The Fox's Resolve

"Haha~ Why are you all acting like this? I'm just trying to send you off comfortably!"

I came here to save you. I'll protect you somewhere safe.

He spoke in a gentle tone.

"Rest assured. It won't hurt at all."

It really won't hurt one bit.

I smiled softly and gestured. Yet despite such kindness, the foxes showed no intention of coming closer. Were they frightened?

Clang...!

Irene finally dropped the rusty sword she had been holding. She looked like she was trying to hold out by shouting, but her legs eventually gave out and she collapsed.

"S-Sister...!"

"Hic, Irene sis...!"

The little foxes grew flustered and teared up. They were children who looked no older than elementary school students. They were simply terrified of the situation, shivering as they hid behind Irene.

"Oh dear, am I making you too uncomfortable?"

I tilted my head alone, as if I truly could not understand their reaction at all.

Well... of course I actually do know.

As I said before, everything unfolding in this space is resting in the palm of my hand. A board I designed from beginning to end. The current situation is also part of that meticulous plan.

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

In short, it's all staged.

I appeared like a hidden mastermind. Right before the foxes could escape, I blocked their path, deliberately radiated killing intent to build tension, and even uttered meaningful lines to deepen their unease.

It's only natural they'd be trembling in fear.

After all, right now the foxes are looking at me as a hunter. The worst kind of hunter, capable of annihilating everyone here with a single gesture.

"Hehe."

I chuckled with genuine delight. Perhaps because it had been so long since I last caused a stir, the fun felt twice as intense. The corners of my mouth curved in an unnatural arc. The already sinister smile grew even stickier. A perfect narrow-eyed mastermind.

"......"

Irene remained on her knees, staring this way. Her clear eyes trembled violently. Maybe my acting had been too flawless. The girl looked completely deceived.

It really feels like I've become an actual mastermind.

The thought flickered through my mind for a second, but I brushed it aside. How kind and considerate a person am I? There was a hidden reason behind even this performance.

I had overused my lies. The output wasn't enough to guarantee a safe return. If I had been alone it would have been manageable, but unfortunately I now had an entire group of foxes to look after, so it wasn't easy. In short, it was time to recover my Lie.

I simply decided to use them for that purpose.

"Mercy would be a luxury for slaves who have already caused a commotion once."

Judah's unique ability, Liar. The more perfect the lie, the greater the emotional shift it creates in the listener, the more efficiently it recharges.

I exploit other people's hearts. The fear of death is one of the most intense emotions that can bind a living being. The foxes who had been rejoicing in the hope of escape only moments ago were now staring death in the face. The emotional change that would follow...

The Lie output rose at a rapid pace. A few words were enough to fill it in an instant. Normally it would take an entire day of constant muttering to recover this much.

...As expected, this method really is efficient.

It did sting a little to make young children cry, but I apologized to them in my heart. After all, this was part of the process to save them. I believed they would understand.

"How pathetic."

I muttered in an icy voice. By then the smile had vanished from my lips.

Clap!

I lightly clapped once. Immediately afterward, all the lanterns illuminating the passage went out at once. A world left with nothing but thick darkness.

I gathered the swirling mist and spoke.

"The worthless scraps who don't know their place... shall be disposed of right here."

I released a little more of the killing intent I had been suppressing. The skin-crawling tension crystallized into frost, and sticky darkness crushed the surroundings. The children finally began to cry one by one.

The Lie output was recovering smoothly. At this pace, it would take about five minutes. While I was calculating the remaining time, the girl with scarlet hair caught my eye.

"......"

Irene sat completely still, lost in a daze. Had extreme fear severed her mind? Even as the other children made noise, she remained seated with her head bowed.

Has she given up?

If so, it was slightly disappointing. The 'fox' I remembered from the original story wouldn't collapse from something like this. Was it because her awakening hadn't occurred yet? The tenacious Sword Saint I had been looking forward to meeting was nowhere in sight. My interest cooled a little.

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

I had hoped for some entertainment, but she was in such a miserable state.

"Hmm."

Well, I suppose I could let it go for now. Still, since I had come this far, I ought to give her some help. As long as the world continued following the original story, her awakening would happen eventually.

"This isn't the sight I expected, but for today I'll be satisfied with..."

"Kids."

Just as I clicked my tongue at the anticlimax, a short phrase brushed past my ears.

"Listen carefully to everything your sister says from now on."

Her voice was shredded and trembling. Yet the words that followed were anything but weak.

"Run away without looking back."

Srrrng—.

She seized the rusty sword that had fallen to the floor again. Her shoulders shook as though they might shatter at any moment. But even within that despair, the girl pushed herself up using the sword as support.

Jet-black eyes gleaming fiercely. Her pupils, harboring a venomous light, glared straight at me.

"Oh."

An exclamation slipped out involuntarily. Feeling the dying embers of my interest flare back to life, I smiled.

Yes. This is how it should be.

I almost felt disappointed. A thrilling sensation prickled at my fingertips. I spread the Lie I had been gathering in every direction and let out a refreshing laugh.

"Hahaha! What an arrogant delusion!"

"Everyone run!"

Right after her fierce cry, the children began to flee. I spared the little foxes a brief glance, but soon had no choice but to focus forward. Because the future Sword Saint, Irene, was charging toward me with her scarlet hair streaming behind her.

