Chapter 146: The Beastkin(1)
Chapter 146: The Beastkin(1)
The place Leona and I headed to was, as everyone might have expected, a restaurant with thorough soundproofing. I had originally planned to just grab coffee, but since it seemed like the conversation would be long, I decided on a restaurant instead.
"W-Wow..."
When we arrived at the restaurant I frequented, she looked around the interior with a mix of bewilderment and interest. It seemed she had never been to a place like this before.
In the meantime, I asked a waiter I was acquainted with for a room.
"A room for two, please. Here’s 2 gold. The 50 silver is a tip."
"Thank you very much. I will serve you with the utmost care."
The waiter's face brightened visibly at the 50-silver tip. If you tip this much, they usually provide tea as a complimentary service after the meal, so it’s a win-win for everyone.
Before heading to the room, I glanced at Leona. She was still preoccupied with staring at her surroundings.
Well, I suppose she’s never had a reason to come to a place like this.
Leona usually kept to herself. As a Beastkin, her daily life was only peaceful if she kept her identity hidden.
She couldn't make friends easily, so naturally, even having a meal in a place like this must have been difficult. I knew that, except for weekends, she filled her stomach with school cafeteria meals almost every day.
I felt a brief pang of pity, but for now, I decided to get us into the room. If I left her standing there like that, her ears might pop out without her realizing it.
"Leona."
"... ..."
"Leona."
"O-Oh? Me?"
Leona only looked at me after I called her name twice. Pointing at herself like that made her look a bit silly.
"Who else would it be? I got the room, so let's go."
"O-Oh... okay... I mean, understood."
She still seemed hesitant, looking around even as she walked toward me, and the same continued as we followed the waiter to the room.
She even faltered at the threshold, hesitating to step inside. It was only after I waved her in, signaling it was fine, that she finally entered.
"Whoa..."
Once we were finally alone in the private room, Leona let out a gasp of admiration. I took my seat while she scanned the room with eyes full of curiosity.
She didn't look like the cynical, fierce Beastkin she usually was; she looked like a country girl who had just moved to the big city. Seeing her pure, curious expression made me doubt if this was the same Leona I knew.
But I couldn't just let her stand there forever. I picked up the menu and spoke to her.
"Don't just stand there, take a seat. I'm going to order first."
"Huh? Oh. Right. I just sit here?"
Unlike the formal speech she had used a moment ago, she had returned to her natural, cynical tone.
I nodded instead of answering. Leona sat across from me and began to stare blankly at the white tablecloth spread over the table.
Was even a tablecloth something fascinating to her? It was so absurd that a hollow laugh escaped me.
"Is this your first time in a place like this?"
"Of course it is. My living expenses are barely enough to get by; how could I come to a place like this?"
Leona answered clearly while observing every corner of the tablecloth. Come to think of it, I heard she didn't go back to her hometown during the break and worked part-time instead.
I didn't know if her family didn't support her or if there were other circumstances, but she lived a life far removed from that of the nobility.
"...Hey. Isn't this place really expensive?"
Pong—
Looking at the interior of the room, which looked expensive to anyone's eyes, Leona slowly raised her head and asked. At the same time, a pair of ears popped out from the top of her head with a distinct sound.
I stared blankly at Leona's twitching animal ears. It had been a while since I'd seen them, so it was hard to look away.
"Uh... it's not that expensive. You don't have to feel burdened. I'll pay for everything."
"B-But... is it really okay?"
"Yeah."
"Hmm..."
Leona gave me a suspicious look at my short answer. Feeling a bit slighted for some reason, I spoke nonchalantly.
"I'm a noble, believe it or not. I get about 30 gold for my monthly allowance."
"30 gold...! I worked part-time all break and only barely made 20 gold...!"
Leona's jaw dropped in shock. I chuckled at the sight, but hearing that she earned 20 gold made me curious.
What kind of part-time job did she do, and what was the hourly wage for her to earn the equivalent of 2 million won? To me, that was more surprising.
"I'm more surprised that you earned 20 gold. What kind of work did you do?"
"Cafe clerk. The owner saw me and gave me a special raise on my hourly wage. It was easy for about a week, but after that, the number of customers exploded."
"Hmm..."
Usually, cafes hire staff with good looks. Even in my past life, there were many stories of sales skyrocketing after hiring a handsome or beautiful part-timer.
And Leona's beauty was quite remarkable. With brown hair and brown eyes, her features were somewhat common, but her aura covered for all of it.
When she kept her mouth shut, she was a beauty with a calm and intellectual impression; when she revealed her true self like now, she was a strong and reliable 'big sister' type. She radiated different charms.
It was fascinating how her impression shifted with a single facial expression, but in terms of pure appearance, I could confidently say Leona was a very attractive woman.
"I think I know why. Anyway, enough small talk. What do you want to eat? Here's the menu, take a look."
"Ummm..."
