Reader’S Regeneration Life [EN]: Chapter 260

260―――――

How to Befriend Beasts

“Isn’t this a rather…shabby trick?”

“Using food like this feels like child’s play, doesn’t it?”

If Sion heard such words, he’d tell them to stop talking nonsense, wash their feet, and go to sleep, perhaps even adding a rude gesture for emphasis.

These are races driven by strong animal instincts.

The most effective way to befriend them is to appeal to their desires, primarily through their stomachs, thus opening the door to a better relationship.

Sion concluded that both animals and people are vulnerable when it comes to food.

Moreover, beastmen don’t live in densely populated countries like humans, making it difficult to raise livestock in large quantities to obtain meat regularly.

Wide pastures are essential for raising livestock, but most of these lands have now fallen under human control. To avoid conflict, they either use only a small portion of the land, rely on hunting, or employ other methods.

‘Most of the beastmen caught by slave traders are those who were hunting or tending to their livestock.

And those who had set up small camps for themselves and lived there.’

Of course, they don’t always eat only meat, but it remains their most valued food.

It’s no different for humans; they crave meat the most, and the most delicious thing is often meat.

“…What is this human doing?”

Naturally, they wouldn’t accept his gesture immediately, likely thinking he was insane.

The first to express hostility was the youngest woman of the Hobie tribe.

Her name was Lafra, the granddaughter of Paula, the Hobie tribe’s matriarch, and the most likely successor to lead the tribe, practically guaranteed to follow in her grandmother’s footsteps.

“It’s simply a gift, as you can see.

Since a human like myself has joined this gathering, I felt it was right to show at least a minimum of respect, wouldn’t you agree?”

“If you think you can accomplish something with just this…”

“That’s regrettable.

I’m not some third-rate individual who plays games with food.”

Sion didn’t offer a bright, ingratiating smile, but rather a calm, trustworthy one. He roughly skewered a piece of meat and approached the fire he had lit in advance, openly beginning to grill it.

Then, seemingly oblivious to the fact that everyone except the Myo-eun tribe was staring at him with expressions of ‘What kind of crazy bastard is this?’, he ate the skewered meat with great relish.

“I am a nobleman of Hispaña, and I am well aware that beastmen appreciate everything from freshly caught, bleeding meat to meat that is grilled, boiled, or fried like humans.

I prepared this hoping we could share a meal together, but it seems you’re misinterpreting my intentions.”

“That’s right.

Young Master Sion, or rather, our son-in-law, simply came to the Myo-eun tribe’s home with Lia for a visit and was curious after hearing about this meeting.”

Sion held out a skewer of meat to King Geus, who spoke in approval.

Hound of the Wolrang tribe and Lafra of the Hobie tribe couldn’t comprehend the situation at all.

It was already bewildering that a human had come to the beastmen’s meeting, but that human had brought a large quantity of meat as a gift and was eating it ostentatiously.

And not only him, but all the members of the Myo-eun tribe were getting along well!

“…If you’re not going to eat it, give it back.

There are plenty of hungry mouths here.”

The Wolrang tribe members reflexively tried to protect their share at Sion’s words.

Of course, they immediately backed down when Hound growled, “Hey, you idiots.”

“What on earth is this…”

Meanwhile, Lafra of the Hobie tribe clenched her fist tightly, as if she couldn’t tolerate it any longer.

The beastmen’s meeting she had envisioned was a serious one where they would discuss the unstable situation on the continent, share their opinions, listen, contemplate, and arrive at solutions.

But suddenly, a human had appeared and was turning this sacred meeting into some kind of eating fest.

“This can’t be…”

“Sion Clausen, was it?”

Just as Lafra was about to explode with anger.

Suddenly, Paula, who was sitting next to her, subtly raised her hand to stop her granddaughter.

Then, despite her age, she looked at the human man who was sitting in front of her and munching on meat with eyes sharper than any Hobie tribe warrior.

“That’s right, Matriarch of the Hobie tribe.”

“You can simply call me Paula.

More importantly, Clausen, Sion Clausen, is a name from the human world that I’ve heard before.”

“G-Grandmother?”

“…Yes.

I recall hearing from informants that if you mention that name in the Kingdom of Hispaña, everyone would recognize it.

Am I correct, Young Master Sion?”

“It’s a little embarrassing to admit it myself.”

Even as he said that, Sion subtly showed off, ‘That’s me!’

It’s always good to be humble, but excessive humility can backfire, so it’s best to strike the right balance.

“Ah, I’ve heard of him too, Paula.

