Chapter 586: The Human Regime is Human
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 586: The Human Regime is Human
I'm not one to discriminate, but you can generally tell how someone has lived just by looking at them.
Even in this backwater, the first things that caught my eye were the starched white shirt and the neatly pressed suit. Then, the short, triangular ears poking out from a tidy, jet-black bob. I might have thought she was a beastkin, but the other telltale sign—a tail—was nowhere to be seen.
Impeccable attire and a neat appearance that the savages of the jungle couldn't even imagine. This was a person who had tasted civilization. Her posture alone spoke volumes about her level of education.
Again, I'm not a prejudiced person. I'm just stating the facts.
"The Baskerville family? Why are you here?"
"Hm? You know of us?"
In a flash of blue will-o'-the-wisp, the suit-clad woman was standing right in front of me. With those blue eyes, she had to be a Baskerville.
"I've heard of you. You're famous for being the Imperial family's loyal hounds, aren't you?"
In the far-off Empire, there's a concept known as the watchdog families. To put it simply, they're beastkin butlers. They take sensitive, brave, and loyal dog beastkin, teach them etiquette and Qi Arts, and use them as bodyguards, butlers, and emotional companions.
The tastes of the powerful are truly hard to fathom. Wanting to use people as hereditary watchdogs for generations... how twisted is that?
Huh? Is that what I did to Azzy? No, that's different. Azzy's a dog, right?
In any case, the Baskerville family had mastered exceptional Qi Arts and become loyal hunting dogs. Their efforts paid off, and one of them even became a master who had reached the Axiom.
That very person was the head of the Baskerville family, Blanca Baskerville. The pride of the Baskervilles looked me up and down before answering.
"—Woof. Not anymore."
"Oh? Did you retire?"
"You know of us, but not our current situation. You're not from the Empire, then. Are you from the Kingdom?"
"It's been the Military State for a while now."
"Right. A man of the State. Otherwise, you wouldn't have bothered to correct me."
She took the bait. Not that I was trying to hide it.
"Awoo. Maximilien isn't here right now. Do you want to leave a message? I can pass it along."
"I have no business with him. My business is with these people. They say they have a request for the witch."
"This isn't a witch's house, and it's certainly not a private investigation agency."
"What we need is paper. I told them if they write down their requests, I'll deliver them to the higher-ups."
"You go out of your way to do troublesome things. Is serving others a hobby of yours?"
"Yes, it's a hobby. Not a job."
"Woof. I'm jealous."
Blanca Baskerville gave a light laugh and pulled a pen and paper from a desk drawer. I took them and passed them to the people waiting outside.
"Alright, line up! One by one, write your name and your request for the witch! No cutting!"
"Write? With letters?"
"I don't know how to write."
"I do! I can write it for you!"
The people huddled together in a corner. Having dealt with the crowd for the moment, I casually stepped back inside the tower and asked, "Are you with The Human Regime?"
The question seemed to surprise her. Blanca stared at me intently as she replied.
"I thought you already knew."
"So it's true."
"Where did you hear about it?"
"I'm an acquaintance of Maximilien's."
"Awoo. So you did know."
In a way, it was only natural.
Nevida created The Human Regime. And Maximilien sowed its seeds in the Military State.
If those two had set up a base at the Tree of Genesis, it was only logical that The Human Regime would have a base here as well. After all, the Tree of Genesis was a Divine that grew all kinds of plants—a tree that would generously provide supplies and funding.
"That's right. Woof. I'm with The Human Regime."
"From what I understand, The Human Regime is a group of beastkin supremacists."
"...Awoo. Are you asking how a mere beastkin like me could be part of The Human Regime?"
"Not how, but why. You'd be treated well wherever you go. I was just wondering why you feel the need to be here."
"You have a way with words, woof."
Of course I do. A man with a weak physique has to have a silver tongue just to keep his sorry hide in one piece.
Blanca shifted slightly, as if inviting me in. I didn't hesitate and stepped further inside.
"Discriminating against beastkin isn't our group's purpose. Though I can't deny that many people believe it is."
"Then what is your purpose?"
"Our purpose is to find the King of Humans. The Beast King, more powerful, wiser, and greater than any other."
"And what will you do when you find him?"
"I imagine that differs for everyone."
Lieutenant General Ebon, who had visited Tantalus, wanted to ask the King of Humans if beastkin were also considered human. Maximilien wanted to make his gears a universal law for all humanity.
"Why are you looking for the King of Humans?"
It wasn't a question one would ask a stranger they'd just met, but Blanca answered my question without protest.
"Awoo. For me, it's enough that the King of Humans simply exists."
"Just his existence is enough?"
"Yes. If he is the King of Humans, he will be a worthy master for me."
"A master? You're looking for the King of Humans because you need a master?"
"Everyone has their reasons, woof. In this world, some people just need a master."
What a strange reason. The Baskervilles were the watchdog family that served the Emperor. Is she saying the Emperor is no longer good enough for her?
Blanca hugged her knees and looked at me.
"Or... would you like to be my master?"
