503 – Reverse Pyramid?
When a place is empty, it is described as desolate on the ground, but clear in the sky. And those two words were also used to describe the Enger Plains. In a corner of the Enger Plains, the night sky of Ende, where even the clouds flying in the sky fell to the ground because they were tired, was so clear that it was impossible to count all the twinkling stars. It was a night when a beast that wanted to convey its voice to the moon that was floating in the sky howled from afar.
“Profit, ungrateful pig bastards…!”
In a stuffy inn with no yard to look up at the night sky or windows to hear the sound, a human was spewing out anger.
“I took them in, put them to bed, and fed them, but they don’t know how to be grateful and turn against their master? And then they act like they’re the masters of the city. They’re really just borrowing all the power of Grull!”
As his voice grew louder, Welsh, the dogman who had been watching from the side, pricked up his ears anxiously.
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“Master. Someone will hear you. Please lower your voice….”
“Shut up! Don’t interfere with what I’m saying!”
He paced around the room, grumbling, and kicked the desk roughly. As the desk overturned, the water bottle that had been on it lost its balance and fell.
Just before the bottle hit the ground, a soft tail wrapped around it. Thanks to the tail that moved like a hand, the water bottle was saved from the crisis of falling.
The dogman learns martial arts to protect his master. Unlike other dogmen, dogmen were given the opportunity to learn specialized martial arts, and they developed in their own way. Among them were those who had developed their own unique magic, and even the furry saintess was a dogman. Dogmen actually enjoyed a status no different from that of humans.
The dogman family? Humans also use humans as servants. The fact that the dogman is in that position means that he is actually very close to humans.
He supported the desk with his knees, grabbed the glass with his hand, and lifted the water bottle with his tail. Welsh, who displayed amazing concentration, returned the table where the water glass and water bottle had been to its state before it fell over. His skill made even the noisy Erektus Kong shut his mouth for a moment.
“If only those pigs were half as good as you.”
He seemed to have forgotten his anger, but it was only for a moment. Erektus Kong, who had quickly regained his anger, was still grumbling, unable to let go of his anger.
“Should I contact the home country? No, if I can’t even control a city like this, it’ll just be a laughingstock. But I can’t hide like a criminal as the ruler of Ende! I have to take it back. But how do I take it back?”
Connections, power, money, people. He had lost a lot of it during the revolution, but he still had enough to count. It was when Erektus Kong was racking his brains to take back the city with his remaining resources.
Welsh, who had been waiting calmly, spoke carefully.
“Master. When a storm is coming, it’s a good idea to just hide for a while.”
“Are you ordering me now?”
Erektus Kong glared at him with his eyes wide open. When Welsh shut his mouth as if he was used to it, Erektus Kong continued to speak on his own.
“Are you telling me to hide like a coward? That makes even less sense. This city belongs to my ancestor, Saint Enger. It is blessed by his grace, who drove out the pigs and beasts and expanded the plains. Of course, I must also drive out the beasts and expand this land! Your job is not to advise me, but to assist me….”
“Shh. Wait.”
Welsh quickly reached out and covered Erektus Kong’s mouth. It was an act too disrespectful for a servant, but Erektus Kong must have sensed the unusual atmosphere and shut his mouth as he was told.
“I hear a strange sound outside. Master, prepare to escape.”
Erektus Kong was reluctant to give up the inn he had found with difficulty, but he prepared to leave without saying a word. Apart from his emotions, Welsh’s judgment had never been wrong when it came to protecting him.As the wardrobe was pushed aside, a hole appeared below. Welsh grabbed his master and slid down. They arrived on the first floor from the third floor in an instant, opened a small door, and escaped from the house.
Behind the fleeing Erectorus, the orcs could be heard muttering.
“Hmm. Are we sure this is the right place? Are we just running around for nothing?”
“This is the place the wizard found. If we search, we’ll find it.”
“Even if he’s a wizard, how does he know if there’s a duke hiding here? It’s impossible with magic or sorcery.”
“I heard from Gultha that he uses real magic. Maybe he found the duke with magic?”
“What magic? Mice are supposed to come out when you poke them. Let’s go.”
Erectorus, who had been holding his breath, reacted violently to the word “mice.”
“Mice? You dirty pigs…! Welsh, kill those bastards!”
“Hold on.”
There were more of them on the other side. It would be easy to defeat them, but if they were found, they would be endlessly pursued. Welsh, who had lightly ignored Erectorus’s orders, ran away with Erectorus, who was a little creepy.
After Welsh and Erectorus had gone far away, there was a commotion near the house.
“Wait! There’s a secret passage here!”
“It was here a moment ago!”
“Search the area like you’re catching a rat!”
However, the duke and his servant were already far away. The orcs, who had been running around in confusion, reported late. The report was too late to be used as a pursuit, but it would be a good experience for the orcs, who had never done anything organized.
Hiding in Ende is easy. The city, where all kinds of beastmen and humans live together, makes anyone who comes seem normal, even someone unusual.
Moreover, in Ende, there were many more people who were afraid of change than those who welcomed the fall of the duke. Welsh used that to somehow arrange a place for his master to stay.
“This is strange.”
“What…is it?”
Erectorus, who was exhausted from running away, replied. Welsh, realizing that his master’s stamina was at its limit, stopped for a moment and looked around.
