Ch.148Beast-kin (3)

Taming Leona… no, I knew how to coax her. All that remained was getting information about beastkin from her.

I gathered fragmented information through the books Cyris gave me, then asked Leona questions to compare and verify.

Thanks to this, I could collect information quickly, but there was a concern. Unlike other races, beastkin had an incredibly diverse range of tribes.

Leona identified herself as a lion beastkin, so she told me many things in exchange for steak—what traits were exceptional, what weaknesses they had, and so on. But I had no way to verify information about other tribes.

She knew details about the three major beastkin tribes—the Tiger Tribe, Lion Tribe, and Bear Tribe—but for other animal tribes? That naturally raised questions.

“Crunch! Crunch! Don’t worry about that. There’s hardly anyone who knows more about my kind than I do.”

“What makes you so confident?”

“Isn’t getting into Halo Academy enough proof?”

Chomp! Chomp!

Leona answered confidently while deliciously gnawing on bones. I nodded, finding her explanation reasonable.

It had been three days since I started training Leona with delicious food. I was now accustomed to watching her chew bones.

Dating Marie wasn’t a problem either. After brief interviews with Leona, I’d be done by 8 PM at the latest. Since our dates usually ended at the inn anyway, staying out late wasn’t an issue.

Though the innkeeper had started giving us that “you two again?” look, which was a bit embarrassing. Regardless, Marie looked happy just being with me until the next day.

I too could start my day more energetically by seeing my beloved’s face first thing in the morning.

‘Still, I should restrain myself for a while to avoid suspicion.’

A woman’s intuition is truly frightening. Marie had been giving me suspicious glances more than once since I’d been having meals alone with Leona so frequently.

Fortunately, Marie seemed to trust me firmly. Still, I couldn’t reveal that Leona was a beastkin, so I needed to exercise restraint before facing an awkward situation.

Besides, today was Friday, the last weekday. After today, I planned not to consult Leona for a while, and tomorrow I had plans with Nicole.

Marie was also busy with her brother and family matters today, so we’d arranged to meet tonight. We’d probably wake up at the inn again the next morning.

‘I could invite Marie to join Nicole and me for a meal.’

We’d eventually become family anyway, so including Marie wouldn’t be a bad idea. Since they’d dined together before, Nicole would likely agree readily.

As for Adelia… I wasn’t sure. Even after her private meeting with Nicole, her behavior hadn’t changed, but the atmosphere had become subtle.

Her characteristic skinship continued, but somehow the frequency increased, and she’d occasionally hug me from behind. I could definitely say these weren’t actions one would take with a friend’s younger brother.

‘Seeing that my sister hasn’t said anything, it’s probably fine…’

Adelia felt both the same and different, making it hard to be certain. After all, she was behaving the same way toward Nicole.

I simply thought we’d grown closer since the exhibition. With her personality being the complete opposite of Nicole’s strict but secretly soft nature, it felt like having a new older sister.

If Adelia truly had romantic feelings for me… especially knowing about my engagement to Marie…

‘…I’ll think about that tomorrow.’

Right now, getting more information from Leona was important. The 13th volume would be published soon, so I needed to prepare in advance.

When I emerged from my thoughts and looked at Leona:

“Lick. Lick.”

“…”

“The sauce is delicious too.”

No. Please show some restraint.

I almost blurted this out but barely held back. Her bizarre behavior didn’t stop at eating bones.

As if expressing her desire to eat every last bit, she was licking the sauce left in the dish. I was too dumbfounded to say anything.

When she finally put down the dish, it looked as clean as if it had been washed. I stared at the dish in speechlessness before shifting my gaze to Leona.

She looked blissfully happy, oblivious to my feelings. Her ears were perked up high as if about to shoot toward the sky.

“Mmm~ That was delicious. I could eat this every day without getting tired of it.”

“…”

“Hm? Why are you looking at me like that?”

Leona blinked her pumpkin-bright golden eyes as she asked me. She seemed completely unaware of what she’d done.

Seeing this, I felt truly fortunate that she had no friends. If she did, they would have noticed she was a beastkin long ago.

Perhaps she only displayed such behavior in front of me. I knew she was a beastkin, and she knew that I knew, so there was no need for her to pretend.

“…You don’t eat like this in the cafeteria, do you?”

“Come on. Even I’m not that bad. Besides, I can eat as much as I want in the cafeteria, right?”

“How many portions do you eat in one sitting?”

“Hmm? I just eat until I’m full.”

Hearing her answer, I checked beside her. She had already devoured three plates, stacked on top of each other.

For reference, the steaks weren’t small—they were rather large. I was told they came from elephant-sized cows.

