"Yeah, your impression is right in a sense. It's only natural that it looks that way from the outside."
"So it isn't one?"
"This facility is commonly referred to as a 'ranch.'"
"A ranch?"
Noufe looked back and forth between me and the "fortress" before our eyes, looking increasingly bewildered.
I could understand how she felt. Anyone would react that way if you pointed at a building built like a fortress and told them it was a ranch.
"The imperial nobles... Ah, no, maybe a different explanation would work better for you."
I chuckled softly and rephrased.
"Do you know that the Empire manages monsters?"
"Um... monsters...?"
"Hm? You don't even know what a monster is?"
"No..."
"I see. That is... truly the great achievement of the late Emperor."
Deeply moved, I felt the true weight of my father's accomplishment in an unexpected place.
The younger generation knew nothing of monsters.
For a commoner, Noufe was remarkably well-informed.
If even Noufe was unaware, it was highly likely that most civilians didn't even know monsters existed in the first place.
Fearsome creatures that attacked and harmed people—my father had achieved something so monumental that their very existence had been forgotten.
Secretly touched by this realization, I organized an explanation in my head so that someone who knew nothing about them could understand.
"Then let me start from the beginning. You know what a wild beast is, right?"
"Yes... A dangerous animal, right?"
"Right. In this world, there are creatures far more dangerous than those beasts. They aren't human, and they're more dangerous than wild animals. Depending on the species, some can even use magic. We call those creatures monsters."
"Such things exist?"
"Yeah. Up until the late Emperor's youth, they were all over the place. But the late Emperor carried out a large-scale purge across the realm, seized the lands where monsters spawned, and placed them under strict management."
"Huh... Ah, so this is one of those places."
"That's right."
Nodding, I looked up at the fortress alongside Noufe.
"You can't tell just by looking from the outside, but this place isn't built to keep intruders out—it's made to prevent escapes. It has internal locks... or rather, calling it a prison would be more accurate."
"I see... Um, what did you mean by that thing you started to say earlier about the imperial nobles? It was related to this, right?"
Impressed that she had picked up on that, I continued my explanation.
"The late Emperor sealed away all the monsters within imperial territory. On top of that, he established a custom requiring imperial nobles—especially the imperial princes—to defeat a monster before taking to the battlefield. In other words, they were only sent to war after proving they could slay one. Since we were essentially raising the monsters they were meant to defeat, people eventually began calling these places 'ranches.'"
"So that's how it was."
Noufe's face cleared.
She looked completely convinced, having pieced everything together, including what I had started to say earlier.
"And that is—"
"Gwooooaaaaahhh!"
"Eek!"
As if cutting off my words—"what this is"—a ferocious roar echoed across the surrounding area.
The blast was powerful enough to rattle our clothes and trousers. Unable to bear it, Noufe clutched her ears and dropped into a crouch.
Almost simultaneously, a shadow fell over the two of us from above.
Looking up, I saw a massive four-legged beast spread-eagled, leaping out from within the "ranch" and lunging straight down at us.
"Hold on to me."
"Huh?! Wh-What?!"
Quickly dropping low, I wrapped an arm around Noufe's waist and scooped her up.
Holding the panicked, bewildered girl, I leaped backward.
With a massive leap, I dodged the plunging behemoth.
The creature slammed into the ground where we had just been standing, sending up a faint tremor and an explosive cloud of dust.
And then, another roar.
The act of roaring was meant for intimidation, but the sheer force of this one blew the dust cloud clean away.
Emerging from the haze was a massive creature with an elongated torso.
Its entire body was covered in fur with the texture and color of cattle hide.
However, though it was a quadruped, its legs splayed outward in a low, crawling stance that made it look more like a reptile.
Yet with its bloodshot eyes and the two sharp fangs jutting out from the sides of its cheekless mouth, it resembled a leopard or some similar predatory beast.
"Wh-What... is this?"
"This is a monster. If I recall, this one is called a... catoblepas."
I pulled the knowledge from my memory.
Having suppressed monsters across the entire continent, the Empire had named every single monster and cataloged details like their traits and habits.
Naturally, that information was etched into my mind.
This monster known as a catoblepas was slightly more troublesome than most, so I remembered it with particular clarity.
"Noufe, don't look it in the eyes."
"Huh? Wh-What do you mean—"
Noufe was bewildered.
Despite me telling her not to—or rather, precisely because I said it—she grew suspicious and ended up looking toward the catoblepas.
Just like how people feel a sudden urge to sniff something when told it smells terrible, Noufe looked right at the creature.
The catoblepas roared again, its eyes glowing with an eerie light.
The moment her gaze met its twin orbs radiating a dark red glow—
"Huh? M-My hands!! Wh-Whaaat?! My body won't move?!"
Noufe froze, immobilized as if pinned by sleep paralysis.
Normally, a roar powerful enough to shake the earth would make anyone cover their ears, look away, or curl into a ball, but Noufe was completely paralyzed and terrified.
Her confusion deepened, rapidly spiraling into sheer panic.
"Hah!"
Drawing in a breath, I forced a shout from the pit of my stomach.
With that, I broke the paralysis that had begun creeping over me as well.
