Chapter 12

Shemuru led Xiaoma to a protruding rock on the mountainside. Standing on the rock, Xiaoma was invited by Shemuru to stand beside him, from where the surrounding scenery could be seen at a glance. The forest of deciduous trees undulated along the ridgelines of the mountains. Looking far to the south, the plains stretched from the foot of the mountain to the distant horizon.

Shemuru pointed to the plains and said, "Look, Soma. That's what humans call the Solbiant Plain. It is also the ancestral land where we Zoan used to live."

Upon hearing this, Soma recalled something. The stage of the stories Shemuru told him at night was almost always the plains.

"But, a few decades ago, soldiers from a nearby human kingdom began to drive us out of the plains. Of course, our ancestors resisted. However, their strength was not enough, and we were gradually driven into the mountains, and eventually, we began to live in hiding here."

"Why did humans drive the Zoan out of the plains?"

"Of course, to gain the land."

Speaking in front of Soma, who was also human, Shemuru suppressed his emotions, but his voice was tinged with indelible sorrow. "Humans burn the grass on the plains and plant seeds to grow potatoes and other crops. But after using the same place for years, the crops don't grow well. When that happens, humans move to another place and repeat the same process. For this, they need a vast amount of land. That's why they set their sights on the plains where we Zoan lived."

Shemuru was talking about the old slash-and-burn agriculture. For modern Japanese, farming means plowing the fields, adding fertilizer, and growing crops. In contrast, slash-and-burn agriculture involves burning the plants that grow naturally on the land to turn it into a short-term farming area. Slash-and-burn agriculture is not just about using the ash from burned plants as fertilizer. It also involves neutralizing acidic soil with ash to create soil suitable for growing crops, improving the soil by burning it, and preventing diseases and pests. It is an extremely labor-saving and efficient farming method.

However, for the Zoan, setting fire to the grasslands where they lived was an intolerable act.

"Because they were driven out of the land, they hate humans so much."

Soma understood that humans needed land to obtain food. But it was only natural that the Zoan, who were driven out of their land, would hate humans.

Soma thought this, but Shemuru shook his head. "It's not just that, Soma."

Next, Soma was led to the top of a cliff. "Be careful, look down," Shemuru whispered in his ear. Soma, sensing Shemuru's unusual tension, swallowed and slowly looked down.

Below was a flat area shaped like a stomach. The river probably meandered more in the past. Over a long period, the meandering river eroded the mountain, and even after the river changed course and the water receded, the eroded mountain remained, forming a flat area shaped like a stomach.

If the flat area were a stomach, the mountain path leading from the foot of the mountain to the flat area would be the intestines. Soma had no memory of it, but it was the path he and Shemuru had climbed together. From here, the path was flanked by a mountain on the left and a small forest with a rapid stream on the right.

The esophagus, which would be the path leading up from the stomach, was a narrow slope between a steep cliff and a rapid stream. Beyond that, the slope was visible where trees had been cut down, revealing the mountain. Several layers of wooden fences were set up on the slope.

Soma cautiously looked around the flat area and whispered to Shemuru, "A human village?"

It was understandable that Soma thought so. The people in the flat area were humans, not Zoan. There were probably close to a hundred people, though the exact number was unclear as some were in buildings or in the shadows. A few were sitting in the square, gambling with picture cards, others were chatting around a bonfire, and some were drinking and making noise even in the daytime.

However, upon closer inspection, they were all soldiers wearing armor made of thick cloth with metal pieces sewn on in a scale pattern and swords hanging from their waists.

Shemuru shook her head slightly and pointed to the edge of the square. There, the remains of Zoan tents, which Soma had also seen recently, were piled up.

Surprised, Soma turned to Shemuru, who gestured for him to return. Once they were in a safe place, Shemuru said, "That was the place where our village used to be, just a short while ago."

The Zoan, who had lived on the vast plains, had fled to that narrow flat area. It was a cramped life compared to their life on the plains. Tents were set up so close together that they touched, and it was common for families living in adjacent tents to have disputes.

However, for Shemuru, who was a child with an unclear sense of self when they were driven from the plains, that flat area was her hometown where she was born and raised, even though the adults complained about the cramped conditions.

"Suddenly, the human soldiers attacked, burned down everyone's tents, and turned it into their own camp, acting as if it were their own."

Shemuru took a small breath and continued, "They are trying to exterminate us Zoan."

For a moment, Soma couldn't understand the meaning of the words.

Having lived in peaceful Japan, Soma couldn't comprehend the idea of exterminating a race that looked different but spoke the same language.

"Exterminate, you can't be serious! Why such a terrible thing!"

"To humans, the Zoan and the other six races are inferior races that should be eliminated."

"Should be eliminated, what's that?! Inferior races, such a thing?!"

Soma's indignation, as if it were his own, made Shemuru squint her eyes as if she were looking at something bright.

Ah, as I thought, to Soma, humans and Zoan are no different.

Just as I thought. No, I hoped Soma would react this way, which is why I hesitated to speak further. But I knew I couldn't keep it hidden, so I tried to convey only the facts, excluding my own emotions.

"It's because of the holy teachings founded by a human named Innocent long ago."

When Shemuru became a child, her father, Garguz, and her grandmother taught her about humans and the holy teachings, in preparation for the day she would lead all the Zoan tribes.

"Innocent seemed to hate other races besides humans. He said that the human god was the rightful successor of the creator god and that humans were the chosen race. And that other races were filthy failures of humans."

Innocent lived in an era when, despite some friction between the races, they respected each other as races that worshiped the same seven deities. In fact, Innocent's claims were considered heretical and even persecuted.

"But, Innocent was persistent. You could even call it obsession."

