The Obelisk was bound and imprisoned. The Archon was confined to his residence, and only beastmen were allowed to roam in Oberli. Among them, the most numerous were the pig beastmen who had succeeded in their revolution.
Considering there wasn't a single pig beastman in Oberli before this, the world had truly turned upside down overnight. The only ones with newfound grievances about the current state of affairs were the small number of humans, while the lower classes overflowed with joy and satisfaction. From a utilitarian perspective, Ende had become a paradise.
Of course, among the humans, there were trivial exceptions that could be ignored. Lord Erektus, who had miraculously escaped during the chaos, or me, walking around proudly as a contributor to the revolution, or our guest, the Regressor, were such cases.
So what were the Regressor and I doing?
"You said you were a magician! You said you nipped the troublemakers in the bud! Then what the hell is this mess!"
Hmm. The biggest hurdle has arrived. Convincing the Regressor, who was flustered by the unexpected situation. If I failed to convince the Regressor, she would 'normalize' Ende even if it meant using somewhat forceful methods.
But they say it's easier to ask for forgiveness than permission. What are you going to do about what's already been done?
"Mr. Shei, I originally intended to help Ende. That's why I acted as a magician and crushed the pig beastmen's conspiracy from its roots."
"Crushed? You ended up helping them, didn't you?"
"The reason for that is because the pig beastmen didn't give up. Look. At the pig beastmen's protest that happened back then."
If Orcma's wind had been solely for vested interests, they should have despaired and fled the moment they were hindered by me. But the pig beastmen's wind didn't stop at that. Instead, when all means were lost, they took action in the most primitive way.
"Even after I cut off Orcma's limbs, strangled their funding, and pulled out all their teeth, they still came out to protest bare-handed. I didn't incite this division either. It was divided from the start; the rift was merely hidden."
"You didn't aim for this from the beginning?"
"Even if I had aimed for it, it would have been impossible unless thousands of people rose up. I don't have the ability to control that many people either."
"Hmm..."
'True, the issue of discrimination between beastmen and humans has always existed. Ende was always at the forefront of facing that wave. Whether things went well for Ende or not, the discrimination itself never disappeared...'
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She's almost convinced. As expected, old sayings are never wrong. If I had tried to get permission first before confessing, I would have missed the golden time.
"And there's an even more important reason."
"What is it?"
"Looking at the state of Ende, I think we can catch the Wolf King better this way."
The Obelisk, composed mainly of Qigong masters from the vassal state, is certainly powerful. But at the end of the day, it's just the security force of a border city. Against a mystery like the Wolf King, a single Grull connected to the laws of the world is more important than the Obelisk.
"That's true."
Even if I seem to be acting recklessly, that's only compared to the Regressor. For the Regressor, a commotion of this scale is on the smaller side. It was only because the one who caused the change was me that she was questioning it.
The Regressor also agreed with my words.
"Since I'm here too, we can kill the Wolf King if we proceed smoothly. So I tried not to create any possible variables... Well, at this level, the city's power remains the same."
"Either way, we just need to catch the Wolf King."
"As long as you remember that, it doesn't matter."
'Whether the inexperienced pig beastmen can lead the city well, or whether the vassal state will just quietly watch this situation. The aftermath is a problem, but...'
There were a few problems, but the Regressor wasn't the type to worry about the aftermath for long.
'If push comes to shove, I just regress!'
The Regressor dismissed it cleanly with the average mindset of a regressor.
I am a magician. A vigilante who, even if only for a short time, drove Orcma to the brink of collapse and set the city's order straight.
Not all pig beastmen know me, but the pig beastmen of Orcma know me to the bone. However, their reaction was quite different from the jealousy or anger they showed the Archon.
It was mostly fear, terror, and bewilderment.
"The magician?"
"Why the hell is that guy here?"
Urukfang, the foremost hero of the revolution; Bonclak, who unlocked Oberli's doors and welcomed the pig beastmen; Gulta, who immediately secured carriages and horses to take control of Oberli's logistics; Halpana, who renovated the plaza and city hall to create a space for the pig beastmen to stay.
Because the magician was the mastermind of this revolution, acknowledged by all these contributors.
"Hello~ Can I go in too?"
I approached Urukfang, who was guarding the front of the plaza with Bonclak and Gulta, waving my hand.
The reaction was fierce. Bonclak fled with a pale blue face, and Gulta tried hard to ignore me while fixing the carriage. Isn't that reaction a bit much? It's not like I'm a ghost.
Only Urukfang, who had never faced me directly, welcomed me with a somewhat reluctant expression.
"...Kinh. Nice to see you, magician. Come on in."
"Who's inside?"
"The Great Chief Grull, the elders, and the clan leaders of Oberli have gathered. It's to sort out the situation that has unfolded."
Urukfang snorted loudly and spoke as if doing me a favor.
"There was talk that it wasn't appropriate for a human like you to join this gathering. Everyone in Orcma avoids you more than expected, so I had a hard time persuading them."
