His Breeding Obsession Chapter 188 - Hakan’s Official Collection Room

💫

 

The day dawned with the announcement of the execution of the rebel faction.  

 

Hakan, who had risen earlier than usual, hastily summoned his aide, as he had done every day for the past two months.  

 

“How is the Crystal Chamber?”  

 

“No different from usual. Lady Mirania brings food, but we can’t get close enough to know the details. It seems the High Lord is still bedridden.”  

 

A sigh of relief escaped Hakan’s lips.  

 

The aide glanced at him suspiciously.  

 

‘He used to act like the High Lord was the hope of all the beastfolk. Now he seems relieved that the High Lord is still unwell.’  

 

Not much was known about the tragedy in the Crystal Chamber two months ago.  

 

According to Hakan’s announcement, it was the work of a group of humans harboring resentment toward the High Lord. 

 

But Hakan’s reaction to the situation was suspicious.  

 

‘Something’s off about how things are unfolding.’

 

Even a few days ago, things were strange. The aide, about to sink into deep thought, was brought back to reality by Hakan’s question.  

 

“Did you relay the message to the clan leaders? Make sure every single one of them attends.”  

 

“I did, but…”  

 

“But what? What now?”  

 

Hakan reacted irritably, already knowing the reason. The aide felt his blood run cold.  

 

This was why he thought the palace had been acting strangely lately.  

 

“The leader of the Merfolk clan sent word that they’re returning to the sea.”  

 

“The merfolk this time?”  

 

Hakan grimaced. In the past month, five clan leaders had already left the palace.  

 

The first was the leader of the bear clan.  

 

That day, Hakan’s bedroom was a mess—pillows torn, decorations shattered—and the aide had to clean it up using human slaves.  

 

The conversation from that day was still vivid.  

 

[I’m leaving.]

 

[What are you talking about?]

 

[I’ve lived long enough. I know my abandoned clan resents me. Even if I change my decision, I doubt much will change. But staying here only weakens my clan. I can’t stay knowing that.]

 

[Are you going back to your clan?]

 

[Yes.]

 

[That’s a foolish choice. There’s no game to hunt, and even if there were, do you think you could hunt with that sluggish body of yours?]

 

[Mock me all you want. It’s easy to destroy, but hard to rebuild, isn’t it?]

 

[Yes. Isn’t that obvious?]

 

[I’ll still try with my clan. I don’t know if they’ll still see me as their leader, though.]  

 

[Fine. Get out.]

 

The aide left as if he’d been waiting for the dismissal, and Hakan, now alone, gnawed on his nails.  

 

Most of his once-long nails were broken and frayed, now short and jagged.  

 

‘It’s fine if the clan leaders leave. Those cunning creatures will come back once the High Lord recovers. What can they even do outside? They’ve probably forgotten how to hunt, too intoxicated by what I’ve provided.’

  

Though he tried to reassure himself, a sticky sense of unease clung to Hakan’s heart.  

 

‘But if the High Lord wakes up…’  

 

That was what worried him the most.  

 

‘Will he find out?’  

 

He gnawed at his nails.  

 

‘Will he figure out who did it? The first thing he’ll do when he wakes up is obvious. He’ll try to catch the culprit. It’s fine. I’ve erased all traces. I killed the servant, and the chef was disposed of in a staged accident.’

 

The only ones who knew were the warriors from his clan who killed the servant and disposed of the leftover chocolate, but Hakan, overwhelmed by anxiety, had even taken care of that warrior a week ago. 

 

So no one knew.  

 

Finally reassured, Hakan’s nails were freed from between his teeth.  

 

Wiping his hands roughly with a handkerchief, Hakan stood up abruptly.  

 

“It’s fine if the High Lord wakes up. Seeing how the clan leaders are acting, his absence is still premature. So him waking up is good. It’s not a bad thing.”  

 

While he had taken control of the palace’s administration in Grecan’s stead, he now realized something painfully clear.  

 

The palace without Grecan would slip from his control.  

 

Until the clan leaders were completely subdued, Grecan needed to reign as the indomitable absolute ruler, backed by overwhelming force.  

