The Fox (1)
The game was called The World Seen by the Little Prince. An action RPG built on the foundation of a famous fairy tale. It was the original work that had served as my point of origin. Whether they had tried to preserve its unique atmosphere or not, it was clear they had drawn heavy inspiration from many parts of the story. The background, the setting, the abilities, the names—countless details had been borrowed. But what stood out most of all were the characters.
The main and supporting cast from the original fairy tale had been adapted and reinterpreted into fantasy-style figures. It had received widespread acclaim for its fresh approach. The Puppeteer, Regia Pirates. The Little Prince, Charlotte Little von Staufen. The Drunkard, Selena Drunkard. Just as their names suggested, each character was designed with an almost perverse fidelity to their conceptual roots.
And the same applied to the “fox” I had come here to rescue.
Irene Foxis.
A rare fox beastman and one of the supporting characters. Her talent with the sword was overwhelming; in the latter half of the game, she would eventually ascend to the rank of Sword Saint. She was a character with excellent performance and versatile utility. Thanks to that, she had even earned the nickname “national staple”…
“She’s still an unripe grape, though.”
The fox had yet to awaken to her true talent. Since this was before her awakening, she was currently nothing more than a frail fox beastman. If I planted a debt of gratitude in her heart at a time like this, the favorability stack would build nicely.
My goal was to see a happy ending in this world. And to become close with the protagonist’s party. As a passionate fan of the original work, I genuinely wanted to build friendships with them.
“Well then~ Shall we start making our move?”
I had waited long enough, and watching the auction had grown tiresome. It was time to move on to the highlight.
Leaving behind my leisurely murmur, I rose from my seat.
The fox’s current location was the auction house basement. She was probably waiting for her turn inside a cold iron cage.
“It looks like tonight will be a long one.”
A smile steeped in wickedness. Concealing the flickering lie, I stepped into the darkness.
Meanwhile, in the building’s basement.
A prison where only cold air flowed. Beneath the auction house that never stopped ringing with laughter, a thick sanctuary of despair lay hidden.
Light casts shadows. The more brilliantly a light burns, the darker the shadow it creates. This truth perfectly mirrored reality.
People steeped in luxury and pleasure. In proportion to their joy, those crushed beneath their feet could only groan. Though suffering simply for having been born was the nature of life, even that came with individual differences. While some lived in the upper class without a single pain, others crawled along the bottom with not even a sliver of hope.
“······.”
The people locked in this basement were those at the bottom. Whether they had been born with such a fate or had been pushed down here by a filthy world made little difference. They were worth less than the trash on the streets. Trying to rank misery among garbage lives would only add to the wretchedness.
“······How did it come to this?”
The muttering girl was no exception. She too was swimming through a miserable abyss.
Following her lament, the bundled hair that reached her waist fell into disarray. Hair the color of deep crimson. Quiet, lifeless black eyes. The animal ears perched atop her head revealed that the girl was a different race.
Her name was Irene Foxis. She was a fox beastman.
-Next auction starting! Bring out the wolf beastmen!
-Handle them carefully. Even a scratch lowers their value as merchandise.
-The ones upstairs will throw a fit if they get injured.
The surrounding noise reached her ears. Irene bit her lip hard.
Around ten shadows could be seen nearby. They were her kin, trapped in the same cage. The beastmen with fox ears and tails were all trembling in fear. Every one of them had been kidnapped or sold to slave traders.
‘Damn it.’
What would happen from here on? She searched for hope within her anxiety, but it was meaningless. The ending was obvious.
Fox beastmen were a highly rare species. Especially in the underworld, fox slaves were said to be worth whatever the buyer was willing to pay. In short, they were treated as ultimate luxury goods.
The ways nobles used foxes varied wildly. Some made them do labor, others used them as sex slaves. She had even heard rumors that certain nobles had them taxidermied and displayed in their mansions.
‘No matter which one… they’re all equally fucking awful.’
The girl quietly chewed on curses. As she pictured her miserable future, an unfamiliar noise reached Irene’s ears.
