Ch.214Volume 16 (4)

I couldn’t hide my shock at Leona’s response. Just a few days ago, Kate had asked for my seed, and now it was Leona.

Especially since Leona had boldly declared she would become my wife in front of Marie before. That had been a misunderstanding due to cultural differences, but this time was somewhat different.

Leona might become the Warchief. And in that situation, she says she’ll bear my child to repay a debt.

Is this also part of beastkin culture? Since she directly mentioned it as a custom, it’s half certain.

“…What are you talking about now? Last time you were saying you’d become my wife.”

I quietly asked, not even bothering to wipe the coffee that had dribbled from my mouth. I was still in shock, completely dumbfounded.

And Leona awkwardly laughed at my question while scratching the back of her head.

She had said it herself, but she seemed rather embarrassed about it.

“I emphasize, this is only if I become Warchief. We beastkin consider bearing the Warchief’s descendant—that is, a lion’s descendant—as the highest form of repayment. If someone has done a personal favor or greatly helped the country, they’re granted the honor of carrying lion blood.”

“What if the genders are the same?”

“Then they ask the Warchief’s family or relatives, or vice versa, or sometimes they give their own child in the distant future. Anyway, all that matters is bearing a descendant with the Warchief’s blood.”

“Wow…”

To consider bearing the Warchief’s descendant an honor. Truly a barbaric yet very beastkin-like custom.

No wonder she boldly declared she would become my wife in front of Marie. With such cultural foundations, differences in common sense were inevitable.

I let out a hollow laugh at the beastkin culture that could only evoke amazement, then looked at Leona. She seemed troubled by her own words and was scratching her cheek.

“…You said beastkin consider it an insult if you refuse compensation, right?”

“Yes.”

“So if you become Warchief, I have no choice but to marry you?”

Leona thought carefully about my question, looking upward before answering.

“Hmm… we can get married if you want, or not if you don’t. All that matters is bearing a descendant.”

“Who raises the child?”

“You could raise it, or I could. If you want, you can just have the child and pretend not to know about it. Human culture and beastkin culture are different, so I can accept that much.”

“…”

I’m so flabbergasted I can’t speak. There’s one thing to note here.

Leona shows no sign of embarrassment. She might feel slightly awkward, but there’s almost no reaction of shame.

Since she confidently said she would become my wife last time, I’ve thought this, but she truly considers herself a “reward” in a very beastkin way.

As I was feeling the disconnect caused by our cultural differences, a thought suddenly struck me.

If she becomes Warchief, I have to have a relationship with her and bear a child. But what if Leona doesn’t become Warchief?

Could it be that the Warchief would “gift” Leona as a “reward”? This thought made me hurriedly ask:

“W-wait. This is if you become Warchief, but what about the opposite? Is it the same if someone else becomes Warchief instead of you?”

“Probably? If the Warchief has a daughter, they’d give her to you, right? If you can’t wait, they might send me. Anyway, as long as lion blood flows, that’s all that matters.”

“Oh. My God.”

How is it that my ominous premonition never fails? I merely gave advice using knowledge from my past life, but the situation has become complicated.

I can understand such a culture because barbaric customs still remain. But that’s from a third-party perspective; it’s very difficult to accept directly.

‘How am I going to explain this to Marie and Cecilly…’

I buried my face in my hands, feeling troubled. My relationship with Adelia was already complicated, and now Leona would be added to the mix.

Honestly, as a man, I’m happy that beautiful women express affection for me. But reality isn’t easy, as I realized after accepting Cecilly.

Fortunately, Marie and Cecilly get along well and make compromises, but I can’t predict what will happen if more women are added.

Even now, they’re competing over night activities, and more women would be added to deal with?

I’m not some stamina king from manga or novels, and it’s obvious I’ll have a very tough time.

“…Do you dislike me becoming your wife that much?”

Around the time I was despairing about my bleak future, Leona grumbled, perhaps misinterpreting my reaction.

I removed my hands from my face and looked at her. Her pride seemed hurt as she pouted with her lips and made a sulky expression.

Not a brave lion but more like a feisty cat—cute. I stared at the sulking Leona for a while.

First of all, Leona is pretty. There’s no denying she’s a beauty with auburn hair and golden eyes that shine like a beast’s.

Her wild beauty and the two ears perked up on her head made me want to touch them. Usually she’s fierce, but her sulky appearance now offered a contrasting charm.

How many men could refuse when such a beautiful woman volunteers to become their wife? But I need to seriously consider my current situation.

‘I should tell her that Cecilly is my lover too…’

If I do that, I’ll definitely have to reveal that I’m Xenon. Beastkin culture makes my position difficult in many ways.

