A Regressor's Bucket List

Chapter 220 : Enthronement Ceremony (4)

Realistically speaking, the Enthronement Ceremony was premature.

The current Beastkin were merely a gathering of those who had been slaves across the continent; it was a stretch to call them citizens of a nation or members of a faction.

Their ancestors might have had some pride in being ‘Beastkin’ or an awareness of the ‘Beastkin Nation’ as their own country.

However, the slaves now gathered in the Beastkin Nation only saw it as a collection of demi-humans with similar appearances to themselves, lacking any awareness of it as a nation.

At best, those who had learned from their parents knew that the Beastkin Nation had once existed.

But a not-insignificant number of the Beastkin slaves were unaware that they had ever had a country of their own.

‘….’

This was even more so considering that an ‘Enthronement Ceremony,’ being a nationally important event, was usually held after a period of preparation rather than immediately after a new king succeeded the throne.

The space set aside as a territory wasn't well-developed yet, and although they were living in temporary shelters, they hadn't truly settled.

Furthermore, the issue related to ‘slavery’ was not completely resolved.

Of course, the Order had officially designated slavery as illegal, giving them the moral high ground.

However, in some sensitive regions, claims of ownership were still being made over the slaves who had moved here, maintaining a chaotic atmosphere.

However.

Despite these various problems, Valencia and U-jin decided to push forward with the Enthronement Ceremony because it held a different meaning from traditional ones.

That was ‘legitimacy.’

The ceremony was crucial because they were not simply building the Beastkin Nation, but ‘rebuilding’ it.

The newly established Beastkin Faction would base its legitimacy not on something new, but on the original Beastkin Nation.

At first glance, one might wonder what meaning this held when the Beastkin themselves couldn't even remember it.

But it held a greater significance than one might think.

While the Beastkin themselves did not remember, The Order and many places affiliated with it still remembered the Beastkin of the past.

That in itself was a legacy.

Just by inheriting the name of the former Beastkin Nation, the current Beastkin would no longer be a ragtag group of former slaves, but a rising power whose future status was unknown.

This could not only expand their influence within the Order but also serve as a catalyst to boost the pride of the Beastkin as its members.

Thump- Thump- Thump- Thump-

The sound of drums echoed as Valencia appeared among the crowd.

Instead of taking a prepared seat, Tom watched her, leaning against a distant wall.

He, who always insisted on being alone unless he was with Valencia, was not alone today.

Because Jerry was sitting perched on a wooden chair next to that wall.

"It's starting."

"...Shouldn't you be watching from up close?"

"That place is solely for the Princess."

"..."

"My job is to protect the Princess, and picking out shady characters isn't something I can do just by standing next to her."

"...I see."

Hearing Jerry's quiet acknowledgment, Tom asked, his gaze fixed on Valencia.

"How long did you say it would take?"

It was a question about the recovery of the Beastkin.

Most of the Beastkin were brought from the Base Camp.

No, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say 'all' of them were in a physical state worse than that of an ordinary human.

Although a few months of recuperation before the Enthronement Ceremony had improved their condition to the point where they looked fine on the outside.

...apart from their external appearance, their condition was so dire that one couldn't even speak of ‘recovery.’

Their bodies, weakened by imprisonment and the illegally administered growth-suppressing drugs, had been damaging them for a very long time.

Hormones were forcibly suppressed, nutrition was constantly lacking, and the only exercise they got was being beaten with clubs.

Reversing decades of ruin in just a few months was an impossible feat.

That they had recovered even this much was thanks to the active help from the Beastkin of the Guild House, which Jerry had previously acquired and managed. They had persuaded the newcomers, saying they wanted to repay the grace they had received.

Without their help, if the new Beastkin were still wary, recovering even to this extent would have been completely impossible.

Of course, Tom didn't expect them to immediately regain the appearance of a complete Beastkin.

He had seen the reality of the Base Camp firsthand, and as a Beastkin born with the strongest body, Tom knew better than anyone how severe the physical condition of the current Beastkin was.

He was simply asking how long it would take for them to recover to a level where they could at least be considered Beastkin.

In Tom's eyes, they still seemed lacking to be called ‘Beastkin.’

"...It's hard to say for sure. The growth suppressants are direct-acting drugs that affect the endocrine system and the Mana Circuit, so it's impossible to eliminate years of accumulated toxins all at once."

"..."

"Their bodies have been damaged for a very long time, and it's a different issue from simple malnutrition."

