After a long wait, spring came to Ende. The beastmen, finally freed from human rule, savored their own freedom. Led by the pig beastmen who reclaimed the name of Orcs, Ende began to eradicate the bad practices and absurdities of the past.
The most lowly are reclaiming their rights and pursuing peace. If so, Ende must surely become a paradise.
But... for some reason, Ende didn't look very happy.
The mansion where I stayed with the regressor. Picking at the food served from the Manhan Feast, the regressor suddenly spoke up.
"Hughs. I tried not to think this way, but aren't pig beastmen just rotten from birth?"
"Pfft."
What's with this sudden wave of disgust? I quickly surveyed my surroundings and said.
"What are you saying all of a sudden? Who's going to hear it?"
"So what if they do."
"If it reaches the Orcs' ears, we'll have trouble getting their help. The Orcs are extremely sensitive to racist terms right now, so if they hear what you just said, Shei, they'll throw a huge fuss."
"So what can they do? Pig beastmen have no merits, yet they act worse than humans. Do I have to cater to those things?"
I know why the regressor is in a foul mood. It's because the recent actions of the pig beastmen are very... like that.
The pig beastmen first eliminated all discrimination. Dogs, cows, sheep, horses, pigs. They declared that everyone was 'equal,' no different from humans.
As a result, all clans became obligated to employ pig beastmen.
Even in the cow beastmen's clan, which did farming and heavy labor.
Even in the sheep beastmen's clan, which made clothes, did laundry, and cut hair.
Even in the horse beastmen's clan, which delivered goods and conveyed messages inside and outside the city.
The pig beastmen took up a seat and gained the authority to boss others around.
The dog beastmen's clan? It was wiped out entirely. It was because the dog beastmen mainly provided services related to humans, such as security, escort, and exchange. After the Officials fell, the dog beastmen, who were practically in the class right below humans, also ended up on the streets. Pig beastmen filled that vacancy.
I thought spring had come, but the city was still suffering labor pains. I didn't know if it was just the usual labor pains, or if it was foreshadowing a greater pain. I desperately defended the pig beastmen.
"Well. It's fine so far, isn't it? There's no problem with the city's functions. The people's complaints aren't that many either."
"Does this look fine to you?"
"Above all, unlike Obely under the Officials, they follow us completely. It's much easier to exploit them."
"That's true, but that's not the only problem. The pig beastmen's management skills are at a disastrous level. If it weren't for Triver, the city would have collapsed long ago!"
In reality, only the ruling class of Ende was replaced; the rest remained the same. The beastmen practical staff of Obely, including Triver, were running the city while suffering from overwork. If even a few of Obely's clan leaders had gone on strike, Orcma would have collapsed on its own.
Well, seeing as they were still working fine, it seemed the beastmen of Obely didn't like the Officials much either. Given the state of the Officials, it was understandable.
"Haha. It can't be helped. Have pig beastmen ever run a city? They've only been at the bottom all this time, so they wouldn't have done anything."
"As you said, what have pig beastmen done? Gryll subdued the Obelisk, Triver is running the city, and you, Hughs, made the march a revolution! What have the pig beastmen calling themselves Orcma actually accomplished?"
"They protested rather peacefully."
"Protested? You just gave in to their tantrums. Originally, it would have just ended there."
Uh-oh. The regressor's words were getting more radical. It might be my imagination, but the regressor's stance seemed to be leaning more and more to the right.
"There seems to be a reason for discrimination. They say it's unfair, it's unfair, but seeing how they act, they aren't particularly unfairly treated..."
"That's far enough."
Before the regressor could reveal more of her political stance, I quickly held out my hand.
"That way of thinking right now. I cannot easily agree with it."
"You don't think so?"
"No, I don't. I am the King of Humans. I consider all humans equal. Beastmen or humans, beggars or emperors, to me, they are all the same subjects. I respect all of them."
I said it with all my sincerity, but the regressor replied with a distrustful tone.
"While treating Azhi like a dog."
"That's because Azhi IS a dog. You're the weird one, Shei. It seems you value Azhi more than the Orcs."
"Isn't that obvious? Azhi is more precious to me than pig beastmen. Both practically and emotionally."
"Woof! I, precious! You, precious too!"
Azhi, hearing my words like a ghost, came over wagging her tail. Not expecting Azhi to have heard, the regressor slightly blushed. Finding Azhi's attention burdensome, the regressor averted her eyes and said,
"Ahem. Anyway. I'm not saying pig beastmen aren't human."
"Then?"
"I'm just saying that, on average, they definitely have shortcomings."
"That's far enough. That's the second time."
Now I couldn't even call it a moderate stance. Before the pendulum tilted irreversibly further, I restrained the regressor.
"Shei. If you are someone who pursues justice, you should know. That kings and nobles are not born of a different seed. That in similar environments, geniuses pop up regardless of their birth."
"Doesn't that fail as a reason? Pig beastmen don't have any."
"I said *similar environments*, Shei."
Don't make me say it a third time. Or you'll be completely branded.
"The lower the living and educational standards, the lower the frequency of Qigong Masters and Mages appearing. This is something that changes even within the same country depending on the era. Over the past years, beastmen's Qigong has also developed a lot, and it's been proven that pig beastmen can also reach the Principle through Qigong, like in Gryll's case."
"That's just Gryll being special."
"If we argue like that, there's no end to it. Everyone who has reached the Principle is special. I am strong, not humans, so what? If you're going to come out like that, there's no need to save humans either. Just say 'You ugly things deserve to die~' and that's it."
"I didn't go that far."
"Shei, your words tend to flow in that direction."
