Ch.218Great Chief (4)

Though things proceeded as quickly as lightning strikes, the position of Grand Chief is not one to be decided hastily.

The conclusion was that Chinoa would become half Grand Chief, though it wasn’t 100% certain. As Baltic mentioned, they would need to coordinate with the opinions of the royal family and citizens, which would take considerable time.

However, I was relieved that Leona’s Grand Chief issue, which was my original goal, had been resolved smoothly. Leona had been concerned about Chinoa potentially becoming Grand Chief, but now she looked relieved.

“If I really become Grand Chief, just you wait.”

“People who say things like that are usually the least scary.”

As a bonus, Chinoa, who somehow found herself at risk of becoming Grand Chief, made a threat that wasn’t really a threat to me. Still, her reaction was more about being caught up in troublesome affairs rather than actual anger.

If Chinoa truly possessed the abilities I believed she did, she could govern Animus more wisely. With her dissatisfaction toward traditions, excellent political skills, and long-term vision, she might not be a great ruler, but at least a wise one.

I felt somewhat relieved, but then suddenly remembered the customs of the beastkin. I had previously heard that if Leona became Grand Chief, she would have to bear my child.

Would the same apply to Chinoa? As this thought occurred to me, I felt my face pale and asked with a slightly urgent voice.

“…Excuse me, but I previously heard from Leona that if she became Grand Chief, there’s a tradition that she would have to bear my child as compensation. Is that not true? Then if Ms. Chinoa becomes Grand Chief…”

“What? Want me to bear your child too?”

Chinoa asked with a sharp tone, seemingly already irritated. I immediately shook my head.

I didn’t want to be treated like a seed, which is why I helped Leona escape the position of Grand Chief, so I firmly declined. Above all, having relations with someone with an animal face was far from my preference.

Chinoa snickered at my reaction, then shrugged her shoulders and eased my anxiety.

“Sorry, but I don’t really follow such traditions. Humans prefer material things, right? I can gift you expensive jewelry or something.”

“That’s a relief.”

“Relief? That sounds somewhat offensive. Despite how I look, I’m considered pretty within Animus.”

“That’s not it. It’s because I have a lover.”

My reasonable excuse seemed to work as Chinoa stared at me for a moment before nodding. Being someone who disliked rigid traditions, she seemed to let it go without much concern.

It’s fascinating how this animal face is considered beautiful within Animus. Cultural differences are always intriguing.

In my previous life too, standards of beauty varied across cultures and eras, so this must be similar. I hope Leona isn’t considered ugly in Animus.

While I was lost in these useless thoughts, Chinoa spoke up.

“If you have a lover, it can’t be helped. I have five husbands myself, so it would be troublesome if you asked to mate.”

“You have five?”

“Yes. I’m capable and physically strong, so it’s natural for males to be attracted to me.”

Originally, hyenas form matriarchal societies where females are larger and much stronger than males. That fact seems to apply in this world too.

Additionally, hyenas have a mating culture that could be described as promiscuous. But since she mentioned having husbands, that might not be the case here.

When I looked at her with curious eyes, Chinoa puffed up proudly and confidently opened her mouth.

“What? Have you fallen for me? If you want, I could do it with you once.”

“Sorry, but your face is far from my preference.”

Animal faces are definitely not my thing. This is a preference that won’t change even if I die and come back to life.

If it were just animal ears and a tail on a human face like Leona, maybe, but certainly not a face with a protruding snout that’s closer to an animal like Chinoa’s.

“How strange. Could it be that you prefer faces like Miss Leona’s?”

“Yes.”

“M-me?”

Leona responded with a surprised voice to my short answer. Why are you the one surprised?

I’m actually more puzzled. Leona stayed at Halo Academy, so she should be familiar with human culture.

She should know that beastkin and human aesthetic senses are completely different, so her surprise was somewhat unexpected.

At least to my eyes, Leona’s beauty was excellent. Unlike Marie or Cecilly, she’s far from flashy and is rather wild, but that has its own charm.

“Why are you surprised? You’re beautiful by human standards.”

“R-really? I didn’t know. I thought my face was average or below by human standards.”

“Hmm… I can see why you might think that.”

Halo Academy has a higher proportion of nobles than commoners. And nobles generally have above-average looks.

There’s a reason Leona might think that way. There are people working within the academy, but Leona rarely goes out, focusing on her studies.

‘To think such a girl asked me to pat her head as a sign of affection…’

Leona’s face turned slightly red at the compliment about her appearance. Her ears also drooped downward, confirming it.

Unlike when she confidently declared she would become my wife or bear my child, she was now feeling shy. It’s certainly a rare sight.

I silently gazed at her before shifting my gaze forward and asking a related question.

“Are faces like Ms. Chinoa’s or Mr. Baltic’s popular among beastkin?”

