His Breeding Obsession Chapter 171 - The Bridge of Coexistence

“Perhaps because he is the one who hates humans the most in this world… that man.”  

 

“Huh? What do you mean by that?”  

 

Grangel, wary of Grecan, responded to Horus’s question.  

 

“That man is the monster who took over the inner chambers of the imperial palace. Our greatest enemy.”  

 

“…!”  

 

Horus and Smith stared at Grecan in shock.  

 

They didn’t scream, but they barely suppressed their gasps. Their shoulders, which had relaxed, now stiffened more than before.  

 

Their posture subtly shifted, as if they were ready to attack at any moment.  

 

Grecan remained seated, silently observing their changed demeanor. His darkened eyes churned with intense emotions, like waves crashing against a shore.  

 

“The… Chancellor!”  

 

Smith’s eyes wavered. He and Horus immediately took defensive stances, positioning themselves to protect Grangel while preparing to attack Grecan.  

 

The situation was on the brink of exploding.  

 

“If they attack first, I won’t hold back, Mirania.”  

 

Grecan’s hissing voice slithered into Mirania’s ear like a snake. It sounded as if he was hoping for exactly that.  

 

Mirania grabbed Grecan’s twitching hand again.  

 

“I can see the murderous intent in your heart.”  

 

Her cold gaze pierced Grangel.

  

“You must have suspected Grecan’s true identity. Did you come to ask for my help while secretly planning to kill him?”  

 

Grangel’s stiff expression twisted. Soon, he let out a sigh, his face drained of energy.  

 

“How could that be?”  

 

“Leader. Shouldn’t you retreat?”  

 

Smith whispered anxiously.  

 

Before joining the Resistance, he had been one of those who cowered under the beast folk, fearing the Chancellor.  

 

He feared Grecan more than anyone, and though he tried to suppress it, his lips trembled.  

 

Grangel, noticing Smith’s shaking body, glanced down at the table with a dark expression before turning his gaze back to Mirania and Grecan.  

 

“I’m not foolish enough to seek out the Chancellor after running from him for so long. If I were, I wouldn’t dare call myself the representative of humanity.”  

 

Having regained his composure, Grangel no longer showed hostility. Instead, he ordered Horus and Smith to stand down.  

 

Horus and Smith reluctantly relaxed their stances, though their faces remained tense.  

 

“To be honest,” Grangel began calmly.  

 

If the person who had faced her earlier was merely a high-ranking member of the Resistance, now he spoke as the leader of the Resistance.  

 

“I’ve been waiting for time to pass. As long as the Chancellor was gone, no one in the imperial palace could stand against me. I waited for only two things, for the Chancellor to die or to leave.”  

 

“…”  

 

“But there was one thing that still worried me.”  

 

Grangel’s eyes flashed.  

 

“The possibility that the increasingly deranged Chancellor would turn everything to ashes.”  

 

Grecan’s fingers twitched.  

 

“The possibility that he would destroy everything, leaving nothing to restore. It was entirely possible. For the Chancellor. For the one who had already ruined this land.”  

 

Grangel, speaking with suppressed emotion, slowly closed and then opened his eyes.  

 

He continued calmly, “But then you appeared. Great Witch, you. The Chancellor, who had been destroying everything day by day, stopped his rampage. The imperial palace fell silent, except for the remaining leaders, who still roamed freely. I was curious about the reason.”  

 

Grangel glanced at Grecan, his eyes sparkling. His voice grew animated.  

 

“But now I’m certain. It was because of you. Great Witch, you returned, and the Chancellor regained his sanity.”  

 

Mirania’s eyebrow twitched.  

 

“When I heard the stories from Smith and Horus and began to suspect, I wondered what I should do if this were true. And now, I know what must be done.”  

 

Grangel placed both hands on his knees and bowed deeply. His posture became far more respectful.  

 

“I ask for your help. Great Witch.”  

 

“What?”  

 

“I mentioned it earlier. Your opinion might be the key. To be honest, when I first heard from Horus about the founding of Milgram and its purpose, I was utterly stunned. My mind went blank. I thought the only options were to fight the Chancellor to the death or to keep running. But your existence has given us another choice.”  

 

Grangel bowed even deeper.  

 

‘I’d rather he acted like a frivolous merchant.’  

 

Mirania found his attitude quite burdensome.

 

“Please help us. I want to create the world you spoke of, Great Witch. The world before it was ruined. The world that was once a good place to live, before the Chancellor destroyed it.”  

 

“That world was only good for a handful of humans.”  

 

Grecan looked at Grangel with icy eyes, a sneer curling his lips.  

 

“The shameless nature of humans never changes, whether in the past or now.”  

 

Compared to Grangel’s polite yet earnest tone, Grecan’s harsh voice made him seem like a villain.  

