“Guaa! Bastard!”
“You son of a bitch!” (Salgu)
Due to the dogman raising a voice of anger and pain, the claws of Salgu, who countered with swearing, attack the dogman.
The paw, thrust at the dogman’s opened mouth, stabbed all the way through to the back of the head.
The head, which was almost plucked off, drops limply and the dogman’s body falls to its knees and collapses.
Although it’s the slums, is in the dead centre of the city during day. It’s not only one or two passers-by, who witnessed that.
Looking at the sticky blood attached to his right hand, the ears of Salgu, who came to his senses, heard a scream and he surveyed his surroundings.
There were humans and beastmen in the vicinity, but watching them retreat showing looks of fright, Salgu realized that he was the cause of the scream.
“I-It’s different! This is…” (Salgu)
“Murderer!”
“Someone! Please help!”
Salgu’s explanation doesn’t reach anyone.
It was a situation, where it was impossible to lend an ear to the overly selfish explanation of a 3 m big bearman, who is swinging around his bloodstained hands in a circle, trying to rectify his previous action.
“Guu… damn!” (Saulgu)
Pushing his way through the clamouring people, Salgu ran away from the area.
Salgu escaped deeper into the slums without even turning his eyes at the beastmen and humans opening the way while screaming.
Plunging into a decayed, broken building, the day came to an end while he is pondering about an excuse scared of the pursuers.
And, at the time when the veil of darkness descended, he saw Hifumi, who killed humans as human, at the place, he came back to, moving stealthily.
The best he could do now was to frantically hold down the urge of wanting to scream having his emotions and faith stirred up within his mind.
Salgu, who confirmed that dreadful human having gone somewhere, walked unsteadily wishing for a hiding place in the area, where the humans live, as the situation of him being in the slums has become scary.
☺☻☺
The mood of Swordland’s king, Buell, was extremely bad.
And, once again, plenty of reports have come in to cause his ill humour.
“… There are no reports from the soldiers dispatched to the slums. Without them even returning, it’s unknown what the cause might be.”
The king grabs the armrest of the throne with strained fingers. *Creak* is the sound reverberating during the quiet audience.
However, the knight, who came to report, cannot afford to stop his words.
“According to the information of people, who infiltrated by blending in with the carpenters during daytime, the beastmen apparently were reconstructing the slums’ buildings, incorporating engineering and starting sham shops. It seems they even heard the rumour of them creating agricultural land in one part, but that couldn’t be confirmed.”
The knight, who took a breath, stole a fleeting glance at the king.
He knows that the king’s flushing face is under a level of pressure looking to snap any time soon. If the knight wasn’t giving his report while being quite away from in front of the throne, he might have been slain in irritation.
“… There are talks that the soldiers were killed, but it appears that even among the beastmen it’s unknown who might have done it. Even the murder case of a fellow beastman…”
“Enough!” (Buell)
The king, who interrupted the knight, stood up and entrusted his voice to rage.
“Since when have the soldiers of this country become a gathering of weaklings, who are even unable to enter a city of beastmen! Although they are soldiers, don’t they even have the elation to be the pride of the knight country!?” (Buell)
“My king. Something like soldier won’t even exceed a gathering of plebeians, who went broke, after all. Shouldn’t you teach the foolish beastmen, who are imitating humans, their standing by deploying the knights here?”
A single, young man stepped forward among the knights lining up in a row in the audience hall. He has well-featured looks and blonde hair, which had a lax, wavy hairstyle. He has many aspects found in high-ranking nobles of Swordland with a good pedigree.
“… Then, if it’s you, you will be able to handle it, is what you say, Zebul (T/N: Zeburu <<)?” (Buell)
“I swear by my sword.” (Zebul)
With a pompous bearing, the man called Zebul laughed broadly.
“Well then, I order you, take some soldiers and sweep the slums.” (Buell)
“Please wait! If a knight moves to the current slums, the civilians won’t be unaffected either. It won’t be too late even after going ahead with an investigation here!”
A civil official, who had advanced to old age, advocated his opinion to the king’s order in a hurry, but for the king it was jarring and not a good advice.