Clang—!
The sound of something metal hitting the floor. Turning her head, she discovered a bundle of keys rolling in front of the cage.
“······Huh?”
Had a passing guard dropped them? They were close enough to reach with a hand. After a brief moment of hesitation, Irene swiftly snatched the keys.
Her heart pounded wildly. This might be the only chance at escape she would ever get. The girl did not hesitate. Her quickly moving hands fumbled with the cage’s lock.
A sliver of hope. Click—!
Soon, the sensation of the lock releasing traveled through her fingertips. Irene grabbed the slowly opening door. A faint, deep breath slipped between her lips.
‘I have to be careful.’
Fortunately, many of the guards had left to prepare for the auction. If she was going to do something, now was the time. There would be no second stroke of luck.
Irene took a deep breath. Calmly gathering her kin, she quietly prepared to escape.
“Everyone, don’t worry. I will definitely protect you.”
The girl smiled, hiding her trembling. Because there were people she had to protect. Most of those inside the iron cage were young children. Seeing the sniffling little ones, Irene could not bring herself to run away alone.
“Instead… you have to follow quietly, okay?”
She picked up a single sword that had been discarded in the corner. It was rusty and in poor condition, but it was better than nothing. Irene quietly raised the blade’s tip.
Creeeak—.
With a faint noise, the iron cage opened. The foxes began to leave the prison with cautious steps.
Irene, thinking calmly, suddenly threw the bundle of keys toward a distant cage. From what she remembered, that was where the bear beastmen were locked up.
‘If they can buy us even a little time…!’
Among beastmen, bears were especially fierce. If they found the keys and drew attention for even a moment, an opening would surely appear. It would pull the guards in the opposite direction.
‘The few that remain, I can handle from this side.’
She had trained in swordsmanship since she was young. Though her body was exhausted from long confinement, she had to grit her teeth for the sake of escape. Irene lowered her stance and held her breath. Like a fox evading a hunter.
How much time had passed?
A fierce roar echoed.
-GRRRRAAAAAHHH!!!
It came from the direction she had thrown the keys. A thunderous roar. Sensing that her plan had worked, Irene immediately led the children.
“Don’t look back, just run…!”
The foxes ran. Behind them, the cries of beasts raged and the floor thundered. Still, they did not look back. Occasionally, guards blocked their path. Each time, Irene cut them down without mercy.
A sword dance that danced through slaughter. There was no hesitation at the blood-soaked tip of her blade. Because she knew that if she did not kill, she would be killed.
“Haa, haa······!”
Her breath came in ragged gasps. Her physical condition had been poor to begin with, so fatigue accumulated rapidly. Irene steadied her swaying balance. Fortunately, the escape was proceeding smoothly. The bear beastmen’s resistance was far more intense than she had expected. Thanks to that, they had gained plenty of time.
“Hup…!”
With a short shout, she subdued another guard. Perhaps because she had been pushed to her limit, her senses felt wide open to the extreme. A strange tremor ran through her entire body. Her vision flashed white. Strange sparks even flew from the flat of her blade, but Irene roughly ignored it. She had no time to be distracted.
“Don’t stop! Once we pass this passage…!”
The exit was right in front of them. While imprisoned, she had analyzed the surrounding structure whenever she could, preparing for an opportunity. Thanks to that, Irene had been able to chart the most ideal escape route.
‘We’re almost there.’
A narrow, tunnel-like passage. Once they passed it, stairs leading to the surface would appear. A light of hope flickered across Irene’s pupils. It had been a reckless plan, but she had succeeded.
Or so she thought.
······Until a single voice rang out from behind them.
“Ahaha~ Everyone’s running away quite busily, aren’t you?”
In an instant, a spine-chilling aura licked at her ears. A coldness that pierced straight into her lungs. Irene froze on the spot. Her body had reflexively gone rigid. She instinctively realized that if she had not stopped just now, she would have died.
“······.”
“I knew that if I waited here, I would meet you.”
