I couldn’t hide my shock as I listened to Leona’s response. Just a few days ago, it was Kate asking for the seed, and now it’s Leona. What’s more, Leona had confidently declared in front of Marie the last time that she would become my wife. It was a misunderstanding caused by cultural differences, but now it’s a little different.
Leona might potentially become the Great Chieftain, and in such a situation, she says she’ll bear my child to repay the favor. Could this also be a part of their culture? She did mention customs directly, so it’s halfway certain.
“…What are you talking about again? Last time, you said you’d become my wife.”
I quietly asked without even thinking of wiping the coffee that had spilled from my mouth. Still in shock, I was feeling dazed.
Then, Leona awkwardly laughed and scratched the back of her head in response to my question. Even though she had said it herself, she seemed unsure.
“I must emphasize that this is a story if I become the chieftain. Beastmen regards giving birth to the offspring of the chieftain as the highest form of repayment. If someone has received personal favors or has greatly aided the tribe, they are honored with the privilege of carrying the blood of the chieftain.”
“What if the genders are the same?”
“They can ask a family member or relative of the chieftain, or the reverse, or even give their own child at a later date. In any case, it’s enough to have the blood of the chieftain running through the offspring.”
“Wow…”
Considering it an honor to give birth to the chieftain’s offspring, it was truly a savage and beastmen-like tradition. It wasn’t for nothing she confidently declared she would become my wife in front of Marie. With such a culture as the foundation, there could be a significant difference in common sense.
I couldn’t help but burst into laughter at the beastmen’ culture, which elicited only admiration from me, and then I looked at Leona. She seemed puzzled even after explaining it herself.
“…So, the beastmen consider it an insult if someone refuses compensation?”
“Yes.”
“Then, does that mean you have to marry someone without any choice once you become the chieftain?”
Leona looked up, deep in thought about my question, before answering.
“Um… Marriage is up to you—if you want to, go ahead, but if not, you don’t have to. As long as you have offspring, it’s fine.”
“Who will raise the child?”
“You can raise them, or I can. If you prefer, you can just have the child and pretend you don’t know about it. Human culture and Beastmen culture are different, so I can tolerate that much.”
“… …”
I was left speechless, my mind spinning. There’s one remarkable thing to note here: Leona doesn’t seem embarrassed at all. While there’s a hint of awkwardness, there’s almost no shame in her response.
Since the last time she confidently declared that she would be my wife, I’ve been thinking about this, but she sees herself as an ‘upper’ beastmen, as beastmen-like as she is.
For a brief moment, I felt the gap created by our differing norms, but suddenly, a thought crossed my mind: if Leona doesn’t become the chieftain, do they have to give me a child? I quickly asked this question.
“Wait a moment. This is a conversation assuming you become the chieftain, but what if it’s the other way around? What if someone else becomes the chieftain instead of you?”
“Maybe? If the chieftain has a daughter, they’ll probably give her to you, right? If waiting is too hard, they might even send me away. Anyway, as long as the lion’s blood flows in them, it’s all right.”
“Oh. That’s quite something.”
Why can’t I shake this ominous premonition? I only offered advice borrowed from my past life, but the situation has become incredibly complicated.
I can understand such a culture existing due to a savage environment, but when viewed from a third party’s perspective, it’s very hard to accept.
‘How can I explain this to Marie and Cecily…’
I buried my face in my hands in embarrassment. With the already complicated relationship with Adelia, adding Leona into the mix made it even more complex.
It’s honestly fulfilling as a man when beautiful women show affection towards me. However, after accepting Cecily’s confession, I realized it’s not as simple as it seems.
Marie and Cecily fortunately get along and compromise with each other. But if this situation escalates further, I can’t predict what will happen. Even now, they’re in a heated argument due to the night’s activities. Adding more women into the mix?
I’m not some kind of super virile character from a manga or novel, it’s going to be a challenging time ahead.
“…Is it that bad if I become your wife?”
In the midst of despairing over a bleak future, Leona seemed to take my reaction in a different sense as she muttered.
I removed my hands from my face and looked at her. Her lips were puckered, and she wore a sulky expression, her wounded pride evident. It was a cute sight, like an irritated kitten, rather than a brave lion. I stared at the pouting Leona for a while.
First, let’s start with the main point. Leona is beautiful. It’s undeniable that she’s a beauty with her golden hair and dazzling gold eyes, resembling a beast. Her beauty, which highlights her wildness, and her pointed ears that make you want to touch them, stirred an irresistible impulse.
While she’s usually fierce, her current appearance exuded a contrasting charm. How many men could refuse a beautiful woman like this, who is willing to become their wife? However, I need to consider my current situation carefully.
‘I have to let her know that Cecily too is my lover…’
If that happens, I’ll definitely have to reveal that I am Xenon. The beastmen culture complicates my position in many ways.
