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C127: A REFORMED BEAR

I am just your run-of-the-mill village girl. Hence, there is no need for me to introduce myself.
I went through what most people have gone through and know what most people know.
That’s why whatever happens around me isn’t a disaster to me alone but a disaster to everyone.
I was born human and live in the Human Kingdom.
But to be more precise, this scanty village situated at the far end of the territory is the whole world to me.
Our country has been destroyed by the demon race.
My dad and the village chief were gloomily discussing the many problems this would cause.
Our race has been head-to-head with the demon race for an extended period, but it seems that we’ve finally lost.
I thought it was all a matter of fact.
After all, our king is an idiot, and the priests are a bunch of stubborn pigheads.
My father, my mother, and everyone else say that “If the top is stupid, then nothing is going to happen.”
But even if the defeat of our race was just, what will happen now?
I heard that the demons are freaks who fancy collecting the heads of the humans they’ve defeated.
What will happen once we’re under their rule?
Will we be massacred?
I pray to Zeus every day in hopes of the demons not finding our remote village.
But my prayers weren’t heard.
A demon messenger came and said, “This is a new law enforced by the Demon King, so please obey it,” and left.
He left a parchment that had the contents of this new law written in it.
I can’t read, so I listen to the village chief as he reads it aloud.
According to the new law

The land-tax rate of 80-20 under the Human Kingdom’s regime will now be changed to 40-60.Military police will be stationed in every town and village to crack down on crimes and fraud.Schools will be established so that every citizen will know how to read and write.Hospitals will be established.Orphanages will be established.Social discrimination directed at therianthropes and other species within the country will be eliminated.Etc.
Was written on it.

Huh?
Isn’t this several times better than when we were under the Human Kingdom’s rule?
It may also be because I’m too stupid to understand, but just the fact that the taxes have been lowered is a matter of great congratulation to us all.
Long live the demon race
 I guess?
In fact, ever since the demons ruled over us, our lives have changed for the better.
Our infertile soil suddenly became richer; everyone says that this will give us an abundant harvest next year.
According to the village chief, the church’s magic has drained the mana out of the soil, slowly killing it.
But now that the demon race got rid of the church, the mana has returned to the lands.
Seriously?
The demon race destroying the Human Kingdom was actually for the better.
I’ll start going to school next year to learn how to read and write.
And then, I can get a job in the city and earn a lot of money!
My father, mother, the village chief, and practically everyone else are grateful for the demon race invading us.
But then, that’s when it happened.
An event that made me realize that the world isn’t getting better just yet.
Our village was suddenly assaulted and seized.
The assaulters were former priests of the Order, all fifty armed with weapons, so we couldn’t even resist.
“I am Bishop Saghish, a warrior of justice who fights for the human race!” cries the oldest-looking priest.
His comrades kept calling him “Bishop.”
“Our organization may have been destroyed; however, we have not abandoned our aspiration for justice and went into hiding, waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike back! The evil demon race has devastated our sacred land and took it from us! However, we will defeat this evil one day and restore freedom and happiness to everyone!!!”
The military police are being deployed as promised by the demon race in every town and village of the former Human Kingdom, but it seems that they haven’t reached our village yet.
Which is probably why we’re being targeted right now

“I want you to offer your equipment to help us fight the demons! Weapons, food, all that you have with you that is useful!”
All?!
Don’t be ridiculous! If we give away all our food, what are we going to eat from tomorrow onwards?!
But we couldn’t resist them.
If we did, we’d be killed, so we reluctantly gave them all of our vegetables and grain.
“Bishop Saghish, it looks like this is everything.”
“This isn’t a lot. And what’s up with these wrinkly vegetables?! If I eat one of these, I’ll get diarrhea!”
As the geezer says that, he thoroughly stomps on all the food we gathered for him as if to vent out his anger.
“If you have no food to offer, then women it is! Don’t try and refuse now! I don’t care about their age; just get all the women you can find! Do whatever you want with them, men!”
When the geezer said that, the other priests cheered as they approached us.
My dad and the others tried to stop them, but they were helpless as they were beaten and attacked with swords.
They dragged every young girl, including me.
Again, there was nothing we could do.
“Even the women here are third-rate? Oh well, I’ll just deal with it. This is also an offering Zeus has given us noble ones. We must be grateful.”
Shut up, you geezer!
You’re so selfish! You’re even more of a scoundrel than those demons!
Curse you and your Order!
You’re the ones who should be destroyed by the demons! Get out of our sight!

