I wasted no time having Shinki pick me up and carry me so we could move faster. The commander-in-chief raced toward the source of the commotion at an incredible speed, and Shinki easily kept pace with him.
Watching the commander-in-chief run, I got the distinct impression that he really was a member of the cat family. The way his tail moved when he deftly changed directions reminded me of a cheetah more than a housecat, though.
Just as we arrived at the site of the trouble, one of the soldiers was sent flying through the air. It seemed one of the wyverns had struck him with their wing. Thank goodness it hadn’t been a tail. The spikes on the ends of the wyverns’ tails contained poison.
“Darson!”
“Dragon’s maiden… I suppose I can’t convince you to return to safety? No, I thought not. Stay by my side where I can protect you, then.”
“Okay. More importantly, what happened?”
I walked over to Darson and positioned myself between his front legs. After giving a shallow nod, the commander-in-chief went over to stand with Lieutenant Gaen.
“An egg was almost stolen. By one of these humans.”
It looked like my guess had been right on the mark. I asked who the culprit was, and Darson conveyed my question to the egg’s parents.
“It was that guy! He’s just a weakling, but he got cocky thinking he could steal our egg just because we seemed calm and docile!” the egg’s father raged.
Although I knew the wrath coloring these furious roars wasn’t directed at me, it was still terrifying.
The wyvern’s gaze was fixed on a single young soldier. He seemed frozen in fear, finding himself the focus of the wyverns’ murderous rage.
“Lieutenant! Apprehend that man!” I shouted.
This is an emergency, so forgive me for pointing fingers; I know it’s poor manners.
After a shocked moment, the young soldier begged Lieutenant Gaen, “Lieutenant, I didn’t do anything! I swear! You have to believe me!”
For his part, Lieutenant Gaen looked torn.
If I was saying to detain the soldier, it clearly must mean that the wyverns had said something to justify such action.
And yet, this was one of his men.
The desire to trust his subordinate was at war with the desire to capture the person who’d angered the wyverns and, in doing so, caused another of his men to be injured.
“What are you waiting for?! Restrain him!” the commander-in-chief ordered the other soldiers when Lieutenant Gaen failed to act.
In response, the young soldier glared at the commander-in-chief. The look in his eyes was nothing like how you were supposed to look at the person who held the highest position of authority in the organization you were a part of. It was the look you gave an object of hate and repulsion.
On the commander-in-chief’s orders, the other soldiers snapped back to their senses and grabbed the young soldier.
“…Vile beastperson scum!”
Everyone froze in shock at the words the young soldier had thrown at the commander-in-chief. That was not something a soldier in the Linus Imperial Army should ever say. They were sworn to protect the empire’s citizens without prejudice, regardless of species.
That finally sparked a rage rivaling even that of the wyverns among the other soldiers. Some of them likely had good friends who were beastpeople, not to mention respected superiors, including the commander-in-chief himself.
And this man dared to speak slurs against these beastpeople.
“Humans are pitiful creatures. Even so, we cannot forgive this outrage perpetrated against our child!” the egg’s father roared.
What was it that the wyvern found “pitiful” about humans? Was it the inability to respectfully coexist with other species or the tendency to identify creatures weaker than oneself and be unable to resist the urge to oppress them?
I supposed it was also possible that this off-handed comment had no deeper meaning than referring to humans’ relative position of weakness compared to that of the dragons who stood at the very pinnacle of the food chain.
“Calm down, daddy wyvern! You’re going to scare your baby if you keep it up!” I said.
Trust me, I understand your anger that someone tried to harm your precious child.
“Can you let us deal with this man’s punishment? You and the baby’s mother should focus on caring for the egg.”
Just like how it wasn’t good for the baby if a human mother became too stressed while pregnant, I was certain that the wyvern parents’ unrestrained anger couldn’t be good for their egg, either. The baby might become too afraid of the outside world and refuse to hatch!
“But…!”
“Your baby is more important!” I stressed. “Go on and comfort your mate! She must be feeling terrified right now!”
For a mother of any species, there was likely nothing more frightening than the thought that her baby might be snatched away. The egg was unharmed, but that didn’t change the fear the mother must be feeling, so I wanted to reassure her as soon as possible.
After being urged to go to his mate, the wyvern reluctantly obeyed.
The female wyvern, clutching the egg desperately to her chest, let out a cry low in her throat, almost like a mournful wail, and rubbed her body against the male wyvern’s, seeking comfort from his presence.
Once I’d gotten my fill of watching the two wyverns console one another, I turned to the captured young soldier. “That wyvern called you ‘pitiful.’ But I don’t agree. This is your own fault for not even trying to understand.”
