Chapter 270: Beastkin Headbands
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 270: Beastkin Headbands
Miro returned, having passed the preliminaries in second place and secured her spot in the main event. Her eyes were hollow, as if half her soul had fled.
“Big sis!”
“Sis!”
Her four younger siblings, including the new children Narsha had brought, ran to her. The five of them were finally together in one place.
Her siblings were smiling before her. As if she hadn't been dejected at all, Miro broke into a bright smile.
“Hey, kids! Were you watching my race?”
“Yeah!”
“Oh no! I wanted to show you how cool I was, but I ended up in second place~”
“It’s okay! Second place is still amazing!”
“You looked so cool when you were running, sis. Do you think I can run like you someday?”
“Hmm~? You shouldn’t run like me, you should be faster than me. Of course, that’ll take a lot of practice!”
As Miro chatted cheerfully with her siblings, her eyes met Karami’s. She scratched the back of her head, embarrassed, and stuck out her tongue cutely.
“Hehe, what do I do, Trainer? I let my guard down and got second. Sorry.”
“It’s fine. You made it to the main event, so you’ll have a chance for revenge. Are you confident you can win next time?”
“I don’t know. She was incredibly strong. Maybe I’m just not good enough~”
“The main event is in a month. We have plenty of time to practice, so let’s just keep working hard.”
“Okay!” Miro replied energetically.
But behind her smiling face, a shadow others couldn't see lingered.
*
Summer was approaching.
The days were growing hotter and more humid, but the nights were still cool. The gentle night breeze created the perfect conditions for a run.
Miro dashed across the field, the wind at her back.
Her run, usually so light and bouncy it cheered up anyone watching, was now unusually forceful, as if she were throwing a tantrum.
A knot of inexplicable feelings tightened in her chest.
She had hoped running until she broke a sweat would make it better, but it only fueled her irritation, doing nothing to relieve the tightness.
Was it an inferiority complex?
Or a sense of defeat?
She was supposed to be past such feelings. The wounds had healed, but the pain of the whip remained etched deep in her memory.
To Miro, running was the shackle that bound her life. It was the source of both her mental and physical oppression.
It shouldn't matter if she lost a stupid race. So why was she feeling this way, and why was she trying to resolve it by running?
“I don’t get it at all!”
Miro flopped onto her back in the field.
Her shout carried no meaning as it scattered into the open sky.
She stared blankly at the star-strewn night sky. A moment later, a shadow fell over her face.
“Shouldn’t you at least rest on the day of a race?”
“Trainer… Mirabelle, you’re here too.”
“Even if I use magic to restore your stamina, you still need to rest when it’s time to rest. That’s how you get good results.”
“The Master is always right, Miro. Mental fatigue can’t be healed with magic. Ah, though it might be possible if I were to perform a mental modification and just erase your feelings entirely?”
Mirabelle’s words were enough to make one’s blood run cold. And judging by her serious, focused expression, it wasn’t just an idle thought.
Fortunately, a sharp glare from Karami made her shrink back.
“You don’t need to feel burdened at all. So what if you come in last? If you really don’t want to do it, you can just watch the others run from the VIP seats like some bourgeois.”
“Is… that okay?”
“Of course. In fact, let’s withdraw you from the next race right now. If we tell them now, one of the people who was eliminated can take your place.”
“Ah, no. We don’t have to go that far. Since I made it to the main event, I was thinking I might as well run as far as I can…”
“Is that so?”
Miro nodded.
“Well, if that’s what you want to do… I understand. We’ll just see how far you can go. If you ever feel like you don’t want to do it, just say the word.”
“Okay.”
Having impulsively agreed to continue, Miro let out a small sigh, a strange sense of relief washing over her.
*
The sixty-four contestants for the main event had been decided.
Rin’s Twelve Zodiac Spirits and Elize’s Iris had passed with ease.
“Let’s have a friendly competition.”
“For this race, I’m your rival, Master.”
“Master, if we win, you’ll give us a prize, right?”
“And if I win?”
“You can do whatever you want with us.”
Wasn’t that something he could always do?
It was a bet with no benefit for Karami whatsoever.
But he figured that little things like this were a form of entertainment, and that they deserved to have some fun in their lives, so he accepted the terms.
The main event would consist of sixty-four contestants. They would be divided into groups of sixteen, and just like the preliminaries, the top four from each group would advance to the finals.
They had one month left.
All the main races would be held at the new racetrack, which was currently under construction. The work was in its final stages and would be completed before the event.
I guess the dancing will have to wait for the next tournament.
As much as Karami wanted to see it right away, they needed time to prepare, and it could be met with resistance from the audience and the contestants.
Once this first horse racing event was a success, he would start pushing for it in earnest.
He’d make them react with, ‘What? Not only do we get to see pretty girls compete, but they’ll dance, too?’
For now, he didn’t need to worry about Miro.
If she gave up, that would be the end of it. If she needed help, he would provide it. Until then, he just had to watch over her quietly without meddling.
And one more thing was needed…
Improving relations between the races, I suppose?
He couldn’t forget.
This horse racing event was a bridge to foster friendly relations between humans and beastkin. While the races were gaining explosive popularity, that alone wasn’t nearly enough.
He needed to expand its influence beyond just horse beastkin. It would be meaningless if people only came to like them.
And so, he devised a strategy.
Let’s make souvenirs.
Souvenirs that could foster a greater sense of familiarity with beastkin.
With the cooperation of the Magic Tower’s mages, the dwarves, and the beastkin, Karami created a new product. The slaves gathered around, intrigued by the unfamiliar item.
“Darling, what’s that headband?”