Clicking her tongue, the regressor crossed her arms and said.
"So. Is our great King of Humans saying that the pig beastmen's actions are right?"
"I'd rather ask. Should I say they are wrong?"
"Of course. I've seen a lot. They say this and that, but in the end, pig beastmen are just looking out for their own profit. That will cause a split someday. In fact, it already is."
"Pig beastmen have suffered a lot until now."
"Just because they suffered in the past doesn't give them the right to run wild now. Especially after the Furred Saint was appointed, institutional discrimination disappeared. Pig beastmen just kept themselves at the bottom."
This was the end. I couldn't defend the regressor anymore. I drew a line with the regressor, who had gone all the way to the far right.
"This is your personal thought, Shei. It has nothing to do with me."
"Woof. Discrimination, bad! Humans, all good!"
Azhi also howled. The regressor, who lacked more love for humanity than even a dog, looked back and forth between me and Azhi, then said,
"Come to think of it, you guys as the Beast Kings would really think so. But a normal human would probably think similarly to me?"
"You're making a hasty generalization yourself. Want to go ask somewhere?"
"Whatever. Of course, since they have their pride and pig beastmen are in power now, they won't admit it easily."
"Hmph. That won't happen."
There's one person good to ask. I decided to guide the regressor to that person.
"My King. It is good to see you again. What brings you here?"
The mayor's office of Obely. Mayor Triver greeted Azhi with a gaunt face. Seeing his appearance, the regressor tilted her head.
"Mayor Triver is that person you mentioned?"
"Of course."
"This is a bit foul. Mayor Triver is the administrator of this city. Whether it's the truth or a lie, he has to side with the pig beastmen. Especially since Piggy has occupied Obely by force."
Yet you don't watch your words in Obely, where the pig beastmen are squatting. You should be careful first. Mayor Triver is nervous.
"Your words are too harsh. I'm afraid someone might hear them."
"It's fine. I cut off the wind with Cheon-aeng, so the sound won't leak out."
'Ah. Come to think of it, there were Beast Faction beastmen here too, right? Since they can even read vibrations with Qigong, they could hear the sound just from the trembling of the windowpanes, so I should completely lock down the space.'
A beat late, but anyway, the regressor isolated the mayor's office along with the space. Feeling that not only the flow of air but even the scent had been artificially stopped, Mayor Triver looked at the regressor over his glasses.
"...I can hear you. It seems you didn't visit on a joyful topic. Given the situation, it can't be helped, but."
"Mayor Triver, your situation doesn't look very joyful either."
"It's something I must do. It's also rewarding to dedicate myself to the city like this in my twilight years."
Even though the sound leak was blocked, Mayor Triver's answer was cliché. The regressor retorted with dissatisfaction.
"No one knows if that's sincere. I picked the wrong person to ask in the first place."
I know, but the regressor doesn't have telepathy, so she wouldn't know.
But regressor. You need to change your thinking a bit. Just because you can't know someone's true intentions doesn't mean you should give up trying to know.
You don't need to know their heart. You have to believe what they show you.
"Shei. Whether it's sincere or not, that's not what's important."
"Then?"
"What's important is that he is actively helping Orcma. Look, look at what state Mayor Triver is in."
Only after I spoke did the regressor pay attention to Mayor Triver again. For a moment, several Mayor Trivers overlapped beyond her gaze. A slightly older mayor, a weaker-looking mayor, and a mayor bleeding and buried. The appearances of Mayor Triver she had encountered a few times in her regressions came to her three-dimensionally.
The regressor frowned and shook her head.
"...I don't really know."
"That's because you're trying to judge the person themselves. Not that, look at what Mayor Triver is doing."
Only after hearing my advice did the regressor turn her gaze to Mayor Triver's surroundings.
Hundreds of documents. Unfinished letters. A half-drunk cup of water was pressing down on the paper like a paperweight. It was obvious at a glance that he was handling a murderous workload.
"See? If he worked like this normally, he would have died of overwork long ago. Even at a glance, he's doing much more work than he originally did. To maintain Ende ruled by Orcma."
The mayor of Ende, Triver, was suffering from overwork.
He originally had a lot of responsibilities. On top of that, since the pig beastmen, who knew nothing about the work, kicked out all the Officials and sat in their places, he had to move around busily, dragging his old body, to fill those gaps.
It was only because he received the respect of many beastmen that no one defected or went on strike; if he hadn't cooperated, Orcma would have collapsed on its own.
"Put differently, Mayor Triver, who is practically like a noble of a vassal state, is helping Orcma. And actively, at that. Why do you think that is?"
"The mayor is just not abandoning his duty."
"That can't be. Mayor Triver thinks like me. With enough experience, pig beastmen can fully acquire the ability to run a city. It shows in his attitude. Surely he isn't crazy enough to commit suicide by overwork?"
Only then did the regressor realize the true meaning of my words.
What kind of person Mayor Triver is, or what character he has, is not very important. What's important is that Mayor Triver is acting that way, and conversely, his thoughts can be inferred.
Mayor Triver helps pig beastmen. No, he's not specifically helping pig beastmen. Because to him, pig beastmen are the same humans.
"...Isn't that obvious? All beastmen of Obely are equal. Pig beastmen are no different. Although they have some extreme aspects, pig beastmen are also humans qualified to enter Obely."
"See, Shei? It's not like there are no people with the same beliefs as you, but it's not a given. Reflect on yourself, seriously."
"Woof woof woof. Reflect!"
"I, I wasn't to that extent! Because you guys are like this, it makes me look like the only bad person!"
Left alone as a racist, the regressor belatedly protested. But she wasn't very convincing.