Chapter 152: CH 148

July 10th, 2023

After training Leona… No, I should call it coaxing, all that remained was to obtain information about the beastmen from her.

By obtaining fragmentary information through the books received from Siris and questioning Leona, I repeated the process of comparing information with each other. 

Thanks to that, I was able to gather information quickly, but there was also a concern. That concern was due to the fact that the beastmen, unlike other races, had an incredibly diverse range of ethnic groups. 

Leona revealed herself as a lion beastman, so I wanted to know what aspects stood out about her and what weaknesses she had, among other things. She told me many things in exchange for steak, but I had no way of confirming with other races. 

Among the three tribes that could be called the leaders of the beastmen were tigers, lions, and bears. I knew the most about these three ethnic groups, but as for other animals, well, I had no idea. That doubt naturally arose.

“Don’t worry! You don’t have to worry about that. There are hardly any people who know more about our kind than me.” 

“With what confidence?” 

“Just the fact that I got into the Halo Academy should be enough, don’t you think?” 

Confidently chewing on a bone, Leona gave a bold answer. I nodded in agreement with her convincing words. It had been about three days since I started training Leona with delicious food. 

I was now accustomed to watching her chew on bones. There was no problem with the date with Marie either. After a simple interview with Leona, it would be no later than 8 o’clock. 

Since the end point of our date was an inn, it didn’t matter if we stayed out late. Instead, the innkeeper started looking at us with an expression that seemed to say, “Is it you again?” 

It was embarrassing, but Marie had a happy face knowing that she would be with me until the next day. Likewise, being able to see the face of my beloved as soon as I woke up in the morning gave me the energy to face the day more vigorously. 

‘However, I should refrain from being too suspicious for the time being.’

Originally, a woman’s intuition was a formidable thing. Since Leona and I often have meals together, it’s not just once or twice that I’ve caught suspicious glances exchanged between us. 

Fortunately, perhaps Marie firmly believed in me. However, I couldn’t reveal that Leona was a beastman, so I needed to be cautious before facing various awkward situations. 

Moreover, today is Friday, marking the end of the weekday. I didn’t plan to seek advice from Leona anymore after today, as I had plans with Nicole tomorrow. Marie was also busy with her family matters today, so we made plans to meet at night. Most likely, we’ll greet each other at the inn the next morning. 

‘I’ll  ask her if she wants to have a meal with Nicole.’

Since we will soon become a family anyway, it wouldn’t hurt to include Marie. Nicole will likely accept it willingly since we’ve had meals together before. As for Adelia… 

I’m not sure. Although her behavior didn’t change after the last private meeting with Nicole, the atmosphere became subtly different. Her unique skinship remained, but the frequency increased unknowingly, and she started giving me hugs from behind. 

I could assert that it wasn’t something you’d do with a friend’s younger sister. 

‘If Nicole doesn’t say anything, it should be fine…’ 

Adelia seemed the same as usual, yet there was an indescribable feeling. Because she was behaving the same way toward Nicole. I’m just thinking that our relationship has grown closer since the exhibition, but it was uncertain. 

Adelia has a completely different personality from Nicole, who is strict yet secretly soft-hearted, so it feels like I have a new sister.

If Adelia truly has romantic feelings for me… and even knowing that I’m engaged to Marie… if that’s the case…

‘…Let’s think about it tomorrow.’

Right now, it was more important to gather more information from Leona. The 13th volume was scheduled to be published soon, so it’s better to be prepared in advance for what’s to come.

Lost in my thoughts, I glanced at Leona.

“Crunch. Crunch.”

“… …”

“The sauce is delicious.”

No, please stop it already.

Though my frustration reached its boiling point, I managed to restrain myself. After all, Leona’s antics didn’t stop at just devouring meat off the bone.

As if expressing the desire to eat even more, she was licking the sauce that was smeared on the plate. I was dumbfounded and couldn’t utter a word.

