Environment makes people. And people are beasts. In other words, one could say environment makes beasts.
In that sense, saying wild animals are violent is not a hasty generalization but a logical inference. Unprocessed, raw nature is full of all kinds of pain and disease, insects and natural enemies, competition and starvation. In such a harsh wilderness, gentleness is a weakness and a shortcut to death. Only the sense of kinship with their own kind was the emotion that maintained the species.
In that sense, it is a truly remarkable thing that a grazing buffalo carries us on its back. Herbivores are inevitably bound to become prey to carnivores. Even if they have strong bodies and sharp horns, it's the same. They are predisposed to be wary rather than curious....
For some reason, the buffalo Aji brought carried a person on its back and calmly ran among the herd. The other buffaloes also passed by our side without being too wary.
It was not fast enough to satisfy the regressor, but it galloped at a speed much better than my walking.
I was moving comfortably without lifting a finger, but the regressor seemed to be displeased about something.
"Why do I have to ride with you?!"
"I'm lacking in stamina! If I run out of energy in the middle, I'll fall to the ground and become a piece of meat!"
"You wouldn't die even if that happened since you became a vampire!"
"Then will you pick up my trampled meat pieces thousands of times and put them back together, Shea?"
Even if I can read a person's thoughts and match their rhythm, I can't read a beast's movements. And if it's a buffalo, not a horse or a donkey, it's even more so. The regressor, who possesses a cheat qigong called Cheonban Gyeong, could maintain perfect balance even on a running buffalo, but I would be swept away and disappear in the buffalo's rapid current the moment my strength gave out, so I needed at least a safety device.
"...Hold on tight. No, don't hold on tight!"
"You're telling me to figure it out? Got it."
That's not for me to decide. The buffalo decides.
Just then, the buffalo shook its body greatly as it leaped over a rock. The regressor was firmly attached using qigong, but my body floated up, looking like it would fall off at any moment.
"Where are you grabbing?!"
"It's your stomach! I'm holding your stomach normally, so stop dragging me around!"
True to the harsh wilderness, the ride was rough. It jumped when rocks appeared, and every time it suddenly looked around, its huge horns swayed threateningly. At first, I held on with the intention of playing a little, but later I had to grip tightly for my life.
'Hmph! Even my master didn't touch my body so carelessly!'
Anyway, thanks to the regressor, I survived the crisis of falling dozens of times. The regressor didn't seem satisfied with that fact, though.
"St...op holding on and use some qigong!"
"Ah. Yes."
"Kyaa! Are you really crazy? Where are you using your qigong?!"
"I used it to hold on tighter because I thought I'd fall."
"Are you an idiot?! You're trying to use qigong on another qigong master's body? Qigong is a kind of dominance. Even a master or family shouldn't casually use qigong on another person's body! It's a much more rude act than invading someone else's house! It's a good thing I deliberately didn't use Cheonban Gyeong, otherwise you would have been counterattacked immediately!"
"It's an unavoidable situation. Just bear with it for a moment. You just need to endure it, Shea."
"Why should I endure it?!"
'Should I just grab her by the collar and carry her? She wouldn't die from a little choking anyway, right? Or should I tie her to my waist and carry her around? That would be much more comfortable.'
Why is she serious. This won't do. At this rate, the regressor might actually carry me like a skewer.
But I couldn't let go of the regressor either. Instead, I threw her a mental dog chew to prevent her resolve from continuing.
"Speaking of Aji right now. Doesn't something come to mind?"
"What comes to mind?"
"I'll let it slide that she talks to other beasts. But not only does she convey her intentions, the buffaloes are running alongside her without even being scared."
Aji was running alongside the buffalo herd, savoring freedom. She overtook the distant buffaloes and came back, running several times the distance. It seemed the walks we had taken so far weren't even a teaser.
Even so, the buffaloes only glanced at Aji and quickened their pace.
"Definitely, the buffaloes aren't particularly wary of Aji either. But dogs are generally good at getting along with other beasts, right? Isn't that why?"
"Aji can be friendly, but it's hard even for buffaloes to be friendly to Aji. Especially with this many buffaloes, there should be at least one that gets scared of Aji and bolts. But right now, none of the buffaloes have shown any intention to charge at Aji or run away."
"Now that you mention it, that's true. To a buffalo, Aji is a completely unrelated strange beast."
"Yes. Then there's only one possibility left. Aji has gained the ability to avoid hostility. Even toward other beasts."
The regressor can't think about two things at once. Completely oblivious to the fact that I was still holding her stomach, she fell into her own thoughts.
