NOVEL SIMPLE Chapter 94:
As the night stretched into the early hours of dawn, I found myself deep in conversation with Lex. We had an endless amount of things to discuss, and honestly, there was never enough time to cover it all.
Yet, I couldn’t stay in the Beast King’s capital indefinitely, helping Brandon and Lex. After all, ‘they’ and ‘we’ belonged to different groups. Although I hoped Brandon Kruger would establish a good country for the beastmen, I had no desire to live there. A respectable beastmen’s nation would mean having decent neighbors.
Personally, I didn’t dislike Randall as much as one might think, but I certainly didn’t consider him a good national leader. As long as someone like him was in charge, a proper nation was out of the question.
With dawn approaching, it was time to leave.
“Just as suddenly as you arrived, you’re leaving just as abruptly,” Brandon Kruger, the current Beast King, remarked with a wry smile.
I gave him a “Euphemia Smile” as a parting gesture.
“I’m looking forward to seeing the ‘different us’ that you create. May we be good neighbors. And don’t overwork Lex.”
“I understand. We, too, hope to be good neighbors.”
I grasped the lion beastman’s outstretched right hand, this time with a genuine smile. It was the hand that had pierced Randall’s heart.
“Farewell, and stay well.”
With a signal from the grinning fox, Serena, I boarded the carriage. We hadn’t arrived with a large group, but since we summoned Junos and others along the way, there wasn’t enough room in the carriage for everyone. So, those with excess energy had to walk beside the carriage.
Inside the carriage were myself, Katarina, Kirina, the kobold with limited stamina, Pookie Shamal, and the nine-tailed fox, Kairine, whom we had picked up.
I needed to have a serious conversation with this fox. Moreover, I intended to use her to our advantage. While Lex might not control Kairine, or rather, wouldn’t even try, I was confident I could manage her. There were many things I knew that this fox didn’t.
However, discussing such matters in the Beast King’s capital, with Lex Asuka and Brandon around, would have been counterproductive.
Still, there was one last loose end to tie up. Or rather, it appeared unexpectedly.
Ahead, a group of boar beastmen awaited us. Zonda Pauga and his four subordinates—all familiar faces from the Spade Castle expedition. Their expressions were different from before, reflecting their current sentiments.
Some beastmen had rejoiced at Randall’s death, while others were relieved that Brandon had become the new king. Some were indifferent, and others surely harbored unresolved grievances.
The variety of reactions was to be expected.
I stopped the carriage and stepped out to face them. Zonda Pauga and the four boar beastmen sat down heavily, placed their hands on the ground, and spoke.
“Euphemia. We want to follow you. We want to serve under you.”
Their serious expressions and tone left no room for doubt.
“Why? Brandon Kruger, Randall’s son, is now the Beast King. You should serve him. You were devoted to Randall, so you should support his son.”
“I can’t accept that,” Zonda replied with straightforward conviction. The other boar beastmen nodded in agreement.
I glanced back and saw Kairine, who had apparently dismounted the carriage at the same time as me, also nodding at Zonda’s words.
Well, that’s understandable. If they can’t accept it, they shouldn’t have to. Pretending to be satisfied with something you’re not is no way to live a fulfilling life.
“At the end, Randall didn’t try to speak to his son, Brandon. He tried to speak to you, Euphemia. We couldn’t hear from a distance, but Randall thought highly of you because you always seemed to enjoy yourself.”
“Are you saying Randall lived happily?” I asked.
Zonda shook his head gravely.
“Randall spent more time looking bored. No one could challenge him, no one could speak against him, and no one could entertain him. But you, you are different.”
Of course, no one would seriously talk to a beast who might kill them on a whim. Randall Kruger’s boredom was undoubtedly his own doing.
“Euphemia, weak and small Euphemia. We want to see where your path leads. Not Brandon Kruger’s path, but yours. Please, make us your subordinates.”
Not comrades, but subordinates—that was the natural way for Zonda and his men.
I sighed, looking at their earnest faces. “Very well. Follow me then, and let’s see where this path takes us together.”
At this point, a bit more responsibility on my shoulders wouldn't make much difference. With the Montego's orcs, kobolds like Iota and Pookie, and other tribes I had absorbed without much choice, what was one more group?
If things got too tough, I could always throw in the towel. Whether I could actually do that was another matter entirely. For now, I had no intention of abandoning anyone, so adding a few more followers shouldn’t change things much. I wouldn't abandon them now, regardless.
