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I wonder if she had some intention to provoke Balkan and Leona. From the way she widened her eyes, it seems she didn’t anticipate this situation.

I looked at her and, in an almost bewildered tone, asked,

“No. Just a while ago, you said you’d become the Great Chieftain, didn’t you?”

“It was just something I said. If we were to make someone like me the Great Chieftain, that country would be ruined.”

“… …”

There was nothing I could say to her self-aware statement. I glanced at Balkan beside me.

Balkan had an expression of utter surprise at Jinai’s dramatic change in attitude. Leona, too, seemed to be in a similar state, with her eyes wide open.

I looked at Jinai, who appeared to be growing anxious, and nodded. It seems she really has no intention of becoming the Great Chieftain.

More than anything, it hasn’t been long since I met Jinai. It’s not like I can see the future…

‘…I’m a transmigrator not a prophet.’

Let’s just move on. Anyway, it’s a bit strange for me to propose for her to become the Great Chieftain in just a few minutes.

“It’s more like something I said casually. It hasn’t been long since I met Jinai, and it’s a bit odd to say something like this out of the blue, don’t you think?”

“Is that so? I was quite surprised.”

“But, you know, it doesn’t seem like a bad choice for Jinai to become the chieftain.”

“Are you crazy?”

In the moment Jinai was about to relax, I affirmed it again, and she panicked once more. However, this time it was not a joke, but partly sincere.

However, it would be good to investigate everything about her one by one. If I only listened to what was said, she may seem suitable for a “king,” but the details were unknown.

Moreover, Leona advised me to be careful with Jinai’s slyness. This, too, could be a high-level psychological game. For now, it’s a priority to probe and grasp Jinai’s true intentions.

“Jinai, why did you say you raised the opposing faction?”

“To fix those damn traditions and customs. Because of the guys who overthrew their fathers, the entire Animers starved. Does it make sense to rob 50% of the taxes just to fill your own stomach? And some guy applied for a sacred duel a year later and lost. In the end, we suffered for two years.”

“Ehem.”

As Jinai grumbled in a voice full of complaints, Balkan cleared his throat, as if he had nothing to say. It seems that the person who applied for a sacred duel against the tyrant was a member of the lion tribe.

You can only take part in one sacred duel per year, so you can neither apply nor receive it for a year. Moreover, since the tyrant has won once again, they couldn’t do anything and suffered for two years.

If the tyrant commits tyranny, the price will be borne by the people. Two years may seem short, but when the scale grows to a national level, the suffering increases exponentially.

“Thanks to that, our tribe had nothing to eat, and that’s why the hyenas created the opposition. So I thought, ‘Oh, because of this darn tradition, we might all starve to death. We need to change the tradition.’ With this thought.”

“A revolution, right?”

“Is that what you humans call it? Well, at least these guys know there’s a problem with tradition, otherwise, things could have gotten a lot worse. The wise one did a great job.”

If you only listen to it, it seems that the revolution was started with good intentions. But what should be focused on is the ‘influence.’

Animers is a country founded by Hick, the nation’s sponsor and founder, based on tradition. Naturally, there would be many people who follow that tradition, and there would be many who follow the philosophy of change like Jinai.

She was even a hyena, a race faced deep-seated prejudices. If she personally raised influence, it means she has excellent political power.

“Because you’re a hyena, it must have been difficult to build influence. How did you do it?”

“I put forward a different face. The complaints weren’t exclusive to our tribe. I gently manipulated one noble tiger to represent us. Well, over time, it became clear that I was the representative.”

“It went well until then, didn’t it?”

“Yes, but they seemed burdened, and they disclosed every detail. Although it was a bit embarrassing, we managed to get through this level of betrayal without much trouble. Naturally, that guy also stepped down from his position.”

She’s a typical example of a “courtier.” She respects the authority of the leader but secretly seeks power as the second-in-command.

However, from her perspective, it’s not a choice but a necessity. There are few who would follow someone with a bad reputation like a hyena, so she had to present another figure as the leader.

As she is a hyena, she would probably be viewed as despicable and be criticized as treacherous, but at least from my perspective, she wasn’t. She simply excelled in political skills.

“Well, there are many people following me now, and I’m living quite a decent life. We must change those old traditions, but some things will remain unchanged.”

“Hmm… is that so? What about Balkan?”

“You can’t trust a suspicious woman.”

“What about Leona?”

“The same. I can’t trust her at all because we can’t see through her true intentions.”

Despite their continued skepticism, Jinai simply shrugged her shoulders and didn’t seem to care. In many ways, she showed characteristics of a courtier, making it challenging to fully trust her.

So, what about her real abilities? Her political skills have been roughly proven, but we need to look elsewhere.

The first question is how she grew her influence. Not the politics part, but the funds.

Even someone with deeply held beliefs can lose their willpower if they lack basic resources. Throughout history, having abundant resources often leads to better results.

The opposing faction of Animers was no different. If the country was in turmoil and other tribes joined the opposing faction to prevent it, but received no support there, their numbers would decrease, and their influence naturally would weaken. If they were a faction strong enough to directly oppose tradition, they must certainly have a large budget.

“So, Jinai, how did you grow and sustain the opposing faction? It must have required a lot of resources.”

“Oh, that? I just sweet-talked the people above to get their support. By the way, I also took a little from them.”

Jinai pointed to the Balkan with his finger, wearing her characteristic sly smile. Balkan appeared uncomfortable with that gesture. When I shifted my gaze to him, he let out a long breath and spoke with a nonchalant voice.

“…It was the chieftains, not us, right? Jinai gave bribes to the chieftains to get information and then used that as a basis for profit.”

“Information? What kind of information was it?”

