My name is Ren.
I had finally become a mother.
The Beast Race is a resilient lot. Because the infants were so small, the physical toll of childbirth was minimal; I was even told I could engage in combat as early as the next day. This trait was said to have evolved so that mothers could protect their tiny newborns from dangerous predators.
The babies were born roughly the size of kittens. At birth, they took the form of beasts, a trait widely believed to be for the sake of temperature regulation. If one touched them, they would find stiff hairs mixed into the soft fur. These stiff hairs were hollow, providing excellent thermal insulation. It would take an entire year for them to transition into a human appearance.
I had heard that many men of the Normal Species were so overcome with terror upon seeing these tiny lives that they fled. I had worried that my beloved Husband-sama, King of Chronos Leo Kamishiro Chronos, might react the same way—but it seemed my fears were groundless.
He was absolutely overjoyed.
"Papa wants to stay with Ren and the kids a little longer..."
"No. Visiting hours are over."
"Fueee..."
And so, Papa was ushered out of the room.
Small tags had been wrapped around the children's legs for identification, printed with their birth order and barcodes for their biological data. I couldn't help but smirk as I gazed at my children. They were so precious.
They could not open their eyes yet, nor could they make a sound. Their eyes and vocal cords were designed to undergo their final adjustments after birth. They were born with the bare minimum equipment for survival, with everything else developing post-partum. This was the nature of the Beast Race.
The scientists who had created our kind clearly had no fear of desecrating life. And yet, look at how adorable they were.
Our family was overflowing with happiness, but a problem had already surfaced. Because I had given birth much earlier than my expected date, my child had technically become the eldest. This meant they were already being eyed as tools for political marriages.
Normally, I should have given birth a few days after Veronica-chan or Claire-chan. However, mine had become the firstborn. If only I could have held them in with a bit more willpower... but no, that would have been impossible.
In truth, Husband-sama’s wives had once held a meeting about this. It was right after my pregnancy had been discovered. We had discussed whose child would become the next Galactic Empire Emperor and who would be the next King of Chronos.
A fierce game of passing the buck had ensued.
While the Galactic Empire Emperor should naturally be Veronica-chan’s child, Veronica-chan herself seemed desperate to avoid that fate.
"I shall make Elder Brother Thomas’s child the Emperor instead," she had declared.
I thought that was likely impossible. Even within the Galactic Empire, Leo Kamishiro Chronos was hailed as the Savior Hero. Moreover, he was credited with establishing law in the lawless reaches of outer space, bringing order and justice to the chaos. While one might quibble over the wording, the sentiment wasn't wrong.
The people would never allow the child of such a hero to be passed over for the throne. Lineage was secondary. They would be the child of Emperor Veronica, who led the Zork War to victory, and Leo Kamishiro Chronos, the hero of the Zork War and King of Chronos. There was simply no way they would not be made Emperor.
"Setting Veronica-chan’s impossible talk aside..." Claire-chan had said, completely ignoring the protest.
"A total dismissal...?"
"Because there’s no way to avoid it."
"Fueee..."
"More importantly," Claire-chan continued, "the issue with Chronos is far more serious."
"Shouldn't the King of Chronos be Claire-san’s child?" I had asked.
"I refuse. I have to have someone inherit the Main Family we received from the Galactic Empire. Then there’s the child who must join the military. That already makes two... a third would be difficult, especially considering the average birth rate."
Claire-chan had shut me down with cold, objective data and legal frameworks. It was hard to argue with her logic.
"Gunu-nu-nu-nu... W-What about Melissa-chan?" Veronica-chan had stammered.
"I’m not even pregnant yet. We’re doing what needs to be done, but since I haven't conceived, we can't really count on my final number of children anyway~"
Melissa-chan's logic was taking quite a leap. She didn't need to be quite that pessimistic, but she did have a delicate side.
"What do you think, Rikochi!"
I had tried to force a change in the subject before the mood grew any darker.
"No comment," Riko had said bluntly. "I’m fine with just having a child to inherit the territory. They’ll probably end up in the military regardless."
"We are a Military Faction, after all..."
It was true. We all belonged to a Military Faction. As long as the children entered the military, things would be fine. That was why only Claire-chan, who kept the Kamishiro Group separate from Husband-sama, required a dedicated heir for the lordship.
"You’re all misunderstanding something," Claire-chan had added. "I intend to have the founding family withdraw from the management of the Kamishiro Group once Leo dies."
"Excuse me?"
It was a bombshell.
"The shares Leo and I hold will be divided equally among all the children."
That meant a massive fortune would be rolling in for every household. It also meant that each of our houses would need at least one child to manage it.
"We need at least two children each!"
Even the Main Family territory, which was a guaranteed Dukedom, was a hassle enough on its own.
"I... think I will focus on being a Consort of Chronos," I had ventured.
Veronica-chan and the others had all snapped their heads toward me.
"Ren is the one person forbidden from doing that!"
"But why!"
"A leader of the Beast Race is absolutely necessary for the abolition of discrimination!"
"You're joking..."
"I am dead serious!"
How could this be? My beloved kittens were destined to be leaders from the moment they were born.
And then, yet another problem arose. It happened right after the birth. Luna-chan contacted me.
"Ren-chan, it's terrible! The Demi-human Race is asking to make your children their kings!"
"...I'll kill them."
A low, cold voice escaped my throat. My beloved kittens—if possible, I wanted them to live freely. Besides, their father was who he was. He was Leo Kamishiro Chronos. No matter how they were raised, I suspected they were fated to run wild in pursuit of their own freedom.
I found myself snapping at the utterly selfish demands of the Demi-human Race. My children huddled close to me as if sensing my distress.
I was a mother now. I had a responsibility to them.
"I will concede to their being leaders of the Beast Race as a last resort. That is likely necessary for the future of our kind. However, we owe nothing to the Demi-human Race, nor do they owe us. I refuse. At least for the time being."
Even if it was called my ego, I wanted to turn them down. To become the ruler of a country one hardly knew, only to have one's head cut off in some political upheaval... I had to avoid such a tragedy for them at all costs.
Even Husband-sama had hated being the King of Chronos. That was only possible because he was an anomalous individual—a man with an Anomaly Class talent for politics. For anyone else, it would be impossible.
As their mother, I had to protect my kittens. If possible, I hoped they would grow up to be something simple, like a Chronosian Noble or perhaps a civil servant for the Galactic Empire.