When I’d first seen Kaede at the singing cafe, Lorelei, in Parnam, I hadn’t been able to tell the difference between her race, mystic foxes, and Tomoe’s mystic wolves.
At the time, I’d asked, “They’re both canines, so can’t we just lump them both together as mystic dogs?”
When I’d said that, Liscia had retorted, “If you say that, you’ll get both the mystic wolves and the mystic foxes angry. Kobolds are mystic dogs, so it would be like lumping humans together with apes,” and warned me against doing it.
At the time, I had just accepted that was how it was, but when I’d thought about it a little more, what was the difference between mystic wolves or foxes and kobolds?
“Can you tell the difference between mystic wolves or foxes and kobolds?” I asked.
“Of course I can,” said Jeanne. “Mystic wolves and foxes have ears and tails, but their faces and bodies aren’t markedly different from humans. Kobolds, on the other hand, have dog faces.”
“But there are beastmen with animal faces, right?” I asked.
To give an example from my own side, our General of the Army, Georg Carmine was one. If that lion man showed up in Japan, everyone would think he was some kind of demon.
When I pointed that out, Jeanne crossed her arms and groaned. “When you say it like that… it makes sense. Hrm… Oh, I know. Kobolds are covered in fur. In other words, while beastmen have some animal features, perhaps kobolds are just dogs walking on two feet like a human?”
“In that case, how would you tell apart demons with no hair, or short hair?” I asked. “By that reasoning, wouldn’t beastman be like the orcs and minotaurs, who have bodies like a muscle-bound human?”
“Murgh…” Jeanne said.
When I shot down her argument, Jeanne thought on it for some time, then said, “I give up,” raising her hands in surrender. “I’ve never thought deeply about the difference between humans and demons before. When you pointed it out, for the first time, I realized I was distinguishing people from demons purely by instinct.”
“You’re right…” Liscia murmured. “Now that we’re being asked to, I can’t find a single defining difference.”
“I wonder why we never noticed before now…” Hakuya murmured.
They both nodded repeatedly.
This was probably the common understanding of most people in this world. Turning that around, it meant the people of this world could instinctively tell people and demons apart.
To explain from a Japanese perspective, even among those who love clams in their miso soup, many are probably disgusted even just looking at land mollusks like slugs.
Also, people who will react with shock to videos of aboriginals from Australia eating insect larvae from inside trees are perfectly fine with eating shrimp (raw, at that), which look the same once they’re peeled.
It’s natural for the environment we’re raised in and our customs to have an effect on the way we understand things.
Perhaps this world’s understanding of demons was something like that?
“In my world, humans are the only race of people,” I said. “I lived in a world with no elves, beastmen, dragonewts, or demons, so I don’t have a sense that lets me distinguish between them. To my eyes, demons look like just another race of mankind.”
“S-Sire!” Aisha burst out from her place standing by the door. “…Do you hate us dark elves, perhaps?” She looked at me like an abandoned puppy
I grinned back at her. “Not at all. A dark-skinned elf is just plain adorable. Of course, the same goes for an orthodox human beauty, too.”
The first was meant for Aisha, while the second was directed at Liscia.
When they heard me, Aisha cried, “Truly, do you mean it?!” her face bursting with glee, while Liscia said “Yeah, yeah, thanks,” curtly, but with a smile on her lips that showed she didn’t mind the compliment.
Jeanne watched the two of them with a wry smile. “I can see how loved you are.”
“They’re a better bodyguard and fiancee than I could possibly deserve,” I said.
“Well, that’s lovely… Whew.” Jeanne slumped back in her chair. “I’m glad you kept this between us. If you had said all that without clearing the room, I might have had to slay my country’s bureaucrats.”
Slay them?! Isn’t that a little violent, out of nowhere?!
“I–Is it really something you’d need to go that far over?” I stammered.
“It is,” said Jeanne. “If the way you were talking had spread, it wouldn’t just worsen people’s opinion of you. It could have caused war across the continent. Isn’t that right, Sir Hakuya?”
“You are entirely correct,” said Hakuya. “I wish I could have taught him that sooner.” Hakuya looked at me with reproach.
Huh, is he mad at me? I thought, surprised.
“You need to understand this, sire,” said Hakuya. “If what you said about ‘It’s hard to distinguish demons from beastmen’ spreads, it would give a human supremacist country like the Principality of Amidonia, or the high elves of the Spirit Kingdom of Garlan, who think they’re the chosen people, perfect material to use to attack their enemies. Beastmen and dragonewts would be expelled as demons, or accused of potentially conspiring with the enemy, and be subjected to undue persecution.”
The Garlan Spirit Kingdom was an island nation northwest of the continent, I recalled.
It was a country made up of two islands, one large and one small, but the smaller island had been abandoned in the face of monster attacks, and a portion of the larger island was occupied, as well. Apparently, at least… I could only go on hearsay, because the country had highly isolationist policies and very little information leaked out.
The elven races tended to have a lot of beautiful men and women, and this trend was especially strong with the high elves. They called themselves God’s chosen people, and looked down on other races, loathe to have any interaction with them.
It seemed that even now, with monsters invading, that wasn’t going to change.
In a country like Garlan or Amidonia, it was true, they would likely try to use this information to affirm the superiority of their own race. In fact, Amidonia had already succeeded in fomenting hatred towards Elfrieden to make their people easier to rule. There were countries out there that would use hate and prejudice.
Jeanne nodded. “Sir Hakuya is correct. Furthermore, it’s not something that multiracial countries like mine or yours can ignore. If that sort of thinking were to run rampant, we would be looking at the sparks of interracial violence in our own country. If we had an internal conflict, on top of the external threats we face…”
“…Sorry,” I said. “I hadn’t thought it through that far.”
I bowed my head sincerely. They had both made good points. There were bigger things at stake than my reputation. I needed to be more cautious with my words.
While I was reflecting on my actions…
“No,” Jeanne said, shaking her head. “If you hadn’t pointed it out to me, I wouldn’t have noticed. It’s a thorny issue, but this is better than having it thrust on us by surprise one day. We can make preparations ourselves now.”
“I’m grateful to have you say that,” I said. “…Still, I can’t think of any countermeasures off the top of my head.”
When I said that, Jeanne slumped her shoulders with a sigh. “The Mankind Declaration speaks out against the persecution of minority groups, but that’s an agreement between states. If it were a national policy — like, if someone in the administration, for instance, gave the order to persecute them — we could intervene, but if it’s ordinary citizens doing it, all we can do is call the country’s responsibility for the matter into question.”