“It’s simple. We bought and sold the land that only the chieftains knew about in advance. We also bought all the goods coming from abroad and sold them at high prices. Right now, thanks to Xenon’s Biography, we’re making a fortune selling it to the beastmen.”

“… …”

What Jinai mentioned was profiteering and hoarding, especially in the case of Xenon’s Biography, it was so serious that the Minerva Empire has even legislated against hoarding. However, considering the current international legal framework, it’s uncertain if these concepts apply to Animers. Even without considering that, Jinai’s actions were illegal or at least unethical.

The reason she can openly declare this might be due to the absence of proper laws. Animers has only been around for just over 300 years, so there might be weaknesses here and there. Jinai cunningly exploited these weaknesses. In many ways, her abilities are remarkable.

“Oh, so you’re saying I didn’t put some extra money in my pocket? I do have a legitimate salary, too.”

“It’s strange to hear the word ‘salary’ from your mouth.”

“Is it? Anyway, I’ve used this approach to build connections and gather resources to strengthen the opposition. No one else stepped up, so I did it, and anyone else could have done the same.”

Upon hearing this, I immediately replied.

“Why don’t you just become the chieftain?”

“Are you crazy? I told you I won’t become the chieftain. How many times do I have to say it?”

“No matter how you look at it, it seems like Jinai is the most suitable person for the chieftain position, don’t you think?”

Jinai was the epitome of a courtier, and not just any but one with exceptional abilities. Like with the chieftains, she build connections with high-ranking officials through bribery, and she has the ability to manage resources. She claims that anyone else could do it, but I don’t think so. It’s probably because she has a natural talent for it that she can engage in such large-scale corruption with ease.

Above all, she is well-versed in the current situation, and her vision was exceptional. No matter how excellent the information is, it’s meaningless if the user lacks intelligence.

In that sense, there is no deficiency in Jinai becoming the current Animers’ chieftain. Instead, we should use her intelligence for the country’s progress.

“Even if you say that, the lions won’t tolerate it, will they? We would be placing a hyena as our head.”

“Of course, it’s frightening. If I make a mistake, I might get bitten right away.”

“Is that so?”

“That’s why I think it’s right for you to become the chieftain. You won’t go crazy and commit tyranny even if just because you might get bitten. Besides, the sacred duel has changed.”

“Hmm.”

After hearing my words, Balkan seemed to have a change in his mindset. Seeing this, Jinai became anxious and said urgently.

“Hey, hey, you’re not seriously considering it, are you? You know that what I said is nonsense, too.”

“Well… honestly, there is no one as suitable to be the chieftain after observing your tactics for the past four years. However, not only our siblings but also the people will surely resist it.”

“Is, is that so? See, it wouldn’t be good for me to become chieftain. There might be another rebellion.”

When Balkan mentioned practical issues, Jinai showed a relieved reaction. Even if she had the ability, if Jinai became the chieftain, there would likely be more talk within Animers.

She was of a tribe not well-regarded in general, the hyenas, and she had committed various wrongdoings. But here, Leona dealt a blow to Jinai.

“You bribed the clan leaders earlier, didn’t you? We can use those people.”

“Huh?”

“What?”

At Leona’s words, Balkan, and of course, Jinai, widened their eyes. Now that I thought about it, they could use that.

Meanwhile, Leona, calmly endured the gazes directed at her, looked directly at Jinai and voiced her thoughts.

“You bribed the clan leaders earlier to buy information, right? Do it the same way. ‘If I become the chieftain, I’ll show favor to your tribe’, or something like that and you can gently persuade them.”

“But won’t those guys try to stop me from becoming the chieftain? They’re stubborn guys with strong pride.”

“Why bother stopping them? If we push, the other clan leaders will follow along easily. Right?”

Leona sought Balkan’s agreement. It seemed that Balkan had also organized his thoughts, as he nodded in agreement with her words.

“Leona is right. The noble clans are already on your side, and the low clans won’t get involved in this kind of thing.”

“No…”

When Jinai was still unable to regain her composure due to the siblings’ joint attack, I added one more thing.

“And it doesn’t matter if Jinai becomes the Great Chieftain, her political influence has already been proven as she has built his power base and polished her connections. If Jinai becomes the chieftain, do you think other clan leaders would dare to think of corruption? With Jinai as the clan leader?”

“…The methods of the clan leaders are too simplistic. They wouldn’t even know if you secretly took something.”

“See? Honestly, Jinai does have a desire to become the Great Chieftain right?”

Jinai’s heart was gradually tilting towards becoming the chieftain. Jinai, with an expression that seemed to be in deep thought, let out a sigh and replied with a reluctant voice.

“…I guess a little.”

“Is that so?”

“But! I’m not going to become the Great Chieftain. I will stick close to the clan leaders and discreetly take what I can. Humans call it embezzlement, right?”

Jinai openly identified as an embezzler. It seems that she was feeling threatened, as she may become the chieftain, so she threatened to embezzle. It was a statement that could completely erode trust. I listened to his words silently and then turned to Balkan and asked.

“Is that so? Are you going to keep him by your side?”

“I’d rather keep him under me so he can’t do anything. If he becomes the tribe leader, there will be nothing left to embezzle.”

“I have similar thoughts. It’s better to prevent any embezzlement in the first place. The kingdom would be like your property; why would you steal from it?”

“If she embezzles, it would probably be the people’s food. But we can prevent that.”

“I’ll trust only you guys.”

It had no effect at all. Jinai, watching the scene, made a baffled expression and covered her face with one hand.

“Damn it, this isn’t it.”

“Congratulations. You’ll become the Great Chieftain you’ve dreamed of.”

“You shut up.”

It seems like it will be resolved well.

Translators note: