Chapter 245

“Save me… or at least, just kill me.”

Lady Kisea, whom I saw again after a few days, already looked utterly exhausted. I had heard that thanks to her great “cooperation,” the gate could be completed, but seeing her in person, it seemed she had suffered even more than I imagined. After all, the body doesn’t lie.

When I infused her with Divine Power, her expression finally improved a bit. Seeing her wolf down the food and water brought by what seemed to be the Gray Wolf tribe, it seemed she had been so engrossed in her “work” that she hadn’t even eaten properly. There was no other choice, though.

[Anyway, the gate can be activated at any moment now. The amount of magical power humans possess is no joke, after all.]

“The relocation preparations are also going well. I can’t say there’s no resistance, but it’s not to the point where the Beast King’s authority can’t suppress it.”

Even if some are grinding their teeth in the background, the massive backlash we feared hasn’t erupted. The residents of the Eastern Plains have grown accustomed to obeying under Epirna’s rule, so they can’t easily defy Roka, who defeated Epirna and took the Beast King’s throne, as Chancellor Rambus noted.

“There’s some unrest, but it’s not beyond control. When I first planned this, I was prepared for a full-scale rebellion. Compared to that, the current situation is better than expected.”

Of course, their obedience isn’t solely due to Roka’s strength or the Beast King’s authority. Those reasons certainly play a part, but the most crucial factor is the promise made by the Princess herself on behalf of the Empire.

No matter how much one gathers their belongings, they can’t take everything. Their homes must remain here, and they likely won’t have the luxury to take their livestock. After all, people come first, not livestock.

Having to leave behind the wealth they’ve built over a lifetime and relocate to a place they’ve never been to, if there’s no hope of a decent life there, then no matter how strong Roka is or how high the Beast King’s authority, it’s meaningless. People would rise up and fight to the death without caring about such things.

It’s a desperate situation either way. But now, there’s hope that they can at least sustain a minimal life in the Empire. If the promise is fulfilled, it might even be a better life than now.

Lady Kisea, Sir Leon, and other Beastmen leaders made the promise, and the Princess guaranteed it. The Empire’s promise is to provide houses and land for free to those who join the relocation.

The Empire is in such a dire state that they readily agreed to this promise. They can easily afford to pay this price to hire three Masters.

It’s unclear which side is truly more desperate, but the Empire likely believes they’re in a more critical situation.

They don’t know that the Kalkanmir Mountain Range is alive, nor why we’re evacuating the Beastmen. If Death itself is knocking at your door and someone offers a helping hand, of course, you wouldn’t refuse. The Empire has offered quite reasonable terms.

Of course, there’s no guarantee the promise will be kept. If even the Princess follows me to the Arctic, it’s even less likely. But this time, we succeeded in persuading her, and since she’ll be going to the Capital with them, I can only hope they won’t break the promise, if only for her sake.

“How can we just abandon the land where our ancestors are buried? Does that even make sense?”

“How can we trust the Empire? I can’t trust humans.”

“Abandoning the land we’ve bled and sweated for half our lives to go live under human rule? What’s the difference? A young Beast King like this is no good. Epirna was better. What is the current Beast King even doing? There’s no Beastmen spirit left, no spirit at all.”

While treating people, it’s natural to hear their conversations and even eavesdrop on others. From what I’ve heard, the older generation is generally more opposed to this relocation. At their age, they’ve lived through times of intense conflict with humans.

They’re skeptical of humans and the Empire, and naturally, they’re attached to the land they’ve lived on all their lives. That’s not a bad thing; it’s perhaps only natural. They’re unlikely to relocate to the Empire, no matter how great the offer.

Still, not everyone is against the relocation. The younger generation, while not entirely positive, at least views our plans neutrally.

“They say we can make money there. If we can believe that.”

