CHAPTER 1: VOX POPULI VOX DEI

**Kuro**

There’s something that’s definitely about to happen.

“…”

Notwithstanding the erratic weather outside (the skies were clear a moment ago, and now there were dark clouds passing by), I’m concerned about the behavior of my companions lately. For one, Ursura would now rarely drop by my hut to visit, though she was a natural gatecrasher before. If I tried to talk to her, she would answer in curt replies, or sometimes, she would purposefully avoid being near me.

Not that I’m missing her old self, or something. I’m just kind of worried that I did or said something wrong to her.

Second was Minahaba. She used to be quite close to me, now we rarely meet or converse. Whenever I see her, she’d greet me with a smile and hurry off in another direction…even though taking that route was impractical.

Really, in their cases, I could only think of one thing: they might be ‘in heat’, just like Ruro. I mean, regardless about their ‘rite of adulthood’, looking at these ladies’ physical appearances could qualify them as young women back on Earth. If so, then I fully understood their actions.

However…

“Uh, Rishnu?”

“Hello there Chief!” she went past me while waving, “And goodbye Chief!”

“Yufa…”,

“Oh, I suddenly remembered I need to attend to one patient at the infirmary!” the butterfly girl spread her wings and flew off, “See you later, Chief!”

“Rumia, can I ask—”

“Ah! Luka’s asking for my help, Chief! I’m sorry I can’t help you for now!” the dog girl scurried off.

What did I do to these people? Why the hell are they ignoring me?

“Don’t tell me you got something else to do as well, Teviki.”

“Hm?” The little tiger girl turned to me with a puzzled look on her face, “Chief wants to order something to Teviki?”

“Nah…just asking,” I patted her head, “Well I’d like to see you playing with kids of your age instead of accompanying an old man like me.”

“No! Teviki doesn’t want to play with the chickens!” she declared, then quickly retracted, “Well, Teviki wants to play, but Teviki is afraid that Chief would fight the harpies again!”

“Haha! That’s a good joke,” I was sarcastic though, “I won’t do that stuff again…even if you take off your eyes from me.”

Teviki went silent. The little tiger-girl yawned, and stretched for a bit. Then she just took my arm and began nibbling on the sleeve. This tiger-girl really likes to bite something, huh? I wonder if her permanent ‘adult’ teeth are still about to come out…

“…”

Anyway, this was boring. I got nothing else to do. The village was peaceful; there were no books to read. I’m stuck to watching the smoke from the chicken tribe’s smelting blooms drift into thin air, or the farmers coming back from their work…or that horny couple flirting by the aqueduct fountain over there—

Fuck, that’s a sight not for the eyes.

In any case, while it’s certainly dull, I guess I’d prefer it this way than constantly running and fearing for my life. I just hope that whatever I’m feeling, or thinking, it won’t happen.

----------

The next thing I knew, I was in another place. Perhaps the peacefulness of my life lately made me fell asleep, and honestly, this is the first time I felt good for a long while. Looking around, I realized I stood at that familiar garden scenery, with the ornate Corinthian columns at every regular interval and cobblestone path towards a set of table and chairs at the middle.

Ah, maybe my consciousness got summoned again…

“…”

And there, sitting at one of the chairs, was the former god Gaius—now called Jules—playing on his laptop.

“Ah, there you are Kuro!” he greeted me with a smile, as he gestured for me to come closer, “Welcome back to my place! Come have a seat.”

I took the chair nearest to me, while Gaius brought out an ice-cold bottle of beer and served it to me. As I was not used to such hospitality of his, I asked him, “What’s the occasion?”

“Oh come on!” the former god chuckled, “Do you really need to have something to celebrate when you drink alcohol?”

“Well, no?” I was unsure of my answer; nevertheless, I told him, “It’s just that, I find strange that you’re serving me now. The past moments I came here was not like that.”

“You really have to put meaning to every treatment you receive?” Jules replied in a mocking tone, “I’m hurt by your suspicions!”