“Investigation, you say? What will you do after the investigation then? Are you even telling me to leave it alone after getting all friendly with the beastmen!?” (Buell)
“That is…”
“I operate in order to protect the order of this country, for the sake of upholding that knights are justice. Even if a number of victims appeared among the commoners, I won’t mind it either.” (Buell)
“It’s as the the king states. Our Swordland is a nation composed of knights judging the beastmen. It stands depending on us military men dealing with the beastmen and teaching them their own place. There’s no necessity or such to deliberate thoroughly animal rights and the situation of commoners, who misunderstood it, this late in the game.” (Zebul)
The king nodded and the other knights also raised voices of approval towards the words of Zebul, who is spreading his arms and talking as if persuading his surroundings.
In contrast the civil officials are making bitter faces, but the position of a civil official in this country is extremely low. No matter how good their pedigree might be, they will be looked down upon, if they don’t possess military power.
“My king. It’s a precious opportunity, thus I think that I want to do it somewhat flashily, but what is your opinion on that? I feel as if the commoners and beastmen are making light of us knights. I should teach them about who’s a leader, being a strong person even among those visible here, with the exception of a single person.” (Zebul)
“I see… very well, try and show me your greatness. However, If you fail, you will pay with your life for the crime of disgracing the pride of the knights.” (Buell)
Zebul went down on one knee towards the glaring king with a nonchalant air.
“At your will.” (Zebul)
☺☻☺
Why did it become like this? Helen couldn’t follow the situation to a degree that not only did she ask that herself many times within her head, but she also put it into words.
As soon as she moved out from the inn, where she spent several days, she is taken along to a city, where there are many beastmen. While she is given a house for the sake of living there together with Reni and is continuing to study, she consults with many humans and gives advice regarding houses and shops of other beastmen.
“Wouldn’t it be better for the entrance and exit of a bird beastman’s house to be at a high place, I wonder?”
“Since it’s not like they are always flying, even if they are birds, wouldn’t it be even better to have them come and go below and on top?”
“Is this kind of size fine for the house of a tiger beastmen?”
“Since there are also many large fellows among them, I believe it will be difficult for them to enter and leave, if the height and width isn’t about this much.”
One after the other human carpenters turn up and throw questions at Helen.
While going around the neighbourhood’s construction sites, being all over, she answers the questions of the carpenters.
“Ah, geez! Take it a bit slower!” (Helen
)
Helen rises her voice unintentionally, however since there are also the carpenters waiting at the next building, she is going to lose her presence of mind, if she doesn’t finish up quickly.
Given that Helen has also been aware that those are buildings for the sake of beastmen, she headed to the next building with a worn-out expression having no reason to refuse them either.
At the same time Reni was in the middle of a briefing session with beastmen in a newly built shop.
“The “money”, used by humans, has these three colours. This is the same as 100 coins of this and this is the same as 100 coins of that.” (Reni)
While pointing at the lined-up currency in turns, Reni slowly explains the value of the coins.
As result of the sheepgirl with the fluffy, white hair care-freely talking about calculation with a gentle voice, there are also some getting attacked by drowsiness, but they were forcibly woken up by the rough beastmen there stepping on their feet or hitting them.
Of those lining up to study, half are beastmen, originally from the slums, and half are beastmen, bought as slaves by Hifumi, with around 10 each of both sexes.
“But, you know, it’s difficult, if you want to have to count each and every single one of such large number.”
“It’s alright. Ordinary people apparently won’t use this gold coin often. It will be fine, if you just make the price of the goods something easy to count… is what Hifumi-san said.” (Reni)
There are no people raising any complaints due to Reni embarrassedly answering “It’s second-hand knowledge.” Currently there’s no one as knowledgeable about businesses and the life of humans as her. Therefore it naturally turned into her accepting consultations and questions from senior beastmen.
You could also say that Helen suffered getting mixed up in that.
“Hifumi-san, huh…? As we haven’t seen him much recently, I wonder, what is he doing? Rather than a human, that person has an aura close to that of a ferocious beastman.”
The old sheepwoman of the same tribe as Reni laughed displaying her chipped teeth.
“Who knows… at the time I met him yesterday for a bit, he looked somehow happy, but…” (Reni)
“He is different from the ferocious beastmen, the old woman talks about”, Reni said bluntly.
“Hifumi-san is brutal for a ferocious person. But, do you believe that normal people are normal people? He treated me properly…” (Reni)
“Ah, sorry, Reni-chan. That wasn’t my intention. Besides, it’s probably only natural for beastmen to be attracted to strong people. Do your best.”
