Comment and Coupons: Thank You All! Episode 225
70. The End of Conflict with Magical Beasts
224 – The End of Conflict with Magical Beasts #3
“Hey, White One, I’m not sure if this is a good idea. What in the world are you planning…?”
━ Yeah, White One. I mean, these terrifying creatures… Hiii, don’t look at me, I’m not tasty!
Leaf, transformed into a raccoon, trembled as he gazed at the Nemea lion. Behind the lion were three enormous beasts casting huge shadows on the ground as they followed.
I decided to lead the beasts of the desert into Cairo.
━ We’ll find out soon enough if it’s a good idea or not.
If Jupiter is indeed trying to use me for his own nefarious purposes, then I definitely have no intention of playing along.
Furthermore, these beasts seem to have a thing or two to discuss with Jupiter, so I figured it might be best to let them meet him directly.
Having passed through the Desert of Patience with relative ease, we found ourselves standing in front of the grand gates of Cairo.
Pirrip, pirrip.
Gryphons flew in from afar and busily chirped atop the gates.
━ Stop right there! Those creatures cannot enter!
━ Didn’t you go to take them down, White One?
In response to the Gryphon’s question, I shrugged, glancing at the beasts.
━ I was going to, but I changed my mind. They promised not to rampage here, so just open the gate. I have something to discuss with your leader, Jupiter.
━ Do you really think we can trust such promises? They are cursed, terrifying monsters!
━ That one dares—heeeh…
━ Shhh-shiiiii…
The boar and Hydra growled in response to the Gryphon’s insults. It seems these beasts are treated worse than butchers in the Joseon era.
Swish.
The spotted Cerberus, who hadn’t said a word while walking through the desert until now, raised his head to look at the gates.
━ Jupiter! Your brother-in-law has returned! If you don’t open the gates, I will destroy Cairo and Olympus!
Grrrroooowwwl.
A terrifying roar echoed like thunder across the sky of the city. The Gryphons quickly took up a battle stance as if to attack at any moment.
━ Quick, let Jupiter know!
━ One has already gone! He’ll be back soon!
The Gryphons were in an uproar at the declaration from the spotted one.
Azidahaka stood on guard, sharpening his claws, wary of an imminent attack. Next to him, Leaf clung tightly to Yingyi, hiding behind me.
━ Gyuuiiing.
━ White One, I don’t know how strong you’ve become, but challenging the Gryphons to a fight doesn’t seem like a good idea…!
━ Yingyi-yah.
“I agree with that kid. This is the middle of enemy territory. A big war could break out if we’re not careful.”
━ No one wants to see their city, which they’ve worked so hard to build, crumble. If these monsters run rampant here, it would indeed be catastrophic. Even Jupiter wouldn’t want that.
Crash! Crash!
At that moment, lightning struck out of a clear blue sky. It pierced like a thrown spear and boomed like thunder.
What emerged from it was a man in white armor, Jupiter.
“What in the world is going on, White One? The agreement with our Cairo council was to eliminate those monsters, not to bring them into our home! Do you even know what mischief you’ve caused? I knew I shouldn’t have trusted the Fire Dragon’s entourage! This is a betrayal of our trust!”
Jupiter shouted down from the gate. Just as I opened my mouth to respond, the spotted Cerberus answered first.
━ Trust! Trust, what a joke, Jupiter! You’re spouting nonsense about trust while ignoring the betrayals you’ve committed against me and your brother, Pluto!
“Shut up!”
With Jupiter’s furious shout, lightning struck right at the feet of the spotted one.
Krrrrrum!
Then came a terrifying clap of thunder.
━ B-bolts… hiiiee…!
The raccoon Leaf trembled like a broken motor at the sight of the lightning that might have hit him. But the spotted Cerberus continued coolly without a flicker of emotion.
━ I came to claim what is rightfully ours, alongside this White One. Honor the agreement and let our brothers live in the promised lands!
“What promise? I’m not sure what you’re talking about?”
━ Don’t play dumb. We were supposed to receive lands like Nemea in exchange for defeating the monsters and your enemies!
