The Roots of Faith
"That aside, it's rather unexpected."
"Huh?"
"The fact that you recognized me. I heard beastkin are usually indifferent to other races."
"...You're not wrong. Foxes are the worst about it."
"Oh?"
The man struck up a conversation so naturally. Irene furrowed her brow for a moment, then answered in a slightly reluctant voice.
"I learned about you through my master."
"Master?"
"Swordsmanship. He took care of me like a parent ever since I was young, and he was one of your most ardent supporters."
"Hearing that makes me feel rather embarrassed. Wahaha!"
"It was getting on my nerves."
The girl remembered it vividly. A wheat field rippling in the gentle breeze. The earth swept with golden waves, proof of its abundance. In that nostalgic landscape stood a white-haired old man.
"Didn't I tell you, Irene?"
"A sword must always carry the right light."
"Just like the Red Sword Saint... become someone who breaks easily but does not waver, who falls easily but does not lie down."
"Find your own star."
Back then she had brushed it off as mere nagging.
"It was the name I heard every time he lectured me."
"That's truly a shame."
"Having the very subject of those lectures sitting right beside me... it's strange. And somehow fascinating."
"Hmm!"
The Sword Saint nodded in understanding. Their conversation continued in short, clipped bursts. After a brief silence, Irene finally asked the question that had been hardest to believe. She threw a fastball.
"I was told you died two years ago."
"......"
"What happened?"
"......"
Did he have no intention of answering? The Sword Saint closed his mouth. The pleasant atmosphere from moments ago vanished completely, replaced by a chilly silence that settled over them. The air grew cold in an instant.
Did I make a mistake?
His reaction suggested it wasn't a pleasant story. Maybe she should have asked more indirectly. As the tense girl broke into a cold sweat, a low chuckle soon reached her ears.
"Pfft... Heh, wahaha!"
"......?"
"Sorry! You looked so stiff I couldn't resist teasing you a bit!"
The icy wariness melted away. The Sword Saint laughed as though nothing had happened, looking every bit the friendly middle-aged uncle. Was it endearing? Or slightly unsettling? He leaned back in his chair and continued the conversation naturally.
"Truth is, there's nothing particularly dramatic to tell."
"......"
"I simply believed too fervently in the name of justice and paid a small price for it."
Despite the playful tone, the words carried real weight. A flicker of emotion crossed his cloudy eyes, but his voice remained calm.
"I was originally fated to die. As meaningless as the historical records claimed."
The fall of a brilliant star. Yet even in that despair, someone had reached out a hand.
"The captain took me in."
"That shady man...?"
"It was nothing short of a miracle. I've lived in complete loyalty to him ever since."
The Sword Saint's lips curved faintly. The smile still held a trace of playfulness, yet it was far from light. It was the worn expression only an adult could wear.
"The others are the same. Every one of them owes their life to the captain."
"All those people...?"
The members who had worshipped the boy like fanatics. Even their seemingly suspicious devotion apparently had its reasons.
"Pitiful orphans, unjustly condemned death-row inmates, worthless beggars... and finally, a fallen star."
Lives no better than street refuse.
"But he never turned his back on us."
The world had abandoned them. Hearts shattered, wills withered, hope stripped of meaning. In the moment they were dying, a golden snake found them.
"This is the reason for our faith."
"......"
"The one serving as vice-captain is especially dear to him. It makes sense why he's so obsessed."
"If something specific happened..."
"Since I'm not the person involved, it's difficult for me to speak about it."
"I see."
"Anyway."
The man lightly wrapped up the conversation. Shaking off the serious air, the Sword Saint left a few final words.
"Forming a relationship means 'taming.'"
It's something the captain says like a habit.
Untamed things have no color of their own. Only those tamed by something can encounter a meaningful landscape—the golden light that spreads in ecstasy.
"I pray such a moment comes for you as well."
"......"
Relationship. Taming. She had heard it before, yet the meaning still escaped her. It felt like an unanswered question lodged in her chest. No suitable reply came to mind. The fox remained frozen for a long moment before finally giving a quiet nod.
The day had passed in a blur. Evening was approaching, so she needed to return to match the dormitory curfew.
The fox was sharing a brief farewell with her younger siblings.
"Sister... you're leaving already?"
"Can't you just stay here with us? The teachers are all so kind..."
"Hng..."
The children whimpered, eyes glistening with regret. Irene offered a complicated smile and comforted the young foxes.
"I have things I need to do."
"Do you really have to go...?"
"I made a promise. Remember when I told you that promises with friends shouldn't be broken lightly?"
"Yes..."
The dejected reply tugged at her heart. Of course, the children weren't truly throwing tantrums or trying to cling to her. They knew exactly how much the girl had sacrificed to protect them. It was a childhood that had grown up far too early. After living under such long oppression, perhaps the world itself had forced maturity upon them—to forget their childhood while still children, to become worn-down adults before their time.