Finally, as she put down the plate, the clean surface caught my eye, as if I had just finished washing the dishes. I looked at the plate with a speechless expression, then shifted my gaze to Leona.

Unaware of my mood, she had a blissful expression on her face. Her ears were even perked up as if they could reach for the sky.

“Mmm~ That was delicious. I could eat this every day and never get tired of it.”

“… …”

“Huh? Why are you looking at me like that?”

Leona, blinked her golden eyes and asked me. Her face showed no awareness of what she had done. Looking at her, I felt relieved that she has no friends. If she had friends, it would have been noticed that she is a beastman long ago.

Perhaps it’s because I’m in front of her that she is displaying such behavior. I know that Leona is a beastman, and she knows it too, so there was no need for acting.

“…You don’t do this even when you eat regular meals, right?” 

“Well, not to that extent. You can eat as much dining hall food as you want, right?” 

“How many servings do you have in one meal?” 

“Well, I don’t know. I just eat until I’m full.” 

After hearing her answer, I checked beside Leona. She had already finished three bowls of food, stacked one on top of the other.

By the way, the size of the steak was definitely not small, but rather on the larger side. From what I’ve heard, it comes from a section of beef that is as large as an elephant. Even for me, who has been growing in size lately, it was an amount that was difficult to finish. And since I received knight training in the past, my muscle mass is much greater than that of an ordinary person.

“Yesterday was the same, and the day before too. Are beastmen like you always big eaters?” 

“There’s no other choice. Beastmen have more muscle mass than other races. You could say that their innate physical abilities surpass those of all other races.”

After Leona briefly paused, she asked me a question.

“Hey, how many kilograms do I look like?”

“What?”

“What weight do you think I would be?”

“Um…”

I examined Leona from top to bottom in response to that question. She appeared to have a tall figure, standing at around 170cm, and overall, she has a slender physique. 

She was covered in a school uniform, so it’s hard to tell if she has any excess weight, but the only visible feature is her chest. It’s a moderate-sized chest, neither small nor large, with a reasonable size.

Considering that and her bone structure, I would estimate her weight to be approximately 55kg. That’s my rough guess. 

“About 55kg?” 

“Wrong. It’s 85kg.” 

“What?”

It was unbelievable. Even I, with a height of over 180cm and increased muscle mass, didn’t weigh more than 80kg. But Leona, with her height and presumably internal muscles, weighs 85kg. Is this what they call “visceral muscles” that I’ve only heard about?

Upon seeing my reaction, Leona gave her characteristic cynical smile and began to explain patiently. 

“You’re surprised, aren’t you? It’s because I’m a woman. If I were a man, I could have exceeded 90 kg. Beastmen are specialized in their ‘bodies’ themselves. Elves and demons, for example, are only good with mana, but their physical bodies are no different from humans.” 

“Oh, I’ve heard about that before.”

Everyone was probably aware that elves and demons are naturally strong in terms of physical abilities. The same goes for beastmen.

However, elves and demons are not necessarily physically stronger than humans in terms of muscles and physique, they simply have a stronger affinity for mana. I have seen a paper stating that their weight and physique itself are similar to humans. However, it seems that beastmen were different.

In short, elves and demons could be considered as having greatly developed software, while beastmen can be seen as having strong hardware.

On the other hand, humans… we just shed tears. I opened my mouth, feeling bitter.

“There was a saying that beastmen are ignorant. Is it because of that? Since their bodies are so strong, they probably didn’t have much need to use their heads.”

“Exactly. However, as the world has changed, there are now many things that cannot be solved with just physical strength. Now we need to use our heads, our minds.”

Leona proudly spoke, tapping her own head with her finger. It seems that even as a beastman, she was proud of herself for being admitted to the Halo Academy.

“As the amount of muscle mass is higher than that of other races, the amount of food required naturally increases… So, how many portions does each person eat? Is there a food shortage?”