Wasn’t he called the Saint of the Kingdom?”

“Hound, you’re a bit behind on the news.

He’s no longer just a saint, but a true hero of the human kingdom in his own right.

And he’s so young.”

“Oho.”

Hound, who had been showing a sullen reaction to other topics, reacted sensitively to the word ‘hero’.

He showed a curious look, but it wasn’t just simple curiosity; it was filled with the desire to fight a man called a true hero by humans.

“Stop it, Hound.

He’s a guest, and he’s my son-in-law.

If you touch him, I’ll consider it a declaration of war and respond accordingly.

Keep that in mind.”

“…Tch.

Is merely looking at him enough to warrant that kind of reaction?”

Hound grumbled and turned his gaze away at King Geus’s warning.

Meanwhile, the Hobie tribe’s matriarch, Paula, stroked her chin while looking at Sion, then suddenly smiled and looked at King Geus, opening her mouth.

“Geus.

I understand how your daughter feels.”

“What do you mean?”

“I understand why it had to be a human and not someone from the Myo-eun tribe.

Hmm… If he were from the Hobie tribe, I might have devoured him myself.

Ah, am I too old for that now?”

“Don’t say such strange things, Paula.

I think my daughter is about to hiss and show her displeasure again.”

“I’m just kidding, just kidding.

More than that, if you’re truly Sion Clausen, I think I can allow you to stay at our beastmen’s gathering for a while.”

“Matriarch?”

“Grandmother?”

The Hobie tribe members and Lafra looked at Paula in astonishment.

Hound and the Wolrang tribe also looked at her with surprised eyes, and King Geus also exclaimed, ‘Hmm?’, staring at Paula as if asking for an explanation.

“It’s been a while, but some of our Hobie tribe members were once captured by humans and somehow returned safely to the Hobie tribe’s territory.

They said that a human nobleman saved them, as well as other races of slaves.”

“Oh… I heard that story too, Grandmother.

They said that even though he was human, he punished humans and saved other races who didn’t see them in a favorable light.”

“That’s right.

Some of our Wolrang tribe women also returned with them at that time.”

“They said they didn’t know who that human nobleman was, but after piecing together the rumors circulating in the kingdom, we were able to confirm that the human nobleman was Sion of the Clausen March, Sion Clausen, children.”

At Matriarch Paula’s words, not only the Hobie tribe members and Lafra, but even the Wolrang tribe’s beastmen were surprised.

So, the human who had saved their fellow tribesmen from the hands of humans was this very young man.

Hound and the Wolrang tribe, and Lafra and the Hobie tribe, looked at Sion with eyes questioning if it was true.

At that, Sion avoided their gazes as if he was even more embarrassed than before, but he didn’t drop the pretense of humility, saying, ‘It wasn’t just me who did it, so please don’t give me too much credit.’

Beastmen are a bit simpler than humans, so unnecessary humility could be misunderstood as either a lack of merit or a disavowal of his own actions.

“Ahem!

That’s right.

That’s when our son-in-law saved Lia, who is my daughter and his wife!

There are good human men in the world!

That human is my son-in-law, and that’s why he’s with us like this!”

King Geus added ad-libs without even being asked.

In a situation where the Myo-eun tribe already had little wariness towards the human Sion, the Hobie tribe, who would be the biggest problem, had their leader, Matriarch Paula, sitting still with a smile on her face, so they couldn’t express any protests or complaints.

Since the Hobie tribe, the race with the greatest animosity towards humans, was acting that way, the Wolrang tribe naturally only watched the atmosphere of the meeting hall with eyes that said, ‘What on earth is this situation?’, without saying anything else.

Sion, judging that it was time to step up in earnest, cleared his throat and opened his mouth.

“It’s a little embarrassing for me to say these words myself, but as you all said, I did dismantle the slave market at that time and save the various other races who were caught there.”

“Why?

Humans shouldn’t have good feelings towards us.”

“Of course, I won’t deny that we don’t have a good relationship.

But we can’t just keep growling and fighting like that forever, can we?

More than anything, the kingdom strictly prohibits the buying and selling of slaves.

It’s no different just because you’re a different race.

Although you say you’re not people who belong to the kingdom, we in Hispaña consider you neighbors living together in the same land and are trying to improve our relationship even a little bit more.”

“Hmm…”

“I came here to apologize for the unfortunate events that have occurred until now, and hoping that we can have a more comfortable relationship in the future.

Although my presence may be uncomfortable, I hope you can understand, even a little bit.”

While saying that, Sion instinctively stared at the Hobie tribe’s young woman, Lafra.

