His Breeding Obsession

 

The Forgotten Great Witch

 

An ornate, luxurious mansion once occupied by a man who rose to greatness over a hundred years ago belongs to the current head of the Imperial Court.

 “The rebels are getting worse by the day.” 

On the terrace of the mansion, a small tea was being held.

 

A peculiar-looking man with the white hair of an old man and the face of a young man grimaced as he plucked a feather from his forearm with a thoughtful expression.

 “Oh, that stings. What did you say?” 

His aide narrowed her brow at the man’s fierce gaze.

 “That the rebel squires show no sign of quieting down.” “Oh, that? Leave it alone. So be it.” 

Compared to the worried aide, the man, the newly minted head of the imperial court, the man who would have been chancellor of the empire a hundred years ago, looked nonchalant and plucked at the remaining feathers on his forearm.

 “Ah, pluck!” 

The man across from him grimaced, as if it hurt to look at.

 “You don’t have to pluck it, do you?”

said the man’s aide.

 

In between the eyebrows, behind his neck, on his collarbone. Everywhere a snake’s scales were raised, the man muttered shakily, yet the man plucked the feathers anyway.

 “It’s gross.” 

The aide looked unconvinced.

 

What could they possibly dislike so much when it was part of their nature, even though they had been shape-shifted?

 

Even when they transformed into humanoid form, it was difficult for them to look perfectly human.

 

‘The zoin have the color of their feathers, the spiders have a third eye on their foreheads, and the Mermaids have gills or fish scales. What’s the big deal about something so obvious?’

 

He was a reptilian beast, and the white-haired man was a Zoin, a race that had been nearly wiped out by humans and now served them.

 

‘It’s the trauma.’

 

According to the aide, the man was the son of a Zoin couple who had been enslaved by the humans and lived like slaves themselves.

 

He had lived in an environment where he would be persecuted if he revealed his beast traits.

 

Perhaps the habits he developed then have stuck with him to this day.

 “Don’t worry about the rebels. Don’t you realize, on some level, it’s intentional?” “Intentional?” “To keep them around for the High Lord’s amusement. He gets bored when there’s nothing to destroy, doesn’t he? Think of it as a toy.” 

The aide grew tired of the nonchalant explanation.

 

‘I’ve never been a big fan of humans either, but I don’t consider a living, breathing human a toy, and not just any toy, but a toy with limbs falling off.’

 

The aide, who had once followed the High Lord out of curiosity and witnessed a massacre, darkened uncomfortably.

 

‘Aye. Perhaps it is this aspect of Hakan that allowed him to become his servant.’

 

‘It’s not just that he’s resourceful and skilled.’

 

If it weren’t for his brutal boldness in the face of horrific slaughter, his heart would tremble, and he wouldn’t be able to fill the High Lord’s shoes.

 

The Imperial Court.

 

It did not lead to the true master of this world, who was using the human Emperor as a puppet.

 

A servant who was his hands and feet, a tongue in his mouth.

 

The white-haired Zoin man in front of him was the head of the imperial court.

 

‘Anyone who wants to become a beast can do so. Unlike the old human world, family and origin don’t matter. The High Lord is interested in nothing but destruction. You just have to be quick on your feet so you don’t get on his nerves, which is what Hakan does.’ 

 

The aide looked at Hakan with amusement, but he had no desire to be the High Lord’s servant.

 

No matter how much he liked the riches and power, he didn’t want to walk a tightrope on a limb that could take his head off if he twisted.

 

‘That’s what Hakan is good at, being the tongue in a horse’s mouth, but that’s easier said than done, I have to be on my toes all the time, so I don’t offend… something I can’t do.’

 

It wasn’t just the aides who felt that way about Hakan.

 

Even when Hakan behaves like an idiot and irritation and anger bubble up inside of him, he looks at the High Lord and holds it together.

 

Without him, there’s no one to voice his opinion to.

 

Historically, a butler who holds the power of life and death over his servants has always been more annoying than a nobleman who doesn’t care about them.

 

But no servant would run straight to his master to complain of a butler’s behavior.

 

The world has turned upside down.

 

Most of the otherworldly beings that humans had despised were now superior to them.

 

With slaves in the light and rebellious seeds in the dark, humans have dubbed this time the Dark Age of the Second Continent.

 

It began with the catastrophe of the Razhul Plains.

 

Known as the first time in history that the first masters called High lords were born.

 

The story of his single-handed destruction of the human army that attempted to drive the beasts from the land has become so famous that it’s hard not to hear about it.

 

All of this happened because the Lord of all half-breeds, the High Lord, hates humans.

 “The rebel squires have nothing to worry about, that’s their karma for being so arrogant.” 

The voice of Hakan, a zoin man, held no sympathy.

 “It is also their karma that the High Lord is so harsh on the humans.” “Of course.” “It’s because the humans attacked one of His own, right?” 

Hakan’s eyes flashed up at the aide’s offhanded question. The aide flinched as his piercing scowl turned fierce.

 

Expecting a protest, but instead, Hakan nodded meekly.

 “I know you’re clueless, but I don’t think you’re stupid, so you won’t bring it up in front of your master, right? If you want to die, do it alone, and don’t drag me along with you, will you?” “Well, yes.” “Just do it, okay?” 

The aide wiped the sweat from his brow as he glared at Hakan.

 

Although Hakan had loosened his grip, he realized something clearly.

 

‘It’s clear that the High Lord’s past is against him, and he must never, ever speak of it again.’ 

 

In these times, the most important thing for survival was to remain out of the sight of their master, the High Lord, the leader of all the beasts.

 

Even if Hakan’s ill temper and power as a ruler were real, he was a firefly in the sun compared to the High Lord’s fear.

 

When the aide’s brow furrowed in horror, Hakan stared at it in annoyance, then rose to his feet.

 “I must go to Master.” “Then I will too…” “Ah, never mind. You stay behind and look over my collections, they seem to be getting dusty lately. Make sure the slaves are doing a proper job!” 

He nodded to Hakan, who blinked.

 

Humming, the aide leaned back in his chair as Hakan disappeared.

 

Inside the mansion, corpse-faced humans were scurrying about, shuffling and screaming.

 

The sight of them made him sick to his stomach.

 “Hah.” 

The aide stood up, his face unmotivated.

 

‘I have to take care of Hakan’s collection of all kinds of precious things.’ 

 

As the saying goes, if he saw a speck of dust, not only would the human slaves suffer, but he would suffer as well.