“Before Lord Hick founded Animers, each tribe suffered from severe food shortages. This led to a culture of plundering, and that’s why humans call us savages. Honestly, I’m sorry to say this, but… humans were the easiest target for us, and they also had abundant land. Elves and demons were too strong, causing excessive losses during raids, and dwarves couldn’t be a target in plundering due to their cities built around mines.”

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“What about now?”

“Now we cultivate fields, establish pastures, so there aren’t any major problems. However, if the number of beastmen increases, the territory naturally will need to expand…”

Leona looked at me, sensing my understanding. She didn’t mention the details, but I can roughly guess what she was going to say.

Food was not only important for beastmen but also for all of humanity. Until the invention of nitrogen fertilizers in my past life, we suffered from famine until the early 20th century. It’s not for nothing that Fritz Haber was honored as the “scientist who made bread out of air.”

Even in this world where magic exists, it couldn’t solve the problem of food shortage. Can’t magic make the land fertile? Even then, various problems arise, such as insects, birds, and even miscellaneous monsters that harm crops. Magic was not omnipotent.

Unless a solution like nitrogen fertilizer is introduced to solve humanity’s food shortage, famines can occur anytime and anywhere. Fortunately, there is a “god” in this world, so it might be possible to resolve famine through prayers.

The fact that the world’s total population is close to 2.5 billion without nitrogen fertilizers is thanks to magic and gods, but if things continue like this, famine, which cannot be solved by those means, could occur. In that case, a major catastrophe could also happen.

‘I should consider this as well.’

I wrote down the keyword “famine” in my notebook and even put a star next to it. I won’t include it immediately in the Xenon Chronicles, but I can add it in the sequel. There was no disaster that stirs up conflict and rapidly collapses civilizations like a famine.

Moreover, now that I know that the beastmen are a warrior group that values honor, it seems inevitable that there will be conflict with humans. It seemed fitting to include an explanation in the conclusion of the Xenon Chronicles that humans and beastmen clashed, setting up a sequel.

Of course, I plan to write about World War II first before moving on to that.

“Do you have any areas of abundance in your country?”

“We have many areas of abundance. However, the beastmen population is growing rapidly, almost by the day. With beastmen population of 500 million and humans numbering 1.6 billion, it can be considered almost equal, especially since even beastmen children consume a tremendous amount of food. We have been relying on prayers to the god Hart to solve problems, but… it’s not enough.”

“So, someday you will have to go to war with humans. After all, humans currently possess the largest amount of land.”

Leona nodded her head silently. It was a different sight from the confident demeanor she had shown before, as if she was reading my mood.

Could it be that she was hesitant to engage in a war with humans, or was it because I was human? Regardless of which was the case, the clash between humans and beastmen was inevitable.

‘The Second Racial War… It could possibly occur between humans and beastmen as the main forces.’

Three hundred years had passed since the outbreak of the Racial War, and the world had undergone significant changes. The humans, who had oppressed the elves under the name of the Alliance, were politically divided, while the beastmen steadily accumulated strength.

It was hard to predict which side the elves, demons, and dwarves will take, but the dynamics may not be similar to the First Racial War.

“Hey.”

“Yeah?”

“Can I ask you just one thing?”

When it seemed like an awkward situation would continue, Leona cautiously called out to me. I nodded in response to her question.

Upon hearing my affirmation, she hesitated for a moment, then looked straight at me with her golden eyes. Worry and concern were mixed in her gaze.

“Well… you humans are strong. That’s true, right?”

“Objectively speaking, one could say that we are strong.”

“In that case, do you think we beastmen can defeat you humans?”

Could that happen? I stared at Leona’s face intently after hearing that question. Her face was filled with unease, but there was also a subtle anticipation hidden within.

Ordinary people don’t ask such questions easily. Although the relationship between humans and beastmen is said to be strained to the level of mutual disdain, as I saw in the previous exhibition, it was evident that there are beastmen integrated into human society.

Furthermore, until the release of Xenon’s Biography, there were public enemies known as “demons,” so we had to be wary of each other. However, it was difficult to consider them as common enemies anymore, especially since the perception of demons has risen vertically.

