Leona approached silently like a true beast, without making any noise from behind. Marie and I were taken aback as we saw Leona appear behind us without a sound.
I’m not sure if she came to listen to our conversation, but her golden eyes shone like a wild animal, showing a sense of urgency.
“Leona? Is that you, Leona?”
Marie asked with a trembling voice when the subtle tension settled. It seemed to be because of the different atmosphere and the golden eyes that had changed from her usual blue eyes.
Unlike her usual self with blue eyes as a model student, she now had somewhat rougher, beast-like, shining eyes. It was understandable that Marie, who didn’t know her well, would be taken aback.
However, Leona remained silent, still fixed on me, demanding an answer. I glanced around cautiously.
There weren’t many people passing by at the moment, but it wasn’t an appropriate place to talk. It would be awkward for her to state her position openly as well.
But I couldn’t just leave Marie behind. We had been enjoying our date, and Leona’s sudden intrusion had caught us off guard.
I wanted to suggest meeting later if possible, but Leona’s expression seemed too urgent for that.
“Is it really urgent? If it is, we could go somewhere else to talk. However, it’s on the condition that Marie accompanies us.”
“… …”
Leona shifted her gaze wordlessly to Marie in response to my proposal. Marie, unable to grasp the situation, wore a puzzled expression. Meanwhile, Leona’s expression seemed somewhat complicated.
Since no one else but me knew her true identity, it was a situation I would have to eventually reveal to Marie. However, it seemed that she would reluctantly accept the situation, as she appeared to be in dire need of my assistance.
And my prediction was accurate.
Leona let out a sigh and nodded, as if accepting it.
“…Alright. It’s your female, right? You can tell her.”
“Uh, female?”
“Yeah. Sorry. I meant girlfriend.”
Leona corrected herself, seemingly surprised by her own words.
In any case, it seemed she had accepted the conditions. I decided to change our location. Although it was regrettable not to fully enjoy our rare date, Leona’s expression was far from ordinary. Given the significant events that had occurred at Animers and her transfer to the Halo Academy, it was likely that she had been affected as well.
Above all, the fact that she was making this request of me, someone who was essentially a third party, without even attending classes, indicated that it was quite an urgent matter.
“Did you have a meal by any chance?”
“No, not yet.”
“In that case, let’s go to that restaurant.”
Mari and I had already eaten, but it was fine as long as Leona was okay with it. She could easily devour about three servings on her own.
As I started moving towards the restaurant, Marie, who still seemed unsure of the situation, whispered to me.
“Isaac, can you explain what’s going on? Why is Leona suddenly asking you for a favor?”
“Well… You’ll find out when we get there. It’s a bit complicated to explain right now. Do you trust me?”
“Of course, I trust you. It just seemed a bit strange.”
Marie muttered as she gave a sidelong glance to Leona, who was walking ahead of us. Leona, with her keen hearing as a beastwoman, might be listening to our conversation.
I shrugged my shoulders at Marie, who appeared to be suspicious of Leona, and gently held her hand. It felt as soft and tender as a baby’s touch.
Marie initially flinched but then held my hand back, as if she was trying to comfort me.
“Could it be that our date is taking an unexpected turn?”
“Absolutely not. Besides, the night is still young.”
She smiled and playfully hugged my arm. I could distinctly feel the sensation of her developing chest.
Maybe she’ll grow as big as Cecily someday. I softly chuckled as I ruffled her snow-white hair.
As I petted her head, Marie snuggled against my arm like a puppy, her face nuzzling into my shoulder. She was truly adorable.
It wasn’t until we arrived at the restaurant, were seated in a soundproof private room, and closed the door behind us that the conversation continued.
“Now, is it okay to reveal everything?”
“Yes.”
“What exactly are you revealing?”
Pop
Around the time when everyone had taken their seats, Leona responded to Marie’s question by revealing what she had hidden – animal ears. Not human ears, but clearly those of an animal. Marie blinked her eyes twice when she saw the animal ears sprouting from Leona’s head, and then exclaimed loudly.
