500 – Flowers Bloom In Spring
After a long wait, spring had finally come to Ende. The beastmen, finally free from human rule, reveled in their newfound freedom. Led by the pig beastmen, who had reclaimed their name as orcs, Ende set about purging itself of the evils and absurdities of the past.
The lowliest of the low were reclaiming their rights and seeking peace. Surely, Ende would become a paradise.
And yet… somehow, Ende did not seem so happy.
In the mansion where he stayed with the Regressor, the Regressor, who had been wolfing down the food prepared by Manhanjeonseok, suddenly spoke up.
“Hughes. I didn’t want to think this, but… aren’t the pig beastmen just gluttons by nature?”
“Whew.”
What a sudden hate raid. I quickly glanced around before speaking.
“What are you talking about all of a sudden? Who would hear you?”
“So what if they do?”
“If the orcs hear you, they’ll make a fuss about it. The orcs are extremely sensitive to racist terms these days, so if they hear what you just said, they’ll kick up a huge fuss.”
“So what? The pig beastmen have no redeeming qualities and yet they act worse than humans. Do I have to cater to those kinds of things?”
I knew why the Regressor was in a bad mood. It was because of the recent behavior of the pig beastmen…
The pig beastmen had abolished all discrimination first. Dogs, cows, sheep, horses, pigs. They declared that all were ‘equal’, no different from humans.
As a result, all clans were forced to hire pig beastmen.
Even the cow beastmen clans, who had been farming and working hard.
Even the sheep beastmen clans, who had been making clothes, doing laundry, and cutting hair.
Even the horse beastmen clans, who had been delivering goods and carrying messages in and out of the city.
The pig beastmen had gained the authority to do whatever they wanted, wherever they went.
The dog beastmen clans? They were gone, wiped out. The dog beastmen had mainly provided services related to humans, such as guarding, escorting, and socializing. After the fall of the nobles, the dog beastmen, who had effectively been the next highest rank below humans, had also been cast out into the streets. The pig beastmen had taken their place.
Spring had come, but the city was still in pain. I didn’t know if it was just the usual growing pains, or if it was a sign of greater suffering to come. I tried to defend the pig beastmen.
“Well. It’s not so bad yet. The city functions without problems. And the people aren’t complaining that much.”
“Does this look okay to you?”
“More than anything, unlike when the nobles were here, they follow us completely. It’s much easier to use them.”
“That’s true, but that’s not the only problem. The pig beastmen’s management skills are terrible. If it weren’t for Tripper, the city would have collapsed long ago!”
In truth, Ende had only changed its ruling class, everything else remained the same. The beastmen officials of Oberon, including Tripper, were running the city, working themselves to the bone. If even a few of the clan leaders of Oberon had gone on strike, Orcma would have collapsed on its own.
Well, seeing as how they were still working diligently, I guess the beastmen of Oberon hadn’t liked the nobles that much either. It made sense, considering how the nobles had treated them.
“hahahaha. What can you do? When have the pig beastmen ever managed a city? They’ve always been at the bottom, so they’ve never had the chance to do anything.”
“Exactly, what have the pig beastmen done? Grull was the one who subdued the obelisk, Tripper is the one who manages the city, and Hughes, you’re the one who turned the march into a revolution! What have the pig beastmen, who call themselves Orcma, actually accomplished?”
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“They protested peacefully.”
“Protest? You just let them throw a tantrum. It was supposed to end there.”
Oh dear. The Regressor’s words were becoming more and more extreme. I didn’t know if I was imagining it, but the Regressor’s stance seemed to be leaning more and more to the right.
“I guess there’s a reason for discrimination. They cry foul, but when you look at what they’re doing, it’s not like they’re being wronged…”
“That’s enough.”Before the Regressor could further reveal his political stance, I quickly extended my hand.
“I cannot easily agree with that mindset you have right now.”
“You don’t think so?”
