Chapter 288: Chapter 35: Scared Faint by the Beastmen’s Husband-Sharing Tradition (Part 2)

Westheid held up an index finger and said:

"One month. In one month, we will set out from Dusk Lamp Territory to seek the recognition and submission of every Knight Territory. For those of you already here, please think carefully. Will you welcome my arrival with fine wine, or will you refuse me with sharpened blades? This is a very critical decision."

Then, Westheid and Mivana turned and left the completely shattered dueling ground, crossing the Boundary River to return.

On the other side of the Boundary River, the Qinghui Guard erupted in cheers, flocking around their Lord as he returned.

The Knight Lords who watched Westheid and his party leave simply looked at each other, at a loss for words.

"This expedition?"

"The expedition has to be called off. Duke Qinghui is right. Compared to this expedition, which was meant to unite our wills, the pilgrimage is more important."

Uther shook his head and sighed, "Duke Qinghui... he’s serious."

The other Knight Lords also fell into thought.

"So we turn back now?"

"It seems we have no choice. Let’s inform the others of what happened here. It’s best to wait and see for now."

"With Duke Qinghui’s strength, he certainly has reason to become king. But that power isn’t enough to suppress all dissenting voices."

The Knight Lords discussed amongst themselves, but most of them centered around the Grand Knights, hoping to hear the opinions of these powerhouses.

"Lady Mephit, what are your thoughts?"

Someone asked the young Grand Knight, who was turning to leave. The dashing, blue-haired young woman stopped, tilted her head, and smiled.

"I plan to visit Dusk Lamp Territory as a guest first. Didn’t Duke Qinghui say so himself? Dusk Lamp Territory is open to friends. While I may not harbor the strongest goodwill, I should at least be qualified to pay my respects at a grave, right?"

...

Back in the main city of Dusk Lamp Territory, news of the victory spread, sweeping away the gloomy shadow of destruction that had loomed over everyone’s hearts. The Beastmen greeted the triumphant heroes with fervent cheers.

"Let’s let everyone relax. Their nerves have been on edge for quite a while," Westheid suggested. "And while we’re at it, let’s talk about our next steps."

Mivana nodded emphatically. "Mhm! And there’s one more thing. According to tradition, it’s time for West to meet my clansmen."

"...That’s not a problem."

Westheid agreed instinctively, but he detected an unusual undertone in Mivana’s suggestive voice, as if he had forgotten something.

’Whatever.’

And so, that evening, a grand celebratory feast was held both inside and outside the main city of Dusk Lamp Territory.

The Qinghui Guard, the Princess’s retinue, and the Beastman villagers—several groups that would normally have nothing to do with each other—sat together harmoniously because of the relationship between their leaders, enjoying the local specialties of Dusk Lamp Territory.

Dusk Lamp Territory was indeed very backward. Even a small border town in the current Qinghui Territory could completely blow this Borderland of the Knight Realm out of the water.

But the countryside had its own rustic charm. Beneath the perpetually dim sky, the warmth and light from bonfires and kerosene lamps were a sight rarely seen in the great Imperial cities.

In the firelight, the Beastmen laughed heartily and raised their cups in toasts, showering praise without reservation.

"To our Lord! Cheers!"

"To Mivana!"

"And to Mivana’s partner, Lord Westheid!"

"Long live Lord Westheid!"

"..."

The Beastmen, some brawny and some delicate, sang and danced with their arms around each other’s shoulders. Their songs and dances were exceptionally passionate, revealing a very simple and honest side to them.

This was a banquet completely different from a court ball. There was no etiquette to speak of, only the purest joy.

’Beast-eared Maidens truly are a sign of a great culture,’ Westheid mused.

Westheid’s gaze drifted over the pretty Beast-eared Maidens—cat-eared, wolf-eared, fox-eared, and there were even some with deer antlers. Without exception, they were all youthful, beautiful young women, dressed in light and lovely clothing, and all of them were quite... well-developed.

This was purely appreciation, with no other intentions. With both Mivana and Reiya by his side, he had to behave himself.

"Teacher West, do you like my sisters?"

Mivana heard the man’s sigh of admiration and excitedly wrapped her arms around Westheid’s neck, affectionately rubbing her delicate cheek and fluffy beast ears against him.

The white fuzz on the inside of her wolf ears brushed against his cheek, forcing Westheid to squint one eye.

"Of course I do."

