Early Education (2)
To understand Akasha’s fanatical devotion, I first needed to grasp the background behind it.
From what I remembered, the beastmen had their own gods—something like indigenous beliefs separate from the human race’s faith. That was why conflicts had arisen in the past with the humans, who worshipped a single deity.
A religious war that eventually escalated into a full-blown war between races.
The beastmen, who maintained their societies in tribal form, had been utterly helpless. Afterward, they were taken as slaves and suffered losses so devastating it nearly wiped them out.
Because of that, even the original novel never went into much detail about the beastmen’s god. As a reader, I naturally had no idea either.
“What kind of person is this god? Could you explain it to me?”
So I decided to ask Akasha directly. No ordinary explanation would shake her rock-solid faith. If I simply told her I was human, she’d probably insist it was just the god taking flesh. I needed a special approach.
If I compared the traits of the god she knew against myself and tried to persuade her, maybe she would understand.
“Of course!”
Akasha beamed at my request. Her tail wagged vigorously from side to side, as if celebrating the presence of her god.
“The god is a man!”
“…Is that so?”
In this gender-reversed world, even the church’s one true god was a goddess. The saints and angels in their scriptures were all women too. A male god, though? That was unexpected.
“And he can perform miracles! Just like how my body was healed.”
“Anything else?”
“They say the god is a higher-dimensional being who entered a body in this world to live among us!”
Is she talking about possession?!
The thought flashed through my mind. No, it had to be a coincidence. I shook my head.
With a quick mental denial, I asked for more details.
“Is there… anything else?”
“And the name of the body he incarnated into contains repeating characters?”
“Ah, shit. Is it actually me?”
Sieg Barbary. That was my name after transmigrating. It could be coincidence, but Akasha’s unwavering belief, combined with how every single trait matched me perfectly, was suffocating.
I couldn’t deny it easily. If anything, I was the one being convinced. At this rate, persuading Akasha looked impossible.
“Finally… um, he possesses the authority to subjugate anyone and make them stronger?”
“That’s… yes, that’s it! Akasha, unfortunately I don’t have any ability like that. I don’t seem to be the god-like being you believe in. Hahaha! Whew.”
Thanks to not giving up until the very end, I had found one difference.
From her continued explanation, that power could completely heal bodies, grant catastrophic levels of magical talent, and bestow the strength to cleave heaven and earth.
Could I really create such superhumans? No way. The unique magic I possessed was healing magic. It wasn’t the kind that dominated people or made them stronger.
“But you’re taking such good care of Akasha like this?”
“Isn’t that different?”
“When you fought that robber earlier, you made me stronger too!”
“That was power you already possessed, Akasha.”
I had expected this to some degree, but Akasha seemed to be deeply mistaken. It was clearly her original strength, yet she believed it all came from my help.
“Then… is the god going to abandon Akasha?”
“That’s not…”
“Hic… whine…”
“…I’m not.”
Akasha’s eyes grew watery. Her trembling pupils and drooping tail, along with those pitiful whimpers, made her look exactly like a puppy terrified of being abandoned.
“No, no! I won’t abandon you. It’s just that I’m not the god you believe in.”
“Whine…”
“I absolutely won’t abandon you. So instead, just promise me one thing. Can you do that?”
“Hic… Yes.”
After earnestly soothing her, the sobbing finally stopped.
“Instead of calling me god, call me Sieg.”
“Would it really be all right for someone like me to speak your sacred name? It’s a holy name…”
“It’s fine. Don’t worry about that—just call me.”
“Hup. Understood! Si… Sieg-nim!”
Maybe from nerves, Akasha bit her tongue once before shyly saying my name. She had hesitated, but once she spoke it, she looked secretly delighted.
Although I hadn’t cleared up the misunderstanding about the god, for now it seemed enough that she would call me by name. At the very least, I probably wouldn’t get arrested here in Marleryung. That was a relief.
“I have one more question. Was it really okay to remove the thorn tattoo that was on your neck?”
It was something I had wanted to ask for a while. In the original novel, that thorn tattoo had been described almost like a symbol of hers. I figured it must carry significant meaning, so I wanted to confirm.
“Yes! Actually, that thorn tattoo was like a seal. Or should I call it a curse?”
“A curse?”
“It’s a curse the humans placed on us beastmen—a curse that drives us insane like demonic beasts. The more you resist, the more your body suffers. It’s a horrible curse. The reason my body was so terribly ill was all because of it.”
As Akasha continued her explanation, her expression turned icy. The anger she couldn’t suppress was leaking through. I caught a glimpse of just how fierce her rage toward humans truly was.
“Sieg-nim! Please, I beg you—save the people of my tribe! They are all bound by the curse and suffering.”
Akasha looked ready to set out immediately. But I couldn’t agree.
The village where the beastmen lived was a remote, quiet place far from Marleryung. It wasn’t a distance one could casually travel. Since I had come here to take the healer exam, the best course was to complete my objective first and go afterward.
“I see…”
At my response, Akasha’s tail drooped and her face fell.
“If that is Sieg-nim’s will…”
Seeing her like that, I smiled and said, “Still, if Akasha behaves well and stays obedient, I’ll head there right after the exam.”
“R-really?!”
“Of course.”
“Hehe!!!”
The sorrowful expression that had clouded Akasha’s face transformed in an instant into a bright, beaming smile.