"I'm already your master."
"Haha. You only say the sweetest things. Where did you learn that?"
"I'm not kidding."
I'm the King of Humans. The very master you've been searching for.
"Sorry. You won't do."
"Then why did you ask! Don't get my hopes up like that!"
"If the King of Humans didn't exist, you might have been acceptable. But not now. Maximilien said he found the King of Humans. So, for the time being, I'm not looking for a master."
Because that's me, you know? Should I just confess? No, wait. I should at least find out why she needs one.
"Why does it have to be the King of Humans?"
"Isn't it obvious?"
Blanca stood up from her chair, her blue will-o'-the-wisp eyes flashing.
"Because the King of Humans, unlike the Wolf King, will bring down that high and mighty Empire."
The Empire, a great civilization spanning from the Mediterranean to the Great Forest on the other side of the continent. Blanca bared her teeth at that colossal order.
A Great Witch who wants to bring down the Great Forest, and Blanca who wants to bring down the Empire. This place is full of people who want to destroy something on the other side of the continent. I guess that's why they've all gathered here, on the opposite side.
"You want to erase your former master. Is that why you're looking for a new one? To paint over the past?"
"Yes. But you wouldn't do that, would you?"
Blanca's nose twitched as she slowly sniffed the air. A beastkin's senses of hearing and smell are many times sharper than a human's, and a beastkin who has learned Qi Arts hones those senses to their absolute limit. Blanca caught a familiar scent of blood lingering in the air.
"—Not you people, who stood in our way even in Ende. Awoo."
Ende? That was the city of beastkin that was attacked by the Wolf King, wasn't it? Why there...
...Ah, right. The Baskervilles attacked Ende, didn't they? I thought she seemed familiar. I'd forgotten because I never came face-to-face with them.
"You're the magician from Ende, aren't you? You've got some nerve, coming to see me so calmly."
Blanca's aura intensified. I scratched my chin and replied.
"It's not that I've got nerve. To be honest, I completely forgot about it."
"Does that mean the losers aren't even worth remembering?"
"You didn't recognize me at first either. Besides, this is the first time we've actually met."
I identify people through mind-reading. Since you didn't recognize me, I didn't pay you any mind either. You only figured it out by the Regressor's scent, not mine.
"You had only heard stories about me, and I had only heard stories about you. On top of that, the tigers showed up right after and wiped out an entire army corps, so things were a bit hectic. Do we really need to start a conflict here?"
"Your companion seems to be injured. Should I really let an opportunity like this slip by?"
"It only becomes an opportunity after you consider the circumstances. Have you thought about why I'm here? Who inflicted those injuries? And why they're still alive after receiving them?"
Blanca's smile widened. The shadow of a jet-black dog flickered behind her.
"If you stop to ask questions, you lose the prey. You have to chase them down and take a bite first."
A blue flame flashed right before my eyes. Before I could even get into a stance, a powerful impact struck my chest. A brief flash of pain, and my body, chair and all, was lifted into the air. I heard the wind whistle past my ears as my body became a living battering ram, smashing through the tower door and flying outside.
Breaking down the door was a rather dramatic way to make an entrance. The sudden commotion drew a crowd. The Regressor, who had been waiting blankly outside, was no exception.
"Hughes! What's going on?!"
"Awoo. You're really hurt. What happened?"
The Regressor recognized Blanca's voice and froze. Approaching the Regressor with a hint of caution, Blanca saw her tightly bound arms and looked both pleased and puzzled.
"My, my. Both of your arms are useless. Who did this?"
"Blanca Baskerville...!"
"Awoo, yes. It's me. You're in quite a different state from when we last parted."
"Tch!"
'She's not an opponent I can beat without my weapons or Qi! I have to move, somehow! Even if I can't use Jizan, I need Chun-aeng at least!'
The Regressor gritted her teeth. She bit down so hard I could hear the grinding sound. The more she strained, the more she tried to channel her Qi, the more excruciating the pain that followed. But even as she felt a torment like her entire body was being torn apart, the Regressor extended her Qi.
She forcibly reconnected muscles that had just barely begun to heal. Her hastily patched-together body groaned under its owner's rough urging.
'Or else Hughes will die!'
"It's a pity. Struggling with arms that won't move."
But it was hopeless. Blanca Baskerville was also a master who had reached the Axiom. Even at full strength, victory was not guaranteed. While enduring the aftereffects of having her arms torn off, and without Chun-aeng or Jizan, she had no chance of winning.
As a fellow Qi practitioner, Blanca understood the Regressor's predicament at a glance and expressed her sympathy. But it was only sympathy.
"However, I can't afford to consider the prey's circumstances. Woof..."
Then, suddenly, Blanca looked at the Regressor and felt a sense of dissonance. She studied the Regressor's face from various angles before tilting her head.
"The scent is the same... but you've become a woman?"
"I lost it when I was defeated by Nevida."
"Awoo. My condolences."
"What do you mean, 'lost it'?! You wanna die?!"
I was talking about the Mask of Agartha.