Twitch, twitch.
She opened the menu and hid her entire face, but she couldn't hide her upright ears. Since those ears were even twitching, it was impossible not to look.
After a while, Leona, who had been staring at the menu for a long time, peeked over the top to meet my eyes. Her voice was much less confident than before.
"...It's too expensive."
Twitch.
As soon as she said that, her ears flicked. Only her eyes were visible over the menu, but I could guess what kind of expression she was making.
Even the cheapest meal in this restaurant was 80 silver—essentially 80,000 won. For a normal student like Leona, it was an understandably burdensome price.
But as I said before, I received a generous allowance. Moreover, whenever I ate with Mari or other acquaintances, they usually paid instead of me.
This much was nothing to me.
"You can order the most expensive thing on there, so do as you like. Don't feel rushed to choose."
"Really? No taking it back?"
"Just pick something. But don't pick more than two things."
"I have that much tact. Then..."
Leona must have already had her eye on something, as she lowered the menu slightly. While I was looking at the menu, she pointed at a dish with her finger.
"C-Can I have this?"
"Steak. How do you want it? Well-done?"
"What's well-done?"
"There are levels. Well-done is cooked until there's almost no red left inside, and rare is just seared on the outside while the inside is mostly red. Medium is right in the middle."
"Make it medium."
"Got it. I'm going to order now, so hide your ears."
Swoosh—
As I spoke while ringing the bell to call the waiter, Leona immediately hid her ears. Seeing the ears that were standing tall just a moment ago disappear so naturally was a sight to behold every time.
Once the ordering was finished, I decided to have a Q&A session until the food arrived. Since this was my original purpose, I hadn't forgotten to bring a notebook and pen.
Leona also revealed her hidden ears again once I took out my writing tools. I opened the notebook and began to go through the questions I had prepared in advance.
"First, before I ask, you don't have to answer honestly if you don't want to. Just keep in mind that my thesis might turn out a bit strange because of it."
"You're the one who better not write it strangely."
"Fine. Then, first question. There are various races within the Beastkin. Or should I say ethnicities? Anyway, tigers, lions, cats, dogs, wolves, and so on. There are many types of Beastkin. Besides those, there are deer, cows, rabbits, sheep, monkeys, etc. Compared to humans, there are a vast number of ethnicities."
"That's right."
"Then, if a Tiger Beastkin and a Deer Beastkin have a child, what happens?"
There is a perception that Beastkin are savage and bellicose, but that only applies to carnivores. Beastkin like deer, cows, and rabbits generally lead quiet and peaceful lives.
Because of this, carnivorous Beastkin used to exclude and prey upon them, but they united after the founding of Animus. It means they live together regardless of whether they are carnivores or herbivores.
Therefore, marriages between different ethnicities naturally occurred, and I was curious about how the children would be born in such cases.
Would they inherit all the characteristics of one side like Elves and humans, or would they be a mix?
This was something that would be mentioned in the Xenon Biography, but I had become particularly curious after the appearance of half-elves.
"That's a pretty interesting question to start with. The result is simple. Either a tiger or a deer is born. They never blend together. Even if a rabbit and a sheep mate, if there's a tiger or a lion among their ancestors, one might appear with a low probability."
"Is that true?"
"Yeah. So nobody thinks it's strange. We just accept it as it is. Instead, we can confirm if the child is actually ours through 'sorcery'."
Atavism is much stronger than in humans. Unlike Elves, this was a race that would make Mendel burn with the desire to research if he heard about them.
"That's fascinating. Second question. While there are various types, I've seen some Beastkin who look like they have actual animal faces. On the other hand, there are those like you who are closer to humans. What determines that?"
"That's a result of interbreeding between humans and Beastkin. The animal faces you mentioned are closer to purebloods, and I'm a hybrid. Actually, it's similar to what I just said. You can be born in a form close to a human like me, or the opposite. A long time ago, well... Beastkin used to raid humans. Elves were too powerful, and Dwarves were more suited as technical slaves than sex slaves. Demons didn't even exist back then. Because of that, hybrids were treated as slaves at the time, but now they are recognized as full members of society."
"What? Really? That's the first I've heard of it."
"It was a custom practiced before things were recorded in books. It probably remains in drawings like murals rather than text."
Jackpot. This was invaluable information that I couldn't afford to miss.
Before I knew it, I was looking at Leona with sparkling eyes and hurriedly scribbling in my notebook.
Why hadn't scholars noticed this? Was it because they took it for granted? Or because the relationship between Beastkin and humans was poor?
"The reason it's not well-known is because of the Race War 300 years ago. When many of our kin were slaughtered back then, those historical records naturally disappeared. Humans wanted to erase their own shame."
"... ..."
"Fortunately, a few murals remain in Animus... but even those are few. History is supposed to be a continuous thread, but it was severed during the Race War."