Therefore, the friction between humans and beastmen, who were once only thorns in each other’s sides, will deepen as time goes by. Moreover, there is likely a food shortage issue. Conflict and friction between the two races were inevitable.

‘She couldn’t possibly be the daughter of a tribal chief, could she?’

Considering her extensive knowledge of Animers and the emphasis on her being a lion beastman, it is certain that her status was out of the ordinary. Even without going far, the example of Adelia makes one think along those lines.

I have to give an answer for now. I put aside those thoughts and responded to the question.

“It’s entirely possible.”

“Why? By the way, I hate sugarcoated words.”

“It’s not sugarcoated words, but an objective assessment. You should also know that humans had a particular advantage during wars. It was their unity. Through that unity, they were able to achieve victory against the elves and mercilessly slaughter beastmen.”

“… …”

When it came to the mention of the worst history for the beastmen, Leona kept her mouth shut. I explained to her in a gentle voice so that she could understand.

“But after that, 300 years passed, and the human population skyrocketed, and their power became diverse. Do you know what this means? It means that it is a structure that inevitably leads to political division. It’s difficult to expect the same unity as the Human Alliance 300 years ago in the present. However, what about the Beastmen? They might have their own internal problems, but they are likely better off than humans. The situation could even be reversed.”

“…Can beastmen unite as one?”

“If there is a common goal, it’s not entirely impossible.”

“Do we really need to go to war?”

“Huh?”

This is a rather unexpected question. I naturally expected that we would go to war, but Leona’s thoughts seemed different.

While I was bewildered, Leona opened her mouth with a slightly sad expression.

“I wonder if we really need to go to war. Humans love politics, don’t they? Can’t the beastmen be the same?”

“Well, there’s no guarantee that it’s completely impossible, but history hasn’t proven that. Throughout history, there have been many cases where other powers attacked to restrain the growing powers. And as you mentioned earlier, you said we need to expand your territory to support the increasing population. Can we truly avoid conflicts in this situation?”

“… …”

Even though I’m not sure if I hit the mark, Leona’s ears, which had perked up, drooped down. Her expression also quickly became gloomy, making me feel sorry for saying something unnecessary. 

However, at the same time, I had doubts. Leona is a beastman, and furthermore, she has proclaimed herself as a lion beastman, indicating a more aggressive personality. Naturally, I thought she would choose war, but surprisingly, she seemed to be leaning towards the path of peace.

“Leona.” 

“… …”

“It might seem cruel to say this to you, but it’s important to distinguish between reality and ideals. If you have the ability to materialize ideals, you would be recorded in history like Hick, who is regarded as the founder and hero of the Animers. He gathered scattered beastmen and established a nation, protecting them from threats. A wise leader must make choices by compromising with reality rather than ideals. Even though I don’t know why you concealed your identity and entered the Academy, I offer you advice because there seems to be a connection.”

Those who achieve their ideals, whether it’s in a positive or negative sense, are bound to be recorded in history. It implies that it’s challenging.

I couldn’t know which path Leona wanted to take, but I felt like I should at least give her some advice. Otherwise, she might stubbornly lead herself to destruction for no reason.

After hearing my words, Leona pondered for a while and then gave me a bittersweet smile. She looked at me and quietly spoke.

“You’re saying the same thing as my mom. She also told me that I should clearly distinguish between ideals and reality.”

“Your mother is wise. So, did you change your mind?”

“I’ll think about it after graduation. By the way, you’re really good with words, aren’t you? You’re 17, right? Or are you older than that?”

“… …”

It was just a joke, but it stung for no reason. Leona laughed heartily as I forced a smile. 

As the atmosphere lightened up, I brought up a question I had been curious about.

“…Leona.” 

“Yeah.” 

“What made you enroll in the academy?” 

Leona replied casually, as if it was nothing special. 

“To make my mom happy.” 

“… …” 

She was a filial daughter. 

“Can I order another dish, by any chance?” 

“You, seriously.”

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