Cleaning Time
***
Yoho was a **nine-tailed fox**.
Unlike the legend of the **Yoho** that people told, a monster that would lure humans and suck out their vitality, the **Yoho** was not a being that preyed on people in that way.
The **Yoho** placed all her love on just one companion, drawing vitality from their bond, and felt grief and pain when that companion died. One could almost call her love… too romantic.
But the **Yoho**’s love wasn’t all good.
Just as a parent loves a child, a child loves a parent. Of course, it wasn’t the same level as love between man and woman, but the love between parent and child was never small. The child’s love for the parent was the same.
So if this **Yoho**, who loved like that, had lost both parents at a young age and been sold as a slave, enduring things no child should have to, how would she even see humans?
Thinking back now, I wondered if that was the reason I had listened to Yoho’s words before my regression and felt bitter at her death.
That was exactly why I had to save the **Yoho**—this young **nine-tailed fox**.
*Swish*
“It’s fine. I came to help you. You don’t have to be on guard.”
“Kr-r-r-r… Kyaa!”
*Thud!*
I slowly approached the **Yoho** after removing my mask, and she bit my outstretched hand. Her sharp fox fangs tore through my body-strengthened skin, leaving a wound.
But blood still poured from the injured hand, and I didn’t pull away. Instead, I slowly stroked the head of the **Yoho** who had bitten me.
“It’s fine. You can relax now. The ones who were tormenting you are gone. So relax.”
*Swish*
*Swish*
“Cr… kr-r-r…”
I must have felt my sincerity, because the **Yoho** released the hand she had bitten. Looking at her, I smiled with an unfamiliar expression and said,
“Thank you for trusting me.”
I stroked the **Yoho** and manifested white mana. The white mana healed her wounds and purified the stench.
“Ah… Ah-uh… Gya… kyo-ma…”
As the **Yoho**’s body healed, she gave a grateful greeting that was still immature and carried a faint animalistic feel. I widened my eyes at her words.
“…Right. Since you’re better now, rest well.”
“...Mhm.”
*Thud*
The **Yoho** collapsed, and I caught her, lifting her into my arms and turning to Beatrice.
“Beatrice. I’m going to check elsewhere. Can you look after Yoho while I’m gone?”
[I understand. Leave it to me and return safely.]
I handed the **Yoho** to Beatrice, who had grown taller, and set out again, mask firmly in place, to check the next location.
The place where the male slaves had been taken.
That was where I was heading now.
“What the—?”
“I’m getting sick of this warehouse too.”
*Crack!*
As I drew closer to the male slaves, the ones inside hadn’t heard the noise from outside and blocked my path. But since I had already rescued the **Yoho**, I didn’t need to conserve mana anymore. I poured mana into my **pyrokinesis**, exploding the heads of those who tried to stop me and pushing forward.
*Bang!!*
At the end lay the same kind of door that led into the women’s prison, and I smashed it open and stepped inside.
“Wha… what the hell—”
“Help me… Please, I was wrong… Please, just help me…”
“Fuck, what the hell is this all of a sudden… Hmm? Who are you?”
“Cleaner.”
“What kind of bullshit is that.”
*Crack!*
“For now, you’re trash.”
*Thud…*
The headless body staggered and collapsed. A cold silence filled the room.
“Ah… Ah-uh… P-please… Ah… I won’t cry anymore… I won’t make any noise… Just please…”
“Pass.”
The young boy was panicking from the death of the big man, shaking and begging for his life. I glanced at him once from head to toe, said “Pass,” and freed the handcuffs binding his hands and feet.
*Clink*
“Eh… Eh? Eh… Why…?”
“Because you’re clean. So pass. Keep going straight. You’ll see a person in black clothes protecting the other women. Go to that person. I came to save you.”
The words carried the same bluntness as when I had killed the first man, but there was a warmth underneath. The boy’s eyes filled with tears as he asked me,
“You… really… really came to save me…? I can… ugh! I can get out of here?”
“Yeah. You can get out. I’m really grateful you held on this long. You can relax now.”
At those words, the boy cried, stood up, and walked out the door.
He walked out the door, tears still streaming.
“Th… thank you! Bro… Bro, you’re a hero…?”
“I’m… I’m not the kind of hero. But… I’m trying to become one. To become a hero who saves everyone.”
“I! I’ll cheer for you! Bro can become a hero!”
“…Thank you.”
The sound of running feet echoed from the hallway after I finished speaking. Even with the mask on, the coldness I felt made the Adam’s apple of the remaining men bob.
“…The rest are all trash?”
“Wa… wait! That’s—!”
*Crack!*
*Crack!*
*Crack!*
*Crack!*
*Crack!*
“What the—? Ah?”
I ignored the man who was about to ask me what kind of sound that was and let my **pyrokinesis** explode every head. Blood sprayed from the bodies without necks, staining the living men with red.
“If I really thought I didn’t know you guys… that would be a little gross, right?”
“Hii… hiiik!”
“One by one they started with petty theft, then assault, sexual harassment, mole, rape, and murder. Is there anything else I need to say here?”
“Th… that’s… w-what… Woah!!”
I grabbed the mouth of the last remaining trash, who was turning deathly pale, and delivered my final words.
“I know everything. What disgusting things you guys did. So I really… killed you.”
“P-please… please…! Please!!”
*Disgust*
*Crack!*
The last trash’s head exploded, splattering disgusting filth across my mask.
“Tsk. How filthy.”
I looked at the man who had pissed himself in fear before dying, frowned, and wiped the blood from my mask.
