Beastmen were born as slaves to humans. After the Fur-covered Saint appeared, beastman slaves disappeared, but life couldn't change in an instant. Their form continued down, merely changing its name.
To exaggerate, I too benefited from it. The delivery system. Though we pay with money, using horse beastmen as errand boys is a long-standing tradition.
Anyway, while much changed as time passed, the most prominently changed among them were the dog beastmen.
Even during their days as slaves, dog beastmen were popular. Loyal, friendly, useful, and cute. Any moderately well-off household basically took in one or two dog beastmen.
Even after the slave system disappeared, dog beastmen were in high demand in many ways. Butlers, guards, attendants, odd-job workers, and so on. Even if the name and form changed, they remained closest to humans no matter what.
It seemed the same was true in Ende, the city of beastmen.
A neatly dressed human barged in accompanied by a dog beastman attendant. It didn't seem like a particularly welcome entrance. The majority of the elder beastmen present revealed their dismay.
"Duke Erektus. We were in the middle of a meeting. We have already sent official documents to all public officials of Obeli."
"I don't read those. Isn't there something more important than that? Does sending a document mean you can bark noisily? In this solemn Obeli!"
Obeli was a city built by the first humans to settle on this land. The descendants of the pioneers were also humans, the ruling class who had inherited the interests of this land for generations. Some, fearing the Wolf King, returned to the vassal state, but there were still humans who remained and kept their power.
Duke Erektus was one of them. The ruler of this city, to whom even the clan chief would yield.
"There is a guest from outside. For the sake of Obeli, please maintain your dignity."
Even at the mention of a guest, Duke Erektus reacted arrogantly.
"Guest? Someone I need to know?"
"We don't know the details either, but they say he is a benefactor of the Purple Merchant Guild and recommended by the Guild Master."
"The patron merchant guild of the vassal state?"
No matter what, he couldn't act recklessly toward someone beyond his jurisdiction. Duke Erektus clicked his tongue with a displeased face. Instead, looking around, he took interest in something unusual.
"What's this? A beastman I haven't seen before?"
"Woof?"
Duke Erektus showed interest in Azi. As their eyes met, Azi showed him the same goodwill he showed to everyone.
"Woof! Will you keep your promise too?"
"You? Hah, does this dog beastman know who I am..."
"You, human! I know!"
Even I find it hard to understand the dog's way of speaking. Let alone Duke Erektus, who was filled with pride to the bone, must not have understood it at all. He let out a hollow laugh in disbelief.
"Truly a dog-like dog beastman. I like the liveliness. Well, shall I make him my attendant?"
At his remark, the beastmen flinched. He said it without knowing Azi was the Dog King, but nevertheless, saying he would make the King of Beasts his attendant was quite a shocking statement.
Of course, it was the same for the dog beastman who came as an attendant. The dog beastman urgently stopped her master's rampage.
"Master! Wait a moment! That person is...!"
"Welsh. Who told you to interrupt as you please?"
Interrupted, Duke Erektus swung his whip and scolded her. However, the dog beastman named Welsh loyally and firmly pleaded.
"That person is the Dog King. It seems he came to fight the Wolf King, so he won't be able to serve you, Master."
"Dog King?"
Just how much tyranny does he usually commit? As soon as the faithful advice got through, the sound of the beastmen breathing a heavy sigh of relief was heard. Saying he would make the Dog King his attendant seemed a bit too much.
But it was too early for relief. Duke Erektus rather showed interest in Azi.
"Oh ho. Even if he's the Dog King, he's not much different from a dog beastman. Welsh. Is the Dog King strong?"
"Yes. Because he is the King of Beasts."
"Stronger than you?"
"I dare not compare."
"But he must be docile. Right?"
"Yes. The Dog King absolutely does not harm humans. No matter what kind of human."
"I like that. Though it's a shame he can't harm my enemies."
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As if his interest was piqued, Duke Erektus picked up the ball Azi was playing with earlier and threw it. Instinctively chasing the ball, Azi caught it in his mouth and quickly returned.
Duke Erektus showed great interest in the action, which was no different from a real dog.
"Hmm. He's just a dog in human form, right? He only has ears and a tail, but this is much better than a beastman who talks back every time?"
"I'm sorry, Master."
"Knowing is enough. Good. I've decided. I'll take him in my mansion until he fights the Wolf King."
Despite the servant's efforts, he ultimately went on a rampage. At the public official's declaration, the beastmen jumped up and rebelled.
"Wait, Duke Erektus! The King must go where he wishes to go!"
"Why?"
"That is...!"
