The Beast King Raizer was sitting in his office, scratching his head in frustration. His once glorious golden mane was now drooping, and anyone who knew him would’ve been shocked, wondering what was wrong.
Normally, he was a bold and fearless man, the very embodiment of a king, but right now, he looked utterly drained from worry.
The problem? The three criminals locked up in the underground prison right beneath his feet.
These three had been captured for the crime of killing a noblewoman from the prestigious Hoh family among the Beastmen.
One of them was Jaegyua Baekplin, the captain of the Secret Claws, one of his most loyal subordinates. While he could be executed easily among the three, he was also the one he desperately wanted to save.
Another was Meister Hatsim Velok, one of the heaviest hitters among the dwarves, known as the Seven Hammers. Raizer could still vividly picture the man, stroking his gray beard confidently from within the prison.
Had it been better if he had just killed him without knowing? But that damn dwarf revealed who he was too quickly, making things messy.
And last but not least was the heavyweight among heavyweights.
The elven woman tasked with solely protecting her race over a long time.
The Guardian of Yggdrasil.
Eris Anen Seriere.
Her strength was immeasurable. Raizer could confidently say he had a better than fifty-fifty chance of winning if he fought her, but…
‘The mere possibility of defeat is astounding.’
The fact that she could potentially defeat the Beast King, known as the peak of power among the Beastmen, spoke volumes of her strength.
Wouldn’t it be nice if everything in the world was decided by sheer strength?
After discovering the identities of the three, Raizer wanted to release them if possible, wrapping up the situation with a simple punishment for Jaegyua Baekplin.
Because no matter how powerful they were, they were still too powerful.
The elves and dwarves were already engaging in diplomatic negotiations to rescue Eris and Hatsim, not particularly fond of each other historically.
He just wanted to get what he could and issue an apology to clean things up. Of course, Eris’s group had never killed Horan, the daughter of the Hoh family.
He trusted Jaegyua Baekplin, who was as good as his right-hand man, but still, it wouldn’t look good to not receive any kind of apology in such diplomatic dealings.
Eris and Hatsim seemed to understand and were positively considering the situation, but…
The problem was, of course, the Hoh family.
The head of the family, Hobaek, was adamant that they must not be released.
Fuming with rage, he swore that those who had killed his daughter would not be let go so easily and had rallied his resolve.
‘There are reports that he’s actually gathering an army.’
This meant that releasing the prisoners could lead to a rebellion.
Of course, Raizer was absolutely confident in his throne. No matter how well-versed the Hoh family was in martial prowess, they couldn’t surpass him.
The problem was the potential casualties among the Beastmen and the other factions that were closely aligned with the Hoh family.
Compared to the nobles serving Raizer, they were few, but if they banded together with the Hoh family to revolt, it would throw the Beastmen into considerable chaos once more.
“Is serving strength really this full of side effects?”
The strongest among beasts becoming king was romanticized at first glance, but in reality, it was merely a throne drenched in blood.
The citizens who once revered strength were now exhausted from the bloodshed.
Raizer sincerely hoped for a peaceful resolution.
“Your Majesty! It’s Deer! May I come in for a moment?”
Hearing the urgent voice from outside, Raizer halted his thoughts and commanded to enter since everything was fine. But the issue Deer brought forth was related to his recent worries.
“The prisoners in the underground are attempting to escape!”
“What?!”
What kind of nonsense was this?
The Guardian and the Meister had already been talked to, so they should have been quietly waiting.
Raizer shot up and rushed to the underground prison, reinforcing his feet as he moved.
While doing so, he asked Deer, who was following behind, “What about the Hoh family?”
“I don’t know. I made sure the guards kept their mouths shut tightly.”
“Good job, keep me updated on the situation.”
“Got it! For now…”
As they hurried down to the underground prison, what Deer relayed was shocking even to the Beast King. The fourth prisoner, who had previously escaped, had returned.
Plus, he had entered the palace without causing any disturbance.
Feeling utmost humiliation as the owner of the palace, Raizer clenched his fists and arrived at the prison.
*
‘Is that man the Beast King?’
Lina lay unconscious, and Adriana was tending to her.
Eris reached through the bars, helping to treat Lina while I stood guard in front, just like a faithful dog.
The standoff had lasted longer than expected.
The Beast King who had been summoned here by the antlered fellow was none other than the King of Beasts.
Golden mane, impressive physique.
With the face of a lion, he spoke as if daring anyone else to claim dominion over this land.
‘He is indeed powerful.’
He was undeniably strong.
Considering the combative nature of the Beastmen, their king had to possess unmatched strength, and Raizer fit that criteria, but…
Compared to Kurika?
I couldn’t shake off the impression that he was still far from it.
Once again, I felt how exceptional Kurika really was.
“Who are you?”
Raizer’s voice brimmed with a quiet anger. Having already heard the gist of the situation from Eris, our conversation flowed smoothly.
“Daniel McLean, a human.”
I concentrated on my wolf ears perking up atop my head, channeling mana until they vanished along with my tail.
The guards around us gasped in shock, but the Beast King remained unfazed.
“I am Beast King Raizer. Why did you attempt to break out these prisoners?”
“True, we did try to escape. But I’ve just heard about your situation and circumstances.”
Realizing that escaping these three could spark a rebellion, I knew that if the situation posed no immediate threat to Eris, I wouldn’t have acted so hastily.
“Then you wish to withdraw. Is that what you’re saying?”
Raizer seemed interested, running his fingers through his golden mane as he evaluated me.
“I guess I’m indicating that for now. But it all depends on what decision you make.”
The atmosphere turned tense.
The guards, of course, and the antlered fellow’s advisor were glaring at me, clearly ready to stab me right then and there.
Their expression was a silent protest against how I was treating their king.
“Daniel?”
Eris trembled from worry, and I reassured her with a slight smile, loosening my posture. Raizer was also signaling his guards to bring him his sword.
“What audacity! Speaking as if you hold the upper hand at this negotiation table.”
“Well, most Beastmen value strength as superiority. I thought this negotiation would flow along those lines.”
Calmly, I met Raizer’s gaze.
I could see his ambition and competitiveness simmering in his eyes like blue flames.
“Of course, I thought I held the superiority here?”
“Your Highness!”
The antlered fellow’s advisor finally couldn’t hold back and shouted. Ignoring the King was tantamount to disrespecting all Beastmen.
Nonetheless, I didn’t back down.
“I won’t let you take Eris at once. This is both a negotiation and a declaration of war. If you even think of harming her in any way…”
“……”
I slowly raised my hand, glaring at Raizer’s neck with my sword.
“Then from that moment on, we won’t care about your kingdom’s affairs. That’s something for you, as the king, to handle.”
“Ha.”
Raizer chuckled, covering his mouth. After laughing for a while, he slowly lowered his hand and mused.
“Impressive, young man.”
I was giving him time right now.
If he took Eris right now, he’d be in a tight spot. So, he better sort out the situation before we take her away.
Otherwise, we would leave with Eris, no matter what happened in the land of the Beastmen.
“There’s a saying—‘A serpent cannot bite a lion.’”
“……”
“That means slick words without action are worthless.”
Two men were struggling to carry the massive greatsword until it wrapped around Raizer’s hands.
With a look that suggested he was ready to alleviate his headache, he stepped forward with a hearty grin.
“Let’s see whether you’re the serpent or the lion.”
