Leona confidently declared that she would become my wife, which instantly made the atmosphere awkward. It wouldn’t have been a big deal if I were alone, but the presence of Marie added complexity to the situation.
Leona seemed to sense that something was wrong as she lowered her gaze and discreetly glanced around, but due to coughing, I couldn’t provide a proper explanation.
Amidst this, Marie, who had been wearing a bewildered and slightly flustered expression, quietly called out to Leona.
“Leona.”
“Yes? What is it?”
“I don’t quite understand, but do you know that Isaac and I are in a relationship?”
“Of course, I know.”
“But isn’t it a bit strange to talk about it openly in front of me?”
Marie’s words were hesitant, but her disbelief was evident. After all, from Marie’s perspective, Leona could be seen as a threat to our relationship.
Leona blinked a few times in response to her question and then answered with a timid voice, quite unlike her usual self.
“… Is it strange for humans? Humans sometimes give their daughters away in marriage or have multiple wives. That’s why I said it…”
“Cough! There’s a… cough! difference in cultural norms among our species. Cough. I’ll explain properly.”
It seemed that I had misunderstood a lot of what I had learned so far. Once we had calmed down a bit, I began to teach her everything step by step.
As Leona mentioned, giving one’s own child as an offering was a practice that was common in the distant past, as a part of their culture. It was common to offer one’s child as a tribute to a warrior who had contributed greatly to a war effort. This concept still exists today, albeit somewhat obscured by the shadow of “strategic marriages.” The idea remains similar but is now about ensuring one’s own interests.
“Oh, so it’s not necessary to offer one’s own child as a tribute. You can offer something else as tribute?”
“Yes, and as you mentioned, while it can be a tribute, it is also strategically used in politics. Humans are known to value kinship relationships, so even through marriage, they consider those they marry into as family. The emergence of strategic marriages is a result of this.”
“I see. I understand now.”
Humans, being the most fragile species, have had a tendency to stick together since ancient times and have built civilizations through this unique kinship. This unique kinship has even given rise to the peculiar custom of strategic marriages.
On the other hand, beastmen have a strong sense of independence. So, if they decide to marry and establish a family, they are treated almost like outsiders.
Of course, it’s not that beastmen lack familial bonds, and if anyone touches their family, they become extremely angry. This remains the same even after marriage. Treating them like outsiders means there is little interference, and they willingly help if asked for assistance.
The concept of “tribute” that Leona mentioned is purely about giving one’s own child as a form of tribute, without any political reasons.
“So, what about polygamy? Humans also have cases where males have multiple females, right? Is this also due to political reasons?”
“Yes, and if a peaceful agreement is not reached in such cases, it can become quite troublesome. Mating disputes are common, and there are often headaches caused by one’s own offspring. What about beastmen?”
“We naturally obey the males. The fact that a male can lead multiple females means that the male has strong and excellent genes. Even my father has five wives, you know?”
Leona, while enjoying the remaining steak, explained the ecology of beastmen to me. As expected, their customs were similar to animals since they were based on animals. After listening to her explanation and pondering for a while, a curious question came to mind, so I asked her.
“Then, do females ever lead multiple males?”
“It’s very rare. If a strong female appears, an even stronger male will usually defeat her and accept her as his wife. So, it’s extremely unlikely for a strong female to bring multiple males.”
“… …”
It’s truly a kingdom of animals in the truest sense. I think I now understand why they call beastmen savages.
“Well, then it doesn’t matter if you give a different reward, right?”
“No, it doesn’t matter. Do you have something in mind?”
“Um…”
Chew, chew…
Leona now chewed the T-bone steak bones meticulously. She raised her gaze as if deeply contemplating, then smiled brightly and answered energetically.
“No, I don’t!”
“… …”
“… …”
The silence settled into an uncomfortably self-assured stillness. The response had been too cheerful, almost to the point of making one wonder if they had misheard.
Leona, after gulping down a bone like it was a snack, glanced around at both of us with a bitter smile.
“…There really are no other options here. Even if I’m the chief’s daughter, all I have is my body as the third wife’s daughter.”
“… …”
“But still, if you use the wisdom you’ve shown me to change Animers, I’ll definitely give you a reward, even if it’s not me! So, don’t make that kind of face…”
The more she spoke, the more Leona’s voice seemed to waver. Judging by the way her ears were pinned back, it seemed she wasn’t entirely sure herself.
I hesitated whether to laugh or sigh at her reaction. It was quite a contrast from Leona’s usual cynical demeanor.
“You can take your time thinking about the reward. Are you planning to return to Animers for now?”
“Yeah, I’ll clean up first and then head back. I’m not sure if it’ll go well, but they’ll definitely listen to my voice.”
“Alright. Is there anything else you’re curious about?”
“Curious… well, has the scent on your body changed at all? Not like perfume, but more like a natural floral scent?”
“I received quite a bit of divine power, that’s why.”