Just as they were about to be speechless at the childlike counter-question, Duke Erektus picked his ear and replied.
"He's going to stay in some cheap inn, isn't he? In that case, my mansion is much better, isn't it? There are dogs and many beastmen there. Most importantly, there are humans. You said dogs like humans?"
"The one who brought the King is the one recommended by the Purple Merchant Guild!"
"What if you stay quiet and he just scurries off following someone else? A dog must be raised by holding its leash tightly."
A leash for the Dog King. He calmly confessed an idea in front of everyone that even I had attempted and failed.
Tsk tsk. What a wicked person. I could understand if he completely thought of Azi as a dog, like I do. But that guy doesn't think Azi is human, yet he doesn't consider him a dog either!
"If you guys stay quiet, he'll follow me, right? Come, Dog King. Follow me. If you want that promise or whatever."
"Woof? Promise?"
"Yeah. In other words, if you don't follow me, I can't keep it."
Unable to listen to the arbitrary remarks any longer, a dog beastman approached. Even if the opponent was a public official, the beastmen of Obeli were no pushovers. Even in front of Duke Erektus, he raised his tail stiffly and argued.
"Duke Erektus! That has already been decided!"
"It's a decision made when I wasn't here."
"Then you should have participated! How can you always stand back and then force your way later!"
Normally, they wouldn't argue this much, but it was a crucial matter involving the Wolf King and the Dog King. All the dog beastmen rebelled against Duke Erektus.
The backlash was fierce. No matter how strong Duke Erektus's power was, he alone couldn't overturn the will of so many people. Duke Erektus, whose irritation reached the top of his head, swung his whip with emotion. At none other than his attendant, Welsh.
Crack. The chilling sound of the whip split the air. Even though Welsh clearly knew her master was striking her body, she clenched her teeth and endured.
"So! Loud! You! Talk! But! Don't! Listen!"
Crack, crack, crack. The sound of the whip was fierce. Welsh silently endured the pain, but the sharp sounds made the beastmen shrink back.
Above all, Azi became anxious seeing a dog beastman suffering right before his eyes.
"Woof! Woof!"
"What. Does the Dog King care about a dog?"
Duke Erektus, catching his breath, spoke intoxicated by his triumph.
"Yes! If you listen to me! I'll stop hitting..."
"What's this? While I was away?"
It was then. The Regressor, who jumped down from the sky, lightly stepped on the ground. Having just arrived, he didn't know the details, but with a sensitivity greater than a beastman's, he smelled an unpleasant scent.
Duke Erektus frowned at the Regressor who suddenly dropped down.
"Who is this now? Why are there so many people in Obeli today?"
"You're one to talk. Explain what's going on."
"What... Ah. Are you that person? The one recommended by the Purple Merchant Guild?"
The Regressor didn't look wealthy, but he exuded an extraordinary aura. Duke Erektus held his head high and said.
"You came at the right time. I'd like to take the Dog King on this side. You'll be busy with your official business anyway, and since we have to fight together, wouldn't it be good to coordinate beforehand?"
"Azi?"
"Is his name Azi? Yes."
The Regressor looked back and forth between the whip he held and the beastman woman whose whole body was red. Gradually, the Regressor's mood soured.
"What does that have to do with whipping a beastman?"
"Ah. Don't mind it. My servant acted arrogantly, so I was disciplining her."
It was a good thing Duke Erektus was human. If he were a beastman, he would have dropped his tail without being able to speak by now, but it seemed his ego had paralyzed his instincts, as he couldn't even sense the Regressor's killing intent.
"Trash like you?"
At the unexpected words, Duke Erektus doubted his ears.
"What? Did you just call a public official like me 'trash'?"
"Does the fact that you are human even save your life?"
Even among reckless humans, there is a hierarchy. The Regressor is the craziest madman at the very extreme. If Duke Erektus had a fault, it was only that he failed to recognize that beforehand.
'Inciting discord, discriminating against beastmen, and even touching Azi? No need to let him live.'
Before he could say anything, the Regressor moved. He kicked Jizan up with his foot, caught it above his shoulder, wrapped it in aura, and swung it in a single breath. The crumpling space formed a trajectory like a comet and charged toward Duke Erektus.
No words were necessary. The Regressor didn't even entertain such concerns. He merely judged the existence before him as an 'obstacle,' and now he intended to remove it.
Jizan, wrapped in a storm, inflicted fatal wounds just by grazing. Only with death right before his eyes did Duke Erektus see his life flash before his eyes. Human or whatever, life was trivial in the face of overwhelming power.
The attack, which discriminated against neither gender, race, nor power, cleaved the racist in two.