When Innocent realized that his ideas were not accepted by people, he climbed the mountain said to be the home of the gods and, after two months of ascetic practice, finally met the human god and succeeded in having a three-day dialogue.

There, the human god, upon hearing Innocent's claims, made Innocent his son. This was the birth of the human savior Innocent, who became the son of the god by selling himself to the god, an unprecedented event in the history of the continent.

However, just because he became the son of the god, it didn't mean that all humans suddenly supported Innocent's ideas. On the contrary, Innocent, who repeatedly made radical statements, was finally captured by the city's governor and crucified for inciting riots. The fact that a human executed the son of the god must have been a particularly egregious act.

"And then, the madman died, and all was well. ——That's not how it turned out."

Innocent's teachings were secretly passed down by his disciples and never died out. However, Innocent's teachings were still considered heretical by the people.

"This changed about two hundred years ago, in a small country in the central part of the continent."

The small country had an ambitious king, but the surrounding countries had larger territories and more soldiers, leaving no room for expansion. However, the king of the small country, who could not give up, found a way out in the nearby mountain range and vast forest. It was already known that these areas were rich in mineral and forest resources. If these resources could be utilized, the country's soldiers could be strengthened, and the war expenses could be covered.

However, the reason no one had touched these resources despite knowing about them was that dwarves and elves lived there. At the time, it was impossible to start a war without a reason, even if they were other races, and the people would not have accepted it.

"That's when the country turned to the holy teachings."

The small country, which needed a reason to fight the dwarves and elves, and the holy teachings, which were persecuted as heretical, had a common interest.

"The dwarves and elves are filthy inferior races, and attacking and destroying them is the will of the gods. That's what the country said and attacked."

The dwarves and elves, who had lived in the mountains and forests respectively, had lived in peace with the humans in the plains, with some minor conflicts. However, the human army, which broke the unspoken agreement and invaded, destroyed the dwarves and elves before they could prepare for battle.

The small country, which had subjugated the dwarves and elves, not only utilized the mineral and forest resources but also sold the numerous dwarves and elves they captured as slaves, using the vast funds to strengthen their own soldiers and attack the surrounding countries.

The small country, which had rapidly expanded its territory by conquering and invading the territories of other races, eventually became an empire and came to dominate the central part of the continent.

The expansion of the empire was also the expansion of the holy teachings.

Moreover, small countries that flattered the empire and human countries that coveted the lands of other races began to adopt the holy teachings one after another.

And now, the holy teachings are the most widely believed religion on the continent.

"In the Seldias continent, other races are being taken away by humans at this very moment. Land, property, life, honor, parents, siblings, lovers, children. Everything.

"Being killed is the better option. If captured alive, they are reduced to slaves, forced to work to death with collars and branding, and whipped.

"For women, it's even worse. Beautiful women of races like elves and mermen are used as playthings by human men and forced to do unspeakable acts. Many cannot bear being violated by other races and take their own lives or go insane. In our case, Zoan women, who look quite different from humans, are not subjected to such treatment."

Shemuru wrinkled her nose in self-mockery.

"Of course, there are times when we are used as hunting prey, so I don't know if that's better or worse..."

"Hunting prey...?"

"Exactly as it sounds. In the empire, it's a trend for human nobles to release live Zoan slaves into the wild and hunt them down with horses and bows. And apparently, in some country's audience chamber, there are fine Zoan furs on display."

The matter-of-fact words, spoken with suppressed emotion, made Soma's heart heavy with the weight of truth.

It's insane.

That's all Soma could think.

However, such massacres are not uncommon in the history of the world. The First Crusade's capture of Jerusalem, the German Knights' massacre of the native Prussians, the Nazi's ethnic cleansing, and the American Indian Wars are just a few examples of the atrocities humans have committed, which can make one feel sick to their stomach.

Of course, Soma knew about these things. But there is a difference between knowing them as knowledge and hearing them from Shemuru, who is a party to the conflict. Each word from Shemuru felt like a heavy punch to Soma's heart.

"Not only have we lost our ancestral land, but even the village where we were hiding has been taken, and we can't even take it back. This is the current situation of the Zoan, who were once called the masters of the grasslands."

Soma, who was also human (though it is unclear if the humans in this world are biologically the same species), could not find the words to say to Shemuru.

An uncomfortable silence dominated the air, when suddenly Shemuru's ears twitched.

"What's wrong, Shemuru?"

"Be quiet for a moment."

Straining his ears, Soma could hear the sound of drums from somewhere.

Thump, thump, thump, thump. Thump, thump, thump, thump.

The steady rhythm of the drums made Shemuru's face change.

"Is that the war drum!?"

It was the rhythm of the drum that the "Tooth Clan" beat to encourage the warriors before battle.

"Are the humans attacking?!"

The first thing that came to mind was that the Zoan, who had been attacked by humans, had launched a counterattack. However, looking closely at the human camp, it was the humans who were panicking.

Following the sound of the drums echoing through the mountains, they found a slope on the north side of the camp, where a dozen or so Zoan were visible in an area where trees had been cut down to build the camp buildings, exposing the mountain.

One of the Zoan stepped forward and loudly proclaimed, "I am Gajeta, son of Unuka, of the united twelve Zoan tribes, the 'Tooth Clan'! You humans who invade our land! If you, who are like monsters scavenging in hell, have even a shred of courage left, come and fight me!"

It was Gajeta.

The surrounding Zoan raised their machetes and let out a roar.

"What's going on!?"

Shemuru was surprised. Announcing one's name before battle was a Zoan tradition, but it was done by the most important person on the scene. It was usually the role of the tribal chief or the war leader, and it was not something a young man like Gajeta should do.

"Could it be, Gajeta!!"