“Oh, right. I do remember that. But think carefully. You said you’d give us that land, but you never specified when. I might have wanted to give you the land, but since you went and occupied it on your own, doesn’t that void our agreement?”
━ You intended to give us land? When the heck were you thinking of doing that?
“Well… how about ten thousand years from now? Or five hundred million years later, if you prefer.”
━ What a fool! There’s no one as foolish as you who only cares about his own comfort. Is it acceptable for your life to be filled with lies just for your happiness? Your brother, Pluto, you…
“Shut up!”
Crackle.
Once again, lightning struck the air.
“Say that name one more time, and you’ll regret it!”
━ You seem quite scared of the truth coming out. So, you just run your mouth from above like a coward. Is it really that shocking that your sister chose me over you?
The crowd murmured.
━ Did Lady Pluto really choose that mongrel over Jupiter?
━ What is that supposed to mean? Didn’t you just say earlier that you were Jupiter’s brother-in-law?
The Gryphons watching the situation from the wall began muttering among themselves.
“…Hmm.”
After looking us over with a heavy sigh, Jupiter snapped his fingers.
Grrrrrr!
The tightly closed gate began to open.
“Enough noise. Come in. Let’s see what you came here for.”
The once-menacing demeanor of Jupiter visibly softened.
The grand gates swung open wide. As we peered inside, the Hydra glanced around, shaking its one head in wonder.
━ We’re really going into Cairo. Hoo! Who would’ve thought this would happen, heehee.
━ Shouldn’t we buy a souvenir from the market? Kehee! When else would we get a chance to go into this city? It’s funny that we, who worked so hard for the safety of this city, are coming in for the first time.
The Hydra and the boar were amazed by the situation they found themselves in. Even Azidahaka, who had been silently glaring at Jupiter, was astounded.
“Jupiter, bringing these monsters into your city…? What were you thinking? Is there a weakness I don’t know about regarding Pluto… care to enlighten me?”
Azidahaka’s gaze shifted to the spotted Cerberus. The spotted one snorted and turned his face away.
━ We dislike dragons as much as Gryphons. You’ve ignored us, treating us like bugs. That name, ‘monsters,’ was something you guys attached to us.
At the Cerberus’s remark, Azidahaka was left speechless and closed his mouth. It seems the desert harbors deeper rifts and grudges than I’m aware of.
━ Anyway, let’s go in.
I marched forward, striding confidently through the gates.
The moment we all pushed into the city, the iron gate slammed shut behind us.
The Hydra and the boar clung to each other, clearly intimidated. They looked like rural folk just arrived in a bustling city, bewildered by the many cars and tall buildings.
━ What’s that?
━ Those are the monsters, right?
“Why in the world are they here? They’re terrifying creatures that harm and eat pedestrians…!”
━ Isn’t that White One in front? Why did he lead the monsters into the city?
━ If those guys run wild here…!
━ They look grotesque, but they seem calmer than what I heard. Did that White One manage them somehow?
“Look at those scales and feathers together! If only we could make armor out of those… we might combine materials from dragons and Gryphons!”
Fear and curiosity twinkled in the eyes of the crowd as they muttered amongst themselves. Interestingly, the monsters regarded them with the same curiosity.
━ Real beasts and dwarves! I’ve never seen so many gathered together! Keehee.
━ How do I look? Am I awkward? Do I walk confidently? Hsss.
The reactions of the boar and Hydra resembled that of ordinary city folks seen on TV. Their demeanor was quite odd for terrifying monsters, but I vaguely understood the reason behind it.
━ Hey, White One, what the heck are you doing bringing in these monsters? They’re hungry beasts! We’re all going to get eaten! What is Jupiter thinking letting them through?
Someone shouted at me.
━ Right! They say they can gulp cows whole!
━ I heard they ate merchants’ camels!
“They supposedly love eating things alive, relishing in their writhing in pain.”
One worried voice spread through the onlookers like an epidemic. But it was the spotted Cerberus who spoke up in rebuttal.
━ All lies! We don’t relish in others’ pain and have never killed the innocent!
━ You stop lying! I heard about someone who was killed and eaten by a three-headed beast!