First, let’s try to appease the upset Leona. The more I remain silent, the more it could hurt her.
“It’s not because of that; it’s because of my situation. Actually, I don’t have just one lover.”
“Oh, the demon princess?”
“Huh? Uh, how did you know?”
I was genuinely shocked. Except for a few close acquaintances, I’ve been keeping my relationship with Cecily a secret. So, I’m careful when we go on dates and try my best to avoid suspicion.
For situations like nighttime, we sneak out of the academy to do it in Helium without anyone knowing. However, Leona figured it out in an instant, and she even responded as if it weren’t a big deal.
Leona pointed at me with her index finger as I displayed a bewildered reaction and replied.
“Smell.”
“Smell?”
“Yeah. As you probably already know, every person has their own unique scent. In your case, it’s the scent of lilacs, Marie has a fresh lemony fragrance, and the Demon Princess has a sweet peachy scent. Sometimes, I can even smell a lemon scent from you, but peachy scent too. Unless you blend your bodies together, it’s impossible for human scents to mix.”
“… …”
“So, I had a rough idea that the Demon Princess has become your lover, but I didn’t see the need to announce it to everyone? That’s why I kept my mouth shut. Don’t underestimate a beastman’s sense of smell.”
Leona gestured with her fingers, seemingly emphasizing her point.
An animal’s senses are far superior to those of humans. So, a beastman’s senses should be the same.
I felt a sense of futility as everything I had tried to hide seemed meaningless, but at the same time, I felt relieved.
I remained silent for a while with a dumbfounded expression before eventually bursting into laughter.
“… Aren’t you curious why Cecily became my lover?”
“I’m not curious at all. If your hearts match, you become partners, simple as that. Or maybe you have some hidden power.”
I was slightly taken aback by her words. However, I realized that my thoughts had been focused in that direction solely because of the way humans think. I hadn’t even considered it as a possibility.
“Are you secretly an easygoing person?”
“Call it being accommodating.”
Leona proudly replied, sticking out her chest as if she was proud. So this is where the difference between our species comes into play. I shook my head in disbelief as I observed it.
“So, is it difficult for you to accept someone as you have two partners? Because they might reject them too, right?”
“It’s closer to that. It’s hard to reject outright. It could be taken as an insult. Is there any other reward besides that? Like material compensation.”
“I consider myself as your material compensation.”
“Wow…”
I felt dizzy. The savage customs of the beastmen were so deeply ingrained that I couldn’t deal with them using common sense. Should I just accept it as it is? It’s a problem whether Leona becomes the Great Chieftain or not.
From a quick glance, it seemed like Leona had already made up her mind… No, it seemed like she didn’t even think about it. Even if she lived at the Halo Academy and learned about human customs, the beastmen’s common sense was deeply rooted.
So, it wouldn’t be a big deal for her even if she became my wife. How can I politely refuse? Regardless of whether Leona likes it or not, this is a practical problem. While I was seriously contemplating with a furrowed brow, Leona casually spoke up.
“Don’t worry, accepting it is also one way. And if I become the Great Chieftain, you can just have children and ignore them, right?”
“You might not understand as a beastman, but I’m human. I must take responsibility for my child.”
“Well, I guess I’ll have to take a different route then if I’m not going to be the Great Chieftain.”
“Hmm? What are you talking about?”
“If I become the Great Chieftain, I have an obligation to have many offspring. So, not only you, but other men will also have to accept me as a mate.”
I furrowed my eyebrows. Normally, males having multiple females was common, but I had heard of the opposite situation as well. And the Great Chieftain is the king of the beastmen.
Power could also be considered a form of strength, so it was a position that no one could touch. In other words, if Leona became the Great Chieftain, it meant that she would have to accept other men besides me.
Honestly, I didn’t like that idea. If Leona were someone else’s, I might have overlooked it as a unique custom, but not when it came to my child. Whether it was because of memories from a past life or just my own desires, I felt repulsed by that. I had always been averse to the idea of having children outside of marriage.
“…I’m a bit uneasy about that. Can’t it be changed?”
“It’s not easy to change this. That’s why I don’t want to become the Great Chieftain. It would be much better for me to become your third wife.”
“…Leona.”
“Yes?”
I looked at Leona, who was giggling, with a conflicted expression and eventually let out a sigh.
In response to my sigh, she also stopped smiling and adopted a somewhat serious expression. After a subtle silence settled in, I began to slowly bring out my inner thoughts.
“It might be because I’m human, or it could just be a personal perspective. I believe there should be affection between us to have a relationship, and I think the ultimate goal of that should be a child. At least, I don’t see it as a ‘reward’ or ‘duty.’”
“… …”
“I don’t dislike you at all. It’s just that… how can I put it… it feels like you’re treating yourself like an object. At least, I want to cherish and value my own person. Not as an object but as a lovely woman.”
