Chapter 541: A Story Left Behind, Master and Dog
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 541: A Story Left Behind, Master and Dog
The hero who saved Ende had left, but the city had no time to notice. The sweetness of victory was a brief anesthetic, but the city was too deeply wounded. As soon as the numbness wore off, screams and clamor erupted from all corners of Ende.
The same was true for Obeli.
“Kill them! Kill them!”
If there was one thing the beastkin of Ende had learned from Okma, it was the picket protest. Rebellions could be suppressed and petitions ignored, but these protests were incredibly difficult to handle. Using force risked turning the crowd into a riot—a second coming of Okma. Yet ignoring them only drew more sympathizers. The Obeli watchdogs and the city guard could do nothing but stand by and watch.
Emboldened, the beastkin of Ende held up their pickets and shouted before Obeli.
“What kind of place gives invaders a warm bed, food, and medical treatment!”
“If they were beastkin, they'd already be hanging from a noose! Are you sparing them because they're human?!”
“Drag them all out and execute them!”
“Feed them to the tigers!”
As a result, Obeli was also plunged into chaos.
The Wolf King had been defeated, but the conflict was far from over. Having exhausted much of its resources and food in the successive battles, Ende had no choice but to stoke hatred to keep its fighting spirit alive. Thus, Obeli broadcasted the cowardice of the vassal state to all of Ende, fanning the flames of their fury.
Unfortunately, their strategy was a success. The problem was, it was too successful.
In Obeli's conference room, separated from the sea of protestors by a single wall, a human shouted.
“Mayor Triver, does this make any sense? Beastkin scum clamoring for the execution of humans?!”
To the north of Ende lay a vast plain blessed by a river that never ran dry. Unlike the south, with its alternating heat, humidity, droughts, and floods, the temperate north seemed born for agriculture.
Three vassal states held territory there, and power struggles were common. Floods often erased borders, and lords changed even more frequently.
Among them was Baron Eaton of the south, a loyalist of the Lilac vassal state who governed the approach to Ende. He had come to the city, ostensibly to offer aid, but everyone knew he was merely a mouthpiece for the vassal states.
Hearing the commotion outside, he yelled, “I came here to offer aid in the face of the tragedy that has befallen Ende. Yet, not only do I find the proud Black Tiger Army in this sorry state, but they are also being persecuted by beastkin! How am I supposed to report this?”
“Shut your mouth, human!”
It was a quintessentially ‘human’ statement, but after the recent string of events, the beastkin were no longer willing to tolerate it. The only reason a Clan Chief didn't tear Baron Eaton to shreds was not because the baron was human, but because the clan chiefs were comparatively civilized.
The clan chiefs bared their teeth and roared.
“You were the ones who attacked first! We were ambushed while tending to our wounded after defeating the Wolf King! You should be grateful we spared your lives, yet you dare threaten us?”
“You want to be fed to the tigers, too?”
Fierce shouts echoed from all sides. A lesser man might have shrunk back in the hostile atmosphere, but Baron Eaton brazenly lifted his chin and retorted.
“Do you have any proof?”
“What?”
“That the Black Tiger Army attacked you first? You expect me to believe that? An elite unit led by the great Yeontangeom himself? What could they possibly have wanted from you to justify such an attack? If you're going to make excuses, at least make them believable!”
The beastkin were struck dumb by his sheer audacity. The wounds on the backs of those who had been directly attacked had not even healed, yet the baron was spouting whatever nonsense came to mind.
“The Black Tiger Army came to aid Ende and was mauled by tigers in the process! You are the ones who should take responsibility! How dare you try to shift the blame!”
In truth, the news had been a bolt from the blue for Baron Eaton as well.
The Black Tiger Army, the vassal state's elite force, had been annihilated by a tiger attack after passing through his domain. The vassal state had been crippled in the blink of an eye. He couldn't be sure where the vassal state's fury would be directed, or if his own neck would be safe in the process.
The only way to preserve his title, his territory, and his life was to shift all responsibility onto Ende.
“If someone had to die, it should have been you, not Yeontangeom! Why is Ende perfectly fine after the King of Tigers swept through?!”
The enraged beastkin snorted, their breath misting in the air. The beastkin of Obeli might be relatively civilized and old, but they were still beastkin. If they wished it, they could turn Baron Eaton's limbs into toothpicks.
Into the explosive situation, a low voice cut in.
“Because they dared to insult the King of Tigers.”
The voice, belonging to an old, wrinkled dog beastkin, was quiet yet firm.
“Yeontangeom was… ah, quite rude. Even more so than you, Baron. He called us beastkin ‘beast-ears’ and assumed we should naturally cooperate with him. And that assumption soon translated into action… But who could have known? That the King of Tigers was hiding among us, watching in silence.”
“The King of Tigers was among you?”
“He was. However, the King of Tigers is a proud and dignified being. He felt no reason to spare a human who dared… to be condescending to him. He only stopped after killing Yeontangeom and slaughtering the rest of the Black Tiger Army who resisted.”
