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Chapter 141
“Speaking of night events, right, in short, it’s peeking. I won’t allow any objection, so get ready.”
Renya turned an utterly amazed gaze at the elderly, big man who stated such a thing so boldly.
Right now they’re in the Fang King’s office in the royal castle. In addition it’s actually just a small room with no furniture.
The one sitting on the floor while folding his arms across his chest is a man with the ears and tail of a leopard, and black fur that had slight streaks of gray mixed in.
A little while ago Renya has seen his figure next to the throne.
Assuming that Lepard’s words back then were correct, it means that the one sitting in front of Renya right now is the Fang King Sigurd himself, but Renya cannot quite believe that yet.
Next to Sigurd, there’s Lepard who’s nodding silently also folding his arms across his chest despite sitting in seiza. Behind Renya, Grün, who’s wondering why he was here, stayed motionless while sitting on the floor grasping his knees for some reason.
Renya’s group relaxed after they had finished their meal which had been carried to their assigned rooms by Renya, it was at this moment when Lepard visited Renya while saying “There’s something we have to talk about.”
As a fight was happening inside the castle and the dining hall was actually somewhat close to the battlefield, nothing too fancy could be prepared and thus Renya expressly brought the food to their rooms
The distinct hand-to-hand battle between Lobelia and Kaede, which provoked this whole situation, caused explosions and vibration that even reached Renya’s current location which was supposed to be quite a bit away, but after the sounds reverberated for a while, they suddenly came to a stop.
Wondering what might have happened, Renya grabbed a random soldier that happened to pass by his room and tried to ask him about the situation.
Even the soldier he caught apparently hadn’t been informed about the situation in detail, but it seems that the battle between the two women concluded with a double knockout.
It looked like battle between beastmen wouldn’t stop until one of the parties or both become unable to continue any further.
Due to the soldier laughing while saying “It’s truly an unproductive outcome that has happened in all 134 battles that have been recorded,” Renya ponders whether something like that is really okay, but he gives up after deciding, It’s nothing an outsider should comment on if it’s something that the surroundings take as funny story.
Even so, should I praise Kaede for being on par with the somewhat aged Lobelia who overwhelmed three beastmen kings? Or should I praise Lobelia who seems to still be in active duty at her age? As Renya was in the midst of brooding over such inconsequential things, Lepard appeared.
Each person of Renya’s group has been allocated a room.
Frau requested to stay in the same room as Renya, but for some reason Lepard obstinately refused that.
It was Lepard’s claim that something like putting many guests in the same room would be an action that would shame the king’s name, but Renya felt that his words were somehow contrived.
In the end Frau settled with being assigned to her own room after judging that it’s probably not a problem even if she’s separated from Renya as long as they are both inside the castle, but when Lepard secretly visited Renya’s room, Renya judged this to be the reason that he was so obsessive about them having private rooms.
Renya tried to usher him onto the room thinking that there’s something he wants to talk about, but Lepard told Renya, “This place is no good. Come with me.”
Holding the languid and exhausted GrĂźn with his left arm wrapped around his waist, Renya walked through the castle while being guided by Lepard despite feeling suspicious of what was going on here.
No matter how much of a secret conversation it might be, Lepard used properly mapped out corridors without any apparent intention to lead him to some unknown place, but because it’s a building so chaotic that people have even died here, let alone got lost, Renya perceives all the sensations coming from the soles of his feet and the state of the walls within his visionary field as weird.
Not only is the floor not straight, but even the walls are not vertical either.
The corridors don’t extend straight ahead and the stairways are drawing complicated curves.
Just in case Renya walked while mapping the path in his head, but after several minutes that pathing immediately became doubtful.
It got to such a point that he started to think, I might have no other choice but to go outside after destroying a part of the castle if something sketchy happens. As Renya was thinking this Lepard came to a halt.
It seems we have reached our destination. After Lepard knocked several times on the door he had stopped in front of, he opened it and invited Renya in.
The one who awaited Renya inside that room was the Fang King, bringing us back to the current situation.
“Just what are you proposing all of a sudden, ossan?” (Renya)
“It’s not ossan. Call me Your Majesty.” (Sigurd)
Renya thinks that the person in front of him, who has said something so excessively stupid, probably doesn’t deserve to be branded as anything but a ossan, but since the other party is his superior for better or for worse, he corrects himself as told.
