Starting Out As The God of Beasts

Beyond the bustling inner avenues of the Holy City, the true border of the Varanial Region had taken on an intimidating, indestructible form.

A monumental outer wall, constructed entirely out of thick, interlocked blocks of concrete Varanite, now stretched across the horizon like a sleeping titan.

It sealed off the border chasms, standing thirty meters tall and reinforced with subterranean mana conduits.

Along the parapets, sharp-eyed Hawk-kin and Eagle-kin warriors hovered in disciplined formations, their grand wings cutting through the desert wind as they served as aerial patrol officers for the newly forged realm.

These aerial units belonged to one of the kingdom’s newest domestic pillars:

The Police Department.

Roy had recognized early on that while a military protects borders, an expanding empire requires internal law, order, and absolute accountability.

To prevent civil overlap, Roy carefully divided internal authority into two distinct, equal branches.

The Inquisition Department, placed under the iron leadership of Duchess Brenda Pjador, served as the unbreakable backbone of the Church of Varanus.

Their holy mandate was to root out heresy, investigate divine anomalies, and execute any who dared plot against the God of Beasts.

Conversely, the Police Department, led by Duke Attaris Etho, served as the backbone of the Civil Administration.

They focused strictly on the mortal citizenry, maintaining daily order, breaking up black-market smuggling, and enforcing the new constitution.

With Brenda leading the Inquisition and Attaris leading the Police, both Duchy houses held equal weight, balancing divine fear with civic justice.

To further fuel the empire’s domestic foundation, Roy instituted a controversial yet vital law across all six Duchies:

The Edict of Sacred Lineage.

Under this new law, population growth and breeding were declared a sacred duty to the state.

However, the mandate carried a strict religious condition: any beastman couple intending to mate was legally required to offer prayers inside Saint Jarden’s Cathedral beforehand.

This single decree was Roy’s masterstroke.

By forcing citizens to seek blessings at the Cathedral, he silently channeled every couple directly through the localized aura of the two graded relics he had hidden beneath the holy altar.

The temporal and fertility relics bound themselves to the mortals’ intent, ensuring rapid, painless pregnancies that yielded quadruplets of healthy, fast-growing offspring.

Roy had set the entire apparatus in motion, allowing the kingdom’s social engines to run organically.

He had no desire to micro-manage every trivial action of these mortals; an effective ruler built systems that thrived on their own momentum.

Within a few short weeks of intense preparation, the Kingdom of Varania blossomed into a fully realized bureaucratic monster.

Ten official executive departments were formally established, each operating with distinct mandates and precise boundaries:

1. The Supreme Assembly – The highest governing council, composed strictly of the ruling Dukes and Duchesses.

2. The Military Force – Led by General Trojan, tasked with territorial defense and heavy war operations.

3. The Crusade – Under Duchess Alisa of House May, an elite, highly mobile strike force dedicated to high-risk foreign expeditions.

4. The Inquisition Department – Under Duchess Brenda Pjador, purging heresy and safeguarding the Church.

5. The Police Department – Under Duke Attaris Etho, maintaining civil order and enforcing domestic law.

6. Mandraxx – The shadowy, highly feared intelligence agency handling deep surveillance, domestic oversight of high-ranking officials, and foreign espionage.

7. The Senatorial Committee – A legislative body consisting of twenty senatorial seats, all occupied by elevated nobles to ensure the noble houses held active, binding responsibilities to the realm.

8. The Judicial Department – A strictly neutral court system supervised directly by Mandraxx, ensuring fair trials for commoners while preventing judicial corruption.

9. The Immigration Department – Managing the endless tides of refugees, cataloging beastman bloodlines, and granting legal citizenship.

10. The Finance Department – Jointly regulated under both the Church and the Civil Administration, overseen directly by the Supreme Assembly to manage the treasury, Varanite production, and national trade.

Among these ten institutions, Mandraxx was spoken of only in hushed, terrified whispers.

While the Police handled daily citizen crimes and the Inquisition burned religious heretics, Mandraxx existed to watch the watchers.

They policed the powerful—monitoring Ministers, Senators, and foreign delegates to ensure treason never found soil to root.

At the center of it all sat the Finance Department, holding the vast wealth of the unified desert, its ledgers balanced under the watchful eyes of Grand Chancellor Manuses and the Supreme Assembly.

Inside the high private office of Saint Jarden’s Cathedral, the atmosphere was quiet, bathed in the soft ambient light of luminescent crystal lamps.

Roy sat behind a massive desk carved from solid mahogany, his dark red cloak draped over the back of his chair.

He casually lifted a crystal glass to his lips, taking a slow, quiet sip of rich, dark wine as he contemplated the strategic maps of the Eastern Continents spread out before him.

KNOCK. KNOCK.

The heavy oak doors echoed with two precise, respectful strikes.

"Enter," Roy spoke, his deep voice cutting cleanly through the quiet room.

The heavy door swung open, and Grand Chancellor Manuses walked in.

The long lived nobleman looked impeccably sharp in his formal administrative robes, though his eyes carried the subtle weight of immense responsibility.

He stopped three paces from the desk and bowed deeply, his right hand pressed against his chest.

"Greetings, Lord Jarden," Manuses said respectfully.

"Manuses," Roy replied, setting his glass down onto the desk with a soft clink. "What brings the Grand Chancellor to my private quarters at this hour?"

Manuses straightened his posture, taking a brief, quiet breath before addressing the Apostle.

"Lord Jarden... I come on behalf of the populace, the nobility, and the regional councils," Manuses began carefully. "The unification of the Varanial Region is complete.

The ten departments are functioning, the borders are secure, and the citizens are prosperous. However... a growing murmur has taken root across every city and Duchy."

Roy raised an eyebrow, his golden-flecked eyes locking onto the Chancellor.

"Speak plainly."

"The people are demanding a King to be officially appointed," Manuses stated, his tone grave yet deeply earnest. "Lord Varanus is our God, and you are His Apostle. But the mortals need a crowned sovereign to sit upon the throne of Varania.

A physical monarch to wield the scepter, lead the armies alongside General Trojan, and represent the realm on the global stage."

Silence hung over the office for a long moment.

Roy leaned back in his chair, tapping a clawed finger rhythmically against the mahogany wood.

He had anticipated this moment.

A kingdom without a crowned King was an anomaly to the outside world, creating political friction with foreign empires who looked for a singular monarch to sign treaties or declare war against.

Roy’s face remained unreadable, but a sharp, calculating gleam flashed deep within his golden eyes.

"You are correct, Manuses," Roy answered smoothly, his voice calm and decisive. "A kingdom must have its sovereign."

Manuses looked up, a wave of subtle relief washing over his face.

"However," Roy continued, standing up from his desk and smoothing down his crimson robes, "this is not a decision to be muttered in private corridors or announced through simple decrees."

Roy looked down at the Grand Chancellor, his presence naturally radiating a subtle, commanding weight.

"Summon the Supreme Assembly," Roy commanded firmly. "Gather every Duke, Duchess, and department head in the grand chamber tomorrow morning.

There, before the leaders of this nation, I will deliver the decision I have made."