“Experience has taught me well, I guess?”

The former god stared at me for a few seconds before his lips drew another smile. Then from a smile, it slowly turned into a laugh…a laugh that I could tell was forced.

“As sharp as ever, eh, Kuro?” Jules raised his hands as if he’s surrendering, “Alright, I’ll be honest. There’s a reason for that beer.”

“And that is?”

“Well, I’m congratulating you for what you did,” he closed his laptop and focused his attention on me. “For a mortal, you did what is seemingly impossible: that is, you saved the Chickens from their tragic fate. Even a god like me can’t do that, remember?”

There was a triumphant feeling welling up in my chest when I heard him say that. However, I shouldn’t let that praise get into my head, or it’d cloud my judgment.

“Come on, drink up my man!” Jules showed me an ice box full of beer bottles, “We got a lot to spare, so don’t be shy!”

“So what’s the reason I’m here?” I asked again.

“You sure don’t chill, eh?”

“Well, I need to ask you about it, or we might get drunk and so is the purpose of this visit would be lost.”

Jules reached out for a bottle and took a drink for himself. “Kuro, did anyone tell you’re a boring man? Alright, let’s get straight to the point. Ruro restarted her campaign against her rival, Konka.”

“And?”

“Well, battles were now raging in mainland Cherwind, as both of them are trying to wrest the influence of the other for their people’s hearts and minds.”

“I know that. But why are you telling this to me again?”

“Don’t you think it’s a good opportunity for you to come in and snatch victory from both of them?” Jules pointed out, “You know, they’re distracted. And the last thing their forces wanted is for a third party to intervene. This is your chance to the top; you should grab it!”

“You talk as if you wanted me to rule over them.”

“Isn’t it? Have you forgotten about that talk you had with the bear-woman back at the mountain passes?”

“I aim to unite the Beastmen against the abuses of the humans, and then leave after it’s done,” I reiterated, “And in the first place, Ursura would be the queen, not me.”

“Heh, Kuro, make no mistake. My goals in having you become a god in place of me remains the same.”

“I told you before, and I’m telling you again: I have no desire for divinity.”

“Yes, I know,” Jules nodded, “But are you sure your companions think of the same?”

“What are you saying?”

“It looks like you do not know the magnitude of what you did,” the former god snickered, “Well then, let me tell you. The Chickens are a lost cause—even their kin had given up on them. This is why they are given the lands beyond the safe zones of the Avinus. They are to serve as monster bait, for that’s the only purpose they have; until, you came and turned things around. Not only that, you also solved the food problem of the Eagles—the paramount tribe of the Avinus. Because of those things, the others now look at you as their savior: someone they can always rely on when things get rough.”

“That’s what a normal, sane person would do.”

“For you, that is. However, for the desperate, they need a hero. And you provided the ‘hero’ for them.”

“And so, you wanted me to become god just for that?”

“I’d say grab the opportunity while it is there!” Jules smiled, “Kuro, look. Your humility is misplaced. These are trying times; if you don’t grab what’s in front of you, soon it’ll be taken away.”

“What are you saying?”

“Well, for example, that beautiful bear-woman friend of yours; Ursura, is it? She’s faithful to you more than you ever know. Don’t lose her.”

“Lose her? She’s going to die?”

“Idiot! Not that! She likes you, right?”

“I…I’m aware.”

“Then sweep her off her feet! Forget those in Chersea for a while; you need your companions now to go with your plans! You cannot afford for your followers to be divided!”

“They are my friends, not my pawns,” I shook my head, “Jules, find someone else. I hate to repeat myself, but my answer is always the same. I refuse.”

“Figures,” Jules just shrugged, “You’re one strange human, Kuro. If it’s another guy, he’ll probably grab the chance at the soonest possible time. And he’d ask for more, too, like a harem of beautiful girls and a cheat ability.”

“I’m not that person.”

“I know. But, listen, you can’t always run from what’s going on around you,” Jules winked, “Eventually, you have to face what you are destined to be. The voice of the people is always the voice of god, as a saying back in your world says.”

