481 - Omniscient First-Person’s Viewpoint

Beastkin. Humans who have inherited the characteristics of beasts. While the specific beast differs for each individual, it is a well-known fact that most are Beastkin of livestock, animals familiar to humans. And it is also a well-known fact that the treatment of a Beastkin depends on the use of the corresponding animal. Dog Beastkin. Sheep Beastkin. Cow Beastkin. Horse Beastkin. Pig Beastkin. Though there are many other types of Beastkin, these five are the ones that have formed societies within the human world. Their numbers are by no means small, and they are already so deeply embedded in society that they cannot be uprooted by force. To try and forcibly separate them would leave a great wound, like pulling out a hair lodged deep in the skin. …However. “King of Humans. There’s something I want to ask before we go.” I have to confirm this beforehand. My plans will change depending on what attitude the King of Humans shows toward the Beastkin. As we were about to face the problem, the Regressor briefly recalled the past. In a future yet to come, a world remembered by the Regressor alone, humans and Beastkin were embroiled in a great conflict. It was meaningless to argue over who started it; the differences that began at birth gradually created a rift between them. Well, most conflicts can be suppressed by force. So what if you get a few scratches from tearing it out? As long as it’s not my wound, it’s fine. Humans responded as they always did. That is, they suppressed them with brute force. Blood flowed, and the cries of beasts gradually faded. The problem was that the King of Sins began to stir around that time. ‘Combined with the matter of the King of Beasts, it was the catalyst that made the sins snowball. A situation where you’d have blood on your blade no matter which side you took….’ Ending her recollection by clenching her trembling fist, the Regressor exuded a sharp killing intent and asked me, “Do you consider Beastkin to be human, too?” “What? Shei, what on earth are you talking about?” To that question, I gave a very common-sense answer. “Consider Beastkin to be human? You say that as if Beastkin are something other than human, don't you? Wow, I never knew you were that kind of person.” “What?” “Before we even get into whether Beastkin are a mixed race or whatever, the ‘in’ in Su-in means person. That says it all. You talk about saving the world and stopping the King of Sins, but you yourself were a discriminatory person, Shei.” “No, I’m not! I believe that Beastkin are humans, equal to us!” “I don’t even think about it like that. Just like I don’t look at you, Shei, and think, ‘Wow, a non-Beastkin, non-vampire, non-mage Ki Master~.’” It’s truly absurd, but the moment you become conscious of it, you lose. If you say there’s a difference, you’re a bigot, and if you say they’re equal, you become a hypocrite. ‘In any case, the King of Beasts considers Beastkin to be fellow humans…. Tsk. I thought he’d be more ruthless since he’s a barbarian, but he’s more righteous than I expected. It would have been easier to handle him if he were more barbaric….’ What in the world does she take humans for? No, beasts for? Beasts are simple. We only attack those weaker than us, when we’re hungry, and when the conditions are right. We’re different from humans, who bite and tear at anything just because it’s a little different. “Since you don’t seem to know, I’ll tell you. The word in front is the modifier, and the word in back is the essence. Even if cow’s milk and horse’s milk are different, they’re both still milk. It’s the same for Beastkin. Even if a Cow Beastkin and a Horse Beastkin are different, they are still the same humans.” “Of all the analogies, why did you have to pick milk?!” “They have the commonality of being milk-producing animals. Chickens and ducks are also livestock, so why are there fewer of their Beastkin?” There’s even the classification of mammal. It was a realistic answer, but the Regressor wore a sullen expression, looking displeased. “So, why are you asking about that?” “Because the place we’re going to now is a city where humans and Beastkin coexist, and at the same time, conflict.” “Where is it.” “The frontier of the Enger Plains. A city that serves as the border between farmland and the plains.” The Enger Plains were in the center of the continent, even further west than the military nation. A historic land that had forged the empire’s supremacy. From among its cities, the name of one on the very edge of civilization came from the Regressor’s mouth. “We’re going to Ende.” Ende, a city of the Enger Plains. The border between barbarism and civilization. Above