Leave a Comment / Reincarnation into a barrier master / By IX
In the capital city of Agarta, it had been raining continuously for two days. The thick, dark clouds covering the sky inevitably put anyone in a gloomy mood. Inside one of the guest rooms in the capital’s reception hall, even more depressing news was delivered to Linos.
“…What do you mean?”
I widened my eyes and tilted my head. Seeing me in such a state, the man and woman standing before me wore smug smiles.
“Let me reiterate,” the man spoke with a deep, resonating voice that filled the room. Though small and slender, his voice was imposing. I shifted my gaze to the man but continued to tilt my head.
“In our Crimeana religion, we request the expulsion of dog-human, wolf-human, and cat-human hybrids from our country, as well as the capture of sheep-human hybrids from your nation. One month from now, we wish to escort the captured sheep-human hybrids to our capital, Aphrodite. Therefore, we humbly request your permission for our religious ships to dock at Garby, which has been resurrected.”
Saying this, the two individuals respectfully bowed their heads.
“So, you’re saying the hybrids are the cause of an incurable disease? I don’t really understand. I haven’t come across anyone like that around me…”
“I understand your difficulty in grasping the situation. However, the most esteemed scholars in the world have determined this to be true. There is no mistake. If left unchecked, there is a possibility that the epidemic could spread throughout your entire country. We implore King of Agarta to kindly save the people of this nation.”
“Well, I get the gist of what you’re saying.”
“If you could acknowledge that, it would be a great relief. After all, Agarta has maintained deep relationships with the Hideita Empire, Lamaron Kingdom, and Niza Principality. If King of Agarta takes the lead and cooperates with our Crimeana nation, we believe other countries will follow suit. We trust that the King is protected by the blessings of our Supreme Goddess, Crimeana.”
The man struck a prayer-like pose.
“I shall convey this to King of Agarta.”
The woman, who had been standing behind, stepped forward and lowered her head.
“You can call me Linos. Well, I didn’t say anything about cooperating with Crimeana. Don’t assume things on your own.”
In response to my firm stance, the woman smiled faintly.
“We apologize for that. By the way, King of Agarta’s consort is said to be a sheep-human hybrid…?”
“…Ah, yes. To be precise, she is a half-dwarf, half-sheep-human. Strictly speaking, she is not a sheep-human. So what?”
“That consort of yours shall also be sent to our capital, Aphrodite. We can understand your concerns. If it doesn’t inconvenience you, we shall send Crimeana priests to be near King of Agarta. We believe they can be of great help to the King.”
The woman displayed a pure and innocent smile, like that of a young girl. I composed myself and spoke up.
“What? Why do you want Mei…? Why should I send my wife to Crimeana’s capital? Be careful with your words. She is the Queen of a nation. It’s incredibly impolite to demand such a thing, you know? Let me make it clear, Agarta is not a vassal of Crimeana. If that’s what you think, you’d better reconsider. If you insist, come and take her by force. I’ll face you anytime. And as for the priests, we don’t need them. Well, for now, I’ll look into this matter of the beastfolk’s disease on my own. If it really turns out that the beastfolk are the cause, then we’ll consider countermeasures.”
“Is that so? However… Your wife’s name is Meirias, correct?”
“…”
I stared at the girl silently.
“If that’s the case, then she must be a criminal slave, isn’t she?”
“What are you talking about?”
“Do you know that a criminal slave is someone whose ownership is designated by the one who labeled them as a criminal slave?”
“What does that mean?”
“This Meirias… My apologies. The one who designated Queen Meirias as a criminal slave is our Crimeana religion.”
“What?!”
“The Crimeana religion is the one that captured Meirias, who killed many people, and made her a criminal slave.”
“What do you expect me to believe?”
“As a former slave, King Agarta should understand. A slave owner can control every aspect of their actions. Regular slaves may not be killed, but criminal slaves…”
“No way…”
“Have you understood now? We also want to take Queen Meirias to Aphrodite in the best possible condition. You can rest assured during the journey. Despite being a criminal slave, she is still the Queen of a nation. We will treat her with the utmost respect.”
“Wait a minute, about this criminal slave…”
“Well, I suggest you take some time to calm down and think about it.”
The woman interrupted my words with a serious expression and then returned to her eerie smile.
“If you cannot send the sheep-human hybrids of Agarta, that’s fine too, I suppose. However, what will happen to the Queen if you don’t? Oh, by the way, didn’t Agarta’s King and Queen have a child together? Since the child of a criminal slave… well, perhaps…”
“If you lay a finger on Mei and our daughter, I won’t stand for it. I’ll crush you with all my might.”