Mayor Triver conveniently omitted the fact that the King of Tigers had nearly annihilated the beastkin of Ende as well; it was better to let them believe the great beast was on their side.
“And you just stood by and watched?!”
“Baron Eaton, would you have defied the King of Tigers?”
“Of course! I would never bow to a savage beast….”
Baron Eaton snapped his mouth shut mid-sentence. He, too, was a lord of the Enger Plains.
The proverb ‘speak of the tiger and he shall appear’ often became literal when it came to the Beast Kings. Thus, the King of Tigers was a being one should never invoke lightly, not even in jest.
The baron had too much to lose to be courageous. Instead of calling upon the King of Tigers, Baron Eaton seized on a different point.
“And you think that excuses those people out there, demanding the prisoners be killed?!”
Even Mayor Triver could not answer that easily.
The Black Tiger Army had attacked first, and the beastkin of Ende had been deeply shocked by the sudden betrayal. They had been enraged upon realizing the army's true intention: to drive all beastkin from Ende.
But that was all unofficial. If the vassal state denied it, that would be the end of it. And even if they didn't, it would be difficult for others to understand the beastkin's fury. After all, the perception that beastkin were lower-class citizens was strong.
“The cruel slaughter of prisoners has been forbidden by both the Empire and the Sanctum since the fall of the Overlord! Are you trying to create a second Abyss?! The Sanctum will condemn your atrocities!”
And if these ‘lower-class citizens’ were to barbarically kill prisoners, it would become an outrage that even the Empire could not ignore. This was especially true because the Empire itself was founded upon condemning the sin of the Overlord, who had slaughtered hundreds of thousands of prisoners.
Mayor Triver replied, “…We have no intention of killing them.”
“Hmph! The beastkin gathered out there like a storm cloud don't seem to agree! But then again, how could they possibly know a history that transpired before they were even born!”
His confidence restored, Baron Eaton shot to his feet.
“I don't know what kind of ‘accident’ you think happened, but release the prisoners and hand them over to my custody at once! Otherwise, I will personally hold these beastkin accountable for their sins!”
The beastkin were already treated as savages. If they were seen to be defying the order established by the Overlord's fall, they would surely be condemned. And if Ende, which could not stand against the vassal state alone, were to be condemned by the Empire or the Sanctum, its only remaining path was ruin.
Just as Mayor Triver found himself in a bind, a familiar, though not entirely welcome, voice drifted in.
“How noisy. Is there never a quiet day in Obeli anymore? A man can't get any sleep.”
Duke Erectus, who had been driven out by Okma and had only just managed to return, appeared in the conference room, looking unchanged. He let out a great yawn, appearing as if he had just woken up.
Baron Eaton recognized the duke's face.
“Duke Erectus! At last, someone reasonable has arrived. You wouldn't believe what these beast-ears are saying….”
“The one I called noisy was you, Baron Eaton.”
Duke Erectus replied irritably, digging a finger in his ear.
“I may be a ‘Water Duke,’ but I am a duke nonetheless, am I not? Ende is my domain. You show up without so much as a raven and start making a scene? Baron Eaton, is this the famous etiquette you're so proud of?”
“The situation was urgent, so my visit was abrupt! Besides, this is hardly the time for pleasantries! What are you going to do about the beastkin outside!”
Baron Eaton pointed toward the barrier. Beyond it, the beastkin continued their protest, their shouts to ‘kill’ and ‘execute’ clearly audible. It seemed to be the undeniable will of Ende's people.
But Duke Erectus replied with a shrug.
“Ah, that? Just leave them be.”
“You want me to just leave them be?”
“They're just beasts I'm raising. What do you expect me to do when they bark? You should be more understanding. What is it you want?”
“Be understanding? They're beastkin, and they're screaming for the public execution of prisoners!”
“If a dog you're raising barks aggressively, are you going to charge it with attempted murder? Really, there's a limit to this nitpicking. Who's going to take you seriously if you complain about the whining of an animal?”
Wait, he's just going to dismiss that massive crowd of beastkin protestors as non-human? Baron Eaton was at a loss for words. He could have picked apart any normal excuse, but Duke Erectus's argument was a step beyond the realm of his understanding.
“They were stabbed in the back by the Black Tiger Army. It's the equivalent of whipping an already agitated beast right after a fight. It's only natural they'd be startled, raise their hackles, and bark at every human they see.”
“Have you forgotten the lesson of the Overlord?!”
“I know it. But it's perfectly natural that these uneducated creatures don't. I, for one, have no hobby of teaching history to dogs.”
It was a statement that explicitly treated beastkin as domesticated animals. Baron Eaton wanted to object, but he couldn't come up with a suitable counter-argument.
Were beastkin human? A few, feigning civility, might say yes. But if asked whether they were equal to humans, most would shake their heads. Baron Eaton was among that majority. His reasons were purely economic; treating that many beastkin laborers as equals would cut into his profits.
But Duke Erectus was treating them as actual pets, leaving Baron Eaton speechless. It would be rather strange for him to suddenly start advocating for beastkin rights now.
