Ch.165Chapter 165. The Secret of the Beast People

# Beastman.

Their existence became prominent shortly after a series of catastrophes struck this world.

A mysterious race that appeared to be a fusion of humans and animals.

As soon as they appeared, they proclaimed themselves as the new humanity and witnesses of progress, constantly flaunting their ambition to oppose humans and reign over them.

Although the damage caused by them isn’t as severe as that of the Undead or the Demon Lord’s army, they are still targets for subjugation since they compete for survival rights.

“Please help us!!!!”

But why are these Beastmen gathering at the gateway, pleading for help from soldiers and residents?

“Our comrades are dying! Please provide us with a safe place to rest, even if it’s just a small space!”

“Outside is crawling with monsters, and we can’t rest properly! P-please… even if it’s just a little bit, please!!”

Beastmen desperately pleading while embracing others who appeared to be in poor condition—gasping for breath or trembling.

Their human-like qualities, visible despite their beast-like appearance, showed that they weren’t merely animals.

Yes, what they possessed could definitely be called personhood.

“Get lost!!! How dare you crawl in here!”

“If you come any closer, I’ll blow your head off!”

Nevertheless, the faces of the soldiers confronting them were etched with fear and hatred.

This was an expected outcome.

Even though they could communicate unlike the Demon Tribe or the Undead, letting them in would be equivalent to allowing enemies into allied territory during wartime.

“Please, I’m begging you!”

The Beastmen surely understood this as well.

Despite the arrows aimed at them, a fox Beastman, presumed to be the leader of the group, began pressing her head to the ground.

“Even if it’s just for a moment. Once our comrades’ condition improves, we’ll leave quietly. Or at least until our main force, which might track our scent, joins us…!”

“Watch out!!!”

At that moment, a lion Beastman deflected an arrow with a swipe of his hand.

During the standoff, one of the soldiers, unable to bear the tension, had fired an arrow at them.

“Are you crazy!? If you provoke them by shooting without orders…”

“Shut up! What more is there to see here? They’re Beastmen! Do you know how many villages they’ve destroyed!?”

“That’s right, if we could get along with everyone who can communicate, we wouldn’t have issues with the Demon Lord’s army or the undead!”

“From the start, the name of their group is Anti-Human, so how can we associate with them? There’s nothing more to see, they’re enemies, enemies!!”

“Captain! Please give us orders!”

More soldiers began to join in after the first shot.

Facing this hostile atmosphere, the lion Beastman began to growl and glare at them with fierce eyes.

“Hiss, I never thought we’d be able to reason with humans anyway. Let’s just wipe them all out and occupy this place…”

“No, you can’t!”

The fox Beastman quickly restrained the lion Beastman.

Despite nearly getting an arrow to the head, she was trying to stop the angry lion Beastman.

“You know our children are in bad condition! And the reason they’re hostile to us is partly our responsibility…”

“Don’t talk about responsibility! If they hadn’t treated us like failures from the beginning, we wouldn’t have ended up like this!”

“Even so…!”

Unlike humans who had formed a unified hostile front, the Beastmen representatives were divided on whether to fight or not.

Meanwhile, many of the Beastmen behind them were either suffering from illness or showing anxious expressions as they worried about their leaders.

Even the lion Beastman, while keeping an eye on them, couldn’t just charge in emotionally.

Anyone could see that they weren’t pretending to attack this place.

“…Hero, what would you like to do?”

Deputy Sanson asked me as I objectively observed the entire situation from the gateway.

Unlike the soldiers at the gate, he was directing his attention solely to me, waiting for my opinion.

“Is it appropriate for me to decide?”

“It seems the gate’s defense captain is also waiting for your opinion.”

As he said, the reason no fire order had been given yet was because the defense captain’s command hadn’t been issued.

While he was the person in charge, the tension in his gaze toward me was evident, perhaps because he couldn’t ignore my influence as a Hero.

So, my opinion is the most important here, is that it?

“Hero, your orders!”

“We should drive them away from here… No, we should eliminate all of them!”

The soldiers gradually shifted their attention from the captain to me.

I turned away from them and briefly examined the condition of the Beastmen visible below the wall.

“Please…”

The fox Beastman showing desperation. And the lion Beastman, ready to use force if necessary.

If we drive them away, friction would be inevitable, but if we let them in, we’d have to accept the risks.

Either way, since they’re hostile forces, things wouldn’t go smoothly.