It was due to nothing other than human atrocity and cunning. Leona spoke calmly as if it were no big deal, but I felt sorry on their behalf.
Beastkin have a history of being ruthlessly slaughtered by humans, much like the Jews in World War II. No matter how strong the Beastkin were, it was overwhelming to fight against humans who were tightly united as one alliance.
The founding of Animus was also around the time the Race War ended. If 'Hik,' the legendary hero and Father of the Nation, hadn't appeared then, Beastkin would likely still be living as human slaves.
"Why aren't you writing? Didn't you say you were writing a thesis? It would be good to include things like that while you're at it."
"...Are you sure there's not a single lie in that?"
"I'm not so shameless as to lie after being treated to such an expensive meal."
Her words were strangely persuasive. Since it was a story that couldn't be found even in books, it actually felt more credible. Above all, the truth always lies with the victim.
However, the book I was writing was the Xenon Biography. If I included facts that differed from established history, it could cause great chaos in the world. Especially if it involved the Beastkin, who were in a confrontational relationship with humans.
I should look for more books in the Holy Land first.
I was glad I had asked Siris to find books related to Beastkin. With a heavy heart, I moved on to the next question.
"Next question. In Animus, carnivorous and herbivorous Beastkin live together. There must be conflicts because of this, right?"
"That's also nonsense made up by humans. Terms like 'carnivorous Beastkin' and 'herbivorous Beastkin' are practically meaningless. Both ethnicities eat both meat and vegetables; they just have preferences. Conflicts... there are many. Those who think we should interact with humans versus those who can't trust humans who slaughtered our kin. We're basically the same as humans."
"I see. But you're saying there's no difference between carnivores and herbivores? Isn't there usually a difference in strength?"
"No. Unless their physical abilities are ridiculously strong like the Tiger Clan, Lion Clan, or Bear Clan, there's almost no difference. You can't even afford to let your guard down. I once got kicked by a Deer Beastkin and had all my ribs crushed. I had to recuperate for a whole week."
"Aha... wait, what? A week?"
"Yeah. A week. Why?"
If it were a human, that would be a critical injury at the very least, yet she healed in just a week. What kind of ridiculous recovery rate was that?
Leona seemed to realize her slip of the tongue a moment later and corrected herself.
"Oh, right. You guys are humans. We Beastkin have exceptionally high recovery rates to match our physical abilities. An injury that would be judged as critical for a human is just a minor one for us."
"Then what's a critical injury for you?"
"Losing a limb or having a hole blown through a vital point? It's a bit dangerous then if it's not treated."
A human would have died of shock long before that. Even if there was a difference in civilization, I began to wonder how humans managed to go around slaughtering such monsters.
"That's... well, quite surprising. Beastkin really are strong."
"If we weren't, we would have gone extinct 300 years ago. You don't know how scary you humans are, do you? If you have a single goal, you don't care about the means or methods."
Conversely, Leona seemed to perceive humans as a formidable race. It felt strange to hear such different thoughts from different perspectives.
Knock, knock, knock—
Someone knocked on the door. It seemed the waiter had arrived with the food.
As soon as she heard the knock, Leona hid her ears without hesitation, and I stood up once they were gone. Since it was a soundproofed room, I had to open the door myself.
"Please enjoy your meal."
"Thank you."
"Whoa..."
Soon, the meal was placed on the table as ordered. Leona marveled at the sight of the steak, which was cooked just right and glazed with a sauce that added to the aroma.
She looked so hungry that her mouth was hanging open, and I could clearly see her canines, which I hadn't noticed before.
Perhaps because she was a Lion Beastkin, her fangs looked very sharp. If one were bitten by those, wouldn't it leave an immediate hole?
"Before you eat, put the napkin around your neck."
"Napkin?"
"That cloth-like thing in front of you. Drape it over your neck and use it to wipe any sauce or juice from your mouth. Do you know how to use a knife?"
"No. I don't."
In the end, I had to teach her everything before Leona could start eating. At first, she watched with sparkling eyes, then she gripped the fork and knife in each hand as I had shown her...
Chomp!
"... ..."
She threw the knife skills out the window, stabbed the steak with the fork, and took a huge bite out of it. I wanted to point out her savage eating manner, but seeing her face so full of happiness, I felt too bad to scold her.
Meanwhile, Leona chewed the mouthful of steak and spoke with sincere emotion in her voice.
"Mmm. Mmm-mmm. This is delicious!"
"...Yeah. As long as it's delicious, that's fine."
I also began to eat, chuckling to myself. As I sliced the steak with my knife, Leona, who was busy chewing, widened her eyes and asked.
"Oh? Is that how you're supposed to use that?"
"How else did you think you were supposed to use it?"
"I thought you used it to cut the bones into small pieces to eat. There's a bone here, too."
"...Did you eat the bones when you had the school cafeteria meals?"
"Yeah."
"... ..."
It’s a miracle this girl hasn't been caught yet.