 

“For now, I’ll just send the fire lizard doctor.”  

 

Having tidied up all his uneasy fears, Hakan changed his clothes with a refreshed expression.  

 

It was time to set the trap to catch the leader of the rebel resistance.

 

💫

 

In the center of the square in front of the imperial palace, five pyres had been prepared.  

 

Tied to the tall wooden stakes in the middle of the pyres were humans, beast folk hybrids, and even a few beast folk themselves.  

 

These pyres had been prepared under Hakan’s orders.  

 

Hakan stood atop the palace walls, surveying the square.  

 

The execution of the vile humans who had thrown the nation into chaos had been publicly announced, and the beast folk living outside the walls had gathered in droves.  

 

There might have been humans among them, but they were likely disguised as beastfolk, making it hard to spot them at a glance.  

 

‘Now’s not the time to root out those scraps.’  

 

Even though he expected humans to be mixed in, Hakan’s face was filled with satisfaction.  

 

Just as one would drop sweet jam to lure ants, this was also a ploy to entice the rebels.  

 

‘If they don’t take the bait, well, they’ll all just die anyway.’  

 

This was why he had chosen burning at the stake among the many execution methods. The pain of being burned alive would be beyond imagination.  

 

He hoped the screams of agony would spread far and wide, reaching the ears of the rebels.  

 

Hakan had planned this ever since he received information that some beast folk were cooperating with the rebels.  

 

No matter what, the imperial palace must remain unshaken. The palace is an unbreakable symbol of absolute power.  

 

Once this fact is ingrained, no one will side with the rebels!  

 

‘If there’s one thing I’ve learned from watching the High Lord, it’s the necessity of fear. Why do apex predators reign in the wild? Because the herbivores fear them!’  

 

Hakan’s breathing grew heavy with excitement. 

 

For over fifty years, he had lived as the second-in-command and the de facto power behind the throne.  

 

The authority he had wielded, even commanding the leaders of the stronger beast clans, had been intoxicating.  

 

Over the past fifty years, he had come to understand why humans exploited and oppressed those beneath them, refusing to step down from their positions.  

 

“This event will demonstrate absolute terror. It will show that no one should ever defy me, Hakan.”  

 

It didn’t matter if the rebel leader didn’t show up.  

 

Once the pyres were lit, the humans would be consumed by fear, and the sight of their deaths would spread terror among the onlookers.  

 

He hoped their screams would reach the ears of the clan leaders who had fled the palace.  

 

Hakan licked his lips in anticipation.  

 

“Everything is ready.”  

 

At his aide’s words, Hakan nodded and spread his wings. Just as he was about to descend, he glanced at the aide’s face.  

 

“Why do you look so pale?”  

 

“Pale, sir?”  

 

“Yes.”  

 

“It’s… it’s nothing.”  

 

Hakan glared at him.  

 

“Speak plainly.”  

 

“…Three clan leaders have sent word that they will attend the execution.”  

 

“Only three? What about the rest?”  

 

The aide sweated profusely under Hakan’s gaze, which seemed to ask, ‘Are they eating the food I provide but not obeying my orders?’

 

“They said they would leave the palace today.”  

 

“Are they abandoning the palace just because the High Lord is ill? Even if they’re fools, this is too much.”  

 

“The general suspects they might be in contact with the humans.”  

 

“The general?”  

 

The aide nodded. The general was the commander of the avian beast folk army and one of Hakan’s most trusted subordinates.  

 

“Yes. Their movements are suspicious.”  

 

“I knew it. Hmph, let them try. Whatever they’re plotting, once the High Lord rises from his bed, they’ll grovel. When that happens, I’ll personally drag them down from their positions as clan leaders. As for new leaders, we’ll just appoint new ones.”  

 

Like a human emperor.  

 

Confidently smiling, Hakan spread his wings wide enough to blot out the sky and descended.  

 

As he landed on the platform prepared for him in the center of the square, the murmuring crowd turned their eyes toward him.  

 

“You’ve all heard the news!”  