“I apologize. I spoke out of turn. Please forgive my impertinence. However, the ships escorting the sheep-human hybrids will arrive in Galby one month from now. It would be much appreciated if you could make a decision as soon as possible. Probably… the Hideita Empire and Lamaron Kingdom, both of which have designated our Crimeana religion as the state religion… At least these two nations will likely take action immediately, so please, do not fall behind and heed my advice.”
With a respectful bow, the two individuals left the scene. I stood there dumbfounded, watching them depart.
That night, after returning to the residence, I told my family about the Crimeana religion. Mei couldn’t hide her shock and appeared dazed and lost. Witnessing her state, Lico spoke up.
“I can’t believe something like this. That the cause of that incurable disease would be the beastfolk…”
Though she tried to act strong, her agitation was still apparent. Nevertheless, Lico continued speaking.
“Furthermore, do they have any concrete evidence for this? And using Mei and Aliria as hostages…”
“I examined Aliria earlier, but there was no indication of her being a criminal slave. Now, the question is how to free Mei from her slave status. And as for this, the Crimeana emissaries left this pamphlet.”
I placed the pamphlet I received from them on the table.
“This… this is…! It’s the Sanctuary. The most authoritative medical book,” Sid said, raising her voice. (T/N: Sid is short for Considy)
Mei silently picked up the pamphlet and started flipping through its pages. She seemed to find the relevant section and kept her gaze fixed on it for a while.
No one said a word; we all watched Mei’s every move. The only sound filling the dining room was the rustling of pages as Mei continued to flip through the pamphlet. Eventually, Mei looked up at the ceiling and let out a deep sigh.
“How is it, Mei?”
“Logically… it’s perfect.”
“I’m not good with studies, so I don’t quite get it, but does that mean the beastfolk are indeed the cause of the disease, and the cure is the bile of sheep beastfolk?”
“Based on what I’ve read… it seems that way.”
“I never imagined…”
Sid also looked stunned.
“Just being mentioned in the Sanctuary alone is an honor, but with the endorsement of Dr. Imani and Dr. Darina, it’s almost certain,” Sid said.
“But why would the religious nation capture innocent sheep-human hybrids?” Ferris spoke up. Mei looked at Ferris with a gentle expression.
“To create a single dose of the cure, you need the bile of five sheep-human hybrids. We don’t know how many people around the world are suffering from these diseases… But to save a thousand humans, you would need about ten thousand sheep-human hybrids,” Mei explained.
“W-what?! Going to such lengths, why can’t they prioritize saving humans another way?” Ferris asked.
“That’s the way of the Crimeana religion. They would do anything for the sake of the human race,” I said.
“Linos…”
“Master… I beg of you…”
“Don’t worry, everyone. Mei, I won’t hand you over,” I assured.
The heavy discussion concluded, and everyone silently withdrew to their rooms. Alone in the bathroom, I contemplated the future. No matter how much I thought, various things crossed my mind, yet I couldn’t find a solution. I gazed at the bathwater, lost in thought.
“It’s no use thinking too much. We’ll deal with things as they come. We’ll find a way somehow.”
I said this and washed my face briskly before getting out of the bath.
Upon entering the bedroom, no one was there. It was supposed to be Rico’s turn, but she was nowhere to be seen. I climbed into bed alone, and soon Mei entered the room.
“Mei, what’s wrong? Where’s Aliria?”
“Um… Ferris said she’ll look after Aliria for me…”
“I see.”
“Rico-sama was supposed to, but she told me to go…”
“Mei, come here.”
“…”
Mei came into bed with a look of apology. However, she seemed different than usual. Fully clothed in pajamas, she lay on her stomach.
“Mei…”
Mei slowly raised her head to look at me.
“Master, I have a request.”
“What is it?”
“I will go to the religious nation.”
“Don’t say such foolish things.”
“In exchange, in exchange… please leave Aliria here.”
“Stop it, Mei. I won’t let you go to the religious nation. Of course, I won’t let Aliria go either. I’ll definitely, definitely free you from that criminal slave status. No matter who comes, I’ll drive them away. I will protect you both, absolutely!”
“Master…”
Mei was crying. It was the first time I saw Mei cry so much. In the end, neither Mei nor I could sleep a wink that night.
All I could do was continue stroking Mei’s back, feeling utterly powerless.
