Taming Beasts in a Ruined World

Early morning.

Alec groaned as he rubbed the back of his neck, the dull ache spreading through his skull.

"What the…?" His eyes snapped open as last night's events flooded back into his mind. He bolted upright, panic flashing across his face.

"What the hell happened?"

He scanned the room. Bodies lay scattered across the floor — his soldiers, all still unconscious. Strange patterns were drawn across their faces, and faint black lines coiled around their throats.

At first, Alec wanted to believe it was some kind of prank. But the thought barely formed before it vanished. No one in their right mind would go this far.

His face turned ashen. "If it's not a prank," he muttered, "then someone did this on purpose…"

He didn't need to guess who. There was only one force in Black Tortoise City capable of something like this — the City Lord's Mansion.

Ta-ta-ta.

Footsteps thundered from the corridor.

Moments later, Cao and Zanyan burst through the door with their squads in tow. They froze when they saw Alec's face — marked with an elaborate spiral of black ink — and despite themselves, both men snorted with laughter.

Alec blinked, then caught sight of their own painted faces. For a moment, he almost laughed too.

"You've been hit as well," Alec said flatly.

"Yeah," Cao sighed. "Woke up like this." The flower drawn across his cheek made his expression even more pitiful.

"We've really let the City Lord down," Zanyan muttered, jaw tightening. He'd been assigned to the fortress watch last night — and instead of staying alert, he'd dozed off, thinking the fortress walls were security enough.

The three captains didn't need to say it aloud — they all knew who was behind the "attack."

"What do we do now?" Cao asked, unease creeping into his voice. It was his first time serving as a captain, and already he'd allowed a complete breach under his watch.

Alec scratched at his chin — and froze. His beard was gone. Completely shaved off.

His face twitched. Someone shaved my beard.

He clenched his fists but forced his tone to remain calm. "We go to the City Lord's Mansion. We beg for forgiveness."

"Go now?" Zanyan said hesitantly, touching the doodles still staining his face. "If I walk through the city like this, everyone will laugh me out of my home. My wife will—"

"We're already disgraced," Cao interrupted. "What's a little more humiliation?" His voice was heavy with regret. "I'd rather face mockery than the disappointment of my family."

Just then, two soldiers burst into the room, panting. "Captain! Captain!"

The noise jolted the rest of the groggy men awake.

"What's all the shouting for?" one grumbled. "And what's wrong with your face, Captain?"

Alec's expression darkened. "Shut up and stand at attention!"

"Yes, sir!" The men straightened immediately.

"Report," Alec demanded, his tone sharp.

"The City Lord—he's here!" one of the patrolmen blurted.

"What?!"

Everyone's faces went pale.

"Form up! Now!" Alec barked. "We'll meet him downstairs!"

"Fix your uniforms!" Cao shouted, dragging one soldier by his trousers.

"Where are your weapons?!" Zanyan bellowed, looking around in disbelief at his empty-handed troops.

Ta-ta-ta.

Too late. Footsteps echoed through the fortress entrance.

Luciel stepped through the gate with cold composure, his dark eyes sweeping over the chaos. Rows of disheveled soldiers stood stiffly at attention — every one of them sporting ridiculous black ink patterns.

And the three captains at the front? Their faces were the worst of all.

"My Lord City Lord!" the crowd shouted in unison, bowing deeply.

Luciel nodded once, his expression unreadable. His gaze lingered on Alec's face — the absurd paint job resembling a wild tangle of vines — and he recalled the bunny-eared maid's report from earlier. So this was her 'righteous punishment,' was it?

"You three," Luciel said coldly, eyes shifting between them. "You've disappointed me."

His voice hardened. "Three fortresses — vital fortresses — breached in a single night. All of you caught unawares."

"Is this how you guard the walls I entrusted to you?" His words struck like hammer blows.

"If those intruders had been real enemies instead of my own guards," Luciel's voice rose, echoing off the stone walls, "you'd all be corpses by now."

He paused, letting the silence weigh heavy.

"Did any of you consider what that would mean? The fall of those fortresses would open the path straight to your homes — your families."

The soldiers' faces turned pale. Alec dropped to one knee, his voice hoarse. "My Lord City Lord, please grant us another chance. Unless I die, this will never happen again!"

"The same for us!" Cao and Zanyan knelt beside him.

Luciel's gaze softened, but only slightly. "You'll get another chance," he said evenly. "But fail the next trial… and you're out of the city defense army."

"Yes, my Lord!" they chorused.

Luciel continued, "For this failure, every soldier will lose one hundred contribution points. Captains — three hundred each."

No one dared to protest.

"Your second punishment," Luciel said, a faint trace of humor in his tone, "is to run a full lap around Black Tortoise City — with those charming ink marks on your faces."

A few soldiers exhaled in relief. It wasn't leniency, but at least it wasn't execution.

Luciel raised a hand for silence. "And finally — your third punishment."

He scanned the restless faces. "From today, all of you will begin literacy training. A soldier who cannot read is half-blind. That changes now."

The men exchanged uneasy glances, but none dared to argue.

"I'll send instructors," Luciel continued. His gaze flicked to Alina and Elara, invisible in the shadows. Their success in last night's operation had proven the value of proper training.

"Yes, my Lord," the three captains said in unison.

"Send someone to the military workshop to collect new uniforms," Luciel ordered as he turned toward the exit. "Two sets each. From now on, you'll wear them whenever you're on duty."

"Understood!"

Luciel paused at the doorway, his eyes sweeping over the humbled soldiers. The "stick to the head" approach had worked — the message was clear.

"I expect to see a different army next time," he said quietly.

"You won't be disappointed again!" they shouted, voices trembling but resolute.

Luciel nodded once, then left with Mino and the others.

The reprimand was over — and so was the trial operation.

But the lesson had only just begun.