“Ears, ears? Oh, no. Wait a moment, Leona, are you…”
“Yeah, that’s right. I’m a beastwoman. Part of the brave lion’s pride.”
“Really, you’re a beastwoman…”
After a moment of surprise, when Leona confidently revealed her true identity, Marie looked at her with a mix of astonishment and curiosity. For Marie, who had always seen her as a model student, the fact that Leona was a beastwoman was a big shock because there was a deeply ingrained perception that beastmen were hostile and savage. No one would have thought that someone like Leona would enroll in an institution like Halo Academy.
Marie looked back and forth between Leona’s face and the ears that had emerged from her head for a while and then turned her gaze to me.
“Isaac, did you know?”
“Yeah, I knew.”
“Since when?”
“Since a few months ago. But back then, it was really by chance. There was no point in letting others know, and the situation would have only gotten more complicated, so I just kept quiet.”
I gained a lot of benefits from learning about the beastmen, their traditions, and various cultures. Of course, it also led to the revelation of a serious situation involving Animers, thanks to the release of Xenon’s Biography Volume 15 based on that information.
Leona, sitting across from me and Marie, looked around before letting out another sigh and spoke with a hesitant voice.
“Thanks to that, I was able to lead a normal life. But now, even that seems difficult. I might have to return to my homeland soon.”
“To Animers?”
“Yes.”
“You mentioned earlier that you were a member of the Lion’s Clan, right? The news said the Great Chieftain and his followers were lions. Does that mean…”
Although my words trailed off at the end, Leona and I both understood what Marie was getting at. As evident from the news reports, the original Great Chieftain was a Lion beastman, just like Leona. Furthermore, the current emphasis on preserving tradition was also associated with the Lion beastmen. It made me wonder if Leona had any connections to this.
After contemplating Marie’s question for a while, Leona finally replied quietly.
“…I’ll admit it for now. Even if you’re not the chieftain, polygamy is tolerated among the beastmen. It’s a situation where strong males lead multiple females. My mother is the third wife.”
“Ah… I see. You’re still the chieftain’s daughter, after all.”
I had already expected it, but it was as expected. She always took great pride in being a lion beastwoman, so it was no surprise. However, the situation seemed more complicated than I had thought. If she’s the daughter of the third wife, she’s still quite far from the throne. Yet Leona had said she might have to return to Animers. In other words, there could be a significant issue within her family. In the worst-case scenario, not just her but everyone might be in danger.
Knock knock knock
Just as a serious discussion was about to take place, someone knocked from outside. It seemed like the food had arrived. Marie and I had already eaten, so we didn’t really need to eat more, but we ordered three dishes because of Leona. It wouldn’t matter if we gave them all to her. Of course, we had some soup to fill our bored mouths.
“So why do you have to return to your hometown? Is there some problem?”
Leona, who was quietly eating her steak with a somber expression in response to my question, looked startled. She looked up at me after swallowing the steak in her mouth and said.
“The problem is just like in the news. It’s not like all of my siblings have died, I just have an obligation to attend as a member of the family.”
“Is that so? That’s a bit of a relief then.”
“However, the problem is that the expectations placed on me by the family are high. As you can see, I’m smart enough to get into the academy. Sigh…”
While exhaling deeply, she continued to eat her steak without pause. It was a strange sight, as if her body and mind were in different places, which was slightly unsettling.
Still, it’s undoubtedly a serious situation. Otherwise, Leona, with her cynical personality, wouldn’t make such a facial expression.
I asked her while looking at her, not sure if she’s enjoying or not enjoying the steak.
“You asked me to answer earlier, right? It seemed like you cut off my explanation midway. But can you provide more details? Tell me what situation you’re in and why you enrolled in the academy.”
“Do I really have to tell you?”
“Well, if not, then you don’t need to listen to me. If you valued tradition, you’d probably just keep doing what your family wanted, right? No?”
“… …”
Seemingly unable to counter my sharp observation, Leona focused on her steak. Complex emotions seemed to seep into her shining golden eyes, like a wild beast.
She must have liked the delicious bribe in the form of steak, as she nodded her head as if there was no other choice and then used her fork to pick up a piece of steak. She opened her mouth wide, finished the remaining portion, and then honestly revealed her thoughts.