“I do not. I am the king of humans. I treat all humans as equals. Be it a Suin or a human, a beggar or an emperor, they are all the same people to me. I respect them all.”
I spoke with utmost sincerity, but the Regressor responded with a distasteful tone.
“Yet you treat Azzy like a dog.”
“Well, Azzy is a dog. You’re the strange one, Shay. You seem to value Azzy more than an Orc.”
“Isn’t that obvious? I value Azzy more than a pig Suin. Both practically and emotionally.”
“Woof! Me, valuable! You too, valuable!”
Azzy, who had been listening to my words like a ghost, came up to me and wagged his tail. The Regressor’s face turned slightly red, as if he hadn’t expected Azzy to understand. The Regressor, who was burdened by Azzy’s attention, averted his gaze with effort and spoke.
“Ahem. Anyway. I’m not saying that pig Suins aren’t human.”
“Then?”
“I’m just saying that, on average, they are certainly lacking.”
“That’s it. You’ve said it twice.”
I could no longer afford to be moderate. Before the weight tipped over irreversibly, I stopped the Regressor.
“Shay, if you are also a person who seeks justice, you should know. There is no separate seed for kings and queens. Regardless of birth, geniuses pop up here and there if the environment is similar.”
“That’s not a reason. Pig Suins don’t have it.”
“I said similar environment, Shay.”
Don’t make me say it three times. I’ll be completely stamped out then.
“The lower the living or educational standards, the lower the frequency of the emergence of Ki Masters or Mages. This is something that changes over time even in the same country. Over the years, the Ki of Suins has also developed a lot, and as in the case of Grull, it has been proven that even pig Suins can make sense with Ki.”
“Grull is special.”
“If you argue like that, there is no end to it. All those who make sense are special people. It’s not my fault that I’m strong, or that humans are strong. If you’re going to come out like this, there’s no need to save humans either. It’s over when you ugly guys die~”
“I didn’t say that.”
“Shay’s words tend to go in that direction.”
The Regressor clicked his tongue and crossed his arms.
“So. Are you, our great human king, saying that the actions of the pig Suins are right?”
“On the contrary, I want to ask. Should I say they are wrong?”
“Of course. I’ve seen a lot. No matter what they say, in the end, the pig Suins are only looking out for their own interests. That will cause division someday. In fact, it is already happening.”
“The pig Suins have suffered a lot in the meantime.”
“Just because you suffered in the past doesn’t mean you deserve to run wild now. Even after the furry saintess was possessed, there was no systemic discrimination. It was just that the pig Suins put themselves at the bottom.”
This is the end. I can’t defend the Regressor anymore. I drew a line with the Regressor, who had gone all the way to the right.
“This is Shay’s personal opinion. It has nothing to do with me.”
“Woof. Discrimination, bad! Humans, all good!”
Azzy also cried. The Regressor, who lacked humanity more than a dog, looked at me and Azzy alternately and spoke.
“Come to think of it, you, the king of beasts, must really think so. But if you were an ordinary human, wouldn’t you think something similar to me?”
“You’re making hasty generalizations yourself. Where do you want to go and ask?”
“Whatever. Of course, they won’t admit it easily now that they have power and face.”
“Huh. That will never happen.”
There was one good person to ask. I decided to guide the Regressor to that person.
“Your Majesty. It is good to see you again. What brings you here?”In the mayor’s office of Oberli, Mayor Triber greeted Azil with a haggard face. The regressor tilted her head after seeing his appearance.
“Is Mayor Triber the human you were talking about?”
“Of course.”
“This is a bit unfair. Mayor Triber is the administrator of this city. Whether it’s true or false, he has to side with the pig beastmen. Even more so if the pigs have occupied Oberli by force.”
And yet, you don’t mince words in Oberli, which is being oppressed by the pig beastmen. You should be careful yourself. Mayor Triber is getting restless.
“Your words are harsh. I’m scared who might hear them.”