“Yes!! From now on I’ll listen carefully to everything! And I’ll be sure to offer half of all my food to Sieg-nim!”
“No, no, you really don’t have to do that.”
After all, every bite that went into Akasha’s mouth was already being paid for with my money. I stroked her head.
“Just listen well and stay quiet, all right?”
I said it with the hope that she would at least follow my words a little. She might look obedient now, but since she had once been called “the bitch with blood rushing to her head,” there was no telling what she might do.
Besides, even if Akasha hadn’t asked, now that I knew about it I had every intention of going. From what I heard, there were roughly two hundred beastmen there. That meant I could spam magic to my heart’s content, right?
Not one shot a day—two hundred shots? There was no way I could hold back.
*
After our deep conversation, Akasha and I decided to sleep. I had originally planned to register for the exam today, but I postponed it. It was already late at night and the church doors were closed. There was still plenty of time before the test began, so it wasn’t a big deal.
“Where… where should I sleep? Si… Sieg-nim?”
Akasha asked while fidgeting with her own tail. The way she kept slightly avoiding my eyes made her look anxious.
“Just sleep here.”
I pointed at the other bed as if it were the most natural thing in the world. This was a double room with two beds—I had chosen it with that in mind.
“Is that really okay? I’m a girl, you know?”
“But you’re still a kid.”
This was a gender-reversed world. Unmarried men never carelessly allowed women into their bedrooms. It was practically an unwritten rule here.
I had vaguely anticipated that, but I didn’t pay it much mind. Even after absorbing the original Sieg’s memories, they had mixed with my own worldview from back home, so I didn’t take it too seriously.
Besides, to me Akasha was just a young girl. She was only half my height—a literal kid. That made it even easier to let my guard down.
“But I’m old.”
“Really?”
“Yes! Extremely old! I’m an adult.”
“How old?”
I laughed as if it were ridiculous.
“Forty.”
“Aww…”
Sensing my doubtful gaze, Akasha clenched both fists.
“Beastmen grow slowly!”
She then went on to insist that she was a fully grown adult woman while I was a man, earnestly trying to persuade me that she should sleep in a different room. If necessary, she would even sleep outside.
But I stopped her. It was already late, and my eyelids were growing heavy. The truth was I wanted to fall asleep right away.
“Then I’m turning off the light.”
I switched off the lamp and closed my eyes. Sleep came quickly. Probably because so many incidents had happened right after arriving in Marleryung, I was exhausted.
“Hup…”
However, Akasha couldn’t fall asleep.
She had earnestly insisted she was an adult woman. A woman in her prime who knew everything there was to know and was faithful to her desires! To allow someone like her to sleep in the same room—wasn’t this a green light?
Her thoughts grew tangled and she tossed and turned. Carefully, Akasha moved her feet. Slowly, without making a sound, she shifted over to my side.
“Sieg-nim…”
She had only ever watched from afar. He’s so handsome!
Even as a beastman, this was the first time in her life she had seen a man this attractive. She had thought it natural because he was a god, but now that he was close enough to reach under the moonlight, all sorts of impulses surged through her.
“Hup…”
For a moment impure thoughts flooded her mind, but Sieg was her god. She believed such ideas would be blasphemy against him and held herself back.
“Sniff sniff—”
A sweet scent tickled her nose. The fresh soap fragrance from his recent bath. It made her mouth water. They said food that looked good tasted good too. Her head felt hazy.
Would it be okay to sleep next to him?
With her judgment clouded, Akasha lay down beside me.
“Mmm…? Akasha? Why?”
I mumbled, half-asleep, when I sensed her.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
Her heart pounded wildly. It felt like the guilt of doing something forbidden.
“I was scared to sleep alone…”
“I-is that so? Mmm…”
Akasha had quickly come up with an excuse. Fortunately I accepted it and fell back asleep, but she felt embarrassed.
Hadn’t she clearly said she wasn’t a child? Yet here she was, using a childish excuse to hide.
Sniff sniff—
Still, the strong scent of Sieg brought a satisfied smile to her lips.
“Haa… haup…”
That night, only Akasha knew what the sleepless fox had done.
“So good… Sieg-nim… ♥︎!”
*
Early the next morning, I left Akasha at the lodging and headed for the church. I had come here for one original purpose: to officially become a healer.
“Is there something…?”
Maybe it was because I was a man. The receptionist looked puzzled. Indeed, when I glanced around, I was the only male in sight.
“I’m here to register for the exam.”
“You don’t mean… the healer exam, do you?”
“Yes.”
Fortunately, the guide still led me through the process. After all, anyone could take it as long as they paid the fee.
“My apologies. I’ll guide you.”
The receptionist continued her explanation kindly after the apology.
“Please fill out your personal details, including your name, here.”
“Thank you.”
“And this is my address.”
I received two sheets of paper: the registration form and an unknown note. When I looked at her with a puzzled expression, she gave me a wink.
—As an apology, please visit when you have time, her lips silently formed.
I responded with an awkward smile and turned away.
While continuing the registration, a voice rang out from the side.
“Oh! Welcome!”
It was the guide’s voice, suddenly brimming with energy. The next words made me turn my head without thinking.
“The young lady of the Baekya ducal family has come to visit! What brings you here…”
Of course it would cause a stir. The Baekya ducal family was the household my favorite character belonged to, after all.