I'm Not a Demon Beast!
"So, um... Jeong Sema... sir?"
"Just call me Sema. Nice and casual. I'll call you Als nice and casual too."
"Ah, got it. So Sema, you're saying you came from beyond that Cursed Mountain Range way over there?"
"Yeah, something like that."
I figured saying I came from another world would be a hassle, so I glossed over it—told them I'd lived beyond those mountains they called cursed and wandered until I found a city with people. I'd been mulling over a new name for this isekai life for over a month, but when it came time to say it, my Earth name felt just fine. Telling them to call me casually got rid of the honorifics and switched them to informal speech, which was a bit off-putting at first, but whatever! We could talk! I didn't know the culture here yet. Plus, I was a horse—what else could I expect? Yeah, call me whatever! As long as we could communicate!
"Hmm... It's kinda hard to believe... And what's with the name?"
Lizbet's terrified look was completely gone, but her eyes still gleamed with suspicion as she stared at me. Come on, sure, I looked ferocious, but it wasn't that suspicious...
"Hiiing... Liz, I saved you, and you still can't trust me?"
"I didn't say call me Liz, did I? Lizbet sama, please? You can talk, so you're probably not a demon beast, but coming over from mountains crawling with them..."
"Ah, I didn't come over—I just went around the ridge. Lizbet sama."
She asked for the honorific, so I gave it. What the hell! Freshly adult Lizbet was being prickly, but knowing we could talk let me brush it off with a laugh.
"You don't have to emphasize it. Hmmm... Going around that massive range... Well, at that speed... No, still, the pollution..."
Lizbet muttered to herself, shooting me suspicious glances. It was starting to sting—cut it out already!
"Ahem. Anyway, Sema, you want to go to a village with people, right?"
"Yeah. More precisely, somewhere they won't chase me off or attack me, where I can live as a horse-slash-adventurer or something."
"An adventurer? A monster~? Hmmmmm..."
I'm a horse, not a monster... I drooped my head dejectedly, and Als chuckled as he spoke up.
"Whatever, the point is Sema saved you, Liz, that's a fact. And since he can talk, he's definitely not a demon beast. They can't speak at all. I sense some Tesser aura, but no pollution while we're chatting like this means it's some unique Esser vibe. Radia's got some high-level heroes anyway, so even if something happens, it'll be fine, right?"
"True... Yeah, no point overthinking it... Ah, but the sun's already setting. By the time we get back, it'll be late night... Guild office will be closed by then..."
New words were popping up left and right, but it sounded like they'd take me to a village at least.
"Oh, speaking of late—how far is the village?"
"Half a day on foot from here. Gates'll probably be shut by the time we arrive."
"Huh... So we can't get in today?"
After coming all this way, staring at it from outside? What the hell... I'd been hyped, and now it was a total buzzkill. Fair enough, though—I wouldn't let a random talking horse in at midnight either. Wait...
"What if you both ride on my back? We could make it before sunset."
"What!? On your back!?"
Lizbet gawked with some weird mix of shock and disgust. Als looked startled too but eyed me over and nodded slowly.
"...Yeah. At this size, two of us would be fine. Not sure how fast you can go, but..."
"Mmm... I hate camping out too..."
"Since we're on the topic, let's go! Hop on! Never carried anyone before, but it'll be faster than walking!"
I crouched down, twisting my body ninety degrees to give them side access. Als hesitated a second, then swung a leg over. Lizbet pondered, then hopped on primly with her legs together.
"Hmm. Als is fine, but Lizbet-sama, you okay like that? Speak up if you feel like falling."
"Got it, so stand up and walk."
The trembling girl who'd stared death in the face was gone, replaced by some bossy little miss barking orders. Guess conversation killed the fear. Better than cowering, anyway.
Hmm... Worried they'd be heavy, but even with both, it's not bad.
Standing, their weight felt like a backpack—nice and manageable. Must be these horse muscles. I marveled at my body anew.
"Kyaa! W-way higher than I thought..."
"Yeah... Whoa, the view's amazing though."
"I'll start slow then—tell me if it's too fast."
Ramping up speed gradually with them aboard, a moderate canter felt right. I'd heard riding's trickier than it looks—worried about back pain—but they seemed comfy. My broad back? Or some skill? Once they confirmed it was good, I asked about those unfamiliar terms while trotting. They looked baffled but explained.
Esser and Tesser—energy sources. Demon beasts had Tesser; everything else, Esser. Basically, Esser was like light power, Tesser dark. Tesser hotspots spawned demon beasts, who spread more pollution. The Cursed Mountains were one such spot, Tesser leaking from the peak—deadlier beasts higher up.
The corpses that turned to dust? Demon beasts. Mad Cow types? Esser monsters. Describing my kills, especially the crazy sunflower, shocked them. Rare headache at the range's edge, but low-tier overall. Good thing I'd skirted the base.
"That's why I thought demon beast at first?"
"Yeah. Stronger ones radiate Tesser naturally, polluting everything. Heroes' barriers around the mountains keep it contained—demon beasts trapped too. Lucky you stuck to the lower, less-polluted slopes."
"Ugh... Good thing I didn't munch weird grass. The long mountain stay make my Esser feel like that?"
"Dunno... Auras don't change much. I'm no priest, but yours feels so Tesser-like without pollution. Esser varies per person—demonkin feel similar sometimes—but yours? Close your eyes, and it's identical..."
Great, Tesser vibe plus looks meant instant bad first impressions everywhere. I'd be explaining nonstop. Disaster. Demonkin, though—real deal. Isekai vibes ramping up, exciting.
"Oh, Radia's the liveliest provincial city in the Reinhardt Kingdom—second capital vibe. Busiest adventurer hub outside the capital. Not sure how folks'll react to you, but perfect starting point for adventuring."
"Ooh, sounds good..."
No clue how big Reinhardt was, but it sounded solid. If they overlooked the horse thing. Trust Als to vouch.
"Sigh... We'll be stuck at the guild office awhile explaining this. Director might come... maybe even the lord."
"Yeah... But hey, rare experience, right? How often do you meet a Divine Beast?"
"I still can't believe it's a Divine Beast."
Expected noise, but nobles too? Not instant execution, right? Divine Beast?
"What's a Divine Beast? Me?"
"Divine Beasts are... monsters that talk. Spirit Beasts too. Old, human-friendly—treated as sacred. Only non-humans who speak."
"Aha, so that's why talking makes me one..."
Nice—sacred status. Play that card if trouble hits.
"No way. A Divine Beast with this aura? Never heard in magic school. Can't humanize? Probably rare monster... Never seen this form either."
Ugh... Lizbet wasn't buying it—Divine Beast card might flop. No horses here? Didn't expect that.
Chatting back and forth, we reached Radia in about an hour.