“It’s okay. I cut the wind with my Thousand Cherry Blossoms, so the sound won’t leak out.”
‘Ah. Come to think of it, there were beastmen of the Wild Beast faction here, too? If they’re the ones who can read even vibrations with their ki, they might be able to hear the sound through the trembling of the glass window, so I should just hold the space itself.’
A beat late, but the regressor isolated the mayor’s office as a space. Mayor Triber felt the flow of air and even the smell stop artificially and looked at the regressor through his glasses.
“…I see. It seems you didn’t come here with a pleasant topic. I can’t help it since the situation is what it is.”
“Mayor Triber, your situation doesn’t seem so pleasant either.”
“It’s what I have to do. It’s rewarding to devote myself to the city even in my old age.”
Even though she had blocked the sound from leaking out, Mayor Triber’s answer was clichéd. The regressor replied with dissatisfaction.
“No one knows if that’s true. I chose the wrong person to ask in the first place.”
I know, but the regressor doesn’t know since she doesn’t have mind-reading skills.
But regressor. You need to change your thinking a little. Since you can’t know someone’s mind anyway, shouldn’t you give up on trying to know it?
You don’t need to know their mind. You just have to believe what they show you.
“Mr. Shay. Whether it’s true or not, that’s not what’s important.”
“Then?”
“What’s important is that he’s actively helping Okma. Look, look at the state Mayor Triber is in.”
The regressor looked at Mayor Triber again only after I said that. Wait, several Mayor Tribers are overlapping beyond her gaze. A slightly older mayor, a mayor who looks more powerless, and a mayor who was buried after being bloodied. The appearance of Mayor Triber, whom she had met several times during the regression, approached her in three dimensions.
The regressor frowned and shook her head.
“…I don’t know.”
“That’s because you’re trying to judge the person himself. Instead of that, look at what Mayor Triber is doing.”
Only after hearing my advice did the regressor turn her gaze to Mayor Triber’s surroundings.
Hundreds of documents. A half-written letter. A half-drunk cup of water was now pressing down on the paper like an inkstone. One could tell at a glance that he was handling a murderous amount of work.
“You see? If he had worked like this normally, he would have died from overwork a long time ago. Even at a glance, he’s doing more work than he originally did. In order to maintain Ende, which is ruled by Okma.”
Ende’s mayor, Triber, is suffering from overwork.
He was already in charge of a lot of work. On top of that, the pig beastmen, who knew nothing about work, kicked out all the public officials and sat in their place, so he had to move around busily to fill the gap. He was the only one who received the respect of the many beastmen, so there were no defections or strikes, but if he hadn’t cooperated, Okma would have collapsed on its own.
“In other words, Mayor Triber, who is like a noble of a vassal state, is helping Okma. Actively, at that. Why would he do that?”
“The mayor is just not abandoning his duty.”
“That can’t be it. Mayor Triber thinks like me. If they just gain experience, the pig beastmen will be able to run the city well enough. It shows in his attitude. Do you think he’s crazy enough to commit suicide by overwork?”
Only then did the regressor realize the true meaning of my words.It doesn’t matter what kind of person Mayor Triber is or what kind of personality he has. What matters is that Mayor Triber is acting that way, and if you think about it in reverse, you can figure out what he’s thinking.
Mayor Triber helps the pig beastmen. No, it’s not that he’s specifically helping the pig beastmen. Because to him, pig beastmen are the same as humans.
“…Isn’t that obvious? All beastmen in Oberi are equal. The same goes for pig beastmen. They may be a bit extreme, but pig beastmen are also humans who deserve to enter Oberi.”
“See, Mr. Shay? There may be people who share your beliefs, Mr. Shay, but it’s not a given. Reflect on yourself, really.”
“Woof woof woof. Reflect!”
“I, I wasn’t that bad either! It’s just because you guys are like that that I seem like the only bad guy!”
The regressor, who had become a racist all by himself, protested belatedly. But it wasn’t very convincing.