Leave a Comment / Reincarnation into a barrier master / By IX
In the capital city of Agarta, it had been raining continuously for two days. The thick, dark clouds covering the sky inevitably put anyone in a gloomy mood. Inside one of the guest rooms in the capital’s reception hall, even more depressing news was delivered to Linos.
“…What do you mean?”
I widened my eyes and tilted my head. Seeing me in such a state, the man and woman standing before me wore smug smiles.
“Let me reiterate,” the man spoke with a deep, resonating voice that filled the room. Though small and slender, his voice was imposing. I shifted my gaze to the man but continued to tilt my head.
“In our Crimeana religion, we request the expulsion of dog-human, wolf-human, and cat-human hybrids from our country, as well as the capture of sheep-human hybrids from your nation. One month from now, we wish to escort the captured sheep-human hybrids to our capital, Aphrodite. Therefore, we humbly request your permission for our religious ships to dock at Garby, which has been resurrected.”
Saying this, the two individuals respectfully bowed their heads.
“So, you’re saying the hybrids are the cause of an incurable disease? I don’t really understand. I haven’t come across anyone like that around me…”
“I understand your difficulty in grasping the situation. However, the most esteemed scholars in the world have determined this to be true. There is no mistake. If left unchecked, there is a possibility that the epidemic could spread throughout your entire country. We implore King of Agarta to kindly save the people of this nation.”
“Well, I get the gist of what you’re saying.”
“If you could acknowledge that, it would be a great relief. After all, Agarta has maintained deep relationships with the Hideita Empire, Lamaron Kingdom, and Niza Principality. If King of Agarta takes the lead and cooperates with our Crimeana nation, we believe other countries will follow suit. We trust that the King is protected by the blessings of our Supreme Goddess, Crimeana.”
The man struck a prayer-like pose.
“I shall convey this to King of Agarta.”
The woman, who had been standing behind, stepped forward and lowered her head.
“You can call me Linos. Well, I didn’t say anything about cooperating with Crimeana. Don’t assume things on your own.”
In response to my firm stance, the woman smiled faintly.
“We apologize for that. By the way, King of Agarta’s consort is said to be a sheep-human hybrid…?”
“…Ah, yes. To be precise, she is a half-dwarf, half-sheep-human. Strictly speaking, she is not a sheep-human. So what?”
“That consort of yours shall also be sent to our capital, Aphrodite. We can understand your concerns. If it doesn’t inconvenience you, we shall send Crimeana priests to be near King of Agarta. We believe they can be of great help to the King.”
The woman displayed a pure and innocent smile, like that of a young girl. I composed myself and spoke up.
“What? Why do you want Mei…? Why should I send my wife to Crimeana’s capital? Be careful with your words. She is the Queen of a nation. It’s incredibly impolite to demand such a thing, you know? Let me make it clear, Agarta is not a vassal of Crimeana. If that’s what you think, you’d better reconsider. If you insist, come and take her by force. I’ll face you anytime. And as for the priests, we don’t need them. Well, for now, I’ll look into this matter of the beastfolk’s disease on my own. If it really turns out that the beastfolk are the cause, then we’ll consider countermeasures.”
“Is that so? However… Your wife’s name is Meirias, correct?”
“…”
I stared at the girl silently.
“If that’s the case, then she must be a criminal slave, isn’t she?”
“What are you talking about?”
“Do you know that a criminal slave is someone whose ownership is designated by the one who labeled them as a criminal slave?”
“What does that mean?”
“This Meirias… My apologies. The one who designated Queen Meirias as a criminal slave is our Crimeana religion.”
“What?!”
“The Crimeana religion is the one that captured Meirias, who killed many people, and made her a criminal slave.”
“What do you expect me to believe?”
“As a former slave, King Agarta should understand. A slave owner can control every aspect of their actions. Regular slaves may not be killed, but criminal slaves…”
“No way…”
“Have you understood now? We also want to take Queen Meirias to Aphrodite in the best possible condition. You can rest assured during the journey. Despite being a criminal slave, she is still the Queen of a nation. We will treat her with the utmost respect.”
“Wait a minute, about this criminal slave…”
“Well, I suggest you take some time to calm down and think about it.”
The woman interrupted my words with a serious expression and then returned to her eerie smile.
“If you cannot send the sheep-human hybrids of Agarta, that’s fine too, I suppose. However, what will happen to the Queen if you don’t? Oh, by the way, didn’t Agarta’s King and Queen have a child together? Since the child of a criminal slave… well, perhaps…”
“If you lay a finger on Mei and our daughter, I won’t stand for it. I’ll crush you with all my might.”
