Chapter 91

"Please lend me some land."

At Soma's sudden request, the Zoans tilted their heads in unison.

To the Zoans, the land of the plains was a place to live and hunt. However, Soma, being a human, slept and woke in the lord's residence in the city and did not need to hunt as he was provided with food by Shemul. Therefore, they could not understand why he would want to borrow land.

Garam, also perplexed, questioned Soma's intention.

"What do you plan to do with the land?"

"Develop it and turn it into farmland."

With this answer from Soma, a tense atmosphere spread among the Zoans.

It was unthinkable for Zoan to develop the land that they had just reclaimed from their ancestors. The reason the Kingdom of Holmea had taken the plains from the Zoans was to develop it. Now that they had reclaimed the plains from the Kingdom of Holmea, the idea of developing it again made them question the purpose of reclaiming it in the first place. No matter how much Soma was a great benefactor for reclaiming the plains, it was not a matter to be taken lightly.

Garam, taken aback by this unexpected request, turned to Shemul and demanded, "Did you know about this?"

Shemul shook his head vigorously, emphasizing that he had just heard about it for the first time.

Seeing the confusion of the Great Clan Leader and the Divine Son of the Beast God, the Zoans began to murmur.

Zug, who had been silent until then, silenced the murmurs. He struck his knee loudly to draw everyone's attention and said in a heavy tone,

"Soma must understand the feelings we Zoans have for the plains, our ancestral land. Shouldn't we first ask about his true intentions?"

Though Zug's words seemed to be in support of Soma, he was actually warning that Soma should understand the Zoans' feelings towards the plains. The Zoans, sensing this, fell silent and turned their gaze to Soma.

Feeling the eyes of all the Zoans in the room on him, Soma straightened his posture and answered,

"To win."

The answer was so straightforward that the Zoans looked at each other, unable to understand Soma's intention. After looking around at their confused faces, Soma continued,

"I believe the Zoans are a far stronger race than humans."

The Zoan warriors, taken aback by this sudden statement, nodded in agreement, saying, "Of course."

However, the next words from Soma made the Zoans frown.

"But if that's the case, why did the Zoans lose to humans and get driven out of the plains?"

This was a fact that the Zoans, who boasted of never losing to humans individually, did not want to be reminded of.

Everyone fell silent with a guilty look, and Garam, unable to bear the silence, spoke up.

"The strength of humans lies in their numbers. They knew how to use that strength in battle. However, we Zoans knew our own strength but did not know how to use it in battle. That's why we lost to humans."

Humans had developed group tactics to maximize the number of soldiers, while the Zoans, despite knowing the speed of their legs, stuck to the old way of fighting head-on.

Garam, who had gradually realized this while fighting under Soma's command, looked back at his former self with a touch of self-mockery.

To this, Soma asked further,

"The strength of humans is in their numbers. Does that mean humans are numerous?"

"Yes, but...?"

Garam could not understand why Soma was emphasizing such an obvious fact but nodded in agreement. Soma then asked another question,

"Then, why are humans numerous?"

No one could answer this question.

The fact that humans were numerous was common knowledge in the Seldias continent. No one thought about the reason behind such a common fact.

After waiting for a while and seeing no one speak up, Soma said,

"It's because of food."

In the fantasy novels and manga that Soma knew, humans were always depicted as a race with no outstanding abilities but with high adaptability and fertility.

In the Seldias continent, humans were also thought to be such a race.

However, from Soma's research, humans in this world were not more fertile or had shorter gestation periods compared to other races, and there was no significant difference found.

Despite this, humans were considered to have high fertility, and this was a common belief in this world. In fact, the human population in this world overwhelmingly outnumbered other races.

Why was there such a large difference in population despite no significant difference in fertility?

The reason Soma first thought of was the difference in food production.

The biggest factor in controlling population is said to be food.

The population increase that occurred after humans transitioned from hunting and gathering to agriculture and animal husbandry, as taught in history class, and the population revolution brought about by the Norfolk rotation system, which has become a standard in light novels, both show that population exploded due to increased food production.

If the same applies to this world, Soma thought that the human population increased not because of high fertility but because of higher food production compared to other races.

Upon hearing from the representatives of various races in advance, it turned out that, as expected, other races still relied on hunting and gathering, and only a small part had started farming.

Therefore, the course of action was clear.

If humans were to attack using their numbers, the solution was to deprive them of that advantage.

By developing the Solbiant plains and increasing food production, Soma aimed to increase the population of not only humans but also other races. An increase in population would mean an increase in soldiers. As long as they did not lose in numbers, the mixed army of multiple races, which individually had overwhelming abilities compared to humans, would not lose.

Soma believed that the development of the Solbiant plains was a path that could not be avoided to win the inevitable final battle with the Kingdom of Holmea.

