Chapter 217: The Great Chieftain(3)
Chapter 217: The Great Chieftain(3)
When I readily accepted, Zinai’s eyes widened, and she asked if I had lost my mind. It was a bit absurd to see that reaction coming from her, of all people.
She was the one who had been blustering earlier about how things would be fine if she became the Grand Chieftain, yet she seemed genuinely flustered when I agreed without a second thought.
Perhaps her original intention was just to provoke Balkan and Leona. Judging by her wide-eyed expression, she clearly hadn't anticipated this turn of events.
Seeing her reaction, I asked back, feeling rather incredulous myself.
"Wait. Weren't you the one saying you'd become the Grand Chieftain just a moment ago?"
"I was just talking. If a bitch like me became the Grand Chieftain, this country would go to ruin."
"... ..."
I was left speechless by a statement that showed she knew herself all too well. I glanced sideways.
Balkan looked utterly bewildered by Zinai’s sudden about-face. Leona was the same, her eyes round with surprise.
I stared intently at Zinai, who seemed to be getting desperate, and then nodded. It seemed she truly had no intention of becoming the Grand Chieftain.
More importantly, it hadn't been long since I met Zinai. It wasn't as if I could read her character through physiognomy...
'Wait, they're beastkin, so physiognomy probably doesn't even apply.'
Let's move past that. Regardless, asking someone to become the Grand Chieftain after knowing them for only a few minutes was a bit strange.
"It was more of a passing thought. It's a bit much to suddenly say something like that when we've only just met, right?"
"Right? You gave me a heart attack."
"But thinking about it carefully, Zinai, you becoming the Grand Chieftain doesn't seem like a bad choice after all."
"Are you insane?"
Just as Zinai was about to relax, my repeated affirmation made her freak out again. However, this time, I wasn't joking—I was halfway serious.
Of course, it would be best to look into her background one by one. Based on her words alone, she seemed fit to be a 'king,' but I didn't know the details.
Furthermore, Leona had warned me to watch out for Zinai’s tongue. This could also be a high-level psychological game.
For now, the priority was to subtly probe her and figure out her true intentions.
"Zinai. What did you say was the reason you started the opposition faction?"
"To tear down those damn traditions and customs. Because of the bastard who rose to power by striking down these two's father, all of Animus went hungry. Does it make sense to extort 50% in taxes just to fill his own belly? To make matters worse, someone challenged him to a Holmgang a year later and lost. In the end, we suffered for two whole years."
"Ahem."
As Zinai grumbled in a voice full of complaints, Balkan cleared his throat as if he had nothing to say. It seemed the person who had challenged the tyrant to a Holmgang was a Lion beastkin.
Once a Holmgang is fought, no one can challenge or be challenged for a year. Since the tyrant had secured another victory, the people were forced to suffer for two years, unable to do anything.
When a tyrant misrules, the people are the ones who pay the price. Two years might be a short time, but when scaled up to the level of a nation, the suffering increases exponentially.
"Thanks to that, my tribe ran out of food, and people started starving to death. So I thought: 'Ah, if we keep following these godforsaken traditions, we're all going to starve.' I realized the traditions had to change. That's what drove me."
"It's a revolution, then."
"Is that what you humans call it? Well, it's a good thing these guys also realized there was a problem with the traditions. If they hadn't, things would have gotten a lot messier. The Sage did a great job there."
If you just listened to her, she had started the revolution with truly good intentions. But the thing to focus on was the 'faction.'
Animus was a nation founded by Hik, the Father of the Nation and founding king, based on tradition. Naturally, there would be many beastkin who followed those traditions, and many who did not agree with Zinai’s ideology.
Furthermore, she was a Hyena beastkin, a race burdened with negative prejudices. If she had built a faction herself, it meant her political skills were exceptional.
"It must have been hard to build a following as a Hyena beastkin. How did you do it?"
"I put up a different face. My tribe wasn't the only one with people starving to death. I sweet-talked a member of the Tiger Clan and set them up as the representative. Well, eventually it got out that I was the one in charge."
"But things progressed well until then?"