“Yea. I will do my best!” (Reni)
She didn’t understand what the old woman was cheering her on for, but Reni thought it’s probably about the learning given by Hifumi and gave an energetic reply.
The wryly-smiling old woman gently stroke Reni’s head and said “It’s because you are still small.”
Chapter 94: Pour It Up
The murder of a beastman by another beastman caused a disturbance among the beastmen of the slums.
Although it was the slums, they didn’t interfere with each other unless one was a great outlaw. Since it was right now also a phase, where everyone was actually experiencing the city improving, the search for the culprit, mainly by the people who witnessed it, was tinged with a mania.
“So now it has come to the talk whether it’s not necessary to patrol the slums as well ~ssu.” (Gengu)
For Gengu there’s also the situation of one of his own tribe getting killed. Taking the initiative, he was looking everywhere for the bearman, who has been named as culprit.
“I’m doing my best at searching too, but it is quite difficult.” (Reni)
“I do know that, but why are you telling this to me…?” (Gengu)
Reni answered with a troubled expression to Gengu, who stuck out his tongue with a laugh.
“Rather than someone like me, isn’t such a thing a speciality for a dogman like Gengu-san?” (Reni)
“However, Hifumi-san’s leading slaves are Reni-san and Helen-san. I believe it to be wrong, if I don’t ask about your opinion first ~ssu.” (Gengu)
“Since when did we become leaders…? Surely it’s not because you have cold feet to directly consult with Hifumi-san due to being scared or such, is it?” (Helen)
Gengu unintentionally lets his look swim due to the partially teasing words of Helen.
“Bull’s-eye!? Even if it isn’t at the level of a tiger, a dogman should be plenty powerful, no?”
“That man is special! Impossible, it’s impossible even for tigers or wolves. That man’s strength is unrelated to being a human or such. Therefore, I thought it would be possible to request the favourite people of that man to put in a bit of a good word ~ssu.” (Gengu)
“Just a second, who is Hifumi-san’s favourite?” (Helen)
Due to Helen’s objection, Gengu tilted his head with a “Huh?”
“I hear that you were together with him from the beginning, when you entered this country, though ~ssu. You have a good relationship with Hifumi-san, right?” (Gengu)
“What good relationship?” (Helen)
Helen has become speechless with a red face, however Reni didn’t understand the meaning of Gengu’s words and is staring at him in puzzlement.
In reverse Gengu was surprised that they were still children to such an extent.
“This is, I of all people, have made a terrible misunderstanding…” (Gengu)
“Really! Don’t get such weird ideas, okay!?” (Helen)
Being angry with a huff, Helen’s ears stood on end and she ended up going somewhere.
“Oops~” (Gengu)
“It’s alright, Gengu-san. I will talk with Helen later. Leaving that aside, at the time something is stolen or people get killed, it seems that soldiers will investigate and arrest the bad person in the human’s city.” (Reni)
“Soldiers, it is? About this, to leave it to human soldiers is…” (Gengu)
“Well, then isn’t it fine if it’s not humans?” (Reni)
“Ha?” (Gengu)
“If we beastmen are able to cultivate land and run stores like humans, won’t we be able to do the same job like the soldier-san’s as well?” (Reni)
“I-I see.” (Gengu)
Gengu, who had dropped his shoulders, raises his head as if jumping up and runs away to gather his friends.
“Off he went…” (Reni)
Seeing off Gengu, whose figure vanished from sight within the blink of an eye, Reni began the continuation of her studies. What she is currently reading are the teaching materials used as examination to become a civil official of Fokalore. It’s content, which, putting Caim aside, took Doelgar and Paryu quite the troubles to remember, but Reni smoothly and obediently learns them as she has absolutely no prejudices either.
“Phew… the human’s studying, it’s quite hard.” (Reni)
☺☻☺
The beastmen association, which was formed with a few words of Reni, was a filthy, grim group of men proud of their strength, but they were extremely superior as vigilante corps.
Patrolling the slums during the breaks of their own work, they solve crimes and lesser problems. They also actively move for things like sheltering new beastmen, who escaped from the humans, take care of drunkards and protect lost children. They have become an organisation, that gathers trust, with many more tasks than human soldiers.
Facilitating even the acceptance of beastmen, who weren’t able to find good work for the aptitude they possess, the increase of their numbers accelerated with Gengu playing a leading role.
Summoned Slaughterer - Book 5 Page 20