Thrusting my hand out in a fluid motion, I focused my will on my ring.
Light spilled from the band, and luminous particles coalesced around my hand, taking physical form.
A sword with a blade that exhibited a seamless blend of ominous dread and flowing curvature appeared in my grip.
It was the Magic Sword of Water, Leviathan.
"Leviathan, release Noufe's bind."
"By your will."
The moment she manifested, Leviathan had directed her murderous intent toward the catoblepas before us, yet she instantly obeyed my command.
Just like her blade, which was the physical embodiment of her essence, this reaction was unique to Leviathan, who possessed the nature of both a loyal hound and a rabid dog.
Immediately following her reply, there was a soft fshk! as if something had burst.
"How is it, Noufe?"
"Ah, I can move. Just from a single word... Amazing..."
"Stay close to me."
"Y-Yes!"
With that, Noufe averted her eyes completely from the catoblepas—though she stole occasional glances out of the corner of her vision to make sure she didn't meet its gaze—and took cover behind my back.
"Gwooooooaaaaahhhh!!"
The catoblepas threw its head back toward the sky and roared.
This roar, far more violent than the last, not only shook the earth beneath our feet, but packed enough force to rattle loose debris from the "fortress" behind it.
"Eek!"
Noufe cowered behind me.
A devastating roar. A faint-hearted person might have lost consciousness—no, it was intense enough to shock someone to death on the spot.
"It's furious. Did being ignored rub it the wrong way?"
"Insolent."
Leviathan dismissed it with a single word.
She seemed quietly enraged in her own right.
I used to wonder why she got like this, but after decades together, I had come to understand her reasoning.
From her perspective: "Even if my master ignores you, he has a valid reason; getting angry at him for it is utterly unacceptable."
That was why she harbored a quiet bloodlust toward "insolent" foes, and even now, she was nurturing it.
This was precisely the trait that made me think she was part rabid dog and part loyal hound.
Depending on the situation, calming her down could be quite a chore, but—
"Leviathan, no need to hold back."
"Understood."
When Leviathan replied, a faint trace of joy crept into her bloodlust.
I had struggled to understand this when I first noticed it, but now I knew it meant: "Permission granted to slaughter those who defy my master."
The blade of Leviathan began emitting a faint, pale blue phosphorescence.
Even just holding it—
"—!"
No, an immense power was surging to the point where even Noufe, who was simply standing nearby without touching it, could feel the pressure.
Gripping Leviathan, I stepped casually toward the catoblepas.
It was a ferocious monster, and the blood had rushed to its head.
The catoblepas roared once more and lunged furiously, as if to say there was no need for me to come to it.
Thrusting out its forelegs, it charged.
It rushed forward with such sheer momentum that you could hear its claws cleaving through the air.
"—Hah!"
Flipping Leviathan into a reverse grip, I swept it horizontally.
Following a claaang! that sounded like clashing metal, a distinct resistance pushed back against my palm.
The blade slid past its claws, severing its forelegs while slicing clean through its torso.
I cut through it with a sensation like carving through thick, weathered leather.
As we passed each other, blood sprayed from the catoblepas as it was cleaved in two midair.
"Damn it! Leviathan!"
"By your will!"
Responding instantly, water surged from Leviathan's blade.
In a flash, the water enveloped Noufe.
The bisected catoblepas flew backward from its own momentum, but the massive torrent of blood it had unleashed hung in the air, raining down upon me and—Noufe.
Just as Noufe was about to be drenched in the spraying blood, Leviathan's water formed a protective canopy, deflecting every last drop.
When it was over, the ground was soaked with diluted, fresh blood, but not a single drop had touched Noufe.
"Amazing..."
Unlike her earlier, fear-tinged reaction, Noufe murmured in pure admiration.
Her awe was directed not at the lethal swordsmanship, but at the water technique that had deflected and shielded her from the spray of blood.
"Are you all right?"
"Yes! That was incredible. To do something like that... and defeating such a terrifying beast in a single blow..."
Looking at the dead catoblepas lying behind us, Noufe gasped in even greater awe.
Then, she caught herself.
This time, she turned timorously toward the fortress.
"So this is the kind of place where things like that live..."
Perhaps slightly intimidated by our opening encounter with the catoblepas, the fortress itself seemed to loom terrifyingly before her now.
"Don't worry, nothing stronger than that will come out. In fact, there's a good chance nothing else will appear at all."
"Nothing... else? What do you mean?"
"Since this place is managed, records exist. That catoblepas was the strongest beast in this 'ranch,' and its defining trait is its intense territoriality. Left to its own devices, it will attack any living creature that enters its domain, be it humans, animals, or even fellow monsters."
"Does that mean... the other monsters might have already been killed by it?"
"That's the gist of it. It would make things easier for us if that's the case. Come on, let's go. Stay by my side."
"Yes!"
Protected and reassured, Noufe felt a wave of relief wash over her.
She moved closer to me with a happy expression.
Keeping Noufe safe, I entered the interior of the "ranch" with her and searched it from corner to corner. Sure enough, fierce battles had already taken place inside, and nearly all the monsters had already been slaughtered by the catoblepas.