Chapter 623 – Livestock
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What I felt as I looked around the city for a day was that Pantheran was a city with an atmosphere that could only exist in a fairy tale.
Everyone was handsome and beautiful, and they always had a leisurely smile on their faces.
And… Everyone was ridiculously friendly.
I didn’t even see common criminals like pickpockets that were common in Karaz.
Should I say that it is a utopian city full of good people, as if drawn from a painting?
Does that kind of world exist?
For me, who lived in an ordinary world where all kinds of people gathered, I couldn’t help but feel a strange sense of discomfort.
How can this happen?
And it seemed like I wasn’t the only one who had such questions.
“… Don’t you think it’s strange?”
Claire, who was sitting in front of me, asked.
As promised in the morning, Nora and I gathered in Cloud’s room and spent time exchanging information obtained while wandering around the city.
Not only Claire’s face, but Cloud’s face next to her also turned serious.
“… Is it brainwashing?”
I naturally had this thought when I saw the strange kindness shown by the women in the city.
“No.”
The cloud categorically denied my guess.
“No?”
“Brainwashing is better. It’s not that cute.”
“You say brainwashing is cute? Then, what is it?”
Claire said with a somber expression.
“People in this city are just born that way.”
“I was just born that way… What does that mean?”
“…”
Claire glances at the cloud.
Cloud nodded lightly, and only then did Claire open her lips.
“Did you know that humans and animals inherit some of their parents’ personalities?”
“Are you talking about heredity?”
“That’s right. The military created this city to control the environment, and selected obedient, beautiful Panthera people for the Zephyrians, and repeated crossbreeding over thousands of years to improve the breed… That is, to domesticate them.”
“Well, is that true?”
Nora, who was next to me, was shocked to hear Claire’s story.
Domestication…
Even on Earth, there were animals that enjoyed sexual prosperity, going from wild animals to human livestock.
Representative examples are dogs and cats.
And humans have created various species through artificial crossbreeding of dogs and cats.
The Zephyria army actually carried out this against the Pantherains.
I felt like I could understand the meaning of the saying, “I was born that way from the beginning.”
Citizens who constantly gave kind eyes to Nora and me… Women, including Casper, who showed excessive kindness, flash through my mind.
Even Joe, who came to see me last night… Did he act like that because he innately liked Zephyrian?
“Wait a minute… Are you sure you’re a panthera? Isn’t your lifespan too long for a panthera?”
So I thought it might not be Panthera.
“With Zephiria’s medical technology, that level of problem can be solved without difficulty.”
“… How do you know that?”
How did Claire and Cloud learn such a secret in such a short time?
I couldn’t imagine that such information could be easily obtained in this city.
Although the city’s residents actively answered questions, it seemed unlikely that they would even know such a grim truth.
I didn’t feel that way while talking with Casper.
“Bark, you probably know that our Rebellion has rescued the Pantheraine.”
Liberation of slaves was the main goal of Rebellion.
Although I have never personally undertaken such a mission, I have seen Cowra and Cloud rescue the enslaved Pantheraine.
“Rebellion rescued many Pantherans. Some of them failed because they did not want to follow us. They wanted to remain as slaves.”
“Then, are they…?”
“Yes, they were Pantheans from this city. Of course, we didn’t understand them at first either… Then, luckily, we were able to rescue a Panthera from this city, and we were able to hear the reason from him.”
“You say he was born obedient to the Zephyrians? Why didn’t he remain a slave and come to your aid?”
“Because he was a man left out of this city.”
“… Culled out?”
“It is said that this city is constantly filtering out impure elements. If you show even the slightest rebelliousness towards Zephyria, let alone committing a crime, you can be considered excluded from the city. After being excluded, he was sold as a slave to Zephyria… Fortunately, we were rescued.”
“Are you saying you heard the story of this city from him?”
Claire nodded and continued.
