The Five Races (3)
"Look over there! The descendant of the Forgotten Ones looked at me!! She's going to make magnificent wolf ears grow on me too!!"
"She wasn't looking at you—she was looking at the shop behind you!"
"No, she definitely looked at me! Our eyes met, clear as day!! The descendant is going to give me wolf ears!!"
Selina returned from the Holy Land only to be met at once by cries so dizzying her mind went blank. What on earth was this deranged conversation?
Behind the flustered Selina, overwhelmed by the unimaginable roar of the vast crowd, came the tap of a cane. Marquis Purius approached her at a measured pace.
"Miss Selina has returned, I see."
"Ah, Marquis Purius."
"So—what did the Sixth God say to you in the Holy Land?"
True to form for the eccentric marquis, he cut straight to business. Selina had not expected concern or small talk, yet she still found him a rather dull man.
"The Sixth God told me to seek out the forgotten five races together with you, Marquis. And since I am His herald, I am to make His will known to everyone..."
"Ohhh, is that so. Then for the time being, Miss Selina will be with me... Hmm? Five races? There are more Forgotten Ones?"
"Yes. Haven't you heard anything about that separately, Marquis?"
"I was only told to find and protect those who have grown animal ears, like yourself, Miss Selina. ...Ah. I see. So that was what He meant by 'a portion of the fallen races.' I am to lead one portion, and Miss Selina is the herald. And since He commanded that His will be widely proclaimed, Miss Selina is to take the lead? Then Miss Selina would be my superior—"
"Excuse me?"
The marquis muttered rapidly with his head bowed. Selina's face hardened at the ominous word she thought she heard.
Lead the other races? The marquis's superior?
Her heart pounded. Please, let it not be that.
"Miss Selina."
Grab.
The marquis strode right up and seized both her hands. Something burned in the eyes that met hers—something stickier than passion, purer than desire.
"It would seem the Sixth God has entrusted you with a great undertaking, Miss Selina."
"E-excuse me? A g-great undertaking?"
"Mm. I was told to gather and protect those with animal ears... that is far too long. From now on, I shall call them Beastkin. I received the mission to gather and protect these Beastkin. But you, Miss Selina, are different."
"...How so?"
"I am merely tasked with finding and protecting a single race, whereas you have been charged with gathering and leading all five. Our missions overlap in part, but strictly speaking, that places you as my superior. I handle one race; you must lead all five."
"E-excuse me? Me? Marquis, how could I possibly dare to be your superior—"
"It is the will of God. If God has so decided, then you must possess more than enough ability for the role. I firmly believe in God's will. Therefore, I also believe in your ability, Miss Selina."
"..."
The sky looked yellow now. What on earth was happening? God had simply told her to join forces with the marquis—had that really meant she was to use the marquis as a subordinate?
The marquis's baseless faith weighed heavily on her.
"Ha... haha... hahaha..."
A weak laugh slipped out.
A commoner girl who used to pick pockets in the back alleys, ordered to boss around a marquis? And not just any marquis—a cunning old fox who had been navigating the Empire for decades? Just like that?
Wow... Selina's really moved up in the world. Oh? The marquis is your subordinate. Haha...
Self-mocking laughter trickled from Selina. Whether he noticed her mood or not, the marquis launched into a storm of words.
"Lady Selina, I shall begin with my first report. While you were in the Holy Land, we located an additional twenty-seven of our kin—"
"What? Twenty-seven?!"
Had she been in the Holy Land that long? Startled, Selina did not even think to protest being called "Lady Selina."
Reading her dazed expression, the marquis added,
"For reference, Lady Selina, you returned after only a single day in the Holy Land."
"No, Marquis, please don't use honorifics for me... Wait—a day? You found twenty-seven in a single day?"
How?
Meeting Selina's questioning gaze, the marquis remained unfazed, as if it were only natural.
"It was simple. Their features are distinctive. I have agents scattered here and there, so we were able to find them easily throughout the Holy City and the Empire. We even rescued a few who were on the verge of being sold into the slave markets."
"Uh..."
Even with subordinates, could one really find that many across the Holy City and Empire in a day? The question rose, but Selina simply nodded.
If the marquis said so, then it must be so.
"Fortunately, I have some acquaintance with His Majesty the Emperor of the Empire, who happens to be in the Holy City, so I secured his cooperation—... In order to gather additional identifying characteristics of the Beastkin, including Lady Selina herself—"
"..."
A storm of reports poured forth. All of it took place before the eyes of the massive crowd.
Now the sky looked purple.
On the verge of losing her mind, Selina barely managed to cling to her sanity and cut him off.
"...—and so the rescued kin have been temporarily housed in residences secured within the Holy City—"
"W-wait a moment!"
The typhoon of reports halted. Selina frantically spun her thoughts.
Should I just dump everything on the marquis and run? No—how am I supposed to hide from someone whose influence reaches the Empire in a single day? Then what? What do I do?
No answer presented itself for the immediate situation. She needed to change the subject.
"Ah, aah! Come to think of it, shouldn't I tell the people gathered here about the five races?"
