Chapter 43

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Translator: penny

Chapter: 3

Chapter Title: Calming the Anger

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Calm the anger.

How should I punish those bastards?

How should I punish the scum who inflicted so much suffering on Ulpi and countless others all this time?

Such discussions were popping up everywhere. And this wasn't just limited to my novel or the bulletin board—it had spread out into the wider world.

The newspapers had already widely reported on the litany of atrocities those bastards had committed.

And among them, the crimes targeting beastkin were getting the most focus.

Sure, there were humans among the victims too, but the stories about beastkin were being relentlessly amplified.

They must have figured that tales of beastkin suffering would draw more attention than those of humans.

My novel had already gone viral, building massive buzz and heightening interest in beastkin in general.

Whether that actually improved perceptions of beastkin was another matter entirely.

At the very least, shining a light on the miserable lives of beastkin—something that had never even been mentioned before—had a huge impact.

And the newspapers' judgment was spot on. People—humans—read about these horrors inflicted on beastkin and grew furious.

"Good lord... tsk tsk."

"What's wrong? Something bad happen?"

...Even at our house, it was the same.

This morning, as usual, while I was eating breakfast with my parents, Dad clicked his tongue at the paper.

Mom naturally turned her attention that way too.

"..."

I was just eating without a care, my throat feeling a bit clogged—maybe I should grab some juice.

"Oh... how awful..."

Mom's sympathetic sigh? I just let it slide with a vague "yeah, that sucks."

Probably something like a fencing match accident causing serious injury...

Or a magic circuit malfunctioning and exploding...

Or maybe a human getting hit by a running beastkin or whatever...

I figured it was nothing major.

I'd pay attention if I could, but I was swamped right now.

My head was full of plotting out the story's future direction.

Plan was to scarf down breakfast and hole up in my room.

For the record, my parents have gradually pieced together that I'm writing novels and even making decent money from it.

Hard not to notice at this point.

You can bust your ass hiding it from family, but eventually, they catch on.

And here I was, churning out deadlines right in my room, not even stepping outside.

Still, they don't know the full details—just that their grown kid's working some part-time gig and bringing in cash.

They don't pry.

It's not lack of interest; more like respecting their teenage son's privacy on purpose.

...Not sure if that's a good thing, but if they found out about my novels, I'd die of embarrassment anyway. So, all good.

Unlike me, Ranyori—who was munching on the toast Mom made for breakfast—got curious.

She gulped down what was in her mouth and scampered over to peek at the paper.

"?!"

She flinched the second she saw it, then came running straight to me.

What the heck?

"ArenAren...!"

Ranyori rushed up and whispered in my ear.

"What? What happened?"

"It mentions Aren over there...!"

"...?"

"That! The stuff from your novel last time! About beastkin being discriminated against!"

"Oh."

"It's saying that stuff actually happened in real life!"

I got the picture. I wolfed down the rest of my food and bolted to my room.

Ranyori didn't know the full details of that plot in my novel, but she had a rough idea of volume 2.

Actually... she might be the very first reader of volume 2 besides me.

I brought her a copy right after it published, since she was dying to know what happened.

"...Aren, do you want me to despair?"

"Huh? No way! Absolutely not?"

"Then why this plot...?"

Her reaction wasn't great, but anyway.

Point is, Ranyori knows volume 2's plot inside out.

Probably the first half of volume 3 too.

I show her drafts sometimes to get her take on if it's readable.

And what she just said? No idea on the details, but my novel's plot was playing out in the news exactly, so she freaked and told me.

Hearing that? Yeah, things had blown up big time. That's why I fled to my room.

Man... Never thought I'd learn the impact of my novel through newspapers and Dad's reaction.

If it's reached this level, it's no exaggeration to say pretty much everyone knows about this incident.

People were shocked, horrified, and felt pity for the beastkin.

But the reactions weren't just sympathy for the victims.

They were angry, and not just out of ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠pure disgust at the crimes.

The real reason humans were this furious? It pricked at their consciences.

Obviously, no one outside was committing atrocities on this scale.

And if they were, they'd have been punished.

Even before attitudes toward beastkin improved, society still treated them as people, after all.

But even so, would everyday folks pat themselves on the back, thinking they treated beastkin better than these monsters?

Judging by the outrage, probably not.

Instead, they felt uneasy.

Worried that beastkin saw them the same way—as tormentors.

So they raged harder. Even those indifferent to beastkin, or harboring a bit of ill will, vented their fury.

Like they were proving they weren't like those guys.

Ironic, since those who already felt neutral or positive toward beastkin were relatively subdued.

The anger overheated. Demands for punishment evolved into inflicting "judgment" as pain.

Some lost sight of the point, attacking for fun, but in the heat, it was hard to tell.

I got to my room and fired up the bulletin board right away.

"Good lord..."

As expected, it was chaos.

A natural progression. Truth be told, I didn't like those bastards either.

Not even satisfied with fines or jail time paying their dues.

Still, I wanted Ulpi's take first. That's what mattered most.

But after hearing her response, I realized something crucial I'd overlooked.

I'd been fixated on ruining them "for Ulpi's sake."

The real priority was letting Ulpi live happily.

She couldn't forgive them, but wanted no extralegal revenge or further entanglement.

So that's what we'd do. Likewise, Rika—modeled after Ulpi—had no choice but that path.

And the real world's furious people mirrored the novel's furious victims.

Why victims? Unlike reality, beastkin perceptions in the novel are still crap.

No one else would rage for them. Tragically.

So, just a suggestion.

To those consumed by rage, thinking destruction is the only release:

How about taking a peek at Rika, quietly crying for a moment?

"And... after that..."

Nothing coming to mind.

Just draw some everyday life.

Senyora, Karen, and Rika's daily routine.

Last time ended dark, so hopeful this round.

...But what about volume 4?

Feels like I've used up all the good ideas.