'Hah, ...... he's the one who makes the best of a good drink and a bad meal.'
After Amon left the room, Elba returned to the sofa he had just taken a seat on with a frustrated expression on his face, sat back down and leaned against the back of the sofa with vigor.
Malbus, who had been watching the whole scene, quickly offered Elba a glass of wine.
"Brother."
"you're a very clever man after all, Malbus. If only Amon were as smart as you, I'd love him."
Elba took the offered glass and drank it down vigorously.
Malbus was relieved to see that Elba was back in a good mood.
However, he did not let it show.
Later, while pouring Elba a glass and chatting with him, Malbus asked him openly, being cautious of his words.
'My brother, by the way, this is a little overlapping with what 'Amon' was saying, but honestly, the way we are running things now, in three to four years it is going to start affecting our lives here in Forneu. It's about time for me to know what my brother's thoughts are."
Malbus is largely in charge of running the country from his father, Gareth and Elba.
However, it is Elba who sets the policy.
Malbus may not have the power of Elba, but he is a skilled statesman and administrator.
Elba recognizes this ability, and Malbus is practically his right hand man.
Elba nodded at Malbus's words and looked at him sharply.
"Well,...... but only if we can hold it for four years, ....... Let the money go to the army as it is, to the limit. Don't worry about the weak dying."
If you can hold out for four years,...... then what do you have in mind for when the battle of the Beast Kings is held?"
Elba smirked with a glass in his hand.
'If I become the "Beast King," I will be able to give orders to the various tribes, and the fox people will be able to make further progress. But my true purpose is beyond that."
". your true purpose?"
Malbus looked doubtful when he heard the words " true purpose.
The real purpose is to abolish the Beast King and reorganize the Beast Nation.
Well, ...... that's a very interesting story indeed. I would very much like to know what it is about.
"I'm sure ...... will be fine. Malbus will have to continue to work for that '.
To Malbus, Elba began to explain the plan he had in mind.
Elba told him that the beastmen are more physically capable than humans, elves, dwarves, and other races, and that they are superior to any other race.
Then why have the beastmen not been able to "dominate the continent"?
He continued that it is because they have not been able to utilize their abilities outside of Japan due to the ridiculous "Beast King" system.
"The beastmen nation is not a united entity, because the tribes are all checking each other,"
"Of course, my father knew all this. When I become the "Beast King," I will ask all the tribes to pledge their loyalty to me. And if they disobey me, I will make them obey me even to the point of destroying the tribe."
"In that case, it is possible that all the tribes other than our own will become enemies. What are you going to do about it?"
Malbus' concern is valid.
It is true that if all the tribes of the beastmen could unite, they might be able to "dominate the continent.
But in reality, the beastmen are very territorial, and there is no history of organized armies of beastmen.
"The "Beast King" is also a system that was created in the midst of constant conflict among the tribes."
If that system were to be abolished, the resistance of each tribe would have to be considerable.
"Your question is valid. However, for this reason, I have established connections with the tribes and other countries such as Barsto and the Church through the slave trade. When I become the Beast King and start working to unify the Beast Nation, I have plans to link up with those countries . ......"
Yes, one of the reasons Elba started the slave trade was to deep diplomacy with other countries and tribes.
Some countries ostensibly prohibit slaves, but every country has its own people with desires.
By selling slaves directly to such people in other countries, mainly via Barsto, the relationship is strengthened at the same time.
As a result, Elba's name is already well known among some of the influential nobles in other countries, and he has become a figure to be lock on upon .
Furthermore, in the different tribes of the beastmen , although the scale differs from each other, there are always a certain number of "unsalvageable children" as in the foxmen tribe.
By converting these children into "funds," Elba is able to increase the country's budget, even if only somewhat.
If they were lucky, the children could be saved more than they were now, and through diplomacy, Elba told the influential people of each tribe about the "benefits of slave trading.'
At first, there were strong opposition among the other tribes, but he eventually succeeded in winning them over by communicating the "benefits" of the slave trade through his achievements.
