Around the same time, the outskirts of Ende.
Sapien, who had been waiting with his arms crossed, turned his head at the approaching presence. The small beastman who had gone to find Grul was returning, having fulfilled his duty.
The warriors of the Beast Faction were rough, showing sharp reactions toward the Obelisk monitoring them. The Obelisk, who had initially maintained a non-responsive stance, also grew increasingly sensitive.
Even if Sapien was composed, he was also a noble and a public figure of the Principality. He had to exercise considerable patience not to take issue with the profanities spewed by the Beast Faction's warriors, who were savages and beastmen.
Fortunately, Grul returned before his patience ran out. Sapien greeted him and said,
"Great Chieftain Grul. Before I welcome you to Ende... I would like to tell you that it would be problematic if you disappear like this without a word."
Grul, who briefly scanned the atmosphere, answered dismissively.
"What's the problem? I just arrived a little early and was taking a walk."
"An appointment time is set so we can meet without missing it, not just to mean you'll come around then."
"Snort. For someone who claims to be civilized, you sure speak in circles. You just want to monitor us because you think we'll cause trouble, right?"
"If that's how you take it, I have nothing to say."
"Snort."
Grul, who let out a loud snort, strode forward. At that moment, his body transcended space as if using the Earth-Shrinking Technique. Closing in right up to Sapien's nose in a single step, Grul growled low.
"Be careful. We are savages; if we're treated like troublemakers, we tend to actually cause trouble. If you called us because you need our help, don't bristle our fur."
Just because one has comprehended the principles doesn't necessarily mean their Qigong realm is high. That relies solely on talent and mental imagery, so a Qigong Master who has comprehended the principles but is lacking in some areas can exist.
However, at the very least, Grul was not one of them. It was a movement that even Sapien, who had learned a supreme cultivation method from an outstanding master and refined his Qigong to the extreme of Heaven, Earth, and Water, could not find fault with.
It wasn't a vastly overwhelming difference... but that was probably because Grul didn't reveal his principles. Feeling a very slight sense of inferiority facing the pig beastman, Sapien replied.
"Please do not forget that we have gathered here to help 'each other'."
"That's my line. I hope you won't make us the only ones dying after spouting all that lip service."
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Although they had engaged in a fierce war of nerves, thanks to the leaders having it out, the subordinates suppressed their emotions relatively easily. Sapien led the way for Grul.
Relieved inwardly.
'Thank goodness. It seems Orcma or whatever hasn't approached Grul.'
In truth, the reason Sapien stepped forward to meet him personally and paid attention to his whereabouts was because of Orcma.
He knew that the pig beastmen had been causing trouble lately, but he didn't know they were operating in secret to the point of organizing a secret society. That was unavoidable, as pig beastmen caused problems as routinely as eating meals. It would be too much to ask someone to pay attention just because a pig ate a little more than usual today.
'I should thank the Magician, whoever they are. If they had colluded with Grul, the negotiations would have become even more disadvantageous.'
Sapien silently thanked someone who wasn't here and headed to Oberi with Grul.
...Unaware of the disaster that had occurred due to his absence.
Around the same time again. A prison in Oberi.
The captain of the Orc Mercenary Corps, the First Tusk Urkpang, was with the other inmates.
Due to the Magician's machinations, several key figures of Orcma were arrested. The First Tusk Urkpang, Matriarch Halpana, Locksmith Bonkrak, Cart-Rich Gulta, and so on. They weren't many in number, but each was an important link playing a specific role.
Those imprisoned were not all of Orcma, but it was one of the reasons Orcma chose demonstrations over resistance. Because Orcma's organizational functions were broken, only a simple method like a demonstration remained.
...And this was also the background for why a mere piggy was locked up in Oberi's luxurious prison.
"It's quite comfortable for being locked in prison."
Urkpang swung his arm in dissatisfaction. The shackles, tightly bound by chains, struck the wall and sparked. If he used all his strength, he could break them, but at the same time, his wrist would break too. And the Obelisk guarding the outside would smash his skull and put the irons back on him.
It was a strong restraint, but considering Urkpang was a Qigong Master who had grasped the sense, even this was a consideration. The very fact that an escape attempt was possible made no sense.
Urkpang realized this fact and grumbled.
"The bed is soft, and the food is tasty. Compared to rolling around outside, it's heaven. Normal orcs would want to be locked up for life."
"Tsk tsk, useless talk... If it weren't for that guy Grul, would they have locked us up in Oberi? They would have thrown us into an underground solitary cell way over there in Ende."
Halpana, the oldest among the orcs, retorted with a still vigorous voice. Then Locksmith Bonkrak smiled and replied.
"Sniff sniff. Not necessarily. I heard when we were moved last time, they were worried that the Matriarch would pass away if they locked us up wrong. Surely, they're treating us well because Lord Grul is coming? From their perspective, we're just dirty and ugly piggies, right? Hehe. We have the Matriarch to thank."
