Recently, among the upper-class beastmen, a trend had been spreading like wildfire: sending their children to study abroad in the Empire. In response, a line of criticism had arisen, led mainly by young war hawks, decrying Imperial study as an act of selling out their people. But this current of opinion quickly died down.
The reason was simple: there were more foreign students on the side of the war hawks than among the peace advocates. The snake beastman, Miriam, was one such person. She had completed a one-year general education course at an eastern provincial magic academy in the Empire.
It didn’t matter that she couldn’t do magic. She had been a well-paying general studies undergraduate, after all. Her life in the Empire had involved more eating than learning, yet it had yielded its own results.
The title of having "tasted Imperial waters" was more than enough for her to be called an elite within the snake beastman tribe. Thanks to that study abroad and a few strokes of luck, she had managed to rise to the position of Shahalian’s personal attendant.
Today, as always, she was finishing her daily tasks—organizing Shahalian’s splendid ceremonial robes and presenting a warm, damp towel for relieving fatigue. Lately, however, every time Miriam saw her lord, Shahalian, she felt a strange sense of dissonance. Shahalian spoke to Miriam.
"Well done today."