His Breeding Obsession Chapter 178 - To the Imperial Palace

💫

 

“Capture them all!”

 

A bird-kin warrior flew toward Grecan as well.

 

Just as they had done with the technicians, the warrior tried to grab Grecan’s arm, but Grecan’s calm demeanor, unlike the technicians, left the warrior flustered.

 

“What are you…”

 

Glaring at Grecan in anger, the warrior suddenly found himself staring into an impossibly deep abyss.

 

The warrior’s focus wavered. His face filled with terror as he flapped his wings desperately.

 

As if he never wanted to touch the ground again. The primal fear of encountering a predator at the top of the food chain consumed the warrior.

 

“Ugh, ughhhh.”

 

The warrior, flapping his wings frantically, eventually lost control and fell to the ground. Even then, he crawled on his knees, struggling to get away from Grecan.

 

“Kenta! What the hell are you doing?”

 

The leader of the warriors scowled fiercely. He turned his head toward Grecan and examined him carefully.

 

At first, he only felt a slight sense of caution and curiosity.

 

Grecan was simply walking slowly toward them, and no visible weapons could be seen.

 

But with each step he took, the leader’s heart began to pound violently. It felt as though his heart was being crushed, and it became difficult to breathe.

 

There were no visible weapons. 

 

Yet, it felt like an attack. Just from the aura Grecan naturally exuded.

 

‘This, this aura…’

 

The leader, as if entranced, descended to the ground. Grecan was now only about twenty steps away.

 

The leader crawled forward a few steps on his knees and prostrated himself.

 

The warriors, confused by the sudden turn of events, panicked as the technicians took the opportunity to flee. But with their leader acting like this, they didn’t know what to do.

 

Thud!

 

The leader pressed his forehead to the ground.

 

“Lord of all beast-kin. I, Luiza of the bird-kin, greet the High Lord.”

 

Shock swept through the crowd. The leader barked at his stiffened subordinates.

 

“What are you all doing? How dare you remain above the High Lord!”

 

The warriors, who hadn’t yet recognized Grecan, suddenly understood.

 

The moment the word ‘High Lord’ was spoken, everyone followed the leader’s example, descending to the ground and lowering their bodies.

 

“What brings you here?”

 

“We are following Lord Hakan’s orders. We heard that remnants of humans were plotting something here.”

 

“…”

 

“We’ll capture them immediately!”

 

Among the beast-kin of the imperial palace, no one didn’t know of Grecan’s hatred for humans. The leader raised his head confidently, but Grecan shook his head slightly.

 

“Let them go.”

 

“Huh?”

 

Grecan glanced down at him. The thought of making the High Lord repeat himself turned the leader’s face pale.

 

“Ah, understood.”

 

The fleeing humans hesitated at the unexpected turn of events. They were stunned to hear that the High Lord was here.

 

“The, the High Lord is here!”

 

“Don’t mind it, just go! Don’t stop!”

 

Smith pushed through the crowd and took the lead, and the others began to follow him.

 

The leader glanced nervously in their direction, but when Grecan started walking the other way, he quickly followed.

 

Only Kenchi, left in a daze, looked back and forth between the two groups.

 

Grecan returned to the shadows and extended his hand to Mirania.

 

“Shall we go back now?”

 

“Where to?”

 

Grecan replied slowly, “The imperial palace.”

 

“…”

 

“I know it’s frustrating, but it’s a problem we have to solve eventually. Like that human Smith said.”

 

The beast-kin of the imperial palace, clearly had no intention of reconciling with humans due to their hatred.

 

“If you don’t want to…”

 

Grecan, watching her reaction, shook his head.

 

“Let’s go back.”

 

Mirania took his hand. Grecan’s expression brightened as he firmly grasped her hand.

 

💫

 

Upon returning to the imperial palace, Hakan, who had already received the news, was waiting far beyond the golden gates.  

 

He rushed forward as if flying and knelt before Grecan.  

 

“It’s been so long since your return. I, Hakan, have waited eagerly.”  