"You're quite kind for someone I just helped escape from prison once."
"Kinh. We don't leave debts of gratitude unpaid. It's a mercenary's iron rule."
'If he's such a dangerous figure, we should keep him closer and watch him. Kinh, everyone is just too cowardly.'
Taking his eyes off me, Urukfang glanced sideways at the Regressor and thought.
'Besides... as long as that thing is here, it's hard to interfere. What is that monster? Her Qigong is Qigong, but her very presence is alien. It makes my fur stand on end. Could even Lord Grull beat that?'
As his thoughts dragged on, the Regressor glared at Urukfang and spoke.
"What are you looking at?"
"...I wasn't looking."
Flinching and snapping his gaze away, Urukfang gestured to me as if urging me on.
"The meeting will start soon. Go in, magician."
"Yes. Keep up the good work~."
Giving a friendly greeting, I entered the plaza with the Regressor and Aji. I could read Urukfang's unfair thoughts behind me.
'No. Wait a minute. I'm a guard anyway, so it's not strange for me to look at people entering. Why did she scold me for looking?'
The Regressor and I headed to Oberli's plaza.
It was a place I had visited once before, but the atmosphere was completely different from last time.
Stone seats made solely of rock without armrests. With a slight elevation difference forming a circle, there was a platform for the speaker in the center of the plaza. This was to allow the audience to focus on the speaker.
Last time, although it was a bit noisy, the atmosphere was calm and focused, but the plaza was now filled with excitement and shivers.
The pig beastmen were snorting with excitement just from sitting in this plaza they thought they'd never set foot in their entire lives. In contrast, the other beastmen in Oberli felt anxious about the rapidly changed atmosphere and kept their mouths shut with their ears and tails stiffly raised.
"...With so many guests visiting today, it seems it will be a long meeting."
Even so, Mayor Triver, standing on the platform, continued the meeting with the calm voice characteristic of an old man.
"First, I would like to extend a welcome to the Great Chief of the Beast Faction who has come all the way to this distant Ende. We tried to prepare a grand banquet, but..."
At the end of Mayor Triver's gaze, there was only an empty seat. The only cow beastman from the Beast Faction who participated in the meeting said with crossed arms.
"The Great Chief is absent."
"Is that alright?"
"We are the Beast Faction, we have nothing to do with Ende's internal affairs. Just provide the meals, sort it out among yourselves, and let us know... is what she said."
It was Grull's message drawing a line with Ende. The pig beastmen grumbled as if a bit dissatisfied, but Mayor Triver nodded.
"I understand. Then I will yield the floor to the next speaker."
Mayor Triver stepped aside for the young pig beastman standing next to him. The pig beastman who stood proudly on the platform looked around with a face full of emotion. Although it was achieved by force, how much severe hardship had the pig beastmen endured until they came to Oberli?
"I am Poyna, the chief of the Red Hammer Tribe! I am the one who pushed forward this march! Thankfully, I stand here representing the many chiefs of Orcma."
The female pig beastman standing on the platform representing Orcma began her speech with a face full of confidence.
"First, the purpose of our march is to put an end to the discrimination and hatred against pig beastmen prevalent in Ende. We had no intention of attacking the Archon, nor do we intend to betray the vassal state. As people who believe in the same god and live on the same land, we are not in a dog-eat-dog relationship! It was merely a resistance to stand on an equal footing!"
"...It was a bit too violent to say that."
A dog beastman from Oberli muttered, but he soon shrank back under the glares of several pig beastmen. Poyna smiled with satisfaction as she looked at him, who was thoroughly intimidated.
"Someone might say that. However, if there wasn't deeply rooted hatred in the first place, this wouldn't have happened. If only Erektus... if that cruel Archon hadn't provoked us, this march would have ended without shedding any blood."
Poyna continued, holding back a sneer.
"No. Rather, I should be thankful to him for giving us a reason to be angry."
Tittering laughs were heard here and there in the plaza. The pig beastmen, now the victors, freely expressed their emotions.
"Orcma has no intention of dominating or exploiting Ende. Ende and Oberli will live as usual. We will merely take a few measures to stop the hatred and discrimination. Other than that, your lives will be no different from before."
Poyna, who was giving a speech, clenched her lips for a moment and continued.
"...Except for Lord Erektus."
"Let's put a bounty on him!"
"Let's form a pursuit team and catch him!"
"Give all his wealth and power to whoever catches him!"
Phew. He must have provoked them quite a bit. The mouth that brought disaster couldn't have been stopped whether the Regressor was there or the angry pig beastmen.
I'm glad I left him alive back then. If the Regressor had given him a proper thrashing then, this fire wouldn't have even started.
"Anyway. All clan leaders of Oberli, please tell your subordinate clans not to panic and to go about their livelihoods. With this, I will end the speech..."
"What about the Wolf King?"
The Regressor interrupted with a sharp voice even though Poyna hadn't called on her.
"The most urgent matter right now should be the Wolf King. The Beast Faction came here for that reason too. Do you have any countermeasures against the Wolf King?"
