Born From a Forbidden Union, Humanity hates me.

After having brought the lost child to his mother, Noah and Orion were seen in a kinder light.

The beastmen appeared cautious of them still, but they were openly engaging with them rather than shying away from their sight.

All the while introducing themselves, Orion reflected on the words Noah spoke to him earlier that day.

With a visible frown that showed no displeasure but instead an intense focus, his thoughts erratically went everywhere, making it difficult for Tetra to comment on them.

'You're thinking too much...'

Her voice did not register as he continued to think. His mind was a mess, mixing the memories of his journey with what Noah said to him.

'The people...'

'Protecting those in need...'

Those were the major points he had retained, and everything else attached itself to those ideas, creating links between each other.

This was the most important thing Orion had thought about since beginning his journey.

It wasn't to think about training or about his enemies. None of the people significant to him were involved either.

The complete and precise introspection of his past actions and the realization that his selfishness might have blocked his progression began to weigh on him.

'If I had given more thoughts to Diramoi and my ancestors.'

The time he released his dark 'Elemental Mastery', the Abyssal Sovereign form, he could have had an opportunity to get additional information from them.

Furthermore, he could've pushed further and asked Alyssia, the Priestess of Light, to instruct him on how to merge with his light element successfully.

'What if I had met Olivia earlier? We could've defended more places with the help of her maids...'

Her maid squad, comprising 27 of the most powerful human women on the continent, was a force to be feared.

Just a few of them would've been perfect to defend Albriar during the attack launched by Julian.

Many 'What if?' situations appeared inside his head, taking place around the main ideas.

His hatred for humans, which boiled down to nothing as corruption was the most prevalent cause of their heinous acts, began to weigh in the balance.

'Is it worth it to stick to worthless opinions when I act as a hypocrite and choose my allies?'

May, even though she was possessed by an elemental to keep her alive, was human at her core.

The twins were once humans too.

His friends, Florian, Kamala, Eric, and even Elliott, were humans. Layla was human too, yet she showed no signs of being a bad person once she was revived.

Tetra and Henrietta were also humans at their core. Many of his entourages were either humans or had human genes in them.

Even Amelia, the pillar supporting his everyday life, was human. Her mother was a Remnant, but she lacked the source to make her one of them.

'This is food for thought... Everything Noah said was correct.'

While his thoughts were a mess, Tetra was able to listen to the deepest, most complex thoughts Orion had.

In her own space, unavailable to Orion, she noticed that his entire mind was undergoing a change.

'His mindscape is being reworked from ground zero... This is incredible.'

In front of her eyes, Orion was breaking his prejudices, his opinions on the world as a whole, and how he perceived others.

'This is only the beginning, but this appears to be a good sign.'

With a tone indicating that she was smiling, she spoke.

'This boy. He's still growing.'

Her heart ached for a split second.

'Maybe one day you will become like Noah.'

...

In the real world, Noah kept glancing at Orion, who followed behind him without saying a word.

A faint smile formed on the corner of his mouth, observing that his words did not fall in the ear of a fool.

In truth, the words he spoke were the words of an officer of the law. His work was to protect everyone from ruffians, murderers, and thieves.

Of course, it was impossible to protect everyone in the entire world. The same could be said in this other world.

But he saw the same potential in Orion that he once had.

Orion was envying him, and it was easily seen in his eyes. But it wasn't a dangerous kind of envy. It was the type that, with the right push, could lead someone to change entirely.

Like a child jealous of a happy family that they don't have at home, who one day would set out to create one of their own.

Orion was still young in his head. The time spent in the 'Corridors of Time' eroded some edges of his personality, but not enough to erase what made him Orion, thanks to Tetra.

The young man had a lot to think about, especially now.

Far from his time, far from his loved ones, and far from home.

He wondered if Orion was auto-piloting behind him or if he needed to assist him by speaking to him, but his question was quickly answered.

The moment he turned around a corner, Orion did the same.

At that point, Noah walked toward a building, which was, in fact, the tavern of the village.

Noah went through the double wooden door, instantly drawing the customers' gazes to him.

There were looks of confusion and anger, while most of them were neutral.

(If I were you, I'd look away.)

One of the neutral beastmen whispered to his friend, who looked at Noah with an intense glare.

"Don't tell me what to do."

The beastman placed his tankard on the table without spilling a drop and stood up from his seat.

Both Heroes entered the building, one entirely focused on his thoughts and the other smiling while looking around.

Suddenly, the beastman who stood up from his seat stepped in front of them, blocking their path to the counter.

"Hey."