----------

“Hey sleepy head, you awake now?”

“Hmm…Maddie?” my senses quickly returned when I saw the face of the girl I love before me. But then, my heart sank when I realized I was only dreaming about her; Maddie’s face turned into Ursura’s in a matter of seconds. I looked around only to find out that I fell asleep at the front porch of my hut, with Teviki snoozing by my lap.

I pinched myself to bring my senses back. Once I confirmed I’m wide-awake, Jules’ words entered my mind.

What does he mean by ‘destined to be’? Me? A god? That’s stupid! I’m just a human. And even if everyone around me would think of me as a deity, the fact remains that I’m a mortal, with the limitations of a mortal, too.

“…”

Kuro, you’re letting his words get into your head. The voice of the people may be the voice of a god, but it’s not always reasonable.

“Hey, you’ve been pretty silent for now. Missing your girl?” the bear-woman asked with a sarcastic grin, taking note of what I just did, “Too bad for you I’m not her…”

Somehow, there’s a hint of bitterness in her voice, but I decided to divert the conversation, “I’m kind of relieved you’re back to gatecrashing in my place again. For some reason, I got used to your rudeness.”

“Heh, so you’re missing me as well?” Ursura teased.

“Sort of. You’re a good friend after all, and you guys suddenly ignoring me is painful, you know?”

“Ah, so you did notice we’re ignoring you!”

“Well, fuck you!” I chuckled, “What the hell’s your reason?”

The bear-woman laughed as she pulled my arm, “You’ll find out soon enough! Come with me, or you’ll be missing out on the start of Minahaba’s ‘adulting’ ceremony!”

“A-Adulting?” I was surprised to hear that, “Is it now?”

“Why of course! The entire tribe had just finished the preparations and is about to begin the festival. So pick your lazy ass there, mister! We’re heading over to the square!”

“Wait! Calm down!” I struggled to remain in my seat, as suddenly standing would cause Teviki to hurt her head, “I’ll properly wake this tiger-girl, then we’ll all go!”

----------

The ‘Adulting’ ceremony was actually a Beastman (mainly Avinus) ritual about the ‘passage to adulthood’ of an important person’s child; here, it was the Chief Habu’s blood-daughter, Minahaba. If I remember correctly, because of what she did before—running away to find help for her tribe—her ‘Adulting’ ceremony was put on hold. As a result, she remained a ‘child’ until we met…even though her physique was that of an adult lady now.

It’s about damn time Minahaba ‘grows’ up.

Ursura led me and Teviki around the village, which was by now, were full of people and bustling with festivities. I wondered for how long I slept; I mean, earlier, it was so quiet and dull that it caused me to snooze. And maybe my little tiger guard as well. Anyway, in contrast to her earlier behavior, Ursura happily talked about the preparations they did for this occasion. In the process, she revealed to me that the reason they willfully ignored me for a time was to surprise me on what’s going on.

“…”

Well, for starters, why do you guys have to surprise me? I’m not the one who’s going to be an adult.

For the Beastmen, these kinds of occasion were important. While their lives were considerably longer than the average human, theirs were filled with sickness, violence and death. It’s only now that these people lived peacefully after we pushed back the monster hordes. So, becoming an adult after surviving a lot of events trying to kill you was a big moment for them.

“Oho! So the Human Chief graces us with his presence!” the elder of the Eagle tribe greeted me when we saw her on our way to the village square. She was leading several of her fellow tribesmen, who also gave me respects.

“Please stop that, Chief Gislaine. You talk like I’m someone important.”

“Well, aren’t you?” she chuckled, “Even your companions are looking at you with disbelief right now.”

Indeed, Ursura was glaring at me, while Teviki…well, she’s just purring while nibbling on my sleeve.

