Harem King's Collection: Turning Beastkins Into Desperate Wives!-Chapter 57: Titles and Labels

Nobody could even process that information, as the beasts and human alike looked on in total and complete shock. All except for Stahl that is, who only placed a reassuring hand on Aster’s shoulders, waiting for Aster to speak.

A long moment passed before he found the words through his jumbled thoughts.

"That... THAT CAN’T BE! I’M NO KING! I-I am just a soldier... I am nothing so important! This... This could ruin EVERYTHING. There is a mistake! Your father... He would have killed me for certain..."

He was struggling to accept this news. To accept that he was more than just some human runt picked up by the panther’s kindness. He only wished to lay low and live his life of service peacefully.

This would draw attention if it got out, the bad kind. Prince Tyfin waded closer to the human, looking down at Aster with a look of sadness.

"He very much wanted to... He knew what you were and what the title and blood of a king can represent, as well as the power it can hold. My father pushed harder than anyone to convince me you weren’t worth such a risk...

"That you would only divide our people... That is also why he forbids me, your father, or anyone else from interfering in your dishonorable match against Straga... He wanted that dragon to make you quit... There is no question, Aster... My father is the one who arranged your match with the dragon."

The prince hated the king for using such a tactic and turned his head in disgust as he spoke. He shifted back to the human when he finished, forcing a small smile in his effort to make this easier for the human to accept, reaching his own hand to the Aster’s other shoulder as he softly reassured his troubled knight.

"You are more than your blood, Aster, and more than whatever titles and labels people may confer on you. This changes nothing for me, and I’m almost certain it changes nothing for any of the others presently here... So don’t let it change you if you don’t want it to. You’re still the same kind, caring boy you’ve always been. You are still our ally. You are still my friend."

The human looked down into the water, hiding his face beneath his damp hair as he visibly struggled with his conflicting inner turmoil.

"...Nobody ever knows of this... Promise me... Please... Nobody else learns of this... I... I don’t want to lose what I have here... I never want to be a king, so please... Will... Will you all really treat me the same? Will you please keep this between us? Stahl? Captain Rix? Moll-"

The human’s rambling was cut short by the rabbit jumping near him in a splash, the beasts now partially encircling the worried human.

"You sure?" spoke the rabbit teasingly, "I figured you expected us to start calling you King Aster."

Aster looked up in horror, only to be met with the rabbit grinning at him with a particularly playful smile. Aster realized Mollis had only been messing with him as he looked around to the smiling beasts surrounding him.

He realized he was taking this entire identity crisis much harder than they were. With a simple joke, the cute rabbit had knocked away the human’s uncertainty and confirmed that they all would happily abide by his request. freeweɓnovel~cѳm

Aster could only weakly smile, and thank them, humbly grateful for such allies. Prince Tyfin turned, returning to crouch in the river as he moved the conversation forward now that Aster had gotten his emotions under control once more.

"Since Aster now knows the bare minimum of what he needed to, we may be able to learn more about how to stop the legendary beasts that threaten us. If they actually do threaten us, that is. Aster and Mollis will join orc chief Crag and I to dissect that letter from every angle we can tomorrow.

"Stahl, Captain, would you two mind trying to collect a bit more intel on our next destination while we tend to that? Ensure our route is mostly clear before us, and take note of anything at all that may seem suspicious, or that could further hinder us... I think none of us would like this trip to last longer than needed with this revelation added to the mix."

The prince paused for a bit, pondering on a few things as he did so.

"I plan on negotiating for some supplies tomorrow, but if possible, I’d like to have something to offer them before I barter on my word alone. Does anyone happen to have any real ideas there? I admit, I could think of nothing they may want..."

Mollis chimed in once more, offering a solution to her prince.

"Well, I AM a plant magic specialist, and while I was saving these for if we needed them in a pinch, I’m sure this will at least give you something to offer for now."

The rabbit was stepping onto the bank then, her soaked fur clung tightly to her small frame as she stepped over to her discarded robes. She reached into one of the many pockets there and pulled out what looked like a small, round seed.

Mollis turned back towards the water, stopping a short way from the bank before squatting down on her haunches and digging a small hole. She placed the seed in the pit and covered it up thereafter, dusting her hands off before she leaned forward, placing a palm on either side of the upturned dirt.

The rabbit began chanting in that familiar, inaudible tongue the human could never quite make out. A moment later, the effects of the spell were beginning to take root. Quite literally.

Ever since his brother Cortist had began showing Aster about all the different types of spells and magic in this world, the human carried an odd affinity and fascination for the very mystery always just out of his reach.

Aster found himself mesmerized as usual while the seed sprouted. The slender stalk that poked through the earth below rapidly grew in size, shifting from green to brown, reaching higher into the air as it stretched towards the desert sun, forking off and branching into the new shape of life the rabbit and her magic were coaxing it to take on.

Greenery flourished on the new branches, and small fruit began to bloom, haphazardly strewn across the young tree. Within a few fast seconds, a fruiting cherry tree had fully matured before their very eyes.

The rabbit reached up, plucked a single fruit from the branches, and popped it into her mouth. She chewed for a moment and spat the pit out to her side before speaking.

"Well, as usual, I couldn’t get them as sweet as I’d wanted, but they still have a pretty decent flavor, and I’m sure the orcs would welcome a new variety of produce all the way out here. The only issue being, I’m not certain how long the trees can survive here in this heat."

Prince Tyfin waved a hand.

"It is more than we had. Thank you, Mollis."

The mage beamed in response.

"Thank my affinity for cherries! I just happened to have those on me back at the ceremony before all this started is all. Glad they could help us in the end. I can use the seeds from the fruit that just grew to further cultivate this crop for them, so we aren’t only offering them a single tree, but I’ll wait to find where they want the crop first."

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The source of this c𝐨ntent is fre𝒆w(e)bn(o)vel