Many beast people were crowded together in an area beneath the outskirts of the capital.
They had only one thing in common, besides the fact that they were all beast people. They were all members of Azure Skies. And since they had nothing else in common, their levels of camaraderie varied wildly.
Mind took his eyes away from a fight breaking out nearby, and sat at a table to gulp down his drink.
“…Everyone’s on edge. Are you sure this is fine?”
It was hard to ignore the yells flying around, even if he turned away from them. It did not feel good.
“Is that the leader… It’s my first time seeing him, but isn’t he barely an adult… Hn?”
He looked at the young man who stepped out into an area that stood a little higher than the rest and looked at everyone, and his face reminded him of the girl that helped him the previous day, Ina.
But he did not think too deeply about it, figuring it was just a coincidental resemblance. They simply felt way too different.
“Listen, those of you with ears! Those who because of your birth alone, have no hope of achieving even normalcy!”
That voice echoed, smashing all the angry yells going around the room.
Everyone’s eyes were on the young man.
He was young, but had more than enough charisma to control a crowd.
“I am Liebe, and I manage Azure Skies!! Thank you all for coming today!!”
He clenched his fists tightly, and blood dripped as his nails dug into his skin.
“I won’t ask what your thoughts are as we march into the holy war tomorrow! Was your family killed without resistance!? Were you driven away from your peaceful homes!? Do you wish to free yourselves from the lash of a master!? Everyone is the main character of their own tragic story, yet humans ‘spend’ us as if we were set dressing!
And so, although our thoughts are different, we have one thing in common! Taking back our freedom from those damn humans, and telling them ‘serves you right’ as we look back on them!!”
The speech continued, as the feverish crowd raised their voices loudly.
Even the beast people who were fighting before were now united as one.
“We will carry it out tomorrow! We will pay back the humans for all their cruelty, and we will fight a holy war so we can live under the blue sky!”
As the speech ended and there was lingering electricity in the air, Mind simply kept on drinking, with a murky expression on his face.
“I… Don’t have a noble reason like that. But I’ve already made my decision.”
He would do anything to live. That meant betraying people he owed a debt to, and as he chastised himself for it, Mind poured himself another drink.
“Mind, we welcome your participation here in Azure Skies.”
“Backdoor?”
The person who stopped next to Mind was Backdoor, a new executive whose face was hidden with sunglasses.
It could be said that it was Backdoor’s skill as an advisor that grew Azure Skies to this size.
“I want you to command a unit. I think you have the brains to do it.”
Backdoor took out a map and spread it on the table.
It was a map of the capital with everything noted down, from the lower level where common citizens lived, to the upper area where nobles and royalty lived.
“The operation is divided into a diversion and the main force. First, the diversionary unit led by Liebe will cause panic in various areas of the capital, drawing the attention of chivalric orders.”
“So? Why are you leaving the main unit to someone like me?”
Backdoor grinned, and looked to the back of the room.
“I want you to set up the ancient magic stone in the upper area.”
“Ancient magic stone!?”
Backdoor led Mind to a dark room.
It faintly exuded a monochrome light, and it simply sat there, silently clad in it.
But Mind understood what this blinking meant, and a chill ran down his spine.
“Ancient magic stone… Shouldn’t it be strictly controlled by the country…”
“Don’t pry into it. It will only shorten your life.”
Backdoor said while fixing the sunglasses. Mind could not ask any more.
“Ancient magic stone, black hole. Once activated, it will generate an incredibly dense super gravitational space. Adjustments for it to occur at a certain time are already done… Once you set it in the designated place, run.”
“…No, but if we use this…”
“Kukuku… At the very least, the upper area will be gone, along with the palace and all the earless monkeys inside it.”
Backdoor said something frightful with the kind of tone you would expect from someone enjoying a game.
Backdoor grabbed Mind’s shoulders from behind, so as to not let him get away, as his face turned pale.
“What is the matter? You look like you’re about to go on the guillotine.”
“No, hum…”
“Are you still wavering?”
“I’m not. I’ve come this far, so I have to do it…!”
Mind shook off Backdoor, and tried to clamp down on his aching heart.
Even if some unfortunate souls were sacrificed, unless all royalty and nobility was killed, he could not go back to being truly alive again.
He mumbled this to himself as he paced around the room, until he saw someone standing alone, Liebe.
Unlike Backdoor, the air around him was not a cold calculating one. He exuded bloodlust.
It felt as though if a human was standing in front of him, he would tear his heart out with his nails, and rip his throat with his fangs.
His eyes were filled with anger, and despair that swallowed his heart whole.
“…Are you Mind?”
But contrasting with the extreme emotions overflowing, he faced Mind with a calm expression.
“I will command a unit that will act as bait. The enemy will not get near the upper area, so make sure you succeed.”
“Liebe, can I ask something?”
“What?”
“…Why did you take command of Azure Skies, and why are you doing this?”
But as he asked, he expressed his thoughts, as a courtesy considering he was asking that question.
“…I think I have no other choice if I want to live. Honestly, I think the method we are taking is too cruel. But I don’t want to die. I want to live, even if others have to be sacrificed.”
“I can trust that motive.”
“But… Is this the only way?”
Liebe’s eyes suddenly flashed, feeling like an arrow piercing Mind’s heart.
He felt as though he was about to be killed, and he stated his resolve as if trying to mend what his intuition was telling him.
“O-of course, I’m not going back. I’ll do what I have to. I will…!”
“…I had a little sister.”
Liebe’s voice was dark, and full of hatred.
“She was killed by humans three years ago…!”
“So it’s revenge?”
Mind assumed from the shaded eyes being pointed at him.
A stock phrase like ‘Nothing good comes from revenge’ here would only be a spark that would light the fuse of a bomb.
“I don’t have anything anymore. Not people I can call family, nothing.”
He would not move on without having his revenge, was the last thing Liebe said before he disappeared into the crowd.
And as the clumsy thing that could only move forward known as time passed, morning soon came.
The holy war was already beginning.
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