Even I, who had been eating more as my body grew, found it difficult to finish such portions. And I had more muscle mass than average people due to my past knight training.

“Yesterday too, and the day before—are all beastkin big eaters like you?”

“We have to be. Beastkin have more muscle mass than other races. You could say our innate physical abilities are superior to all other races.”

Leona paused briefly before asking me a question.

“Hey. How much do you think I weigh?”

“What?”

“How much do you think I weigh?”

“Hmm…”

At that question, I looked her up and down. She appeared to be tall, around 170cm, with an overall slender figure.

Her school uniform concealed whether she was thin or not, with only her chest visible. She had a medium-sized bust—neither too small nor too large.

Considering that and bone weight, I estimated about 55kg. That seemed about right.

“Around 55kg?”

“Wrong. 85kg.”

“What?”

That’s impossible. Even I, standing over 180cm with increased muscle mass, didn’t weigh 80kg. Was this the so-called internal muscle I’d heard about?

Seeing my reaction, Leona gave her typical cynical smile and explained step by step.

“Heavier than you thought, right? If I were a man, I might weigh over 90kg. We beastkin specialize in our ‘physical bodies’ themselves. Elves and demons may have affinity with mana, but their physical bodies aren’t much different from humans.”

“Ah. I’ve heard about that.”

Everyone knows that elves and demons are naturally physically stronger. The same goes for beastkin.

However, elves and demons don’t have stronger muscles or weight classes than humans—they just have much stronger mana affinity. This means their weight and physical class are similar to humans, as I’ve read in papers. But apparently not for beastkin.

In other words, elves and demons have developed software, while beastkin have strong hardware.

As for humans… we can only shed tears. With a bitter feeling, I spoke up.

“I’ve heard beastkin are ignorant. Is that why? With such good bodies, you rarely needed to use your heads.”

“Exactly right. But as the world changed, there were too many things that couldn’t be solved with physical strength alone. Now we need to use our heads.”

Leona proudly tapped her head with her finger. She seemed proud of herself for being a beastkin who had entered Halo Academy.

“Since you have more muscle mass than other races, your food intake naturally increases… How many portions does each person eat? Is there no food shortage?”

“Before Hick founded Animus, each tribe faced severe food shortages. This led to raiding customs, which is why humans call us barbarians. Honestly, I’m sorry to say this, but… humans were the easiest targets for us, and they had the most fertile land. Elves and demons were too strong, making raids too costly, and dwarves built their cities in mines, making them impossible to raid.”

“What about now?”

“Now we farm and have ranches, so there’s no major problem. But as the beastkin population grows, our territory naturally needs to expand…”

Leona glanced at me nervously and let her words trail off. She didn’t explicitly state what would follow, but I could guess.

Food is a crucial challenge not just for beastkin but for all humanity. Even in my previous life, people suffered from famine until the early 20th century, before the invention of nitrogen fertilizer. Fritz Haber wasn’t called “the scientist who made bread from air” for nothing.

Even in this world with magic, food shortages remain unsolved. Make the land fertile with magic?

Then insects, birds, and even various monsters appear to harm crops, causing many problems. Magic isn’t a cure-all.

Without nitrogen fertilizer, which solved humanity’s food crisis, famines can occur anywhere, anytime. Fortunately, in this world, “gods” exist, so prayers can help resolve poor harvests.

Despite the absence of nitrogen fertilizer, the total population approaches 2.5 billion thanks to magic and gods. But at this rate, even that might not solve future famines, potentially leading to catastrophe.

‘I should consider this too.’

I wrote “Great Famine” in my notebook and marked it with a star. I wouldn’t include it in the Biography of Xenon immediately, but in a sequel. Few disasters promote conflict and rapidly collapse civilizations like a great famine.

Moreover, now that I knew beastkin were honor-bound warrior groups, conflict with humans seemed inevitable. I could include a mention of human-beastkin conflict at the end of Xenon’s biography as a teaser for the sequel.

Of course, I planned to write this after completing the Second World War.

“Doesn’t your country have granary regions?”

“We have many granary regions. But the beastkin population is growing rapidly day by day. There are 500 million beastkin and 1.6 billion humans, but even beastkin children eat enormous amounts, so it’s practically similar. Whenever problems arise, we pray to Lord Hirt for resolution, but… that alone won’t be enough.”

“So eventually you’ll have to go to war with humans. Humans currently possess the most land.”

Leona silently nodded. She was watching my reaction, different from her usual confident self.

Was she reluctant about war with humans, or was it because I was human? Either way, conflict between humans and beastkin seemed inevitable.

‘The Second Racial War might… center around humans and beastkin.’