it, the empire that conquered the continent and its vassal states stood firm, while below it stretched the untamed lands untouched by civilization’s hand. That city, the very frontline between barbarism and civilization, was the perfect place for conflict between humans and Beastkin to erupt. “What exactly do I have to do there for you to give me a clue about The Divine?” “The details might change a little, but the basic framework is simple.” The Regressor pointed her finger at me and Azzy in turn. “You, and Azzy. The two of you will gather hunters and mercenaries in Ende and hunt the wolf pack that roams the Enger Plains. Of course, I’ll help too.” Azzy and I tilted our heads at the same time. A wolf pack? For an ordinary human like me, a wolf pack is certainly a threatening foe. But for Azzy, fending off wolves is something she could do for a morning workout. It wasn’t even something the Regressor needed to act so serious about. Seeing the way the Regressor spoke, it was clearly… “The King of Wolves.” “That’s right. It’s a beast pack so powerful that rather than subjugating it, we should be worried about the city being destroyed. It’s a good thing the wolves are just beasts; if they had organized their ranks and attacked Ende, it would have been destroyed long ago.” The city will be destroyed? The Regressor doesn’t make empty boasts, even when she says something outrageous. Does that mean the King of Wolves possesses such immense power? A mere beast? Hmm. Maybe I was too hasty in promising to keep my word. As I was pondering, a worry suddenly surfaced. “Wait a minute. You’re saying if the wolf pack organizes and attacks Ende, the city will be destroyed?” “Yes.” “And you want me and Azzy to go to Ende?” “Yes.” Long ago, there was a promise that if they fought the big bad wolf together, the dog would be man’s friend forever. At first glance, it seems like a matter between a human and a dog, but there is a third party involved in that promise. The wolf. The fierce, evil beast that always torments the dog and the human. A villain, but for that very reason, an essential part of the promise. Just as Azzy, the King of Dogs, seeks the King of Humans for the sake of the promise, the King of Wolves also seeks the King of Dogs. To bite his treacherous brother to death and break the promise. “The King of Wolves will come for Azzy. In that case… won’t Ende be attacked by the wolf pack?” “Perhaps. But that would be preferable.” The Regressor shrugged and said, “It’s better than the Beastkin starting a rebellion from within and then crowning the King of Wolves as their king, isn’t it?” Where is the boundary between civilization and barbarism? A philosopher might mull it over a few times in their head as an interesting topic to pair with drinks, but any other scholar would mention the Enger Plains. To be precise, it’s because of a single peak south of the Enger Plains that civilization has never been able to overcome. The reason they dare not mention it is due to fear and shame. Fear, because of that being’s existence. Shame, because of the human pride that was shattered after challenging that being countless times. A place they couldn’t even give a proper name, simply calling it the mountain of San-gun. “Once upon a time. Since the days when I smoked tobacco.” A dark night. In a mountain where darkness had descended like black ink, a place where crickets and small animals should have been rustling. But now, the place was silent, without a single tiny noise. Prey and predator alike lowered their heads and trembled. Even the clueless insects held their breath, and the free birds bound themselves. In this mountain, right now, no one could make a sound. No one could move their body in the slightest. They could only hold their breath and wait for this moment to end. This was the court of San-gun. Let the beasts of the mountain show their fear. “You wolf pack were once the lackeys of humans, eoheung. Sniffing out scents for the dull humans, bothersome pests who drew attention by barking loudly.” On his head, he wore a gat, and a loose, wide dopo was draped over him. Black stripes grew like whiskers on the sides of his cheeks. His voluminous orange fur was marked with majestic horizontal black stripes. With a voice that rumbled like thunder and forepaws that could cause earthquakes, he lay upon a rock. The King of Tigers, San-gun. The pinnacle of the land. His ears, folded slightly as if to show his displeasure, were turned toward the uninvited guest before him. “So with what audacity do you come demanding we bite the humans together?” In front of San-gun, several figures in human form stood with their heads held high. San-gun was an object