The destination I was guided to was the foot of the Great Wall.
ăIt was just right, wasnât it? Saved us timeă
[Yeah, thatâs right.]
When I looked up at it up close again, I couldnât help but feel oppressed by its height.
It was as if I was connected to the clouds floating in the sky.
I asked the chiefâs son to wait just a little while and approached the Great Wall.
ăFate, whatâs wrong?ă
[There are countless handprintsâŚ]
There were countless red handprints stamped on the pure white wall. The heights were within reach, and some of them overlap.
And all the handprints were from the left hand.
What does this mean? While I was thinking about Greed, I heard a voice from behind me.
[Itâs just a small form of resistance by the beastkin.]
When I turned around, an old male dog-beastkin was standing there. His eyes were hidden by his long eyebrows. However, I could see that he was staring intently at me from within.
[Iâm Perth, the head of the dog tribe. I hail from the sacred land.]
He further rounded his bent waist and bowed deeply, so I did the same and introduced myself.
[I am Fate Barbatos. And this black sword is Greed.]
ăNice to meet you, old mană
[I havenât lived for long. A speaking sword, is it?]
While rubbing his beard, which had grown as long as his eyebrows, he was observing Greed as if he was looking at something interesting.
ăI donât like being a spectacle. That aside, what do you mean by small resistance?ă
[All the handprints here are those who were exiled from the Great Wall. Before being reborn as monsters, they carved here the proof of their lives as beastkin. There are many places like this for each race.]
[I thought the Great Wall was sacred to the elves?]
[Itâs nothing. Those who left their evidence here will become monsters, and even if the elves impose collective responsibility on the entire tribe, we have nothing to stop them. They can easily turn beastkin into monsters one after another. But if they do that, the lives of the elves will be disrupted. We are the ones producing the elvesâ food after all.]
ăSo, thatâs why the elves leave it be?ă
[Thatâs the thing. When we look at these handprints, we remember the regrets of our compatriots. Thereâs no point in standing around and talking, weâre heading to my house.]
Perth seemed to have bad legs, so he started walking slowly using a cane. Perthâs son, who had guided me this far, gave me a nod and headed back the way he had come.
[I wanted my son to be with me, but unfortunately the elves require him to do some farming work. Iâm sorry, but Iâll guide you from here. Now, come inside.]
It was a simple wooden house. Gra.s.s could be seen growing on the roof.
When Perth opened the front door, a wide variety of beastkin were sitting there.
[This isâŚ]
[Iâm sorry to have surprised you. Today was a gathering of the clan chiefs. And just as we were talking, you showed up.]
ăItâs like you knew that weâll come here.ă
[Hahaha, depending on the tribe, some of us have good ears. Iâm old, but I have good ears. Also, I have a good nose.]
Perth pointed to his ears and nose and smiled.
As if their laughter had been absorbed, the other chieftains fell silent.
ăIt doesnât seem like weâre welcomed here.ă
[Thatâs not true. Everyone is nervous. The rumored foreigner is suddenly coming to visit us after all. Now please, sit down.]
I joined the group sitting around the hearth.
Perth sat down on my left side. He took the initiative to introduce me and Greed and explained things to the other chiefs.
As soon as that was finished, the fox beastkin spoke to me. He must be nervous after all. It stretched out its thick tail and was trembling slightly.
[Is it true that you won the duel against the elf?]
[Yes.]
I was at a loss for words because I was asked this question so suddenly. There shouldnât have been any beastkin witnessing that duel.
Perth came in between the conversations with a troubled look on his face.
[We heard the rumors from the elves. This is the first time something about elves has leaked out to where we live.]
ăSo, it leaked out! Look Fate, the tale of your bravery actually become known widely this timeă
[You should be quiet. Perth-san⌠itâs true that we won the duel against the elf.]
All the chieftains let out a voice of surprise. Everyone started asking me how I was able to defeat an elf who uses spirits.
[Be quiet. Donât disturb the guests.]
[I heard that you even stole the elfâs spirit!]
[Really? Is it possible to do something like that?]
[I heard it was a one-sided battle. Of course you were overwhelming the elves.]
[By the G.o.ds!]
[Donât you listen to me!! Be quiet!!]
After Perth let out a shout, everyone finally stopped talking.
Then, he took a deep breath.
[Iâm sorry. Everyone doesnât know how to treat you.]
ăNo wonder. A life held down by elves in a cage called the Great Wall. If someone who can stand up to that elf appears, something like this will naturally happen.ă
[I have no intention of fighting against the elves.]
Hearing those words, the tribe chiefs let out voices of disappointment. There was silence for a while.
As I was looking at the fire in the hearth, the cat beastkin started talking.
[Itâs like I said. This guy is not the savior. Heâs already been tamed by the elves.]
[Red, shut up!]
[You must have heard what he said earlier, Perth. he said he wouldnât fight against the elves. You didnât even know that we had been oppressed by the elves for a mind-boggling number of years!]
I guess the chieftains were probably gathering here to discuss how they could get help from me.
I would be in trouble if someone, who Iâve never met or spoken to before, suddenly hailed me as the savior without mentioning me.
When I tried to open my mouth, Greed got ahead of me.
ăHey, isnât that too convenient? Fate didnât come here for you. He just happened to have washed up on Louise Island. What savior? Anyway, you guys probably wonât do anything. Thereâs no way we, as outsiders, should be to take the blame. Anyone who has a complaint should come forward. Iâll turn you into a speck rust on my blade!ă
Hmm⌠Greed⌠I think thatâs too much.
Cecilia had approached me about improving the relationship between elves and beastkin.
However, looking at the current state of the tribe chiefs, it seems like we have a long way to go. As Greed said, the beastkin wouldnât do anything.
To use their language, they had been tamed by the elves to the point that they couldnât even say the words âletâs stand togetherâ.
[This sword is a bit nasty. Donât worry about it. More importantly, the elf Cecilia is worried about you guys. Isnât it wiser to ask her for help instead of me?]
Perth and his colleagues lowered their heads. Is their relationship with Cecilia not so good?
In that case, her hopes would be completely undermined.
Perth opened his mouth, albeit seemingly reluctant to speak.
[Cecilia-sama is very kind to us. But⌠I canât accept that alms.]
[Why? Cecilia doesnât really see the reincarnation ceremony positively either.]
[âŚitâs his brother Georg-sama. He always keeps an eye on Cecilia-samaâs actions. Cecilia-sama doesnât know. What kind of punishment will those who receive her alms have to undertake behind the scenes.]
[Thatâs⌠but Cecilia genuinely cares for the beastkinâŚ]
[Itâs hard to say this to someone close to Cecilia-sama, but sheâs causing us pain.]
I was confused by Perthâs words. The rift between the two sides was deeper than I expected.