The 'Plains of Uranos' ... the name of that place still remains.

'The Plains of Uranos, come to think of it, it was at the Battle of the Plains of Uranos that Oliver wielded the two names of The Ashes, right?　I've heard from the King of Rashausen before.

'Oliver?　Is that Oliver Joe you're talking about?

'You know him?　Yes, Anna's husband.

　Then apparently the dots in each other were connected by a line?　Miss Minerva asked me with an uncanny intensity.

'Anna told me that she left her husband, named Oliver, in Rashausen. And she also told me that she was supposed to be dead. So what happened to this Oliver thing?　Is he alive?

I'm sorry, but it was a mistake and I killed him.

A killer... He's dead.

　Minerva looks down blatantly and starts to feel depressed.

''Oh, but don't worry about that. I plan to come back to life sooner or later.

What? .....

Yes, sir.

　But even when I answered that, Minerva-san didn't seem to understand at all. I'm not sure I'm going to be able to get away with it. It seems that in this world, 'resuscitation' is truly magic, beyond common sense.

I'm sure you'll be able to find out more about this as well.　You can rest assured that I will take care of it even when I visit the Beast Country with Anna-san. More importantly, the problem is the beastmen who were taken. According to what you said earlier, you said that some of them have joined the Empire themselves, right?

'Yes. I am ashamed to say that the day Uranos appeared, many of them turned to the Empire. And those who had disobeyed and sworn allegiance to the Beast Nation were killed. But those involved in the buildup of troops, such as the beastmen, women, and those who were still young, were kept alive. Most of those killed were men. But then those who were grown up were also taken. As a nation, it's not working, to say the least, but that doesn't change because originally, the Beast Nation refused to have anything to do with the outside world.

　Originally, the country has been forbidden to have anything to do with anything other than beastmen. Even though the empire ruled and became a closed country, it seems that has always been the case.

''The world doesn't know that at all. But we can't ask for help now, because it's us beastmen who were refusing to help. Besides, if the empire realizes that this one thing has leaked out, the beast kingdom will be finished.

　That's why they couldn't even ask for help until now.

'I don't want to say it was a blessing in disguise, but other than the abduction and massacre, everyone left behind managed to survive, albeit in fear. That's why we were having a hard time deciding what to do and how to go about it. It was at that time that Schneizel, the king of Dahms Ardan, noticed the discomfort in the Beast Country and sent one of his messengers. Since then, they have been exchanging information secretly through telekinesis and other means. And today, we were going to have a meeting...

　I told you earlier that Schneizel had traveled to Pasquantin on urgent business. Normally, it would have been good to be greeted when the carriage arrived in front of the main gate, but the gate for the carriage was not opened either, and the two of them had to climb up that grand staircase with their feet. At that point, they seemed to be feeling a little uncomfortable, and as we were heading to the garden, Kayu asked me instead.
　Then Kayu-san speaks for the Beast King who is feeling a little tired.

''This meeting is a secret meeting. Only Schneizel-sama knew about this matter, so they should have made elaborate preparations to move from the front gate.

　In the meantime, they don't want to be found out. If they find out, the beast country will end. It will be bad and a hostage will be killed. And then another beastman will be taken as a hostage.

''The White Cat Tribe has been kidnapped, and right now, the Beast Country only has a White Cat Tribe in the Beast Country, Minerva-sama. Currently, the Beast Kingdom is in danger of extinction.

　This means that there is no blood of the king. This means that there is no succession to the throne. As soon as Minerva-san reaches the end of her life span, the White Cat Nation will be destroyed.

''I see, is that all the beastmen that were kidnapped?　Is there anyone else that needs to be rescued?

　Then Mr. Kayu gives a question mark.

I'm sorry, what do you mean by 'need to be rescued'?　The only hostages are the royals, but...

　I respond to the question with a straightforward answer.

The point is, if I'm going to rescue you, that's my job, but no matter what I do, I can't fight back with a hostage in my hand. If you're going to rescue him, you're going to have to break in. I just want the rescue to end once. Because with that one time, we will definitely be noticed by the Beast Nation's rebellion, right?　But if we can get him out of there, we'll win. Since I'll be behind you, the empire can't touch the beast nation anymore, and all we have to do is wait for the right time. So first of all, I want to make sure that the most important thing is.......

　That's the most important thing. But it can't be helped. It's impossible to save all of them if this happens, even if they are beastmen.

''As for the beastmen who have turned on the Empire, is it safe to kill them?

　My question, Kayu's eyes wavered as if she was upset, and then she asked Minerva, who was sitting next to her, for an answer. After all, this will only be decided by the king's authority.
　Then the Beast King slowly opens his mouth to answer.

''We, the beast race, value our race. Being a beastman is the most important thing, and if that one thing is different, we can't even start talking. That's what the Beast Nation is all about. But I wanted to change that bad custom in my generation. More than anything else, that's why I became a king. Besides, it was also a promise to Serena. It would be nice if there was a country where people could live without the separation of races, and that's what Serena and I thought.

　Miss Minerva bit down on her words with an expression of grief, clasping her hands on her thighs.

'When he left the hall that day, he said to me.' --I'm sure you'll be able to find a way to make it work. But I disagree, for Anor Feria, Nem's homeland, is a true symbol of the peace that has been built without distinction between races.

　As she spoke, Minerva's expression turned a little more powerful.

''I am prepared. In order to restore that peace, I will........kill the warriors of the Empire.