Let me first comfort the sulking Leona. The longer I stay silent, the more it might hurt her.

“It’s not that, it’s because of my situation. Um… actually, I don’t have just one lover.”

“Ah. That demon princess?”

“Huh? H-how?”

I was genuinely surprised. While Marie might know, my relationship with Cecilly is kept secret except from my close acquaintances.

That’s why I’m careful when dating and try my best to avoid suspicion. For night activities, I secretly sneak out of the academy and handle everything in Helium.

But Leona noticed immediately. Moreover, she treated it as if it wasn’t a big deal.

When I showed a surprised reaction, Leona pointed at me with her index finger and answered:

“Smell.”

“Smell?”

“Yes. As you probably know, everyone has their own unique body scent. Yours is like lilac, Marie’s is refreshing like lemon, and the demon princess’s is sweet like peach. And occasionally, I smell lemon on you, but also peach. Unless bodies mix, it’s impossible for people’s scents to mix.”

“…”

“So I guessed, ah, the demon princess is becoming your wife too. But I didn’t need to tell anyone about it, right? So I kept my mouth shut. Don’t underestimate a beastkin’s sense of smell.”

Leona wiggled her finger as if saying “you rascal.”

Animal senses are far superior to humans’. The same must be true for beastkin.

It felt futile that all my efforts to hide were meaningless, but at the same time, I felt relieved.

I remained stunned for a while before letting out a hollow laugh and speaking.

“…Aren’t you curious about how Cecilly became my lover?”

“Not at all? If hearts match, you become spouses, that’s all. Or maybe you have some hidden power.”

I flinched slightly at those words. But she’s just thinking that way due to beastkin reasoning; she doesn’t even guess the truth.

“You have quite an easygoing personality, don’t you?”

“Say I’m beastkin-like.”

Leona proudly thrust out her chest and answered proudly.

So this is how differences between species manifest. I shook my head seeing that.

“So, because you have two lovers, it’s hard to accept me too? Because your lovers might refuse?”

“That’s closer. It’s awkward to refuse too. If I’m not careful, you might take it as an insult. Isn’t there any other compensation? Material compensation?”

“Think of me as that material compensation.”

“Ugh…”

I feel dizzy. The barbaric customs unique to beastkin remain so strong that I can’t deal with them using common sense.

Should I just accept it? Whether Leona becomes Warchief or not, it’s a problem.

From what I can see, Leona has already made up her mind… no, she doesn’t seem to think much about it.

Even though she’s lived at Halo Academy and learned about human customs, beastkin common sense is deeply rooted in her. So she doesn’t mind becoming my wife.

How can I politely refuse? This is beyond whether I like Leona or not; there are many practical problems.

As I was seriously contemplating with furrowed brows, Leona casually spoke:

“Don’t feel burdened and just accept it. And if I become Warchief, you can just have the child and ignore me, right?”

“You might not understand as a beastkin, but I’m human. I must take responsibility for my child.”

“Then I should take the path of not becoming Warchief.”

“Hm? What do you mean by that?”

“If I become Warchief, I have the duty to bear many descendants. So I’d have to accept other men as consorts, not just you.”

I frowned. Normally, it’s common for a male to have multiple females, but I’ve heard the opposite situation occasionally exists too.

And the Warchief is the king of beastkin. Power is also strength, so it’s a position no one can approach.

In other words, if Leona becomes Warchief, she’ll have to accept other men besides me.

Honestly, I don’t like that. If Leona were a complete stranger, I might have dismissed it as a unique custom, but not when she’s bearing my child.

Whether it’s because of my memories from my past life or just my selfishness, I felt aversion to that. From the beginning, I was uncomfortable with having a child outside of marriage.

“…I’m a bit reluctant about that? Can’t that be changed?”

“That’s hard to change. That’s why I don’t want to become Warchief. I’d rather be your third wife.”

“…Leona.”

“Yes?”

I looked at the giggling Leona with a troubled expression, then sighed.

Perhaps sensing something from my sigh, she also stopped laughing and put on a somewhat serious expression.

When a subtle silence descended, I slowly began to reveal my inner thoughts one by one.

“It might be because I’m human, or it might just be my personal view. I think there should be mutual affection before having a relationship, and the result of that is a child. I don’t think of it as ‘compensation’ or ‘duty’.”

“…”

“It’s definitely not that I dislike you. It’s just… how should I put it… it feels like you’re treating yourself as an object. At least I want to cherish and value my people. Not as objects, but as lovable women.”

