Published: January 4, 2026
Thanks to everyone’s support, we’ve reached chapter 200. Thank you very much!
I will continue to work hard and keep writing.
Cres and Lion.
They have served me for several decades. At first, I had them engaged in the military, but after I ascended to the throne as emperor, I appointed each of them to manage ranches, separating them from the army.
Both are men with military talent.
Among those attending the private academy in Water Miller, these two stood out with their overwhelming brilliance and talent.
Right after they began serving me, they achieved numerous battle achievements in the military and quickly rose through the ranks.
Their speed and magnitude of military accomplishments even surpassed Rice Cake, who is Henry’s retainer and confidant and now commands the Western army as the General of the Western Front.
That wouldn’t have been a problem during my time as prince, but the issue arose when I ascended the throne after receiving abdication from Father.
Father was still alive and retained power behind the scenes.
Though it might not have been necessary to worry that much, out of a kind of restraint, I removed Cres and Lion from the military.
Instead, I appointed them to ranches appropriate for warriors.
Even there, the two demonstrated their abilities and perfectly managed the ranches.
After Father passed away, I could have returned them to the military, but since they had shown such talent and presence, it became difficult to remove them, and here we are now.
“As you know, here in Enlil Province, we were struck by a once-in-a-century earthquake, and most of the ranches collapsed or were damaged.”
“Yes.”
“That means the monsters escaped, right?”
“That’s right. The escaped monsters have become more troublesome and formidable than when they were being managed. In fact, when I fought them, I felt their strength had increased by about 30 to 50 percent.”
“Well, in the end, they’re beasts. If you set them loose in the wild, that’s what you’d expect.”
Lion shrugged and said that.
His words carried the weight of someone who had long faced monsters.
“Unfortunately, Larak’s troops can’t fully deal with this. We’ve proposed a guild system to civilians, but there’s no telling when it will take shape.”
“So that’s why it’s us.”
“Yes. For immediate response, training newcomers, and reorganizing the troops. There’s a mountain of work to do, but I thought only you two could handle it all.”
“Leave it to us, your excellency.”
Cres stood up again.
Like he had swallowed a stick, his back straightened perfectly, and his gaze shot straight at me.
“Leave it to me, Cres Drake. I will clean up the filth neatly and show you.”
“I see.”
“But it’s amazing—a civilian guild, huh? How did you come up with that?”
Unlike the overly serious Cres, Lion remained seated, maintaining his usual light-hearted tone.
“It’s because of the earthquake.”
“Because of the earthquake?”
Lion tilted his head greatly.
Cres, standing, also wore a face like he was wondering what that meant, though not as much as Lion.
“As you know, the empire is a nation of warriors. Everywhere, there are those who train day and night aiming for the knight selection, the gateway to promotion.”
“Right.”
“So what about those people?”
“The knight selection is a narrow gate. In some cases, one must put their entire life into their military strength. You two should know well that it’s common for a whole family to support the talented member, investing in their advancement.”
“Ah, yes, that’s true.”
Lion said this, scratching his cheek with a wry smile.
“That’s fine in peacetime, but people who only have military strength—extreme cases include those who have physical strength but are bad at simple manual work—tend to lean too much toward brute force.”
“Ah... I’m starting to get it. Yeah, those guys are a nuisance in times like these.”
Lion said this, folding his arms and nodding in agreement.
“I wouldn’t say they’re a nuisance.”