“It’s a prototype for a souvenir to be sold at the racetrack. Would you like to try it on?”
Alfia took the headband from Karami, glanced at it for a moment, and put it on without much thought.
Poof.
“Huh?”
Two fox ears sprouted from the top of Alfia’s head, and a fox tail emerged from her tailbone. They were the same golden color as her hair.
“What is this?”
“It’s a headband that lets you transform into a beastkin when you wear it. The unique thing about this one is that it transforms the wearer into a beastkin that suits them.”
It was called the Beastkin Transformation Headband.
With this, he could make beastkin more accessible and increase their appeal. It was sure to be a revolutionary item.
“Wait a minute. Are you saying if I were born a beastkin, I’d be a fox? Of all the animals out there, why a fox?”
“Perhaps it’s because your behavior is fox-like, Alfia?”
“I’m definitely going to get teased for this.”
Foreseeing a troublesome future, Alfia glanced nervously at Rin, who was silently staring at Alfia’s new fox form.
“…”
“What? Why are you looking at me like that? It’s creepy.”
Rin, who had been staring intently, began to fiddle with Alfia’s golden fox tail. She didn’t respond to Alfia, as if mesmerized by a spell.
“What’s with her?”
“…”
“Hey.”
“Huh?”
“I said, why are you looking at me with those creepy eyes?”
Finally realizing what she’d been touching, Rin quickly crossed her arms and acted prim.
“What’s wrong with my gaze? In fact, I have a thing or two to say to you. I know you like me, but did you really want to become a fox just like me that badly?”
“It’s not like I chose this!”
“So you pretend to hate me on the outside, but you secretly liked me all along? You have a cute side to you, don’t you?”
“You…!”
The two foxes bickered back and forth as they always did.
“I have a few more. Would you all like to try one?”
He handed out more headbands to the other slaves.
When Mirabelle put one on, ears sprouted from her head as well. A tail appeared too, a very large one with a tip that was curled up like a roll cake.
“I’m a squirrel.”
“I thought as much.”
He’d always thought she looked just like a squirrel, stuffing her cheeks full of Slime Fritters and munching away.
Elize, being a vampire, showed no change even with the headband on. In Azyeth’s case, two round ears were perched on her head like a pair of steamed buns.
“Hmm, what animal could this be?”
“A polar bear, perhaps?”
Was it because she slept all day, just like a bear hibernating in winter?
Azyeth’s eyes widened as she fiddled with her new animal ears.
“So fluffy…”
She was always stroking Rin’s tail, so she seemed pleased to have one of her own.
Like Elize, Rin showed no change. The next to try was Narsha.
Black and white spots.
A long, thin tail.
“A zebra?”
“Looks more like a dairy cow to me. But why a cow, of all things?”
“Maybe it’s because Lady Narsha has a role similar to the lady of the merchant group? Something like maternal love.”
“Doesn’t that mean you can be milked? Mama Narsha, give me milk.”
“Don’t be ridiculous. There’s no way I would start lactating just because my appearance changed slightly, especially when I don’t have any children.”
Narsha remained perfectly calm, seemingly unfazed by Alfia’s sexual harassment.
It was then that Mirabelle, who had been thinking while swishing her large squirrel tail up and down, spoke up.
“That might not necessarily be the case.”
“What do you mean?”
“This headband… I don’t think it only changes one’s appearance. It seems to affect you physically and mentally as well. Ever since I put it on, I’ve felt this growing urge to store things.”
Just like a squirrel hoarding acorns in its home.
Similar strange reactions were appearing in the other slaves.
Alfia sidled up to Karami and wrapped her golden tail around his arm as if linking arms with him. It was the same thing Rin did to Karami every day.
“I think I get why she’s always clinging to you. I kind of want to mark you with my scent.”
“See? Now you get it, right?”
Rin’s pink tail wrapped around Karami’s other arm.
Azyeth let out a long yawn.
“So… sleepy.”
“You’re always sleepy.”
Mirabelle wanted to hoard precious things like a squirrel hoarding acorns, Azyeth was sleepy, and Alfia wanted to mark her territory like a fox.
So what about Narsha, who had become a cow beastkin?
Narsha’s gaze fell to her chest, where she felt an unfamiliar sensation. She stared down blankly for a few seconds, unsure of what it was. The moment she realized—
“Ngh!”
She hastily covered her chest with her arms.
Her cheeks burned as red as fire.
“Master, why don’t you try one on, too?”
“That’s right. I’m curious what kind of beastkin you’ll become.”
“Should I?”
“It’s obvious. The Master will become a fox, just like me.”
“I think a fox would be good, too.”
“It’s definitely going to be a bat.”
“I think… a squirrel.”
Bearing the expectations of his slaves, who all hoped he would become the same animal as them, Karami put on the headband.
Twitch!
Long, black ears perked up.
And a round tail, like a ball of yarn.
Anyone could see he was a rabbit.
“A rabbit… that’s unexpected.”
“I know, right? Why a rabbit? I’m suddenly annoyed.”
“What’s with that ominous look? What were you expecting?”
“A fox.”
“A cat.”
“A weasel.”
“What on earth do you people think of me? For a kind person like myself, a harmless rabbit is a perfect fit. This is a very smart headband.”
The dumbfounded slaves burst out laughing in unison. Ignoring them, Karami focused on his new senses.
His hearing was sharper, and he could move his ears at will.
And on top of that…
“Wow, everyone, look at this. This little tail moves. Isn’t it fascinating?”
Karami turned his back to the slaves to show them. The round tail bobbed up and down adorably.
Twelve eyes stared intently at the tiny thing.
“…”
Karami had no idea what kind of look was in his slaves’ eyes as they stared at it.