Some might sneer at what nonsense this is, especially since I’ve already accepted Cecilly and received a confession from Adelia. But I really hate false affection.

Between people, there should be genuine feelings, not duty. At least that’s how I think as I live my current life.

The reason I’m implicitly accepting Adelia is also because of this. She doesn’t know I’m Xenon, but her affection for me is genuine.

“So I have to refuse you now. I’ll help prevent you from becoming Warchief as you want, but becoming my wife is something to think about gradually. I’m suggesting we build a relationship slowly as people, not as compensation.”

“What if I say I want to become Warchief?”

“Then let’s forget about the child. It would be better for both of us to remain just friends.”

It might seem selfish. I don’t like the idea of Leona having other men, but I’m also pushing away her becoming my wife.

Some might ask why not just close my eyes once and have a child, but pregnancy doesn’t happen that easily.

The birth rate of beastkin is similar to humans, so the fertility period should be similar too. So we’d have to do it at least a few times.

It’s impossible not to develop feelings during that time.

“Actually, it can be called selfish. I don’t like you having other men, and I’m refusing you becoming my wife on the grounds of affection. That’s how I feel right now.”

“…”

“What do you think?”

After hearing my inner thoughts that I somehow managed to express, Leona made a mysterious expression. I anxiously waited for her response.

If she were an ordinary human, I would deserve not just harsh words but even a slap. My statement was at a level where I couldn’t complain even if I got a mouthful of curses.

However, she currently perceives herself as a kind of commodity. This is the part I’m most concerned about.

I wished she would think of herself not as a commodity but as a person.

“…I see.”

After a moment, Leona nodded as if she understood. I tensed up inside.

What words would come out of her mouth? I had spoken, but I couldn’t help feeling anxious.

How much time had passed in silence? As I was waiting anxiously, Leona’s heavily closed mouth slowly began to open.

“I like it.”

“…What?”

“I said I like it.”

And quite an unexpected statement flowed from her mouth. On top of that, she even showed her characteristic cynical smile.

While I was dumbfounded, Leona crossed her arms and nodded as if she had understood on her own, then spoke.

“Yes. A male should rightfully have desires. That ambition to exclusively possess a female without sharing with anyone. I really like it.”

“No. That’s not what I meant…”

“I know. So you’re saying you want to feel affection from me, right?”

*Swish*

Leona uttered incomprehensible words and then revealed her tail that had been hidden in her pants. A tail like a lion’s with a brush-like end.

While I was distracted by the swishing tail, she abruptly stood up and slowly approached me.

Then, facing me directly, she grinned and slowly knelt down, presenting her head to me. Her perked-up ears captured my sight.

“Touch.”

“W-what?”

“I said touch my ears. You said you want to feel affection for me, right?”

At those words, I shifted my gaze to the two perked-up ears. Touching the tail is an act only allowed between spouses, and touching the ears means permission for affection.

So after hearing my words, she’s letting me touch her ears as a sign of affection. Not a metaphorical expression, but a direct expression in a beastkin way.

I didn’t know what to do, but Leona urged me by bringing her ears even closer. Eventually, I had no choice but to touch her head where the ears protruded.

*Stroke*

“Purr.”

Leona started purring like a cat when I touched her head. With a blank face, I focused on the sensation in my hand.

When I stroke Marie and Cecilly’s hair, I only feel softness, but Leona, being a beastkin, feels quite different. More rough than soft.

But it’s strangely addictive, making me want to keep stroking. In contrast, her ears are soft and squishy.

“Purr. Purr.”

Leona purred and rubbed her head vigorously as if urging more of my touch. I also stroked her head with a complicated expression.

It felt like having a big cat. This alone made me feel complex, but Leona, seemingly intoxicated by my touch, went even further.

*Lick*

“Ah!”

Grooming, a common behavior of feline animals. Leona grabbed my stroking hand and licked my palm with her tongue.

At this sudden act, I hurriedly pulled my hand away, and Leona, also seemingly surprised, quickly apologized.

“Ah. S-sorry. I didn’t mean to…”

“N-no. It’s okay. I was just a little surprised.”

“That’s good. Anyway, did you confirm my affection?”

Leona was still kneeling on the floor. This made her look up at me.

Behind her, her tail was swishing, and in front, her perked-up ears that seemed full of expectation confused my vision. Finally, her face was more cute than fierce.

Feeling my heart pounding, I covered my face with one hand. But that hand was the one Leona had just licked with her tongue.

After briefly feeling uncomfortable, I sighed deeply and spoke.

“…I’ll discuss it with the others.”

The number of women keeps increasing.