Chapter 528: Bound to be Consumed
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 528: Bound to be Consumed
Ende had faced the enemy: a pack of wolves. The wolves were fierce and strong, but they were not a difficult foe. This was because other procedures common in war—distinguishing friend from foe, maintaining secrecy, strategic maneuvering, boosting morale, rooting out spies—were all omitted.
Humans were allies, wolves were enemies. Victory meant life; defeat meant death. It was simple enough for even a beastkin to understand. Being able to focus solely on the enemy before them was as good as having already achieved a strategic victory.
That was why the beastkin of Ende felt no alarm even upon seeing the armored legion. After all, humans couldn't possibly be their enemies.
Marquis Raphaeno and his army approached with a quietness that belied their size.
“You must be Grul! Glory of the boars!”
Grul, caught off guard by the sudden visitor, wore a bewildered expression.
It was only natural. Even for someone as bold as Grul, it was hard to be at ease when a stranger showed up with a legion at his back. And if that stranger was a middle-aged man with an ostentatious mustache, the aversion multiplied.
On top of that, Marquis Raphaeno made no effort to conceal his level of power. Seeing the man's presence, honed as sharp as a blade, Grul instinctively swallowed.
This man was his equal, or perhaps even stronger. Grul looked at Sapien and asked.
“What is this?”
Sapien started in surprise.
“Watch your tongue, Grul. This is the Black Tiger General, Marquis Raphaeno.”
“Ah. Is he one of the ‘five fingers’ of the Vassal State you mentioned?”
“I told you to watch your tongue.”
Grul knew a thing or two about etiquette. But he also knew how useless it was to be deferential from the very first meeting. Grul held up five fingers and sneered.
“Even fingers have a hierarchy, don't they? Where does he rank among the five? The middle finger, perhaps?”
“Grul…!”
“Hahahahaha! How bold! Truly bold!”
Fortunately, the incident Sapien had feared did not occur. Marquis Raphaeno heartily laughed off Grul's transparent provocation.
“Indeed. We Five Tiger Generals are often compared to fingers! The five fingers that wield the sword of the Vassal State! And do you know what? Some people in this world are born with six fingers! When it comes to wielding a sword, is there any harm in having an extra finger?”
He was a noble of the Vassal State, yet he responded to a petty provocation with such goodwill. It meant he wanted something from Grul. And to mention a sixth finger here could only mean one thing.
He wanted Grul to become the sixth finger. Grul said.
“Are you trying to scout me for the Vassal State?”
“I heard you were clever, and it's true! I haven't even mentioned recruiting you, yet you've already figured it out!”
“So it's true. How unexpected.”
Though he said that, Grul had inwardly anticipated this possibility. It would be stranger if they didn't try to win over a Master who had reached the Axiom.
'I have no intention of serving under him. However, a cooperative relationship might be possible. I'll have to size him up.'
Now that he had decided to take responsibility for the boar beastkin, he had to secure more for them. Things like rights and food. Grul finished his complex calculations.
“It's a more than generous offer for a ruffian like me. What does the great Vassal State gain by taking me in?”
“Even ruffians have their uses. Our guild is particularly interested in you. To be precise, we're interested in the treasures of Manguo that you can bring.”
“The elixirs. I can see why you'd be interested.”
With the Wolf King gone, the Enger Plains would once again become a route for adventurers. Finding the path to Manguo would require the Beast Faction, and Grul, who had even run a business based on it, would be a highly coveted talent.
“Indeed. Do you know how many elixirs it takes to raise a single Qi Practitioner? It's beyond words. And even after feeding them all those elixirs, there's no guarantee they'll become a Master. We must keep investing even knowing it might be for nothing, so elixirs are always in short supply. Meanwhile, some ruffian out there who's only eaten scraps of elixirs might suddenly reach the Axiom.”
“And what do you have to offer such a ruffian?”
“What else is there to give a Qi Practitioner? Superior manuals, more precious elixirs, and the chance to spar with other Masters.”
As a martial artist, Grul couldn't help but be instinctively tempted by the offer. Still, those were things any Master affiliated with a nation should naturally receive. Grul crossed his arms as if to say, "Go on," and waited for the next offer.
“And I will entrust this city, Ende, to you.”
The offer was so extraordinary that Grul failed to maintain his composure.
“…What did you say? Ende? Are you serious?”
“Yes. Now that the wolves are gone, it's time for the original owners to return to the house they left vacant. The Vassal State has decided to manage Ende from now on. And while we're at it, we might as well recruit a Master.”
To recruit Grul and entrust Ende to him at the same time. It was so unexpected that even Sapien was at a loss for words.
“One moment, Marquis Raphaeno. This is all too sudden.”
