Chapter 4 – Chance Encounter

 

Fagul Garguss Shyemul is a girl belonging to a race called Zoan that follows the God of Beasts.
The zoans are split into 12 variously small and big clans, but the one Shyemul is affiliated with is the one which lived in the plains around here.
However, the <Fang Clan> was chased out of the plains by the humans several decades ago and lives nowadays in the northern hilly area to where they safely escaped.
The zoans, trying to recapture their ancestors’ soil even after being driven out of the plains; and the humans, trying to exterminate the zoans who made their getaway into the hilly area and moreover repelled their further pursuit. They repeatedly clashed against each other in combat centring around this fortress on countless occasions.
Shyemul also fought against the humans as one of the warriors while still being a girl, but making a blunder and taking an arrow to her foot in the last battle, she was captured by the fortress’ soldiers at the moment she lost her ability to move.
Just remembering the events after that, she feels a wrath to the degree of her guts boiling over with an extreme rage.
She had resolved herself to having her head cut off alongside her brethren, having her corpse being dumped into the plains and then becoming fodder for the wolves. However, the most important man of this fortress took only her away from her brethren, who were caught in the same manner as her, brought her into a room with no one in it, and assaulted her with his eyes gleaming full of lust.
She heard rumours that there are those among humans who have the perverted hobby of feeling joy in raping other races, but not in her wildest dreams did she think that this carnivorous desire would be pointed at her.
She doesn’t understand the standard for beauty and ugliness among humans, however, she was praised for having the most beautiful body and fur in her clan. But at the thought of being targeted as prey for that reason, she can only feel bitter about her own body.
She also felt disgust rather than fear at the time when he mounted her after pinning her down on the bed and tore off her clothes while her hands were bound.
But, once she remembers what happened right after that, Shyemul felt like she could burst into laughter.
Shyemul is a divine child of the great God of Beasts.
Being chosen as a divine child by the God of Beasts, the proud Shyemul requested that she’d like to have her own honour being protected rather than being blessed with power at the time of receiving his grace.
As result of that, Shyemul was granted a grace of bringing calamity to those who unreasonably hurt her pride in exchange for herself becoming unable to carry out acts that go against her own pride.
An improper treatment towards a warrior.
The act of trying to rape a zoan while being of a different race.
The brutality of trying to steal a girl’s purity against her own will.
The conduct of the man, who tried to deeply injure her three prides as warrior, zoan and girl, turned into a terrible calamity. The man died very disgracefully in agony while trying to lower his trousers.
Once she listened to the chatting of the humans afterwards, that guy was apparently called the highest standing Company Commander in this fortress. Recalling the final moments of the man who died vomiting blood while having partially uncovered his filthy ass with a hand on his trousers, made Shyemul sneer at him once again.
Although he got his just deserts, the humans raged with bright red faces, just like apes, due to her having killed the most important guy in the fortress. Still, there was no one who tried to kill Shyemul in fear of a second coming of the Company Commander’s fate.
In reality, simply being defeated in battle and getting killed won’t result in an act that injures Shyemul’s pride. But there’s no way for the humans to know about that, and Shyemul has no obligation to kindly tell them either.
The humans, who were troubled how to handle her, were unable to do anything but lock her away in the basement’s prison.
20 days have probably passed since then? It looks like the humans are trying to starve me to death. For the last few days here no food or water was given to me. Different from the weak humans, zoans are resistant against starvation, but all the same, it seems like I will soon hit my limit.
I wasn’t able to die in the middle of battle, but since I was able to kill the most important guy in the fortress by inflicting calamity upon him, it’s not that bad, I guess.
It was on a certain day when she thought about such stuff.
Someone arrived in the basement where I have been locked up for a long time. Going by their footsteps, it’s two people. And, they are making sounds as if they are dragging something.
When Shyemul strained her ears, those people began to shift the barred cover of the hole with her in it.
Did they come to take my life directly after getting irritated over me not readily starving to death?
Believing that, Shyemul smiled broadly.
No matter how starved I might be, I still have the power to make a surprise attack by jumping at them and bite off their throats. Aren’t they really kind for sending over someone else to accompany me into death? Shyemul laughed in her mind.
However, counter to Shyemul’s expectations,the soldiers didn’t try to kill Shyemul and merely dropped a human child into the hole.