“You fucking bastards. If there really is a hell, suffer there even more.”
I wiped the blood away and walked toward Beatrice, eager to escape the place that still reeked of disgust.
“…Fuck, what now?”
At that moment, someone approached at an incredible speed, and I sensed escape time running out. I spat out another curse and turned to look.
“Some madman is digging a hole under the factory basement— seriously.”
Of course, the wall had been the one that pissed me off, but still.
“Hah… fuck, I really want to get out of this shithole fast… Wait… that energy feels familiar… Fuck, my luck is shit. Of all people, it’s that—!”
*Puff!*
“I found you!!”
Before I even finished speaking, someone who had been approaching at high speed smashed through the wall of the auction house.
“Hey! I finally found you! I thought I was gonna die out here!”
“Step aside when I’m saying something good.”
“Hm? Who are you to step in front of me? Do you have a foot fetish?”
“Step aside. I’m saying it again.”
“Or are you a chikan?! Kyaa!! How dare you!!”
“You fucking kid.”
*Hwaruruk*
“Waaah! Why are you throwing magic out of nowhere! You almost hit me!”
“Too bad. I could have hit you.”
“Hah! That was dangerous! That was dangerous!”
“Hah… fuck, seriously.”
I looked at the still-irritated guy who only made my blood pressure rise by talking to him and cursed.
She had vivid red hair that reminded me of fire and ruby-like red eyes. Even at a young age, her beauty was striking.
She was Lee Yuna, the daughter of the Flame King Guild Master and one of the four great guilds in Korea. In my past life, she was the first woman to kill a Celestial at the peak of flame magic, when it had been thought impossible. She had planted hope in humanity.
Yuna had appeared in the underground auction house.
“What? What? Why are you suddenly cursing at me?!”
“Shut up.”
“Uuu! Why do you keep saying ‘shut up’! If a girl like me talks to you, you could like it!”
“You already lost the title of beauty by calling yourself that with your own mouth.”
“Gyaah! Hey! Then how amazing are you?!”
*Whip!*
Yuna, furious at my rebuttal, charged at me to rip off my mask and reached out with her hand.
*Thud!*
“Ouch! Why are you hitting me?!”
“Don’t touch me.”
“Why not?! If I touch you, you should like it!”
“I don’t like it, so don’t touch me.”
Objectively speaking, she was a beauty, and if she had talked to the guy and touched him, a truckload of guys would have liked it. But I wasn’t just any guy.
“Guys like you are the worst.”
“Hey! I hate guys like you too!”
“That’s a relief.”
“Hah! Grrr! I’m so angry! Seriously!”
Seeing Yuna so irritated strangely made me feel good.
In my past life I had always gotten caught in her schemes and ended up swallowing my anger. But the Yuna now was still young.
I was still young in body, but my mind was the same as before regression. Because of Yuna, who kept coming to chat for hours every time she found me, I had even gotten better at my skill.
Of course, if I grew like I did before regression, it would be impossible to win with words, but what did it matter. Since Yuna didn’t know me, all I had to do was avoid making contact.
“Hah! I’m so angry! So angry! So angry! Seriously!”
“Whatever. I’m leaving, so keep being angry. Self-proclaimed beauty.”
I told her goodbye while she was still rolling around angrily and rushed toward Beatrice.
“You fucking— I can’t hold it anymore! Come here! Are you not coming?! If I catch you I won’t let you go! Come quick with nice words!!”
‘Has that dumb saying been going on since she was little? What the hell is the point of saying “I won’t let you go” and then telling me to come?’
I had figured out from the start of our conversation that Yuna had been saying the same thing since she was little—always telling me to come quick with nice words when I was about to escape. Thinking she was annoying since she was little, I picked up speed. But despite that, Yuna kept up better than expected, and I cast a spell.
**4-Star Defense Magic**
**[PROTECT]**
*Bang!!*
“Kyaa!”
I cast **Protect** right in front of her as she ran, then used the gap from her impact to dash toward Beatrice.
[You’re late. Who was approaching you? What happened?]
“Ah, that’s a story for later. Can you teleport me? Beatrice?”
[Um? Understood.]
Beatrice, slightly surprised by my strangely cheerful appearance, teleported as I had asked.
*Hwaruk!*
*Swish—!*
*Boom!!*
I had been waiting for Beatrice’s teleport, and a flame magic came flying at me from behind. Because I was excited, my detection was late, so I hurriedly turned my head and dodged the spell.
“Hey!! Don’t stand there! I was going to miss you!!”
“…Seriously, stamina has always been annoyingly high, now and then.”
[Now moving.]
*Whoosh*
“So real, self-proclaimed beauty Yuna.”
“There!!”
*Crunch, crack.*
*Swish swoosh!*
Just as Yuna’s hand was about to touch me, Beatrice’s teleport activated and she vanished. Yuna’s arm swung wildly into empty air.
“Eh… I definitely…”
It was only natural that Yuna would be shocked to suddenly disappear, but her entire mind was focused on only one person.
“I definitely… my face was slightly visible…”
I hadn’t completely dodged the firebolt Yuna had thrown at the end, and a crack appeared in my mask. I didn’t notice it. The moment I was about to teleport, Yuna saw it.
A part of Cheon Seong’s face inside the cracked mask.
“…You have the right to evaluate my appearance…”
Even though it was only a part, Yuna muttered that she had the right to evaluate my appearance, but her own face was already flushed red like her red hair.
And the reaction of the man whose face was partially revealed as the last mask shattered was the exact opposite of Yuna’s.
“Hah… fuck, shit.”
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