I don’t get it. From what I learned from these guys’ traditions, I’m not really a legitimate ‘elder’ of a Beastman tribe. For one, that ‘Orphan Tribe’ thing was just made up by my companions; they got no other ‘guardian’ aside from me. Second, we’re not even big enough to be counted as a ‘tribe’. I mean, twelve people? A group, maybe. But a tribe? It’s ridiculous. And third—the most important thing—I’m 100% human. A member of their race’s enemy. While I know these Beastmen treat me as a friend, I think that was because I helped them in their problems.

I wonder what will happen if the time comes when I’m not useful anymore…

“…”

I’m wallowing again in my dark thoughts.

“Chief is quiet again…” Teviki noted.

“I know that look,” the bear-woman growled, “You always underestimate yourself, you know that? And it’s pissing me off!”

“Che! What do you know?” I countered Ursura, “I’ve had enough of people betraying me and shit! That’s why I can’t easily trust what others tell me nowadays.”

“Are you telling me I’m not a Beastwoman of my word?”

“Ahahaha! Come on now, you two! It’s the usual Human Chief…always switching from happy to sad, and from sad to happy,” Chief Gislaine, perhaps sensing that we’re about to engage in a word-fight, intervened to stop us, “In any case, I think you should be more assertive, Human Chief. Look at this village you helped to survive. Not only did they live through their precarious situation before, your ideas also caused the Chickens to prosper. And not to mention, you also extended your hand to the other tribes like mine!”

“And if I may add, you have done a lot for the Beastmen than our very own Saint!” Ursura added.

“Oi, bear-woman, you’re the only one who said that!” the elder of the Eagles was quick to disown the bear-woman’s statements.

“What? I only said the truth! There’s nothing weird about it!”

They emphasizing the ‘you’ in their words didn’t escape my attention. It seemed that they were telling me that I alone was the reason for this prosperity everyone’s experiencing. But, I beg to differ. These ‘reforms’ I proposed were simply the ideas from my world, and the brainchild of others. It’d be bad for me to claim credit for something I didn’t do. And besides, these changes wouldn’t be possible if these people didn’t cooperate and offer their own suggestions as well.

I’m not a Japanese isekai MC who’s a one-man army…

“Oh look!” Chief Gislaine suddenly changed the topic and turned her attention towards another set of new arrivals. “Hello there, Chief Malu of the Owls! It’s been a while since we last saw each other!”

The elder of the Owl tribe bowed with grace as the Eagle chief approached her. Honestly, this was the second time I saw these guys, for they were a silent bunch. The Owl tribesmen looked similar to the Eagles, with their clothing made of animal hides, or feathers, and bodies that were adorned with metal jewelries from their mines. Indeed, when these guys intermingle, an untrained human eye would never be able to distinguish an Eagle from an Owl. Though in reality, they got one major difference…

“!!!”

Goodness! The elder of the Eagle tribe suddenly twisted Chief Malu’s head in 360 degrees, which visibly unnerved me. Chief Gislaine and Ursura burst out laughing. I shot a glare at them, and requested both to leave me be, to which they teasingly obliged, pulling Teviki along.

I’ll get back to those two later…

“The Human Chief is still freaked out by our ability to fully turn our heads around?” the elder of the Owl tribe snickered.

“Ah, my bad!” I admitted, my face was red in embarrassment, “It’s just that I’m not used to that ability of yours.”

Chief Malu patted my back and whispered, “You need to get used to it soon enough though.”

“Hm?”

“Well…” Chief Malu squirmed a little; it’s as if she’s unsure whether to continue on what she’s about to say or not.

Sensing that she wanted something from me, I told her, “If I can help you, please tell me your concerns.”

“Ah…you’re really kind, Human Chief,” there was a smile of relief in the elder’s eyes as she asked her companions, “Can you call that little chick over here?”

The other Owls exchanged dubious looks. Some of them went around, as if looking for something…or someone.

There was a hint of disappointment in Chief Malu’s voice, “Where’s that little chick? Did she escape back to the village again? I told you to watch over her!”

“I’m here, mother! Please don’t make another commotion.”

“!!!”