What was it? What was this horrifying aura? Simply recognizing the presence behind her sent pain crashing through her brain as if it were being crushed. Her crimson eyes shook violently. As her head slowly turned, Irene’s gaze reached the rear.
“Nice to meet you.”
Golden hair resembling a wheat field. Narrow, slit-like eyes. A sinister smile clinging to his lips. On the surface, he looked like nothing more than a boy with a slightly peculiar appearance. But to Irene, whose senses had been sharpened to their limit, it was clear. The ‘thing’ before her was not human. It had merely wrapped itself in human skin; its true nature was something entirely different.
“You probably can’t even imagine how much I’ve wanted to meet you.”
An ominous presence that filled the entire space. Just looking at it made her feel as if her limbs would be torn apart. It was a ‘monster’ possessing horrifying power.
“······Ha.”
A hollow laugh escaped her lips. Because such a monster was openly revealing its killing intent as it approached the foxes.
“Fuck.”
The air pressed down like poison. Irene muttered in despair. It was all over. The eyes that had once sparkled with hope were now dyed in pitch-black despair.
The World Seen by the Little Prince — Hidden Event Triggered
「The Puppeteer’s Stage」 has begun.
“You probably can’t even imagine how much I’ve wanted to meet you.”
A voice brimming with delight. I smiled brightly as I looked at the girl standing right before me.
Long hair tied in a bundle. Black eyes visible between strands of crimson hair. A scar beneath her chin. Even the animal ears and tail that marked her as a beastman.
‘The fox, Irene Foxis.’
One of the original work’s characters was standing before my eyes. I quietly calmed my racing heart. After Regia last time, now it was Irene. Seeing a beloved game character moving and breathing in real life was quite an emotional sight. Enough to bring tears to my eyes if I exaggerated a little. I smiled softly.
“Hehe.”
It was fun. The smile refused to leave my face because of the intense pleasure. Concealing my grinning lips, I asked the girl a meaningful question.
“Did you enjoy the stage I prepared for you until now?”
Her black eyes trembled pitifully. Our gazes met for a brief moment. What filled that instant was utter despair. It seemed she had realized it. That the situation we were now facing had been planned from the very beginning.
‘As expected, she’s quick-witted.’
The foxes had luckily succeeded in escaping. A key accidentally dropped by a passing guard. A rusty sword conveniently rolling on the floor. An oddly small number of guards. The foxes had believed they had seized a heaven-sent opportunity to escape.
······At least until just a moment ago.
“You followed the script I presented so wonderfully.”
Unfortunately, everything had been designed. Behind what the girl had thought was luck, my touch had been present all along. While wandering the basement after leaving the auction house, I had cast hypnosis on one of the guards I happened to encounter.
-I need you to do a few things for me.
What I had ordered was to casually drop the keys in front of the cage. I had also asked for a sword that Irene could use. Since a well-maintained weapon would raise suspicion, I had specified the oldest and rustiest one possible. The situation had flowed exactly as I intended. It had been an impromptu script, but I was rather satisfied with it. The output of the lie had been dangerously tight, but this much could still be called a success.
“Please come this way.”
I had roughly put the other guards in the area to sleep. Since I had spread the lie quite thickly, there was no need to worry for a while. Then, it was finally time for a true escape.
I gracefully extended my hand. The gesture meant I would take them out of here, so they should take it. Irene seemed to stagger for a moment at the motion, then promptly collapsed on the spot.
What? Had the tension finally snapped?
As I tilted my head and watched the fox, she spoke.
“Are you… going to kill us?”
“Pardon?”
“It felt too smooth. So it was a trap to toy with us from the start.”
“Pardooon?”
An odd question flew at me. I hurriedly denied the girl’s words and conveyed my true purpose.
“Haha~ Why would you think that? I simply wish to send all of you away comfortably!”
“······.”
Irene’s face hardened like stone. So that her misunderstanding would not deepen, I flashed her a bright, refreshing smile.
“Don’t worry. It won’t hurt.”
Well, I did plan to have a bit of fun, though.