Chapter 303: Foreshadowing(2)
Chapter 303: Foreshadowing(2)
I've uploaded Mari's illustration! I'll set it as the cover later, but I'm posting it here in advance!! As you all know, it's the first night!
*
The rumors that began to spread from the Kingdom of Ters—specifically, the rumors regarding Xenon's identity—spread like wildfire.
It wasn't just an anonymous tip; a noble, and a Count-level figure who could easily be called a power player in that country, had reported it under his own name.
At worst, this could severely damage his reputation, and he could be denounced as a liar. He had truly thrown a gamble.
However, Count Kamar had sufficient grounds to make such a disclosure. First of all, he had maintained neutrality during the trial, and while he might have been gauging the atmosphere, he never once insulted me.
Compared to other nobles, there was at least a baseline of goodwill, and more importantly, he had a loophole. He could simply shift the blame onto me.
The possibility of the kingdom being shaken? He might be secretly planning to use that instability to change the royal succession or commit some equivalent act.
Of course, that would be nothing short of a coup d'état, so it was merely a possibility and not something for me to worry about.
Honestly, coup or not, the country was on the verge of instability, and any wise leader would have to prioritize that first.
At any rate, the news Count Kamar broke through the newspapers was roughly as follows:
[Xenon is from the Minerva Empire.]
[Xenon is not a Sage, but he possesses wisdom equivalent to one.]
[Xenon is a man with red hair and golden eyes.]
Although there were only three clues, there aren't many people in this world with red hair.
Furthermore, since he mentioned golden eyes and his place of origin, the search range narrowed down infinitely.
However, I had no idea where the part about "wisdom equivalent to a Sage" came from. Perhaps it was to imply that he had met me in person.
Still, it wasn't entirely a lie, so I just had to wait for the bait to heat up properly.
"Hmm..."
"..."
"Mmmmmm..."
"...What?"
It had been three days since the rumors reached the Minerva Empire and Halo Academy.
I was used to others staring at me, but I couldn't get used to Leona staring at me so intently.
Leona was scheduled to work as a teaching assistant with me, so we had been meeting more frequently than before.
Today was no different. We met to talk and for me to buy her the steak she loved, but she was doing nothing but staring.
She looked at me with a piece of steak in her mouth, looked at me while crunching on a bone, and looked at me while licking the remaining sauce with her tongue.
"Red hair... golden eyes... hmm..."
"..."
"Wisdom equivalent to a Sage... that seems right, too..."
You might as well just ask me directly. I let out a hollow laugh, realizing what Leona was suspicious of.
Publicly, she was known as a bookworm who only studied, but in reality, she was very interested in world affairs.
I heard she even reads the newspapers I subscribe to. Even if she's the daughter of the third wife, it would be stranger if she had no interest in politics.
Ignoring Leona's suspicious gaze, I spoke up casually.
"Why? Are you curious if I'm Xenon or not?"
"Yeah. Because the description in the paper is exactly you."
Leona replied while munching on her steak. With her animal ears and tail fully exposed, she looked incredibly cute.
I smiled faintly at Leona's pet-like appearance and rested my chin on my hand. When I did, Leona swallowed her steak and spoke.
"Why are you looking at me like that? You should finish your steak, too."
"Because you look cute eating so heartily."
"..."
As everyone knows, Leona is particularly weak to compliments about her appearance. Even now, when I called her cute, her face flushed red, and her upright ears twitched.
Her tail was also wagging back and forth, clearly expressing her joy.
'Come to think of it, she's also terrible at hiding her emotions.'
Leona maintains a cynical personality on the outside, but the moment her ears and tail are out, she becomes very honest.
In fact, maybe her personality became sharp because of the pressure to hide her identity.
Unlike me, Leona has to suppress her actual personality, so in a way, she has it harder than I do.
Naturally, a person's mental health improves when they can release their desires or show their true self without reservation. In Leona's case, she was relieving that stress by eating steak with me.
"By the way, if I were Xenon, what would you do?"
"Wh-what?"
"I asked what you would do if I were Xenon."
"I don't really have any thoughts on it."
Looking at her blank expression, she seemed sincere. Then again, unlike others, Leona was essentially tied to me because of those damn customs.
The problem wasn't her, but her mother. I couldn't predict what kind of attitude her mother would take.
Even as the third wife, she wouldn't lack political insight. I had never met her in person, but I remembered Leona proudly saying she was wise.
I didn't know how that wisdom would manifest, but there was a high possibility she would try to separate Leona from me.
She already disapproved of Leona becoming my wife. This wasn't something I heard directly, but a fact Leona had told me.
"Doesn't your mother disapprove of our relationship?"
"She does. But I like you."
"In what sense?"
"Everything except your face."
"I see... wait, what?"
I was about to accept it naturally, but I couldn't help but flinch at the words "everything except your face." It's embarrassing to say this myself, but objectively speaking, I am handsome.
Even by the standards of Elves, who are praised as the epitome of beauty, I'm on the flashy side. Add to that the rare red hair and golden eyes.
When I looked baffled, Leona actually looked puzzled herself. But soon, she let out an "Ah," as if realizing something, and explained.
"To be precise, I mean by Beastkin standards. By Beastkin standards, you look like a female, so your face isn't very popular. Most of all, you don't look like my brother or Zinai."
