His Breeding Obsession Chapter 86

 

When Leverianz returned from the realm of the Bat People with the Principple, Grecan was in the heart of the Empire.

 

He found himself in a building known to be home to one of the most powerful human groups in the world.

 

Right in front of the gates of the Great Tower.

 

The tower’s reputation for being taller than the tallest castle in the Imperial Palace was borne out by its height.

 

[The last tower of mankind higher than the Imperial Palace is in the Mage Realm.]

 

That was the Maro Magic Tower. The majesty of the towers seemed to reflect their current power.

 

As such, the gatekeepers who guarded the tower’s gates were proud, as were the talented mages who had gained access to the inside.

 

But someone was making ripples in their prideful routine.

 

The bearded man, who has been guarding the tower for ten years, has been disturbed by the presence of a mysterious man who appeared at the front gate an hour ago.

 

As a gatekeeper, he had to quickly determine who was dangerous and who was an intruder.

 

So he decided to ask his colleagues for their opinion.

 

“What is that guy?”

 

The other gatekeeper knew immediately who he was referring to.

 

He, too, had been keeping a close eye on the man.

 

“I don’t think he’s a wizard.”

 

“He’s too well-built to be a wizard.”

 

Not all of them were, but by and large, wizards were woefully frail compared to their knightly counterparts.

 

It was far more efficient for wizards to train their minds and senses than their bodies.

 

But the man who appeared now, a prospective traveler or wizard, was taller than even the largest of the gatekeepers, with broad shoulders that would make one nervous if they met him on the street.

 

Intimidating by his mere presence, the man stood for an hour, doing nothing but staring up at the tower.

 

“Is he a tourist?”

 

“Then why would he be looking around, staring up from one spot?”

 

They decided the man was suspicious.

 

A tourist might have been overlooked, but a man who stared at a tower for an indeterminate amount of time was an oddity in a mage’s realm.

 

Some passing tourists and wizards even followed Grecan’s gaze to where he was staring.

 

“What the hell are you looking at?”

 

The bearded man looked up, frowning, beady eyes narrowed.

 

The man was looking at the top floor of the spire, and it was impossible to tell what he was thinking.

 

“No, I’ll chase them out of here.”

 

The bearded man clicked his tongue as he noticed the wizards turning away from the man.

 

The bearded man’s face showed no sign of tension as he walked toward the mysterious man.

 

Being a gatekeeper of the Great Tower was not a job to be taken lightly.

 

Before becoming a gatekeeper, the bearded man had been an officer in a prestigious mercenary organization. 

 

When he retired and took a job at the tower to do menial labor, he was confident that he could quickly dismiss any large fool.

 

“For what?”

 

He kept his voice low to subdue the tram from the start.

 

The man rolled his eyes and looked down at the bearded man.

 

Up close, the man was quite a bit taller than he’d expected, and the bearded man had to look up.

 

The bearded man, who hadn’t expected such a significant height difference, made an impression.

 

“If you don’t have a pass, please leave. This is not a place for outsiders to just wander around.”

 

The man just stared at the bearded man with his eerily black eyes.

 

The bearded man, who was not at all nervous, and whose teeth were slightly chipped, decided to take a stand.

 

“If you don’t leave immediately, I’ll assume you’re a spy for another country, and if that happens, you will not leave gracefully…”

 

“Do you know where it is?”

 

“What?”

 

The bearded man repeated, not understanding the first thing the man said. ‘The man with the best magic here,’ the man said, his expression serious.

 

“The most magical human in this place.”

 

“…”

 

“If he’s the strongest among humans, I’d think he’d know how to extend one’s life.”

 

His words, spoken almost to himself, stunned the bearded man.

 

If you asked anyone who the most magical human in the world was, they would all say the same thing.

 

The Imperial Archmage and Master of the Tower. Windor Spryd, Lord of Magic.

 

“I don’t think I’ve ever met anyone in all my years in this business who’s actually asked me who the Master of the Tower is.”

 

The bearded man spat out a sneer, and the man raised a finger, not caring for the reaction.

 

His fingertips pointed toward the top floor of the steeple.

 

“Can we go that way?”

 

Strangely, the bearded man felt a certain inscrutable will in the man’s words.

 

He had survived many a perilous perch, and he knew in his gut that the man’s words were not to be trusted.

 

He must drive them away, even if it meant using force.

 

Swish—!

 

The bearded man skillfully swung his spear.

 

The weapon that had saved his life on countless occasions, his spearmanship had reached a certain level of mastery.

 

So much so that most mercenaries could be dispatched with a few swings.

 

This man would soon be stabbed in the back by the tip of the spear.

 

The bearded man was confident that this time it would be the same.

