Omniscient First-Person’s Viewpoint - Chapter 586



585 – The Apex of All Beings is Humanity

I’m not a racist, but you can tell how someone has lived just by looking at them.

In this remote area, the first thing that catches the eye is the crisp white shirt and the neatly pressed suit. Following that is a short, triangular ear that stands atop a neatly trimmed black bob. Even if one might think they are a beastman, the tail, another characteristic of beastmen, is nowhere to be seen.

The savages of the jungle would never conceive of such neat attire and tidy appearance. This is a human who has drunk from the waters of civilization. You can see their education level just from their posture.

Again, I’m not a racist. I’m just stating the facts.

“The Baskerville family? What are you doing here?”

“Huh? You know us?”

In an instant, the blue ears perked up, and at some point, the beastman in the suit was standing in front of me. With those blue eyes, they must be a Baskerville.

“I’ve heard of you. You’re famous as the royal family’s loyal hound, right?”

Far away in the empire, there exists the concept of a noble dog family. To put it simply, they are beastman butlers. Sensitive, brave, and loyal dog-beastmen are trained in etiquette and martial arts to serve as bodyguards, butlers, and emotional companions.

It’s hard to understand the tastes of those in power. Wanting to use a person as a noble dog passed down through generations? How grotesque!

Huh? Isn’t that what I did to Aji? No, that’s different. Aji is a dog, right?

Anyway, the Baskerville family honed their exceptional martial arts and transformed into loyal hunting dogs, and perhaps due to their efforts shining through, a person of reason emerged.

That person is none other than the head of the Baskerville family, Blanca Baskerville. The pride of the Baskerville family looked me up and down before responding.

“-Woof. Not anymore.”

“Huh? You’ve retired?”

“You know us, but you don’t know our current situation. You’re not from the Empire, are you? You’re from the Kingdom?”

“It’s been a while since it changed to a military state.”

“That’s right. A military person. Otherwise, you wouldn’t have bothered to correct me.”

I’ve been caught. Not that I had any intention of hiding it.

“Oh. Maximilian is currently unavailable. Would you like to leave a message? I can pass it along.”

“I don’t have a message for him. The ones with the message are these people. They say they have a request for the witch.”

“This isn’t a witch’s house, and it’s certainly not a detective agency!”

“What we need is paper. If you write down the requirements on paper, I said I would pass it up to the higher-ups.”

“Why go through the trouble of doing something so tedious? Is serving a hobby of yours?”

“Yes. It’s a hobby. Not a job.”

“Wow. I’m envious.”

Blanca Baskerville chuckled lightly and pulled out paper and a pen from the desk drawer. I took the paper and pen and relayed it to the people waiting outside.

“Alright, line up and write down your names and the requests you want to make to the witch, one by one! No cutting in line!”

“You want us to write? Letters?”

“I don’t know how to write letters.”

“I can write, so I’ll write it for you!”

People began to swarm to one side. After managing the crowd somewhat, I slipped into the pavilion and casually asked,

“Are you the master of all things?”

It seemed to be an unexpected question, as Blanca stared at me intently before answering.

“I thought you already knew.”

“That’s right.”

“Where did you hear that?”

“It’s from Maximilien’s acquaintance.”

“Ah. So you knew it was true.”

In a way, it’s quite natural.

Nebida created the greatest beings of all. And Maximilien spread those seeds across the nation.

If those two have established their base at the Tree of Origins, it’s only natural that the greatest beings of all would also be based here. Furthermore, the Tree of Origins is a divine entity where all kinds of plants grow. It generously provides supplies and funding.

“Right. Yes, the greatest beings of all.”

“As far as I know, the greatest beings of all are a group of beastmen supremacists.”

“…Ah. Are you saying someone like me, a beastman, could be among the greatest beings of all?”

“I’m not asking how, but rather why you consider yourself one of the greatest beings. You would be treated well anywhere you go. I wonder why you need to be here.”

“You have a knack for saying things nicely, don’t you?”

Of course, it’s necessary. Someone not physically strong must at least speak well to preserve their frail existence.

Blanca slightly moved aside as if to invite me in. I stepped forward without hesitation.

“Discrimination against beastmen is not the purpose of our group. Although, I can’t deny that many believe it to be so.”

“Then what is the purpose?”

“The purpose is to find the king of humans. The strongest, wisest, and greatest king of beasts.”

“And then what will you do once you find him?”

“Probably, that will vary for each of us.”

General Ebon, who had visited Tantalus, wanted to ask the human king whether beastmen are considered the same as humans, while Maximilien wanted to establish the cogs of a transhuman rule.

“Why are you looking for the king of humans?”

It wasn’t exactly a question one would expect from an unexpected visitor, but Blanca answered my inquiry without hesitation.

“Ah. Just having the king of humans around is enough for me.”

“Just existing is enough?”

“Yeah. If it’s the king of humans, he’ll be able to be my master.”

“Master? Are you looking for the king of humans because you need a master?”

“Everyone has their own reasons, you know. In this world, there are people who need a master.”

What a strange reason. The Baskerville family was one that had taken the emperor as their master, right? Are they saying that even an emperor isn’t enough anymore?

