“Attacked?”
I say without thinking. Something like that never happened to me, but it must be scary to be attacked by someone else. Something that terrible happened to the cat beast people, and it was done by humans like me.
“Yes, our village was attacked by humans. We managed to get away, but I’m sure many have been captured by now. We can’t go back to our village… So we came here.”
As he speaks, the other cat beast people look down.
They were attacked and got away, but others were captured, and they can’t go back… I don’t feel like going back to the place where I grew up, but it would be really sad if I couldn’t come back to this village I like so much. I get really sad just thinking about it.
They can’t go back to the village where they were born and raised, and people important to them will be made into slaves. It’s so sad, how can they take away people’s important places like that?
I’m so sad just thinking about it.
“…What will, happen… To the, captured people?”
What will happen to the people that ran away somewhere and those that were captured?
Can something be done about the people that were captured?
“They’ll be made into slaves… And forced to work hard.”
“What about, rescuing…”
“I would love to, but we can’t fight a country of humans!! You don’t have to tell me, I would love to rescue them! There’s no way I don’t want to!! But it can’t be done!!”
His yells scare me. He wants to save them, but can’t. He can’t do anything to help them even though something terrible is happening, that’s so sad.
My chest feels tight as I think about that happening to someone like Gaius.
“…I’m sorry for yelling. You’re still a child, you don’t understand.”
Says the cat beast person that yelled, with an apologetic expression.
“It’s, alright. I’m sorry, I asked…”
I understand why it’s so natural for beast people to be wary of humans.
“Nirushi, so the human country that attacked you…”
“I think they’re from the kingdom of Migha. At least that’s the impression I got from the crest in their armor.”
“So why did they…”
“…Apparently a certain country found someone called miko.”
My heart skips a beat as I hear that word.
“This is just conjecture based on what the attackers said, but apparently they want more slaves to oppose the country that found the miko.”
Miko.
The country that found the miko.
They’re enslaving beast people to oppose that country.
“Miko… The one they say is loved by god?”
“Yes, apparently such a being appeared. I heard rumors that the kingdom of Migha was looking for more slaves but… I didn’t think such a being had appeared. I did wonder if something was happening when I heard that they were even taking more human slaves, but I never thought that would happen to our village.”
Says the cat beast person named Nirushi.
I keep thinking, trying to understand what it all means.
The miko appeared, and a country got a hold of her, so other countries want more slaves to be able to stand up to that country.
Humans even enslave other humans… Many people in mister Nirushi’s village were taken away to be slaves, and they can’t be rescued.
My head is spinning.
It all started with the miko.
I’m probably the miko.
Is it because of me? Are these sad things happening because of me? Would these sad things not happen if I didn’t exist?
“What’s wrong Lerunda?”
“…Nothing.”
To be honest, I don’t know anything about miko, other than that I’m probably it. It’s all a mess inside of my head.
Would Gaius hate me if he knew I’m probably the miko? I’m scared just thinking about it.
“I see… So what will happen now that the miko has appeared?”
“We don’t know what the country that found the miko will do.”
If my parents saw me as their daughter and didn’t abandon me, would I have been taken to the temple too? If that happened, I wouldn’t have met everyone, and I probably wouldn’t have known about the enmity between humans and beast people.
I met people I like so much and learned about their circumstances. It hurts thinking that maybe I’m the miko and this is my fault, but I can’t help but be happy that my parents abandoned me and I got to meet everyone.
“…It’s a difficult problem. We have to think about what to do now.”
“Yes.”
“Nirushi, If you can accept Lerunda and Landouno, we’ll gladly let you and the other people that escaped live here. I’m sure you’re tired, so let’s talk more about this tomorrow. Rest well.”
Says mister Athos, and mister Nirushi and the others nod and bow. They’re going to spend the night here.
Mister Athos turns to me and says.
“I’m sorry about this difficult conversation.”
He tells me I should go home, and I leave with miss Lan, who listened quietly the whole time.
—Girl and beast people’s story part two
(The girl that is probably the miko is troubled listening to the cat beast people’s story.)
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Poor sweet girl, it’s not your fault. I hope she can get some real solid information about what she can do and how she can help the people she loves.
Wonder if the griffins could rescue those cat people. They’re still in the forest, so there shouldn’t be too many armed humans. But, Griffons may not fare that well against battle mages.