His suspicions confirmed, Van stood to his feet to defend himself. "I merely have explained how many of the demihumans are not the evil creatures people make them out to be, that some kinds are known that can be safely interacted with, and that there could be more like them.

Please lord elder, if you had seen the things I saw as a child in my hometown you would understand that the truth is not so simple as the

‘all monsters are evil’ teachings."

Now the elder stood, his expression furious. "Seen you say? Understand you say?! Sit back down and I'll tell you what I have seen and understood Mr. Levine! I have seen proud men bewitched by these

‘demihumans', their bodies and even their minds no longer their own as they endlessly give their seed to create more of the inhuman abominations. I have seen families torn apart by the abductions carried out by those savages. I have even seen our women transformed to be like them, all to birth even more of their kind. And because of this I understand that these- these things could never coexist with mankind for long without destroying it. To say or even think otherwise is dangerous in a town as small and unstable as this."

“Understand this Mr. Levine," Brook continued.

“Unlike most in this region I am fairly well-traveled and educated, so I know that in the lands you are from there are towns who allow some monsters to live among them, even afford them human rights," he practically spat in disgust when saying this.

“But it remains clear to me that such arrangements are doomed to failure. Can you prove otherwise?"

Van tried to calm his emotions, it was not as if the elder was being wholly unreasonable, some of his fears were justified. "I won't deny that there are dangerous ones, but most of them are only trying to survive the only way they know how to. To Lump them all together as a threat to mankind and to encourage the people to fear and hate them, wouldn't that only increase everyone's hostility and lead to more violence on both sides?"

Brook remained firm, “Better that than to be caught by them unawares.

Some of them are even known to blend in with human society, preying on our people without even being noticed. Those who sympathize are regarded with suspicion by the people, do you not realize that if you were a women you would likely have been put in the stocks already if not worse? Even so, if you keep this up they may yet accuse you of being one of them in disguise."

“But doesn't that also prove that some of them can adapt to human societies, even if they have to live in disguise to be accepted?" Van countered.

“They wear our forms the better to deceive the weak-minded and naive.

Call them demihumans, call them mamono, or even 'yokai' like those infidels in the Land of Zipangu. Call them whatever you like, it does not change what they are. They are not human, and that alone is reason enough to never trust them. When dealing with a man you inherently know something of his ways, but with those creatures... well, their motivations and ways serve only their own bizarre ends. Anything we have in common is only a disguise for their true intentions to alter and enslave humanity. I have received reports that entire towns in other regions have become part of the demon realm in recent years, the land the monsters control grows this way day by day. There are even fears that the human race could one day become extinct if this continues. How can one coexist with such terrible power? Fighting it is the only way and that alone is hard enough.”

The young man seemed unfazed.

“Then tell me how spreading all this fear and hate of them helps protect anyone? If you want to protect people then you need to give them the right information. Plus I don't see how fighting can be the only answer, even if the gods have decreed that we should destroy all the monsters."

"To your first question I say better to give false information that inspires caution than no information at all! Rumors are often all we have, you expect us to fact-check them!? As for the teachings of the church... it is true that it is impossible for small towns like this to fully adhere to them, the monsters are too powerful to kill off on our own, any offensive into their territory would be suicidal. But to outright go against the decree handed down by the Supreme God? Even here that could amount to blasphemy, and if you were in a town where the church held greater sway you could very well be put to death for iti

The gods... they were another touchy subject for Van.

“Is it blasphemy to ask why the gods keep telling us to do something that hasn't ever worked? Humans have been fighting the monster races for as long as anyone can remember, and all that's come of it has been pain and death for both sides. It seems to me that if the gods really knew what they were doing they would change their strategy to something better than ordering those hunting expeditions to kill any random monster the group manages to come across and sending ‘heroes’ time and time again to the demon realm to slay the demon lord only to have them not come back.”

Van went on, "Plus things are different now than they were way back before that succubus ascended the throne in the demon realm, with the way the monsters have changed from her influence it's a lot easier to communicate with them. If more influential people would just try to talk with them, to listen to them, I think we could find a way to live peacefully. They need us, and if we weren't so hostile maybe they wouldn't be so forceful. Wouldn't it be worthwhile to at least try?"