"Exactly. But then that guy got overwhelmed and confessed everything. It was a bit startling, but I’d anticipated that level of betrayal, so I handled it without much trouble. Naturally, he stepped down from the position."
She was the textbook definition of a 'schemer.' Someone who respects the authority of the leader while nibbling away at power from the number two spot.
However, from her perspective, it was likely a necessity rather than a choice. Since few would follow a Hyena beastkin with a poor reputation, she had to put forward someone else as the figurehead.
A beastkin who viewed Zinai unfavorably would call her devious and disparage her as part of a cowardly race, but that wasn't the case from my perspective. It simply meant her political ability was incredibly high.
"Well, anyway, I have plenty of followers now and I'm living a pretty decent life. Though the fact that those damn traditions need to change remains the same."
"Hmm... That's what she says. What do you think, Balkan?"
"I cannot trust a devious woman."
"And you, Leona?"
"The same. Setting aside the fact that she's a Hyena beastkin, I can't read her intentions at all, so I can't trust her."
Despite their continued distrust, Zinai merely shrugged, appearing unbothered. Having shown so many traits of a corrupt courtier, she was certainly a difficult type to trust.
Then what about her actual abilities? Her political skill was roughly proven, but I needed to look elsewhere.
First and foremost, how did she grow her faction? Not just politically, but in terms of literal growth.
No matter how deep a person's convictions are, their will is bound to falter without basic resources. Since ancient times, abundant resources have always led to better results.
The same applied to the opposition in Animus. They joined the opposition to stop the country from shaking, but what if there was no support?
Then their numbers would dwindle, and the faction would naturally weaken. A faction large enough to directly oppose tradition would surely require a massive budget.
"Then, Zinai. How did you grow and maintain the opposition faction? You must have needed a lot of resources."
"Oh, that? I just sweet-talked the guys at the top and got their support. For the record, I squeezed a bit out of these guys too."
Zinai pointed a finger at Balkan and flashed her characteristic smirk. Balkan looked displeased at the gesture.
When I turned my gaze toward Balkan, he let out a long breath through his nose and explained the facts in a flat voice.
"...Not us, but the chieftains. Zinai bribed the chieftains to get information and used that as a basis to generate profit."
"Information? What kind of information?"
"It's simple. Buying up land that only the chieftains knew about and then reselling it. Or buying up all the goods coming in from abroad and selling them at a high price. Lately, I've been making a killing with the Xenon Biography. Since stories related to beastkin came out, it's been selling like wildfire."
"... ..."
What Zinai was describing was cornering the market and hoarding. In the case of the Xenon Biography specifically, the Minerva Empire had even passed laws to prevent hoarding.
However, given the era, the concept of international law was still thin, so I wasn't sure if it applied to Animus. Even excluding that, Zinai’s actions were close to illegal or corrupt.
The reason she could reveal it so proudly was probably because proper laws didn't exist yet. Animus had only been founded 300 years ago, so it was bound to have vulnerabilities here and there.
And Zinai had cleverly exploited them. In many ways, her talent was extraordinary.
"Ah. But I didn't stuff the kickbacks into my own pocket, okay? I'm strictly a person who lives on a salary."
"Hearing the word 'salary' come out of your mouth feels strange."
"Does it? Anyway, that's how I secured connections and resources to grow the opposition. Nobody else stepped up, but anyone else could have done it."
Hearing that, I replied immediately.
"Just become the Grand Chieftain yourself."
"Are you nuts? I told you I'm not doing it! How many times do I have to say it for you to understand?"
"No matter how I look at it, you seem like the most suitable person for the job, Zinai."
Zinai was the archetype of a schemer. An extremely capable one at that.
She was skilled enough to build connections by bribing high-ranking officials like chieftains and, furthermore, to manage resources herself.
She claimed anyone else could have done it, but I disagreed. It took a certain level of guts to boldly commit such acts of corruption.
Above all, she was well-versed in the political climate and had excellent foresight. No matter how good the information is, it's meaningless if the user is an idiot.