of both fear and worship for humans. Though it was some time ago, there was a time when they called the tiger the king of the mountains and performed rites for it. In the days when the southern Barbarian Nation (Man-guk) still existed, the Ritual of the San-gun was a grand event personally overseen by the nation’s king. How dare mere humans look San-gun in the eye. It would be fitting to tear their throats out at once… but because of the one being standing before them, San-gun, though displeased, showed courtesy. For his opponent was a king, same as him. “Because you are not prepared to fight!” The King of Wolves bared his teeth, even before the tiger. In his bloodshot eyes and sharply revealed canines, not a trace of respect or fear could be seen. Possessing only savagery, the King of Wolves pressed San-gun. “Awoooo! I am a wolf. Not a dog! I am different from that traitor, and different from a coward like you!” “Eoheung, a coward? You call me a coward!” “Keong! You’re just looking for a reason not to fight!” Even facing the tiger’s fury, the King of Wolves shouted back without yielding an inch. “Tiger! Are you fear? Are you savagery? Or are you a cat that just rolls over and shows its belly to humans? Is acting like the lord of a single mountain all a tiger is meant to do?!” The tiger called San-gun is also a beast. It is his job to roam the valleys and peaks, to reign as the lord of the mountain. No, he had never even considered what else he should be doing. What more was San-gun supposed to do besides reign over the mountain? The bewildered San-gun roared. “Grrrr! Then, what more should I do besides reign?” “Fight!” In contrast, the wolf shouted as if it were a sacred mission. “Bite! Tear! Rip! Devour! Your claws are for ripping, and your fangs are for tearing! Tiger! The humans are gradually expanding their territory, how long will you hide like a coward?!” “I have never hidden! This mountain is my land! How is reigning over the mountain hiding?!” “Awoooo! That’s why you get hunted by humans!” Thunder crashed in the clear sky. The enraged San-gun’s roar shook the trees and rattled the ground. Several of the Beastkin struck directly by the roar fainted where they stood. Though uncounted, some of the pitiful animals living on the mountain would have died just from hearing that cry. But the wolf saw nothing. With a savagery that had devoured even fear, he stared straight at the tiger. Though a wolf is strong, it is no match for a tiger. The King of Wolves was currently engaged in an act close to suicide. San-gun took a deep breath and cast a pitying gaze at the mad king of beasts. “…Wolf. Do you intend to become savagery itself? To become sharp claws and pointed fangs?” Perhaps because San-gun’s intensity had subsided, the King of Wolves also calmed down a little and spoke. “Awooo. I don’t know. But I have savagery. I have sharp claws and pointed fangs. And I have something I must tear apart with them.” “Your other half?” “My opposite.” All beasts possess wisdom. Beasts, too, feel shame and a desire for revenge, and they have the discernment to avoid a fight they can win and the decisiveness to throw themselves into an unavoidable one. The long-lived tiger also possessed sufficient wisdom. Though he didn’t know the exact problem the wolf before him was facing, he knew what had caused it. “Eoheung. What the humans did to you. I do not know.” It is difficult to feel anger toward an opponent who is missing something. San-gun began chewing on a silver vine again and muttered. “If a time comes for me to use my savagery, I shall entrust it to you. It is a ‘promise’.” San-gun is certainly a pinnacle. On the ground where he stands, there is likely no individual stronger than him. But he is not the strongest. Humans are, in name and reality, the dominant species of the land, and the tiger merely reigns as the lord of the mountain. Though the number of humans killed by tigers is far greater than the number of tigers hunted, it is a trivial amount compared to the human population. On the contrary, the tiger is being pushed back by humans, gradually losing its place. The only being that could be called an ‘enemy’ to the tiger is the human. A being that must be guarded against. And so, the tiger promised the wolf. That if a fight with humans were to occur, he would stand on the wolf’s side and fight together. Now that the promise was made, their business was done. The King of Wolves turned his back immediately and said, “Awoooo. It will happen soon.” That was the end of their farewell. The King of Wolves strode down from San-gun’s court. He should have been happy to have achieved his goal, yet the wolf’s tail remained curled high.