The big giveaway that Ellie wasn’t human was her pointed ears. They weren’t quite as sharply pointed as an elf’s, but they stood out enough that she wouldn’t be taken for being human at a glance. Mei, however, looked just like a human maid, even if she was a strikingly attractive one. Of course, if she’d wanted to, Ellie could’ve easily changed her appearance with magic items and the like, but a disguise like that wouldn’t have been one hundred percent foolproof, so we’d decided to go with Mei out of an abundance of caution.
“I do understand that, Blessed Lord. I will, however, remind you that you do have me at your service, not just Mei.”
“Of course. And I’m not just counting on you, Ellie. I need each and every one of you.”
The three girls seemed taken aback by this statement, even to the point of blushing and visibly trembling. I was very glad they were so devoted to me, but sometimes, they’d take it a little too far—like at this very moment—and all I could do in those moments was awkwardly chuckle at the display. Despite this rather uncomfortable exchange, I couldn’t help but feel invigorated by the prospect of carrying out the first step of my revenge after three long years.
✰✰✰
Garou the beastman struck a gallant figure as he strutted down the city’s main boulevard, and every person he encountered stepped aside for him. Everyone looked up to Garou and they all scrambled to be the first to pay their respects as he passed.
“Garou! How’re you doin’ today, boss? Can I ask where you’re heading? If you don’t mind, I’d like to come with!” shouted one.
“Mister Garou, is there any chance you can meet my little sister later? She’s a huge fan of yours,” shouted another.
“Pay no heed to these strangers. You should really get to know my daughter.”
“Sir Garou, please come visit our parlor and regale us with tales of your legendary exploits,” one young beastwoman called. “We’ll be waiting!”
“Forget those young waifs,” an older-sounding female voice called. “Come to our parlor and let some real women treat you right. We promise to take extra good care of you.”
Beastmen young and old as well as beastwomen both nubile and fully mature showered Garou with a flurry of solicitations. Although his tail wagged gleefully at the attention, Garou raised his hands impassively to put a stop to all the commotion.
“Sorry, folks. Gotta take care of some business first. A man like me’s got a packed schedule, y’know. But I’ll squeeze all of ya in when I’m free. Just sit tight, folks!”
The gathered beastfolk didn’t say anything else after that, just collectively gazed at Garou with a mix of reverence, respect, adoration, and a few even with jealousy. Those looks of envy, however, just served to feed into Garou’s sense of superiority.
I’m now the front-runner to become the next chieftain of the wolfmen. And all I had to do was bump off one human brat, Garou thought. Ya couldn’t ask for a sweeter deal!
Roughly three years ago, the Concord of the Tribes had roped a boy into their party who they thought could be a Master. They’d spent the next three months monitoring the boy, but in the end, it was determined that the kid didn’t have the makings of a Master after all. As such, they’d decided to kill the boy as a precaution, and the party had sought to carry out the deed in a dungeon where there would be no witnesses and where it would be easy to dispose of a body. The party members had gotten a little carried away, however, and allowed the boy to escape. More specifically, they were able to render the boy practically immobile by firing an arrow into one of his legs, but just as Garou was about to end it by slashing him to death, the boy had reached out and accidentally activated a magical teleportation trap. A moment later, the boy had vanished without a trace.
Afterward, the party had searched for the boy as far and wide as they could, but they had been unable to locate him. In any event, it had been clear to them that the boy had been transported somewhere else within the Abyss, the most notorious dungeon in the realm, and what’s more, he’d been badly injured at the time, so there had been no doubt in their minds that the stench of the boy’s blood would’ve attracted the kind of monster that would likely eat him alive.
All the members of the Concord of the Tribes had eventually agreed that Light was dead and they’d relayed this news to their superiors. Upon hearing the party members’ account of events, the higher-ups also concluded that there was very little chance Light had survived, and declared him deceased.
As a reward for killing off a human who was thought to be a Master, Garou attained a status among his peers that made him the favorite to be the next chieftain of the wolfmen, and all the other wolfmen and beastfolk showed Garou due respect whenever he strolled the city streets. The nation’s authorities also showered Garou with enough reward money for him to live a life of luxury for the rest of his days.
I heard the guys who hired us also formed other parties besides us to look for Masters. They’re even formin’ underground societies through professional guilds to that end, Garou mused. Still don’t get what a Master even is, though. Wonder why the nations are going to so much trouble to find a Master.
Garou’s reward had been generous indeed. Just a few years before, his social status hadn’t been anything special and he’d been in no position to be in the running to take over as the leader of the wolfmen. To put it in simpler terms, it was as if the third son of a farmer had suddenly risen to become the heir apparent of the village chief. Barring any surprises, Garou was a shoo-in to be elected to the position. And Garou wasn’t the only one who’d come out ahead. From what he’d heard, everyone else in the Concord of the Tribes had shot up the social ladder in similar ways back in their own homelands.