“I apologize. I spoke out of turn. Please forgive my impertinence. However, the ships escorting the sheep-human hybrids will arrive in Galby one month from now. It would be much appreciated if you could make a decision as soon as possible. Probably… the Hideita Empire and Lamaron Kingdom, both of which have designated our Crimeana religion as the state religion… At least these two nations will likely take action immediately, so please, do not fall behind and heed my advice.”
With a respectful bow, the two individuals left the scene. I stood there dumbfounded, watching them depart.
That night, after returning to the residence, I told my family about the Crimeana religion. Mei couldn’t hide her shock and appeared dazed and lost. Witnessing her state, Lico spoke up.
“I can’t believe something like this. That the cause of that incurable disease would be the beastfolk…”
Though she tried to act strong, her agitation was still apparent. Nevertheless, Lico continued speaking.
“Furthermore, do they have any concrete evidence for this? And using Mei and Aliria as hostages…”
“I examined Aliria earlier, but there was no indication of her being a criminal slave. Now, the question is how to free Mei from her slave status. And as for this, the Crimeana emissaries left this pamphlet.”
I placed the pamphlet I received from them on the table.
“This… this is…! It’s the Sanctuary. The most authoritative medical book,” Sid said, raising her voice. (T/N: Sid is short for Considy)
Mei silently picked up the pamphlet and started flipping through its pages. She seemed to find the relevant section and kept her gaze fixed on it for a while.
No one said a word; we all watched Mei’s every move. The only sound filling the dining room was the rustling of pages as Mei continued to flip through the pamphlet. Eventually, Mei looked up at the ceiling and let out a deep sigh.
“How is it, Mei?”
“Logically… it’s perfect.”
“I’m not good with studies, so I don’t quite get it, but does that mean the beastfolk are indeed the cause of the disease, and the cure is the bile of sheep beastfolk?”
“Based on what I’ve read… it seems that way.”
“I never imagined…”
Sid also looked stunned.
“Just being mentioned in the Sanctuary alone is an honor, but with the endorsement of Dr. Imani and Dr. Darina, it’s almost certain,” Sid said.
“But why would the religious nation capture innocent sheep-human hybrids?” Ferris spoke up. Mei looked at Ferris with a gentle expression.
“To create a single dose of the cure, you need the bile of five sheep-human hybrids. We don’t know how many people around the world are suffering from these diseases… But to save a thousand humans, you would need about ten thousand sheep-human hybrids,” Mei explained.
“W-what?! Going to such lengths, why can’t they prioritize saving humans another way?” Ferris asked.
“That’s the way of the Crimeana religion. They would do anything for the sake of the human race,” I said.
“Linos…”
“Master… I beg of you…”
“Don’t worry, everyone. Mei, I won’t hand you over,” I assured.
The heavy discussion concluded, and everyone silently withdrew to their rooms. Alone in the bathroom, I contemplated the future. No matter how much I thought, various things crossed my mind, yet I couldn’t find a solution. I gazed at the bathwater, lost in thought.
“It’s no use thinking too much. We’ll deal with things as they come. We’ll find a way somehow.”
I said this and washed my face briskly before getting out of the bath.
Upon entering the bedroom, no one was there. It was supposed to be Rico’s turn, but she was nowhere to be seen. I climbed into bed alone, and soon Mei entered the room.
“Mei, what’s wrong? Where’s Aliria?”
“Um… Ferris said she’ll look after Aliria for me…”
“I see.”
“Rico-sama was supposed to, but she told me to go…”
“Mei, come here.”
“…”
Mei came into bed with a look of apology. However, she seemed different than usual. Fully clothed in pajamas, she lay on her stomach.
“Mei…”
Mei slowly raised her head to look at me.
“Master, I have a request.”
“What is it?”
“I will go to the religious nation.”
“Don’t say such foolish things.”
“In exchange, in exchange… please leave Aliria here.”
“Stop it, Mei. I won’t let you go to the religious nation. Of course, I won’t let Aliria go either. I’ll definitely, definitely free you from that criminal slave status. No matter who comes, I’ll drive them away. I will protect you both, absolutely!”
“Master…”
Mei was crying. It was the first time I saw Mei cry so much. In the end, neither Mei nor I could sleep a wink that night.
All I could do was continue stroking Mei’s back, feeling utterly powerless.