“What would a brat like you know…?!”
The men restraining the young soldier tightened their grip to the point it must’ve been painful, effectively muffling his vicious reply.
“Even a foreigner like myself is well aware that the fine and noble beastpeople serving in the Linus Imperial Army are worthy of respect for their hard work. If you, working amongst them day in and day out, haven’t even figured that out, then perhaps your eyes don’t function properly and are merely for decoration?”
It’s just as the emperor said. People happily pretend not to see or hear things that are inconvenient for themselves. It must be easy to blindly cling only to beliefs that serve you.
“Was someone close to you killed by a beastperson or something? Why do you hate them so much?” I asked.
It would make sense if a beastperson had murdered a relative or someone else he cared about. Not that that would make it right—other beastpeople weren’t to blame for what had happened. But it would at least be understandable where his prejudice came from if that were the case.
“They…! Because of them, I… I…!”
It seemed that even he didn’t fully understand his feelings. He was being flung around by powerful emotions that he couldn’t put into words, leaving his heart in chaos.
“You know, what’s really important is how you want to be. If you want to become stronger, you just need to train. If you want to become smarter, you just need to study. A certain adventurer once told me that he chose to become an adventurer because he loved the strong version of himself. He is a purple-rank adventurer now, but I’m certain even you realize it’s no easy feat to attain purple rank, right?”
As a person, Uncle Phillip had a tendency towards goofing off and fooling around, but as an adventurer, it was undeniable how hard he’d worked to get to where he was now.
In general, very few people can get by in life without putting in the hard work!
The only time a person could really spend their days doing whatever they wanted was during the tragically short years of childhood.
“I’m strong! If not for them, I’d be…!”
Hmm, perhaps he has an inferiority complex when it comes to beastpeople?
It was all but impossible for humans to best or even draw even with beastpeople in a fight. But that being said, I knew there were humans amongst the Linus Imperial Army who had achieved that nearly impossible feat. I probably wasn’t even capable of imagining the lengths they must’ve gone to to become that strong.
“Aren’t you just blaming others for your own failings? It’s fine to admit that there are some things you just can’t do. Everyone has things they can’t do, no matter how hard they try. Rather than obsessing over one thing you can’t do, you should try other things.”
It took a very special type of person to devote themselves to one specific thing. It might be a bit unkind to say so, but the people who did manage that tended to straddle the line between normal and “freakishly obsessed.”
Just look at the researchers at the Magical Research Center! They’re all out-of-control obsessed with their love of magic, but they straight up don’t give a flop that everyone around them thinks they’re absolutely crazy, and just look at all they’re able to accomplish as a result!
“…Other things…?”
“That’s right. Maybe there’s something that only you are capable of being the best at. Doesn’t that idea fill you with excitement?”
I was the type to easily get excited. Whenever I encountered new and unknown things, my curiosity got the better of me.
I’m going to be the “master of fluffiness!” It’s my dream to meet and learn about every species of creature in this world!
“I… What have I done?! I’d heard rumors that the commander-in-chief was showing favoritism towards beastpeople and became so enraged… Before I knew it, I was plotting to drag the commander-in-chief down…”
…Was he even listening to me? It seems like he calmed down enough to grasp the situation and return to his senses on his own while I was monologuing to myself?!
“You can tell me all the details later. For now, take him away,” the commander-in-chief cut in.
Wait a minute! I’m super embarrassed right now! I read the situation wrong, didn’t I?! He wasn’t acting out of sheer racism fueled by an inferiority complex, but instead reacting to a perceived bias?
Ahhh, somebody dig me a hole to bury myself in—I’m so embarrassed!
“Lady Nefertima, thank you for your assistance.”
Both the commander-in-chief and Lieutenant Gaen bowed their heads to me.
“No, I… It seems I misunderstood the situation a bit. I’m quite embarrassed with myself.”
Argh, this is so humiliating! I wish the earth would just open up and swallow me whole!
“Think nothing of it. I am very happy to have learned how you feel about us beastpeople, Lady Nefertima.” The commander-in-chief’s brilliant smile was the only redeeming factor in this humiliating situation.
“You have to promise to keep this a secret from Daux and Marie! And please don’t tell the emperor either!”
If nothing else, I would strong-arm them into never telling another soul about this embarrassing scene.
In the end, they kept their promise not to tell Daux or Marie, but there was no keeping secrets from the emperor.
I was teased mercilessly about it the next day.
Euche, do you know any of the emperor’s embarrassing secrets that you can share with me?!