“What are you talking about so abruptly, Your Majesty? Did you suffer some brain damage after being hit too often by Her Highness the Queen?” (Renya)
“Mine is not a head that would be broken by just that much!” (Sigurd)
The Fang King throws out his chest in pride stating that him being beat up was an everyday occurrence, while Renya’s eyes were tinged with a bit of exasperation.
If that’s an everyday occurrence, it means that the ossan in front of me is laying on the floor everyday after having the shit beaten out of him by the queen.
The king is the king, and the queen is the queen. But, in just what kind of country are you going to find such a king and queen?
“Renya…it’s disappointing, but he’s in front of you, you know?” (Grün)
Grün whispered, seemingly guessing Renya’s thoughts.
Renya covered his mouth with a hand so that it wouldn’t be visible on his face, and after fixedly looking at the Fang King in front of him, he dropped his shoulders.
“I sense some very strong feelings of disappointment, but…” (Sigurd)
“It’s just your imagination, dad. Let’s pretend that’s the case.” (Lepard)
Lepard tapped the Fang King’s shoulder, who became slightly flustered due to Renya’s overly dispirited manner.
“A-Anyway! One of my subordinates has whispered into my ears about the female group’s bath schedule! There’s no way that we can let that chance slip by!” (Sigurd)
“The ones being peeped at are only our group’s women though?” (Renya)
Renya didn’t have any way to learn who was going to enter the bath at what time, but even so, once he considers the fact that the Fang King has declared that he’s going to peep after expressly assembling these members, the possible peeping targets are the female group of Renya’s party, the priestess Kaede or Lobelia, the queen, who in this case is a dark horse.
Taking Lobelia as the dark hose is because Renya wonders, Aren’t there as many possibilities to watch her as he likes, even without expressly trying to peep at her since they have the relationship of king and queen?
“In my castle several paths leading to the ceiling and behind the walls of the bathroom have been set up in advance!” (Sigurd)
Renya tried to retort as calmly as possible by suppressing his emotions, but the Fang King apparently doesn’t possess good ears.
As a consequence Renya started pondering about something as dangerous as Let’s tear out his ears then since they don’t work anyway, but apparently not noticing Renya’s gaze, the Fang King continues his advocacy while putting more force into it.
“If you call yourself a man don’t you have to make the best out of this opportunity!?” (Sigurd)
“Say, Lepard. Do you automatically become the next Fang King if I beat up this ossan?” (Renya)
In the elven country Renya asked Croire whether she wasn’t planning on staging a coup d’etat by killing the emperor, but he surely didn’t expect in his wildest dreams that he would end up asking a similar question after coming to the beastmen country.
“No, a selection will be carried out, and the one who wins will become the next Fang King. Lineage doesn’t matter in this case.” (Lepard)
“Regardless of self-recommendation or recommendation by others, a huge martial arts tournament, where the warriors within the clan are assembled, will be held,” Lepard says.
It’s similar to a festival and it apparently would be a large-scaled event lasting for up to a month, depending on the number of candidates.
“But, aren’t you pretty much the strongest warrior in this clan?” (Renya)
“There aren’t any absolutes in battle.” (Lepard)
Due to Lepard saying that with a meek look that seemed to lack any conceit even though he’s a battle maniac, Renya evaluates him a bit higher for being able to calmly make such a precise judgment.
“I’m off then. I leave it to you guys whether you are going to follow me or not.” (Sigurd)
“Ah, hey!” (Renya)
Although he was called to halt by Renya, the Fang King doesn’t listen after all. No sooner than he stood up did he rush towards the room’s wall.
In front of Renya, who wonders what he might be planning on doing, a part of the wall opened up with a swing and after swallowing the Fang King’s body, returns to being a normal wall.
“Is this place a ninja’s mansion!?” (Renya)
Renya is convinced that the designer of this castle was definitely a Lost.
“There he goes, but what are you going to do?” (Lepard)
Renya tries to repeatedly hit the part through which the Fang King vanished with his fist.
It doesn’t look as if a key has been used. The hit wall moves faintly, making it apparent that there’s a space on the other side.
Renya thinks.
Of course the option of going to peep in accordance with the Fang King’s recommendation doesn’t exist within Renya.
It wasn’t as if he hadn’t the faint desire of wanting to have a peek, but even if he was right now in a different world, Renya regards peeping as crime within his mind.
It’s not a deed that can be forgiven.
