Volume 2, Chapter 7 – Celtic City

As a crucial frontier city connecting the Kingdom of Hels and the Niru Diocese, Celtic City is a sprawling metropolis primarily inhabited by humans but also home to a mix of other races.

During the day, the streets are filled with travelers, the air thick with the scent of sweat, fresh herbs from market stalls, and the aroma of various spices. The clatter of hooves and the shouts of vendors fill the streets. For a village girl who grew up in the countryside, the sheer liveliness of the scene would be overwhelming, leaving her utterly bewildered.

In fact, sitting inside the carriage, Yisi was acting much like a country bumpkin on her first visit to the city, constantly peering out through the small side windows.

“It’s much livelier here than Niru City—no, it feels more… bustling, more down-to-earth.”

In Niru City, streets were lined with residents wearing crosses around their necks, whereas the people here weren’t bound by such rigid customs.

Responding to Yisi’ remark, Camilla, also visiting Celtic City for the first time, murmured in awe,

“And beastfolk can walk freely on the streets too.”

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In Niru City, while beastfolk—humans with partial animalistic traits (traditional green-skinned orcs ¹ here most of the time they use orcs for beastfolk/beastman/beastkin, so i change it. its weiirdd to call your cutie humanoid fox an orc do they? were called “Orks”)—did exist, they were only allowed outside under their masters’ supervision. Here in Celtic City, however, beastfolk roamed without such restrictions, though they still wore leather collars around their necks, with no masters in sight.

The subordinate appointed by Nix as their coachman turned his head to explain,

“Is this your first time in Celtic City, ladies? Beastfolk being allowed to walk freely like this only started five years ago. In the past, the Kingdom of Hels, much like the Ymir Church, practiced human supremacism—humans were first-class citizens, while beastfolk were second-class. But after the previous king enacted new laws, beastfolk were granted equal status to humans.”

The coachman’s answer made Yisi tilt her head in confusion.

“But they’re still wearing collars.”

“Those are slaves. The new laws in Celtic City have only been in effect for two years. These beastfolk were originally slaves—the new laws elevated beastfolk from second-class to first-class citizens, but they didn’t automatically free the slaves.”

“I see…”

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Though she had known beforehand that this world operated under harsh rules, seeing it firsthand still left her with a sense of dissonance. She had been too idealistic.

Yisi shifted her gaze to the buildings lining the streets. Celtic City’s architectural style wasn’t much different from Niru City’s—both were stone-built metropolises of gray masonry. The only distinction was that Celtic City was chaotic and unplanned. The streets twisted haphazardly, their widths constantly changing—one stretch might allow two carriages to pass side by side, while the next narrowed into a single lane. These shifts occurred every few dozen meters, making the roads messy and congested.

Clearly, urban planning wasn’t a concept here. People could build whatever they wanted on land they purchased.

As the carriage crossed a stone bridge, the surroundings underwent a stark transformation.

The two-to-four-story stone buildings vanished, replaced by a cluster of low-rise structures—single-story, cramped, their exteriors green with neglect under the sun. It felt like entering a different city altogether. The number of pedestrians dwindled, leaving an impression of desolation.

Sensing the shift, Yisi hesitantly asked,

“Is this… the slums?”

Reαԁ oո КаtRеаdiոɡCafe

“No, the slums are further west. The people living here are either lower-income families or demi-humans. The new laws only elevated beastfolk to first-class citizens. Second- and third-class citizens—elves, beastman, vampires—even if they had money, could only live here.”

“Do they allow vampires here?”

“Yes, but third-class vampires must have three first-class citizens vouch for them to enter the city. Ordinary vampires would never gain human approval, so they can only exist as slaves under a master’s supervision.”

“That’s harsh…”

The coachman shrugged at Yisi’ comment.

“It can’t be helped. Demi-humans have much higher crime rates than humans. Without restrictions, order would collapse entirely.”

“What about the Fallen? Can they live here too?”

Reаd οո КаtRеαԁіոɡСαfе

Last night, Yisi had asked Camilla about the Mark of the Fallen. Camilla’s response was that she had noticed the mark on Yisi disappearing long ago, but since Yisi never brought it up, she never mentioned it. By the time Camilla had grown beyond blindly following orders, the disappearance of the mark had been attributed to Yisi’s deliberate actions.

“The Fallen? They live here too, but like vampires, they’re third-class citizens. No one’s willing to vouch for them, so they can only stay as slaves.”

As she listened to the coachman’s explanation, Yisi glanced at her Omniscient Map. Just as he said, most demi-humans and the Fallen in the city resided in this area. The people on the streets wore thin, tattered clothing, their gaunt frames looking as if they might collapse at any moment.

On the map, nearly twenty percent of the people here were marked with the status “Starving.” Yisi couldn’t help but recall the blood slaves she had seen earlier—they had willingly become slaves because starvation left them no other choice but to seek help from the wealthy.

“Lord Nix mentioned that you, Lady Benefactor, wanted to run a tavern in this city. I’d advise against buying land in this district. Demi-humans are not only greedy but also vicious by nature. While someone of your strength would have no trouble dealing with troublemakers, being harassed daily by lower-class citizens would still be a nuisance.”

“Understood. Thanks for the advice.”