“When I first came to this city, I was a bit worried. Today, after looking around the city, I was convinced. This city is a pet shop where you can breed your favorite panthera, wagging its tail whenever it sees a Ziphyrian.”
“… Why are you telling us this?”
“I need you to help us. We can’t leave a city like this alone.”
“You want help? And… What are you going to do if I don’t leave you alone?”
The city was quite large, and the population seemed to easily exceed 1 million. In that situation, Claire and Cloud trying to do something seemed a bit reckless.
“Ha… You should think about it slowly.”
It seemed like Claire didn’t have a sharp answer yet. Still, he seemed determined to do something and sought help in advance.
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After secretly exchanging information with Claire and her group, I returned to my room.
“It’s a shame.”
〈 What’s so sad? 〉
“A heartless guy.”
〈Pretending to be nice…〉
“…”
I had nothing to say.
Claire and Cloud seemed to be taking this very seriously.
But… Honestly, I wasn’t as impressed as Cosmos said.
You could say it’s a frog in a well…
People in the city are not abused or oppressed. He seemed to be living a happy and satisfying life.
So, I was wondering if it was just nonsense.
“…”
Are you saying it was something that would shock an ordinary human being?
Was it after awakening?
It seems like there has been a tendency for humans to not empathize well with points that make them angry.
“Cosmos, what do you think?”
〈Isn’t it obvious? 〉
“Of course?”
〈Imagine you were walking down the street and saw ants fighting a large-scale power struggle. What do you think? 〉
“How about…”
I guess so.
Still, I think it will be interesting to watch.
It must be a rare sight.
〈 That’s right. Isn’t it funny that you sympathize with hundreds and thousands of ants dying, or whatever they did? 〉
“… That’s it? Uh-huh! Are ants and humans the same?”
〈 Oh my… The water hasn’t drained yet. It means that there is as much difference between you and a human being as there is between a human being and an ant. Is it natural that you can’t sympathize with their anger? 〉
Satan whispered in my head.
〈Who is Satan!!〉
“If what you say is true, doesn’t that mean that my women are also ants? I can’t tolerate that!”
〈 Even if it’s an ant like this, if it’s an ant that you care for, it’s a different story, right? Even if you had met them before your awakening, would you have built a relationship like you do now? 〉
“…”
〈I gave an extreme example to help you understand. Still, it’s better to admit that there is a difference between you and them.〉
I did not fully acknowledge what Cosmos said.
Still, I felt like I knew what she was trying to say.
If you think about it, it was somewhat correct.
As time passed after my awakening, I showed a rather indifferent side unless it was directly related to me.
If I were a normal human… Wouldn’t it have been right for me to be angry at Zephyria, who sent a demon avatar to ravage the Pantheraine like a game?
What is this city that has selectively bred and domesticated humans for a long time and trampled on human rights?
Nevertheless, looking at my inability to sympathize with Claire’s anger, does that mean, as Cosmos said, that I no longer think of humans as equals?
… It seems like that?
-Knock.
The sound of a knock wakes me from my thoughts.
“Bark…”
A soft, slightly embarrassed voice.
My female service employee, Zoe, visited tonight as well.
“…”
Innate likability.
It’s a little disappointing that the reason she hugged me so happily wasn’t because I fell in love with her at first sight.
〈You said you felt sorry? No way! Are you planning on hugging that poor child again?!〉
Cosmos sneered in his head.
“…”
Listening to Casper’s story, it seems that in this city, interactions between men and women are controlled, and very few women get married.
What this means is that most women end their lives without even knowing the man.
This is… A really sad reality!
Cosmos was also wrong.
My heart was filled with sympathy for the Pantheran women.
I decided to hold back my tears and sacrifice my body for these poor Pantheran women to bring them joy.
〈 Oh my… What are you doing so lamely? They say they just do it because they want to have sex.〉
“…”
I left behind her cruel history of the city of Panderan that night, on top of her, for her! I moved my waist vigorously.