Objectively speaking, blocking them from outside rather than bringing danger inside would be the sensible decision.

“Ah, aah…”

Yet, there was one reason I couldn’t immediately draw my weapon and charge at them.

From the moment I heard the news that Beastmen were approaching, Francesca’s complexion had turned pale.

“Flan. Are you alright?”

“No. It’s… it’s…”

“I understand you’re scared because a group of Beastmen has arrived. Let’s go down for now. We’ll handle this.”

“I can’t do that. How can I, when they’re right in front of us…!”

Flan trembled, not knowing what to do in response to Sanson’s words.

Even though she had maintained her dignity even after revealing her true nature, why was she losing her composure as soon as she faced the Beastmen?

“…Could you prepare a place for them as far away from the residential area as possible?”

Though I didn’t know the reason, I could make a guess.

None other than the self-proclaimed protector of humanity.

And the connection Irie had established made me suspect something significant about these Beastmen.

“Hero, what are you saying…”

“Are you suggesting we let them in?”

“Judging by their earlier statement about staying only until their main force joins, I think this won’t end just by dealing with them.”

To the soldiers who were surprised by my decision, I tried to convey my most rational thoughts in a roundabout way.

“Beastmen are a race with strong tribal bonds. If word gets out that we drove them away or eliminated them, they might come with their entire group and turn this place into a wasteland.”

“We’re prepared for that. Since they’re enemies of humanity…”

“I am not prepared.”

The beginning of an outcry was cut short by my firm declaration. In the silence that followed, I spoke to them in a grave voice.

“Even if I’m recognized as a Hero, I’m not invincible. Even if I fight alongside all of you, some might still be buried in this land.”

“But…”

“I don’t want people I know to die in front of me.”

“…”

“…I’ll ask for your cooperation. If you’re still uneasy, I’ll guard them personally. Just provide a place and keep your distance.”

Though I was aware it was a risky choice, I was determined to carry out my current assertion.

If my choice was wrong, I was confident that the protector of humanity, who had the duty to protect them, would intervene immediately.

*****

After that persuasion, the gateway’s defense unit provided a place to accommodate the Beastmen.

Although it was just an unused outpost, having walls and a ceiling was fortunate enough for safe nursing.

Yes, such a place would be best to avoid unnecessary friction.

“Damn, I never thought we’d be indebted to humans.”

As expedition members brought supplies needed for treatment and rest, I heard the lion Beastman guarding the outside of the outpost grumbling.

Though they reluctantly accepted help, it seemed his negative feelings toward humans remained unchanged.

“Don’t say that, Leon. We’re in a position to receive help, after all.”

The fox Beastman cautiously tried to calm the lion Beastman.

Her demeanor was polite, contrary to the preconception that Beastmen are fierce, but the lion Beastman only showed an unpleasant expression, as if his nerves were grated.

“Is there such a thing as kindness without a price in this world? Moreover, that guy who volunteered to watch over us is a Hero. And Heroes are usually selfish trash and idiots…”

Every word is spot on.

“Don’t worry. As long as you don’t harm us, we have no intention of harming you either.”

As I approached with a snort, thinking there was nothing to refute, the lion Beastman’s body began to stiffen.

Unlike the lion Beastman, the fox Beastman bowed her head to me with a face full of guilt.

“I’m sorry for complaining when we’re in a position to receive help.”

“Well, we’ve been hostile until now, so it’s understandable. But we helped because we also don’t want unnecessary friction… You understand what I mean, right?”

“Yes, we’ll leave as soon as our condition improves.”

It’s fortunate to have a responsible person who communicates well.

While I should maintain some caution, if things go well, we might be able to send them back without any hostility.

Feeling relieved by this, I quietly introduced myself to them.

“I’m Hyoseong Woo, a Hero. And you are?”

“I’m Hororis, the leader of the Anti-Hum… I mean, the Beastman Union’s search party. And this is…”

“…Leon, a member of the search party.”

“Oh, so he’s your subordinate?”

“Kek! It’s just a difference in experience. Just wait, once I achieve results…”

The lion Beastman, Leon, growled and clenched his fist.

Watching him, Hororis made a troubled expression and glanced toward the inside of the outpost.

“By the way, that child is quite remarkable. Most humans are surprised or scared when they see us, but she’s even helping with nursing.”

In the direction of her gaze, I saw a girl in a maid’s uniform moving among the fallen Beastmen.

She approached the Beastmen who were trembling as if on the brink of death without hesitation, took their hands, and began to encourage them.

