Chapter 45
Chapter 45
Episode 45.
The shadow flitting between the ancient trees vanished in an instant.
A chill ran down Siron and Jude's spines immediately after. Just as goosebumps erupted across their backs, something flashed between them.
They couldn't react.
A silver afterimage brushed past them and landed atop Aiden's horse. They could barely track even that movement.
As elite combatants of the Execution Squad, their ability to gauge an opponent's strength was exceptional.
Yet they both arrived at the same conclusion simultaneously:
An entity impossible to subdue with their current forces.
Siron recalled Aiden's warning: 'Don't provoke the beast with competitive spirit.' It had sounded absurd at the time.
She knew better than to act recklessly. She'd be torn apart before even raising her axe.
But now the situation was different.
The beast was targeting Aiden. At least, that's how it appeared to them.
They couldn't let the hero die like this. Nor could they afford to lose their captain before even beginning their mission.
Siron bit her lip. As she reached for her halberd, Aiden—riding at the vanguard—shouted:
"Stand down!"
The nine-tailed fox peeked out to observe the paladins. They had no choice but to understand the warning against being swayed by appearances.
She could only be described as a divine work of art sculpted around the concept of beauty.
Yet those piercing blue eyes gripped their hearts like a vise. The terror of facing a predator swallowed any appreciation for her beauty.
"That's an order!"
After a brief hesitation, Jude and Siron lowered their weapons. They had no choice but to trust Aiden. The helplessness tasted bitter.
The fox demon settled back gracefully, staring intently at Aiden. Without the slightest tremor despite the galloping horse, she smiled and spoke:
"They must be precious to you."
That bewitching gaze, innocent tone, and detestable face sent Aiden's suppressed emotions surging.
He sharply turned his horse's head, altering their course.
"Proceed to the destination! I'll follow!"
He charged straight down the steep slope, descending along the valley. After putting considerable distance between himself and the paladins, he reined Petra to a stop.
The fox demon produced a comb from her robes. Smoothing her tangled locks, she cast an enchanting sidelong glance.
"Aiden, did you come looking for me?"
"You bitch."
Aiden's grip on the holy sword's hilt tightened audibly.
The comb in the fox's hand froze mid-stroke. A bitter aura flickered across her expression.
"...I see."
Aiden found her actions revolting.
He wanted nothing more than to draw his blade and cleave her in two, but he knew full well the odds were hopeless.
Noticing Aiden's trembling hand, the melancholic fox smiled faintly.
"But your anger seems to have cooled. You're holding back well now. Last time, you were desperate to kill me."
"I'd tear you apart if I could. That pretty face would be pulp."
When she adopted another sorrowful expression, Aiden's features twisted violently.
Those world-weary eyes could evoke pity in anyone, but Aiden felt differently.
They seemed like a grotesque mask.
Suppressing his emotions with immense effort, Aiden barely managed to speak:
"Seeing you makes me nauseous. Let's never meet again. Just leave."
He wished she'd vanish forever from his sight. There was no way to kill her. He couldn't even oppose her now.
The fox demon shook her head slowly while staring at Aiden.
"No. You used to chase me down, swearing you'd kill me."
Aiden met those blue eyes directly. Simultaneously, he drew his sword. A horizontal slash aimed at her throat—but only cut through empty air.
The fox leaped up, perching lightly on a tree branch.
Aiden seized the reins again. As he moved to depart, the fox's melodious voice stopped him.
"...Are they precious? Those ones earlier."
Aiden whipped his head around to glare at her. His face contorted like a vengeful spirit's.
The fox asked again in a subdued voice:
"What will you do if I kill them?"
Aiden's entire body trembled. He wanted to wring that slender neck.
Maintaining rationality was agonizing, but he couldn't let others die because of him. Not again.
He replied as flatly as possible:
"Do as you please. I don't care."
The fox smiled coquettishly.
"Liar."
Screeeech! Gargantua shot forward, shattering branches and pulverizing rocks.
Suddenly, the fox was nestled in Aiden's arms.
"Let's talk. In exchange, I'll spare them. How's that?"
She looked up while proposing this.
Refusal meant the paladins' deaths. Blood seeped from his bitten lip.
"Don't do this."
With a pitying expression, the fox reached for Aiden's lips. Smack! He slapped her hand away instantly.
"Don't touch me."
She clasped her own hand, smiling bitterly before repeating:
"So? Will you talk?"
There was no choice. This woman's words never stopped at threats.
When Aiden remained silent, the fox nodded with a faint smile.
"So difficult to have one conversation. It wasn't like this before... We loved each other. Right?"
Aiden's face twisted.
"Are you spouting nonsense?"
She shook her head as if to disagree, settling lightly on a nearby rock.
After studying Aiden intently, she erased all traces of amusement and spoke gravely:
"I was wrong. Forgive me."
Aiden let out a hollow laugh.
"Forgive? How could I?"
To Aiden, the memories remained vivid as yesterday.
The castle drowned in blood, the burning fiefdom, people's screams, women's shrieks, infants' wails.
He'd watched that innocent face trample innocent lives without mercy.
