I walk hand-in-hand with Gaius.
Miss Lan and the cat beast people are with us, and the little gryphons join us on the way. The cat beast people are very surprised to see gryphons in this village. It seems cat beast people also treat gryphons as very special beings.
The cute little gryphons follow us, as if they’re wondering what we’re doing.
I’m nervous thinking about what kind of conversation they are going to have. Mister Athos said it was a difficult conversation, but what does that mean? Gaius and the little gryphons are with me, so I feel I can do my best and listen, no matter how heavy the conversation is.
We arrive at Gaius and mister Athos’s house. Gaius’s mother passed away, so they live by themselves in this big house.
We enter their house. I sit between Gaius and miss Lan, the little gryphons sit behind me, and mister Athos and the cat beast people sit in front of me.
“Lerunda and Landouno, how much do you know about the relationship between humans and beast people?”
“I don’t, know a lot.”
“I know a little, but only from the human’s point of view. I do not understand a lot from the beast people’s side.”
Unlike me, miss Lan knows about the relationship between humans and beast people to a certain extent. Incredible, I don’t even know a lot from the human’s side.
Mister Athos listens to miss Lan and responds.
“…What is told from the human’s side?”
“It’s said that long ago, they lived in coexistence, but at a certain point, beast people bared their beastly instincts and started doing barbaric things. Because of this, it was decided that humans would control them.”
“That’s not…!”
One of the cat beast people raises his voice in response to miss Lan. Beast people are very nice, so why do they say such mean things about them?
“Please do not yell. There are many, myself included, who know this is odd. After interacting with beast people here, I came to realize once again that the idea that beast people are savages with no reasoning power, and thus lower beings than humans, is just something said for the convenience of the human side. But some people are convinced that this is correct, and some just want to enslave non-humans for their own profit.”
Miss Lan says calmly. I’m sad, wondering why they have to label people as superior or inferior like that. I like a human like miss Lan, the beast people here, and the gryphons and Scifo that are my family.
I don’t really understand the idea of treating them differently because they’re a different race.
I understand that I’m a little different from beast people, but we can talk just fine, like each other, and be friends, so why do those little differences matter so much?
“…That’s correct, that is what is said in the human’s side, and that is why we beast people are so wary of humans. We are told that humans that approach us with a friendly face do so to lead us into a trap.”
“….Really?”
“Yes, I heard that my grandfather was almost caught in that manner. He saved a human that he found collapsed and took him to the village, but he had ties to the slave trade.”
Mister Athos’s grandfather saved a human and let him live in the village, but that human turned out to be bad.
How can they do such bad things, like selling away a person that was nice to them? Selling a person that thought you were their friend is so sad.
“We beast people hear the opposite. A long time ago, long before humans had countries, they used to live in small villages like we do, and we used to coexist. But when humans formed countries, they started using their power to capture and enslave us. There was nothing we could do against them.”
“…What about, beast people, countries?”
“They were formed, but lost against human countries. Beast people became scattered, and started living quietly in villages.”
There were countries of beast people, but they were crushed, and they became scattered.
That is the relationship between humans and beast people.
I know that this is tied to why the cat beast people are here at this time.
I’m sure humans have done more than mister Athos is telling me. Why? My chest hurts.
“Even if we make a village and live quietly, when humans discover it, they spring to action…”
Says mister Athos, as he turns to the cat beast person, who nods, and starts speaking.
“…My village was attacked by humans.”
Attacked by humans?
My mind goes blank.
—Girl and beast people’s story part one
(The girl that is probably the miko hears once again about the relationship between humans and beast people, and hears the cat beast people’s story.)
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Time to enjoy some drought, unnammed human country.