“Karin, what do you think about humans?”
We had been walking down the endlessly descending staircase for quite some time.
The only sounds filling the space were the footsteps of Riel and me, with no conversation between us—until suddenly, her calm voice broke the silence.
Caught off guard by the unexpected question, I widened my eyes in surprise.
Honestly, if she were to initiate a personal conversation, I had assumed it would be about me, given her stated curiosity about me from the beginning.
But instead, she suddenly brought up a topic that was far from my expectations—humans.
Naturally, my reaction was inevitable.
It wasn’t particularly difficult to answer her question, so I was about to respond immediately.
However, just as the words were about to leave my mouth, a sudden sense of caution struck me, and I quickly shut it.
The person walking before me was none other than someone who had secretly wielded the mysterious power of spirit arts.
There was something undeniably enigmatic about her.
Answering such a question carelessly without thinking could be a reckless mistake.
That realization filled my mind completely.
Besides, even though she had referred to it as a temporary position, the fact remained that she was a secret enforcer.
There was no harm in being careful.
Having confirmed her identity through the spirit arts she demonstrated earlier, I chose caution over kindness and spoke with a wary tone.
“Why are you suddenly asking about humans?”
“Hehe, no particular reason. It’s just that since this hidden underground facility was built by humans, I was curious to hear your thoughts on them.”
“…Wait. You’re saying humans built this structure?”
“Oh? You didn’t know? If you look at history, the only races that have occupied Trassion are demons and humans. Unlike demons, who have strong bodies that quickly adapt to any environment, humans have a fatal weakness—they can’t survive for long when exposed to magic energy.”
“Considering that, the answer is simple. This place was most likely a refuge built by ancient humans in case demons took over the capital. Besides, the complex sewer system and the thick ground layer blocking the influx of magic energy make this an ideal hiding place for humans.”
Riel continued explaining in a polite manner, listing various logical reasons to support her claim that this underground structure was designed by ancient humans.
And when I thought about it, her theory made sense.
Given that the dense magic energy of present-day Trassion was causing humans in the capital to die young, it was a reasonable assumption that ancient humans would have built a sanctuary like this.
As I briefly nodded, intrigued by this newfound knowledge, I realized she had no hidden motives and decided to answer her previous question.
“Thanks for the useful information. And… you asked what I think about humans, right? Honestly, I don’t have any particular thoughts about them. But it’s true that someone dear to me has suffered because of humans, so I do hold some resentment.”
A neutral stance—neither entirely positive nor negative.
But at the same time, I couldn’t deny the occasional bitterness I felt whenever I thought about Yuria, who faced constant discrimination and scorn simply because of her human-like skin tone.
Still, that was an emotional, one-dimensional way of thinking.
After all, if humans had never existed in the first place, Yuria herself wouldn’t have been born.
So in the end, the most honest answer was that I had no strong feelings toward them.
Unless some overwhelmingly powerful hero appeared out of nowhere to invade the empire, humans were nothing more than insignificant insects to me—neither a threat nor a frequent presence in my daily life.
As expected, Riel showed curiosity about the person I cherished, but I rejected her inquiry without hesitation.
Even after that, she persistently pried, while I firmly blocked her attempts.
Our pointless back-and-forth continued as we descended the staircase.
***
Then, at that very moment—
Something suddenly occurred to me, something I had completely forgotten about until now.
A realization that could possibly be the most important thing for us right now.
I hurried to bring it up, but just then, the seemingly endless staircase finally came to an end.
Until now, the dim lighting and heavy darkness had made it difficult to see clearly, but as my vision gradually adjusted, I could make out a flat, open space.
Losing my chance to speak, I followed Riel, who was leading the way, stepping into the newly revealed area.
At last, we reached the end of the long staircase—a moderately sized, empty room with no apparent purpose.
The interior was strange.
There were no visible passageways leading elsewhere, making the space feel unnervingly isolated.
If I had to describe it, it felt like a deliberately constructed area with no real function—an eerie, unsettling void.
And as expected, at that very moment—
A sudden surge of murderous intent.
Something sliced through the air, heading straight for us.
Swish—!!!
Clang! Clang! Clang—!!!
Sharp projectiles hurtled toward us at high speed, precisely targeting our location.
Reacting instinctively, I activated my mana weapon, summoning a massive scythe.
Instantly analyzing their trajectory, I skillfully swung my weapon, cutting down every single projectile with flawless precision.
The force of impact sent the murderous projectiles crashing to the ground, now completely shattered.
And their true form? Arrows.
The meaning behind them was simple.
Someone, with clear malicious intent, had just tried to kill us.
The moment I realized that, I immediately turned my gaze toward the direction the arrows had come from.
But then—
As my eyes adjusted to the sight before me, they widened in shock.
Narrow passages were installed throughout the ceiling, ones I had assumed were ventilation shafts.
And beyond them, figures cautiously revealed their presence.
Each one armed with a convincing weapon, their hostility and wariness toward us unmistakable.
***
“Are those… humans?”
“Haha… Well, I more or less expected this outcome. It seems they’ve been keeping a close watch on our movements as well.”
They had the same skin tone as Riel and Yuria.
No beast-like ears or tails, no horns or wings like the demons.
And most tellingly, their mechanical-like features bore a resemblance to my own.
No matter how I looked at them, they were unmistakably human.
The saying speak of the tiger, and it will appear came to mind.
The thought I had briefly considered had now become reality.
I clicked my tongue quietly.
Because this situation was exactly what had crossed my mind just before stepping into this place.
A hidden underground refuge built by ancient humans.
Humans, known to live in the slums—one of the few areas least affected by magic energy.
That meant they were highly likely to have access to the sewers, which in turn meant there was a high possibility that humans still lived in this shelter.
And judging by Riel’s reaction just now, it seemed she had already anticipated this situation.
Thinking back to her attempt to gather information through spirits, it was clear she had been searching for traces of the culprit.
‘Could that culprit… be human?’
When I had casually asked her earlier if the perpetrator was a demon, she had shaken her head.
And now, my suspicion was slowly turning into certainty.
Just then, the largest of the humans stepped forward and spoke in a booming voice.
***
“Filthy beastfolk… How the hell did you find this place? Was it the demons who sent you? What do you plan to do with us?!”
His aggressive shout carried a clear threat, as if he was ready to swing his weapon at any moment.
Honestly, their reaction made sense.
From their perspective, we were intruders who had barged into their refuge without warning.
As a race that had suffered endless rejection and hatred in Trassion, it was only natural for them to be extremely wary and hostile toward outsiders.
However, there was something about their reaction that couldn’t be explained by caution alone.
Beneath their hostility, another emotion lurked.
It wasn’t just wariness—it was fear.
Yet there was nothing particularly terrifying about our appearance that could justify such intense fear.
That contradiction left a lingering question in my mind.
“It seems there’s been some kind of misunderstanding,” Riel said calmly. “We have no intention of being hostile toward you. And of course, we have no desire to harm you—”
“Shut up! Do you think we don’t know that all beastfolk are just the demons’ lapdogs?! Enough with the nonsense—just show your true colors already!”
Despite Riel’s efforts to maintain a polite and diplomatic approach, her words were met with nothing but hostility.
The humans were already too agitated.
No matter how I looked at it, they weren’t in any state to hold a rational conversation.
Realizing this, I adjusted my grip on my scythe, preparing for a potential battle.
But just as I was about to move, Riel extended an arm, subtly stopping me.
Then, as she turned slightly toward me, she gave a small signal—one that told me to wait just a little longer.
And with that, she finally began to play her hand.