One might retort with “Isn’t murder a lot worse in that case?”, but that’s that and this is this Renya believes.
It’s wrong to put peeping on the same level as the outcome of battle.
“Should I leave it alone…?” (Renya)
The Fang King said that he’s going to to go peep at the female group bathing, but Renya doesn’t feel as if it would be a particular problem even if he leaves it alone due to the members who are going to be peeped at.
If Emil is bathing there, it will likely develop into a situation where even the Fang King will be driven into a very difficult situation connected to his survival once she notices the peeping.
If there’s a problem, then it would be whether Emil possesses a shyness that makes her get angry over being peeped at.
While looking at the pondering Renya, Lepard stands up and hits a part of the wall with a tap-tap.
Some unspecified, quiet voice is audible. After hearing that, Lepard nodded.
“The ones who have currently entered the bath are apparently Rona, Shion and Mayria.” (Lepard)
There seems to be someone on the other side of the wall, who apparently gave an answer towards Lepard’s inquiry.
It’s very likely the 'subordinate” mentioned by the Fang King, but rather than worrying about that, Renya’s expression slightly changes after hearing Lepard’s words.
“I’m going to chase him. I will stop that ossan before he gets there.” (Renya)
Hearing that the members such as Frau, Emil and Croire, who can oppose the Fang King, are not included, Renya hit the hidden door without any hesitation.
Lepard grabbed the shoulder of Renya, who was about to jump into the opening, and detained him.
“If you are going to forestall him, entering through an entrance close to the bathroom is faster. If it’s from here, it will be the slightly long way around.” (Lepard)
“Have you guys grasped even those kind of passages?” (Renya)
“We are of the royal family after all.” (Lepard)
The original purpose of the passages is apparently to serve as escape routes.
It’s information that’s only passed onto the members of the royal family. Since Lepard is a prince, he was apparently told about it.
“Grün, what are you going to do?” (Renya)
“I will come with you.” (Grün)
Upon Grün’s short reply, Renya dons a slightly surprised face.
He believed that Grün would certainly state that he’s going to return to his room since it’s a stupid event unrelated to him.
“Well then, it’s going to be fun as a covert action training-like event.” (Grün)
“Ah, yeah, I see.” (Renya)
For some reason GrĂźn looks delighted.
It looked as if Renya had pressed some strange button, but he has absolutely no clue what’s so fun about it.
“Come to think of it, your subordinate…has already peeped into the bathroom, hasn’t he?” (Renya)
While walking behind Lepard, who started to walk ahead of Renya, Renya tried to throw a question he suddenly came up with at Lepard, causing Lepard to nod without even looking back.
Renya wonders whether he’s screwing around with the topic of peeping on the scene of other people’s friends bathing without even giving any proper warning, but Lepard’s next words soothed his anger.
“Don’t worry. It wasn’t a man.” (Lepard)
“It’s not like it’s fine as long as it’s not a man, but well, I guess I will let you off with this.” (Renya)
“It’s a job unsuited for male beastmen. You can expect all of them to be women.” (Lepard)
The words secretly and sneakily were apparently terms unsuitable for the male beastmen.
Be that as it may, Renya thinks.
Looking at the queen, the priestesses and the ninja-like people; aren’t the female beastmen actually too capable?
In reverse, the men cannot be regarded as anything but reckless advocates of physical superiority.
Once Renya expresses such impressions, Lepard’s shoulders dropped, obviously feeling slightly despondent.
“Well, you’re right there. Even If I’m told that, there ain’t anything I can do about it.” (Lepard)
It appears that he’s not unaware of it himself at all.
And yet, being unable to improve on that might be owed to a uselessness having been etched into the male beastmen side due to their instincts overwriting reason.
“I’m surprised it didn’t result in a race of female supremacy.” (Renya)
Of course that’s probably something anyone can come up with, Renya believes.
If you allow Lobelia, Kaede and the women that seem to be working on covert actions to show what they can do, they will have enough energy to deal with most of the matters as long as there’s only women, whether it might be actual battle or intelligence gathering.
“I also asked a similar question to mother: why don’t you come forward if you are so capable in everything? Her reply was that it makes it easier to move in various ways if the beastmen are thought of as a foolish race that only believe in physical strength.” (Lepard)
The ones who really have to be watched carefully among the beastmen are the women.
Renya carved this truth deeply into his mind so as to not forget about it by any means.
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