The Vast Sky of the Empire
A strange image appeared in the sky.
It was something brought about by Pulitzer with his relic.
However, the residents of the slums had no idea about this.
Even if it were a relic, there are limits.
Pulitzer had done this a few times before, but it was always in the capital of the Empire where the broadcasts took place.
Thus, while no one knew exactly who was behind this, it was clear that this bizarre act of covering the entire sky of the vast Empire with a single image was unprecedented.
Whoever it was, they were desperate to show this image to everyone.
That much was certain.
In the video, Professor Riyan appeared.
The man, with golden eyes, spoke with conviction.
His speech was filled with ideals of equality and unity.
The certainty reflected in his eyes.
The passionate gaze directed toward his goal.
Certainly, the man’s words sounded good.
But the elderly man running a shabby store merely scratched the back of his neck.
Of course, the elderly man knew who Riyan was.
If he hadn’t, he wouldn’t have paid attention at all.
Whether it was the ancient dragons or the Emperor of the Empire, he didn’t care what any of these so-called great men said.
People would probably raise their fists for a moment and then ignore it.
But because it was Riyan in the video.
Because the newly appointed professor himself was delivering the message.
The residents of the slums, who were too busy trying to make ends meet, listened attentively.
In the slums, Riyan was a hero who was even more revered than the Emperor.
The dark mages were eyeing the people here.
The lowest of the low, the outcasts.
Whether a resident of the slums went missing or not, no one cared.
For dark mages, there was no better prey to exploit.
No matter what the Emperor did, nothing would change.
Policies and all that—none of it mattered.
That was all someone else’s problem.
But Riyan changed their lives.
They no longer had to worry about being reduced to a dark mage’s next meal.
The madmen who skinned others alive for their clothes were dead.
He was their benefactor who made their lives better.
They would follow him if they could.
They might have even followed a small request.
But this wasn’t a small request.
The people of the slums liked Riyan, but they hated beastkin just as much.
A place where the authorities’ protection didn’t reach.
Pickpockets were a common occurrence.
The ones who suffered the most from this were the beastkin.
“Dirty creatures born from the blood of traitors.” How could they possibly like them?
The elderly man frowned.
Sure enough, these beasts were malicious.
While he briefly lost focus, a filthy little thief had already targeted his food.
The thief’s hand reached for the bread.
The elderly man expertly grabbed it.
Fortunately, there was no need for a struggle.
The thief’s wrist was too frail.
The little beastkin was almost at death’s door.
If the elderly man applied just a little more force, it would break.
But for some reason, his strength faded.
‘Was it his age? Or perhaps the strange thoughts brought on by the video?’
He let go of the thief’s wrist.
The scruffy little puppy paused, looking dazed, but quickly seized the opportunity and ran off.
The elderly man slapped the ground in regret.
‘Why had he done such a foolish thing?’
‘Had he hoped to feel some kind of psychological superiority?’
‘Had he been moved by that grand speech, even if just a little?’
“I’m such a fool! Did I really believe that I could reconcile with those bastards and live happily ever after?”
As the elderly man scolded himself, someone approached again.
After a short while, the beastkin child was back.
The familiar yellow fur.
There was no mistaking it.
The little thief, trembling with nervousness, held out some money.
It was a compensation for the food he had stolen earlier.
If ordinary people had seen this, they might have thought it was admirable.
But the elderly man, having spent so much time in the slums, didn’t feel any joy at all.
“Did you steal that money?”
The beastkin froze in shock.
Just as the elderly man had expected.
Of course, this was how it had been.
The thief had no remorse for his actions, never thinking about the poor human who would starve because of it.
Moreover, ‘what would happen when the retaliation came?’
If that little thief had failed to clean up his mess properly, someone would certainly come to settle the score.
It was unlikely, but it was possible that he might get caught up in it.
Beastkin were inherently evil creatures.
They stole and coveted others’ possessions, causing nothing but trouble.
So the right thing to say was simple.
“Get out of my sight, now.”
The answer was clear, but the words didn’t come out.
The beastkin, who took others’ things so boldly without a shred of guilt, looked different now.
Regret. Self-hatred.
Tears fell from the little one’s eyes.
And for some reason, it reminded the elderly man of his own past.
He had betrayed a comrade once.
He had stolen food that his comrade had hidden.