"..."
"But I like your red hair and eyes, so don't worry about it. It's just that I'm still more used to Beastkin culture than human culture."
Certainly, beauty standards vary by culture, so I could understand Leona's reaction. Still, I remained dumbfounded.
"Um... Isaac?"
"Y-yes?"
"You don't hate me, do you?"
While I was still reeling from the shock, Leona asked in a cautious voice. I snapped out of it as soon as I heard the question.
I had heard the same question before. Back then, I told her I didn't hate her—quite the opposite, in fact.
But seeing her ask the same thing again, it seemed she hadn't been able to cast aside her doubts.
"Absolutely not. As I said before, what man would reject a beauty like you clinging to him?"
"Then when are we going to mate?"
"Uh... mate?"
"Yeah."
The word "mating" made my mind go blank. Humans are the same, but Beastkin place a lot of meaning on mating—that is, sexual intercourse.
It's an act where the male gives his seed to the female and simultaneously places a so-called "brand" of ownership on her.
Given the characteristics of Beastkin culture, which maintains somewhat barbaric customs, they believe it's the most effective way to dominate a female.
In other words, Leona was saying she wanted me to dominate her. It left me with a lot to think about.
"See. You're hesitating to answer because you have no intention of dominating me."
"Dominating a woman doesn't mean you love her. That's possessiveness, not an emotion like love."
"Then what can I do to make you like me?"
"What?"
"I'm asking what I can do to make you like me, and further, to mate with me. I'll do whatever you tell me to."
Leona spoke seriously, without a hint of a joke. She had even calmly set down the knife and fork she had been using busily to eat her steak.
Facing her absolute sincerity, I gave a bitter smile. How could I say something to convince her?
While I was agonizing over it for a long time, Leona's ears, which had been waiting for my answer, perked up.
That reaction was a habit of Leona's that only appeared when she had a good idea. Seeing her tail stand straight up as well, it seemed she had thought of a clever solution.
"Right! This method will work!"
"What method?"
I felt uneasy because Leona's common sense was entirely different from mine.
Then, her golden eyes, which had changed at some point, sparkled as she told me with excitement.
"If you're uncomfortable with owning me, why don't we just make it happen?"
"Huh?"
"I'll make you feel a desire to possess me. How's that? Isn't it a good idea?"
I didn't know whether to call it typical of a Beastkin or not. Her simple and clear solution made my head spin.
At the same time, a question arose. Why did she choose me instead of another man?
No matter how much it was Beastkin culture, she hadn't given up even though I had indirectly indicated several times that it was difficult for me.
Even her mother thought negatively of it, so it was hard to understand in many ways.
"Does it have to be me? There are plenty of better men besides me..."
"You said you're Xenon. Is there any man—no, any person—better than you?"
"..."
"I said this knowing you'd react like that. Just you wait. I'll follow you to the end, even if I have to bite your balls with my teeth."
Leona declared boldly, smiling so deeply her fangs were visible.
Why did I suddenly think of a male lion looking miserable because a lioness bit his testicles?
I let out a hollow laugh at her expression and shook my head. One way or another, she didn't seem like a woman who would give up easily.
"Then what kind of actions are you going to take to make me feel possessive? I'm a bit curious about that."
"I'll have to think about that slowly."
"Hmm... can I ask for one favor?"
"What is it?"
It was something I had wanted to see at least once. After hesitating for a moment, I asked Leona in a cautious voice.
"Stand up for a second."
Scrape—
Despite her puzzled expression at my request, Leona obediently stood up. Her wagging tail spoke for her feelings.
I stared at her, whose unique beauty never failed to impress, and cleared my throat.
I felt embarrassed to actually say it out loud, but since Leona had issued the declaration of war first, wouldn't it be okay?
After checking her reaction, I also stood up. Then, facing her directly, I spoke my wish.
"First, raise both hands..."
"Raise both hands."
"And act like you're baring your claws."
"Like this?"
Following my words, Leona made a threatening gesture, baring her claws like a beast. To top it off, I made the final request.
"And shout 'Rawr!' as if you're roaring. Show your fangs, too."
"Rawr!"
The impact of a single action could never be ignored. She was being serious in her own way, but in my eyes, it was nothing more than a large cat acting cute.
If she was such a cute and lovely 'pet,' wouldn't it be acceptable to take her in? She already perceived herself as a possession anyway.
I suppressed the possessiveness rising bit by bit inside me and cleared my throat again. If I asked for anything more, I felt like I'd start making strange requests.
"...That's enough. This should do."
"Hmm... really? Do you feel possessive?"
"A little."
"Rawwwr!!"
Whether she liked my honest answer or not, Leona repeated the same action even though I hadn't asked her to.
When I gave her a dubious look, she seemed embarrassed herself, sticking out her tongue and scratching her head.
"Hehe. Was that one a bit much?"
"..."
I wanted to pull that protruding tongue, but I barely managed to restrain myself.
A few days after I had revealed my identity to Leona like this.
[Isaac. Return to the territory as soon as you see this letter.]
A message arrived from my father.
[Everyone is mistaking me for Xenon. Forget your studies and get back here immediately.]
Truly, it was a message that left me with no choice but to laugh.