I could have said such nonsense, having already accepted Cecily and having been confessed to by Adelia. But I really dislike insincere affection.
Between people, it’s not about obligation, but true feelings should come and go. At least, I live my life thinking that way.
The reason I unconsciously accepted Adelia is also because of this. She doesn’t know I’m Xenon, and her affection towards me is genuine.
“So, for now, I can only reject you. I won’t stop you from not becoming the Great Chieftain if you wish, but becoming my wife is something I’ll gradually consider. Let’s build our relationship slowly as individuals, not as a reward, but as two people.”
“What if I insist on becoming the Great Chieftain?”
“We should pretend that conversation never happened. It’s better for both of us to remain friends.”
In some ways, you could say it’s selfish. I don’t want Leona to be with another man, and I’m pushing away the idea of becoming my wife as well. So, maybe I could just close my eyes and have a child once, but pregnancy wasn’t that easy.
Beastmen birth rate is similar to humans, so their fertility period is probably similar too. So, we have to do it at least a few times. She hasn’t developed any affection for me until now either.
“Actually, you could call it selfish. I don’t want another man in your life, and I’m refusing to become your husband for love reasons. That’s how I feel right now.”
“… …”
“What do you think?”
Leona listened to my innermost thoughts somehow spilled out and had a subtle expression on her face. I anxiously waited for her words to fall from her lips. If she were an ordinary human, I wouldn’t have anything to say even if she slapped me and cursed me. The statement I made was at the level where I would take all the curses in the world without any objections.
However, she currently sees herself as a kind of commodity. This is precisely the part that I dislike the most. I wished that she would at least think of herself as a person, not an object.
“…I see.”
After a brief moment, Leona nodded as if she understood. I tensed up inwardly.
What will come out of her mouth, really? Although she had just spoken, I couldn’t help but feel anxious.
How much time had passed in this silence? While waiting anxiously, Leona, whose mouth had been tightly closed, began to slowly open it.
“I like it.”
“…What?”
“I like it.”
And, quite unexpectedly, those words flowed from her mouth. To make it even more surprising, she wore her characteristic cynical smile.
While I was left stunned, Leona clenched her fist, and as if convinced on her own, she nodded and continued speaking.
“Yes. A male should have ambition, right? The aspiration to dominate without sharing a female with anyone else. I really like that.”
“No, that’s not what I meant…”
“I know. So your words mean you want to feel affection from me, right?”
Swish
Leona spoke incomprehensible words, then pulled out a tail hidden in her pants. A tail resembling the end of a brush.
While I was focused on the swaying tail, she slowly got up from her seat and approached me.
Subsequently, she looked straight into my eyes, chuckled, then slowly knelt down and brought her head close to mine. Her pointed ears stole my attention.
“Touch.”
“What, what?”
“Touch my ears. Don’t you want me to express affection towards you?”
Upon hearing those words, I shifted my gaze to the two ears that were perking up. Touching tails was an act reserved for couples, and touching ears signified the granting of affection.
So, she was allowing me to touch her ears as a sign of affection in response to my words. She was expressing it directly, not metaphorically. I was unsure how to proceed, but Leona encouraged me by pushing her ears closer. Eventually, I found myself touching the ears that had popped up unexpectedly.
Swoosh
“Rrrrow.”
As I touched her head, Leona started to purr like a cat. I focused on the sensation in my hand. When I petted Marie and Cecily’s heads, it felt only soft, but Leona’s texture was quite different, probably because she was a beastwoman.
It was more rough than soft. However, it had a strangely addictive quality, and I couldn’t stop petting her. On the other hand, her ears were very soft.
“Rrr. Rrrrow.”
Leona continued to purr and impatiently rubbed her head against my hand as if urging me to continue. I, too, continued to pet her head with a complex expression. It felt like I had a big cat in my hands.
Just doing this alone made my feelings complicated, but Leona seemed completely intoxicated by my touch, going so far as to engage in even more affectionate actions.
Lick
“Uh!”
The common behavior of animals in the cat family, grooming. Leona grabbed my hand while I was petting her and licked my palm with her tongue.
Startled by her sudden action, I hastily withdrew my hand, and it seemed Leona was equally flustered as she quickly apologized.
“Oh. I’m, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to…”
“No, no. It’s okay. I was just a little surprised.”
“That’s a relief. So, did you feel my affection?”
Leona still knelt on the floor, making it impossible for me to avoid her gaze. Her tail swayed gently behind her, and her ears perked up with an expression that seemed filled with anticipation. Not to mention her irresistibly cute face.
I covered my face with one hand, feeling my heart pounding. But that hand was the same one Leona had just licked with her tongue.
After a moment of discomfort, I sighed deeply and spoke.
“…I’ll talk to others.”
The number of women in my life was increasing.
Translators note:
Man, I love Leona, she’s so cute… and normal… comparatively…