After that, we had some rather trivial conversations. In between, Maríe asked questions about the beastmen, and Leona diligently answered while crunching on the bones.
“Leona. If it’s alright, can you show me your ears?”
“Huh? I’m already showing them.”
“Oh, not those ears. I mean the part where humans have ears. It’s covered by your hair, so it’s not very visible.”
“Well, there’s nothing there, but if you insist…”
In response to Marie’s question, Leona nonchalantly lifted her head to reveal her human-like ears. There was indeed nothing where there should have been ears on a human. It was empty.
Marie looked at it with fascination for a moment before quickly moving on to her next question.
“How about your tail? Can you show me your tail too?”
“Curiosity seems to run strong in you, just like a couple. Here you go.”
With a swish, Leona revealed her tail, which she had been hiding beneath her school uniform pants, rather than her skirt. Being a lioness beastwoman, her tail had a thick, bushy tip, reminiscent of a lion’s tail.
I, too, looked at Leona’s tail with amazement since it was my first time seeing it. The swaying motion of her tail stirred an impulse in me to reach out and touch it.
“Can your tail move on its own too?”
“Of course. Ta-da!”
“Wow.”
When Leona formed a heart shape with her tail, Marie gasped in excitement beside her. It was the expression of a child who had just discovered a new toy. At that moment, with a somewhat proud smile on her face, Leona heard Marie’s slightly excited voice as she made a request.
“Hey, can I touch it?”
“Absolutely not. The tail is a sensitive area for beastmen. Only spouses can touch each other’s tails.”
“Oh, really? I didn’t know that.”
Thanks to this, I learned one more thing about beastmen culture. After playing around for a while, Leona put her tail back into her pants, and that was the end of it. Marie was a bit disappointed, but she couldn’t keep insisting since it would be impolite.
“Time has passed so quickly. Let’s start getting up now. Leona, you’ve finished eating too…”
“…There’s no need to wash dishes.”
Leona’s steak plate, which she handled, was clean without a single drop of sauce. I wondered what the waiter would think if they saw it. Leona looked a bit embarrassed as she watched our reactions, but she chuckled and scratched her head.
“I’m sorry for always receiving like this. Although I’m just saying this, I’ll definitely compensate you.”
“Okay. Please don’t make remarks like you’ll become a wife like earlier.”
In response to my request, she made a slightly cautious expression and spoke quietly.
“…Before that, there’s something I want to tell you.”
“What is it?”
“We beastmen have a cultural tradition where if we receive something, we must reciprocate it. Even if you refuse, Animer’s side will find a way to reward you somehow. If you reject it, they’ll take it as a severe offense.”
“Just say that you came up with it. Say it’s the wisdom you gained from attending the Academy.”
“Absolutely not. Lying within a family is one of the greatest sins to beastmen. I must definitely confess that it’s the wisdom you’ve shared.”
“Hmm…”
If that’s the culture, there’s nothing we can do about it. I hesitated for a moment and then shrugged lightly.
“Even if it’s something strange, it’s okay. So don’t feel too burdened and just do what makes you comfortable.”
“…Thank you. I won’t forget this favor.”
“What favor? Anyway, I hope everything works out well.”
I mean it. Seeing her ask for a favor, despite not being close to me usually, I can tell how desperate she must be feeling. As we were about to part ways outside the restaurant, Leona called me.
“Isaac.”
She used my name instead of her usual ‘Hey, you.’ I looked at Leona with slight surprise.
“Yes?”
“I said to you that ‘apples sometimes fall far from the tree’ before, right? I want to apologize for that.”
Leona said, bowing her head politely as she spoke. I blinked as I watched her. Now that I think about it, I heard her say something like that regarding my father. It wasn’t necessarily incorrect, so I didn’t get angry, but it seemed to have bothered her in some way. She then lifted her bowed head, revealing a bright smile with her fangs slightly visible as she spoke.
“Indeed, under a lion, a lion is born. Just because one is powerful doesn’t mean they are strong in every way. Isn’t that right?”
“Well… that’s one way to put it.”
“You should remember that a king must be wise, even if you can’t become one. Making that king wise is enough.”
It seemed like she had her own realizations. Leona bowed politely once more, then smiled brightly and shouted,
“Then enjoy yourselves! I’ll be going first!”
And she dashed away as if escaping. I watched Leona disappear into the darkness, then turned my head. As I turned my head, coincidentally, I met Marie’s face head-on. We both stared at each other for a while, then chuckled simultaneously without saying a word.
“Shall we go too?”
“Yeah, let’s.”
My date with Marie was not over yet.
******
Leona returned to Animers and the next day.
“… So, who are you?”
“Kate Louise Angelica, a follower of Luminous.”
The Head Inquisitor came to me. She looked at me with a deep gaze and suddenly asked.
“May I have your child for the sake of Luminous?”
“This is insane.”
Translators note:
They are popping out like damn rattatas now
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