Chapter 500: Flowers Bloom in Spring
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 500: Flowers Bloom in Spring
After a long wait, spring came to Ende. Finally freed from human dominion, the beastkin reveled in a liberty all their own. Led by the pig beastkin, who had reclaimed the name Orc, Ende began to dismantle the wicked customs and injustices of the past.
The most wretched have reclaimed their rights and are pursuing peace. By all accounts, Ende should have become a paradise.
But… for some reason, Ende didn't seem all that happy.
At the mansion where I was staying with the Regressor, she was picking at the food served by the Bountiful Table when she suddenly spoke.
“Hughes. I’ve tried not to think this, but… what if the pig beastkin are just rotten from birth?”
“Pfft.”
What’s with the sudden hate speech? I quickly glanced around before speaking.
“What are you saying all of a sudden? Someone might hear you.”
“So what if they do?”
“If the Orcs hear you, it’ll create complications when we need their help. The Orcs are extremely sensitive to racist language right now. If they hear what you just said, even coming from you, Shei, they’ll raise a huge fuss.”
“And what can they do? The pig beastkin have no merits, and their actions are worse than the humans’. Do I really have to humor scum like them?”
I knew why the Regressor was so displeased. The recent actions of the pig beastkin had been… quite something.
First, the pig beastkin abolished all discrimination. Dogs, cows, sheep, horses, and pigs—all were declared ‘equal,’ no different from humans.
As a result, every clan was now required to hire pig beastkin.
This included the clans of the cow beastkin, who worked in farming and manual labor.
And the clans of the sheep beastkin, who made clothes, did laundry, and cut hair.
And the clans of the horse beastkin, who delivered goods and messages in and out of the city.
The pig beastkin secured a position in each, gaining the authority to give orders.
As for the dog beastkin clan? It was dissolved entirely. The dog beastkin had primarily provided services related to humans, such as security, escorting, and diplomacy. After the fall of the Officials, the dog beastkin, who had effectively been the next class down from humans, were thrown out onto the streets. The pig beastkin moved in to fill the void.
I thought spring had arrived, but the city was still suffering from growing pains. Whether they were just ordinary pains or a prelude to greater suffering, I couldn't say. I tried my best to defend the pig beastkin.
“Well, it’s been fine so far, hasn’t it? The city is still functional, and people aren’t complaining that much.”
“This looks ‘fine’ to you?”
“Most importantly, unlike Obeli under the Officials, they follow our lead completely. It makes them much easier to use.”
“That’s true, but that’s not the only issue. The pig beastkin’s management skills are abysmal. If it weren’t for Triver, this city would have collapsed ages ago!”
In truth, only the ruling class of Ende had been replaced; the rest remained the same. Triver and the other beastkin administrators from Obeli were running the city, buried under an avalanche of work. If even a few of Obeli’s clan leaders had gone on strike, the Okma would have collapsed on its own.
Well, seeing them still working diligently must mean the beastkin of Obeli didn’t like the Officials much either. Considering what the Officials were like, that was understandable.
“Haha. It can’t be helped. Have the pig beastkin ever managed a city before? They’ve been at the bottom all this time, so they’ve never had the chance to do anything.”
“Exactly my point! What have the pig beastkin actually done? Grul was the one who subdued the obelisks, Triver is the one running the city, and you, Hughes, were the one who turned their march into a revolution! What have the pig beastkin, who call themselves the Okma, actually accomplished?”
“They did protest peacefully, for what it’s worth.”
“Protest? It was a temper tantrum that you decided to indulge. It should have ended right there.”
Oh, dear. The Regressor’s words were getting more extreme. I wasn't sure if I was imagining it, but her stance seemed to be leaning further and further to the right.
“Maybe there’s a reason for discrimination. They cry about how unfair it is, but looking at how they act, it doesn’t seem so unfair after all…”
“That’s enough.”
I held up a hand, stopping the Regressor before she could reveal any more of her political views.
“That line of thinking. I can’t easily agree with it.”
“You don’t think so?”