“I’ve heard the Empire’s cities are dazzling. I’d like to see them at least once. Not sure if I’d want to live there, though…”

“If the promise is kept, it’s not like we can’t do it. But if it’s a scam…”

Of course, they’re not exactly enthusiastic about the relocation either. “We can give it a try” and “We want to do it” are entirely different levels of commitment, so it’s hard to call it support.

Even without anyone’s support, this is something that must be done. If everything is too late, there’ll be no way to escape.

Anyway, this matter has now shifted to the political realm, and it’s no longer something Roka and I can handle.

It’s up to the high-ranking Beastmen, including Chancellor Rambus, and Her Highness the Princess to conclude this. No matter how strong the opposition, what needs to happen will happen, and there will likely be no exceptions.

When the time comes, the Kalkanmir Mountain Range at the Arctic border will rise, and then everyone will have no choice but to agree. Ancestors and wealth are important, but not more important than life.

But when that time truly comes, the Empire will undoubtedly realize who is truly desperate.

And it’s impossible from the start for Her Highness Ardein, the Empire’s Princess, to abandon the Empire’s interests and side with the Beastmen. So, the terms will likely change, and for the worse.

There’s precedent for this. They might even demand land instead of offering it. They did the same with the Citadel refugees, so it wouldn’t be surprising if they charged the Beastmen even more. The Empire doesn’t live off land alone.

In fact, Roka had already warned about all this.

But all she got in return were looks of disbelief, as if a wolf was spouting nonsense. Still, we’ve done all we can. The rest is up to the Lord’s mercy.

“We’ll take care of the rest, Saint. As you said, someone must guard the home, and in the meantime, we must resolve these issues.”

The Princess brushed her hair back as she spoke.

“So now, Saint, focus on heading to the Arctic. Don’t pour your energy into these problems anymore.”

Thankfully, this allows us to properly prepare for the journey to the Arctic.

—

For those of us with the Bluebird’s feather, this doesn’t apply, but originally, preparing for the cold is essential when heading to the Arctic. Even for the strongest individuals.

A Master-level powerhouse might use magical power to fend off the cold temporarily, but cold isn’t something you can slash with a sword or stab with a spear.

Even if you generate heat, it’ll soon be overwhelmed by the surrounding chill, so you’d have to continuously use magical power to protect yourself. It’s not impossible for a Master, but it’s certainly bothersome.

So, even if the result is the same, there’s a big difference between going in a sleeveless dress and going in thick fur. Yurinel tested this firsthand.

After all, the Arctic is still a realm full of unknowns, and there are many things you can’t know without experiencing them yourself.

“*Huff*.”

Roka, dressed in so much fur she looked more like a bear than a wolf, waddled over. The Eastern Plains are rich in fur, and getting several sets of fur clothing is now as easy as giving an order.

“With this much, it should be warm, right?”

Sorry to burst the child’s bubble, but no. It’ll just be less cold.

Without the Bluebird’s feather, relying solely on that fur outfit won’t cut it. The Arctic is extremely cold, and ordinary people would freeze solid after just a short exposure.

[I hate the cold.]

Azahadaka grumbled as he put on his fur outfit. Just like how horses wear armor, custom-made fur clothing for dragons is entirely possible.

Wrapped in fluffy fur, the dragon shivered, clearly uncomfortable with the cold. Even lizards hate the cold, so it’s only natural.

[You’re thinking something disrespectful, aren’t you?]

“Of course not.”

Quickly turning my head, I saw Yanid, fully equipped with a fur coat, gloves, and winter boots. Seeing me, she nodded.

Being half-dragon, she also dislikes the cold. For dragons, extreme cold isn’t life-threatening, but they just really, really hate being cold.

-You’re all insane. Really going to the Arctic? Even I, an Evil God, think this is madness. This is truly insane. Hey, can I really not go?

Oberta pleaded, but no one paid her any attention. Yanid, the nominal Saint, was even more interested in her fur gloves than her god.

With everyone ready to head to the Arctic, all that’s left is the resolve.