“That’s right. I’m sorry to say this, but Leona… at least by our standards, is far from a beautiful face. Of course, everyone has their preferences, so this too can be seen as a cultural difference.”

“Then perhaps Leona’s mother too?”

“…My father was not particularly discriminating. The third mother, like Leona, had a face closer to human.”

Omnivorous, I suppose. Indeed, the world is full of diverse people with diverse tastes.

Thanks to that, she was able to enter Halo Academy, which can be seen as a good outcome. If she had an animal-like face, she wouldn’t have even attempted it.

“Anyway, let’s end our conversation here for today. As expected of a sage, you provide good insights.”

“I’m not at all.”

“Keep your mouth shut. It’s not even fully confirmed yet, so I’d appreciate it if you didn’t grumble.”

“If you’ve taken it well, I’m grateful.”

And so, the Grand Chief-related issue was somewhat settled. Chinoa seemed quite dissatisfied, but Baltic easily dismissed it.

And Leona…

“I’m… pretty…”

She still seemed preoccupied with what I had said earlier. She was cupping her flushed cheeks to compose herself, but it wasn’t helping much.

I decided to keep quiet watching this. But Baltic was a bit different, calling Leona’s name in a solemn voice.

“Leona.”

“Y-yes? Did you call me?”

“I understand your thoughts. I’ll abolish the idea of promoting you to Grand Chief.”

“Th-thank you.”

“But we must reward the sage. Sage.”

I’ve told you not to call me sage. But I just nodded, since he wouldn’t have any other suitable title to call me by anyway.

Baltic stared at me intently, then glanced at Leona beside him once more. Then, as if he had some thought, he nodded heavily and said quietly.

“You’ve probably heard from Leona, but we beastkin, when we receive a great favor, make one of our family members a wife. And among our family, Leona is the only woman.”

“I’ve heard that. I also know that refusal is taken as an insult.”

“You know well.”

I had anticipated that after hearing our conversation, he might have changed his mind or something along those lines. If so, I would need to consider my relationship with Leona more carefully.

“I entrust our Leona to you from now on. But I’d prefer if you had children after she graduates from the academy. Can you accommodate that much?”

“…I understand.”

Of course, the lions of Animus who lived and died by tradition don’t have such flexibility. I was foolish and stupid to think their minds would change after a brief conversation.

Meanwhile, Baltic smiled with satisfaction as I readily accepted, then shifted his gaze to Leona. Perhaps because it had now become an established fact with no way out, Leona tensed up.

“Leona. You must live wisely like your mother. Although she was the third wife, she was a great help to your father.”

“Yes. Of course I should.”

“Good. I’ll send your mother to the academy soon. She should at least see the face of the man who will become her husband.”

The meeting of the in-laws is proceeding smoothly, like a snake crossing a wall. It seems I should now put down all my concerns and accept it comfortably.

But if I accept Leona, I’ll have to tell her that I am Xenon. This isn’t a problem as I’ll tell her gradually, but there’s a bigger obstacle remaining.

‘How should I tell Sister Adel…’

That would be Adelia. After the duel with Hyria last time, Adelia confessed her feelings to me.

She said she would definitely protect me, and even if I didn’t accept her feelings, she would stay by my side.

If I fully accept Leona, it would deeply hurt Adelia’s heart. Even if she smiles and brushes it off on the surface, given her sensitive nature, she might cry in secret.

So I plan to tell Leona about this once Baltic and Chinoa leave. That we should take it slow on becoming husband and wife completely.

“We’ll be going now. You two have a cozy chat and confirm each other’s feelings.”

“Take care. If I really become Grand Chief, I’ll bring you some jewelry.”

During this time, Baltic and Chinoa, having nothing more to say, immediately rose from their seats. Leona and I also stood up to see them off.

However, Baltic gestured for us to sit down, saying there was no need to see them off. Even though it seemed impolite, I had to sit back down after hearing Baltic’s words.

“There’s no need for that. For beastkin, it’s polite to leave immediately after a topic of conversation ends unless there’s another topic to discuss. Humans call this ‘short and sweet’, right?”

“I think I understand.”

“As expected of a sage, your mind is sharp. We’ll be going now.”

After Baltic and Chinoa left, only Leona and I remained in the room. Unlike before, a strange awkwardness filled the room.

Until now, we could be described as ordinary friends, but soon we would become an undeniable husband and wife. Leona seemed to know this too, hesitating to open her mouth.

I was observing the subtle atmosphere when I cleared my throat and carefully began to speak.

No, I was about to speak.

“…Hey.”

“Leo… huh?”

“Am I really pretty?”

I was dumbfounded by Leona’s sudden question about her beauty. But Leona seemed quite serious, facing me directly.