But even if I think like that, a village girl like me has nothing against them.
If only I had the power to drive them away

And then

“It’s a monster!” shouts one of the priests.
“A monster appeared! And a big one, too!”
When I realized what they were talking about, a furry giant was standing near me.
Is that
a bear?
It’s big, furry, and has sharp claws.
It looks so strong that even a bunch of priests would be no match for it.
“Fall back! Retreat!!!” shouts the geezer.
“We cannot lose a single soldier here if we’re going to proceed with our counterattack! Use the villagers as human shields! While the monster is busy attacking them, we’ll use that time to run far away!!!”
As if to respond to the geezer’s words, the other priests kicked Dad and everyone else out of the village and tossed them in front of the bear.
“Now’s our chance! Run!!!”
And then, the priests ran as fast as they could in the opposite direction.
This is bad! The bear will eat Dad!
Or so I thought, but what happened next was unexpected.
The bear gently caught Dad and avoided those who collapsed so as not to step on them and started chasing after the priests.
“What theeeeeeee?!”
“Whyyyyyyyyyyy?!”
The priests start panicking when they realize that the bear paid no attention to the decoys they left.
The bear runs at a speed unexpected for his size and quickly catches up to the priests. He then sends every priest he came across flying.
“Gah!”
“Ah!”
“Have mercy! Have mercy!!! Mbph!”
It didn’t take that much time for all fifty of them to be knocked out, except for the geezer.
He may have fallen behind the rest of the group because he dragged me with him as a hostage, but that’s what spared him from the bear’s attack. He’s a perverted clergyman who managed a narrow escape from death, but then again, the world isn’t that forgiving.
After the bear finished dealing with the others, he turned his gaze towards the geezer, determined not to let any one of them escape.
“Don’t move!” says the geezer as he points a dagger to my neck.
“I may not know what’s going on between you and these puny villagers, but I can tell that you’re trying to protect them! Now, if you dare take another step, I’ll stab this girl’s neck with my sacred dagger!!!”
Just when the bear was on the verge of pouncing on the geezer, he brought his movements to a halt.
He keeps the arm he raised up in the air.
“Gyahahahaha! Just as I, Bishop Saghish, expected! Good, don’t move from where you stand! I still need to live long to accomplish the sacred mission Zeus has given me!”
The geezer retreats bit by bit with me in tow.
Now that he took me hostage, not even the villagers dare to make a careless move.
Damn it.
Don’t just expect that I’ll let you do as you please!
Even the demons said that now’s our time to seize happiness for ourselves.
Don’t think I’ll just


Let you do as you please, you geezer!!!
“OW!”
I bit the arm that was holding me as hard as I could.
The painful shriek he let out was satisfying.
“You cursed girl! You dare disrespect a clergy like me?! Ah! Don’t run away!!!”
Hah, too late.
I already made a break for it.
Now that I’m free from that man’s grasps, all that’s left is for the bear to

“AHHHHH!!!”
The geezer’s shriek reverberated in the skies.
Several days later, the demon soldiers who received the news arrested the priests and took them away. They apologized, saying they weren’t able to help us in our time of need.
Surprisingly enough, all the priests that the bear kicked around are still alive.
We tied them in ropes while they were unconscious and left them alone until the demons arrived.
We gave them water and nothing else, but even our food situation is tight, so it’s not like we’re in the wrong.
The bear had already left before any of us even noticed him.
Had he not been here, our village would’ve been in ruins by now.
Monsters are supposed to attack humans, though
 So, why?
“I see! So, that bear also appeared here?”
After questioning us, one of the demon soldiers spoke as if he knew something about the bear.
“He’s becoming the talk of the region lately. People say that a bear-type monster has been saving the remaining remote villages of the Human Kingdom left and right.”
Wait
 Aren’t monsters supposed to be under your command?
Isn’t that why he came to save us?
“Oh, no. Not at all. But according to His Majesty the Demon King, that bear was a special monster born under Lord Saint.”
‘Lord Saint?’
“The bear once lost to Lord Saint, but his life was saved due to the Saint’s compassion. And then, to be recognized by the Saint as a strong being, he began his solitary journey training.”
So, he happened to be passing by our village during this journey of his?
“It’s all just a rumor. Take it with a grain of salt.”
The demon soldier smiled wryly, but I think what he said was the truth.
Demons and Lord Saint.
I can really feel that light is shining upon the Human Kingdom now.
Thank you as well, bear monster, for personally coming to save us.
Bearmon for short.