Ch.174
Chapter 15.
The Forest of Beastmen is a beautiful and dreamlike place where a pink water mist settles thick in the spring, purple trees wave their leaves in the summer, the entire grassland is dyed violet in the autumn, and it is covered in pure white snow in the winter.
There, a small Black Dragon sent a giant lion charging fiercely at her flying with a kick.
Thud!
The tiny Black Dragon was Asil.
Her physique was small enough that she could barely carry four strawberries, but despite her appearance, she was someone who had graduated from school and held her coming-of-age ceremony.
Asil spoke as she brushed her front paws while looking at the lion, who stood up shakily and shook his head.
“You’re a hundred years too early to beat me.”
“Ugh…”
The lion beastman, Ion, drooped his tail gloomily.
Ion was Asil’s childhood friend and a classmate from the beastman school.
He had teased her for being bald every time they met, bickering with Asil throughout their school years, but in truth, he was in the middle of a one-sided love that everyone knew about except for Asil.
Since the way a beastman woos the opposite sex is by showing their strength, Ion lunged at Asil whenever he had the chance to show off his cool side.
Unfortunately, he failed this time as well.
Asil, who didn’t understand Ion’s feelings even a tiny bit, trotted over.
“Since I won, you have to carry me around for ten days as promised.”
“……I understand.”
Carrying someone on one’s back was an act of admitting they were weaker than that beastman, so it was a rather humiliating action for beastmen who idolized strength.
However, since he could stick close to her for ten days because of it, losing wasn’t entirely a bad thing.
Ion lowered his head so it would be easy for Asil to climb on.
Asil climbed up and pulled on his mane.
“Let’s go, depart for the castle!”
It was then.
“Byah! Byaaaa!” (Sithter! Sithterrrr!)
The sound of someone desperately calling Asil with a short tongue could be heard.
With a black body like Arcian, gold eyes like Briana, and the eldest sibling Ari, who had eggshells and flowers hanging from her head, came running from afar, crying loudly.
A startled Asil jumped down to the ground.
She then hugged and soothed the baby dragon, who was much smaller than herself.
“What’s wrong, what happened!”
“Byaaaaaa!!!!” (Rai teased me for being bald!!!!)
Rai was Ion’s younger brother.
As if she had tried to create hair where there was none, Ari’s head was covered in leaves.
Following her, even the second sibling Arin, who looked exactly like Ari except for the flower on his head, came running while huffing.
“Pee-ik! Pee-eeee-ik!”
Because he was born late after idling inside the egg and couldn’t even speak properly yet, Arin explained the situation diligently with his front and back paws.
Roughly, it was about Rai teasing him saying, ‘You don’t have a mane, do you?’ and seeing as he was waving a grass stalk wildly, it seemed he hadn’t just taken it quietly like Ari.
Ion, who received the sharp gazes of three dragons all at once, stepped back instinctively.
“Uh, that’s……. Well…….”
“Well?”
“……Honestly, you are bald.”
“Byaaaaaa!”
“Pee-eeee-ik!”
The two enraged baby dragons wailed.
Asil, also feeling indignant, lunged forward.
“Fine, take a taste of punishment from the bald ones today!”
“Argh! Help me!”
A terrified Ion ran for his life.
But as the saying goes, above a running lion, there is a flying dragon.
A short while later.
The residents of the Forest of Beastmen could see the rare sight of three Black Dragons biting one lion.
* * *
After executing her childhood friend, it was suddenly lunchtime.
Asil headed to the dining room inside the castle with her siblings.
She took out three strawberries, gave them out one by one, and was about to take a big bite herself when Ari, who was sitting next to her munching on a strawberry, asked.
“Byah?” (Sithter, don’t you have a boyfriend?)
“Why?”
“Byah. Byaaa.” (Rai told me to athk. He thaid if you don’t, he’ll date sithter when he growth up.)
“I have a boyfriend.”
Plop.
Ari dropped her half-eaten strawberry.
Arin, who was sitting on the opposite side, was the same.
The baby dragon siblings were frozen with shocked expressions for quite a long time.
Then Ari suddenly started to sob.
“Byaaaaaa…….” (To sithter…….)
And she burst into a loud cry.
