Chapter 141: The Golden Bull
The Empire “manages” monsters.
Thanks to this “management,” monsters are seen by the current citizens of the Empire as slightly more formidable than wild beasts.
There are beasts that are somewhat scary, ferocious beasts that are a bit tougher, and then there are monsters—also known as magical beasts—who are even more formidable.
Due to this control, the threats within the Empire have diminished, making it somewhat more peaceful than the territories of vassal states and barbaric tribes.
Additionally, these monsters are sometimes utilized for the first battle of the Royal Family.
The Empire is a nation of warriors, and even the Royal Family is expected to have combat prowess.
By battling a managed and tamed monster for their first battle, the Royal Family can present themselves to the populace as always being warriors.
However, there is no further “utilization” beyond that.
Outside of the Royal Family’s first battle, monsters are isolated and simply kept in captivity.
“…Hmm.”
“What’s wrong?”
“Now that I think about it, I realized I didn’t know anything about monsters.”
“Well, that’s to be expected. When it comes to commoners, it’s the kind of situation where 90% of people go their whole lives without ever seeing a monster.”
“That’s true…”
Jerry’s statement was accurate.
The Empire has managed monsters for so long that the general populace rarely encounters them.
In fact, I also had never seen a monster until my first battle.
“That’s right, we just caught one, Do you want to take a look?”
“Oh? You caught one?”
“We caught it not long ago since it just showed up, but we’re in the middle of a war with the dung beetles, so we haven’t had the time to transport it and just left it there.”
“I see… Well then, let’s have a look.”
“Alright! This way!”
Saying that, Jerry started walking towards the entrance of the room.
I followed behind him.
As we walked down the hallway, I occasionally spotted some of Jerry’s subordinates.
Since some of them might know my face, I intensified my gaze diversion, ensuring that everyone focused on Jerry.
This is easier than simply “disappearing.”
Jerry is the master here, and it’s only natural for attention to be drawn to him.
Many people witnessed Jerry and I walking side by side down the hallway, but they would be left in a state of wondering, “The general was walking with someone. Who were they? Who was it again…?”
Continuing to follow Jerry, we exited the building, went around the property, and arrived at a spot that looked like a backyard.
Then I heard loud clanging sounds, like iron bars being violently shaken and colliding with each other.
“Is that it?”
“Yes.”
Jerry answered without turning his head.
By the way, I hadn’t turned off the gaze diversion.
As I told Henry, this technique is simply guiding attention.
I am present in the area, visible, and they could hear me as well.
If I spoke or called out, it would understandably be relayed to them.
Conversations could proceed normally.
After walking a bit more, we arrived at a neglected area that could barely be called a garden.
There was a huge iron cage, and inside, there was a monster the size of a large dog, resembling a rabbit.
At first glance, it looked rabbit-like, but its eyes were blood-red and its teeth were sharper than any carnivore—long, all canine-like fangs.
However, that wasn’t all.
As Jerry and I—humans—appeared, the monster responded by bristling up in the cage, displaying a threatening demeanor.
Its erected fur looked sharp and spiky like a porcupine, each strand glinting dully like a blade.
“Now that’s a monster.”
“Indeed. It was wild, so we had quite a bit of trouble capturing it. Honestly, I considered just leaving it to starve, but the rule is to transport the captured monsters to the ranch, so we’re keeping it like this. We don’t have time to leisurely transport it right now.”
“I see.”
I stepped a little closer.
“My Lord! That one is dangerous—”
“No problem.”
I waved my hand to stop Jerry. Indeed, the monster exuded an impressive aura that went beyond that of a ferocious beast, and its intimidation was significant, but I felt no intimidation or the fear one was expected to feel.
While it looked imposing, compared to Leviathan or Bahamut, it seemed cute. Having dealt with them, this level of fear was nothing.
I approached it as it was.
“Livyathan, can you translate?”
[Of course.]
The voice of Livyathan reached me directly in my mind.
Immediately after, the growls of a thrashing rabbit transformed into meaningful words that resonated in my brain.
[Meat! MeatMeatMeatMeatMeat!!!]
“I see.”
“Did you figure something out?”
“No, it’s just saying ‘meat.’ Is it talking about meat? At this rate, I can understand the words, but proper communication seems impossible.”
“That’s fast… impressive, my lord.”
“Huh?”
I turned around and saw Jerry, his tongue flicking in amazement behind me.
“That thing has probably slaughtered about half the village before getting caught. Some of the soldiers who tried to capture it too.”
“I see. So when you say ‘slaughter,’ you mean it literally…?”
“Yep, it was devouring its prey. Well, in some sense, it’s healthier compared to other monsters.”
“Haha.”
I chuckled softly. I found Jerry’s way of saying “healthy” amusing.
But I understood his point.
If it was attacking humans for no reason, that would be one thing, but if it was actually attacking to “eat” and consuming them, then its behavior is quite natural for a living creature.
Of course, we would have to prevent it from doing so.
“However… you’re right, my lord. If it’s talking about meat, I get that too.”
Jerry said this, showing a cold gaze at the rabbit, which was crashing into the iron cage with its teeth bared and thrashing about.
“This is impossible.”
“Yeah. But… it’s a shame.”
“Huh? What do you mean?”
“It would have been a treasure trove if monsters could communicate.”
“A treasure trove?”
“Humans are treasures… I’ve been searching for treasures all along. You too, and you were searching among the discarded women for treasures.”
“It’s impressive. I heard that even if you were a woman, my lord would still favor someone with talent.”
“Monsters are ‘underutilized’ even more than women.”
“Ah… thinking about it that way, it’s indeed a shame for you, my lord.”
Jerry agreed with my words.
“Well, they’re called monsters for a reason.”
“A Monster… a being adored by all monsters.”
“Huh, what do you mean by that?”
“When I was researching history, I came across references to such beings.”
“Oh, really…”
It was more in the realm of myth than history, but such a being did exist. I regretted not knowing what that “being adored by all monsters” was like…
Thinking I might as well give up on that, just then—
The scenery before me transformed entirely. The barren backyard changed into a space filled with light.
“Where is this…?”
As I hesitated, something started running towards me from beyond the endless horizon.
“…That is!”
I was even more surprised.
What was running towards me was that golden bull that I had seen long ago.
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Thanks for the treat.