Crossing his arms, the man lifted his chin up, trying to aggravate the mood around the tavern in the hope of rallying others.

Sadly for him, no one was dumb enough to stand in the way of two strong-looking men.

"May I help you?"

Noah stopped walking, and so did Orion. In a good mood, Noah talked to the angry beastman.

"Who are you? What are humans doing in this place to begin with?"

"Didn't anyone tell you that you weren't welcome here?"

The man's friend slid his entire open hand on his face and looked at the ceiling.

Unbothered by the man's aggravated state, Noah walked in front of him and stopped less than a meter away from him.

"You are in a mood to get rowdy?"

Surprised, the man uncrossed his arms. Noah's smile was still there, showing his happiness.

Utterly confused, the beastman nodded.

"S-Sure. As I said, humans aren't welcomed here."

"Can we settle it without getting to the hands and knuckles?"

Noah cracked his hands to intimidate the man. From the looks of it, it worked.

"A-Arm wrestling! Let's do some arm wrestling to settle it!"

The man pointed at an empty table hurriedly.

"That's fine by me. If you win, we'll leave without making a fuss. If we won..."

Thinking for a moment, Noah smiled deviously.

"It would be no fun telling you now."

The entire mood changed as the customers, and even the bartender, swallowed hard as cold shivers ran down their spines.

Knowing that he had messed up, the beastman looked down in apprehension before committing to the bravado he had shown previously.

"Heh~ I'll win anyway."

With a false smirk, the man walked to the table and sat down. A few seconds later, Noah sat in front of him.

They both extended their arms over the table, pressing their elbows only on the wooden surface.

"Ready?"

Orion, although deeply focused on his thoughts, was actually registering the entire situation as well. Tetra was able to see what was happening and sighed in disapproval.

'This happened regularly, too... I know where this is going.'

Their hands clasped together before the short match began.

"Let's do the best of three."

Noah added this rule with a smile.

"Fine by me."

The beastman's smile wavered as the moment to show his actual strength dawned on him.

"One..."

Starting with the countdown, all eyes were riveted on them.

"Two..."

Swallowing the tiny speck of saliva in his mouth, the anxious beastman braced himself.

"Three."

At that moment, the man opened his eyes wide.

'I can do it!'

He used every bit of strength in his arms and slowly pushed Noah's arm back.

"Hah! No bite, just bark-"

*Slam*

As he was finishing his sentence, the back of his hand touched the wooden surface.

"Did you say something?"

With a bone-chilling smile, Noah let go of the man's hand.

'I didn't feel a thing...'

With a dreaded expression, he looked at his arm.

'Is it broken?'

He gently pulled his arm, only to notice that his bones were fine. Even the back of his hand was fine, even though the impact was quite hard.

"N-No... I said nothing."

The audience held their breath, relieved that the man wasn't broken in half after antagonizing the stranger.

"Round two?"

With a terrified face, the man extended his hand forward and met Noah's.

Beads of sweat were forming on his forehead, understanding that his fate was sealed.

'I'm fucked.'

Giving up on fighting back, the man waited.

"One... Two... Three."

Again, Noah gave some leeway at the beginning.

'I'll at least try to hold my ground!'

A small flame fueled by pride ignited in the man's eyes. This time, instead of howling provocations, he focused on his arm and gave his everything.

"That's better. This is entertaining."

Noah controlled his strength and matched the beastman's power perfectly. People began to gather around them as a back-and-forth took place for a few minutes.

A genuine smile appeared on the beastman's face, while Noah genuinely enjoyed the moment of struggle as a simple man and not a Hero.

"Incredible!"

"I had no idea this guy was strong!"

"Go, stranger!"

People were cheering for the side they wanted to see win the most, and, after a few minutes, one side began to let go.

"Ack!"

The beastman's arm was sore. Pain was erasing the focus he had held until now, and his forearm slowly dropped backward.

"I'll ease your struggle."

Using his human strength, Noah pushed even harder, finally pressing the back of his opponent's hand on the table.

"It's my loss..."

Looking at the ceiling with a defeated look, the beastman smiled.

He dropped his gaze, ignoring the people watching him and cheering in the background.

"I'm a man of my word. What is it you want to do with me?"

With a resolute gaze, the man leaned on the table.

Noah crossed his arms and nodded.

"I wish to touch your ears and your tail."

"..."

Suddenly, the entire building went silent.

They exchanged a confused stare before one of them began to laugh.

"That's a good one!"

"Bwahaha~ Go for it, dude!"

"What a day! I'll have something to tell my wife later!"

The audience took his wish with a smile, and as they all returned to their original seats, the mood of the tavern became once again lively.