In this way, Elba had established connections with other tribes and countries, and was steadily moving toward his goals of "reorganization and unification of the beastmen nations" and "continental domination.
Malbus did not seem surprised by what he heard, and nodded as he looked at Elba.
'...... So you are saying that as soon as your brother decides to rise up, the surrounding countries will back him?"
'That's not all. There are also those who agree with this plan and have already pledged their loyalty to me. If you include them, my army is probably the largest in the Beast Kingdom at this point."
In the Beast Kingdom, where the idea is based on the concept of the "weak and strong", there is no one who does not know Elba's name.
He is considered to be the next king of beasts for sure.
A being with overwhelming power that no one else can match.
That is the existence of Elba.
Because of this overwhelming power, Gareth, the father, Rafa, the eldest daughter, and Malbus, the second son, have absolute trust in Elba.
In fact, Malbus had some idea of Elba's plans.
However, since it was only a prediction, he took this opportunity to ask Elba for confirmation.
And when Malbus actually heard Elba's plan, he was inwardly trembling with joy.
Under normal circumstances, it would be impossible for the fox people to rule the continent.
However, Marbus felt that Elba had the "power" to do so.
Perhaps reading Marbus's inner thoughts, Elba looked at him with amused eyes.
"After I become the 'Beast King' and unify the beastmen nations in the true sense of the word, I will embark on 'continental domination'. Hmmm......... I will show the world the power of the beastmen race. Doesn't the mere thought of it make your blood boil?"
"Yes, I would be happy to accompany you then."
Malbus bows to Elba after he finishes.
Elba looked satisfied with his words and actions, and then he smiled wryly and
"Uh ......, this is ......."
"Are you okay, brother ?"
When Amon woke up in bed, he saw the face of a girl peeking at him worriedly.
Ammon looked at the girl's face and saw a look of great relief on her face.
"...... ah ...... Citry, I've worried you. It's all right now."
" I'm glad to hear that. But don't fall on the floor, okay?"
For a moment he didn't understand what she meant when she said, " he fell on the stairs," but then he remembered that he had told Rick before he lost consciousness that he didn't want him to take it too seriously.
"I'll be careful next time I don't fall."
'Yup, just a promise, okay?"
Citry held out her hand to the sleeping Amon, holding up her pinky finger.
Citry wanted to make a promise.
Amon's body ached a little, but he too held his hand out while raising his pinky finger and intertwined it with Citry's pinky finger.
'Yeah,...... promise"
"Hehe,......, don't break your promise. "
The first thing that Amon and did was to make a little joke about the fact that Amon was a little bit too young to know what to do with his fingers.
When Ammon answered, he heard Rafa's voice.
'Amon, if you're awake, I'd like to talk to you for a minute, if that's alright?"
'......... Okay. Come in."
Ammon allowed Rafa to enter the room, and the door was opened and Rafa entered the room.
When Rafa noticed that Citry was in the room, she first spoke to her.
Oh, Citry's here too," she said.
'Yes. ......"
Citry looked at Rafa and replied, but after a look of trepidation, she shrugged and backed away.
Rafa smiled amusedly at her words or actions.
'Hmph,...... you don't have to be so scared, I won't do nothing.......' ...... But I'd like to talk to Amon alone, so could you please leave the room?"
'...... Okay.'
Rafa's words were answered by Citry, who looked down with disappointment and tried to leave the room.
'Please come again."
, "...... , yes, Ni-sama ."
Citry replied to Amon's call with a happy expression and left the room.
After seeing her off, Rafa spoke to Amon after a short pause.
......"And yet, Amon is a fool. If you continue to incur your brother's anger, you will die young?"
'That may be so,.......'"
Amon takes in Rafa's words and smiles an indescribably self-deprecating smile.
Rafa looked at Amon's face and asked curiously.
'I've been wondering for a while now, what is it that you want to do to stop your brother? What is your vision of the ideal world?"
'......What do I ............. intend to do?"