"The Grandiomor Royal Family?"
"That's right. Among the powers the five lords gained after driving out the human king, it resembles the Grandiomor Royal Family's ability to avoid hostility. Aji is also a Beast King who has been altered for some reason. It wouldn't be strange for her to have such an ability."
"But why would she need such an ability? Coming this far, the will of beasts doesn't seem very important."
"You wouldn't know their thoughts until you hear them. Though they probably won't tell you either."
"If I ask properly, they'll tell me. Even the Holy Empire would want to stop the King of Sins."
'The Holy Empire couldn't have created the King of Sins. But it's clear they were trying to do something. The reason is... I wonder if that will be a clue.'
Alright. Distraction successful.
The regressor's worries and thoughts served as good material for contemplation on the boring journey. Until the regressor, who missed the timing to get off, suddenly startled, threw me, and jumped down in the middle.
"Woof! See you next time!"
Waving her hand, Aji was left behind as the buffalo herd moved away.
Even in this harsh wilderness, the journey was smooth. We asked a passing zebra for directions and sent back a leopard that was approaching with a lowered posture. Even enemies that threatened our lives acted like gentle sheep when they were with Aji.
Aji also used force if necessary. Once, when a pack of starving lions kept following us, Aji darted off, bit the male lion's scruff, and dragged it along. Even the king of beasts, which roamed the wilderness, only drifted away with deep eyes in front of the Beast King.
Without baring teeth or shedding blood, we peacefully crossed the barbarian land with no people.
"Beasts aren't particularly scary, but it's good that we don't have to kill them. A pack of lions is a bit annoying for me too."
"You're like a druid."
"Much better than a druid. I can only commune with them, getting attacked is the same."
Riding the Cloud Steps, and when resting, asking beasts for directions. We advanced through the Enger Plains as the regressor led.
I couldn't sense the distance. No matter how fast I flew, I couldn't even gauge how far we had come. Even though the land had faces, to an outsider like me, it was just the same rolling hills and the same mounds. If life is an endlessly repeating journey, the Enger Plains was life itself. In the sense that one walks endlessly through a plain with no end in sight, always seeing similar faces.
And I was always full of dissatisfaction with life.
Stepping on clouds with qigong is hard, but maintaining balance so I don't fall is also work. My lower back and legs are killing me. At first, I was excited to ride the clouds, but walking would be more comfortable.
"Ugh, it's hard. Ah, I'm dying."
"Woof! Woof woof! Joyful!"
That dog is running around on four legs, but she's so excited she's panting with her tongue out.
"Phew. I think I've done a year's worth of walking right now. No more walks from now on."
"Woof? This is not a walk! This is work, a walk is a right!"
"Since when did a walk become a right...? Sigh. I want to rest quickly. Shea, how much longer?"
The regressor roughly surveyed the terrain and answered.
"We're almost there?"
"Almost there? You said that yesterday too. Did you guide me without even knowing the way?"
"I know the way! It's just that I can't gauge the distance!"
"That's the same thing. If you know the way, how can you not know the distance?"
"The reason it's taking so long right now is because I'm carrying you on the Cloud Steps! If I hadn't rested to replenish your stamina, we would have arrived already!"
"Ah, you don't need to replenish my stamina, so just carry me on your back. The world is on the verge of destruction, where is the luxury to go this slowly?"
"No."
'If I carry her, she'll fiddle with my body again. It unnecessarily bothers me and makes me uncomfortable. She might find out I'm a woman.'
I think you wouldn't know even if you touched her? When I grabbed her last time, her stomach was quite hard. I thought it was a stone pillar.
"Take this opportunity to train in qigong! It's the best opportunity to train, so why are you just being lazy? If you only rely on tricks, you'll hit your limit quickly!"
"Do you know why I hit it quickly? It's because I've learned everything except what's beyond the limit. If it weren't for the limit of stamina, I would have meddled while boasting like Shea."
"When did I boast?!"
"Like right now. As if you're the best, while having lots of spiritual medicines and relics. If I had the same opportunity, I would have become much stronger."
"You don't even know!"
'Do you think I got stronger for free without any effort? My strength comes from going through regressions!'
That regression ability was given for free. I'm saying this because I know.
"If you argue like that, you're different from birth! You're the King of Humans!"
"A chased-out king. Chased by the Holy Empire and rejected by the Saintess. I have to hide without recklessly revealing my identity. Ah, what a tragic fate. What sin did I commit."
"Woof! You usually do well!"
"I always did well. I treated all humans sincerely. They just arbitrarily expected and were disappointed."