　That was Minerva's resolve. A promise to Serena-san and a determination to get Nem's home back.
　But I remembered one thing that stuck in my mind.
　--the peace that was built without the separation of races. ........but to put it bluntly......I'm in agreement with Uranos on that. I don't know what he meant by that, or what his intentions were. But in a sense, I think so too.

"I can't--

What?

　For the record, that's not going to happen.

'If you say that getting Anor Feria back is Minerva-san's goal, that's fine. But it's best not to include 'human' in that. Humans are different.

What does that mean?　You're human too, aren't you?

'Master, Nem's father was human too.

　Then, for the first time, Nem gave me a repulsive look. I replied to Minerva in response to Nem.

''Of course there are people who understand beastmen. There are certainly those who can adapt to this world. Even so, that's not a good reason to justify humans as a whole. Only humans should be considered differently. If humans get into the mix, the scourge will surely come again, won't it?

　People who constantly mistreat others and show disgust for races other than their own do not belong in this world.

'Nito, sure, what happened at the school was horrible, and the King of the Eightfold wasn't something to be respected, but Nito had to be a little at fault, right?　We can't just blame everything on humans, can we?

　Toa says I'm wrong. Perhaps it's something I've wanted to say for a long time. Somehow, I know that Toa has been looking out for me. I've always cared for Toa, too, so as not to be a burden. Should I take this opportunity to make it clear?

"Toa certainly can't be forgiven for what he did at school. But what I did is what I did. I know what I did. But Kyogoku's case is another matter. I saw the risk in Kyogoku's mind when I was confronted with that guy. And I couldn't just let him live. But like I said, that has nothing to do with my disdain for humans.

　I'll admit it. This is contempt. But strictly speaking, it's a much colder, unspoken sentiment.

'This is the way I've always thought of people, even before I was incarnated in this world.

So you're going to kill him because of it?

Killing is not a decision. But if you're going to do something to hurt a bunch of people, you'll do anything. That's all. I don't want to kill people, okay?　I just want to save the beastmen. There are far too many people in this world who see the beastmen as objects. That shouldn't happen, and I'm sure the Toa would agree, right?

That's true, but...

Then someone has to do it.

　Then Toa thinks about it.

'Then--'

　But then, as he gathered his thoughts, Toa suddenly cut him off.

'I swear here and now--'

Hmm?　Do you swear?　What?

I don't kill people or anything else for no reason.

....

　For no good reason I'm sure I've never killed for no good reason in my life, but no?　At times, he also made an easy kill. You're in my way.

"Fine. I swear to you, I'm not gonna kill for nothing.

Wouldn't you be willing to kill someone on a spur of the moment basis?

Yeah, I won't. I promise.

　Then Toa stared into my eyes and then smiled thinly, as if reassured.

'Sorry,'

　I apologize to Minerva and Kayu for making them wait a little while.
　Then Minerva replies, "That's fine," as if she's figured something out. I just went back to what we were talking about earlier.
　However, I have no intention of changing my opinion. I just want to make it clear that I'm not going to change my opinion. Otherwise, I won't be able to proceed to the next conversation.
　Meeting the Beast King. --This is an opportunity for me.

''Miss Minerva?　Let's get Anor Feria back. No, we can build on the Beast Country. We can turn the Beast Country itself into that. --Anor Feria, the Beast Nation, isn't that a wonderful name?　But we can't have humans, we need to sort them out.

What does that mean?　The selection is...

　The Beast King looked like he couldn't understand my words. His expression was filled with doubt. I can also read a bit of caution.
　Minerva-san's mouth seemed to relax somewhat at the conversation between me and Toa, but at these words from me, her expression returned to a dark one again.

'Leave that area to me. I have the ability to recognize such people, so I can eliminate unwanted people beforehand.

Hey, can you give me a minute?　What did you just say to me?　What do you mean, "tell the difference"?　And with all due respect, it appears that you have some sort of near-hatred for humans. I appreciate the cooperation, but I don't believe that personal grudges can make things work. More than anything else, the word "selection" stuck with me. Are you going to decide things out of self-righteousness and prejudice?　It seems to me that you, yourself, are only oppressing humans...

　I'm the one who's torturing the humans? ........Oh, he doesn't understand.

''Don't worry about that. A 'black shadow' will appear behind those who do not agree with their will. I'm not saying that I'm going to decide on my own self-righteousness or prejudice in any way. I'm saying it's a magical ability to divide people. But I'm not going to get too deep into that. It's just a matter of my abilities.

　But in response to my response, Minerva-san still didn't seem to be convinced. I'm still trying to chew on this, but I'll need to set up another venue to tell you everything.

''Well as it stands, I don't have the luxury of choosing someone. Regardless of this choice, I would like to ask for your help. With the help of our hero Nito, not a little bit of the Beast Nation can be saved.

I'm going to save you, not just a little. And I'm the one to ask. Let me save the beastmen. And the only thing I can give you is the path. The one who will change the current situation is Minerva herself. But this is cooperation only. I hope you'll listen to my opinion at least a little bit. Of course, I won't tell you anything about the beastmen. What I have a problem with are humans. If we were to think about it without humans, I think we could build a peace without separation, but as a practical matter, a world with humans in it is not possible. Humans like Uranos will continue to appear in the future, won't they?

　Because they have been cut off from human beings and from the connection with the multitude of races, the beastmen of the Beast Country, including Minerva-san, do not understand what it means to be human. Humans do not want peace.
　Just like they want to build castles on flat land, they will one day seek stimulation from the peace they are accustomed to, and they will gradually manifest themselves.
　In other words, it's fundamentally wrong. The fact that they seek peace in humans.