Published: January 4, 2026
One noon, I visited the ranch where I had previously brought Newf.
Though I had come alone on horseback, perhaps because I had informed them in advance via telecommunication, the main gate of the ranch opened as soon as my horse and I came within visible distance on the highway, and a group of soldiers led by an officer appeared.
As I approached further, I realized it was the unit led by Lion.
In front of the main gate, I dismounted my horse and immediately handed the reins to a soldier who had rushed over, then approached Lion.
“Your welcome is a bit too early.”
“I’m terribly sorry! I only received the notice a short while ago, and I wish I could have dressed better,” Lion said apologetically.
True to his own description, his clothes were dirty and stained with what seemed like blood from monsters, looking as if he had just come from battle.
“Quite the manly look.”
“Ah, no.”
“And, compared to when we first met, this is much better.”
“Haha.”
Lion scratched his head and laughed—a shy, somewhat apologetic smile.
When I first met Lion, he had come to me with a business proposal for investment.
Back then, his hair was messy, his clothes covered in mud and dirt, and at a glance, he looked like a beggar.
But I saw through that; he was not a beggar.
Begging is typically accompanied by poor hygiene and various diseases, especially skin diseases that are immediately noticeable.
Lion had cleverly disguised the visible areas, even managing to put scab-like marks on his face and exposed arms.
However, beneath his messy hair, his scalp was remarkably clean.
Normally, the scalp would be dirty, swollen, or have rashes, but his scalp was pristine.
Well, perhaps it's hard to fake the scalp beneath the hair.
That’s how I knew Lion was in disguise.
Mentioning that first meeting made Lion laugh sheepishly.
After some casual greetings, Lion spoke again.
“So, what brings you here today? Do you have a mission for me?”
“No, it’s an inspection.”
“An inspection?”
Lion looked a bit surprised.
“I’ve already sent reports, though…”
“Better safe than sorry.”
I said with a serious face.
Lion mirrored my expression.
“It’s no exaggeration to say that the previous emperor’s greatest achievement was completely eradicating wild monsters within the empire’s borders. Before that, they lived in the wild.”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“If you’ve ever been on the battlefield, you’d understand just how much the occasional presence of roaming monsters threatened the safety of the people.”
“That’s true. In my hometown, there would be deaths every year because of them.”
“Completely exterminating and controlling them was the late emperor’s greatest achievement. Repressing them again is my highest priority. I must see it with my own eyes.”
“I see. Well then, please go ahead.”
Lion said as he invited me into the ranch.
Among my subordinates, he is the most casually spoken.
He and Cres, my childhood friend who also serves me, are quite the contrast—Cres being strict and serious.
“By the way, is it true that some ministers say it’s cruel to exterminate monsters, and that if they can be managed, they should be returned to the ranch?”
“Hmm, yes, such petitions have come.”
“What did you do with them?”
“Rejected them.”
I chuckled softly.
“If those were not monsters but, say, bears or other wild beasts, perhaps I would have said, ‘I’ll send them to your mansion; you take care of them.’”
“Haha, well, that’s a relief.”
“Those ministers can say such lenient things only because Your Majesty has complete control. The younger ministers don’t understand the threat posed by monsters.”
“Thanks to the late emperor, there’s nothing I can say against that.”
Lion laughed jokingly.
As we entered the ranch together, I first looked around and felt the atmosphere with my skin.
“Hmm… it seems they are completely suppressed.”
“Oh, you can tell just from that?”
“Yes, it’s the air… its weight, you could say. Have you ever been to a livestock slaughterhouse?”