“You’re right. I hate that old-fashioned tradition.”
“… …”
“Tradition sounds good, it’s traditional, but sticking to tradition can lead to stagnation. The world is changing rapidly, and the way people live is evolving. If we stubbornly cling to tradition, we’ll eventually find ourselves back in those times. However, like Hick did, it’s also tradition that brings our people together. Whether we like it or not, we can’t just discard it.”
Leona expressed her frustration and heartfelt feelings, even though she felt awkward. In truth, not only Leona but also other beastmen likely shared similar sentiments.
The sacred duel was a barbaric tradition. It not only allows for taking someone’s life but also the stripping of authority, a unique tradition among beastmen.
However, as the nation was established, this tradition gradually began to erode the country’s foundations. The recent murder of the Great Chieftain was a clear example.
Looking at it from this perspective alone, the sacred duel is not a tradition but a harmful custom that should be abolished. However, this is a perspective from a third party. For Leona, it’s a tradition that, no matter how disliked, can never be abandoned.
To put it nicely, it’s an irony, but to put it bluntly, it’s a form of shackles. As time goes on, this tradition will only become more rigid and sharp, causing harm to many people.
“My mother used to say that. She said that to lead the country forward, intelligence is more important than force. She said we can’t rule through strength forever. The reason I enrolled in the academy is because of that.”
“Did someone try to stop you? It’s not like you’re coming into the human world for anything else.”
“They didn’t just try to stop me, they mocked me. They made fun of me for wanting to study instead of training.”
At that time, she must have received quite a bit of humiliation. However, their feelings can be understood as well, considering that only 300 years had passed since the founding of Animers, strictly speaking, the term ‘nation’ itself meant that the nation was established. Human nations existed even before the race war, and the first nation was established about 3,000 years ago, just before the Devil War broke out.
However, Animers are now in the process of building their own nation, and there are many shortcomings in various aspects. Among them, the most significant is tradition.
How many countries are willing to boldly discard the traditions that have contributed to the establishment of their nation? It could be concluded that there are none.
The best solution here is time. As time passes, people’s ways of thinking will change, and there will be a higher probability that these traditions will gradually evolve. Right now, individuals like Leona are showing signs of such change.
Listening to her story, I pondered deeply and then glanced at Marie sitting next to me. She seemed to be seriously contemplating this profound topic as well.
“Marie, what do you think?”
“Huh? Me?”
“Yes, you. How would you handle this situation?”
“Well… there’s no easy solution to this problem. Honestly, even if I were an Animer, I don’t think I could just abandon the sacred duel. It’s practically a part of their identity, you know.”
“Identity…”
That’s a valid point. For Animers, the sacred duel is their very identity, a tradition they can’t easily discard.
It seemed like Leona was aware of this, as she lowered her eyes with a troubled expression. Judging by how her ears that had been standing straight up were now drooping, she must be feeling incredibly frustrated in this situation.
However, it was a bit funny to see her working so hard with the knife and fork while being sad.
“…So that’s why I asked you. I can’t think of anything right away.”
“Well…”
“Can you continue what you said earlier? You mentioned there was a way.”
“Well, there is… but talking alone is easy.”
I took a bite of soup and looked straight into Leona’s face. Her expression held a hint of hope, anxiety, and restlessness. It meant a lot to her. Leona, who still didn’t look like an adult, was carrying a heavy burden on her shoulders. We couldn’t exactly call ourselves close, but despite that, she had asked me for a helping hand, and it was a request I couldn’t ignore. It was a debt, something she can repay later.
“You said you dislike rigid traditions, right? It’s simple. Polish the tradition well to make it smooth.”
“Smooth?”
“Yeah. Let’s say there’s a problem with your heart. You have to fix that problem, you can’t just remove the heart. It’s a similar principle. You need to address the issues within the tradition. It doesn’t mean you have to abolish the tradition itself. For example…”
I paused for a moment and then explained a very simple idea.
“Change the sacred duel to an annual event?”
Translators note:
