pdf-ebookys Chapter 166: The Root Of All Evil
Chapter 166: The Root Of All Evil
It was something I had somewhat foreseen.
The decision to temporarily protect the beastmen was partly because of Francheska’s concern, but also to avoid unnecessary friction and reduce casualties.
Among them, the one to be most cautious of would be the Assault Leader, who had survived every frontline battle against the beastmen forces.
“You didn’t come to fight, did you?”
“That depends on the condition of my comrades behind you...”
As his words trailed off, the wind grew fiercer.
The chill that made my body shrink couldn’t be attributed to just the cold.
Even if I’m as strong as the Mississippi, by that measure, my opponent would be as formidable as the Amazon.
“Is that woman doing well?”
But unlike my tense self, his next words didn’t carry much hostility.
“...Woman?”
“I’m asking about the woman you tried to save.”
The woman I tried to save... Right. I remember meeting him once.
At that time, it seemed like he was attacking Merilyn, so I hugged her and immediately passed out. Given the circumstances, it wouldn’t have been surprising if I was torn apart by his hands.
But I survived thanks to Merilyn.
“Yes, she’s doing well.”
“...I see.”
Fortunately, he didn’t seem to harbor any hostility towards Merilyn either.
As I felt his attitude and gradually let down my guard, he also calmed the northern wind he generated and began to walk quietly.
“I want to check the condition of my comrades. Can you step aside?”
“...You’re surprisingly reasonable.”
“There’s no smell of blood mixed with the scent of my comrades. If you haven’t harmed them, there’s no need for us to be hostile.”
It was a convincing reasoning for a beastman sensitive to smells.
Alright, I was ready to end the conversation peacefully and step aside, but...
“...Wait a moment.”
Francheska quickly filled the spot I vacated.
“What will you do with those behind me?”
Phobia stopped in his tracks and began to glare at her with narrowed eyes.
“From the smell, you don’t seem human... Are you a doll?”
“Please answer my question first.”
The difference in their size alone was several times.
But unlike me, Francheska stood fearlessly, blocking his path confidently.
She seemed prepared for direct conflict depending on his response.
“Once they fall into beastification, there’s no turning back. You know that, don’t you?”
Phobia’s body flinched at the girl’s words.
Francheska glared at Phobia, pushing him with her questions.
“If what I know is true, there haven’t been many cases of beastmen going berserk and causing problems in the past half century. But it’s not easy for beastmen, who are unstable as humans, to live without falling into a berserk state.”
“You...”
“What do you do with those on the verge of beastification? And more importantly, if they’re on the verge without any external injuries, it means it’s self-induced...”
“How much do you know about us?”
Swoosh!
The fierce northern wind began to blow again.
As I reflexively prepared to draw my weapon, Francheska spoke calmly.
“Probably more than you think.”
Her attitude was unwavering.
Phobia, looking down at her silently, eventually closed his eyes and calmed his power.
Then, he moved his stopped steps quietly and said.
“Rest assured. If the line is crossed, there’s no choice, but if not, we’ll share our fate to the end.”
His voice was serious, with almost no emotional wavering.
Phobia, revealing himself without reservation, spoke quietly before entering the outpost.
“After checking their condition, follow me for a bit. It seems we have a lot to talk about.”
“...”
After checking on his stabilized comrades, Phobia had a private conversation with Francheska as planned.
Their conversation ended around dawn.
But Francheska returned to the outpost immediately after the conversation, and Phobia faced me instead.
“You’ve been guarding all night?”
“Well, I promised the gate residents I would.”
To reassure the people at the gate, I had to guard this place myself.
I was used to staying up all night, and I could catch up on sleep in the carriage once the expedition starts, so it wasn’t a problem.
“...On behalf of my group, I thank you.”
Phobia Homer expressed sincere apology and gratitude to me.
Despite his size, his gentle demeanor felt surprisingly approachable, not like a beast disguised as a human.
Even if they started as humans, over generations they’ve inevitably become separate from humanity.
“Then at first...”
But the first beastmen, not their descendants...
People with the background to lead a group, like Phobia, can’t be seen as completely separate from humanity.
“Is the reason the beastmen were born because humanity betrayed them?”
It might be extreme, but that’s the thought that came to mind.
After talking with Phobia, she seemed to see herself as a sinner.
The sight of humans she protected antagonizing each other must be something she couldn’t overlook as a guardian.
“Did the Empire really...?”
The Empire she had always protected created the beastmen for some reason and then expelled them.
And now, they were being crushed by the disaster they created.
“Before I answer that, there’s something I’d like you to answer first.”
Francheska quietly countered my cautious question.
Her serious demeanor made me pause and prepare to listen.
“If the birth of the current beastmen is linked to ‘witches’...”
Something I couldn’t overlook as someone who only considered myself an outsider.
Words that could possibly threaten someone I deeply care about.
“And if the cause of the disasters in this world originates from witches...”
“Can you still see the people you cherish in the same way?”
Clip-clop, clip-clop.
Only the sound of horses’ hooves and the carriage wheels filled the silence.
In that weighty silence, I took time to quietly reflect on her words.
Why did the conversation about the beastmen suddenly shift to witches...?
It didn’t feel entirely out of the blue because I felt the things we encountered along the way were clues coming together.
‘Humanity, having won the war against the witches, found hope in the remnants they left behind when disaster struck. Do you know what humans did in their desire for hope?’
They grafted the witches’ power onto humans.
The Crown Prince said that was the source of his power. Before using tricks like summoning outsiders, humans in this world tried to graft witches’ power onto themselves.
And the beastmen were humans forcibly transformed by external factors, put into an unstable state where they could go mad at any time.
If their emergence was right after the disaster, it coincides with the time when humanity sought hope in the witches’ power to resist the disaster.
“...Teacher.”
If the beastmen were the byproducts of such attempts, they might be targeting the only witch the Empire possessed.
Furthermore, the guardian of humanity might be displeased with a witch causing a situation where humans fight each other.
“Can you continue to guide me?”
So if I want to protect her, I might face a future where I’m hostile to not only the beastmen I’ve met before but also the girl in front of me...
Or if the opposite happens, then what I must do now is clear.
“Guide you, you mean?”
“Yes, if you help me achieve what I want, I’ll help you achieve what you want.”
Even if I don’t know what will happen later, set aside questions about things that haven’t happened yet.
Maintain a cowardly silence and get through now, no matter what happens later.
And prepare the strength to deal with whatever choices I have to make.
“...Teach me how to fight as the weak.”
Believing that at least this will be allowed, Francheska suppressed her emotions and nodded.
Even if we can’t be sure of the future, maintaining our current relationship for our respective goals is the best course of action.
As her beloved partner foresaw him learning from his second teacher...
“Are you comfortable here?”
While staying in an annex of the palace, Airi had a visitor come to her room.
No, she should call him the owner.
The person who just entered the room could be considered the de facto ruler of this empire.
“...Yes, thanks to you.”
Despite the palace providing maximum convenience, Airi reflexively clutched her stomach in fear upon facing him.
It was inevitable. In his eyes, her child was a thorn in his side.
“Following me this far means you’re prepared for what’s to come. Isn’t the child in your belly a burden?”
Even as a fortune teller who predicts the future, she couldn’t be free from human values as long as she was human.
Since she was central to his plans, he might think the child in her belly could interfere with those plans.
“You agreed not to worry about this child... That was one of the conditions of our cooperation, wasn’t it?”
“...Yes. Until the appointed day comes.”
But as a human, he also had to consider his discontent towards her.
To avoid unnecessary antagonism, she needed to play along to some extent.
Realizing this, the Crown Prince turned his back to her and started walking somewhere.
“Follow me. I’ll introduce you to her as promised.”
Witch Vivian.
Indicating that the day had finally come to meet the key figure of the foretold future.