“I’ve decided to accept your proposal. As you said, we need money. But getting that in the Empire is like trying to grab stars from the sky.”
“How admirable to understand your place. I commend you.”
Without thinking, I placed my hand between her lion ears. As I gently petted her, Leoness’s eyes widened.
Smack!
She harshly swatted my hand away. Was it my imagination, or was her face now full of pride?
“Don’t act like you’re above me. We’re equal, you know.”
“I think so too.”
“Then why pat my head?”
“Kids like it, right?”
I pointed nonchalantly at the heroes beside me. The heroes nodded in agreement.
“You don’t know how soft a Teacher’s touch can be?! You’ve lost half your life!”
“Tina… we’re discussing something important right now…”
“I don’t care about loss or whatever, but it’s not cool for the Teacher to pet anyone else’s head!”
Looking at the heroes chattering away, I thought they were consistently amusing. However, that just seemed to make Leoness even more hysterical.
“I’m not a kid!”
“…Hmm. You’re definitely not a kid.”
I took a moment to admire her face and figure. Leoness growled, shoving her face toward me. She looked ready to bite.
“Are you trying to play with words?”
“No.”
“I don’t like your attitude.”
“If I needed to please you, I would’ve just brought you meat from the start instead of making this such a hassle.”
Though I said I was looking to please her, the concept of ‘dating’ didn’t exist among the Beastman Tribe at all. That idea belonged to humans.
In other words, courting among the Beastman meant proposing. And when proposing, it wasn’t flowers or rings, but rather bringing meat.
Living in a world where the weak perish, the ability to bring back food mattered far more than meaningless jewels.
It might seem primitive, but it was part of the culture that had been handed down through the generations of the Beastman Tribe.
The Elf Tribe wasn’t much different in this regard. The strong were the top candidates for mates.
Since they were now absorbed into the Empire, the unique cultures of other races had faded somewhat, but ultimately due to a culture adapted to nature, the Beastman Tribe found themselves unable to counter human strategies, losing their dignity.
Oh, by the way, when Urka previously said she’d be willing to date me, it was because she had learned about human culture while growing up among people.
“What, what are you talking about?”
“To put it simply, that’s what it is. Don’t get the wrong idea. I’m only thinking of a business relationship with you.”
“…You really are an incredibly displeasing man.”
Her face was far more wrinkled than when I petted her head.
…Does this woman secretly like me despite her grumbling?
“Hmph. Enough of this! What could I possibly say to a man as dull as you? Whether you court me or not is irrelevant! I refuse!”
Are you aware you’re getting more childish? A tsundere or what?
“Anyway, I’ve accepted your proposal, so let’s continue with what we were discussing earlier.”
“What?”
While she was momentarily stunned, I seized Leoness’s wrist.
“I’m just going to talk with this woman alone for a bit, so you guys hang out separately.”
“W-What do you mean alone?”
The heroes’ eyes widened in surprise.
“Don’t worry, nothing you’re thinking will happen—”
“Hey! Let go, human!”
Leoness pulled her wrist from my grasp irritably. But before anything else, I leaned close and whispered in her ear.
“This is about the Resistance. Others shouldn’t hear this.”
“…Tch.”
I could hear her teeth grinding, but in the end, she conceded. Once I stood up straight, Leoness glared at me before turning away.
I followed her into a dilapidated building with holes everywhere, leaving the party behind.
“Is it really okay to just walk into a place like this?”
“This building is abandoned. It doesn’t count as trespassing.”
“Oh, you’re quite knowledgeable about the law.”
“Stop with the nonsense and get to the point. What do you want to say about the Resistance?”
She seemed angry as she couldn’t oppose me and was being tossed about. The furrow in her brow showed no signs of relaxing. I casually looked around the disheveled interior of the building as I spoke.
“Since I’ve accepted your proposal, the Resistance will move according to my wishes. However, they might not move at all. We have no objections to that, right?”
“Wait a minute. What do you mean they might not move?”
“The purpose of the Resistance’s formation was to reclaim the dignity and home of other races, right? But if slaves are liberated without the Resistance taking action, then there’s no reason for them to move.”
“…Why? Why wouldn’t there be a reason?”
Leoness repeated my words. Just by her tone, it was clear she had no intention of agreeing with my thoughts.
“Even if slaves are freed and we find our home before we activate, I would still repay humans in kind. I’ll make them realize just how cruel their actions were.”
Is she planning to take revenge? That would be the worst!
“Do you even know what that means?”
“I know.”
“Really?”
If she had seen the other races who settled in the Aus Territory living their lives in pursuit of happiness, she wouldn’t be saying this.
What Leoness was suggesting was akin to stealing happiness from those who had found it, not revenge.
“I can’t arrogantly claim to understand the pain of being stripped of your kin, family, friends, and home. I haven’t experienced that myself. But if you’ve seen the other races living in the Aus Territory, you should at least think differently.”
Ironically, this is all a fallacy.
The true reason I’m trying to find a peaceful solution between humans and other races isn’t due to such emotional reasoning.
The real reason I do this is to make overcoming the Demon War easier.
If humans and other races combined their strengths, they wouldn’t easily be overrun by the demons raining down upon them.
I’ve acted thus far to ‘survive’ in this world. And I will continue to do so.
If the Resistance stands in the way of that, I won’t hesitate to exclude them.
