The Fox's Nightmare
The waves rippled gently, whispering against the surface.
A warm breeze blew in from somewhere, tousling her crimson hair. A familiar silence echoed in her ears. It was a strange sight. An endless expanse of water stretched out in every direction. The sky-blue backdrop resembled a vast sea. In that lonely scene—
"······."
The fox slowly opened her closed eyes. What came into her blurry vision was nothing but a dazzling sky-blue hue. The boundless ocean awaited the girl. She felt something hard against her back. Turning around at the odd sensation, she saw iron bars standing upright, surrounding her. Their surfaces were rusted as if weathered by years. It was a solitary prison cell standing in the middle of the sea.
"Ah···."
The fox immediately realized this was a dream. It was the nightmare that had tormented her for the past two years. The scenery was all too familiar. Just in case, she looked around. The iron bars that tightly confined the girl. Beyond them, nothing existed. Only empty waves crashed endlessly.
Creak—.
The fox grabbed the iron bars behind her and pushed herself up with effort. The old metal groaned in protest.
"Ugh, ugh······."
Her movements were unsteady. The floor was slightly submerged in the water, so the rippling seawater covered her ankles. Yet neither her clothes nor her tail were wet at all. That was the clearest sign this was a dream.
Whoooosh—.
A sudden sea breeze brushed her cheek. The distinctive salty scent filled her nose. The air that coolly eased the heat. The fox furrowed her brow slightly. She saw that tenderness as mockery.
"I'm so sick of this."
She muttered faintly. The fox stood leaning against the iron bars. Her black eyes shimmered with anguish. She looked fragile, as if she might shatter at any moment. This place was lonely. It felt like the entire landscape had been created solely to isolate her. The background held only the sea. Not a single trace of human presence could be heard. She was utterly alone.
"······I wish I'd wake up soon."
A quiet, bitter sigh. The following silence was peaceful and beautiful, yet more than that, it was excruciating. The fox waited in silence. For the moment she would awaken from the nightmare. For this nauseating sense of loss to be filled.
The day after the nightmare, the fox went looking for the snake the moment she opened her eyes. She had a favor to ask.
The boy tilted his head in response.
"Miss Irene?"
"The kids. It's already been over a month since I last saw them. I want to show my face for a bit."
"Hmm."
Tap.
The boy closed the book he had been reading. After a brief silence as if lost in thought, he gave a faint smile.
"Hehe, you must be worried."
"Well… I can't exactly say I'm not."
"I understand. They must be very precious to you, Miss Irene."
"If you get it, then let me see them."
Irene answered curtly. While she did feel some concern, the stronger urge was simply that she missed them. Maybe it was because of the nightmare she'd had last night. She wanted to see the children.
—Big sis! Where have you been?
—You idiot! Sis is tired, don't cling to her!
—Th-they're fighting again… Please scold them.
The pure white smiles tugged at her heart. With a heart that felt like it could go out at any moment and a suffocating sense of loss tightening around her throat, she needed an escape. Whenever she held the children in her arms, she came back to her senses. There were still things left to protect. They were what kept her from collapsing.
"······Please."
Her voice was as sharp as usual, but there was something pitiful about it. The boy, who had been silent, finally spoke.
"Hmm… Well, alright."
"Really?"
"I was thinking it was about time I stopped by anyway."
"······."
Swish, swish—.
Her previously drooping tail regained its strength and began to sway. Though she herself didn't seem to notice, it was a reaction that always showed when she was happy. A tender smile spread across the girl's lips.
At that moment, she had no idea. The place they were heading to meet the children—its true identity. That it would turn out to be the city known as the empire's worst slum.
When Irene asked to see the children, I nodded right away. I'd been thinking it was about time to show my face to them anyway. Going alone would've been lonely.
"Shall we go, then?"
There was no reason to hesitate. It was the weekend with no classes. We immediately left the academy and boarded a carriage headed for our destination. After some time, we arrived at a certain alley.
"Sir, this is as far as the carriage can go."
The coachman refused to proceed any further. It was an unspoken rule. No matter what, one does not enter the 'City That Does Not Weep.' Setting aside issues like plunder or robbery… the bigger problem was whether you'd even come out alive.
So we had to walk.
"The kids are really here…?"
"That's what I said."
"This is a slum."
"It's safer than it looks, so you can just go in. Or do you not want to see your little siblings?"
"······Fine. Let's go."
We walked side by side. The deeper we went into the city, the more our vision blurred. It was as if frost had settled over our pupils. It was a regional characteristic. The City That Does Not Weep—Rukiye. Regardless of the weather outside, thick fog always lingered here. It made the perfect nesting ground for villains. In short, the neighborhood's security was absolute garbage.
"This doesn't feel like a place where kids would be at all······."
Irene frowned. She seemed to have realized this wasn't an ordinary slum.
"Are you sure they're in a safe place…?"
"Of course."
"Every alley is filled with killing intent. Isn't this closer to a den of criminals?"
"The streets themselves might be a bit dirty… but the place where your siblings are is definitely safe."
"I don't believe you."
"Please relax. I'll guarantee it."
At least from what I knew, it was true. After all, they were the ones I had raised. I could confidently declare that there were only a handful of places on the continent safer than here.
I brushed away her worries with a refreshing smile.
"Your siblings are in a 'good place.' I sent them there myself."