Hearing Rafa's words, Amon looked dubious, surprised at the unexpected words.
Until now, Amon's ideal had not been conveyed to anyone in his family, nor had they listened to him.
Of course, Rafa was among them.
Why would she want to ask now? Rafa, seeing Amon's dubious expression, smiled pleasantly.
He said, "Don't be so alarmed, ....... It's just a quirk. I'm just curious about you, who could be killed by your brother and yet you continue to incur his anger. If you don't want to tell me, that's fine."
Amon listens to his sister Rafa's words and tries to find out what she really means by listening to her expression, but he is not sure.
To begin with, "Rafa" herself is a woman who is not sure what she is thinking.
Gareth, Amon's father, and Malbus, his second son, trust Elba, his eldest son.
There is no doubt that Rafa also trusts Elba, but she seems to be somewhat distant from him.
But he is not sure why.
Maybe it is her, Rafa's, purpose to make him think so.
Shortly thereafter, it was Amon who spoke up.
'Well, ...... since it's an important event, I'd like you to hear it from my sister."
"If it's not interesting, I'll leave the room halfway down the hall, okay?"
Amon chuckled involuntarily at Rafa's words and started to explain to her what he was thinking.
Amon was focusing on the high production skills of the Fox people, and he was thinking of selling their technical skills to other tribes and countries in order to help the Fox people develop.
The skills of the Foxmen are said to be superior to those of the Dwarves, if not better.
They ideally wanted to earn a lasting income by taking advantage of their technological capabilities to receive orders for, manufacture, and sell "products needed" by other countries and tribes.
:"If the Fox people get together and gather their skills, they will be able to mass produce goods of a quality that other tribes and other countries will want," he said. And as a tribe, we can also build up our assets. And we don't even have to do the 'slave trade."
After listening to Ammon's talk, Rafa gave a bored look and then a disappointed look on his face.
'I knew your talk was boring,"I ask you a question?"
"What is ......?"
Amon looked miffed and dissatisfied when Rafa clearly told him that he was boring.
But when she saw his face, she smiled happily.
'Hmmm, hypothetically speaking, when we let the world know about the fox people's technological prowess, will other countries and other tribes ...... leave us, the fox people, alone?'
"It's ......"
Amon was at a loss for words.
The fact that they have high production skills is directly related to the fact that they can make high-quality weapons.
The fact that beastmen, who are regarded as having high physical ability, have a lineup of quality weapons would be perceived as a threat to the neighboring countries of the fox people.
What could happen then?
It is not that he did not think about it.
But it was something he did not want to think about.
Amon thought about it for a few moments, and then said slowly,
"If ...... other nations are going to attack us, we have no choice but to ask my brothers and sisters to help us fight.'
Rafa heard Amon's words and raised his eyebrows.
'Amon,...... you are naive in that way. You reject your brother's ways, but when push comes to shove, you say you will turn to him? If you are going to follow a different path than your brother, be willing to part ways with him. And don't even think of depending on him. Then your ideals might become a little more attractive".
......"
Amon had nothing to say back to Rafa's point.
Certainly, the idea of denying Elba's idea and then depending on him when the time came would be considered as naive.
Amon was made aware of his own naivete by Rafa's words and looked down and regretful.
Rafa grabbed Amon's chin and forced him to look up and smiled with satisfaction at his expression.
'Haha, the whole conversation was boring, but the expression on your face right now is amusing. ...... See you later, Amon.'
When Rafa finished, he turned on his heel and walked straight out of the room.
Amon had nothing to say back to her and could only stare regretfully at her back.
◇
Rafa left Ammon's room and leaned his back lazily against the door of the room he came out of.
He then looked out the window in front of him and muttered something boring.
, "Hmm,......, you seem to have the talent and the potential, but Amon is not good enough. Is there anyone out there who could entertain me better than my brother?"
......About a month after this, the "slave trade" initiated by Elba was carried out in Barsto. ......
And no one could have predicted that the outcome would have a major impact on the future of the tribe of foxmen.
