"…It was the most humiliating period of my life."
Sapien's words, if anything, were understated rather than exaggerated. Grull snorted and asked back.
"That you were defeated by a beastman?"
"That the beastman who defeated me is ruining this city."
Ende is the city where Saint Engor planted his flag and built a settlement. Over many years, it bore numerous names such as Dawn Fortress, Pioneer Village, Margrave Territory, and Free City, and underwent changes as great as the number of its names.
The descendant of Margrave Engor and the Duke of Ende, Obelisk Sapien suppressed his humiliation and spoke.
"This city is the land that Saint Engor personally named. It was not enough to lose this city to beastmen and savages, but to show a figure abandoning even the city's pride and duty. It was so humiliating I wanted to bite my own tongue off."
"Your words are quite flowery for someone who felt that way. Your tongue must be quite tough?"
"If I don't restore this ruined city, I won't be able to close my eyes even in death."
"You talk well for someone who's never died. Among the dead I've seen, there was only one who couldn't close his eyes. The one whose eyelids were torn off first."
Their conversation was a duel in all but weapons. Between the two glaring sharply at each other, the first to back down was Sapien. Not because his courage was small, but because he had already lost once.
"Don't act like you've become a king just because you defeated me, Grull. I am merely one of the many common talents abundant enough to trip over in the vassal states. As a Qi Master, you wouldn't even rank in the top five of the vassal states. Including magicians, there are even more. If you don't want to be branded a state criminal, you'll need to work harder."
Despite Sapien's warning, Grull replied leisurely.
"Did you know? In our tribe, once you pass age ten, you must call your parents by their names. You can't use the words Mother or Father."
"What does that matter?"
"It means even a ten-year-old child doesn't whine about telling mom and dad. Do you understand now?"
Hearing the blatant insult, Sapien's face reddened for a moment, but he soon counterattacked brilliantly.
"My apologies. I thought that custom arose because parents die young there. I apologize."
"...Tch."
Struck by an unexpected blow, Grull made a sound that was hard to tell if it was a laugh or a groan. Though he probably didn't say it knowingly, that tradition really did originate from parting with parents early.
'No, the fact that he said it without knowing hurts more. It means death is much rarer in the vassal states.'
After wounding each other and reaching a slight lull.
Their standoff ended with the sound of hooves. A horse beastman who bounded in with a gentle breeze waved cheerfully at Sapien.
"Sapien! You've been through a lot! Still, it's a relief your body is intact!"
"Teia."
A member of Obelisk and the honorary chief of the Pabal Clan's ally nation, Teia approached Sapien without hesitation and spoke. While Grull was flustered by her treating the Duke like a friend, Sapien responded as if accustomed to it.
"Did you catch the horse beastmen who caused the looting in Ende?"
"Yeah! I might not be good at guarding the stables, but I'm good at bringing back horses that got out!"
"My apologies. You should be recuperating."
"If you know, then praise me!"
"Thank you. You did well."
"What, just words?"
"...Shall we have a running competition together later? It's obvious I'll lose, though."
"Hehe! Great! No take-backs!"
Teia winked and went outside with a bouncy step. Though she seemed to walk lightly, by the time one noticed, she was already far away in the distance.
Grull was inwardly surprised by her swift movement.
'She's fast.'
It was common sense that horse beastmen were fast, but she was faster than any horse beastman Grull had ever seen. Grull asked.
"What is she?"
Sapien frowned and replied.
"Watch your mouth. She's a racing horseman from the Empire."
"Racing horse?"
"Horseman. Horse beastman."
Feeling a bit more explanation was needed, Sapien explained before Grull could ask more.
"The sport where horse beastmen who have learned Qi techniques race, Horse Racing is a sport that still flourishes in the Empire even now. And she was the greatest racing horseman who dominated an era. Though she's retired now due to injury."
"A racing horse from the Empire is equal to a Duke?"
"Of course not."
As if making absolutely sure there would be no misunderstanding, Sapien replied with almost frantic speed.
"It's a position where I should be the one using honorifics. It's just that she has a carefree personality, so we speak openly to each other."
Grull asked back, dumbfounded.
"What? To a horse beastman? I know the Empire's discrimination is severe at worst, not less."
"That's how it is, Grull. No one in the Empire believes racing horsemen and humans are equal. But if asked to choose between killing a racing horseman or a human, there are countless people who would choose the latter without hesitation. Some people would even choose the latter over a hundred times."
Obelisk Sapien had experienced the wild sufficiently. Survival of the fittest, the barbaric land where beasts armed with horns, fangs, and claws propagated the law of the jungle through force was sufficiently cruel.
However, if one turns their head to look at the pinnacle of civilization, the Empire. Is it truly the opposite of barbarism?
Sapien knew absolutely that it was not. That is why Sapien, even while reigning as Duke, did not ignore or torment beastmen.
