Chapter 31
A divine oracle descends
Even though there were various tribes of werebeasts, their religion was unified as one.
The Initium Temple.
At that place, anyone could become a priest if they possessed divine power, regardless of species.
At the pinnacle of such a temple stood the High Priest, Benjamin, who awoke earlier than usual that dawn. As Benjamin hurriedly dressed, his attendant priest, roused by the commotion, asked in surprise,
“…High Priest, what brings you to rise so early this morning?”
The young attendant priest looked disoriented, having just woken up. Normally, Benjamin would have kindly looked after him, but today he pressed his lips together and quickly finished preparing.
He kept silently reciting to himself the presence of God who he had felt in his dream, desperate not to forget it. Fearing he might forget, he hurried to the prayer room, where he saw a single beam of light descending and immediately knelt.
From the attendant priest following him to the holy knights guarding him, everyone in the room knelt in unison. Then, not only to the High Priest, but to all in the prayer room, a divine voice rang clearly in their ears.
“You, for your sake, I have brought a human led by my messenger for this era.”
No sooner had God’s voice been heard than people in the room began to collapse, one by one. Hearing the voice of God required divine power, so the youngest attendant priest was the first to faint.
“The tribe that takes in the human, as always when a human comes, will continue a longer history than the other tribes…”
Even amidst the commotion, the High Priest shivered at the voice of God and bowed his head even deeper.
“To those who protect the human, both profit and loss shall follow. But my blessing will be with you, so do not be afraid.”
The High Priest was not surprised at the news of a human’s arrival, unlike the others. He already knew that the time was drawing near. He also expected both gain and loss to follow.
Originally, the divine was not a being who only bestowed blessings. Sometimes, it was also God’s role to punish with a well-forged sword. Of course, which would outweigh the other—gain or loss—remained to be seen.
The short divine message was already over, but the High Priest did not move from his posture of prayer. He reviewed the words silently to himself so as not to forget.
He had long known that the God of Initium would bring humans. He could not know exactly from where, but according to the temple’s records, humans had been brought in every hundred years for about the last thousand years. The precise records concerning humans were kept only in a secret archive accessible exclusively to the High Priest, even within the temple.
It was information shared only among those who had become High Priest. It was never revealed to anyone else, not even the imperial family.
Werebeasts admired and yearned for humans so much that they became myths. Considering their own origins were the union of animals and humans, it was only natural.
The wild physical strength of animals, combined with the lifespan and intelligence of humans. Through the harmony of these two, werebeasts had guarded their territory and survived to this day.
The High Priest understood why God periodically brought in humans. Unions only among werebeasts tended to make the animal blood too thick. Without realizing it, werebeasts would lose their reason and revert to mere beasts. This was precisely the reason God brought humans into their world.
Only the High Priest truly knew the will of God.
Of course, this fact, like the cycle of humans arriving, could never be told to anyone. It was information that could easily be misused. The High Priest was simply a servant of God, doing the work God commanded.
At any rate, the appearance of a human was a boon for the werebeasts, but as God had said, loss accompanied it. Remembering the outbreaks of plague that occurred every time a human appeared, he muttered with a tone of dismay.
“…This is serious.”
Werebeasts rarely suffered from major illnesses. Occasionally, there were individuals born weak, but except for a small minority, most did not fall ill before dying a natural death.
That was not his only concern. There might also be conflicts among tribes over the human. Minor skirmishes among werebeast tribes had always existed, but the battles to come would be different in scale.
In any case, since the oracle had been delivered, he was obliged to notify the kings of each nation. Shaking off his complicated thoughts, the High Priest rose heavily to his feet.
* * *
Nox, as always, was peacefully sprawled out on Sia’s lap. Her skillful fingers gently scratched his belly.
“Does that feel good?”
A clear voice fell above his head, and his half-closed eyes opened slightly. Then, something was brought near his mouth.
“Want some churu?”
It still looked unfamiliar, but now he was fairly used to licking it. The more he ate, the more amazed he was. Why is this so delicious?
“My baby, you eat so well.”
At first, Nox had thought that being called ‘my baby’ was mortifying enough to give him goosebumps, but now he had grown rather used to it. In fact, sometimes it made him feel a little strange.
Yes, it was like he’d found a protector.
From the very first moment he could remember after birth, not even his parents had protected him. Even now, after passing the ducal title to him, they stayed at a far-off villa. Yet, being protected by Sia—who looked even younger than he was—wasn’t simply something that made him happy.
Noticing his subtle expression, Sia spoke.
“What’s wrong? You don’t like this flavor?”
She had bought a set of three churu flavors to give to Cola: tuna, bonito, and chicken b****t. Of those, the black cat’s favorite was chicken b****t, but today she gave him bonito.
The odd-eyed cat’s pupils narrowed in the sunlight. Sia, looking down quietly, lightly scratched the black cat’s nose.
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