A plan to use Ende's power to stop the Wolf King. It's a good strategy, but there is a prerequisite. We haven't asked for Ende's intentions. Even if Ende is prepared to fight the wolves, if they lack the resolve to fight, it's all for nothing.
The Regressor, preparing to go out, said to me.
"I'm going to meet Ende's mayor, Treaver, today. To warn him about the Wolf King."
"Have a safe trip."
As I waved my hand while lying on the sofa, the Regressor narrowed his eyes and walked behind the sofa. Then, he forcefully flipped the sofa over with his foot.
The Regressor shouted at me as I struggled underneath the overturned sofa.
"You're coming too! Wouldn't it be much easier to persuade them if Azi, the Dog King, is present?"
"Then just bring Azi, why me?"
"Someone has to watch Azi. And you have nothing to do anyway!"
"Attacking me with the truth like that hurts my chest."
"Get up before I make it really hurt!"
It already hurts from being crushed. My excuses proving futile, I was dragged by the Regressor's hand and headed to Ende's main street.
The free beastmen's city, Ende. There are no high walls or grand buildings there. However, even in such a city, there are classes.
And like many other places, those of higher classes tend to live in physically higher places.
There is a small hill in Ende. The very first humans to settle in Ende built their structures there. For one reason: being higher up meant they were relatively safer from beasts.
As the population in Ende grew, the city no longer had to worry about beast attacks. Instead, the original human inhabitants became wary of the gathering beastmen. To be precise, rather than the beastmen themselves, they were wary of their future selves mingling with the beastmen.
That was how Oberli was formed. An upper neighborhood with a different order from Ende's chaos. Although they eventually mingled with the beastmen as time passed, it still remained a city within a city, distinct from Ende.
Ende's mayor, Treaver, was also there.
At the center of Oberli. In a solemn plaza covered with white bricks, Treaver welcomed the Regressor.
"...It is you? The adventurer recommended by the Purple Merchants."
Wrinkles are natural traces for the elderly, like tree rings, but for beastmen, they appear as signs of turning into beasts. The wrinkles that form as the ears droop inevitably make them look like beasts.
In that sense, the old man before me looked like an old dog standing on two legs.
Of course, I absolutely have no intention of degrading dog beastmen, and I state in advance that this is purely my personal impression.
As a figure of power with connections even to the Imperial family, and a battle-hardened old dog who kept his place in the city of beastmen, he leaned on his cane and stared quietly at the Regressor.
"The Purple Merchants wouldn't give a recommendation so easily, but even so, such a young adventurer... Alright. You say a great crisis has befallen Ende? What exactly is it?"
"If it's a crisis for Ende, there's only one, right? You should know too."
The Regressor spoke brazenly even in front of Ende's power broker.
I admit it. You really don't discriminate. You're rude no matter who you're dealing with!
"The Wolf King will come soon. I came to warn you in advance."
The elder beastmen, including Treaver, murmured. A few even shuddered. Fear of the known is real; even if they expected that name to come up, it's still terrifying.
Looking around the assembly, Treaver frowned with his wrinkled face.
"...Do you have grounds for such certainty?"
Now's the time. I, who had been waiting for a dramatic entrance, threw the bouncing ball into the plaza. Almost mechanically, Azi bounded out. Snatching the ball as if sliding on the ground, Azi tumbled over and over.
Oberli's plaza is a solemn place where the city's ruling class holds public meetings. The staging was to create an impact by having him jump in barefoot.
"He's right on time."
...It's not my arbitrary decision. It was an action agreed upon in advance with the Regressor. I thought he didn't like this kind of thing, but he was surprisingly flexible.
Some beastmen frowned, but quite a few dog beastmen pricked up their ears. A part of them, the beast part mixed within, welcomed the King.
"Ah. Indeed. The King..."
To beastmen, the Beast King is a truly indescribable existence. They aren't particularly acquaintances, there's no obligation to obey, and the Beast King doesn't particularly try to rule over them.
But, nevertheless, he is the King.
No need for proof. No doubt even arises. They just know. Their minds connect.
That is the kind of existence the Beast King is.
Having received the Dog King, Treaver slowly approached Azi. Azi, who was friendly to humans and loyal to dogs, did not show any wariness even upon seeing the old dog beastman. Looking at Azi cheerfully holding the ball in his mouth and shaking his head, Treaver spoke slowly.
"...The last sighting was in the Kingdom, wasn't it? I heard news was cut off after the royal family disappeared and it changed into a military nation, but."
"He was trapped in the Abyss. Because Azi disappeared from the world, the Wolf King wandered the plains meaninglessly. That's why he frequently clashed with Ende."
"Now that the Dog King has appeared in the world, the Wolf King will start acting too."
"Yeah. A clash is inevitable."
The Regressor declared an inescapable fate to Ende's leadership. Just as the atmosphere was about to grow heavy, Treaver stood up again and spoke.
"It's rather a good thing. A fight with the wolves would have happened someday anyway. If we're going to fight, it's better to do it with the King."
Treaver, a dog beastman yet faintly carrying the Imperial bloodline, was political, rational, and even cooperative. Gripping his cane firmly, Treaver declared.
"We, Ende, will follow the oath between dogs and humans."
"A wise judgment."