'Hah, ...... he's the one who makes the best of a good drink and a bad meal.'
After Amon left the room, Elba returned to the sofa he had just taken a seat on with a frustrated expression on his face, sat back down and leaned against the back of the sofa with vigor.
Malbus, who had been watching the whole scene, quickly offered Elba a glass of wine.
"Brother."
"you're a very clever man after all, Malbus. If only Amon were as smart as you, I'd love him."
Elba took the offered glass and drank it down vigorously.
Malbus was relieved to see that Elba was back in a good mood.
However, he did not let it show.
Later, while pouring Elba a glass and chatting with him, Malbus asked him openly, being cautious of his words.
'My brother, by the way, this is a little overlapping with what 'Amon' was saying, but honestly, the way we are running things now, in three to four years it is going to start affecting our lives here in Forneu. It's about time for me to know what my brother's thoughts are."
Malbus is largely in charge of running the country from his father, Gareth and Elba.
However, it is Elba who sets the policy.
Malbus may not have the power of Elba, but he is a skilled statesman and administrator.
Elba recognizes this ability, and Malbus is practically his right hand man.
Elba nodded at Malbus's words and looked at him sharply.
"Well,...... but only if we can hold it for four years, ....... Let the money go to the army as it is, to the limit. Don't worry about the weak dying."
If you can hold out for four years,...... then what do you have in mind for when the battle of the Beast Kings is held?"
Elba smirked with a glass in his hand.
'If I become the "Beast King," I will be able to give orders to the various tribes, and the fox people will be able to make further progress. But my true purpose is beyond that."
". your true purpose?"
Malbus looked doubtful when he heard the words " true purpose.
The real purpose is to abolish the Beast King and reorganize the Beast Nation.
Well, ...... that's a very interesting story indeed. I would very much like to know what it is about.
"I'm sure ...... will be fine. Malbus will have to continue to work for that '.
To Malbus, Elba began to explain the plan he had in mind.
Elba told him that the beastmen are more physically capable than humans, elves, dwarves, and other races, and that they are superior to any other race.
Then why have the beastmen not been able to "dominate the continent"?
He continued that it is because they have not been able to utilize their abilities outside of Japan due to the ridiculous "Beast King" system.
"The beastmen nation is not a united entity, because the tribes are all checking each other,"
"Of course, my father knew all this. When I become the "Beast King," I will ask all the tribes to pledge their loyalty to me. And if they disobey me, I will make them obey me even to the point of destroying the tribe."
"In that case, it is possible that all the tribes other than our own will become enemies. What are you going to do about it?"
Malbus' concern is valid.
It is true that if all the tribes of the beastmen could unite, they might be able to "dominate the continent.
But in reality, the beastmen are very territorial, and there is no history of organized armies of beastmen.
"The "Beast King" is also a system that was created in the midst of constant conflict among the tribes."
If that system were to be abolished, the resistance of each tribe would have to be considerable.
"Your question is valid. However, for this reason, I have established connections with the tribes and other countries such as Barsto and the Church through the slave trade. When I become the Beast King and start working to unify the Beast Nation, I have plans to link up with those countries . ......"
Yes, one of the reasons Elba started the slave trade was to deep diplomacy with other countries and tribes.
Some countries ostensibly prohibit slaves, but every country has its own people with desires.
By selling slaves directly to such people in other countries, mainly via Barsto, the relationship is strengthened at the same time.
As a result, Elba's name is already well known among some of the influential nobles in other countries, and he has become a figure to be lock on upon .
Furthermore, in the different tribes of the beastmen , although the scale differs from each other, there are always a certain number of "unsalvageable children" as in the foxmen tribe.
By converting these children into "funds," Elba is able to increase the country's budget, even if only somewhat.
If they were lucky, the children could be saved more than they were now, and through diplomacy, Elba told the influential people of each tribe about the "benefits of slave trading.'
At first, there were strong opposition among the other tribes, but he eventually succeeded in winning them over by communicating the "benefits" of the slave trade through his achievements.