 

But a moment later, before the spear had even fully swung, the bearded man’s eyes widened as he was grabbed by the throat.

 

He twists his wrist to defend himself, but it doesn’t even seem to budge, only pushing a bit of flesh away.

 

‘Wha, what kind of muscular…!’

 

The bearded man couldn’t stop thinking.

 

“Co, cough…”

 

The man grabbed him by the throat and lifted him. The bearded man’s toes stiffened.

 

He flailed his legs, desperately trying to reach the ground, but the bearded man’s thick toes barely touched the ground.

 

The bearded man couldn’t understand what was happening.

 

Even though he was a strong man, he couldn’t do anything about the hand grabbing his throat.

 

Through the cracks in his vision, the bearded man looked at the man’s blunt face.

 

A handsome face. No, quite handsome.

 

He’d seen a lot of handsome faces in his time as a gatekeeper, but he could count them on one hand.

 

But the way he could strangle a man to death and not bat an eyelid gave him goosebumps, even for those who never flinched at anything.

 

And this strength.

 

‘What, are you a knight or something? Or a mage?’

 

The thought that it might not be human crossed the bearded man’s mind as he looked into those endlessly black eyes.

 

He was out of his depth, and he needed to get someone else quickly.

 

Luckily, he heard someone running into the tower. It was probably a colleague.

 

The bearded man was relieved, but it was not a time to be complacent.

 

He prayed fervently that he would be able to survive until the wizards arrived.

 

“We’re running out of time. Who is the leader of this place?”

 

“…What’s going on there? No, what are you doing!”

 

Just as the gatekeeper could barely manage to choke out a dry laugh, someone who had seen the scene approached them.

 

He had emerged from the tower’s building, his long white cloak swishing behind him.

 

The golden insignia on the breastplate of his neatly grown mage uniform glinted in the sunlight.

 

The man’s attire meant only one thing: he was a high-ranking, empire-tested wizard.

 

The restless crowd cheered at the sight of the mage.

 

“It is Lord Landes!”

 

“Lord Landes, healer of the battlefield!”

 

Grecan heard the chatter as he stared at the newcomer.

 

“A healer?

 

“Does he know how to use magic?”

 

Grecan asked, looking at the bearded man, who barely nodded as he recognized Landes.

 

Thud—

 

Grecan snapped his hand in the air, and the bearded man crashed to the floor like a kite on a string.

 

Stepping past the bearded man on the ground, gasping for air, Grecan stood in front of Landes.

 

Realizing that Grecan had gotten to him before he could, Landes took a step back, his eyes alert and wary.

 

Keeping his distance was essential for spell casters, but he didn’t know why Grecan was doing it, so he stood still.

 

“What do you want?”

 

“Are you the head of the mages?”

 

Landes narrowed his brow.

 

“What do you mean…”

 

“We’re running out of time. Answer me first.”

 

Grecan had never thought of humans as a good race.

 

His earliest memories of humans were of them carrying people around like accessories, watching him with annoyance in their eyes, and demanding unheard-of ‘payments’ of ransom.

 

The image of humans was cemented in Grecan’s mind: he found them cumbersome and repulsive.

 

And so the stiffness of Grecan’s language only made Landes feel more oppressive. Landes’s eyes grew cold.

 

Unlike Grecan, he was used to the manners and language of the human world, and he knew how to put up with it for a purpose.

 

“I work for the Head. Does that answer your question?”

 

“Not strong enough.”

 

Disappointment flashed across Grecan’s eyes.

 

Though not as powerful as the archmage Tower Master, the young mage Landes, who had risen to prominence at a young age with the label of genius attached to his name, was dumbfounded by the response.

 

He spat out a huff of laughter and spoke coldly, “I can wipe out someone of your caliber with just a glance.”

 

“Are you …strong?”

 

“Are you, by any chance, a wandering knight? I’ve heard of wandering knights seeking out the strong to duel these days, but you don’t seem to have any weapons.”

 

Grecan ignored Landes’s cryptic remark.

 

“How much magic can you use, and can you extend one’s life?”

 

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, but the tower master is at the palace and unavailable. If you have something to say, you can say it to me. I’m the second in command of the Magic Tower, so I’m sure I deserve to hear what you have to say.”

 

“So you’re saying that Tower Master is the strongest?”

 

Grecan’s words strangely scratched at his pride, asking the same question over and over again despite his sarcasm. A blue vein rose in Landes’s forehead.

 

“When it comes to healing magic, I’m better than the Tower Master, now may I ask a question?”

 

He had had enough. The unpleasant glow on his face didn’t offend Landes, but he was mesmerized by Grecan’s smirk.

 

Grecan smirked and said, “Found it.”