 

His clear voice echoed in all directions.  

 

“The High Lord has fallen ill due to the schemes of cunning humans. But he is the great absolute ruler of the beastfolk! He is recovering. As his loyal servant, I cannot let this go unpunished.”  

 

Hakan paused briefly to scan the crowd. He cast sharp glances, wondering if the rebel leader might be among them, but so far, he had found nothing unusual.  

 

Since archers could shoot from a distance, he had ordered his warriors to watch the rooftops of nearby buildings. 

 

If the rebels appeared, they would send a signal.  

 

“Thus, to restore order to this chaotic continent where vile humans thrive and good beastfolk suffer, I have decided to make an example of the rebel faction by executing them. Today, we will execute them and proclaim to all the strict order the imperial palace has established! Remember, the palace stands with the beastfolk!”  

 

Having delivered his warning without stumbling, Hakan felt satisfied, though the crowd’s response was more subdued than he had hoped.  

 

‘Is it because the High Lord isn’t here?’  

 

Displeased by the lack of enthusiastic reception, Hakan frowned.  

 

Just as he was about to move on, a shout erupted.  

 

“Bullshit!”  

 

Hakan turned his head. A human woman tied to the pyre was glaring at him.  

 

“It wasn’t humans who harmed the High Lord! Who are you blaming for this crime?”  

 

“Hmph.”  

 

Hakan sneered and signaled to the executioners.  

 

A hyena beast folk with distinct black markings on its face nodded and lit the pyre.  

 

The oil-soaked wood was quickly engulfed in flames. In an instant, the fire grew, coiling around the pyre like a snake.  

 

One hybrid stared in terror at the flames creeping toward his feet.  

 

He desperately tried to pull his feet back, but sadly, his body, fixed to the stake, could only twitch helplessly as the flames drew closer.  

 

The fire licked at his toes like a snake’s tongue. The searing pain, the approaching heat.  

 

Unable to bear the terror, the hybrid’s eyes rolled back.  

 

“Ah, ahhh!”  

 

A horrific scream erupted from the hybrid as his toes began to burn.  

 

It was an instinctual, bone-chilling sound.

 

Hakan secretly curled the corner of his mouth.  

 

‘Yes, that’s it. Scream louder. That’s why I didn’t gag you.’  

 

The crowd’s reactions varied.  

 

Some frowned in horror, some trembled in fear, and some reveled in the madness.  

 

Thwack!

 

An arrow struck the pyre. Startled, Hakan flapped his wings.  

 

Thwack, thwack, thwack!

 

Arrows struck the other pyres as well.  

 

Splash!

 

The blue gem attached to the arrowhead shattered, dousing the condemned in water.  

 

The face of the prisoner, gasping from the intense heat, brightened.  

 

But Hakan’s shock was short-lived. His eyes sharpened as he barked orders to his warriors.  

 

“They’ve appeared! Chase them! Find them and capture them!”  

 

The waiting warriors took to the sky in unison.  

 

The crowd, startled by the sudden turn of events, turned their eyes upward.  

 

“Ah, ahhh!”  

 

At first, Hakan thought they were terrified by the might of his avian warriors.  

 

But when several of them fell to their knees, wailing, he realized something was wrong.  

 

‘Are my troops really that fearsome?’

 

No. The people were horrified—not by his army, but by something in the sky.  

 

“…”  

 

A chilling sensation ran down his spine. Slowly, Hakan raised his head.  

 

The avian warriors, who had soared into the sky with such vigor, were now falling like mice confronted by a snake.  

 

Even when they hit the ground, they didn’t seem to feel the pain as they scrambled away.  

 

Hakan couldn’t scold them for their pitiful state. He might have done the same.  

 

“Hakan.”  

 

Grecan descended as if walking down an invisible staircase.  

 

Finally landing on the ground, Grecan locked eyes with Hakan.  

 

Instinctively, Hakan wanted to flee, but a small, hard kernel of reason held him in place.  

 

‘It’s fine. The High Lord knows nothing.’ 

 

He soothed his anxious heart and forced a smile.