 

Unlike Hakan, who seemed on the verge of shedding tears, Grecan remained stoic.  

 

Hakan glanced briefly at Mirania beside Grecan. A strange light flickered in his eyes but soon vanished.  

 

“Lady Mirania, you’ve returned as well. I’ve been worried during your absence.”  

 

“We need rest. Don’t disturb us.”  

 

Grecan swept past Hakan, holding Mirania, and dashed into the palace.  

 

Left alone in an instant, Hakan waited outside the palace for a while. Though he had received the news through wizards means, it wasn’t enough, so he planned to hear the report directly from those who had witnessed it.  

 

An hour passed after Grecan’s arrival. Hakan’s expression grew increasingly irritable.  

 

“Why are they taking so long?”  

 

From a distance, a few bird-kin warriors flew in, utterly exhausted. Some were lagging far behind.  

 

The leader, who knew Hakan’s temper, dragged two subordinates and desperately made his way to him.  

 

“Why are you so late?”  

 

“The High Lord was too fast, huff, it was hard to keep up. Huff, I apologize.”  

 

Hakan gave the leader, barely maintaining his balance, a dissatisfied look and clicked his tongue.  

 

“Fine. Tell me again. Under what circumstances did the High Lord appear?”  

 

“Well…”  

 

The leader glanced around and leaned close to Hakan’s ear, whispering.  

 

As Hakan listened to the details, his expression darkened.  

 

“Really? He let the humans go? Even the rebel remnants?”

 

💫

 

Mirania, who had spent the entire day lounging on the plush bed in the palace, was deep in thought.  

 

‘The imperial palace has become a group representing the beast-kin. Those who rise to power by relying on the palace exploit the powerless…’  

 

Suddenly, she sat bolt upright. Grecan, who had been sitting beside her, fiddling with her silver hair, widened his eyes in surprise.

  

“I need to meet the leaders.”  

 

As Mirania stepped out of the room, Grecan, as usual, followed closely behind her.  

 

“I’m sorry, but the leader is currently resting in the bath. It’s difficult to meet her now.”  

 

At the entrance of the eastern palace, the gatekeeper firmly shook his head.  

 

Mirania, who had come all this way, clicked her tongue. Grecan tilted his head.  

 

“Why aren’t we going in?”  

 

“She’s in the bath, isn’t she? If we have a business, we’ll have to wait.”  

 

At Mirania’s awkward tone, Grecan tilted his head the other way, as if it were no big deal.  

 

“She’s just playing in the water, right?”  

 

Then, he interlaced his fingers with Mirania’s and barged in.  

 

“Ah, you really shouldn’t do this… but go ahead.”  

 

Unlike Mirania, the gatekeeper did not attempt to stop Grecan, allowing him to pass.  

 

Mirania was momentarily speechless.  

 

“Huh?”  

 

Bang!  

 

The ornate bathroom door swung open noisily.  

 

The mermaid leader, reclining in a marble bathtub larger than most rooms, jerked her head up in surprise.  

 

“H-High Lord?”  

 

Soon, anger filled her face.  

 

“How rude! Even if you are the High Lord, barging into a lady’s private space without permission…!”  

 

Crack!  

 

A marble pillar shattered. Grecan, his fist clenched, tilted his head.  

 

“What did you say?”  

 

Gulp~

 

The leader’s eyes shook uncontrollably.  

 

“W-Welcome, my lord.”

 

Shortly after, the mermaid leader sat quietly on the marble railing of the bathtub, resting her chin on her hand with an awkward expression.  

 

“So, uh, about the humans…?”  

 

She glanced at Mirania, then at Grecan, and flinched.  

 

“Of course, I know some clans are struggling to survive. But… it’s always been like that. Even before the Second Continent became the world of beast-kin, some clans had a hard time making ends meet.”  

 

Mirania was dumbfounded by the leader’s complacent response, which was far from what she had expected.  

 

“Aren’t you in a position to take care of them?”  

 

“But these days, that’s not really important.”  

 

The leader brushed back her golden hair and tapped her lips lightly.  