In the first place, humans were not equal among themselves either. Therefore, there was no aversion to discriminating against beastmen.
Because 'discrimination' was natural.
"If that weren't even an Imperial citizen, but a lowborn of a vassal state, there wouldn't even be worth contemplating. Grull, you should rather consider it fortunate that you imprisoned me. If by any chance you had attacked her, a sport called Beast Faction Hunting would have been newly established in the Empire. Though she's not someone who would be caught by anyone."
"...There's all sorts of things."
"You need to know all sorts of things to rule a city. The fall of the pig beastmen was a predetermined matter. They have never ruled a city before."
After the Obelisk returned, the city creaked but gradually established order. That wasn't because the Obelisk were outstanding humans, but simply because they were more familiar with it.
But that difference was enormous. Naturally for the outsider Grull, and even the pig beastmen who lived in the city didn't know what means existed where, and couldn't even access them.
Without Mayor Triver who helped both materially and personally, it would have collapsed in a day. Grull, who watched and heard about the city for several days, realized that fact.
Of course, another fact as well.
"But, it doesn't seem impossible."
"What?"
"All the Obelisk does while stepping forward so grandly is barely borrowing and bringing in the power of other clans, right? The sheep beastmen make military supplies, the ox beastmen plow the land and set traps, the horse beastmen gather and move people. What do you do? Growl? Oh, that's what the dog beastmen do."
"We, as the Dukes of Ende, coordinate everyone and show our power..."
"The one coordinating everyone is Mayor Triver, and power?"
The reason Sapien's Obelisk could reign was not only the authority of being Duke, but naturally power came first. If the free and violent beastmen could be persuaded by words alone, the proverb about reading scriptures to a cow's ear wouldn't have been born.
Therefore, with stronger power openly existing now, the meaning inevitably faded significantly. Even more so having experienced defeat once.
"Isn't it too much for your power? That's why you're borrowing our hands."
Grull pointed out that fact and shrugged his shoulders.
No matter how strong the Obelisk's military force was, they lacked hands and were slow on their feet. Moreover, with their authority crashed and strength diminished now, the Obelisk alone couldn't resolve the troubles breaking out everywhere and prepare for war. Grull, who had taken control of the city while fully controlling the pig beastmen, was a power absolutely necessary for Ende.
'If only we had the Obelisk's know-how, the pig beastmen could run the city well enough on their own? Hmph, as if that would be possible...'
But dismissing it like that, the actual biggest administration of the city was being done by Mayor Triver, a dog beastman. If Grull had managed Ende from the beginning instead of Orcma, a truly different result might have come out. Sapien fell into thought.
'It would be fortunate if the pig beastmen just didn't cause problems, but all of them following orders in perfect unison is terrifyingly... convenient. I have to admit it. The pig beastmen's community is much more tightly-knit and systematic than I expected. It's helpful now, but later it might become a threat to Ende...'
But facing the King of Wolves, a small threat that might come later was too trivial. Sapien chose his words and replied.
"...If only we weren't fighting the wolves, there would have been no need to borrow."
"Didn't you say you're fated to fight the wolves whether you like it or not? You absolutely had to borrow."
"Isn't it the same for you?"
Of course, the Beast Faction, which directly competed with the wolves, had a more urgent situation than Ende. Grull nodded refreshingly.
"For now, I need to help the King of Dogs and get rid of the wolves first. Until then, keep your complaints suppressed for a while."
"...Right. We'll see after defeating the King of Wolves."
The conclusion ultimately came down to one.
The King of Wolves. To see after defeating the evil threat that endangered humans.
Suddenly, Grull looked around and spoke.
"Anyway, where's the magician?"
"Why him?"
"He said he has a plan."
Looking for an outsider in front of Ende's highest military authority. That was overstepping. Sapien replied, showing his displeasure.
"If it's a plan, we have one too."
"That rigid plan of setting up a bunch of traps, my kind also came up with. I've tried it, and that won't work at all. Wolves will either avoid the traps or dismantle them entirely."
Sapien, who hadn't heard any news while imprisoned, asked back in shock.
"Dismantle? Mere wolves?"
Sapien was rational and tended to accept given situations, but that was it. He was also a Duke harboring deep-rooted prejudices.
The moment he realized that, Grull felt like dropping everything.
"Hah. You and I both. We're full of things we don't know about each other. You probably don't even know that wolves use Qi techniques."
"What. Mere beasts couldn't possibly replicate the refined techniques created by humans."
With enough experience, even pig beastmen could rule a city. That was just something he said offhandedly until now, but Grull seriously thought there was a possibility.
There wasn't much difference between humans and pig beastmen. Just as the magician had said.
Grull asked again.
"So where's the magician?"
---
"Hm? What did you say?"
Having luckily run into Teia, I conveyed the plan to her, who would become the protagonist of this war.
"Exactly as I said, Lady Teia. You need to become the bait to lure the King of Wolves."