Ende’s nights are chaotic and noisy. The sound of hooves, cries, and various other noises pass by them. Usually, it was just annoying noise, but now that they were being chased, it hid the identities of the duke and the watchdog.
“The sound is flowing in one direction today.”
“It seems like they’ve finally learned how to line up….”
“That can’t be it. I think they’re controlling the people on the street so that they can’t get out to catch us.”
“Huh. Even if they try to control those guys who don’t even listen to me, will they listen? The pig bastards don’t know why we made the obelisk.”
It was obvious from looking around that they had already failed. It seemed like they were putting up barricades and blocking traffic, but the impatient beastmen were already jumping over the roofs. The attempt to control led to further chaos.
“The problem is that it’s an action to catch us. They haven’t given up. They’re definitely going to try to catch us…and they’re getting their bearings better than I thought.”
“These ungrateful bastards….not only are they biting the hand that feeds them, they’re trying to drive it out?”
Erectorus gritted his teeth.
You can be bitten by a beast you raise. Because beasts have weak self-control. However, if you drag them out of the house by the collar or try to lock them up somewhere, that’s rebellion. It had come to the point where he had to kill them.
“We have to let the principality know.”
“Can you guarantee my master’s safety in the meantime?”
“Safety? They’re the ones who have to guarantee that. If they don’t want to be wiped out by a rebellion!”
Welsh’s expression darkened. However, Erectorus, who didn’t care about the dog’s expression, continued to speak.”Who expanded this plain? Who spread civilization? Who founded this city that even accepted the beastmen with compassion and planted the flag of Ende and led everyone? It was my ancestor, the great saint, Saint Enger!”
Saint Enger, the saint of the Holy See, a historical strategist who brought civilization to the Ende Plains and defended against the vampires.
Duke Erector trembled as he called out the name of the founder of Ende.
“He said it himself. Even beastmen are like livestock, and if their nature is docile, they can coexist with us. Thanks to that grace, the piggies and the horseys could live in Ende! How dare you attack me, the descendant of that man?! I will no longer show mercy. Beasts should be treated like beasts!”
I don’t know if Saint Enger said that to persuade people, or if that was considered enlightened at the time. Well. Yes. Beasts should be treated like beasts.
As I nodded my head and measured the timing of my approach, Aji ran out before me. Aji wagged his tail at Welsh and circled around her.
“Woof! Nice to meet you! Nice to meet you!”
“King?”
Welsh, who had been wary of the strange intruder, relaxed her guard when she recognized Aji’s identity. She wagged her tail in the same way and greeted him, and suddenly realized that Aji could not have come alone.
“King…then. Who?”
I wanted to make a more dramatic entrance, but Aji ruined it all. I also slipped out of the alley and waved my hand.
“Hello. It’s the first time we’ve met face to face and greeted each other?”
Duke Erector first checked the top of my head and behind my waist. He smiled when he confirmed the presence of ears and a tail and asked.
“Human? Who are you?”
“At that time, he was the guest who came to Oberlier with the king of dogs.”
“Was there such a human?”
“He stood silently and watched us. At that time, I thought he was someone who was being used like me, so I didn’t come forward…”
“I am being used. You saw it right. As expected, those who are exploited know those who are exploited!”
Unlike Duke Erector, who didn’t even remember me, I remembered him. I’m touched.
In the meantime, Duke Erector approached me, straightening his clothes as he looked at me.
“I didn’t expect to meet a human here. If you guide me out of this city, I will greatly reward you.”
Duke Erector is polite to humans in his own way. That doesn’t mean he’s polite.
I’ve been quite active in Ende, but you don’t know who I am? You’re really late with the news. Or maybe you’re just not interested.
Welsh stopped Duke Erector, who was approaching me just because I was human.
“Don’t go, master.”
“Welsh. Don’t interfere while I’m talking to the human.”
“No. That guy is a human called a magician. He’s not your ally.”
Ah, I see. Instead, I’m relaxed because I have someone to worry about. Welsh grabbed Duke Erector and glared at me.
“He’s the one who helped the orcs and occupied Oberlier.”
“Occupied Oberlier? How?”
“He arrested the orc leaders and imprisoned them in Oberlier’s prison, and then released them when the obelisk went out to meet Grull. The orc mercenaries inside took the citizens hostage and occupied Oberlier.”
He seems more competent than his master. Well, horses are faster than humans, so they are used as mounts, and cows are stronger than humans, so they are used for farming. Servants are also used because they are more polite, sociable, have better memories, and are more competent than themselves.
“He’s on the side of the orcs. He must have come to find us now.”
“That’s wrong. I’m on the side of humans. I just think that orcs are also humans.”
“Humans?”
It’s a natural thing to say, but there are some facts that are not natural to some people. For Duke Erector, the fact that pig beastmen are human was one of them.“Human? Do you see them as humans like me?”
Common sense is so shallow. I was speechless and asked back.
“Of course. They are humans.”
“Those dirty, ignorant, and ungrateful beasts are humans?”
I know. I nodded and replied.
“Yes. They are beasts.”
“Beasts? Humans are beasts?”
“Then what are humans? Noble and superior beings like gods?”
It was an obvious sarcasm, but Erektus did not change his expression and replied.
“Of course. Humans are chosen beings created in the image of God. They are the dominant species on earth and the primates that all beasts look up to. It is natural for such humans to rule over other beasts.”
Wow. Amazing. I was speechless for a moment as I watched Erektus, who truly believed it.