“Byaaaaaaaa!” (Theire ith a boyfriend!!!!)
“Pee-eeeee-ik!”
As if he had been waiting, Arin also burst into tears.
At the loud wailing of the two baby dragons, the dining room shook and powder began to fall from the ceiling.
As expected of the children of the strongest in the Forest of Beastmen, their potential was extraordinary from the start.
Asil quickly put strawberries into her siblings’ mouths.
Then Ari and Arin instinctively munched and smiled brightly.
Asil, opening her eyes sharply, pointed out.
“What did I say happens if you laugh while crying?”
“Byah.” (Hornth grow on your butt.)
Ari unconsciously touched the horn on her head and checked her butt. Fortunately, the horn hadn’t moved to her butt.
While eating the strawberries deliciously for a moment, Ari, who was sniffing, again got teary eyes.
“Byaaa…….” (Sithter hath a boyfriend…….)
She felt so sad thinking that her sister was taken away by some beastman she didn’t even know.
Meanwhile, Arin shouted with burning eyes, asking who the boyfriend was.
“Pee-ik pee-ik!”
He looked ready to chase him down immediately if he knew who it was.
Asil soothed her siblings by giving them each one more strawberry.
“My boyfriend isn’t here right now. He’s a human.”
“Byah?!” (Human?!)
“Pee-ik?!”
Ari and Arin’s eyes grew round at the completely unexpected word.
Eight years ago, as the exchange with the Empire was discussed, the beastmen changed their ‘educational method regarding humans.’
From demons one should never associate with, to beings with whom conversation is somewhat possible.
Thus, to current young beastmen, humans were unknown creatures and beings that aroused curiosity themselves.
Ari, whose curiosity was so strong that she hatched much earlier than scheduled to see the outside world, stomped her feet as if she had never cried.
“Byah-byah?!” (Sithter hath met a human?!)
“Yes. I even tried living in the Empire.”
“Byah! Byaaa! Byah!” (Wow! I want to go to the Empire too! I want to meet a human!)
“Pee-ik!”
Arin squeaked while holding a strawberry stem, saying he had the same opinion.
“Actually, a diplomatic delegation from the Empire will visit here soon.”
“Byah?” (What’th a delegation?)
“Guests sent from the Empire saying they want to get along with us. My boyfriend is among them.”
A long time had passed since Asil left the Empire, but the exchange between beastmen and humans had not yet begun.
It was because the Empire was out of its mind recovering from the damage inflicted by the snake, and was busy blocking other countries that took the chance to wage war.
Now that the situation had been settled to some extent.
The Empire was trying to officially open the gates by sending a delegation.
‘I want to see you soon, Edenber.’
Surely Edenber will come to the Forest of Beastmen representing the Empire, right?
Asil smiled brightly, hiding her fluttering heart.
* * *
A short while later, the list for the Imperial delegation arrived.
As soon as Asil heard the news, she set everything aside and ran to her mother’s office to check.
Unfortunately, however, Edenber was not on the delegation list.
The only ones she knew were Fear and Duke Starafit.
She checked several times thinking she had misread it, but doing so didn’t make a name appear where there was none.
Asil asked Briana outright.
“Why isn’t Edenber here?”
Over the past few years, Edenber’s name had been widely known regardless of the nation.
It was because he was the one who led the chaotic Empire to victory during the war.
Thus, Asil had naturally assumed he would come as the representative of the delegation.
But to hear that he wasn’t.
Briana, letting out a groan, answered her.
“It’s because he’s a war hero. If a war hero comes to a place where we are agreeing to get along, it could be taken as an intention to fight.”
“……I see.”
Because her expectations were high, her disappointment was also very great. Asil became extremely gloomy.
However, since she would be able to hear news of Edenber through Fear, she decided to think as positively as possible.
‘But why is Mom glaring in the direction of the Empire with such a terrifying expression?’
As if there was something she really didn’t like.
* * *
Meanwhile, around that time at the Starafit Ducal House.
Duke Starafit was in a private meeting with Edenber, away from people’s eyes.
Duke Starafit spoke with an expression as if he doubted his own ears.
“So, you’re asking me to secretly slip the Duke in as Fear’s attendant?”
“Yes.”
Edenber, who had become a fully grown adult male, replied bluntly.
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