In this way, Elba had established connections with other tribes and countries, and was steadily moving toward his goals of "reorganization and unification of the beastmen nations" and "continental domination.
Malbus did not seem surprised by what he heard, and nodded as he looked at Elba.
'...... So you are saying that as soon as your brother decides to rise up, the surrounding countries will back him?"
'That's not all. There are also those who agree with this plan and have already pledged their loyalty to me. If you include them, my army is probably the largest in the Beast Kingdom at this point."
In the Beast Kingdom, where the idea is based on the concept of the "weak and strong", there is no one who does not know Elba's name.
He is considered to be the next king of beasts for sure.
A being with overwhelming power that no one else can match.
That is the existence of Elba.
Because of this overwhelming power, Gareth, the father, Rafa, the eldest daughter, and Malbus, the second son, have absolute trust in Elba.
In fact, Malbus had some idea of Elba's plans.
However, since it was only a prediction, he took this opportunity to ask Elba for confirmation.
And when Malbus actually heard Elba's plan, he was inwardly trembling with joy.
Under normal circumstances, it would be impossible for the fox people to rule the continent.
However, Marbus felt that Elba had the "power" to do so.
Perhaps reading Marbus's inner thoughts, Elba looked at him with amused eyes.
"After I become the 'Beast King' and unify the beastmen nations in the true sense of the word, I will embark on 'continental domination'. Hmmm......... I will show the world the power of the beastmen race. Doesn't the mere thought of it make your blood boil?"
"Yes, I would be happy to accompany you then."
Malbus bows to Elba after he finishes.
Elba looked satisfied with his words and actions, and then he smiled wryly and
"Uh ......, this is ......."
"Are you okay, brother ?"
When Amon woke up in bed, he saw the face of a girl peeking at him worriedly.
Ammon looked at the girl's face and saw a look of great relief on her face.
"...... ah ...... Citry, I've worried you. It's all right now."
" I'm glad to hear that. But don't fall on the floor, okay?"
For a moment he didn't understand what she meant when she said, " he fell on the stairs," but then he remembered that he had told Rick before he lost consciousness that he didn't want him to take it too seriously.
"I'll be careful next time I don't fall."
'Yup, just a promise, okay?"
Citry held out her hand to the sleeping Amon, holding up her pinky finger.
Citry wanted to make a promise.
Amon's body ached a little, but he too held his hand out while raising his pinky finger and intertwined it with Citry's pinky finger.
'Yeah,...... promise"
"Hehe,......, don't break your promise. "
The first thing that Amon and did was to make a little joke about the fact that Amon was a little bit too young to know what to do with his fingers.
When Ammon answered, he heard Rafa's voice.
'Amon, if you're awake, I'd like to talk to you for a minute, if that's alright?"
'......... Okay. Come in."
Ammon allowed Rafa to enter the room, and the door was opened and Rafa entered the room.
When Rafa noticed that Citry was in the room, she first spoke to her.
Oh, Citry's here too," she said.
'Yes. ......"
Citry looked at Rafa and replied, but after a look of trepidation, she shrugged and backed away.
Rafa smiled amusedly at her words or actions.
'Hmph,...... you don't have to be so scared, I won't do nothing.......' ...... But I'd like to talk to Amon alone, so could you please leave the room?"
'...... Okay.'
Rafa's words were answered by Citry, who looked down with disappointment and tried to leave the room.
'Please come again."
, "...... , yes, Ni-sama ."
Citry replied to Amon's call with a happy expression and left the room.
After seeing her off, Rafa spoke to Amon after a short pause.
......"And yet, Amon is a fool. If you continue to incur your brother's anger, you will die young?"
'That may be so,.......'"
Amon takes in Rafa's words and smiles an indescribably self-deprecating smile.
Rafa looked at Amon's face and asked curiously.
'I've been wondering for a while now, what is it that you want to do to stop your brother? What is your vision of the ideal world?"
'......What do I ............. intend to do?"