It was while I was endlessly spouting complaints. The regressor's eyes were momentarily dyed navy blue. The sixth of the Seven-Colored Eyes, the Blue Eye that sees far away. Looking at a hill far in the distance, which I couldn't even see with my eyes, the regressor muttered.
"It's the Blood Monastery. We've arrived."
"Wow, really? It's not a lie this time, right?"
"Yeah. I guarantee it. We're really there this time. It's right in front of you."
"Alright. Let's go quickly without resting now!"
Of course, it was a lie this time too.
Because the Blood Monastery seen with the Seven-Colored Eye was almost a day's distance away.
"Baaa-. Baaaa-."
There was a girl grazing among the flock of sheep.
Compared to other beasts, the beast called humans has very little hair. However, the girl in front of me looked like she had more hair than any ordinary beast. Her cloud-like white and fluffy hair looked like a padded coat would come out if combed once. It was so abundant and dense that wildly tangled hair hung down to her waist. Even if she rolled down a hillside, she would probably tumble because of her hair.
Although she was among the flock of sheep, neither the sheep nor she herself cared much. It was a rare sight for sheep, which are easily frightened.
However, looking at the round, curled horns on top of the girl's head, one could roughly guess the reason.
"Huh?"
"It's the Apostle of the Lambs! Sister! The Apostle of the Lambs has come again!"
Children who came out to milk ran over and surrounded the girl with sheep horns. Just as the curious gazes were becoming uncomfortable, a nun covering her face with a black cloth approached and whispered softly.
"Lemme. You've come again. Do you need brushing?"
The King of Sheep, Lemme. The fearful, lost King of Lambs.
Sheep living in fields full of low grass instinctively follow the flock. It doesn't matter if it's not the same beast. If a human holding a stick guides them to a field where grass grows just a few times, the flock follows that hairless and wise leader.
"Baaa-. Quickly, brush me."
"Just a moment."
Because of this, sheep hold religious symbolism, and in particular, the appearance of the King of Sheep in a monastery that raises sheep is a great boast. It means that the monastery is so peaceful and happy that even the fearful King of Sheep visits it.
However, for the last few decades, other monasteries had never even seen the King of Sheep. It was only the Blood Monastery that consistently sent sighting reports.
Some say the reason is that the number of beasts has greatly decreased in the northern civilization sphere, but considering the millions of shepherds who still raise sheep, it is not a very valid reason. It's because the place that raises the most sheep as livestock is civilization.
Then why doesn't the King of Sheep appear? A few humans who would endure conflict with religion for the sake of rationality put forward plausible hypotheses.
The King of Sheep doesn't appear in other monasteries because the Blood Monastery is much more peaceful and happy.
It was a quite rational explanation, except for the fact that the Blood Monastery is heretical and those who defend it are suspected of their faith.
Someone would pay the price of truth with blood, but the Blood Monastery itself didn't live up to its name and was peaceful. The nun looked around at the children and spoke.
"Now. Who will be the child to brush the Apostle of the Lambs?"
"Me! Me!"
"I'll do it!"
"You sheared the wool last time too!"
Lively children shout noisily. Watching the children raising their hands and stepping forward, the nun smiled benevolently.
"Do not fight, little lambs. Hasty and clumsy brushing disrupts the sheep's mood. Empathize with the sheep, deeply conscious of the soft wool, and calm your mind by recalling the experience of brushing."
At the words, which were like a lullaby, the children stopped chattering.
"If you approach with a mind made impatient by conflict, the other person will also keep their distance. Approach with a grateful heart for what is given."
The nun stepped forward first and stroked Lemme's fur.
"If you share and share again, it becomes infinitely abundant, and if you give and give again, everyone becomes happy. All things in the world originally belong to the Heavenly God. We must live with joy and gratitude in every life. Now, let's express our gratitude to the beautiful and soft Apostle of the Lambs."
"Thank you, Apostle of the Lambs!"
"Thank you, fuzzy!"
Lemme, who was actually lying comfortably being brushed, didn't feel grateful at all.
"Baaa...? Quickly, just brush me. I'm going to sleep, so finish it up."
The King of Sheep wouldn't be hurt by the children's brushing. Lemme received the children's service with a warm smile.
Peaceful and idyllic days. In the continuation of moments that seemed like they would last forever if nothing changed.
"Woof!"
Lemme perked up her ears and stood up abruptly. Lemme, with combs still stuck in her hair, trembled with fear and cried.
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"Baaaa...! This sound is!"
"Woof! Woof woof!"
"A wolf! A wolf has appeared!"