“Sudden? What can be done? This was decided the moment you failed to prevent the beastkin rebellion. The time for humans to play king among beastkin is over.”
News of Okma's rebellion had already reached Marquis Raphaeno. His shame exposed, Sapien bit his lip, but the Marquis didn't even glance at him. Grul found this very surprising.
'For all of Sapien's warnings, this man is quite reasonable. And his offer is extraordinary. What exactly is supposed to be so absurd about him?'
Despite arriving with an army, he wasn't flaunting his power. Nor was he trying to crush them with authority. Wasn't he more humane than the officials who reigned simply because they were human?
Just as Grul's opinion began to sway in the Marquis's favor…
“To hold them accountable for the rebellion, we will soon issue an evacuation order for the beastkin, so be prepared.”
The softly spoken words struck like a bolt from the blue.
The house left vacant by its original owners. Ende, now managed by the Vassal State. No more playing king among beastkin.
They would drive out the beastkin of Ende and let humans move into the empty land. All of Marquis Raphaeno's words were connected.
Sapien, well-versed in political affairs, realized it before Grul did.
“The ones who rebelled were a few boar beastkin! Most of the beastkin had nothing to do with it!”
“What's the difference?”
“What do you mean, what's the difference…”
It was Sapien who was rendered speechless by the Marquis's retort. Marquis Raphaeno toyed with his mustache and said nonchalantly.
“Beastkin are beastkin. What's different? They should be grateful we even let them live here for a while, yet they dare forget our grace and attack humans… That alone is reason enough to act. Is there any need to distinguish what kind of ears they have?”
Why should he distinguish between Okma and the rest, between boar beastkin and other beastkin? The Marquis was asking in all seriousness.
“That's…!”
“Don't get so worked up. Who said anything about taking away your authority? Your titles and powers will remain. If you wish, you may keep some beastkin to serve you in your homes. However, the other beastkin must be sent back to where they belong. There are tens of thousands of homeless subjects in the Vassal State; we can't let beastkin occupy vacant houses, can we?”
The land of opportunity, Ende, had become a city of free beastkin because of the Wolf King. Humans had preferred to live safely under the shadow of the Vassal State rather than endure the threat of wolves on the harsh Enger Plains.
But now that the beastkin had driven out the wolves, that land of opportunity was slated to be reclaimed by humans.
“This is better for you lot, too. How long will you remain a frontier city? Now that you've defeated the wolves, it's time to start gathering people and running the city properly.”
The beastkin weren't even acknowledged as individuals. They weren't even worthy of being cursed or ignored. Grul cut in.
“Wait, Marquis. I'm one of those 'beastkin' you're talking about.”
“What does that matter, Grul? What matters is that you're a Master thirsty for power. A sharp sword, whether it's a cursed blade or not, must be sheathed.”
Marquis Raphaeno picked at his ear, looking annoyed.
“If you truly wish to look after the beastkin… I recommend you accept my offer. Won't you need the Vassal State's support just to put up tents for them?”
If Grul were an ambitious, cold-blooded man, he would accept the Marquis's offer. It was a chance to fulfill his ambitions.
Even if Grul possessed the warmth to care for his own kind, he would still have to accept the offer. Otherwise, the beastkin driven from Ende would be abandoned by all.
It was half a threat. But it conveyed a clear determination to bring Ende firmly under the Vassal State's sphere of influence. And Ende could not escape that will. Not unless Grul himself took a stand.
The absurdity truly was absurd. It was closing in without a moment's pause, leaving him with only one choice and rendering his resolve meaningless. As Grul's mind raced, someone else stepped forward… another official.
“Marquis Raphaeno. There was something you said that I simply cannot overlook.”
Lord Erectus, an official whose discrimination against beastkin was second to none. The moment he appeared, everyone around him tensed as if they had just witnessed the personification of a bomb. Sapien seriously considered whether he should just chop him on the back of the neck and drag him away before he made the situation worse.
Marquis Raphaeno searched his memory.
“You are… who, again?”
“Official Erectus. The lord who remained in Ende to protect it when everyone else fled from the threat of the wolves.”
“Ah. The Water Duke… So what? Do you have some complaint about the Vassal State's decision?”
“Of course I do. The Vassal State is currently infringing upon private property.”
“Private property?”
There were tens of thousands of beastkin living in Ende. A number difficult to possess even if they were actual animals, yet Lord Erectus treated them all as his private property as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
“Yes. The beastkin of Ende are the property of the Officials of Obeli, who have long protected this land. They are the property of us officials, who upheld our pride and duty when everyone else fled Ende. I respect the Vassal State's judgment… but I cannot accept the evacuation order. It is our duty to protect our territory and our property.”
Fighting racism with racism. Faced with a statement far more extreme than his own, even Marquis Raphaeno was momentarily speechless.