Second Prince Rain

I was constantly being compared to my brother.

The First Prince had been born with the overwhelming strength typical of a Beastman, while I was merely the ordinary Second Prince. I had applied myself to my studies as a meager form of resistance, but the gap between us was far too wide for effort alone to bridge. It was blindingly obvious which of us the Beast King valued more.

Even so, I had done everything in my power for the sake of my father and my brother.

And yet...

“My brother has lost control, and my father is actually attempting to align himself with a barbaric race like the Humans. How can I allow such a thing to happen? I’m the only one who can make them see sense.”

Of course, a price had to be paid for such an intervention. Once this civil war succeeded, the Beast Kingdom would become a Subordinate State of the Empire. In a sense, my actions were equivalent to selling out my own country. But even that was better than joining hands with a Kingdom that viewed Beastmen as nothing more than slaves.

Driven by that conviction, I had taken it upon myself to lead the rebellion.

Standing behind me, Magna—the Fifth Rank Alchemist and one of the Empire’s Ninth—watched the proceedings with a dark smirk.

“To think it would go this smoothly. As expected of you, Lord Magna.”

“Right? I’d heard the Second Prince was a man of intellect, but in the end, he’s just a beast. Give him a little push and he goes right where you want him.”

“Once this civil war is won, you’ll surely climb into the upper echelons of the Ninth.”

“It won't be that easy. Up to the Fourth Rank, they’re still human. Beyond that, they aren’t even people anymore. Between the midget, the brat, and the battle-maniac, their strength is the real deal. We’re talking about three monsters who could each bring down a country alone. How am I supposed to compete with that?”

He spat the words out like a curse.

“Well, no use worrying about that now. More importantly, aren't there any decent opponents for us to deal with?”

“If the First Prince were healthy, we would have had to face either him or the Beast King, but that doesn't seem necessary now.”

“How boring,” Magna muttered, sitting down on the spot and letting out a wide yawn. “Well, it doesn't really matter if this operation succeeds or not. Even if it fails, it’ll be easy enough to topple a weakened Beast Kingdom later.”

“To have laid traps to such an extent... Truly, you are remarkable, Lord Magna.”

“Stop flattering me. Keep it up and I’ll toss a potion at you as a reward.”

“That doesn’t sound like much of a reward.”

The two of them carried on with their banter like a comedy duo. Who could have imagined the sheer scale of the danger closing in on them?

Suddenly, the sunlight vanished. A localized night fell over the entire area.

No—that wasn't it. The sun hadn't set; a massive object had simply dropped from the heavens, blotting out the sky.

“Wh-what the hell is that?!”

“I-it’s the White Devil...”

“Run—! Guh!”

The mysterious object from the sky crushed them both instantly, knocking them unconscious before they could even scream.

---

Fee was incredibly fired up once we set out, but Ram’s appetite was the real driving force. We tore down the highway at a terrifying speed. We bypassed almost all the enemy forces, and before I knew it, we were closing in on the main camp.

“Where’s the food, baaa?!”

Hearing those words, I seriously questioned if Ram was actually a Shepherd Fairy. Sheep Devil felt more appropriate. Or maybe Fairy of the Dining Table. Though, that just made me picture her roasted whole on a platter.

Actually, that seemed like the most natural state for her.

“...Should I roast you?” I asked.

“Wh-who are you roasting, baaa?!”

“A sheep or something?”

“I-I wouldn’t taste good roasted, baaa!”

“So you are a sheep?”

“Th-that’s also wrong, baaa!”

By now, our presence—or rather, the presence of a suspicious, giant sheep monster—had surely been reported. So much for Stealth. But since a quiet approach was impossible with Ram in tow, our best bet was to take down the mastermind quickly and get out.

“...Those guys over there look suspicious,” I noted.

I sensed one individual with a clearly superior level of ability. He was strong compared to the surrounding Beastmen, but he didn't feel unbeatable.

“Hmm, they don't look very tasty, baaa,” Ram muttered.

She was still treating people like snacks. I suppose I was using her with that exact intention, but still...

“You don’t have to eat them if you don’t want to. Of course, that means you’re skipping dinner, too.”

“I’ll eat them properly, baaa!”

With that, Ram leapt into the air and swallowed the two men whole. A second later, she gagged and spat them back out.

“Disgusting, baaa! Absolutely disgusting!”

The men were launched across the clearing, slick with drool, before slamming into a nearby building. Fortunately, they hadn't been digested; they were still breathing.

One of them, whose consciousness had flickered out for a moment, staggered to his feet. He wiped the slime from his face and flashed a defiant grin.

“Heh... heh heh... So it really is you, the Third Rank... the Puppeteer. I heard you were in the Beast Kingdom, but I never expected you to pick this side. It doesn’t matter. I’ve developed a medicine so foul it ruins the sense of taste, specifically to counter your dolls.”

Who the hell is he talking to?

If he meant Luna, she was still back at the capital resting. Besides, her dolls didn't have taste buds. A bad flavor wouldn't make them spit anything out.

“...Who the hell are you?!” the man shouted, finally looking directly at me.

“I was about to ask you the same thing. Don't go around mistaking people for someone else.”

“Kuh, I blundered. I didn't think anyone besides the Third Rank Puppeteer could control a massive demon that swallows people whole.”

“I’m not a demon, baaa!”

“That’s right,” I added. “She’s a top-tier piece of Emergency Food!”

“That’s also wrong, baaa!!”

I turned back to the man. “More importantly, do you really think an attacker is going to just hand over their personal information?”

The man actually paused to think about it. “There are plenty of ‘em!”

I instinctively wanted to put my head in my hands. Were the Empire’s operatives all this chatty?

“Fine. If you want to know who I am, you should introduce yourself first, shouldn't you?”

“Fair point. I am Magna, the Fifth Rank Alchemist of the Empire’s Ninth! There, I’ve said it. Your turn.”

“...I’m Fritz.”

I thought I heard an indignant “Hey!” from Fee atop Ram’s back, but I ignored it.

“I see. So you’re the Dragon Slayer. You’re even more impressive than the rumors suggested.”

Fritz’s name was surprisingly well-known. Perhaps I should have picked a different alias.

“And if I am? What’s your plan?”

“Why not join us? The Kingdom clearly doesn’t appreciate your talents. The Empire is a pure meritocracy; a man like you would fit right in.”

A connection to the Empire would be useful, but Luna was more than enough for that. I shook my head.

“I don't trust you. Especially not while we’re on opposite sides of a battlefield.”

“Well, I figured. In that case, it won't be too late to reconsider once you’ve had a taste of our power, right?”

Magna pulled out several vials of medicine, filling both hands.

“You wouldn’t call one of the Ninth cowardly for refusing to fight fair, would you?”

“Of course not. This isn't a training exercise.”

Still, these guys had almost been eaten by Ram just moments ago. They had used medicine to escape, but they didn't seem particularly formidable.

That was my mistake.

Magna hurled the vials at us. The moment they struck the ground, they triggered a violent, earth-shaking explosion.

Shit!

I was caught right in the center of the blast. There was no way to survive an explosion of that magnitude at point-blank range, and I didn't have time to deploy Defense Magic.

We were finished.

And yet, the explosion vanished in a heartbeat, neutralized before the flames could even reach us.