Those snow-white hands had torn newborns in half.
Moreover, all that misfortune originated from Aiden himself.
He shouldn't have picked up that fox cub. Should've let it die. His excuses about the future had birthed this monster.
Aiden could never forgive himself.
The fox continued calmly:
"Then who should I seek forgiveness from? Vacheksar? You don't even believe in him anyway."
"You feel no guilt whatsoever. I don't even understand why we're having this meaningless conversation."
Her apology wasn't entirely false—his spiritual senses confirmed that much. But it certainly didn't stem from remorse.
The fox nodded.
"True, I admit it. Then and now, I've never felt an ounce of guilt. But is that so strange? Just as you eat cows and pigs, humans are the same to me. Yet despite this, I've never eaten a single person in my life. Because the one I love is human."
She stared directly into Aiden's eyes.
"My only wrongdoing was hurting my beloved. Who else should I seek forgiveness from besides you?"
To Aiden, this sounded supremely selfish.
"The innocent villagers you slaughtered died because of me. And you want me to forgive you? That would mean forgiving myself. Impossible. Just disappear. Stop spouting nonsense."
The fox frowned slightly.
"Innocent? Those insects repaid your kindness with betrayal. Just for traveling with me. You know this. I don't understand why you defend them."
There had been a fiefdom Aiden liberated from demons. Its lord witnessed the fox cub's true form and reported it to the local diocese.
That a paladin traveled with a monster.
This sparked the fox's massacre. She swept through every church, fiefdom, village, and guild in the region, eradicating humanity's presence.
Her intent was to leave no evidence behind.
No survivors. With her olfactory range spanning dozens of kilometers, no living thing could escape.
Aiden couldn't stop her. He'd been powerless.
Memories of walking through those ruins resurfaced vividly:
Guilt, rage, helplessness, frustration, regret, despair...
He felt sick.
The fox spoke:
"I did it for you. So you wouldn't get hurt."
Aiden said nothing.
"Evidence lingers everywhere, and vengeance breeds endless cycles. That's what you humans say. I understood this inherently from birth. I merely severed that chain. Honestly? Even if I could go back, I'd kill them all."
Aiden felt dizzy. What was the point of this conversation? The past couldn't be undone, and there was no path to atonement.
He sighed.
"...Enough. Let's stop."
The fox gazed at Aiden with melancholy.
"Aiden, try to understand me a little. The only things precious to me are you and myself."
"You mean nothing to me. I regret saving you so much it's driving me insane. Even now."
"Liar. Then why isn't the Church hunting me?"
"For my sake."
The fox shook her head.
"No? No matter what the Church might do to me if caught, I'd never utter your name. You know this."
"I don't know and don't care."
"You still love me too. Any being who's shared intimacy with a nine-tailed fox can never be free of those emotions. It's an immutable law. Don't lie to yourself."
It was true. Aiden still loved and hated the fox in equal measure.
But regardless of his feelings, he could have slain her.
The result of investing so many points into mental fortitude.
His reason for not reporting her to the Church was a form of rationalization for atonement.
Only by believing that—through this woman—he could save more lives than she'd taken could he endure.
And in a way, it was true. The fox's role in the latter stages would be immense. Even if she never stood on Aiden's side.
The fox rose from the rock. With a pleading expression, she approached slowly.
"So Aiden. Let's go back to how we were. See? I still have only one tail. I've never been with anyone else. What nine-tailed fox would do that? It's been... hard."
Aiden turned his back as she drew near.
"The conversation is over. Keep your promise."
A sorrowful sigh reached his ears.
Just as he moved to mount Petra, pale arms slowly encircled his waist.
Since he wasn't wearing plate armor for the mission, he felt her touch directly.
Instantly, his body stiffened and his resolve wavered.
Aiden immediately tried to pry her off, but she wouldn't budge.
"Just... just stay like this a little longer. This will satisfy me for today."
She hugged him tighter. A serene voice murmured:
"Your heart is racing."
Just as Aiden prepared to curse, an icy chill raced down his spine, spreading through his entire body.
Sniffing sounds reached his ears.
"How strange."
Her voice had grown somewhat subdued.
The fox pressed her nose against Aiden's body, gradually moving up his back, shoulders, and neck.
The embrace tightened progressively. Her breath tickled his ear as she neared his lips, bypassing his jaw.
Silver hair cascaded along Aiden's cheek. Their eyes finally met, her nose touching his lips.
"A female's scent."
Suddenly, her voice turned frigid. The surrounding air froze over.
The fox's face hardened like wax.
"...Care to explain?"
Yuriel flashed through his mind.
"No? Then I'll just find her and kill her."
At that moment, a familiar voice boomed from the valley cliffs above:
"By Saint Vacheksar—"
Jude's holy incantation. Aiden's expression twisted violently. Luminous white patterns erupted in all directions.
"—Grant us the annihilation of this beast!"
A massive formula composed of grotesque runes unfolded above Aiden's head.
Siron unleashed her halo, raising two enormous halberds.
"Sir Aiden!"
The fox glanced briefly at the charging Siron before turning back to Aiden.
"That little wench isn't the one. So who is it?"