"Zonda Pauga, you and your boar beastmen, there’s plenty to do. If you want to join me, I have no reason to refuse. But let me be clear: I can’t guarantee you anything. Are you alright with that?"
"Yes. As long as we follow you, I’m sure we’ll be satisfied," Zonda replied immediately.
Honestly, why do they all have such high expectations of me? I’m just a girl who managed to survive.
Serena, the fox, had a knowing smirk on her face that annoyed me slightly. Well, just slightly.
Regardless, we set off.
With the addition of five boar beastmen to our group, we began our journey back to the frontier. Having been away for quite a while, I needed to get a handle on the current situation. The expansion around Sutin Village, the developments entrusted to Dubil the dwarf, and the dungeon explorations and resources needed reassessment.
We still had time before we reached our destination.
And in that time, I had some business to attend to.
With Katarina and Kirina still clinging to my arms, I gave the nine-tailed fox sitting opposite me a light kick to her shin. Unfortunately, my violent tendencies had little effect on the muscular Kairine.
"Alright, it’s time for you to talk."
"Yes, yes. I was eagerly waiting for this. This isn’t something to shout about in the Beast King’s capital," Kairine responded, wearing her usual shady smile. Her good looks prevented her from being entirely unpleasant to look at, which in itself was a bit irritating. I kicked her shin again, with no effect.
"Lady Euphemia, what do you need to ask this woman about?" Katarina and Kirina asked, still clinging to my right and left arms respectively.
Of course, they knew the answer without me having to say it.
"Did you figure that out on your own?"
Both girls nodded.
"Yes. From the beginning, it seemed like you were wary of the involvement of humans. When the werewolf claiming to be my father mentioned having human assistance, you probably anticipated this situation, didn’t you?" Katarina asked.
"Not at all," I replied.
Katarina's earnest expression made me chuckle. "Euphemia Grimwood is not a seer," I said. And thankfully, I’m not. I always believed that the last thing left in Pandora’s box was foresight, and I’d cast my vote for that interpretation.
"But the humans were involved in this battle in a way different from what that werewolf said. He spoke of borrowing human forces, but there were no human soldiers in the Anti-Lion Alliance," Katarina continued.
"Armor," Kirina added.
The girls progressed the conversation on their own, sparing me the effort of speaking. I couldn’t even pat their heads since they were gripping my arms tightly, so I just smiled and nodded, which seemed to please them greatly.
Indeed, it was about the armor. Metal armor was rare in the beastmen's domain. Nova, the leopardess beastman, wielded a metal sword, but that was likely an exception. Even in the Beast King’s capital, there were no blacksmiths. The beastmen clearly lacked metalworking skills.
So, the Anti-Lion Alliance had sourced their armor from outside. From demons? Another race? No, it was more plausible to assume they obtained it from humans.
"They called themselves 'emissaries of Soltice Sol Spade,' but of course, I didn’t believe them," Kairine chuckled, completely unashamed.
"They procured armor for thirty men. None of it was new, but it was enough to deflect a fatal blow at least once. Against the Lion King’s claws, no less. Human technology is impressive," Kairine said.
I had expected as much. It made sense they obtained metal armor from humans.
The questions that remained were plenty. What did Kairine trade for the armor? What communication and transportation methods did she use? Who in their right mind decided to trade with a nine-tailed fox?
These were details. The core question was simple.
"What was the humans’ goal in trading with you?"
Did they want payment? Did Kairine offer them the gold and treasures hoarded by the fox tribe? No way. Ordinary merchants wouldn’t venture into the beastmen’s domain for trade. The human kingdom’s currency didn’t even circulate here, and the concept of money was barely known.
"It’s obvious. Some humans want to invade the beastmen's domain," Kairine said.
That was the crux of it. Kairine understood this and went through with the deal, wanting to kill Randall that desperately. Without that armor, they couldn’t have killed Randall. In hindsight, it was necessary for the Beast King’s demise.
"Sigh… we’ll need a fort. I’ll have Zonda and his men work hard," I said.
"You could’ve just left things as they were, lived peacefully in the frontier without involving yourself in beastmen’s problems," Kairine said, amused.
I kicked her shin hard this time, but it had no effect. Katarina and Kirina, however, immediately kicked her sharply, making her wince in pain. Serves her right.
"The new Beast King’s kingdom can’t handle humans right now. They’d definitely lose. Letting those monkeys run wild while we hide? No way."
That would be no fun at all. Kairine, the nine-tailed fox, wore her happiest expression yet.