"...I'll come back during vacation."
The girl smiled bitterly. As she turned away, the boy beside her chimed in. His eyes narrowed in that sly, playful way.
"Oh dear~ Cool foxes don't get sad over something like this, right?"
His hand skillfully rummaged through his pocket. Then, as if performing magic, countless chocolates and candies spilled out. He gave each child a generous handful, adding a wink.
"Gifts from me."
"Sniff... thank you..."
"Krrng... thank you."
"Hehe, no need to thank me."
The boy smiled brightly. He really was good with children. His light, easy tone lifted the heavy mood. Perhaps it was his way of being considerate toward Irene.
What exactly...
The fox stared at the snake with complicated eyes. Inside her head, the voice she'd heard earlier kept replaying, along with the same persistent question.
Why... is he doing all this for me?
Looking back, it had been like this from the beginning. He had saved her from that hellish cage, protected her siblings in safety. Though he always acted suspiciously, he had never once harmed her. If anything, he treated her as something precious.
It's strange.
Humans were a vile species. They abused goodwill, deceived others, and eventually took everything. She had paid a steep price to learn that lesson.
I'm sorry, Irene.
I wanted to stay by your side forever.
The day she lost her master, the girl had sworn never to trust humans again. No matter how sweet the words, she would scoff and mock them.
But.
"It's time to head back, Miss Irene."
"...Yeah."
"Don't look so sad. You don't have to wait for vacation—you can visit whenever you miss them."
"......"
She didn't know what to do. Even as she tried to push him away with sharp words, those bright, narrow eyes kept approaching with genuine warmth. The solid wall she had built seemed to tremble. Such heavy goodwill was new to her. Perhaps the desperate struggle of the past two years had left her weaker than she realized.
Irene forcefully shook off the stray thoughts and spoke in a calm tone.
"...I'll trust that your members will take good care of the children."
"Of course. I actually wanted to send them to the orphanage run by Astro, but... as you know, we still need to be careful about drawing attention right now."
"Orphanage? You're running something like that?"
"It's small-scale."
"Still... I'm surprised."
The fox's quiet response made the boy seem to stiffen for a moment before he answered calmly.
"I simply didn't want the children to be alone."
The corners of the snake's mouth lifted quietly.
"Lonely memories from childhood... leave scars that last a lifetime."
His voice rang with quiet sincerity. Though he wore his usual smile, the boy's expression looked somehow sad, as if hinting at a distant past.
"......?"
"Alright~ Let's end the idle chatter here, shall we?"
While the fox tilted her head at the unfamiliar atmosphere, the snake walked ahead toward the exit. He exchanged greetings with passing members, traded jokes, and left behind the golden figure that promised they would meet again.
"......"
Irene, who had been standing in a daze, finally resumed walking. She followed the long afterimage the snake had left behind.
Meanwhile, in a building whose exact location could not be determined. In a space existing only in darkness and silence, several robed figures had gathered. At first glance they reeked of danger. They stared at one another across a round table.
"It's almost time."
The figure at the center muttered those words. He offered no further explanation, yet his comrades quietly nodded.
"We've kept our heads low for a while... but now the time has come to take root once more."
At the center of the pitch-black table lay a golden emblem—an image resembling an inverted tree. Only one group walked the world draped in such sinister garb.
Baob. The continent's largest organization of dark mages. The heretics who had remained silent for the past several years were beginning to stir again.
"Exactly two years ago today, we killed the 'Red Sword Saint' who had been such a nuisance to us."
There had been casualties, but the result was satisfactory. No longer were there any powers on the continent capable of restraining them. This time, they would carry out their master's will.
"It seems quality students have just entered Galimard Academy."
A summoner who commands dragons. The empire's first princess, hailed as an unparalleled genius. The twin siblings of the Vanity family. Even the top student of the Snakeus family, who had appeared like a comet.
"They will all become fine sacrifices offered to him."
—BOOM!!
Behind the central robed figure stood a massive iron cage. Something enormous trapped within thrashed violently. A hideous construct plastered with chunks of human flesh. It screamed as though ravenous for slaughter.
—KIIIIIEEEEEEK!!
The noise seemed to tear at their eardrums, yet none of the robed figures so much as frowned. Instead, they burst into mad laughter.
"Everyone, prepare yourselves."
Eyes glistening with naked desire. In their vision, they already saw the continent engulfed in blood and flames. Their shoulders trembled with spine-chilling ecstasy.
"The time has come for us to step into the world once more."
Take root, you sinister trees.
All things for the root of all creation, our master...
the Demon God.
"For him."
"For him."
In a space filled only with darkness and silence, danger was taking root.