Chapter 0

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Translator: penny

Chapter: 1

Chapter Title: Treatment of Beastkin

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I was reincarnated.

It might sound abrupt without any context, but it's the plain truth.

Digging through my hazy memories for the cause of death... a car accident.

I was driving at night when some lunatic truck came barreling toward me in the wrong lane.

I couldn't even hit the brakes or turn the wheel.

Still, it slammed right into me head-on—neat and clean(?), so there was no pain. Instant death.

And then I was reborn in this other world, not Earth.

Never thought I'd actually live out one of those novel plots.

Around the time I started toddling on two legs and babbling "mama, dada," my past life memories kicked in.

'Good things are good. Honestly, I deserved compensation like this.'

I'd died so unfairly, so I figured some god handed me this as payback.

The first thing I did after realizing my reincarnation was learn to read.

My body wasn't fully grown yet, so it wasn't easy. My brain had a long way to go before maturing.

But having learned to read before helped a ton with picking up this new language.

I practiced walking and talking on the side, too.

It was fascinating how my body wouldn't always do what my mind wanted.

'Separate from that, I never wanna go through it again...'

I wanted to express my opinions properly to my parents.

But all that came out was baby babble.

Pretty embarrassing...

I learned to read. Right after, I started devouring books.

To gather info. About this world.

The results were pretty successful.

I got all the basics on the outside world just from books at home.

This world was a dead ringer for your classic medieval fantasy setup.

...Or it used to be. Not anymore.

Did some huge war break out and wreck most of civilization?

Or did gates pop open like in those novels?

'Nah, just a ton of time passed.'

The era changed. To the point where "medieval" doesn't even fit the fantasy label anymore.

And as time flows, the world evolves.

This place mostly mirrors modern Earth.

Tech-wise, think magic filling in for science.

I wake up and flick on a mana engine lamp.

Wash my face with soapy water, brush my teeth, check the mirror.

Head out. In the kitchen, I cook over a fire sparked by <Ignition> magic.

...Roughly that vibe. A snippet of daily life, but you get the world feel.

Oh, and that's my morning routine, FYI.

Add hopping in a mana engine car for the commute, and that's Dad's.

Magic can't fully replace science, though—there are differences.

Some tech lags behind; others leap ahead.

Medicine's a prime example. Get hurt? One <Heal> spell and done.

Toss in potions, and you're beyond healing into wild experiments.

Alchemy evolved into chemistry back home.

Here, real alchemy might actually transmute gold.

Moving on. Socially, it's more equal than medieval times.

Class systems are basically gone.

...Royal bloodlines linger, getting some perks.

But like on Earth, they don't wield real power.

We elect councilors for politics. Fantasy idols, basically.

So nominally, everyone's equal.

...Nominally.

'Ideals and reality are worlds apart, as always.'

Laws can only guarantee equality so far.

Wealth and race discrimination persist here too.

But unlike Earth, racial bias goes beyond skin color.

Communication has always been key.

No matter the era—or even dimension—it's vital.

This world's comms tech followed Earth's path.

Just with magic slotted in where science would go, speeding things up.

They built decent communication devices.

These cast communication spells directly—no electrical signals—so they're probably faster.

But limitations exist. Earth shrank tech with semiconductors; here, impossible.

So mages ditched portable devices entirely.

They went with stationary magic tools at home, like computers.

Comms worked perfectly in the end.

Unlike computers, though, that's all they do.

Disappointing, right? Mages thought so too.

Comms spells were perfected. Any other uses?

After ages of trial and error... they made it!

...A bulletin board.

Stripped of everything but comms, the sole add-on was community features.

...Was the mage who built this from Earth?

Heavy forum user, maybe... skipping all else for a board...

Well... boards do connect masses.

And it's the best use for comms spells, I get it.

Still feels off...

This world's communities differ from Earth's... less of a cesspool?

Can't carry 'em—gotta sit at a desk—so there's a barrier.

No pics either. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠More wholesome(?), overall.

Local news pops up mostly.

These are fun.

The problem? Occasional race-bashing posts.

I mentioned it earlier: racial discrimination exists here.

Beyond human vs. non-human.

Past events left tense vibes between dominant humans and minority non-humans.

Other non-humans get by okay.

Beastkin? Not so much.

They fought humans to the death before—practically blood enemies now.

Humans won, so they generally despise and discriminate against Beastkin.

It's so bad, even this community rejects them.

This one's mild—light disgust and mockery.

Others mix raw hate and loathing.

Even non-Beastkin races call those extreme.

Makes sense. History's full of deep wounds both ways.

No healing those scars yet.

I just... feel bad for them.

I was scrolling posts like that.

So I didn't notice someone sneaking up behind me.

"Rawr!!"

"...You're here?"

"Why aren't you startled...?!"

I kept my voice low so our ears wouldn't hurt.

A girl stood there. Golden hair like a wheat field.

Cat ears and tail twitching atop her head.

Her bright, sparkling eyes flashed surprise, then lit with a grin.

"Whatcha doing?"

"Just chilling."

"Oh? Then, um..."

She beamed wide.

"Let's play!"