Reiya was much more reserved in comparison. The Silver-haired Princess simply held her lover’s hand gently, leaning her weight slightly against Westheid.

She took small sips of the flavored fruit wine, her snow-white, curved eyelashes lifting slightly as she glanced at the Beastmen by the bonfire and said faintly:

"This is very different from the Beastmen I know of. It’s not as if there are no Beastmen in the Empire, but they are all rather crude, as if they act purely on instinct, and are very aggressive."

"Logically speaking, Dusk Lamp Territory borders the Chaos Domain and has no protection from the Law. Shouldn’t the people living here be more prone to madness? Why do they seem so gentle?"

Mivana tilted her head. "I’ve never really thought about it. Maybe it’s because of Teacher Viona’s guidance?"

Reiya replied, "If education could have such a great impact on Beastmen, then the Beastmen in the Empire would have been completely transformed long ago."

The Radiant Holy Tree Empire’s treatment of Beastmen could not be said to be anything but preferential. All sorts of favorable policies were maxed out—if they needed resources, they were given resources; if they needed education, they were given education.

"I know about this. Let me explain."

Seeing that they were both mistaken, Westheid had to show off his knowledge.

Duke Qinghui cleared his throat and said:

"As everyone knows, the Beastmen are biological weapons created by Black Renandik. From the moment of their birth, they were specialized to fight Chaos. Their resistance to Chaos Corruption is arguably the highest among all mortal races."

"However, precisely because they were born as weapons, if overly belligerent Beastmen are in a peaceful and tranquil environment, the restlessness in their beast blood has no outlet, and they inevitably become irritable and aggressive."

"But Dusk Lamp Territory is close to the Chaos Domain, so their warlike nature is perfectly counteracted by the Chaos Corruption, which in turn allows the Beastmen to maintain their sanity and reason."

"Ah, so that’s how it is?"

Mivana, a pure-blooded Beastman herself, had never heard of this. Her beautiful eyes widened upon hearing Westheid’s explanation.

"Of course. But this is considered classified information. Black Renandik never explained the details of his creations to others... As for me, I learned of it through certain special channels."

Westheid knew every piece of information that existed in "Poem of Destiny" like the back of his hand. Of course, the amount of text in the game was just the tip of the iceberg compared to the vastness of the real world, but some of the information was still crucial. 𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶

For instance, the most confidential information regarding Black Renandik could only be found in Gale Heart, the capital of the Country of Yonglan.

"In that case, doesn’t that make these Beastmen natural-born Warriors?"

As expected of someone who knew Westheid’s disposition so well, Reiya’s thoughts immediately synchronized with his.

"Ah, that’s right. Once we integrate them later, they could become a very useful asset... But they won’t be of any use in this war of pilgrimage. That will have to wait for later," Westheid said with a nod.

The Beastmen had very high potential, but realizing that potential would take time. No matter. After they joined Qinghui Territory and resources were poured into them, it was not impossible that they could build a powerful army comparable to the Qinghui Guard.

"Mivana, Mivana..."

Suddenly, a soft call came from nearby. Several Beast-eared Maidens had quietly approached Mivana’s side. Most were wolf-eared Beastman girls. Although their faces looked quite pure and youthful, their figures were remarkably well-developed—something one could only call a characteristic of the Beastmen.

Among them was a Beast-eared Maiden with cow horns, who was so voluptuous it was almost obscene.

These delightful-to-behold Beast-eared Maidens huddled together, looking at Westheid with shy yet infatuated eyes.

"Is this your mating partner?"

"Mhm, West is my mating partner. Come and meet him."

Mivana stood up proudly and gave her seat to her Beast-eared Maiden sisters.

The Beast-eared girls then eagerly pressed themselves against Westheid, exclaiming in admiration:

"Ah... a handsome human, a strong human."

"What a magnificent male... Mivana, you did well, you did very well!"

"It was so right for Mivana to go out and travel!"

"..."

’Wait, what are you guys doing?’

Just as Westheid was feeling bewildered, the Lady Knight smiled at him and said:

"According to our tradition, please, West, sow your seed among the sisters of my clan!"

’Huh? What was that?’

Westheid first froze, his brain shutting down. Then, he frowned as he remembered something.

’Right, speaking of Beastman customs... it seems many places do indeed have the tradition of sharing a husband. And Dusk Lamp Territory is a classic example of that.’

GASP—

He was so shocked by the Beastman husband-sharing tradition that he nearly fainted.