"······Can you stop talking like that?"
"What do you mean?"
"Never mind… If you don't get it, forget it."
The fox turned her head with a look of resignation. She'd suddenly given up. What? Why? At least finish what you were saying. I could only tilt my head in confusion.
Step, step—.
As we continued walking with that strange conversation behind us, some shadows suddenly blocked our path.
"Hey, you two. Stop right there."
A group emerging from the fog. Every one of them wore robes and held swords in their hands. Street thugs who lived off this alley, perhaps. I calmly looked around.
'Nine of them.'
Roughly that many were surrounding us. The natural way they had us encircled suggested this wasn't their first time doing this. For now, I'd hear them out.
"Hmm~ To what do we owe the pleasure from such fine gentlemen?"
I asked in an exaggerated tone. One of the robed figures stepped forward. It was the same guy who had ordered us to stop earlier.
"Never seen outfits like yours around here."
"I suppose you wouldn't have."
"Doesn't look like you're from around here… Outsiders?"
"That's right. We just stopped by for a quick errand."
"You've got some nerve."
As I answered casually, the man let out a hollow laugh. He seemed dumbfounded by my boldness. I could understand why. To their eyes, I probably looked like some frail young master. In a city where crime and murder ran rampant, a fool walking around without proper escorts would naturally become a target.
"Ha… First time seeing a guy like this."
"I'm honored."
"I won't take your life. Just hand over about ten gold and we'll let you go quietly."
"So you're asking for a toll."
"Exactly."
"Hmm."
I let out a low hum. To think there were still guys going around collecting tolls. And ten gold? That was ridiculously expensive. I'd clearly wiped them out half a year ago, so where the hell had they crawled out from?
'Maybe those guys aren't managing things properly.'
It was possible things had gotten lax without me around. Maybe I should use this chance to tighten the reins again. As I was lost in those idle thoughts, the fox standing beside me quietly spoke up.
"What are you going to do?"
"Hmm?"
"They're asking for a toll. And they've got swords pointed at us."
"You're not worried about me, are you?"
"Don't say ridiculous things."
Irene cut me off coldly. Her brow was deeply furrowed, as if telling me not to talk nonsense.
"······You could kill them all with a single gesture."
"Hehe, that's true."
"But causing a scene would be annoying, so I was asking how you plan to get out of this."
"Well."
I shrugged nonchalantly.
"Let's just stay like this for a moment."
"What are you thinking now?"
"Who knows? Maybe a mysterious hero will suddenly appear and save us from this predicament?"
"Even in a situation like this, you're still joking······."
Tap tap tap tap—!
Before she could finish, a sound brushed past our ears. Someone was kicking off the ground violently. Even from a distance, I could faintly sense the killing intent. It carried the refined scent of an assassin. It had been a while since I'd seen movements like that.
"Looks like they've arrived."
The next instant.
Slice—!
A sharp cutting sound rang out. Including the guy who had been running his mouth just moments ago, several heads from the group floated into the air. They had been severed in an instant.
"······!?"
The robed gang staggered back in panic. But of course, that didn't let them escape their predetermined deaths. Flutter—! A shadow that had melted into the darkness flapped like a cloak. The afterimage flickered rapidly. Beautiful iron flowers bloomed. Too fast for the eye to follow. Two daggers danced within a split second. Even shrouded in fog, their paths were precise.
Slice, slash—!
Silver lines were drawn across the pitch-black background. Following the strikes that split into dozens, starlight twinkled for a brief moment. It was mesmerizing. And at the same time, brutal. While our eyes were stolen by the splendid sword dance—
Thud, thududuk…!
The necks of the faltering thugs finally fell to the ground. It had all happened in less than three seconds.
I smiled faintly.
"See? Someone really did show up, didn't they?"
Though I wasn't sure if they were a hero. I added the silly remark, but it seemed Irene didn't hear it. Her attention was fixed somewhere else.
"Miss Irene?"
"······."
Her breathing trembled as if tense. I turned my head in the direction she was staring and saw a person standing among the corpses. It was a woman radiating a chilling aura. Long black hair. Two daggers held in both hands. A black mask covering her lower face. A striking appearance.
The moment the woman made eye contact with us, she began striding forward without hesitation.
"Sh-she's coming…!"
Irene drew her sword and took a stance. Perhaps overwhelmed by the woman's presence, she seemed mentally shaken. I calmly soothed the fox.
"Calm down for now. She's not our enemy."
"······You know her?"
A flustered Irene. I wondered how to explain this, but soon gave up. It would be easier for her to see it for herself anyway.
Step, step—!
Before long, the woman's steps had brought her right in front of us. Her killing intent spread fiercely, as if warning anyone who blocked her path that she would cut them down without hesitation. The woman, who had approached so aggressively—
Suddenly stopped in front of the snake. And then.
"Leader."
She dropped to one knee right there. She even set down her weapons and bowed with perfect obedience.
"I knew you would return."
The black-haired woman murmured, her voice filled with deep emotion. Tears flowed down her pure white cheeks. She looked overwhelmed with feeling. Her bowed head was full of reverence.
'······This is exactly why I've been avoiding coming here lately.'
A member showing excessive welcome from the start. And the fox staring at her in utter shock. Their gazes were blatantly locked on me. Seriously. It was unbearably awkward.