Hearing Rafa's words, Amon looked dubious, surprised at the unexpected words.
Until now, Amon's ideal had not been conveyed to anyone in his family, nor had they listened to him.
Of course, Rafa was among them.
Why would she want to ask now? Rafa, seeing Amon's dubious expression, smiled pleasantly.
He said, "Don't be so alarmed, ....... It's just a quirk. I'm just curious about you, who could be killed by your brother and yet you continue to incur his anger. If you don't want to tell me, that's fine."
Amon listens to his sister Rafa's words and tries to find out what she really means by listening to her expression, but he is not sure.
To begin with, "Rafa" herself is a woman who is not sure what she is thinking.
Gareth, Amon's father, and Malbus, his second son, trust Elba, his eldest son.
There is no doubt that Rafa also trusts Elba, but she seems to be somewhat distant from him.
But he is not sure why.
Maybe it is her, Rafa's, purpose to make him think so.
Shortly thereafter, it was Amon who spoke up.
'Well, ...... since it's an important event, I'd like you to hear it from my sister."
"If it's not interesting, I'll leave the room halfway down the hall, okay?"
Amon chuckled involuntarily at Rafa's words and started to explain to her what he was thinking.
Amon was focusing on the high production skills of the Fox people, and he was thinking of selling their technical skills to other tribes and countries in order to help the Fox people develop.
The skills of the Foxmen are said to be superior to those of the Dwarves, if not better.
They ideally wanted to earn a lasting income by taking advantage of their technological capabilities to receive orders for, manufacture, and sell "products needed" by other countries and tribes.
:"If the Fox people get together and gather their skills, they will be able to mass produce goods of a quality that other tribes and other countries will want," he said. And as a tribe, we can also build up our assets. And we don't even have to do the 'slave trade."
After listening to Ammon's talk, Rafa gave a bored look and then a disappointed look on his face.
'I knew your talk was boring,"I ask you a question?"
"What is ......?"
Amon looked miffed and dissatisfied when Rafa clearly told him that he was boring.
But when she saw his face, she smiled happily.
'Hmmm, hypothetically speaking, when we let the world know about the fox people's technological prowess, will other countries and other tribes ...... leave us, the fox people, alone?'
"It's ......"
Amon was at a loss for words.
The fact that they have high production skills is directly related to the fact that they can make high-quality weapons.
The fact that beastmen, who are regarded as having high physical ability, have a lineup of quality weapons would be perceived as a threat to the neighboring countries of the fox people.
What could happen then?
It is not that he did not think about it.
But it was something he did not want to think about.
Amon thought about it for a few moments, and then said slowly,
"If ...... other nations are going to attack us, we have no choice but to ask my brothers and sisters to help us fight.'
Rafa heard Amon's words and raised his eyebrows.
'Amon,...... you are naive in that way. You reject your brother's ways, but when push comes to shove, you say you will turn to him? If you are going to follow a different path than your brother, be willing to part ways with him. And don't even think of depending on him. Then your ideals might become a little more attractive".
......"
Amon had nothing to say back to Rafa's point.
Certainly, the idea of denying Elba's idea and then depending on him when the time came would be considered as naive.
Amon was made aware of his own naivete by Rafa's words and looked down and regretful.
Rafa grabbed Amon's chin and forced him to look up and smiled with satisfaction at his expression.
'Haha, the whole conversation was boring, but the expression on your face right now is amusing. ...... See you later, Amon.'
When Rafa finished, he turned on his heel and walked straight out of the room.
Amon had nothing to say back to her and could only stare regretfully at her back.
◇
Rafa left Ammon's room and leaned his back lazily against the door of the room he came out of.
He then looked out the window in front of him and muttered something boring.
, "Hmm,......, you seem to have the talent and the potential, but Amon is not good enough. Is there anyone out there who could entertain me better than my brother?"
......About a month after this, the "slave trade" initiated by Elba was carried out in Barsto. ......
And no one could have predicted that the outcome would have a major impact on the future of the tribe of foxmen.
