How To Live As A Writer In A Fantasy World-Chapter 471: Beastman Democracy (2)

Kwaang!

“Where is that hyena bastard!!”

The door to the Great Chieftain’s room shattered and flew off, and a thunderous roar filled the space.

It wasn’t just a loud shout — it was the kind of beastly roar that made your knees buckle.

Jinai and Vulcan turned their heads toward the sound.

Both looked startled, but there was a sense that they had somewhat expected this.

Grrrrrr…!

A tiger bared his fierce fangs, breathing heavily and growling.

Jinai and Vulcan stared at the beastman who had barged in, breaking down the door.

A face like a savage tiger, a towering height nearing 2 meters.

Unlike Jinai and Vulcan, who at least wore clothes fitting of civilized beings, his attire was more akin to that of a barbarian:

a necklace decorated with bones, armor barely covering vital parts, and short pants.

He looked unmistakably like a savage, exuding the aura of a wild warrior.

“As expected, you’re the first to show up.”

“Well, of course, you wouldn’t just sit back and let this happen.”

“For now, have a seat.”

Despite the incredibly rude intrusion, Jinai remained composed.

She casually gestured toward a seat that had been prepared in advance.

However, the tiger beastman’s face contorted even more at Jinai’s shameless attitude.

His already fearsome tiger face became even more menacing.

“Sit. That’s an order from the Great Chieftain.”

When the tiger beastman still refused to sit, Vulcan spoke in a low, heavy voice.

The tiger beastman shifted his fierce gaze toward Vulcan.

Vulcan, arms crossed, faced him squarely without flinching, beginning a fierce staring contest between lion and tiger.

For about 30 seconds, they stared each other down.

In the end, it was the tiger beastman who backed down first.

“…How long do you plan to keep serving that guy?”

The tiger asked Vulcan with a face full of incomprehension.

Vulcan answered with his usual deep, heavy voice:

“I just want to protect the nation our ancestors built.”

“Hmph. What a patriot.”

The tiger beastman, sarcastically sneering, slowly walked over to the seat Jinai had indicated.

After sitting down, he shot a glare at Jinai, then deliberately turned his head away as if even making eye contact was repulsive.

Jinai, unfazed, smiled with satisfaction and teasingly said,

“Still, it’s something that you came at all.”

“I know you don’t like me, but bear with it a little, okay?”

“I’d like to tear your head off right now. Mind if I do?”

“If you want to, head up north past the Minerva Empire.”

The northern regions beyond the Minerva Empire were well known to be inhabited by savage beastmen.

Even when King Hik the Founder had traveled the world gathering scattered beastmen to form a nation, that tribe had stubbornly refused to join.

They stayed behind, claiming to protect their traditions, but by now, they were regarded as little more than barbarians.

Still, their strict adherence to “tradition” was precisely why Jinai said what she did.

“…Let’s see how long you can keep flapping that mouth.”

The tiger beastman — Anuman Taigri — threatened Jinai with a voice as cold as death.

Even someone utterly oblivious could tell how much he despised her.

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“What the hell? Why’s the entrance like this? Was it supposed to be open-air?”

“No doubt it’s that Anuman’s handiwork.”

“Hahaha. As hot-blooded as ever, the Taigri Clan.”

One by one, the guests Jinai had invited began to gather.

Starting with a bear beastman whose physical prowess rivaled that of the lion and tiger, others followed: dogs, cats, rabbits, wolves, foxes, oxen, monkeys —

each representing their own tribes.

The “Chieftains” gathered under Jinai’s summons into the Great Chieftain’s room.

“Seriously? That stinky bastard’s here too?”

“That loudmouth maggot has the nerve to call himself a chieftain.”

“What did you just say, you bastard?”

The atmosphere was anything but friendly.

Scowls and threats flew around the room as soon as they made eye contact.

Just like Anuman, who utterly loathed Jinai, there were many who had longstanding grudges against each other.

These were ancient rivalries, passed down through generations — something even Jinai couldn’t change.

You could call it “tradition,” in a way.

In any case, with the chieftains Jinai had invited now gathered, she looked them over one by one.

Thanks to Vulcan’s presence — as both the Great Chieftain’s right hand and a figure of immense authority — no one dared start a full-on fight, but the tension in the room was palpable.

“Looks like all the familiar faces are here.”

“You all know why I called you, right?”