Since Paula already had a more favorable view compared to the other beastmen, the next was Lafra, who could be said to be the second-in-command of the Hobie tribe.

If he could persuade her to ease her wariness a little, the Hobie tribe would no longer openly show their fangs, and the Wolrang tribe would also observe the atmosphere and realize that it would be better to keep their mouths shut, so they would remain silent on their own.

‘The Myo-eun tribe and the Wolrang tribe have some interaction with humans.

So if I can completely win over the Hobie tribe, the others are very likely to adopt a ‘Let’s just get through today’ attitude.’

The enemy of my enemy is my friend.

In that sense, these beastmen, who don’t have a good relationship with the fairies, were wonderful allies from Sion’s point of view.

All they needed was a stage and a little bit of added setting, and they would film a movie on their own.

What was needed to cast those actors was to convey the casting intention to them without them even knowing.

“Ah, gee.

If our son-in-law is being so earnest, let’s just let it go, Matriarch.

Aren’t your granddaughter and the others still looking at Young Master Sion with wariness?”

“Lafra.”

At King Geus’s words, Paula opened her mouth in a slightly lowered voice.

At that, Lafra was startled and looked back and forth between her grandmother and Sion, eventually backing away slightly.

“Although humans are still difficult and awkward to deal with, I have no intention of showing fangs and claws to the benefactor of my tribe, Young Master Sion Clausen.

Geus has caught quite a good male.”

“Puhaha!

It wasn’t me who caught him, but our daughter.

I was wondering when she would find a good male to pair up with, but she brought a very good son-in-law.”

“Yumi accepted it?”

“Are you even asking!”

It seems that the Myo-eun tribe and the Hobie tribe definitely have something in common.

After finishing the questioning there, King Geus had the Myo-eun tribe members bring out a dish that had been slightly cooked in advance to Matriarch Paula.

Beastmen don’t always eat freshly caught prey, and they have been influenced by other races without even knowing it, so everyone now knows how great ‘cooking’ is.

“That’s right, Geus, you suddenly summoned the meeting, so I rushed here in a hurry.

It’s not easy to move around when you’re old, and I was about to be in big trouble because I was hungry.”

“Eat lightly.

After all, we’re gathered here for the purpose of a meeting, and since a guest has brought gifts to this gathering that we’ve had in a while, it wouldn’t be polite not to accept them appropriately!

Kuhahaha!”

Until just a moment ago, they had gathered for a meeting, but suddenly the scene changed as if a festival had broken out in the meeting hall.

The Myo-eun tribe members brought out a huge brazier with groans, and the highest quality meats that Sion had brought were placed on top of it, starting a feast of smells that those who knew the taste of meat could never resist.

“Hound, stop being wary and enjoy it.

It’s a meeting, but honestly, hasn’t it been too long since the leaders of our three tribes gathered like this to relieve our stress?

If the higher-ups are a little relieved, the fellow tribesmen below can live with peace of mind.”

“…Ahem.

I was going to enjoy it properly anyway, so don’t nag too much.

Anyway, he’s suddenly trying to vent his frustration from being harassed by his wife on us.”

“Why is our wife’s name coming up here!”

As expected, the Myo-eun and Wolrang tribes were bickering.

But they definitely didn’t have any intention of fighting seriously; they were just in a good mood in front of delicious food, so they seemed to be quite excited.

“Let’s talk slowly while we eat.

How about the remaining members of the Hobie tribe have a simple snack?

Don’t think of it as paying a price, but rather as a gesture of goodwill from Hispaña that we haven’t been able to show until now.”

“…”

Even Paula was already chewing with her mouth full of meat.

While their leader, called the Matriarch, had also put away her wariness to some extent and was leisurely enjoying the gift from Hispaña, the remaining members also realized that there was only one human, Sion, and the rest were beastmen, so they put away their suspicious gazes and began to accept the gift.

“Lafra-nim?”

Sion once again called out to Paula’s granddaughter, the woman who would become the Matriarch of the Hobie tribe.

If even that woman, who was currently the most wary of him, succumbed to this feast of meat, the stage would be perfectly set.

“No, what on earth is this…”

She had clearly expected something serious, profound, and grave, and had followed Paula.

But what she saw was just a vacant lot where a feast was taking place, just at that level, except for the absence of alcohol.

Lafra wanted to shout, ‘What on earth is this?’ while looking at this situation.

‘But…’

But, it was too much of a gift to refuse.

―――――――Author’s Afterword―――――――

Irresistible Charm of Meat Dishes