Blanca looked at me, hugging her knees, and asked.

“Or, would you like to be my master?”

“I’m already your master.”

“Aha. You say such nice things. Where did you learn that?”

“I’m not joking.”

I am the king of humans. I’m the master you’ve been searching for.

“Sorry. You can’t be.”

“Then why did you ask! You’re just getting my hopes up!”

“If there hadn’t been a king of humans, you might have been okay. But right now, that’s not the case. Maximilian said he’s looking for the king of humans. So for the time being, I’m not looking for a master.”

Is that how it is? Should I just confess? No, wait. I still need to know why.

“Why does it have to be the king of humans?”

“Well, that’s obvious.”

Blanca rose from her chair, her blue eyes sparkling as she spoke.

“If you are the king of humans, unlike the king of wolves, you will bring down that lofty and arrogant empire.”

On the other side of the continent, an empire that had established a great civilization across the Mediterranean and the vast forests. Blanca bared her teeth at that immense order.

Whether it’s the great witch wanting to topple the vast forest or Blanca wishing to dismantle the empire, there’s only a desire to bring down something on the other side of the continent. It’s no wonder such people have gathered on the opposite side.

“You want to erase your previous master, don’t you? So you’re looking for a new one? Want to repaint it?”

“Yeah. But you wouldn’t do that, would you?”

Blanca slowly moved her nose to catch a scent. The senses of beastfolk are several times sharper than those of humans, and those who have mastered their chi hone that perception to its limits. Blanca caught the familiar smell of blood mingling in the air.

“If it’s you who stood in our way in Ende, then. Oh.”

Ende? If it’s Ende, that’s the city of beastfolk that was attacked by the king of wolves, right? Why there…

…Ah, right. Baskerville attacked in Ende, didn’t he? No wonder it felt familiar. I had forgotten since I had never faced Baskerville directly.

“You’re a magician from Ende, aren’t you? You’ve got some guts. Coming to find me so calmly.”

Blanca’s intensity grew even stronger. I scratched my chin and replied.

“It’s not guts; to be honest, I completely forgot about it.”

“Does that mean a loser doesn’t need to remember?”

“Yet you didn’t recognize me at first either. We were meeting for the first time, after all.”

I read people with mind-reading. Since you didn’t recognize me, I wasn’t aware of you either. It was your scent as a regressor that gave you away, not me.

“You only heard my story and didn’t know me, and I only heard your story, so I didn’t know your identity either. In fact, after that, the mountain lord came and wiped out a whole legion, so I was a bit out of it. Do we really need to create conflict here?”

“It seems your companion has been injured. Should I let this opportunity slip away?”

“Opportunities come from considering the circumstances. Have you thought about why I’m here? Who inflicted that injury? And why they’ve left you alive despite it?”

Blanca’s smile deepened. A shadow of a pitch-black dog flickered behind her.

“If you ask for the details, you’ll miss your prey. Just chase after it, bite down, and see what happens.”

The blue flame rushed towards me in an instant. Before I could even brace myself, a fierce impact struck my chest. With a brief flash of pain, my body lifted from the chair. I thought I could hear the sound of wind in my ears, and then my body became a battering ram, crashing through the pavilion door.

Breaking the door was a rather loud way to make an entrance. The sudden chaos drew people in. The returner, who had been waiting outside in a daze, was no different.

“Hughes! What’s going on?!”

“Ow. You’re really hurt. What happened?”

The returner recognized Blanca’s voice and halted. Approaching cautiously, Blanca looked at the returner’s bound arms, both delighted and puzzled.

“Oh dear. Your arms are in such a state. Who did this to you?”

“Blanca Baskerville…!”

“Oh, right. It’s me. Quite a different situation from when we parted.”

“Damn it!”

‘That’s not someone I can handle without weapons or energy! I have to move somehow! Even if it’s just a little, I need some energy!’

The returner gritted their teeth. They bit down so hard that I could hear the grinding in my ears. The more strength they exerted, the more they channeled their energy, the excruciating pain followed, yet the returner extended their energy despite feeling as if their entire body was being torn apart.

With muscles barely ready to heal, they forced them together with energy. The body, painstakingly stitched together, creaked under the rough urging of its master.

‘Otherwise, Hughes will die!’

“How unfortunate. Struggling with arms that won’t move.”

But that was absurd. Blanca Baskerville was also a formidable opponent, one I couldn’t be sure I could defeat even in perfect condition. Enduring the aftermath of torn arms, there was no chance of victory without energy or support.

Blanca, being an energy user as well, quickly grasped the returner’s predicament and expressed her sympathy. But it was sympathy, nothing more.

“However, I can’t consider the plight of the prey. How pitiful…”

Then suddenly, Blanca looked at the returner and felt a sense of alienation. She examined the returner’s face from various angles, tilting her head in confusion.

“The smell is the same… but you’ve become a woman?”

“I lost to Nebida, so I had to get rid of it.”

“Ah, that’s too bad.”

“Get rid of what?! Do you want to die?!”

I was talking about Agartha’s mask.