All of our heads turned towards the direction of the voice, and I could say everyone was relieved when they saw their young companion heading over to where we were.

Well, except for me…

“What the—?!”

----------

A beautiful owl girl of around 15-16 years (Earth years) then showed herself to us. She had a short, bobbed silver hair that had a ribbon on top, and a pair of pretty, yet emotionless, silvery-blue eyes. The way she walked was reminiscent of how Maddie carried herself, full of grace and dignity. In fact, for a minute I was shocked; I thought she had appeared before me in her younger form.

I shook my head and pinched myself, just to make sure I wasn’t dreaming. I only hurt myself in the end.

“Human Chief, this is my daughter Salis,” I barely heard Chief Malu’s introduction. My eyes were locked on the owl-girl, and it would continue for a while, had it not for her staring back at me.

“!!!” I quickly averted my gaze. I don’t know why, but for a moment I felt embarrassed by what I did.

The owl-girl, however, went back to what she was doing. On her hands was something…err…I don’t know what’s that, but she kept on tinkering at it while never leaving her mother’s side.

“For goodness’ sake, Salis, please look at people whenever you’re being introduced!” Chief Malu grabbed whatever her daughter was trifling with and forced her to face me. “Give your respects to the Human Chief, at least!”

“…”

Well, she did look back at me; though, if I may say, that kind of look was more of a warning that she’d kill me if I went near her. It was awkward, but I flashed a smile.

“Lowly people doesn’t concern me, Mother,” she muttered, “I wanted to meet a smart person!”

“Oh, you’ll like the Human Chief!” her mother dismissed her protests, “Like you, his mind is full of good ideas!”

Little Maddie—I mean, Salis, took another eyeful of me from head to toe, and retreated even further behind Chief Malu, “Mother, have you even seen how that human looks at me? His eyes are full of perverted thoughts!”

Ha?! Am I? I’m just thinking how she looks uncannily similar to Maddie!

“I hate him!”

Urk! That’s kind of blunt, eh?

“How disrespectful!” Chief Malu was about to hit her child when I stopped her.

“Chief Malu, please!” I gently put her hand away, “It’s fine. I’m not mad.” Even if she’s another person, watching her get hit was like looking at Maddie while she’s being hurt. And I don’t like that!

“My apologies for my daughter…” the Owl chief sighed in exasperation, “She talks like that, but she’s harmless. I wanted her to meet you, see, since her mind is also full of ideas.”

“No problem!” Yeah, I know you’re just being tactful, Chief Malu, but you introduced me to her because we’re both weirdos.

Well, I admit I’m kind of hurt from her daughter’s words, but decided to drop my feelings as usual. As a former teacher, I’m used to dealing with problem kids and children. If there’s anything I should do, I took interest in the ‘thing’ Salis was tinkering with. It was something like a pen, though with lots of mechanical parts, and was made of iron. I asked her, “Is that some sort of a pen?”

“A what?”

Ah, right. Outside of the human territories, the only writing tool was a quill, or a brush. “I mean, is this a quill?”

The owl girl was snobbish, “Yes. It’s a good thing you can identify that, at least. That’s the quill I’m trying to make, with a container inside that automatically dispenses ink on parchment. It’s not yet done; my great self has still to figure out how to make the ink discharge from the other end without spilling much.”

I was impressed she could think of something like this, considering the technological level of this world. If anything, this resembled the principle of a ballpoint pen. Though, I’m curious why Salis was trying to invent this; I mean, most of the Beastmen I met were illiterate.

“Can’t you get it, human?” the owl-girl was irritated when I asked that, “I’m aiming to become a High Priest of Her Holiness, Ruro of the Wolf! All her priests can read and write, at least! But, as for me, I don’t like to keep on dipping quills on ink bottles; it’s tiring! So I’m inventing a new type of quill—one that has its own supply of ink!”

“Hoh…well, how about this? Try to make your ink a bit thicker in composition, and then for the point, put a little ball at the open end?” I tried to explain to her by doing an impromptu illustration on the ground.

