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Vol 04 Chapter 131: Beastkin

After the meeting with the diplomat ended, I visited the prison once again. It happened to be dinner time, so I handed Alice some bread and soup.

I was eating the same menu.

「…Are you going to eat the same thing?」

「Yes.」

I sat down in front of Alice, across the bars, and brought a piece of bread to my mouth.

「You are the king, aren’t you?」

「Well, yes, but… this is a battlefield. Everyone, including myself, eats the same food as the common soldiers.」

Being the king doesn’t mean I can eat a luxurious meal on the battlefield when the others cannot. Well, I do have someone taste my food for poison, and sometimes there’s an extra bunch of grapes added to my plate.

But essentially, my meals are the same as those of an ordinary soldier.

We began our meal in a routine manner. Silence dominated the prison.

Now then… should I start a conversation?

「Is your power due to a blessing?」

「No, it isn’t.」

Alice quickly denied it. Her physical abilities and her capacity to create threads were not due to a blessing it seems.

Then where did those powers come from?

「My father was a spider,」

Alice stated plainly.

That’s some surprising revelation.

What does it mean, her father is a spider? I’m getting confused here.

Could it be that in this world genetics doesn’t matter? If I were to shoot my seed at Sakura, would a horse that looks like me be born…?

No, that can’t be possible. Certainly not.

However, Alice was not joking; she wore a very serious expression.

A half-spider, half-human… Surely that’s impossible?

If she said she was a hybrid with a creature close to humans, like chimpanzees or gorillas, maybe it could be somewhat understandable. Lions and tigers, zebras and donkeys. There are instances where offspring have resulted from different species.

But a spider and a human. Those two species are too different to be feasible.

And, do spiders even have penises? What size would a spider have to be to mate with a human?

And really, Alice’s mother’s fetish is a bit too much.

「You seem confused.」

「…It would be strange not to be confused by this.」

Seeing my bewildered expression, Alice chuckled.

「He was a spider that was originally a human.」

「I’m sorry. That just makes me even more confused.」

Is he a reincarnated person like me? I feel like I’ve read a story like that before.

「I don’t know the details. But suddenly one day, he turned into a spider. I think it must be due to some kind of blessing.」

A blessing that turns you into a spider one day… Isn’t that more like a curse?

Well, my own [Blessing of The Emperor] has some sides that aren’t that different from a curse too…

「I’ve heard that when a person receives a blessing greater than their soul’s capacity, it can go out of control. It’s not so rare for a human to suddenly turn into another creature.」

A runaway blessing, huh?

It seems that the beings granting us these powers have a nasty streak. Deliberately giving immense powers to those who can’t handle them just for amusement.

「Even though he turned into a spider, he was originally human. That’s why he could mate with a human.」

「Hmm… Your mother was really okay with mating with a spider?」

Alice shook her head from side to side, denying my words.

「That’s not it. She was raped.」

「…」

I’m sorry.

The atmosphere turned as somber as if at a wake. Should I change topics? No, having come this far, I should hear the rest.

「So, your abilities are inherited from your father?」

「That seems to be the case. I’ve been told by slave traders that people like me are sometimes called ‘beastkin’. We appear in the market very rarely.」

Beastkin, huh… When I hear beastkin I think of cute girls with dog or cat ears, but… Are there beastkins with dog or cat ears in this world?

However, Alice is a spider-human, but she doesn’t exhibit any spider-like physical characteristics.

Is it just their abilities that are closer to those of a beast?

She mentioned a slave trader just now. I remember now, Alice was a slave.

「Why did you become a slave?」

「I was sold to a Kirisian merchant. I was raised until about the age of five, but as soon as famine struck, I was immediately sold. Later, at the age of seven, I was bought by Prince Aldo’s mother. She wanted to see a spider-human.」

I see. And after that, Prince Aldo…

「How old are you, Alice? I’m nineteen.」

「I’m twenty.」

Being subjected to violence for thirteen years would certainly be traumatizing.

「You are impressive becoming a king before even reaching twenty.」

「Well, it’s been a series of events and circumstances.」

My ascension to the throne was the result of various fates converging. Had even one not occurred, I might have remained merely a village chief.

「Listen, Alice,」

「What is it?」

「What will you do now?」

Alice looked uncertain.

「What will I do…?」

「I would like you to become one of my retainers and work for me. Your assassination skills are valuable. …But, if you don’t want to do assassinations, that’s fine too. There are other roles as well, like guarding me or gathering intelligence. I want you to be useful to me. …But I won’t force you. Forcing you would make me no different from Prince Aldo.」

I paused, looking intently at Alice.

「Aldo is going to die. A peace treaty will soon be signed, and he will be executed. The chains binding you will disappear. You can choose your own life. I hear you assassinated several of my centurions… but only I know that. You were coerced, and there is room for leniency. Therefore, I forgive you.」

If I killed her, Alice would never become my retainer. So, for now, it is necessary to keep her alive.

Of course, if she escapes my control, I might need to kill her. Because she could become a pawn for the enemy.

Hiding this ulterior motive, I asked Alice.

「I’d be glad if you could start by working as a servant in the palace for now. What do you think?」

「Could you give me some time to think?」

Alice whispered back in a soft voice.

I’ll come back tomorrow and ask again then.

I left the prison.

◇

Four days later, I received word that the diplomat had successfully persuaded King Rozel, and we had successfully concluded the secret treaty.

Subsequently, a conference was held among the members of the Anti-Gallia Alliance.

The topic of discussion was concessions in the peace treaty. I presented the concession proposal I had proposed to Merlin.

The proposal was met with fierce opposition from the kings of each country.

Particularly strong opposition came from King Domorgal’s Country. The land of King Domorgal’s Country was severely devastated by the war.

Without reparations, they would not be able to sustain themselves.

King Gilbed’s Country and King Faldam’s Country also expressed their discontent.

However,

「Our soldiers are exhausted from repeated battles. Continuing to fight is not possible. Our farmlands have been neglected for a long time. You may have gained territories, but we haven’t gained anything. We are only suffering losses. I want to disband the army soon. …If you wish to prolong negotiations, please continue without us. My country’s army will return home in a week,」

I declared, which changed the expressions on the faces of the kings of the other countries.

If our country withdrew, there would be a chance that the Rozel Kingdom could reclaim their lost territories.

Mutzio and his men were also asking to return home. The Equus tribe fought this far to repay their debt of gratitude to me.

For honor, not for profit.

They had already repaid their debts of loyalty. They had no intention of involving themselves in further warfare.

If the peace negotiations did not conclude, they would return home in three days. That was the message Mutzio conveyed to me.

This was unexpected news to me. Upon inquiring further, it seemed that the Aries and Lupus tribes were showing unrest.

Mutzio could no longer afford to leave his country unattended.

Moreover, the mercenaries lent to us by Lezado and the heavy infantry from Gehenna also began to press for a quick peace.

Both countries are commercial states and naturally trade with the Rozel Kingdom.

If the war were to drag on, it would impact their businesses.

With King Rosais’ Country, Lezado, Gehenna, and the Equus tribe urging them, even the stubborn triad of countries had to agree.

Thus, my compromise proposal was accepted.

Soon after, we engaged in peace negotiations with the Rozel Kingdom. Although there were heated debates, it was all a staged game.

While I raised my voice in the discussions, I was inwardly smiling. The diplomats likely felt the same. Merlin looked dissatisfied throughout.

The play proceeded according to the script, and the actors moved as they were directed.

The comedy came to a successful close.

Thus, the long siege finally ended.