“If you understand, then sit down. And stop trying to muddy the waters. Honestly, sometimes I just don't understand you nobles from the vassal states. If you're going to dismiss beastkin as animals, then treat them as such. You treat them like animals but then demand they uphold human responsibilities. What is it you want?”
“That's….”
“If you have a complaint, direct it to me. Now. What were we discussing? Tell me.”
His momentum broken, Baron Eaton launched into a series of self-serving statements, insisting he held no responsibility for the series of events. His words were rambling and incoherent, but his desperate desire to distance himself from the unprecedented disaster of the Black Tiger Army's annihilation was perfectly clear. His wish for Ende to be painted as the villain for the sake of his own security was laid bare.
Watching him, Mayor Triver felt a complex mix of emotions.
He had been born a beastkin. The fact that his father was from a distant branch of the imperial family was meaningless; he was abandoned, cast out, and could no longer remain in the Empire. Fortunately, the vassal states were a place where imperial blood could be sold at a high price, and Triver had used that as a weapon to carve out his own corner of power.
As the mayor of Ende, Triver had dreamed of a utopia. A dream where all beastkin could live in peace. A dream where they could enjoy the same opportunities as humans.
It was a dream of a world where no one would find it strange for everyone to eat at a single table.
But perhaps, Triver had been making a grave mistake all along.
Humans were not inherently superior, nor were beastkin inherently inferior. Both simply wished to become the injustice inflicted upon others, and the unluckier side would eventually face true injustice and vanish.
From the very beginning, humans and beastkin had been sitting at the same table. Not smiling warmly, but with faces twisted in disgust, desperately trying to snatch food from each other's plates.
Perhaps even his dream of sitting at the same table as humans was nothing more than a stubborn fantasy born of an inferiority complex. After all, it wasn't as if humans always got along with their own neighbors.
In their own way, humans were beasts, too.
As Triver was lost in his bitter thoughts.
“Welsh!”
Duke Erectus shot to his feet. He had spotted his watchdog, Welsh, lingering near the conference room and immediately stood and strode toward her.
“I told you to stay in bed, didn't I? Your wounds haven't fully healed!”
His tone was chiding, but his expression and actions were as gentle as if he were addressing a beloved pet. Welsh, who had been waiting so as not to interrupt the meeting, had no choice but to enter when Duke Erectus personally pulled her inside.
Feeling burdened by her master's constant fussing, Welsh pushed him away.
“The King tended to my wounds before he left. I'm fine now.”
“Internal injuries can linger. You are to rest and not move until you are fully healed.”
“I've also practiced Qi Arts, so further treatment would be ineffective. The doctors have already returned to their other patients.”
“What? Those quacks just left on their own accord?”
“It wasn't on their own accord. I told them I was fine.”
“And that makes it okay? Those bastards. Who do they think they have to thank for being able to make a living as doctors in a city without humans! I'll have them….”
Welsh stated firmly, “Master. I know my own body best.”
“…I suppose you do. Tch! Since you practice Qi Arts. Fine.”
The master's doting ended there. Welsh let out a small sigh.
Ever since Welsh had nearly died protecting him, Duke Erectus's attitude toward her had completely changed. He had never been stingy, but now he acted as if he would give her his own liver and gallbladder. He, the one who was supposed to be protected, was now spending more and more time by the injured Welsh's side.
It was, perhaps, a fitting reward for someone who had saved his life, but Welsh felt burdened by such unaccustomed kindness. That was why she was trying to return to her duties as quickly as possible.
“You should be worrying about yourself, Master. It's dangerous for you to be wandering around alone in this chaos.”
The way Duke Erectus faced Welsh was decidedly strange.
This was the same man who had just relentlessly berated Baron Eaton. He was a man who silenced others, not one to hold his own tongue, yet here he was, fidgeting in front of Welsh. After a long moment of choosing his words, he said.
“I don't want you to be my guard anymore.”
At the unexpected news of her dismissal, Welsh looked up at him and asked, “Have you found another watchdog?”
“Of course not! You're my only one. It's just… you've been through so much protecting me. I just want you to stop with the guard duty now.”
His words clearly held an intention far different from dismissal, but unfortunately, Welsh lacked the subtlety to grasp it. One could hardly blame her. It was, in a way, the karmic debt of Duke Erectus himself, who had once whipped her whenever he was bored.
Welsh's ears and tail drooped a little.
“…So I am fired, then. I suppose I'll have to look for other work.”
“No, I said you're not fired! Just listen to me!”
They paid no mind to the stares of the others. Awkwardly, Welsh and Duke Erectus looked only at each other.
Watching them, Triver felt that same complex mix of emotions again.
Perhaps he had been thinking about it all wrong from the very beginning. Instead of trying to create a world where humans and beastkin could eat the same food at the same table without it being an issue, perhaps the wiser solution was for them to find the one they needed most, just like those two.
Triver felt as if he were crumpling up all his past years and tossing them into a wastebasket. Yet, instead of regret, he felt a pleasant, refreshing clarity.
The time he had left might not be long, but there was still much to be done. Triver was grateful for the opportunity to start making a difference.