(Verc’s POV)
"It’s because we’re beastmen."
The young man declared that with a voice that wavered between two worlds. His face was full of a strange, fierce pride, but at the same time— it was dripping with a deep bitterness.
"..."
The whole area went silent after those words left his lips. There was this incredibly heavy air sitting around us now, thicker than the smoke from the campfire.
I remained silent for a long while, just letting the information sink in. I didn’t say anything because, honestly, I was just processing it. I took a good look at the animal features they had finally revealed. The ears that twitched at every rustle in the leaves and the furry tails that were now visible since they had dropped their disguises. It was surprising, sure, but it wasn’t like I hadn’t seen weirder things since waking up in this world.
But as time passed by, the silence stretched on until it became awkward...
Looking at the group, I could see that they were all tensed up. They were stiff, holding their breath, almost as if they were waiting for my specific reaction to the information they had just handed me.
And so, with my lips finally parting—
"So...? Why did the kingdom attack you guys again?"
I asked them that. It was my original question, after all. To me, them being beastmen was just a detail. It didn’t explain the tactical reason for a massacre. I knew that revealing they were beastmen was most definitely related to why the knights came, but I still didn’t get the full picture. I’m still pretty oblivious about a lot of the history and common sense of this world.
"..."
At my question, the entire group looked at me weirdly.
They stared as if I were someone who had something seriously wrong in the head. They had just dropped a bombshell, and I was acting like they had told me the weather.
"Uhh, we’re beastmen..."
The young man repeated that, speaking slowly as if he were talking to a child or someone who didn’t understand the language.
"Yeah, you guys already told me that."
And I simply nodded my head as I replied to him like that. I didn’t see the point in him repeating himself.
They all turned and tilted their heads in unison, looking completely confused. They traded glances with each other, their ears flicking back and forth in bewilderment. Then, after a moment—
"By chance... Do you not know about us beastmen?"
One of the girls, who had remained silent until now, spoke up and asked me that. She looked at me with a mix of curiosity and pity. I looked back at her, and with a completely straight look on my face—
"That’s right."
I stated that.
The six of them looked at me as if they were wondering if I lived under a giant rock in the middle of nowhere. To be fair, they weren’t far off from the truth. I was born inside a dark cave in this world and spent most of my time there before coming to the surface.
"So, can you guys tell me why you being beastmen was enough of a reason for the kingdom to attack your village?"
I asked them that, hoping to finally get a straight answer.
The group looked at each other for a few seconds, seemingly communicating through their expressions. Then, after nodding their heads in unison as if deciding I was harmlessly ignorant—
"Well, once upon a time..."
The girl, who had been taking care of Tatum with the most devotion, started talking. She settled in by the fire and began telling me the long, tragic story of the beastman race.
... ... ...
*****
Apparently, beastmen were the products of a union between humans and demonic beings known as the [Wild Tribe].
According to her, the Wild Tribe were originally just normal animals. However, they were turned into humanoid monsters by demons who injected them with massive amounts of dark mana. Through that process, they evolved into a strong, resilient race with a fairly good level of intelligence. After their transformation, they became the loyal subordinates of the demon lords.
She made a point to clarify the difference; unlike the beastmen, who only have a few animal features like ears or tails, the Wild Tribe looked almost entirely like animals, just standing on two legs in a humanoid shape.
Anyway, back to the explanation; beastmen were the result of the Wild Tribe capturing human prisoners during the ancient wars and using them to reproduce.
And because of that origin, the beastmen were used as an expendable front-line force by the demons during the great war against the United Races of the Arcanis centuries ago. They weren’t treated as allies; they were exploited as meat shields and slaves.
They had no choice but to obey, or they will all get killed before they even went to war.
That was their only use for the demons...
And so, after the war had finally died down and the demons were pushed back, the beastmen were abandoned by the demonic race.
They were left with nothing. And so, they all scattered, wandering the world in small groups, trying to start a new life away from the shadows of their creators.
But because the beastmen were so closely connected to demonic beings by blood, they were shunned by everyone else. They were considered demonic themselves— even though they were just as much victims of the demons as the humans were.
They were heavily discriminated against wherever they went.
And in the end, the United Races of the Arcanis officially treated the beastmen as heretics. They started hunting them down across the continent, trying to wipe them out completely— just like what they did with the vampires.
... ... ...
"..."
I was honestly speechless after hearing the story about the history of the beastmen.
They had spent generations living in hiding, tucked away in remote corners of the world just trying to have a peaceful, quiet life. The ones who had actually participated in the Arcanis War were long dead, having passed away centuries ago. But even so, it was as if being born as a beastman was an inescapable curse. The new generation was still being hunted and treated as if they were the ones who committed the sins of the past.
’They’re really in the same situation as me, huh.’
I thought to myself.
I reached down and patted Onyx, who was resting comfortably on my lap. I was currently sitting in a lotus position on the dirt ground, and the six survivors were gathered around me in a circle.
Now that the secret was out, they seemed more comfortable telling me their personal stories.
The seven of them were apparently the designated hunters of their village. They were the ones responsible for going out into the dangerous parts of the forest to gather food for the whole population once a week. Their village had been standing in that hidden spot for about a century now. They had lived peacefully and quietly, never bothering anyone—
But in the end, it didn’t matter. They were eventually discovered by the kingdom’s scouts, and the military attacked without even trying to say a single word to them. No warnings, no demands. Just fire and swords.
’Just like in my past life... people from the medieval ages and so on are really racist.’
I said that in my head. It was a cold reality of this world. If you were different, you were a target.
I looked around at the group. The fire was dying down a bit, and they all had their heads lowered, staring at the ash.
By telling me their stories, they had naturally been forced to remember everything they went through just a few days ago. I could see the frustration and the raw, burning anger returning to their faces.
They had lost everything— their homes, their families, and their future— all because they were different.
"..."
I just stared at them in silence for a minute. I could understand them perfectly. I understood their rage. I understood the helplessness of their situation.
"..."
I looked down at my own hands. They were pale, almost unnaturally white in the flickering orange light of the campfire.
I remembered everything I had gone through since the moment I woke up in this world.
The way Elianna and the others looked at me when they found out what I was.
The way the world wanted me dead just for existing. I thought about what I would have to face as well moving forward as a vampire.
"Haaaa..."
I let out a long, tired sigh and looked up at the group again.
They all turned their eyes toward me the moment they heard the sound I made, their expressions full of uncertainty.
Seeing that their attention was already fully on me, my lips slowly parted. Then without any further hesitation or second-guessing—
"I think, I can help you guys."
I told them that.
The weight of my words seemed to hang in the air, and for the first time, the look of despair on their faces started to crack.