“See? I told you the Human Chief has a lot of good ideas!” the elder of the Owl tribe was telling to her daughter, “Try to open up to people!”

“Hmph!” Salis remained a snob, though she did take a look at the rough diagram of the ‘ballpoint pen’ that I made.

----------

**Ursura**

“Oh?!” I heard Chief Gislaine exclaim as we played with Teviki, “This is interesting!”

“Hm? What is it, eagle-girl?”

“Well, I’m just surprised,” she pointed towards Kuro, not too far away from where we were. He was with the Owl tribe elder, and…a girl? A beautiful owl-girl? Chief Gislaine continued, “That’s the Chief Malu’s daughter, Salis. And she’s talking to Chief Kuro? Hoho! This is new!”

“Eh? Is there something special about that?”

“Heh, you don’t know that girl, bear-woman. Salis is reputed to be the most beautiful owl of her tribe, but her behavior is…” the Eagle chief had a nasty expression on her face, “…I could say her beauty’s wasted on her attitude. Her mouth is fouler than a rotting harpy carcass! And she doesn’t want to talk to anyone else, save for a few people like her mother. For the Human Chief to talk to her normally, I’m kind of scared. He’s truly extraordinary!”

“Hah! That sure is Kuro.”

“Oh? That’s all? And what about you?”

“Me? What about me?”

Chief Gislaine patted my back, “Bear-woman, don’t hide it; we’re both ladies here…though I may be younger than you. When will you make your move?”

“Ha?”

“You want the Human Chief as your mate, right?”

A tingling sensation suddenly darted into my chest, and I could feel my face warm-up, “W-Wh-What are yo-you saying?”

“It’s true, yes?”

“N-No!”

“It’s useless of you to lie to me,” the elder chuckled, “In the first place, if it’s a blatant lie, you’ve already killed me by now. But yeah, seeing you go red in embarrassment; be true to yourself bear-woman.”

I fell silent with what she said. I couldn’t find any answer to her words.

“So, when are you going to move?”

“No one’s moving!”

“Why?”

“K-Kuro’s…he’s got someone else he loves already. A human girl, from Chersea.”

“And so?”

“What?”

“Humans marry up to five times! And we’re not even human; we’re Beastmen, and we love whom we want to love!”

“B-But…”

“Sheesh, you’re slow! Look at the Human Chief; those eyes are not the eyes of someone who’s delighted to meet a new person for the first time,” Chief Gislaine pointed out, “It’s as if he’s smitten with that foul-mouthed girl’s face! You should make your move, bear-woman! You’re pretty yourself, and well-developed, too…though, well, tone down on your brash attitude sometimes.”

“Hmph! I’m just being direct!” I countered, “I don’t want to sugar-coat my words, it might get misunderstood.”

“Well, yeah you may have a point. But there are times when you need to be a sweet, polite person to get your partner in ‘the mood’,” the Eagle chief took a pause, but then continued, “You don’t say ‘fuck you, come mate with me, asshole!’. You’d ruin everything in the process!”

Haa…I don’t know. The thought of having Kuro as my mate didn’t cross my mind until now. I mean, I’m aware of my feelings for him; however, I’m content with our relationship. I guess, he’s the same as well. Unlike my former companions in the mercenary group, Kuro never laid a hand on me…and he’s a gentle soul. Besides, it’s impossible. Kuro’s hell-bent on returning to Chersea—to the girl he loves, and he won’t even look at me as a mate. No matter how I try to send ‘signs’ to him…

Wait, did I even try to? For all I can remember, I keep on treating him roughly. Of course, no one would love a person who’s rough and difficult to get along with.

“…”

Even so, seeing him look that way at the owl-girl. Those gentle, and loving eyes…it’s painful in my heart.

Author's Notes:  About the title...

Vox populi, vox dei is the Latin for 'the voice of People is the voice of God'. Basically, it's the very principle of every democratic societies; it claims that the decision of the majority is from the heavens, thus it can't be infallible.