"Bahahaha!" The rabbit man let out a loud laugh when he heard the reason behind Kana's actions. "We may be of the same species, but us, rabbit men, do not evolve from horned rabbits. So if anything, they would be more cousins that you never meet."
Kana looked at the meat in her hand, then back at the rabbit man, and pouted as she slowly put it down. "Really, it's fine. Don't worry. Everyone has to eat." The rabbit man let out another laugh as he watched Kana's reaction.
"Kana, just eat it. There are no other monsters around that will be good enough to fill your stomach." Ceilie smiled warmly as she pushed Kana's food back into her hands. Only when Ceilie took a bite of her own did she begin to eat again.
"Haha! Good! Sorry for the late introductions, My name is Pepelt. I am a traveling merchant, as you may guess. May I ask if you two are heading to the Rural Kingdom?" Pepelt asked.
"Yes, we are. We came to the human territory to explore a bit, but who would have thought humans hated beastmen so much..." Ceilie put on a sad expression as she rubbed Kana's head. Kana had no idea what Ceilie was talking about since they did not come here; they were trying to escape, but she did not say anything. She could tell that Ceilie said it like this on purpose.
"That is the truth. Even as a merchant who has credentials to sell his wares here, the humans still treat us like a disease. But what can we do? Humans are very narrow minded. This leads to the reason why I came over. Is there any chance I can hire the two of you? I was looking for a few guards to travel with me until we reached the Rural Kingdom. During my travels, I have heard of quite a few best men being attacked just before reaching the border. Sadly those who did not escape were captured and are most likely benign sold off as slaves as we speak. Normally I would not need much protection, but you see, I have a special package I need to deliver to Fenguard, the beastmen capital. " Pepelt bowed his head as he explained. "I will make sure you are rewarded handsomely."
"Hmm? Now I know why the presence felt funny. It seems to be demi human, but it is not. They are just masking their presence. They have a human among them." Lysairth warned.
Kana quickly went on guard as she suddenly jumped back, landing on all fours. Her tail sticking straight up into the air as if she was a cat. Ceilie was confused by Kana's sudden actions but quickly went on guard as well, taking out her dagger. Seeing the two going on guard so quickly startled Pepelt. He was completely confused as to what was going on.
"Kana, what is wrong?" Ceilie asked. She made sure not to take her eyes off the rabbit man.
"They have a human among them," Kana replied. Her words not only startling Ceilie but also Pepelt.
"Care to explain why you have a human with you?" Ceilie asked, her eyes narrowing. Now even her tail was standing straight up.
"I… How!?" Pepelt was completely confused since there should not have been any way to tell that there was a human among them.
"It's fine, Pepelt. It was I who asked you to bring me to the capital." A beautiful voice came from behind Pepelt.
Kana and Ceilie turned to look at the new person to see a girl with wolf ears and tail standing there. She extended her hand and slowly pulled off a ring she was wearing, revealing her true appearance. Long flowing red hair that flowed to her waist and green eyes. Her skin was snow white, giving her a kind of ethereal, fairy like appearance."I am sorry for catching you off guard. My name is Tilia Elurean. Second Princess of the Elurean Kingdom. I am on a quest to find a way to stop my father."
Ceilie and Kana looked at each other confused. Not sure why she would want to stop her father from doing anything. "Explain." Ceilie did not hide the disdain in her voice.
"You see, my father has decided that all beastmen and demi humans should submit to the laws of humans. He thinks that humans are the superior species. But this is not true. I have seen the horrors humans have imposed on those who are deemed lower in standing. And I will not stand on the royal family's side and say they are innocent either. My brothers and sisters are also doing atrocities I never wished to see. In order to find a path that will not instigate a war, I wanted to talk to the king of the beastmen and see if he had any ideas to solve these issues. Or if the beastmen could align with the dwarves to squash any invasion that may occur.
"Sadly, I do not think that my father would be the way he was now if not for the coaxing of the priest from the Yuthia Theocracy." Princess Tilia lowered her head. She felt ashamed that her own race was persecuting the other races just because they were not human.
"Wait! Let me get this straight. That damn king is going to start a war with the non human nations all because the Church asked him to? Is your father an idiot?"