Locksmith Bonkrak was the security officer who built the pig vaults and repaired the locks. When he was caught and the Magician robbed the vault, the pig beastmen lost trust in the vaults. No matter how much they were kin, one's own money was always more precious than one's kin. As the money was steadily drained from the vaults, the pig beastmen's funds dried up.
All that damage fell upon Cart-Rich Gulta, Orcma's logistics manager. Gulta, who was caught while running a scam to raise dried-up funds, poured out emotions close to hatred looking at Bonkrak, who was laughing with a light heart.
"You're laughing right now?! What's so good about being locked up?"
"Hehe. Still, since I'm here, my mind is at ease."
"Do you not know what hardships our kin are going through right now?"
"That's true too, but is there any good solution even if we're outside? When the Magician appears, everything explodes in all directions."
At the mention of the name Magician, everyone here bristled.
They might not be the core of Orcma, but they were pig beastmen who played somewhat important roles. They had one thing in common.
They were involved with the Magician.
They had met him, provoked him, tried to catch him, or tried to avoid him.
Bonkrak was the one who had tried to hide to avoid the Magician.
"That human... is someone you shouldn't associate with."
Bonkrak, who had been a technician for the pig vaults, hid to avoid the Magician when things started going strangely. He already rarely revealed his whereabouts, and not satisfied with just hiding, he protected his hideout with dozens of locks.
However, the Magician laughed at him. Finding his hideout in an instant, he walked towards him without hiding his footsteps. Unlocking the six iron doors and ninety locks one by one.
Click. Click. Breaking through the locks that he, a reasonably capable locksmith, had made with all his might, using only technique without borrowing the power of Qigong or magic. With every approaching step, Bonkrak's heart wore away. His pride crumbled to dust, and fear filled the gaps.
He wished the Magician had just smashed all the doors and broken in, grabbing and beating him in one go. Bonkrak trembled with that wish... and when he came to his senses, he was being arrested on charges of illegal key duplication and transferred to Oberi.
Dragged to Oberi, Bonkrak put on his shackles and felt relieved. He smiled even brighter, looking somewhat broken.
"At least the Magician won't come in here."
He wanted to scold him, but Gulta couldn't blame Bonkrak either. Because he was also one of the victims of the Magician.
With their funds dried up, Orcma raided a horse beastman clan to at least distribute food. Succeeding in the raid more easily than expected, he loaded his accomplices and fled like crazy. After escaping to a safe place through a pre-planned route, he, who was about to share the joy of victory, faced an unfamiliar face in the flickering firelight.
A human who introduced himself as the Magician.
He saw the Magician's face, but never got the chance to explain it. He passed out immediately, and when he opened his eyes again, angry horse beastmen surrounded him.
Gulta muttered as he recalled the Magician's shameless face.
"...Right. Since we're already caught, the Magician won't bother caring about us."
When the mutter, which might have been relief or self-mockery, echoed through Oberi's prison.
A gust of wind blew in.
The pig beastmen were puzzled. No matter how luxurious Oberi's prison was, a prison was still a prison. They didn't put in large windows that would let the wind blow in. This was the wind that would blow when the prison door opened.
If so, someone should have appeared... but strangely, no presence was felt. The door had opened on its own.
"What's going on? Who's there?"
Bonkrak looked out through the bars and asked, but there was no answer. Instead, a thin card fell in the middle of the hallway like a fallen leaf caught in the autumn wind.
On the back of that card, a small key was attached.
I did nothing. I didn't manipulate anyone to move, nor did I kill or harm anyone.
I merely made a slight change in personnel deployment.
"Pig beastmen hope for spring to come. To escape the past of being eaten, to escape the era of wandering in search of freedom, hoping for a time when they are acknowledged by everyone."
The wind was already inside them from the start, and it was already blowing fiercely, moving something massive. Even if I hadn't pushed their backs, Orcma would have achieved something. Whether it succeeded or failed.
"Even other beastmen sympathize with them and agree with them."
It was the same for other beastmen. Compared to pigs, they were useful enough to secure a place, but their memories of being discriminated against were still etched deep into their bones. Even seeing the riot caused by the pig beastmen, they were cheering rather than stopping it.
There's nothing holding them back, you see.
"Well, so what? With that much wind, isn't it fine for them to succeed once? Someone even had relations with a pig and gave birth to a beastman, so there's no rule saying a pig beastman can't become the master of a city, right? Whether it's a pig beastman or a human, they're the same beasts anyway."
The enraged pig beastmen charge. They now wield the pickets, which they had held up to show their letters, like weapons, and charge toward their enemies, not their dreams. The peaceful demonstration has now turned into a riot, trying to swallow the city.
The security forces retreating, Lord Erekthu fleeing under the escort of the Obelisk. The enraged pig beastmen chased after the retreating Lord and attacked Oberi.
"I am more curious about what they will do in the spring that has arrived, rather than their spring itself."
Oberi, with its high, sturdy walls and the powerful military force of the Obelisk, would not fall so easily. The spur-of-the-moment demonstration by the pig beastmen would end as a riot, not a revolution.
Unless there were people inside to respond to them, or they had powerful reinforcements.
A dry spring wind blew across Ende.