“I don’t. I am the King of Humans. I consider all people to be equal. Beastkin or human, beggar or emperor, they are all the same people to me. I respect them all.”
I spoke with all the sincerity I could muster, but the Regressor’s reply was skeptical.
“And yet you treat Azzy like a dog.”
“That’s because Azzy is a dog. You’re the strange one, Shei. You seem to value Azzy more than the Orcs.”
“Isn’t that obvious? Azzy is more precious to me than any pig beastkin. Both practically and emotionally.”
“Woof! Me, precious! You, precious too!”
As if on cue, Azzy heard her name and came running over, wagging her tail. The Regressor, who clearly hadn't expected Azzy to hear, blushed slightly. Uncomfortable with the attention, she averted her gaze and spoke.
“Ahem. Anyway. I’m not saying the pig beastkin aren’t people.”
“Then what?”
“I’m just saying that, on average, they are clearly lacking in certain areas.”
“That’s enough. I’ve said it twice.”
I couldn't even call her a moderate anymore. I stopped the Regressor before the scales tipped irreversibly.
“Shei. If you too are a person who pursues justice, then you should know. There is no special seed for kings and generals. You should know that in a similar environment, geniuses will emerge regardless of their birth.”
“That’s not a valid reason, is it? It hasn’t happened for the pig beastkin.”
“I said, in a similar environment, Shei.”
Don’t make me say it a third time. You’ll be marked for good.
“The lower the standard of living and education, the less frequently Qi practitioners and mages appear. This is something that changes even within the same country depending on the era. The beastkin’s Qi Arts have developed significantly over the years, and cases like Grul have proven that even pig beastkin can reach the Axiom through Qi.”
“That’s because Grul is special.”
“If we go down that road, there’s no end to it. Everyone who has reached the Axiom is special. ‘I am strong, not humanity as a whole,’ so what? If you’re going to take that stance, then there’s no need to save humans either. We can just say, ‘You pathetic fools are the ones dying,’ and be done with it.”
“I didn’t go that far.”
“Your words are heading in that direction.”
The Regressor clicked her tongue, crossed her arms, and said, “So? Is our great King of Humans saying that what the pig beastkin are doing is right?”
“On the contrary, I’d like to ask you. Should I say that they are wrong?”
“Of course. I’ve seen it many times. They can say whatever they want, but in the end, the pig beastkin are just looking out for their own interests. This will cause division someday. In fact, it already is.”
“The pig beastkin have suffered a lot.”
“Suffering in the past doesn’t give them the right to run wild now. Besides, after the Saintess with fur was chosen, institutional discrimination was abolished. The pig beastkin just kept themselves wallowing at the bottom.”
This was it. I could no longer defend the Regressor. I drew a line between myself and her, who had gone all the way to the far right.
“This is your personal opinion, Shei. It has nothing to do with me.”
“Woof! Discrimination, bad! Humans, all good!”
Azzy howled in agreement. The Regressor, whose love for humanity was less than a dog’s, looked back and forth between me and Azzy before speaking.
“Come to think of it, you two, as Beast Kings, would genuinely think that way. But I bet any ordinary human would think the same as me.”
“You’re the one making hasty generalizations. Shall we go ask someone?”
“Fine by me. Of course, they have their reputations to maintain, and with the pig beastkin in power, they won’t admit it easily.”
“Hmph. That won’t happen.”
There was one person perfect for this. I decided to lead the Regressor to him.
“Your Majesty. It is good to see you again. What brings you here?”
In the mayor’s office of Obeli, Mayor Triver greeted Azzy with a gaunt face. Seeing him, the Regressor tilted her head.
“Is Mayor Triver the human you were talking about?”
“Of course.”
“This is cheating. Mayor Triver is this city’s administrator. He has to side with the pig beastkin, whether it’s the truth or a lie. Especially since the pigs are occupying Obeli by force.”
And yet you’re the one not watching your mouth in an Obeli occupied by pig beastkin. You should be more careful. You’re making Mayor Triver anxious.