It was to feed his sick younger sibling.
He had hoped that his blood relative could survive, even if it meant betraying his friend.
When his comrade found out, he killed the younger sibling.
And then, having killed his sibling, he tried to kill the elderly man as well, forcing him to kill his comrade with his own hands.
He had become a murderer.
He wanted to make excuses.
“I had no choice.”
“I’m not such a bad person.”
“It’s just that the situation pushed me to this point.”
But there was no one left to hear his excuses.
***
At that moment, he certainly had a look just like that child’s.
In the end, he couldn’t wash away the blood on his hands.
In the end, he couldn’t deny the sins he had committed.
In the end, he couldn’t endure the self-hatred that overwhelmed him.
“That must have been really hard for you.”
Such strange words slipped from his lips.
For the first time in his life, he experienced a warm touch.
The young beastkin couldn’t hold back his tears.
Children are always honest with their emotions.
Perhaps, something in that honesty affected the old man.
He decided to be honest with himself as well.
To be honest, he was very lonely.
The moneylender who always visited his house.
The strange look in his parents’ eyes one day.
The hands that tried to pull the siblings away to go somewhere.
He had barely escaped.
He had saved his younger sibling.
But, in truth, his sibling had gone with his parents that day.
When they jumped, his heart too had flown away and disappeared.
His mind completely shattered.
A mute who couldn’t communicate.
He was left all alone in this world.
There was no one left to rely on.
And to be honest, he was suffering.
He didn’t want to lose his comrades.
He didn’t want to lose even the shell of his blood kin.
He just hated this world.
He hated the cold world that had turned him into a villain and had never given him the right to be good.
He hadn’t wished for much.
He had just wanted a little warmth.
He had only longed for someone to rely on, to hold him, to share a bit of warmth.
***
The old man looked at the young beastkin once more.
There was no terrible demon in front of him.
There was only a human being, born with misfortune and suffering for no other reason than that.
Someone who, like him, wanted the warmth of another.
It was ironic.
They were so alike, yet they had hated each other so much, even to the point of wanting to kill one another.
‘Where had it all gone wrong?’
The old man pondered for a moment but couldn’t find an answer.
He was just an old man from the slums.
He didn’t know such complicated things.
But there was something simple that he understood.
The old man simply opened his arms.
A small, scruffy bundle of fur jumped into his embrace.
…And so, they became the family they both had longed for.
A small change.
An insignificant event that would normally have no meaning.
But when these things come together, they create a wave.
The widespread discrimination against beastkin.
Not everything had changed, but…
Some began to look at it with uncomfortable eyes.
Some began to step forward, saying that it needed to be corrected.
It was one massive tide.
It was creating change.
The world was gradually changing.
Laws were enacted as planned.
But the law didn’t specify only beastkin, it simply stated helping the “people” who were marginalized.
It no longer mattered whether they were covered in fluffy fur or not.
The hero who made humans human.
The liberator and savior of all beastkin.
When Professor Riyan heard this news, he is said to have collapsed on the floor, crying tears he had never shown before.
Tears that had never been seen before.
He was so happy for someone else’s happiness, as if it were his own.
This was a noble attitude that everyone should learn from.
Monthly Empire reporter, Cromwell & Pulitzer [co-authored]
***
‘…Let’s try to think positively.’
‘No matter how much I think about it, it seems like things are really screwed up.’
‘But that also means there’s nowhere to go but up, right?’
‘Since I’ve hit rock bottom, there’s only one way to go – up.’
‘It’s impossible to go any lower than this.’
Whispers.
I tried to ignore the beastkin who were conspiring behind my back.
Who knows… ‘maybe there’s no lower point than this?’
This is the last registered round.
Competition, other works:
[Enemy Country’s]
[15]
[Dragon Awakened After 2000 Years in the Medieval Era]
[App Click!]
[Female Soldiers and Historic-Level]
[Deserted Island]
[Genius Director]
[Adventurer Searching for the Sun]
[Adventurer Searching for the Sun…]
[Corpses Retrieval Expert…]
[Seongyeon Shil]
[Toki]
[Peeled]
[Escape]
[Enemy Country Female Soldiers…]
[AiBi]
[Awakened After 2000 Years…]
[Apology Pig]
[Genius Director…]
[Geld Village]
[Villains are My Calling]
[Kalio]
Racism removed