As soon as Jinai spoke, Anuman, with a face full of discontent, immediately snapped back.

“If you’re planning to implement that absurd policy, I’m absolutely against it.”

A tiger beastman — renowned for his immense strength alongside the lions and bears — speaking up drew everyone’s attention.

It was clear he harbored hostility toward Jinai.

His golden eyes gleamed menacingly, the mere sight of them enough to make most shudder.

Still, Jinai remained completely unfazed, grinning slyly as she replied:

“Could you tell me why? Surely there’s a reason you’re so stubbornly against it?”

“Is that even a question? Giving everyone voting rights goes against the founding principles of our nation.”

“Can you explain that a bit more?”

“Why exactly does granting voting rights to everyone — regardless of birth or status — go against our founding ideals?”

Anuman’s brow furrowed deeply, irritation clear on his face.

A dangerous, killing aura began to leak out.

But he couldn’t openly attack — Vulcan was standing right across from him.

And with all the other chieftains gathered, even raising his voice would be risky.

Calming himself with effort, Anuman finally spoke:

“You know how Animers was founded, don’t you?”

“King Hik gathered our scattered kin from all over the world and built this nation.”

“But if he hadn’t possessed strength, Animers would never have been born.”

“And?”

“Strength is the very reason Animers was founded.”

“Just as Hik built this nation based on his beliefs, we too must act according to our beliefs — and for that, strength is indispensable.”

“If that’s the case, it’ll be difficult for the nation to develop, won’t it?”

“Maybe.”

“But individuals — we beastmen — can still evolve.”

“The nation may shield us, but our true nature cannot be concealed.”

“You know this, don’t you? That the strength of each and every beastman is the strength of the nation!”

If Isaac had heard this conversation, he would probably have thought:

‘Isn’t that exactly the same ideology as the American ‘Wild West’ era?’

Indeed, if you closely examined the founding history of Animers, you would find it remarkably similar to the history of Earth’s “United States.”

Just as immigrants scattered across the world, including Europe, gathered and gave birth to the nation called America, Animers followed a similar process.

The only difference is that America was originally a British colony.

Also, unlike America, Animers eventually became a nation where a “king” appeared instead of a “president.”

“Struggle! For us beastkin, struggle is inevitable. Hik conquered many powerful foes through struggle and founded our nation. Even after the founding of Animers, we beastkin have never stopped fighting.”

“The Holmgang Incident during the previous Great Chief’s era was the result of that. Our nation nearly fractured into pieces, and the Minerva Empire was just waiting to devour us.”

Jinai easily dismantled Anuman’s logic, which was rooted in fanatic loyalty to the beastkin’s traditions and culture.

The Holmgang Incident was a catastrophic event so shocking that it paralyzed all of Animers.

A pillar that should never have been broken was ripped out, and it became clear that anyone could become king.

The problem was that the means was force.

Does that mean that if you have strength, you can just take over the country?

If Jinai hadn’t barely managed to calm things down, it could have escalated into a fantasy version of the Three Kingdoms — an unprecedented catastrophe.

“Wouldn’t that actually be a good thing? War is the perfect place for struggle. If another nation is founded, we beastkin will become stronger than ever.

Compared to the past when we were helplessly massacred by humans during the Race Wars, this would be a clear improvement.”

“…”

Jinai gave a dry chuckle, seemingly at a loss for words.

However, what was even more absurd was that many beastkin were listening seriously to Anuman’s words.

Indeed, not all beastkin were opposed to his ideology.

As Anuman said, struggle is inevitable in the life of a beastkin.

They were simply confined within the vast cage called civilization, but in reality, struggles were still happening everywhere.

“But if everyone is given voting rights, there will be no need to struggle. Why? Because rights would be handed out while doing nothing.

If that happens, we will naturally become weaker and lose the ideals we have inherited for generations. Is democracy really a system worth embracing at such a cost?”

“Do we really have to fight to feel satisfied?”

“I’m merely staying true to what it means to be beastkin. Struggle doesn’t solve everything, but it’s something we must never lose.”

Anuman’s reason for rejecting democracy was extremely simple: because it gives voting rights without the need for struggle.

It was a kind of discrimination that even skeptics of democracy had often pointed out — is it truly fair to give the same voting rights to a powerful mage and an ordinary citizen?

Especially for beastkin, who were born naturally stronger than other races.

The law of survival of the fittest was deeply rooted, praised in their culture and traditions.

