NOVEL FROG Chapter 91: She, Who Show The Way
The story continues.
To put it plainly, I had just blurted out something completely off the cuff.
But that wasn't entirely true. I, Euphemia Grimwood, had indeed spoken impulsively, yet my words weren’t entirely false. Just as there is no such thing as a perfect lie, there is no such thing as perfect despair.
Well, everything seemed to have wrapped up neatly, so let's call it good.
I pondered these thoughts while standing on the head of Kairine, the nine-tailed foxwoman. Though I maintained a smirk, I couldn’t help but feel uneasy seeing the beastmen around me looking overly impressed.
People take others' words too seriously. When Lex Asuka, pinned down by Katarina and Kirina with a dagger at her throat, started crying a bit, even my conscience whispered, "Good, keep it up." ...After all, we might never see that again.
Lex Asuka, now released by Katarina and Kirina as the tension eased, stood up slowly, wiped her eyes with the edge of her garment, and looked at me.
There was no resentment or hatred in her gaze. But then, Lex had always been a stoic lioness, so it was hard to tell for sure.
"Euphemia Grimwood, let me confirm: by handing over Kairine, you will not pursue any further action against us for our deeds?"
"I said I accepted your apology. If you intend to compensate, give me this fox. I could take you instead, but that would upset the Beast King, wouldn’t it?"
I puffed out my chest arrogantly. But honestly, taking Lex Asuka in this situation would be problematic. What I needed was Kairine.
"Euphemia, do you truly want her? She’s not exactly the most pleasant individual," whispered Serena as she approached.
"I know," I nodded, and experimentally lifted and lowered my foot on Kairine’s head.
"Ouch! That hurts!" she whined.
Just moments ago, she had been acting like the mastermind, but now, the defeated nine-tailed fox showed no signs of rebellion. It might be an act, or perhaps Junos had broken her spirit. Either way, it didn't matter to me.
"Let's confirm with her directly. Kairine, we’re taking custody of you. To put it plainly, you'll work for us instead of being killed or tortured."
"Of course, I have no objections. In fact, I'd prefer it. The beastmen hate me more than Lex Asuka," Kairine replied.
"So, you have no place here?"
"I could make a place anywhere, even in enemy territory, if I wanted. But being under your foot, Euphemia Grimwood, sounds more entertaining than cooperating with the lioness," Kairine laughed.
Disgusted, I moved my foot off her head.
"Then let’s conclude this. We have a lot of work to do," Lex said, looking at Brandon Kruger, who stood with an uncertain expression. Their gazes met, and they nodded to each other.
The new Beast King then loudly declared the end of the war.
The conflict between the Beast King’s army and the Anti-Lion Coalition wasn’t the main event; it was a significant checkpoint. Thanks to Lex Asuka’s strategies and Kairine’s command, they successfully eliminated Randall Kruger.
With the war over, the beastmen returned to their respective places, spreading the news of Brandon Kruger’s ascension as the new Beast King.
If this were the Kingdom of Louisse, the royal succession would be a grand event. The new king would stand on a palace balcony, addressing the gathered crowds, with noble families informed beforehand. Their proclamations would be recorded as an official coronation, uplifting the national spirit.
In contrast, the succession of the Beast King was straightforward and lacked fanfare hehe.
"We have a lot of work to do," Lex Asuka said, her usual vacant expression in place, as she gathered the group at their residence in the capital.
She tapped the table, intending to make a firm sound, but it came out as a soft pat. The gathered group, including Brandon, looked on with mixed expressions. As usual, the busty lioness woman seemed unfazed.
"First, we need to establish the new governance of the Beast Kingdom. Randall's rule was arbitrary. What kind of rule do you want, Brandon?"
"A kingdom without my father's tyranny... though I suppose that's the answer you expect," Brandon replied, tilting his head slightly.
The lioness woman nodded without changing her expression.
"Even if you govern like Randall, you wouldn't act tyrannically. We need to change the governance structure. In fact, it has already begun."
"Because Brandon listens to Lex's advice," said Lil Lilgrill, the werewolfwoman warrior, nodding thoughtfully.