Moreover, Soma's urgency in developing the land was not just due to long-term planning. There was a reason that needed to be addressed in the short term as well.

"If you lend me the land, I plan to use a portion of the taxes obtained from the development to pay you as rent for the land."

Zoan warriors are also hunters. They must go hunting to obtain food for their families and clans. However, this could lead to a shortage of warriors stationed in the city, as the timing of an attack by the Kingdom of Holmea was uncertain. Even if that were not the case, a prolonged battle could result in a food shortage for their families and clans, causing problems in the rear.

To prevent this, it was necessary to ensure that the Zoan warriors and their families had enough food without having to hunt. This was also one of the reasons for the development.

The Zoans were only perplexed by this proposal from Soma. It was too far from their common sense.

Garam, at a loss, sought Shemul's opinion.

"O Noble Fang, what do you think of Soma's proposal?"

Caught off guard by the sudden question, Shemul panicked.

"Um... Well, I think it's understandable to be hesitant if asked to lend land suddenly. But if possible, I would like to fulfill Soma's request..."

Even Shemul, despite being a subordinate, could not easily ask to lend the land. As he fumbled for words, Garam pressed further,

"Divine Son, I would like to hear your thoughts."

Garam called him not by name or title but as the Divine Son. Shemul realized that he was being asked to speak as the Divine Son, whose pride was preserved by the Beast God's favor.

However, even Shemul could not answer immediately.

If it were about himself, Shemul would have answered without hesitation. But whether lending the plains to Soma would violate the Zoans' pride was something even Shemul could not judge.

Shemul's favor not only protected his pride but also prevented him from taking actions that would violate his pride. This meant that if lending the plains for development violated the Zoans' pride, Shemul could die on the spot if he agreed. Even if it were not fatal, his favor could hinder Soma's position. Shemul's favor, like Soma's, could not be controlled as he wished.

Shemul felt a cold sweat all over his body.

However, noticing Soma's trusting gaze, Shemul made up his mind.

He had already resolved to share all the sins that Soma would commit.

Reassuring himself of this, Shemul straightened his back and spoke clearly.

"Without Soma, we Zoans would not have been able to reclaim even a small piece of land. Rather, it would not be unreasonable for us to humble ourselves and ask for land. No, it would be only right. Yet, Soma has returned all the plains to us without any compensation and now asks to borrow land. I believe that rejecting this outright would be an act unworthy of the proud Zoans."

"Is this a pledge on your pride?"

Garam pressed further, and Shemul, standing firm, placed his hand on his left chest.

"Of course. I will stake my life and pride on it."

At Shemul's resolute declaration, the Zoans let out a sigh of admiration.

Secretly, Shemul was relieved that his favor did not hinder him from speaking. If his favor had put Soma in a difficult position, Shemul would have been willing to lose his head in apology.

However, seeing Soma's smiling face, completely unaware of the gravity of the situation, Shemul felt a bit irritated and secretly pinched his buttocks. Soma, surprised by this unexpected retaliation, was taken aback, and Shemul felt a sense of satisfaction.

On the other hand, Garam was at a loss.

Frankly, it would have been easier if Shemul had rejected the proposal. He could have refused, saying that even with Soma's great favor, they could not violate the Zoans' pride.

However, if it did not violate the Zoans' pride, the decision would be left to Garam and the others.

Garam understood Soma's point, but it was clear that many Zoans would oppose it, making it difficult to approve.

As Garam was pondering this, unexpected support came from an unexpected source.

"Great Clan Leader, this is the first request from the new Clan King. We cannot reject it outright."

It was Bararak, who had been silent until then.

Garam, finding it hard to believe that this was Bararak, who had been most bitter about Soma's ascension to Clan King, looked at him with a suspicious eye.

However, Bararak, despite Garam's glare, continued with a smug look.

"However, as Clan Leaders, we cannot easily lend the territory of our clans."

Zoan Clan Leaders are not absolute rulers like human kings. They are representatives of their clans. Even as Clan Leaders, they cannot do anything that goes against the will of their clans.

"But there is a piece of land that is just right to lend, isn't there?"

Garam, sensing what Bararak was getting at, wrinkled his nose. Bararak grinned.

"Yes, the land of the 'Tail Clan.'"

In the past, five clans lived in the Solbiant plains, and the 'Tail Clan' had their territory in the south. When the Kingdom of Holmea invaded, the 'Tail Clan' was the first to suffer, losing most of their territory. They disappeared without a trace, and their whereabouts are still unknown.

Though they were a different clan, they were still Zoans, brothers and sisters of the same blood. Garam had intended to leave the former territory of the 'Tail Clan' untouched in case they returned.

However, if they were