impact—that flawless hero landing, I had to clap.
"Young master..."
"Luna, shoulders back."
What do they have to cower us? Shoulders back.
I curved a semicircle around Luna and Cain, facing the armed beastkin, and smiled slowly.
"Is beastkin etiquette pulling weapons—twelve on three?"
I shielded powerless Zero with a Patsu Shield, motioned her back, and sneered. As expected, they bristled.
"Who's this human meddling in our affairs?"
"Keep saying human this, human that. Pathetic, right? Even dogs eat half in their yard but shut up outside—yet in your own land, you bully innocents who did nothing."
"Who do you dare insult!"
"You started the insults. Premier tribe surrounds polite travelers, tells 'em scram. Chavid's proud tradition?"
Cain, watch. Scams and power trips aren't human—any intelligent being does it.
The red-faced mountain goat chief bellowed.
"Words won't cut it. So arrogant, conceited, selfish. What makes you so bold?"
Who else? Cain.
I grinned, locked eyes with the chief as I floated the Codex. She ground her teeth.
"Ties to the hunters? We should drag you to our tribe...!"
As the furious chief—with her braided hair quivering—raised her hand crossbow again, I spoke slowly.
"Those hunters. I know who's backing them, roughly."
"What?"
The leopard man's explosive thigh muscles deflated as he froze mid-charge.
"You know what group they're with?"
"...Why believe you? Trick to escape?"
You've just been victims, huh. Well, lately, yeah.
I snapped shut the Codex—pages fluttering—motioned Cain and Luna to lower weapons first, and spoke.
"We need a proper talk in a proper place. What do you think?"
Ever heard of the Evil God Cult?