"Brandon listens to others' opinions and then decides," confirmed Luche Rubia, the rabbit beastman. Lex nodded.
"Similarly, Brandon will consult us on matters he wishes to implement. We will give our opinions, and Brandon will decide based on that."
Randall would never bother with such a tedious process. But power, when somewhat constrained, tends to function more effectively. No governance is perfect, and neither will Brandon and Lex’s administration be flawless.
But striving for a better future than the present is crucial. No one expects everlasting peace or a perfect political system.
We were about to take a step forward.
That’s what this was all about.
“Let's call this a council system for now. Do we have any objections? If not, we shall move on to the next matter—”
The lioness woman moved swiftly through the agenda. She seemed energetic, but Lex’s expression remained as vacant as ever, making her tears on the blood-stained grassland seem like a distant memory.
Nonetheless, the meeting continued.
The first goal was to inform everyone about the new Beast King, Brandon Kruger, and to list all of the Beast King's subjects. Traveling merchants like Leaf Liza would be accompanied by beastman warriors to tour the territories, essentially creating a census.
This would involve documenting every settlement, its inhabitants, and their social structures. Additionally, they would visit isolated communities like Sutin Village, which had previously been unaware of the Beast King's authority. This would help to spread the word about Brandon Kruger and complete the census.
Furthermore, they needed to assign jobs to those living in the Beast King's capital. Under Randall, the beastmen had been loosely organized. Now, it was time to assign roles, responsibilities, and the authority that came with them—in other words, to create an organized structure. Randall’s charisma had sufficed until now; when he called, the "guys" gathered, and when he gave orders, they ran to execute them.
It was utterly inefficient.
It worked until now, but it won’t work in the future.
“Euphemia Grimwood, do you have any proposals?” Lex suddenly asked me.
Everyone turned their curious gazes towards me, so I flashed a smile, probably seeming a bit out of place.
“I have two. One is something we’ve overlooked, but I'll save that for later since it should be returning soon. The other is that we should build towers throughout the beastman territories. We’ll use these towers to increase our clerical staff and create towns around them.”
“Towers? Tall buildings, you mean? Why... oh, I see,” Lex said, understanding before I even explained.
“Sorry, Lex might get it, but we don’t. Towers, writing, clerks, and tower towns? What’s the connection?” Brandon asked.
“Kairine, explain,” I said, delegating to the nine-tailed foxwoman who had become our subordinate for no particular reason.
“Eh!? Suddenly? Well... okay, yes. This is intriguing! Allow me, Beast King and fellow beastmen. How are we able to communicate right now?” Kairine began in her soft feminine voice- attempting to create a new persona.
“Through words, obviously,” Brandon replied.
“Correct, words. Now, how do we communicate with those far away? Lex Asuka used merchants to gather information from different places. By giving them messages, she could communicate her intentions. When the merchants returned to Lex with messages, communication was achieved, albeit primarily for information gathering.”
“Humans send letters, don’t they?” Lil Lilgrill, the werewolfwoman warrior, answered.
“Yes! Harpies can deliver letters using the towers as landmarks. Written communication. Harpies can't deliver verbal messages, and they can't carry heavy loads, but they can transport letters. That’s the idea,” Kairine explained.
“That’s brilliant,” I said.
If we could realize this plan, it would surpass the common methods of information transmission used by humans. In the Kingdom of Louisse, they had magical communication, but it wasn’t widespread due to its high cost.
“Indeed, it’s worth considering. If a settlement is attacked by humans or demons, quick communication could mitigate delays in response. It would also allow us to act proactively in many situations,” Brandon said.
“The harpies will likely find it enjoyable,” someone added.
“If we present it as a game of delivering letters from one tower to another, they’ll love it. If we reward them with food, they’ll be even more enthusiastic,” Brandon said.
Everyone seemed excited about the idea. Kairine, who was sitting nearby, wore a smug expression, so I silently signaled Serena to give her a knock on the head with her folded fan.
As the meeting progressed, those who had stayed behind in Gaeriko Village—Regalo and Jade among them—finally returned.
Lex Asuka still didn’t know.
She didn’t know that the beastmen had established contact with the humans.