"Indeed. With five forgotten races awakening, speaking from a clear position is the right way to reduce the people's confusion and prevent baseless rumors."
Nodding, the marquis held out the black cane in his hand. It was a cane with a luxurious sheen.
Selina took it almost without thinking. The marquis spoke calmly.
"The power residing in that cane will allow everyone to hear Lady Selina's voice."
"Ah."
Hesitantly, Selina stepped forward. Once she was out in front, her mind went blank—what was she supposed to say? Her hands trembled, and the countless gazes of the people flew at her like spears.
Breathing hard, Selina suddenly spun around.
"I-I can't do it!! Suddenly, in front of this many people..."
"Understandable. I shall do it for now, then."
Uncharacteristically gentle, the marquis took the cane back. In that brief moment, he muttered very softly,
"Once her position as leader of the five races is firmly established, a duke will be nothing to laugh at... but perhaps it is still too early."
His lips moved in a barely audible whisper.
Selina's ears pricked up and caught the words.
Power rivaling a duke? Me?
What sprang to mind was Princess Friga. A high wall stood between Selina and Friga.
That wall was status.
Did it make any sense for a duke's daughter to become someone's concubine? A commoner as the primary wife, a princess as the secondary? Preposterous.
Between commoner Selina and Princess Friga, there existed an inescapable limit of birth. Like wolf and cat—an innate barrier.
Clench.
If she could change that?
Selina curled her hands into fists, steeled her eyes, and snatched the marquis's cane. It was an unthinkable rudeness under normal circumstances, but she did not even register the act.
"Citizens of the Holy City! My name is Selina!! I am a descendant upon whom animal ears have grown, and the one who has received the mission to lead the forgotten five races!!"
From somewhere, courage welled up, and Selina cried out in a ringing voice. Her flushed cheeks burned red.
"The Sixth God has commanded me! Not only the Beastkin, but to find, gather, and make prosper the forgotten five races!! The first of the five races is our own kin!! Known as the Beastkin!!"
"Beastkin? So the people with animal ears are Beastkin?"
"Shh! She's still talking."
"Long ago, in the age of myth, five races roamed this land! Time enough for mountains and seas to reverse has passed, and they vanished from sight!! But the Sixth God has commanded that those five races be found once more, gathered, and made to prosper!! Undeserving though I am, I intend to take up the mission of leading them!!"
"Five... races? Do you know anything about that?"
"No, this is the first I've heard of it."
The crowd stirred. Everyone seemed flustered by the sudden proclamation. No wonder—ordinary people, suddenly hearing about five races from the age of myth.
Only priests and scholars well-versed in theology had a vague idea of what it meant.
This isn't good.
Selina felt it instinctively. The crowd's reaction was lukewarm. She needed something more certain, more intuitive.
Quickly choosing her next words, Selina cried out once more.
"This is the return of myth!! By uniting the five ancient races, we shall re-create the glory of God upon the earth! And begin once more the age of miracles and wonders!!"
The return of myth.
Those words were intuitive, and they sank deep into the hearts of the people.
"An age of myth filled with light and glory, where mystery flows!! A land of warmth watched over by God!! We can create it! By joining forces with the five ancient races, we shall make a land of glory!!"
Let us make the land of myth—!!
Shouting as if spewing molten lava, Selina gasped and braced her hands on her knees.
Had she done well? She didn't know.
The still air exploded in a single instant of heat.
""Waaaaaah—!!""
"The return of myth!! Aaaaaah!!"
"Selina! Selina! Selina! Selina!!"
"Lady Selina will lead me to the land of myth!!"
She'd managed it reasonably well.
Only then did the strength drain from Selina; her legs gave out and she staggered forward. Had a hand not caught her shoulder, she would have fallen.
Thud.
"It was rather rough and clumsy in places... but you did well."
"Marquis Purius..."
"I shall handle the cleanup and the minor details, so you should rest now."
At the marquis's willing invitation, Selina moved her trembling legs and barely managed to leave the spot. Holy Knights who had been watching from afar rushed over to support her.
...Not bad.
The marquis watched Selina's retreating figure carefully.
During the day Selina had spent in the Holy Land, the marquis had conducted a brief investigation into her. Nothing particularly unusual.
Back-alley origins, petty thief, sold him a few paintings, criminal record expunged through cooperation with Apostle Iscal. Afterward, spent some time on the streets with Apostle Iscal a few times.
If there was anything unusual, it was that she seemed to be in a strangely antagonistic relationship with Princess Friga.
Rivals in love, no doubt.
The clue was so faint even the marquis could not be certain. That was why he had deliberately mentioned a duke to Selina, probing her.
The reaction had been immediate.
That instant change in her eyes. Did love transform a woman so?
The marquis gripped his ink-black cane and slowly opened his mouth. His superior, appointed by God. The second person he would serve in his life was a cat-eared young woman of the feline race.
She will be a pleasure to serve.
There was much to teach her, and that made it all the more rewarding. Moreover, he could observe Selina's cat ears up close—nothing could be better.
Excellent.
The marquis loved cat ears and tails.
He loved them very much.
To the marquis, Selina was the finest superior imaginable.