“You should know that if we don’t mobilize, it won’t be easy. Everyone thinks they should take revenge on humans.”
“Have you even thought that doing that might lead to the other races who are now living happily becoming unhappy?”
“!”
Her eyes widened as if I had hit an unexpected weak point.
“Don’t think that all the races want revenge for what humans have done. They don’t.”
“But…!”
“Revenge must never be the objective. Even if we reclaim our freedom, it will only create another grudge. In the end, it becomes a vicious cycle.”
“How wise! But you can say that because you’re human. You haven’t experienced being a slave like us!”
“Since it seems like you still don’t understand, let’s change the subject a bit. If, according to your wishes, the Resistance acted and the Empire fell, and you gained your freedom, what then?”
I folded my arms, watching her, as if to say, “Go ahead, give it a try.” Leoness opened her mouth, then closed it. After pondering briefly, she turned her gaze away.
“Well, I would establish a tribe, just like my father did… and adapt to nature…”
Her voice dwindled in confidence. It seemed she hadn’t thought through her plans for after revenge.
Well, when your own life hangs in the balance, it’s challenging to think of a joyful future.
“Do you know? Living as a slave and currently rejecting humans, the races that have adapted to human culture are actually preferring to live with them.”
This is just common sense.
It’s far more comfortable than living in nature, and having to always stay strong due to the constant uncertainty of when you’d die was tiring.
“If you truly wish to lead the Resistance, think a bit deeper than others. Many lives rest upon each word you say.”
“….”
She bit her lower lip. Her sharp teeth pierced her lip, and blood started to seep.
I approached her. As the distance closed, she flinched and took a step back. Her posture was one of wariness. I gripped her chin and pulled her toward me with force. The beast-like eyes, vertically slit, trembled violently.
I took out a potion and a handkerchief from my pocket. After wetting the handkerchief with a few drops of potion, I gently dabbed her lips to wipe away the blood.
“Leoness, you’re a strong beastman. But you’re still only half of that. A truly strong person doesn’t ignore the voices of the weak.”
So, convince yourself. If I need to persuade someone, I don’t differentiate between emotions and logic.
Oh, but maybe that only applies to humans?
The setup states that beastmen use primitive training methods to turn the weak into strong ones. If they die, they can’t be helped; if they live, that’s the way it is.
…I feel like I’ve misspoken. The more I look at beastmen, the more dire it seems.
“Let go, let go!”
Leoness finally reacted and tried to push my hand away, but it was weak.
“Stay still. I won’t charge you for this.”
“….”
Only then did she stop resisting and received my help quietly.
“Leoness.”
“….”
“Answer me.”
“…Why.”
She replied sulkily.
“I know you suffer more for the other races than anyone. I understand you can’t go around complaining because you have to lead others. If it ever gets too much to bear, and you have nowhere to vent, call me. I’ll listen.”
“…You won’t rebut like now?”
It seems she’s whining since she’s at a loss for words now.
“If you don’t want me to counter your argument, just say, ‘Shut up and listen!’ before you speak. Then I’ll keep quiet and listen.”
“Really?”
Why is she looking at me with such shining eyes?
I sighed and removed my hand from her chin. Looking at her lips, which were now perfectly healed, I carefully folded the bloody handkerchief.
“Leoness, I wish to see a future where humans and other races live together harmoniously.”
“With humans…? Do you really think that’s possible?”
“I believe it is. Just like how I can laugh with my disciples now.”
I answered as I put the handkerchief in my pocket.
Leoness stared into my eyes for a long moment before saying, “Let me think for a bit.” She leaned against the wall, pondering seriously.
While she contemplated, I waited silently without making a sound.
“…Alright.”
After a lengthy silence, her positive response emerged.
“When the Resistance moves will depend on you. It’s alright if they don’t move. Your reasoning has merit.”
“Is that so? I’ll consider—”
“But there’s a condition.”
“A condition? What is it?”
“You must join the Resistance as well.”
“What?”
Wait, are you really trying to recruit me just like that?
I was so taken aback that I lost my words.
“Isn’t it natural? If you’re going to lead our organization, at the very least, you should belong to it. If you use us for nothing, you must take responsibility!”
“I’m already a sufficient sponsor for funding. I won’t interfere with you at all.”
Absolutely do not want to. It’s obvious you’d dump annoying responsibilities on me!
“Accept my proposal. If you do, I won’t say any more nonsense.”
Of all proposals, it had to be this one. After finally persuading her, I couldn’t just refuse!
In the end, I had no choice but to accept her condition, feeling like I was eating mustard while crying. I also didn’t forget to write a formal agreement.
“Fine.”
When Leoness saw the agreement, she smiled with satisfaction and suddenly hugged me.
“What are you doing?!”
With one arm wrapped around my neck to keep me from escaping, she used her other hand to explore my body.
“Did I embed my scent into you?”
“Wha…?”
“If you run away, it’ll be troublesome. Although I may look this way, I’ve been holding back until now. So there’s quite a bit built up.”
“W-Wait, what are you suddenly saying?!”
“Let’s relax a bit while facing each other.”
…Relax about what?
“Is that okay?”
The nuance of her asking for my consent felt ominous. We were done here, so maybe I should escape soon.
“Where do you think you’re going?”
As I tried to sneak away, my collar got caught.
“…No, we’re done talking—”
“I’m not done yet. Come here.”
Damn it! Please don’t do this!