The excited atmosphere briefly turns cold as it faces the unavoidable reality. When the Regressor poured cold water on it, some pig beastmen sent stinging glares, but the Regressor wasn't the type to care about such things.
Poyna, who hadn't paid any attention to the Regressor and me until now, finally realizing that a human was in this seat, frowned and asked.
"Who is that human?"
The elders of Oberli, who received Poyna's question, looked at each other without a word. Mayor Triver answered in their stead.
"He is the one from the mansion on the outskirts. The human who brought the King of Dogs on the recommendation of the Purple Merchants. He possesses immense wealth and is a hero recognized by the Great Chief Grull. He is staying in Ende to fight the Wolf King."
"Ah, the rumored..."
If it's the Purple Merchants, they are the sponsoring merchants of the vassal state. Realizing her status wasn't ordinary, Poyna answered in a slightly lower posture.
"The Wolf King is also an important matter. But today, there are too many problems piled up that need to be handled. It hasn't even been a day since the revolution happened. We need time to calm the chaos."
"The Wolf King won't wait for you."
"We haven't even had a single meal yet. Let's eat first, and then talk to the military commander. Where is the military commander of Oberli?"
This time too, Mayor Triver answered.
"It is Lord Sappien. He is currently receiving treatment in prison."
"Ah."
When the position of the Obelisk was mentioned, Poyna became troubled.
Sappien, the strongest Archon and powerful figure in Oberli, was quite a burdensome opponent. Given enough time, he could defeat all of Orcma with his bare hands, and many beastmen followed him. If they loosened his restraints even a little and he escaped, it would be a disaster, but they couldn't kill him either because of the vassal state's watchful eye. He was like a hot potato that couldn't be held in either hand.
All Poyna could do was stall for time, waiting for the potato to cool down.
"Kinh. When he recovers... let's call him and resume preparations."
"We should."
Setting aside Poyna's inner thoughts, demanding the pig beastmen who just took power today to immediately produce countermeasures was unrealistic. The Regressor decided to let it go for now. Not because the Regressor was generous, but because the Obelisk's strategy wasn't a big deal anyway.
As the Regressor sat down, Poyna's expression brightened again. Partly because she had passed over the difficult question, but also because she smelled the scent wafting from outside the plaza.
"The meal is arriving just in time..."
Led by the mother figure Halpana, strong orc laborers walked in carrying large cauldrons and huge chunks of meat. A savory smell filled the plaza. Saliva filled the mouths of the starving pig beastmen who hadn't eaten anything since morning.
The beastmen of Oberli, who weren't that hungry, made uncomfortable expressions.
"Eating in the plaza?"
"Try preparing a place for all these orcs to eat. Are you going to lend us your dining table?"
Poyna, who snapped back viciously, called the pig beastmen and filled their plates with food. The starving pig beastmen pushed each other trying to get food. A few pig beastmen who were shoved in the process ended up spilling their food on the ground.
Someone picky might think that food dropped on the ground once can no longer be eaten. But to the pig beastmen, the ground was an extra bowl. The pig beastmen oinked and, without any hesitation, swept the ground with their hands and put the food back on their plates. As preciously as treasure.
"There's no need to pick up the dropped food! Get more on a new plate!"
Poyna shouted, but habits don't go away easily. After the pig beastmen disappeared, there wasn't even anything resembling food left on the floor. Only wet traces showed that something had been there.
Anyway, the pig beastmen who safely secured their portions buried their heads and started eating. Toward the pig beastmen who no longer had the meeting in their sights, Poyna raised her plate as if proposing a toast.
"Khurul ta ruk. May there be a better tomorrow in Ende."
"Khurul, ugeok. Ta ruk!"
There weren't many pig beastmen who responded to Poyna's toast. They were all busy stuffing meat into their mouths.
Really, I wonder if I should call them pitiful or filthy. Perhaps those two might be the same thing.
Come to think of it, I haven't eaten either. Since I'm a contributor to Orcma, I should be qualified to eat, right?
"It's free food. Do you want some too, Mr. Shei?"
"No."
"Arf! Arf arf!"
"Alright. I'll get yours too."
If I go home, Manhanjeonseok will make a tastier meal, but somehow I felt like I'd be missing out if I didn't eat free food. I quickly approached the mother figure Halpana and held out my hand. She also grimaced and flinched when she saw me, but perhaps because she was experienced in life, she kept her mouth shut and filled my plate with plenty of meat.
Phew. It's rough, but the portion is huge. It's in contrast with Manhanjeonseok. I should eat like this sometimes; if a person only eats things that are too good, it'll spoil them. Returning to my seat, I handed a large piece to Aji and then tore a big chunk of meat and put it in my mouth.
Hmm, it's a bit different from what I ate at Kitchen Gluta before. The cooking method seems similar, but what is it?
Tilting my head, I read the thoughts of a cow beastman nearby and realized.
This is....
The taste of beef.
Ende's spring came with the taste of beef.