Swish-

Jerry, stroking an eyebrow, paused for a moment before adding.

"...Still, we started administering a drug to dilute the effects of the growth suppressant last week."

"..."

"...It's a drug that enhances the resilience of the endocrine system and Mana Circuit. It plays a role in fostering the self-healing ability to counter the growth suppressant. It has the function of shortening a recovery that would normally take 10 years to about 3. In a month or two, their Beastkin nature and physical condition should improve to some extent. Complete recovery will take more time, though."

"...I see."

The natural enhancement of physical durability that comes with adulthood and the unique combat instincts of the Beastkin.

It would take more time to reclaim the various other factors that made the Beastkin who they were.

In the first place, even this was only possible thanks to Jerry, who had poured a vast amount of money into it for a considerable time.

If there hadn't been someone with the financial means and an interest in the restoration of the Beastkin, this drug might have never appeared in the world.

The sort of 'disability' created by the enslavement of the Beastkin was something other races or humans would not have felt the need to address.

Given that drugs are typically developed out of necessity, it was a medicine that could not have been created unless someone had the will to forcibly develop it.

"..."

Tom swept his gaze over the audience at the Enthronement Ceremony.

To be precise, he was checking the condition of the Beastkin there.

Where thick lines of muscle should have been, gaunt bones remained, and in place of the Beastkin's characteristic cheerfulness, a certain gloom had settled.

As Jerry had said, even this was a significant recovery.

The raw state they were in when first brought out of the Base Camp had been a horrific sight, too terrible to describe in words.

Through Jerry's efforts.

The Beastkin received help.

Ppuuuuuu-

As Valencia passed the halfway point of the red carpet, the sound of a trumpet announced her progress.

As instructed before the ceremony, the seated audience rose to their feet.

"..."

"..."

Scrape-

Jerry also stood up from his seat.

For a moment, silence flowed.

In truth, it was a two-shot so awkward that members of the Guild House would have been shocked to see it.

It was evident from their very names, but the two of them had a relationship that could never become friendly.

It was no exaggeration to say that ‘Jerry,’ with his innate individualism and frequent moves from a young age, had almost no 'friendship' stat, and it would have been stranger for Tom to have any friends, having been cooped up alone in the Darkest Dungeon for the past several decades.

That wasn't all.

Their relationship was not so simple that it could be summarized as merely ‘awkward.’

The last surviving Vampire and the greatest veteran Vampire Hunter.

The nemesis who had lost his family and the nemesis who had hunted a tribe.

It was more a case of being swept up in the dynamic currents of the era than anyone's specific fault, but that didn't make it okay.

Having a reason didn't mean everything could be forgiven.

Sometimes, relationships exist that are so twisted one can't help but feel hatred, even while deeply sympathizing with the inevitability of the circumstances.

...Tom and Jerry's was exactly such a case.

"...Reconstruction."

Jerry muttered, breaking the silence.

It was a short and obvious statement.

But those few words held great meaning for the two of them.

‘...You can kill me. But give me a little time. There are things I must do before I die.’

...

‘I ask you to give me time, just until the Beastkin Nation is rebuilt.’

‘...When it's all over, I will be sure to kill you. Jerry Dracula Jr.’

A series of conversations flashed by like a revolving lantern.

The conversation they had when they first met here at the Guild House.

No, it was a promise.

According to that promise, Tom would be justified in killing Jerry right here and now.

The rebuilding of the Beastkin Nation was the remaining life Tom had granted Jerry.

However.

Though he knew full well what Jerry meant by ‘...Reconstruction,’ Tom showed no sign of replying or moving.

He merely stared at the space where the Enthronement Ceremony was taking place, maintaining his silence.

Then.

"...No."

Jerry's brow furrowed slightly at Tom's short utterance.

The reason was simple.

He couldn't understand the meaning of those words.

Before their very eyes was Valencia's ‘Enthronement Ceremony,’ and gathered there were countless Beastkin.

This event was meant to proclaim the ‘Beastkin Nation,’ which was being rebuilt through the ceremony.

And yet, he said, ‘No.’

Jerry couldn't immediately comprehend it.

...However.

"...The Beastkin Nation I remember is not this."

"..."

From Tom's subsequent addition, he could vaguely guess what he was trying to say.

"Your clan ruined this nation, so you restore it to its original state. Then..."

"..."

"Then, I will be sure to kill you, Jerry Junior."

Pfft-

"...Understood. I'll be sure to restore it."

A smile played on Jerry's lips.