“It’s okay. You’ve just lost your composure a bit. You can do it.”

“Ugh, grk. Uh… haa.”

“Take a deep breath. Quietly, slowly…”

“Haa, haa.”

Although it couldn’t be called proper treatment, her gentle soothing seemed effective, as the condition of the fallen Beastmen was improving rapidly.

I wonder if she’s knowledgeable about Beastmen because she specializes in hunting monsters. With this thought, I asked Hororis for more information.

“There don’t seem to be major external injuries. What happened?”

“They had a frenzy attack during our activities.”

“Frenzy?”

“Yes, when mental strain is applied, their reason gets eroded by their wild nature…”

“You’re talking too much.”

The lion Beastman, Leon, interrupted with a crooked remark.

But as if that statement couldn’t be ignored, Hororis quickly closed her mouth and began to watch his reaction.

“…Hey, human.”

With Hororis’s gaze behind him, Leon quietly said to me.

“I appreciate the help, but… don’t try to know too much about our characteristics. It won’t do you any good to know too deeply.”

“…If that’s what you want.”

What an attitude for someone receiving help.

I wanted to say that, but decided to let it go for now.

After all, the opportunity to learn about the characteristics of the Beastman race doesn’t have to come from their own mouths.

****

Late at night, after the Beastmen’s condition had improved somewhat.

Francesca, who had been watching their condition until late, finally told me about their state when I asked for an explanation.

“Many of the Beastmen who have gathered here are on the verge of becoming feral.”

“…Feral?”

“Beastmen are beings created by forced physical transformation due to external reasons.”

Francesca looked around at the place where they were resting outside the outpost.

The complicated look in her eyes and the gesture of placing her hand on her chest clearly expressed the turmoil she was feeling.

“Naturally, since it’s not something they were born with, their physical state is in a very unstable condition. If that balance is disrupted by external shocks… they eventually lose their reason completely, fall into a frenzy, and reach an irreversible state.”

“If it’s irreversible… for example?”

“Current humanity has probably seen it many times. Scenes of frenzied Beastmen destroying settlements or massacring humans.”

Racial predisposition to frenzy-induced rampages is one of the reasons they became hostile to humanity.

Normally, that would be the end of the story, but Francesca’s rapidly darkening expression presented a discrepancy far different from what I had known of her.

Isn’t it strange?

She claims to be a companion of humanity, yet she shows such a reaction toward a different race that is hostile to humans, like orcs.

“…Wait.”

No, perhaps she’s showing this kind of reaction precisely because of such grounds.

With this thought, I blurted out the question that had just occurred to me.

“Beastmen are… forcibly transformed beings?”

It’s said that Beastmen began to rampage after the catastrophe, and because of this, they are considered to have been born during the continuous disasters, like the Demon Lord’s army or the Undead.

But standing before me is a being who has shared history with the Empire for a thousand years.

The reason she showed such an intense reaction might be because she had already encountered Beastmen in that history.

“Then, the Beastmen we know were initially…”

“They might have been human.”

Francesca spoke before the hypothesis could even vaguely form in my mind.

Feeling my heart sink, I saw Francesca slowly raise her head.

“…What would you do if that were the case?”

I realized it.

Why her voice was so gentle when nursing the Beastmen.

And why she turned pale when she first saw the Beastmen.

“If they were truly human beings, regardless of the reason… can you embrace them even now when they’re classified as non-human?”

From the perspective of someone who has protected humanity for a thousand years, to face a scene where the same humanity is hostile to each other at the end.

Who could imagine how her heart would be twisted?

-Whoosh!

As if to represent such sentiments, a cold wind began to blow in front of the outpost.

No, it’s not just an ordinary change in climate.

The coldness and ferocity in that wind indicated that someone was artificially creating it.

“I have a question for the humans there.”

When we recognized the frost in the wind, a deep voice was heard, and both Francesca and I reflexively turned our gaze in that direction.

A shadow approaching through the snowstorm that had suddenly begun to blow.

When its figure stood in the moonlight, what was revealed was white fur covering a massive body.

The moment I saw that appearance, I recalled a Beastman depicted on a wanted poster created by humanity.

“I came here because I sensed the scent of my comrades…”

“Would you honestly tell me what state the ones behind you are in?”

Anti-Human Alliance’s Assault Captain – Phobia Homer.

The strongest warrior of the Beastman race, against whom even I, as a Hero, couldn’t guarantee a complete victory.