“Kill the zoan! If you do, you will be given food!”

Shyemul ground her teeth out of vexation towards the soldier who shouted that.
The dropped child is at a glance a human that can’t fight. It’s likely incapable of holding a sword, wearing an armour and dashing across the battlefield with such thin limbs. On the contrary, has it contracted a disease? Isn’t it even unable to stand up properly!?

“Kill it! Kill the zoan!”

Once the soldiers yelled that, they departed the basement leaving Shyemul with the child.
The human child probed its vicinity with sluggish movements while not even noticing the existence of Shyemul.
Shyemul felt even more anger due to that.
The one to kill this me, who was hailed as 《Noble Fang》, is supposed to be such dim-witted brat, they say?!
Due to her intense fury, a growl leaked out of her mouth.
Thanks to that, the human child, which finally noticed her existence, backs away to the wall in surprise at a pitiful level, holds the spear which had been tossed down with both hands, and thrust it out her way.
It’s completely the stance of an amateur. If it’s the zoan village, even the very young children are probably able to take a much better stance than that human child.

“Kill me? You disgusting human!” (Shyemul)

She threatens the child by baring her fangs, and her rage gushes forth due to its cowardice of starting to tremble just because of that.

“You filthy human! Come and get me! I will gnaw through your throat!” (Shyemul)

I hate the bangles, which were attached to each of my two arms, and the chains, which connect me to the wall by extending from those bangles. If these didn’t exist, I would be able to get rid of such feeble brat in an instant!
After that I would survive by breaking the taboo of eating the flesh of people! I would survive, survive and take my revenge against the humans who insulted me like this!
Shyemul was swallowed up by such magma-like anger, but the human child did something unexpected.
For whatever reason it abandoned the spear which should be its only means to turn a blade against Shyemul.
As expected, even Shyemul was surprised by that.
What the hell is this guy thinking?
There’s no way that it believes itself capable of killing me with its bare hands, does it?
As she was pondering about that, the human child suddenly spread out its empty hands and showed them to her.

“It’s alright. I won’t do anything to you.” (Souma) (T/N: Same as in chapter 3, imagine this to be 
the sounds of the words, not their meaning)

What came out of the human child’s mouth are words she had never heard before.
By no means, is this a magic spell as it appears in the tales of the storytellers!?
I see, that’s why it discarded the spear! It is telling me that it is going to kill me with magic!
Shyemul bore her fangs and adopted a stance enabling her to fight at any time in order to be ready whenever lightning and flames comes flying from the hands of the human child.
However, no matter how long she waits, nothing like that happens.
The human child leaned against the wall in front of the disappointed Shyemul and started to nibble on the bread which was dropped down by the soldiers from just now.
Shyemul was confused.
Just who the hell is this guy? How can it calmly and care-freely eat bread in front of my eyes? ‘Or is that a trap to make me lower my guard?
Don’t fuck with me! Like hell I will get careless! If you make just a single strange movement, even if it’s just your finger, I will immediately see through it!
While thinking that, she glared at the human child, but her gaze is unintentionally drawn towards the bread it is chewing.
It’s a bread that obviously seems hard and unappetizing. Even if I eat such bread, it definitely won’t taste any good. I don’t think that I want to eat it. However, I wonder just how many days have passed since I have been able to eat something decent. No, no, I don’t want to eat something like that bread!
While thinking such things, her eyes unconsciously end up following it each time the human child moves the bread.
It dropped the bread into its hand.
Muh, you won’t eat anymore?
It brought the bread to its mouth once again.
You asshole, are you going to eat it again?
Their eyes met.
Don’t look over here!
Since she was irritated by the expression of the human child which looked her way with a somewhat lukewarm stare, she threatens him by baring her fangs.
Once I did so, the human child stared at the bread in his hands, and began to brood for some reason. Revealing a menial smile, making a serious expression, making a sad expression, his expressions are changing in rapid succession.
Eventually its face indicated that it had decided something, and it held out its right hand with the bread in it this way.
What’s up? What’s your intention?