I erased the playful atmosphere and snapped my fingers within the hazy darkness.

"Well then~ shall we play for a little while?"

Snap!

The world flipped over.

A passage stretched long like a tunnel. Only thick darkness descended. Every lantern that should have illuminated the area had been extinguished, leaving only primordial pitch black flowing through the space. An eerie atmosphere hung heavy in the air.

Shweeeek—!

A sharp noise sliced through the silence. Within the pitch-black space, only two violently moving figures existed.

"Ha, haa...!"

Rough breaths echoed. Irene fought to control her breathing as it climbed up to her throat and swung her sword fiercely.

Clang—!

Her sword was stopped by a powerful impact. A golden-haired boy stood there, blocking her attack with his bare hands.

"Is this all you have?"

He wore an amused smile. In contrast to the girl in her wretched state, he overflowed with composure, as if regarding the entire situation as nothing more than a game.

Damn it...!

Was he even human? To stop a full-power sword strike with only two fingers.

Are his fingers made of steel or something...!

Irene clicked her tongue and reset her stance. She immediately kicked off the ground.

Clang! Clang!! Crack...! Thud!!

The fierce sounds of clashing steel continued without pause. Every collision between sword and fingers sent sparks flying. The flashing light momentarily drove back the surrounding darkness.

"Ugh...!"

"Please try a little harder. It looks like you're gradually being pushed back."

"Shut... up...!"

A shout filled with malice flew out. Irene's eyes widened. She shoved away the sword locked in a power struggle and immediately followed with a slash.

Whoosh—!

A horizontal arc. A surprise attack aimed at a gap. Irene instinctively sensed success. The angle, distance, and timing were all ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠perfect. It could not possibly be blocked.

Got you...!

But.

"Oops."

Clang—!

He blocked it as though it were the most natural thing in the world. Once again with just his index and middle fingers. The boy deflected Irene's sword using only two fingers.

"......Ha."

What kind of monster was this? A hollow laugh escaped her. But she had no leisure to dwell on the thought. This time the boy's fist was flying straight at her.

Irene hastily defended with the flat of her blade. The next instant.

Thud—!

The fist struck the flat of the sword, and a heavy impact slammed into the girl.

"Keuk...!"

Even though she had taken a defensive posture, she was sent flying backward. Her fingertips tingled and shook. She barely kept her legs from buckling. While she steadied her swaying body, the boy approached.

Tap. Tap.

The sound of his shoes was especially loud. Facing those terrifying footsteps, Irene bit her lip.

"Are you already tired? I'm just beginning to enjoy myself."

Tap—.

A light step. It was only one stride, yet the boy was already standing directly in front of her. As if he had teleported.

"Ta-da."

"You fucking...!"

Even reacting quickly was too late. The fist was already pressed against her abdomen.

Thump—!

A heavy blow landed. Her body flew once more. The floating form soon rolled across the floor. Sprawled where she landed, Irene let out a painful groan.

"Ugh... Heuk, huk..."

Her consciousness grew distant. The girl struggled to regain her senses. As if to mock her, the boy murmured in apparent surprise.

"Huh? Did that hurt that much? I thought I held back..."

"......"

Irene quietly lowered her head. Her body refused to move any longer. She had only taken one hit, yet it felt as if her insides had been flipped upside down.

Am I going to die here.

The fox sensed her death. If she had known it would come to this, she should have quietly gone along and been sold as a slave. A fleeting regret flickered.

The boy was toying with her. If he used his real strength, he could probably kill her with a single gesture.

How futile.

It felt as though her entire past life was being denied. The sword she had polished so carefully could not reach him. She could not even follow his movements. A sense of helplessness born from lamentation ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠weighed heavily on her shoulders.

It hurt. It was scary. It was sad. It was lonely. Yet what rose in her mind before any of those feelings was...

I hope the others managed to escape safely.

Concern for someone else. She had bought them plenty of time. That was at least a small comfort. The fox smiled faintly.

She did not want to die. Death was terrifying. But what she feared even more was becoming servile.

The girl quietly raised her head.

"I think we'll have to stop here. I don't want our characters getting hurt."

"......"

The golden-haired snake—no, monster. He stared at her with a brazenly worried expression. She wanted to land at least one solid hit on that face.

If the children needed more time to escape this hellish slave market, then she had to hold the sword. It was a path walked by conviction alone. She would hold on even a little longer. Even if it meant burning every last breath in her body.

"Hey... you snake bastard."

Irene forced her broken body upright. Though she swayed, she pointed the tip of her sword and muttered.

"Let's see this through to the end."

The next moment, a faint light sparkled along the rusted blade. A meager glow that spread weakly into the darkness—so faint that even Irene herself might not have noticed it. But the snake did not miss that ray of light.

The boy unconsciously murmured.

"...Is that, by any chance?"

A momentary question soon turned into admiration.

"As expected, this is fun."

The corners of his eyes curved thinly. The golden snake, savoring a thrilling interest, broke into a wide smile. It was a clear fragment of shining talent.

"I wasn't planning to go this far originally... but shall we enjoy ourselves a little more?"

Leaving his pounding anticipation behind, the boy gathered his Lie.