The Beast King Appears

Once we arrived at the Beast Kingdom’s Royal Capital, Emilina secured a decent inn for the group. We left the carriage in their care and headed straight for the guardhouse to hand Guiche over to the authorities.

Waiting for us there was a beastman built like a wall of pure muscle.

“You’ve done well to bring this foolish son of mine back. You have my thanks!”

“F-Father?!” Elu’s voice cracked in shock. “Wh-what are you doing here?!”

The man stroked his thick beard, looking at her with an expression of feigned confusion. “It’s my business where I choose to stand, isn't it?”

“Honestly! Using that tone in the middle of the city? What if someone sees you?!”

“Gahaha! These people are seeing me right now, aren’t they?”

“That isn’t what I meant!”

As Elu pouted, the man let out another booming, jovial laugh. However, as he began to walk slowly toward Guiche, the boy’s bravado vanished. Guiche let out a whimpering cry and scrambled backward in sheer terror.

“F-Father, w-wait! It’s not what you think! I only did it for the sake of the country—”

“Enough. Shut up.”

The man slammed his fist into the earth in front of Guiche. To my disbelief, the impact carved a crater right into the cobblestones.

“Hiee?!”

“I’m not particularly angry about your little stunt,” the man growled. “It was a sibling squabble that only happened because you lot are actually competent. No matter who survived, I intended to crown the victor. But...”

He reached down, snagging Guiche by the collar and yanking him up until they were eye-to-eye.

“I have no memory of raising a son who makes excuses for losing! We are beastmen! You know damn well that a single defeat is the first step toward being trampled into slavery!”

“A-Ah... y-yes, of course.”

“Then don’t mope about your loss! Stand tall and fulfill your duty as the loser!”

The sheer pressure behind his words was staggering. I found myself instinctively holding my breath, caught in the wake of his intensity. Guiche, taking the full brunt of it, simply went limp, his head hanging as he nodded obediently.

“Good. Take him away!”

The man barked the order to the nearby guards, and Guiche and his cohort were led off without further resistance.

---

Once Guiche was gone, the man turned his attention to us.

“Hahaha! My apologies for that. Sorry for dragging you into our family drama.” He slapped my shoulder while laughing.

To be honest, it hurt like hell. But considering this was Elu’s father—the Beast King himself—I couldn't exactly complain. I settled for a strained smile.

“Can I eat him, mehh?”

Ram, who had shrunk down to perch atop my head, chose that exact moment to say something catastrophic.

“W-What are you saying?!” I hissed. “I-I’m so sorry, Your Majesty. This sheep... he’s a bit of a jokester. I’ll be sure to stew him later, so please, forgive the rudeness?”

“H-He heard me perfectly and he’s still going to stew me?! How cruel, mehh!”

“Sorry, Emilina. Could you hold onto him for a second?”

I snatched Ram off my head and tossed him toward her. Emilina caught the demon with practiced ease.

“So fluffy and squishy, mehh,” Ram muttered, pressing his face into her chest with a look of pure bliss.

Emilina’s smile stayed bright, but her eyes didn't match it as she grabbed Ram by the face and began to pull. “Oh dear, what a naughty little sheep. Perhaps we should borrow the kitchen—or should I say, the confessional—and encourage some quiet reflection?”

The smile was so utterly pitch-black that my face involuntarily twitched. Ram, however, remained oblivious.

“Let’s go, mehh!” he cheered.

“H-Hey...” Lark whispered, huddling close to Gale. Both of them were pale. “That sheep... the one that totaled us in an instant... apparently he’s the weak one of that group?”

“It just means we were never in their league to begin with,” Gale muttered back, looking like a man who had seen his own grave.

“Are we finished with the sideshow?” the Beast King asked.

“Ah, sorry. For keeping you waiting.”

“Don’t worry about it. I don’t mind waiting for the son-in-law—pardon me, the benefactor—who saved my daughter.”

I’d thought he was just a terrifying wall of meat, but he was surprisingly easygoing. Or at least, he knew how to play the part.

“Anyway, I’ll hear the full story from Elu. I’ve already made preparations to welcome you. My staff will have everything ready shortly, so please, make yourselves at home in the castle guest rooms until then.”

“That would be a great help,” I replied.

Led by the Beast King, we passed through the gates and into the heart of the palace.

---

“Then, Yuri-sama, please follow us.”

Inside the castle, we were assigned personal attendants. Two beastman maids stepped forward to guide me, but as soon as they approached, Fee’s face twisted into a sour pout.

“What’s wrong?” I asked.

“Yuri-sama’s only attendant is Fee.”

“Ah, right.”

“I mean it! Only Fee!”

At first, I thought she was just being possessive or warning me not to let my eyes wander toward the maids. But then I looked closer. I saw the Stone Dagger hidden at her waist, peeking out from beneath her clothes.

I see. I felt a cold prickle of reality. In a foreign palace, even a guest room wasn't necessarily safe. If there was a chance of an assassination attempt in my private quarters, I couldn't afford to relax. Whether or not Fee was by my side was a matter of life and death.

“You’re right. Sorry. Fee, would you mind helping me out?”

“Of course, mehh!”

Fee followed behind me, looking satisfied, as we were led to my quarters. The moment we stepped inside, however, she froze.

“I-It’s huge...”

“Well, it is the Royal Castle. Even a guest room is going to be spacious.”

I’d been to the human capital's castle several times with my father, so the opulence didn't faze me. I sat down on the plush sofa as if I belonged there.

“Yuri-sama, we have prepared your formal attire here,” one of the maids said, handing a bundle of clothes to Fee. “Once you have cleansed yourself, please change into these.”

She bowed deeply and exited the room.

“Wait, I’m supposed to wear this?”

Laid out before me was an aggressively white suit. No, this was too much. It looked less like guest attire and more like something one would wear to their own wedding. I could only manage a bitter smile, but Fee’s eyes were sparkling.

“This is a wonderful outfit!”

“You think so?” Maybe this is just standard for beastman formalwear?

“It will look amazing on you, Yuri-sama! Put it on right now!”

“No, first things first—I need to wash up. Does the castle have a bath?”

“I’m coming with you!”

“Whoa, hold on. We’re bathing separately.”

“We are going in together!!”

“Fee, listen...”

“The servants here will definitely try to wash your body for you! If something happens while your guard is down, it’ll be a disaster! That’s why... even if it’s a little embarrassing... Fee will be the one to wash you!”

She was dead serious. Her logic was sound—we were in a foreign land, and I was being too complacent. I needed to maintain a higher level of vigilance.

“Fine...”

“Great! Let's go to the bath!”

“Wait—I'll skip the actual bath. I’ll just wipe my body down.”

If word got out that I was sharing a bath with Fee, there was no telling what kind of political or social fallout I’d face. It was better not to give anyone that kind of leverage.

With that thought in mind, I began the awkward process of changing into the white suit.