"It's also a natural judgment. The Dog King is also a powerful fighting force. If the Dog King is here, he will fight against the Wolf King, so the burden will be much lighter."
With a faint smile, Treaver knelt on one knee in front of Azi and bowed his head.
"I am but a half. The only knee I can kneel before the King is one. Your Majesty may not be familiar with human ceremonies, but... at least like this."
"Woof! Manners aren't important! Promises come first!"
"I'm glad you say so. Do not worry, King. The promise will be kept."
Oh. For something the Regressor planned, it's flowing surprisingly well. No, what happened up until now was weird, and this is normal. If you regress, you only need to try the methods that will work from the start.
'It's a good thing the talk went well this time. It's great that I didn't have to threaten him with something else.'
Threaten? Against such a gentle dog beastman? It seems things didn't always go well. Typical of you.
Perhaps because they received the King, all the dog beastmen participating in the meeting agreed with Treaver's decision. Even the non-dog beastmen accepted it, though they might have felt anxious. Since they were either leaders of their own clans or elders respected by all, it could be said that passing it in Oberli meant persuading all of Ende.
However. One thing bothers me.
With so many beastmen gathered, why can't I see any humans or Pigi?
While I was wondering, an elder who had heard the news approached Treaver.
"Mayor Treaver. A messenger from the Purple Merchants has arrived. I think you should meet him."
"That's well timed. Even if only nominally, Ende is the territory of the Lilac Principality. A battle is a battle, but we must receive the necessary supplies from the principality. And with the Purple Merchants visiting at the right time..."
Muttering to himself, Treaver suddenly had a thought and glanced at the Regressor.
"...Hmm. I feel like we're somehow being driven into a situation where we have no choice but to fight."
It was a sharp insight, as expected of someone who hadn't lived his years in vain. The Regressor, who was actually driving them, lied nonchalantly, though.
"You're overthinking it."
"Well, it doesn't matter. Would you like to meet the messenger from the Purple Merchants with me?"
"Let's do that. Hughs!"
He finally calls my name. Having finished my role of throwing the ball and waiting in boredom, I only then trudged in from the outside. The Regressor pointed at Azi and said.
"Watch Azi for me while I go for a bit."
"Am I Azi's babysitter?"
"Yeah. No, well, that's true."
'It's not like you have anything else to do anyway.'
If you're going to deny it, deny it to the end! Not that I've done much!
Oberli's practical executives, including Treaver, headed somewhere with the Regressor. A few beastmen also left their seats, and what remained were the beastmen purely welcoming Azi. They were keeping up appearances as beastmen of Oberli, but their ears and tails were not as calm as their reason.
"Krim. The Dog King, huh. I've lived long enough for the day to come to meet him..."
"Isn't the Dog King seen relatively often? Whenever a sighting of our Sheep King is reported, it's always at some monastery or a mountaintop, making a huge fuss."
"Often, my foot! Because of the Wolf King, there are many times we want to visit but can't!"
A faint excitement leaked from their murmuring voices. After calmly reading the beastmen's thoughts, I reached a conclusion.
How should I put it. To beastmen, the Beast King is something close to a cult leader.
Beastmen are beings that inherited beast characteristics, not beasts themselves. Their influence is inevitably less than that of beasts. Just because there is no Beast King doesn't mean a beastman's daily life falls apart.
But if they are there, they feel somehow glad, their hearts swell with emotion, and it becomes a catalyst to unite everyone. Like right now.
I see why the Regressor told me to bring Azi and line him up. Persuasion will be much easier.
Azi felt the same way. Azi, who would usually be rolling around playing with a single ball, was now looking at the beastmen's faces one by one with sparkling eyes.
It wasn't the usual favor he showed to humans. Azi's large eyes and expression contained a joy that welled up a bit more deeply.
"There are many humans who keep their promises! Will you fight with me?"
Trotting over, Azi grabbed the hem of the dog beastman's clothes and asked. If he asked so brightly, it would be hard to say no, but the dog beastman clenched his fists and firmed his resolve.
"Of course! King, I am ready to fight!"
"Woof! Woof! Me too!"
"Us too!"
Maybe because there were quite a lot of dog beastmen. Oberli's plaza was filled with unparalleled excitement and cheers. The dog beastmen, who had been trying to save face, sidled up to try and hold Azi's hand.
There are plenty of people to watch him besides me. But... I'm the Human King too. Why aren't they like that to me? Even though you're beastmen, you're closer to humans.
Feeling a strange sense of alienation, I was quietly watching the group fan meeting when someone passed by me, who was standing near the entrance.
"Shut up!"
Bang, bang. With a nervous shout, someone violently pounded on the iron gate. The sensitive beastmen shrank back simultaneously and looked at the source of the noise.
Instead of feeling burdened by receiving everyone's attention, he rather felt annoyed.
"You woke me up! Are you all in heat together? Why is it so noisy today of all days?"
"M-Master... I told you there's a meeting hosted by the Mayor today."
"Since when did a meeting turn into a choir? They don't even know how unpleasant their voices are!"
The two groups missing from Oberli's plaza. Humans and Pigi. One of them finally made an appearance, albeit late.
Even as time passed, generations changed, the threat of wolves reached their doorstep, and Ende transformed into a city of beastmen.
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He was a human who still stood at the pinnacle of Ende.