In that sense, Zinai was more than qualified to be the Grand Chieftain of the current Animus. In fact, for the sake of progress, that cunning of hers needed to be channeled into wisdom.
"Even if you say that, Balkan and the other lions won't stand for it, will they? Having a hyena above their heads."
"Of course they'd be scared. One wrong move and their throats could be bitten out."
"Right?"
"That's exactly why I think it's right for you to be the Grand Chieftain. You'd have to be crazy to commit tyranny when your throat is on the line. And the Holmgang rules have changed just in time."
"Hmm."
Hearing my words, Balkan seemed to have a change of heart and looked thoughtful. Seeing this, Zinai grew anxious and spoke urgently.
"Hey, hey. You're not seriously listening to this, are you? You know he's talking nonsense."
"I don't know... Honestly, there's no better position to keep an eye on you than that of Grand Chieftain. Though my brothers and the people will certainly protest."
"S-see? Look. Just like the Sage said, if I become the Grand Chieftain, there'll be too much talk. Another rebel faction will probably rise up."
When Balkan mentioned the practical problems, Zinai waved her hand, looking relieved.
As she said, even if she had the ability, Zinai becoming the Grand Chieftain would cause a lot of internal friction in Animus.
She was a Hyena beastkin with a poor reputation and someone who had committed various acts of corruption. However, this was where Leona dealt Zinai a finishing blow.
"Didn't you say you bribed the chieftains earlier? You can just use those people."
"Huh?"
"What?"
At Leona's words, both Balkan and Zinai's eyes went wide. Come to think of it, that could work.
Meanwhile, Leona calmly accepted the stares directed at her, looked straight at Zinai, and voiced her thoughts.
"You said you bought information by bribing the chieftains earlier, right? Do the same thing again. Just sweet-talk them by saying you'll show their tribes favor if you become the Grand Chieftain."
"Those guys will try to stop me from becoming the Grand Chieftain too, you know? They're a bunch with incredibly stubborn pride."
"Stop us and do what? If we back you, the other chieftains will have no choice but to follow. Right?"
Leona sought Balkan's agreement. Having organized his thoughts, Balkan also nodded and agreed with her.
"Leona is right. The Tiger Clan is already under your influence, and the Bear Clan doesn't get involved in these matters."
"No, wait..."
While Zinai was reeling from the siblings' joint attack, I added one last point.
"And it doesn't matter if you become the Grand Chieftain, Zinai. Your political power was proven while you were building your faction, and you've already refined your connections. If you become the Grand Chieftain, would any other chieftain dare to think about corruption? Not when you're the one in charge."
"...The chieftains' methods are a bit too simple. They never even noticed when I was secretly siphoning things off."
"See? Honestly, Zinai, you do have a desire to be the Grand Chieftain, don't you?"
Sensing her heart leaning toward the position, I encouraged her in a soothing voice.
Zinai wore a contemplative expression for a moment, then let out a sigh and answered in a small voice.
"...Maybe a little."
"Right?"
"But! I'm not going to be the Grand Chieftain. I plan to stick by the Grand Chieftain's side and nibble away at things bit by bit. Humans call that a 'corrupt official,' don't they?"
Zinai was openly volunteering to be a schemer. She seemed to feel a sense of crisis, realizing she was about to be backed into a corner where she'd have no choice but to become the leader.
In a way, it was a statement that could have destroyed all trust. I stared at Zinai in silence before turning to Balkan and asking.
"That's what she says. Are you going to keep this person by your side?"
"I think it would be better to put her above me so she can't do anything. If she becomes the Grand Chieftain, there won't be anything left for her to siphon off. Unless she's being robbed herself."
"I have a similar thought. It's better to make it so there's nothing to steal in the first place. The kingdom becomes her own property, so what would she even steal?"
"If she did steal, it would be the people's food. But we can stop her from doing that."
"I'll trust you, brothers."
Her words had no effect. Zinai watched the scene with a dumbfounded expression, then covered her face with one hand.
"Fuck. This isn't how it was supposed to go."
"Congratulations. You're going to be the Grand Chieftain of your dreams."
"You, shut up."
By the looks of it, things were going to work out just fine.