 

“To be honest, I don’t want change. I can live without worrying about food or shelter now. Hakan treats us well. I’m content with how things are.”  

 

Her face showed the wear of a life of comfort. Mirania clicked her tongue and glanced to the side.  

 

“Is this your lover? A human?”  

 

A slender human man flinched.  

 

The mermaid leader blushed.  

 

“Well… Hakan hates humans, but he turns a blind eye to my lover. Our mermaid clan has always fallen in love with humans, so I guess it was inevitable for me too.”  

 

The leader, clearly embarrassed, quickly changed the subject.  

 

“But what do you mean by wanting change? Didn’t the Second Continent become like this because the High Lord wanted it? Has there been a change of heart?”  

 

At her probing words, Grecan’s expression remained stoic, but his eyes gleamed sharply.  

 

The mermaid leader, who had felt reassured by Mirania’s presence, panicked and fixed her gaze on Mirania.  

 

“Do the other leaders feel the same way?”  

 

“They’re probably similar. Those who like to stay active might be bored, but…”  

 

Feeling that she had achieved her purpose for the visit, Mirania stood up without hesitation.  

 

As she left the mermaid leader’s quarters, she muttered under her breath.  

 

“How lazy.”  

 

The sharp teeth and claws once used for hunting fish had dulled, and they had grown accustomed to a life of indulgence.  

 

Mirania shook her head disapprovingly as the sound of hurried footsteps followed her.  

 

“Hey, wait a moment!”  

 

When Mirania stopped, a slender, handsome man with delicate features slowed his pace.  

 

The man, adjusting his flowing clothes, was the mermaid leader’s lover she had seen in the bath.  

 

Grecan stepped forward, blocking Mirania with his arm.  

 

A chill emanated from his narrowed eyes. The man hesitated and didn’t come any closer.  

 

“Is there anything I can do to help?”  

 

“…”  

 

“I’m living comfortably thanks to the leader, but my conscience isn’t at ease. My family is outside the imperial palace, you see. The land where farming doesn’t go well…”  

 

The man sighed and inadvertently revealed his true feelings.  

 

“The comfortable lives of those in the imperial palace are built on the exploitation of humans and beast-kin outside…”  

 

Then he paled, realizing his mistake. Grecan was the master of the imperial palace.  

 

Insulting the palace in front of him was no small matter. His face clearly showed that he had messed up.  

 

Grecan said nothing.  

 

“If the leaders of the imperial palace insist on maintaining their current lifestyle, it will collapse someday.”  

 

The man glanced at Grecan but nodded more firmly than before.  

 

“I’ll try to persuade her. The leader listens to me, after all. I’ll ask her to help the people outside the palace, even just a little.”  

 

The man seemed to think Mirania was determined to help the marginalized and struggling. Though that wasn’t her intention, Mirania shrugged slightly, signaling him to go ahead and try.  

 

As Mirania was about to return to her quarters, she changed her mind and headed to a nearby palace where the bear clan leader resided.  

 

He was easier to meet than the mermaid leader. He was sitting in the courtyard, rubbing his ample backside, surrounded by enormous baskets.

  

One basket held honey, half-eaten and slightly oozing out, another was filled with plump apples, and yet another contained skewers of dried smoked fish, neatly arranged for easy eating.  

 

Seeing his bulging, flabby body, Mirania wondered if she had come to the pig clan leader’s palace by mistake.  

 

But it was indeed the bear clan leader. The coarse tufts of hair sticking out from his neck were too rough to belong to a pig.  

 

Unfortunately, the bear clan leader took a similar stance to the mermaid leader.  

 

“Above all, it’s just too much trouble. Moving is a hassle, and taking initiative is a hassle. I don’t see the need to do anything else.”  

 

Mirania wrinkled her nose. The stench of laziness and greed seemed to cling thickly in the air.  

 

These beast-kin, who had lost their instincts, resembled the corrupt noble officials of the past, who exploited slaves and commoners out of insatiable greed.  

 

“Are you satisfied?”