Her ears stood upright, and her uniquely sharp eyes created a distinctive charm in contrast. Her flushed cheeks also showed a unique charm of contrasts.

I quietly gazed at her after watching her twitching ears. Her beauty, though far from flashy, held a different kind of beauty.

Especially the ears that stood up on her head were a charming point. They were the epitome of cuteness, far from fierceness. Who could say this appearance is ugly?

“Of course. At least to my eyes, you’re pretty.”

“More than your lovers?”

“It’s wrong to compare like that. They have their own beauty, and you have yours. You’re just as pretty as they are.”

It’s the sincere truth without a hint of lie. Marie has her own characteristics, and Cecilly has her own unique features. The same goes for Leona.

Leona seemed to realize there was no falsehood in my words, as the frequency of her ear twitching increased. Additionally, her face turned even redder.

After staring at my face for a while, she eventually turned her gaze elsewhere. Judging by her occasionally trembling golden eyes and wavering lips, she seemed embarrassed.

“Th-thank you. It feels strange hearing it from you.”

“You could hear it from others too, not just me. But before that, Leona.”

“Yes. Tell me.”

“Actually… there’s something I need to tell you.”

I immediately brought up the story related to Adelia as soon as the opportunity arose. Leona showed curiosity when the story of a woman other than Marie and Cecilly came up.

Of course, I briefly explained her circumstances, omitting the truth that Adelia was an illegitimate child of the Kingdom of Teres. I hadn’t told Marie and Cecilly either.

Originally, I was planning to reveal it when I fully accepted Adelia, but with the variable of Leona, it couldn’t be helped.

“…so it’s hard for me to accept right away. She confessed to me, and Sister Adel is also waiting.”

“Why not just accept her? What’s the problem?”

“There are circumstances. I’ll explain this gradually. So, can you wait?”

In response to my request, Leona blinked her golden eyes a few times, then tilted her head and answered as if she couldn’t understand.

“I don’t mind. I just want to become your wife.”

“…So you can wait?”

“Why couldn’t I wait? If that’s what you think, then I should follow. Submitting to the male. This is the basic family structure of beastkin.”

Ah, right. She’s a beastkin. I feel like a fool for worrying unnecessarily.

Still, I couldn’t help but feel grateful for her consideration. Honestly, she could have taken it badly, but she brushed it off as if it were nothing.

Feeling grateful to her, I slowly extended my hand and gently stroked her head. Last time, she had suggested it first, but this time, I offered my touch first.

This means that I too am expressing affection. Leona seemed to understand the meaning, as her eyes widened before she smiled broadly and leaned her head against me.

“Purr. Purrrr.”

As I cradled her head, Leona purred like a cat, showing her pleasure. She always seems more like a cat than a lion.

Behind her, her brush-like tail swayed back and forth, tempting me to touch it. However, touching the tail is only possible after becoming a complete couple, so I intend to firmly resist.

While we were expressing our affection for each other, Leona, who had been purring contentedly, raised her head. It truly felt like an adorable cat looking up at me.

“Issac.”

“Yes?”

“Then do you plan to mate with that female before mating with me?”

My stroking hand stopped abruptly at the word “mate.” Just as she referred to men and women as males and females, she seemed to call sexual relations “mating.”

I was quite taken aback by the direct question but regained my composure. Since I had already understood that Leona had a straightforward personality, I didn’t stammer.

“I guess so? It might take a while.”

“I see. That’s a bit disappointing. I was hoping we could start three days from now.”

“Three days from now? Why?”

“Because that’s when my heat starts.”

“…Heat?”

I couldn’t help but flinch again at the word “heat.” I could immediately understand what it meant just by hearing it, but I needed a more detailed explanation.

Leona, nestled in my arms, rubbed her face against me and explained about her heat.

“We beastkin have heat cycles at specific intervals. In human terms, it’s like menstruation. I’m a lion beastkin and take after my mother, so it comes once a month. It’s similar to the human menstrual cycle.”

“…So your sexual desire surges during that time?”

“Very accurate. The reason beastkin can’t resist their instincts is because of heat. Since we’re becoming a couple anyway, I wanted to try it with you. We can use contraception, right?”

“Y-yes. But still, no.”

Leona accepted my hesitant but firm answer, saying she understood. It seems she was just testing the waters.

I was relieved by her permission, but then a worst-case scenario that could occur in the future came to mind.

‘Wait. What if Cecilly’s bad cycle and Leona’s heat overlap…’

I should prepare thoroughly for that time. Otherwise, not only my waist but also my vitality would be completely drained.

I also need to accelerate my writing to more smoothly receive divine power. I had originally planned to take it easy, but now I have to write to survive.

‘…Now I have to write to stay alive.’

The readers might be happy, but it’s a sad situation for me.