“Your words are harsh, my lady. I fear someone might hear.”
“It’s fine. I’ve severed the wind with Chun-aeng, so no sound will leak out.”
‘Ah, right. There are beastkin of the beast-faction here, aren’t there? If they can read vibrations with Qi, they could listen in on the trembling of the windowpane, so I should probably seal the space itself.’
A beat too late, but the Regressor isolated the mayor’s office in its own pocket of space. Feeling the flow of air and even smells come to an artificial halt, Mayor Triver looked at the Regressor from behind his glasses.
“…I am listening. It seems you haven’t come on a pleasant topic. Though given the circumstances, I suppose it can’t be helped.”
“Mayor Triver, your own circumstances don’t look very pleasant either.”
“It is my duty. And it is rewarding to be able to devote myself to the city like this in my final years.”
Even though she had blocked any sound from escaping, Mayor Triver’s response was formulaic. The Regressor replied with dissatisfaction.
“No one knows if you truly mean that. You picked the wrong person to ask in the first place.”
I knew, but the Regressor, lacking the ability to read minds, wouldn't.
But, Regressor, you need to change your way of thinking a little. It’s not that you should give up on knowing someone’s inner thoughts just because you can’t.
You don’t need to know what’s in their heart. You have to believe what they show you.
“Shei. Whether he’s sincere or not, that’s not what’s important.”
“Then what is?”
“What’s important is that he is actively helping the Okma. Look, just look at the state Mayor Triver is in.”
Only after I said that did the Regressor look closely at Mayor Triver again. For a moment, several images of the mayor overlapped in her vision. A slightly older mayor, a more powerless-looking mayor, and a mayor buried after dying in a pool of blood. The images of Mayor Triver she had encountered a few times during her regressions became three-dimensional and pressed in on her.
The Regressor frowned and shook her head.
“…I don’t really see it.”
“That’s because you’re trying to judge the person himself. Don’t do that. Look at what Mayor Triver is doing.”
Following my advice, the Regressor’s gaze shifted to the area around Mayor Triver.
Hundreds of documents. Half-written letters. A half-empty glass of water was now pressing down on a stack of papers like an inkstone. It was obvious at a glance that he was handling a murderous workload.
“See? If he always worked like this, he would have died from overwork long ago. It’s clear he’s doing far more than his usual duties. All to maintain an Ende ruled by the Okma.”
Triver, the mayor of Ende, was suffering from overwork.
He had always had many responsibilities. But now, with the pig beastkin, who knew nothing about administration, having kicked out all the Officials and taken their places, he had to drag his old body around to fill the gaps. It was only because he was respected by many of the beastkin that no one had deserted or gone on strike. If he hadn’t cooperated, the Okma would have collapsed on its own.
“In other words, Mayor Triver, who is essentially a noble of a vassal state, is helping the Okma. And actively, at that. Why do you think that is?”
“The mayor is simply not abandoning his duty.”
“Impossible. Mayor Triver thinks the same way I do. That with enough experience, the pig beastkin can become fully capable of running the city. His attitude shows it. Do you really think he’s crazy enough to commit suicide by overwork?”
Only then did the Regressor understand the true meaning of my words.
What kind of person Mayor Triver was, what kind of character he had—none of that really mattered. What mattered was that Mayor Triver was acting this way, and by working backward, one could deduce his thoughts.
Mayor Triver helps the pig beastkin. No, he isn't specifically helping the pig beastkin. Because to him, the pig beastkin are fellow people.
“…Isn’t that only natural? All beastkin of Obeli are equal. The pig beastkin are no exception. They were a bit extreme, but the pig beastkin are people who have earned the right to be a part of Obeli.”
“See, Shei? There might be others who share your beliefs, but it’s not a given. You really need to reflect on yourself.”
“Woof woof woof! Reflect!”
“I-I wasn’t that bad! The way you two are acting makes me sound like the only bad guy here!”
The Regressor, now a lone bigot, belatedly protested. Not that it was very convincing.