━ Oh really? Do you even remember who that was? Can you tell me where you heard that?
━ Uh, I think I half-heard it last night at some tavern.
━ You’re just exaggerating stories you’ve never experienced. We’ve only engaged with those who come after our lives and the enemies here in Cairo.
At the Cerberus’s words, the crowd exchanged bewildered glances.
“What are you saying?”
━ Are you saying that those terrifying rumors were all lies?
“Hey, Hans! Didn’t you say you fought the Nemean Lion and got that scar on your eye? Look at him! You really fought that guy, right? He attacked you!”
━ Actually, now that I think about it, it might have been a Sphinx lady at some salon…
Rumors and lies tend to be exaggerated and distorted.
These beasts, who have been marked as symbols of hatred and oppressed, have indeed been vilified for things they’ve never done.
‘Creating hated enemies and inciting conflict is a common tactic used by politicians throughout history.’
Jupiter had also painted the monsters as terrifying creatures to rule both Cairo and the vast desert by portraying them as imaginary foes.
Their unusual birth and frightening appearance were prime fuel for inciting the crowd.
‘Truly a different kind of wild from the eastern desert, filled with the law of the jungle; this is the western desert of cunning tricks. Quite impressive.’
Of course, I too have a knack for cunning and cowardly lies.
I decided to use the same trick Jupiter had tried to play on me against him.
So, I climbed on top of a high roof, using my voice to deliver an announcement to the crowd with a mix of a lion’s roar and persuasive speech.
━ Rest assured! All the monsters have been handled and subdued by this White One! They will not assault innocents now or in the future!
━ Wow! White One, that’s amazing!
━ Gyuuiiing.
As promised, Leaf and Yingyi applauded and chanted my name. I seized the moment to deliver an even more powerful speech.
━ The desert will be peaceful from now on! The sandy hills of Nemea, the oasis of Lerna, the rocky mountain of Eremanthos will all belong to everyone again! The economy will thrive, job opportunities will increase, and the Gryphons who were busy watching over the monsters will finally get some rest, leading to an increase in birth rates!
Given that I’ve lived in modern society, exposed to all sorts of propaganda, it was only natural for eloquent words to flow from my mouth.
‘Whether my words to the public are true or not doesn’t seem too important; what matters is whether I present a vision for a future that can be seen.’
Peace, economic advancement, and household happiness leading to a rising birth rate. I believe most problems can be resolved through these three things.
‘Of course, whether it really turns out that way, who knows? But raising my approval rating here will surely help someday.’
Just as I was calculating all this, a voice rang out from among the crowd gathered at my feet.
━ Does peace really come that easily? The desert is still riddled with issues! Look, the dragons and Gryphons are half at war! Things have quieted down a bit recently, but they could easily start fighting again any moment!
━ Exactly! No one cares about the losses of little folk like me; only we suffer from their battles.
“If I want to get a Gryphon’s feather to make something, the dragons will pitch a fit. If I try to get dragon scales, the Gryphons impose all sorts of regulations. It’s unbearable!”
Long-awaited grievances erupted from all corners. While I hadn’t expected everything to go perfectly, I felt this dissatisfaction was also a chance.
━ The feud between dragons and Gryphons! Yes, that’s a long-standing issue in the western desert. Just how many resources and lives have been wasted due to the power struggle between Azidahaka, the Fire Dragon, and Jupiter the Gryphon! Therefore, I have brought the parties involved here to solve the problem!
I raised my paw and pointed my finger at Azidahaka standing next to the crowd.
━ Yes, what’s there to hide! That scaled-tailed lady is none other than Azidahaka, the Fire Dragon!
“…Huh…!?”
Azidahaka, caught off guard and startled like never before.
━ The Fire Dragon?
━ How did the Fire Dragon end up in this city? Is this for real?
As the crowd fixed their eyes on her, Azidahaka let out a sound like “Eeeh?” as if questioning how it transpired.
[Author’s Note] If you enjoyed this, please tap the recommendation button at the top of the mobile screen! You can gift a happy day to the writer with just a two-second effort!