“This, do you want it?” (Souma) (T/N: Same as above)

Just like before, it spoke words of unknown meaning.
But, a short time later she understood the human child’s intention.
Is this guy trying to give the bread to me?
A burning hot emotion of shame appears in Shyemul’s chest.
This me, who was called 《Noble Fang》, receives pity from such a weakling? Gimme a break! Don’t mess with me!!

“Don’t get close! You repulsive monster!” (Shyemul)

When she furiously yelled that, the human child’s expression became sad.
The human child gives up on personally giving Shyemul the bread and tossed the bread, it held to a spot at the centre of the hole close to Shyemul from the centre of the hole. And, making sure to do the same with the leather bag filled with water, it throws it her way.
And then it turned his back on her and lied down curling up close to the wall.
She was vigilant about whether it was trying to stab her with the spear at the moment she approached to pick up the bread and leather bag, but after a short while she started to hear a regular sleeper’s breath from the human child. She waited and watched to see if it really fell asleep, however, it seems like it really has ended up sleeping.
What the hell is this guy?
Next Shyemul felt a doubt regarding the deeply-sleeping human child.
No matter whether it’s a distance I can’t reach, to end up sleeping like that in front of a zoan who is hostile towards humans! Though it would be good to at least keep the spear at hand out of caution, it has even forgotten the spear’s existence in itself? The spear had been irresponsibly discarded.
And, even apart from that, above all else I cannot comprehend its idea of trying to share the little food it has with a zoan. Really incomprehensible! Just how much of a softie is this guy?
For a mere baker in this world it’s not even rare to kill people and sell out their family if it’s for the sake of getting their hands on just one copper coin. And, this is a cruel world where it’s hopeless to survive if you don’t do so. To say nothing of me being a zoan, an enemy of the humans. Why does it hesitate to kill me?
Even though it had been told by the soldiers that it will be given food if it kills me, it doesn’t show the slightest attitude of trying to kill me. It seems like it can’t understand the language, but if it looked at the soldiers’ gestures, it should have at least understood that they were saying something, shouldn’t it?
And yet, despite this guy being told so! Does this brat want to die? Has it no will to survive?
Shyemul was driven by an urge of wanting to scream due to being at her wit’s end.

“Father, mother…” (Souma)

Suddenly the human child’s voice could be heard.
However, as it apparently was simple sleep-talking, his regular sleeper’s breath was audible right after that.
Shyemul lost her strength from the shoulders as she was taken aback by that lonely-sounding sleep-talk. Shyemul, who felt somewhat foolish for insisting on her own opinion, stretches out her hand and picks up the bread and leather bag.
As expected, the bread is hard and damp, it’s not something I would usually be able to eat. The water is putrid as well. It’s a somewhat stickily rotten water.
However, because she tasted some after a long time, it tasted very delicious.

Author Notes:

If there are people who are curious about the language in the different world, I will lightly explain Shyemul’s word “Genobanda” as it might confuse some since it turns into “Disgusting human” or “Repulsive Monster” depending on the location.
Genobanda is about an ugly monster rummaging through the excreta at the bottom of hell (-like place) which appears in the legends of this world.
If you literally translate “genobanda hyumuiha,” it will be “human are genobanda.”
If you literally translate “genobanda noiha,” it becomes “you are genobanda.”
Since the meaning in the literal translation is hard to understand, I translate them freely.
“Disgusting human.”
“(You are a) repulsive monster.”
I have changed it into those sentences.
Oh well, it’s just some trivial playing around.