“Anuman is right. Why should we give voting rights to those who do nothing?”

“There’s no reason to give anything to the ones who sit idle.”

“At least Kind, who appeared in the Zenon Chronicle, knew how to use his head.”

Little by little, some chiefs began to voice support for Anuman’s ideology.

Jinai simply waited silently until they finished speaking.

This was the problem with beastkin.

They harbored ideologies that, to other races, would seem nothing short of barbaric.

If it hadn’t been for Hik, beastkin might have been wiped out during the Race Wars, or assimilated into other nations.

Otherwise, they might have continued living as barbarians, like in the northern regions of the Minerva Empire.

‘It’s not that they’re stupid — they just refuse to use their heads, and it’s driving me insane.’

Their bodies were so strong that they didn’t bother using their brains.

Even though they could figure things out with a little thought, they refused simply out of laziness.

Jinai was about to speak with an exasperated expression when —

one of the chiefs who had been silent all along quietly opened his mouth.

“I support the Great Chief’s system.”

His voice wasn’t as heavy as Vulcan’s nor as loud as Anuman’s, but it somehow resonated deeply.

A low, cave-like voice filled the entire chamber of the Great Chiefs.

Instantly, all the other whispering chiefs turned to look at him.

The speaker was a bear beastkin — a member of the Bear Tribe.

Despite his soft, rounded face that gave a gentle impression, his overwhelming physique exuded an unmistakable aura of power.

“You support democracy? What are you thinking? Especially you, from the Bear Tribe?”

Anuman asked in a shocked voice, clearly rattled.

His wide-open eyes revealed just how surprised he was.

The Bear Chief, Kanu Beargrills, spoke again in that deep, cave-like voice.

“Like Anuman said, for beastkin, struggle is inseparable. Hik indeed used struggle to unite scattered beastkin and found Animers.”

“…”

“However, that’s a misunderstanding. Hik brought in some tribes through Holmgang, yes, but only a very few.

More importantly, he created the great shield of a ‘nation’ so that no other civilization could ever again oppress or massacre beastkin.

Even Hik used struggle merely as a means, not as a necessity. How long are we going to live as savages?

Is there a safe future for our children if we continue like this?”

It was fine to cling to culture and tradition.

But did safety exist within that?

The beastkin carried a wound that could never be erased —

the massacre committed by humans during the Race Wars.

Since humans had suffered from raids and atrocities by beastkin before forming their alliance, the massacres were even seen as “justified” by some.

It became a clear precedent that barbarism could not defeat civilization —

and was the decisive reason Hik founded Animers.

“I also agree with Chief Kanu. It’s good to respect culture and tradition, but we must distance ourselves from barbarism.”

“If not for Jinai calming things down, not only us but also our children would have been dragged into war.”

“Struggle should be a means, not a necessity. We cannot continue to judge everything by strength alone.”

“The election system may not always be fair, but it is equal. On the other hand, Anuman’s struggle is neither fair nor equal.”

A significant number of chiefs began siding with Kanu.

Unlike the emotional support for Anuman, Kanu’s argument was logical and coherent.

Of course, that didn’t mean Anuman backed down easily.

He continued to defend his views under the banner of culture and tradition.

“We have gained so much through strength! How could you suggest abandoning it?”

“Instead, we could gain even more by different means.

Look at the Great Chief.

She didn’t use strength — she used her cunning for the good of the nation, and look what happened.”

“Hey, did you have to call it cunning?”

Jinai was a little stunned by the “compliment” that wasn’t quite a compliment, but let it slide.

Debate continued to rage afterward.

However, support for Kanu, not Anuman, steadily grew.

As Jinai said, it wasn’t that beastkin couldn’t think — they simply chose not to.

And those gathered here were chiefs, meaning at least some were capable of clear thought.

Accepting democracy itself wasn’t the problem anymore.

The real issue was…

“Fine. That damned democracy. Let me ask just one thing.”

“Ask whatever you wish.”

“If someone you despise gets elected Great Chief, can you stay silent?”

“…”

“I’ll ask the other chiefs too.”

Anuman turned his gaze to the others.

All sorts of beastkin chiefs looked back at him.

“Our beastkin race is made up of many different tribes. Our cultures, traditions — even our instincts — are different.”

A strength, but also a weakness — just like America.

“With so many different peoples, do you really think voting will solve everything?”

It was a true melting pot of races.

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