 

‘To them, he is the villain, after all.’  

 

Mirania felt a bitter taste in her mouth.  

 

Despite Grecan’s fierce words, Grangel didn’t show the same wariness or hostility as before.  

 

Instead, he suppressed his hatred and pleaded with a voice full of determination.  

 

“I know well the tragedy of the catastrophe 100 years ago. If killing me will quell the Chancellor’s resentment, then do so without hesitation. But in exchange for my meager strength, lend your power to our Resistance. Children cannot fix the toys they’ve broken with their own hands, but you two are different, aren’t you?”  

 

“You want me to abandon the imperial palace I nurtured and help you humans?”  

 

At Grecan’s mocking words, Grangel raised his head. Unlike before, he was calm.  

 

“It wasn’t the Chancellor who nurtured it.”  

 

“…”  

 

“It was your power that drew those who craved power. The ones who hate humans and want to trample them aren’t limited to the Chancellor in the imperial palace. Hakan. The leader of the Zoin tribe. Our group has had more dealings with him than with you, Chancellor. Unlike you, who want to kill me, he wants to subjugate all humans under his feet.”  

 

“So?”  

 

“As I said, if it weren’t for the Chancellor, neither Hakan nor anyone else could stand against me.”  

 

Grangel’s eyes shone with a challenging light. Grecan’s eyebrow twitched.  

 

“Stop appealing to emotions.”  

 

When Mirania stepped in, Grangel turned his gaze to her.  

 

“Then what?”  

 

“What you’ve said isn’t particularly compelling. So, for now, leave.”  

 

At her dismissive response, Grangel seemed to think for a moment before nodding and standing up.  

 

“Well, alright.”  

 

Before leaving the reception room, he turned to look at Mirania.  

 

“…Next time I visit, I’ll bring a story that will truly captivate you, Great Witch.”  

 

Thud—

 

The door to the reception room closed.  

 

“You did well.”  

 

Grecan, who had been glaring at the door, shifted his gaze.  

 

“At what?”  

 

“At holding back your anger.”  

 

Grecan hesitated before confessing.  

 

“It was hard.”  

 

“Letting go of a lifetime of hatred isn’t easy.”  

 

Grecan let out a soft laugh, but soon wiped the smile from his face and let his forehead drop onto her shoulder.  

 

“I held back because you held my hand.”  

 

“…”  

 

His shoulders trembled.  

 

“Just seeing them makes me anxious. My pulse races, and I get so angry I can barely breathe.”  

 

“…Even though they have no power to threaten you.”  

 

“But they can threaten you. I’m scared. What if they take you away from me? What if you disappear like before… I’m scared.”  

 

Grecan’s hatred for humans. For the first time, the other side of that hatred spilled out.  

 

Mirania hesitated, then raised her hand to pat his shoulder.  

 

“What happened before won’t happen again. I won’t leave you without a word, Grecan.”  

 

Grecan lifted his head.  

 

“I promise.”  

 

With trembling eyes and quivering lips, Grecan buried his face in her shoulder again.  

 

Mirania gently stroked his back until his shaking shoulders calmed.

 

💫

 

Grangel returned a week later to visit Mirania and Grecan.  

 

“You’re back again?”  

 

“Oh my, am I not welcome?”  

 

Despite Mirania’s dry tone, Grangel laughed heartily and chattered away, a stark contrast to the tense atmosphere of his previous visit.  

 

He was like a chameleon, shifting his demeanor effortlessly. Grecan, looking incredulous, gave him a once-over.  

 

Despite the awkward atmosphere, Grangel paid no mind and flashed a bright smile.  

 

“Didn’t I tell you? I said I’d come back with a story that would captivate you.”  

 

After moving to the reception room, Grangel unfurled a large piece of parchment on the table.  

 

Mirania quickly scanned the parchment.  

 

At first glance, it looked like a world map, with two lands at either end and a sea flowing between them.  

 

Mirania, noticing a single line drawn across the sea, glanced at Grangel and asked what it was.  

 

“I’ve named it the Bridge of Coexistence.”  

 

“The Bridge of Coexistence?”  

 

Grangel nodded enthusiastically.  

 

“I’ve given it some thought. As someone who hasn’t even lived 40 years, I doubted I could create something grand enough to captivate the Great Witch, who has lived a millennium. But then I thought of something you might not have considered. Something unexpected that could pique your interest. And this is the result.”  

 

“So, it’s a bridge connecting the two continents?”  

 

Mirania responded with a hint of skepticism, but her eyes betrayed a subtle interest.  

 

Grangel explained with even more enthusiasm.  

 

“Yes. We plan to build a bridge. To do so, I’ve consulted with the hybrids in my group and asked many questions. And I’ve found a suitable answer. What the beast folk living on this land want most!”