Author: Himezaki Shiu	Original Source: Syosetu
Translator: Jiro	English Source: Re:Library

Project GB is an official initiative by Re:Library.

Did Beastmen truly value strength above all else? Farana held a higher status than any prince or princess I had encountered so far, despite being merely the leader’s daughter. Her father, the leader of the Beastmen tribe, possessed such overwhelming power that no ordinary adventurer could hope to match him. Even among A-Grades, he would be considered exceptionally strong. I doubted any elf could rival his sheer might.

If he were present in the battle against the elves, the outcome would be far from certain. While elves were individually stronger, the Beastmen had superior numbers. Given their physical frailty, elves would struggle in close combat—if the Beastmen managed to close the distance, even the higher-ranked elves could be overwhelmed.

The only way to counter that would be to pit a physically capable, high-ranking elf against the Beastmen leader. Beyond that, victory would come down to luck. I couldn’t predict who would emerge victorious.

At least, I couldn’t—until today.

I dodged the oncoming leader’s attacks with minimal movement, shifting just enough to evade his blows. When he subtly adjusted his trajectory mid-swing, I instinctively corrected my own positioning. I could hardly believe it—someone was capable of altering the course of an attack that relied so heavily on momentum. His strength was undeniable, the mark of a high-ranked A-Grade.

“You’re quite good,” he said.
“I’ve been working amongst the elves after all.”
“How about this then?”

The leader moved in a wide arc around me, his massive frame surprisingly quick for its size.

Were lions always this fast, I wondered. Sure, they might be quick compared to humans, but they weren’t as fast as animals typically bred for speed contests. Having said that, it was a different matter if this common sense would apply to this world.

Even so, while his speed was impressive, it still felt akin to Ichinari’s when he was boosted by his skills. About the 200 stat range. His movements were more troublesome than Ichinari’s because he would constantly change up his tempo by suddenly stopping and then moving again.

For me, though, it felt no more challenging than a children’s game of tag. I stayed silent, thinking it was unnecessary to follow him with my eyes. He, on the other hand, likely assumed that I wasn’t able to act, so seeing his face from time to time, truthfully, slightly annoyed me.

After circling me for a while, he finally lunged straight at me from behind. Anticipating his move, I swiftly turned and caught his claws mid-strike. Our eyes met, and for a brief moment, his expression twisted in shock. I supposed he had never faced someone faster than himself before.

“Damn it! Just who are you?!”
“I’m just your run-of-the-mill Demigod.”
“A Demigod, you say?”
“That’s right. Though imperfect, I am still a god. Believe it or not—that’s up to you. Either way, you’re going to die here.”

Even if he said that he’d release the spirit now, I had no intention of letting him go. Still, this outcome would greatly diminish the Beastmen’s chance of defeating the elves. With that in mind, I wondered how the Beastmen princess would react to this.

“You b̲a̲s̲t̲a̲r̲d̲…”

While I was lost in thought, he launched another attack. I responded by using magic to sever his head. Just a moment later, his head slipped off and hit the ground¹. A few moments after, his body, stripped of its strength, followed.

Although I only needed the head, I was surprised by how big it was. I had brought a bag, but it was full once I placed the head inside. In addition, it was also quite heavy. It would likely be difficult for an ordinary elf to carry it.

I left the body behind and made my way out of the underground. I figured that the earlier response I’d felt from the barrier must have been due to Farana catching up on me.

“Did something happen? What are you doing here?” I asked.
“You… no way…”

As I emerged from the basement, I saw Farana working hard to break through the barrier, so I called out to her. The moment she spotted me, her expression turned into one of despair.

“Did you kill Father?”
“I told you, didn’t I? In spite of that, I will not ask you to forgive me. Nor will I ask you not to hate me.”
“You… Don’t think you can get out of here!”
“How can you say that when you can’t even get past this barrier? You are free to seek revenge, but with the leader gone, shouldn’t you focus on figuring out how to fight the elves?”
“Don’t forget this!”

With that, Farana ran off. Her words were brief, almost dismissive, but her actions from now on would determine the fate of the Beastmen, so I could only hope she did her best. Though I had no idea what it was she had to do her best at².

Using Stealth, I escape the building.

I then lifted my barrier, and with that, my business in the settlement was finished. As we were leaving, I caught sight of young Beastmen—something rare in this area. These children had no idea that the world around them was on the brink of collapse. They played innocently, seemingly unaware of even the war with the elves.

Seeing the children like this, I noticed just how many different kinds of Beastmen there were. Cat-like, dog-like, squirrel-like, rabbit-like, fox-like, and raccoon-like. There was something comforting about watching the children laugh and play.

I imagined it would be quite amusing to squish those soft little ears.

Whether these children would live in peace for another decade or two depended entirely on what Farana would do. Did she really understand the weight of that responsibility? It was highly possible that they’d be swallowed up by the conflict with the elves.

Well, it wasn’t my place to say anything. After all, I was the one who had killed their leader.

With that thought, I figured it was time to return to the Tree of Spirits. But first, I needed to prepare a resting place for the former king.

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