Author: Torimaru Hiyoko	Original Source: Syosetu
Translator: Mab	English Source: Re:Library

Project GB is an official initiative by Re:Library.

“A-Alice… Sufi too, um, you mustn’t go over there, okay?”
“…Why not?”

While staring in that direction, Sufi twitched her ears and sniffed the air, then asked Filia with a curious tilt of her head.

“That area belongs to the humans. If beastkin go near… well…”
“Ahh…”

…According to Grandpa, beastkin are quite rare in this country. There’s even a religious doctrine that looks down on them, so prejudice runs deep.

Back in the village, we were sometimes called ‘half-beasts’ or ‘fake monsters’ and such.

This country, the Kingdom of Roud, is located near the western edge of the continent. Most beastkin live in the northeast, around the area of the former Beast Kingdom, or in the southeast, in the Beast Fang Federation.

The further west you go, the more human-only nations you find, mostly under the influence of Luminism.

Luminism, a religion worshipping the God of Light, apparently originated back when the continent was unified under a single nation called the Zergia Empire. Their basic doctrine is that “God created humans as rulers, and all other creatures as their servants.”

They probably took a line from their Book of Genesis—something like “first came humans, then beastkin”—and twisted it as far as it would go. After the fall of the Zergia Empire, the church’s influence declined, and nowadays it only really holds sway in the western countries.

In that doctrine, “humans” refers only to the Common People Race—the most numerous, average human-like species on the continent. By my knowledge, they’re basically like Earth’s H̲o̲m̲o̲ sapiens.

Naturally, people like us beastkin aren’t considered human at all. We’re treated as beasts.

Because of that, there are almost no beastkin in the western part of the continent. And in a minor nation like the Kingdom of Roud, the odds of a beastkin ending up here voluntarily are practically zero—unless they had a very serious reason.

If we traveled three days by carriage to the town of Forligen, we’d see a few non-human travelers, but here… there’s no point hoping.

So, with no softening of prejudice, most of the residents here see non-human races as nothing more than strange monsters.

“That’s why… you know. Humans, too, don’t come near this area.”
“Got it!”

Sufi replied cheerfully. I shook off my thoughts and nodded along with her. We had no intention of settling down in this town anyway. Avoiding interaction with the locals wasn’t a problem.

The real issue was that to prepare for our journey, we’d need to go into town at least a little.

Trying to make money or lay any groundwork in a place where racism runs deep would be exhausting.

“Look, over there… see? That small ruin…”

Filia pointed toward what looked like a different underground entrance from the one we’d used—this one still intact.

From the entrance, a girl emerged. She had jet-black hair, triangular black ears, and a long, slender tail.

A black cat. That was the perfect way to describe her—a cat beastkin girl who scratched her head while twitching her ears and glanced our way. Judging by her size, she looked about our age.

“Filia, you’re back, nya?”
“Ah, Noche!”

She had sharp emerald-green eyes. Her expression softened briefly—until she spotted Sufi and me. Then her smile froze.

“These girls, you see, they didn’t have anywhere to stay in their village, so they came to the city. I want to let them stay here for a while… is that okay?”
“……”

A cold glare was shot our way—open hostility. I was a little taken aback. Sufi, standing beside me, sensed it too and squeezed my hand tightly.

This was definitely our first meeting. But she already disliked us, and I had no idea why.

“Noche…”
“Tsk… Fine, nya. They can stay. But if they try anything weird, I’m kicking them out, nya.”

While I stood there unsure what to do, the black cat girl stopped glaring and reluctantly agreed.

…If I’d done something to deserve that glare, I’d understand, but this didn’t seem like that.

Her eyes had lingered on our hair and tails. And she was perfectly polite with Filia. So maybe it was a racial thing. If that’s the case… well, we can’t exactly change our species. Nothing we can do about it.

“Um… thank you.”
“…Thanks.”

Sufi was on guard after being suddenly confronted with hostility, so I thanked her instead. The girl glared at us once more, then huffed and vanished back into the ruins.

I glanced at Filia for help. She looked just as confused and frozen as I felt.

“…Uh, um, well… Noche is usually nice and cheerful. She’s not really like that… m-maybe she was in a bad mood?”
“……”

Ever since Grandpa took to bed and we lost our guardian, the villagers’ hostility toward us had only gotten worse. Maybe that’s why, when someone directs their animosity at us so clearly, it hits harder than it should.

To calm the sulking Sufi, I gently brushed her long hair and tried to soothe her. Between this life and the last, I must be…… over twenty by now. Which technically makes me an adult. Even if my previous life was spent as a shut-in otaku gamer with zero social skills.

So I can handle a little snark from a girl who’s probably eight or nine years old.

In fact, for someone who clearly disliked us that much, the fact that she let us stay anyway even though she must have very little herself was kind of amazing. Just from looking at her and Filia, I could tell they weren’t exactly living in luxury.

If it were me—what would I have done?

Probably ignored us. Kept my distance.

If Sufi had brought someone home, I might’ve just let them stay in a nearby ruin and checked on them occasionally. That’s probably the safest, most reasonable option.

Taking in a kid you don’t know, especially when you’re already struggling, is reckless. You don’t know what kind of trouble they might bring—or what you might lose.

The more I think about it, the less sense it makes to let someone like us in.

—Never trust too easily. But if you do accept someone, don’t betray them.

Those were Captain’s words, my guardian in my past life. He always said that, laughing bitterly. He knew how ugly people could be because he’d seen it firsthand. But that’s also why he believed in the importance of kindness.

The roles are reversed now—but still, if someone lets you in, you don’t betray that trust. If you betray your friends or the people who help you, you’ll end up with no one left who believes in you.

First… I’ll try to earn that girl’s trust.

While soothing Sufi, we followed Filia into the place she called home.

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