Three hundred years after the Racial War, the world has undergone significant changes. Humans, who united under the name of alliance to pressure elves, have become politically divided, while beastkin have steadily accumulated power.

It’s hard to predict which side elves, demons, and dwarves would take, but the structure might be similar to the first war.

“…Hey.”

“Yes?”

“Can I ask you something?”

Just as an awkward silence was about to settle, Leona cautiously called out to me. I nodded at her question.

She hesitated, moving her lips, then looked straight at me. Her golden eyes held a mixture of worry and concern.

“Um… you humans are strong, right?”

“Objectively speaking, yes.”

“Do you think we beastkin can defeat you humans?”

So that’s what it was. Hearing her question, I stared at Leona’s face. She looked extremely anxious but also held a subtle expectation.

Ordinary people don’t usually ask such questions. Although human-beastkin relations are notoriously bad, as seen at the exhibition, some beastkin do integrate into human society.

Moreover, before the publication of Xenon’s biography, “demons” were the common enemy, so both sides kept quiet. But now that demons’ reputation has skyrocketed, they’re difficult to maintain as enemies.

Therefore, friction between humans and beastkin, who have been thorns in each other’s sides, will intensify day by day. With food issues on top of that, conflict between the two races is inevitable.

‘I wonder if she’s the daughter of some chieftain?’

Her detailed knowledge of Animus politics and her emphasis on being a lion beastkin suggested she wasn’t an ordinary person. Adelia’s example made me think along these lines.

I needed to answer her question. Putting aside my thoughts, I responded:

“I think it’s entirely possible.”

“Why? Just so you know, I don’t like sugar-coated words.”

“I’m not sugar-coating—I’m being objective. As you know, humans have something that stands out in war: unity. Through that unity, they claimed victory over elves and, furthermore, mercilessly massacred your beastkin.”

“…”

When I mentioned the worst history for beastkin, Leona’s lips tightened. I explained in a gentle voice so she could understand.

“But 300 years have passed since then, and the human population has exploded with diverse factions. Do you know what this means? It’s a structure that inevitably leads to political division. The kind of unity seen in the human alliance 300 years ago is difficult to expect now. As for beastkin? While they’re not without internal issues, they’re much better off than humans. The situation could be reversed.”

“…You mean beastkin could unite as one?”

“If there’s a common goal, it’s not entirely impossible.”

“Is war really necessary?”

“Huh?”

This was an unexpected question. I had assumed war was inevitable, but Leona’s thoughts seemed different.

While I was taken aback, Leona spoke with a somewhat sad expression.

“I wonder if war is… really necessary. Humans like politics, don’t they? Couldn’t we beastkin do the same?”

“Well. I can’t say it’s impossible, but history proves otherwise. Throughout history, when one power grows stronger, other powers often attack to check that growth. And as you said earlier, you need to expand your territory to support your growing population. Can conflict really be avoided in such a situation?”

“…”

Whether my facts hit home or not, Leona’s ears, which had been perked up, drooped downward. Her expression also became noticeably gloomy, making me feel sorry for saying anything.

But at the same time, I was puzzled. Leona was a beastkin, and furthermore, she identified herself as a lion beastkin, suggesting a bellicose nature.

I expected her to choose war, but surprisingly, she seemed to lean toward peace.

“Leona.”

“…”

“This might sound cruel, but reality and ideals should be distinguished. If you were capable of turning ideals into reality, you’d be recorded in history like Hick, the national father and hero of Animus. He gathered scattered beastkin, founded a nation, and freed them from threats. A wise leader must compromise with reality rather than pursue ideals. I don’t know why you’re hiding your identity and enrolled in the academy, but I suspect it’s related, so I’m giving you this advice.”

Those who achieve their ideals, for better or worse, are recorded in history. That’s how difficult it is.

I didn’t know what path Leona wanted to take, but I felt I should advise her. Otherwise, she might stubbornly lead herself to ruin.

After pondering my words for a while, Leona smiled somewhat bitterly. Then, looking at me, she quietly said:

“You sound exactly like my mother. She also said ideals and reality must be clearly distinguished.”

“Your mother is wise. So, has your mind changed?”

“I’ll think about it after graduation first. By the way, you really speak well. Are you really 17? Are you actually older?”

“…”

Though she meant it as a joke, it stung a bit. Leona chuckled as I smiled wryly.

Since the mood had lightened, I voiced a question I’d been curious about.

“…Leona.”

“Yes?”

“Why did you enroll in the academy?”

To that question, Leona answered as if it were nothing special.

“To make my mother happy.”

“…”

So she was a filial daughter.

“Can I order one more plate?”

“Oh, come on.”