Fox Rain
“It’s certainly sturdy, I’ll give it that.”
Movement speed increase.
Twenty-two stacks.
The fox had spent the entire time slamming himself into walls, ceilings, and floors until nothing remained intact, and by now his white fur was dyed a solid, dripping red. Blood streamed from every part of his body as he gasped for breath.
“Why… why only once…”
“I dodge left.”
Third-stage privilege.
In the game it had been an ability that let you know in advance whether a chosen option was right or wrong. A system for picking dialogue that raised affection and avoiding the ones that lowered it.
It hadn’t been made for combat.
But mid-Simulation…
I threw the choice myself and received the result beforehand. An ability I could use regardless of affection scores or anything else.
You dodge to the left and survive with 100% probability.
The instant I confirmed the result, I moved my body in advance.
Next.
KWAANG!
The fox, still oblivious, charged past me at full speed and slammed into the wall.
“Ghhhk…”
He staggered, sliding down the wall and painting it with blood. In that opening I layered on another buff.
Twenty-three stacks.
“If you’d been ordinary, the buff would have stopped taking long ago. Yet it keeps climbing.”
“Kh… haah… haah…”
“This is the first body that’s actually worth giving buffs to.”
“Haah… haah…”
“No matter how good it is for you, stuffing yourself like that turns it into poison, doesn’t it?”
“Shut… up…”
His body twitched. Even the slightest motion now sent him whipping through the air like a puppet on strings.
“I go left.”
“Please just… shut up…!”
Bloodshot eyes glaring, he lunged. This time I could see the movement. My eyes hadn’t gotten stronger—he was slowing down.
“So you’ve finally decided to move slowly.”
Deliberately, sluggishly, he advanced. Over and over and over he had crashed into walls until terror itself had been carved into his flesh. Exactly what I had been aiming for.
“At that pace you’re only ordinary.”
Just slow enough for me to match. The gauntlet dyed in the spirit’s color snapped forward and drove a fist into his jaw.
KWACHIK!
His neck twisted halfway around with a sickening crack of bone. He sprawled across the floor, but he was still breathing.
“Still not dead even after that.”
I yanked him up by one long ear and lifted his face. Once more.
KWAANG!
My fist smashed into his face. The impact caved his nose in. Around now he ought to counter.
“I dodge left.”
Whoosh!
His arm swept toward me; I slipped aside. And then—
Crackle!
The bones of his shoulder shattered inside his body.
“GYAAAAAH!”
It was no longer a matter of slamming into the Magic Tower’s walls or floors. His flesh and bone simply could not endure the speed at which his body was moving. The problem had become much simpler.
I raised the speed again.
Movement speed.
Thirty stacks.
He realized the buffs had stacked all at once and stopped dead on the spot.
“One finger forward.”
Frozen in a ridiculous pose, he carefully rolled only his eyes.
“Even a twitch will break something.”
His previously babbling mouth gave no answer. It couldn’t. If he moved any farther, there was no telling what would snap where. He had already learned. Crash after crash after crash—his own body, beyond his control, had become something to fear.
“So even you know how to be scared.”
The man who could move faster than anyone had finally stopped. The endlessly climbing needle of the speedometer spun full circle and settled at zero.
Woom—
One of the spirits clinging to my armor detached and wrapped itself around the blade.
“Breaking by moving from here… or dying just like this.”
I raised the sword like an executioner.
“Which one frightens you more?”
At the question the fox’s eyes darted even faster, as if wrestling with the choice. Move and he might dodge the sword—yet his whole body could shatter. Stay still and the blade would take his head.
His decision was—
“Too late.”
Thuk—
The sword, heated with spirit light, punched through his throat.
“Looks like your thoughts can’t move quickly either.”
The tip burst out the far side of his neck and scraped the floor. Fox blood poured downward.
“Grrk… grk…”
The rising blood seemed to clog his throat; he made a strange, keening sound—almost like a fox’s cry. With the blade still buried in his neck he crawled across the floor, dragging himself with desperate strength toward the corpse of the Magic Tower Master whose legs had been severed. The Tower Master he had been saving to eat once the First Prince was fully digested.
“Ah… today was the ninety-ninth day…”
Blood dripped from his throat; tears welled and fell from both eyes.
“Just one more day… if I’d waited one more day…”
Blood and bloody tears mixed on his face and stained the floor drop by drop.
“One day would have been enough…”
He drove his head into the floor and went limp.
[Fox Hunt]
+10,000 Coins
Owned Coins: 10,200
Shaaaa—
Through the hole torn in the Magic Tower’s ceiling, a sudden downpour poured in.
A sunshower.
Fox rain.
Ten thousand coins arrived in a single lump. I never expected to get rich overnight like this. Once I had some breathing room I would need to buy items from the shop or upgrade the Scouter.
But right now—
“…Amelia!”
Kairon appeared, his entire body soaked in sweat. And right now, there seemed to be a few things that needed cleaning up.
For some reason he had released the ring’s effect. Kairon scooped Amelia into his arms.
“She only lost consciousness for a moment.”
When he whipped his head toward me, his helmet clattered loudly.
“I’m sorry I’m late.”
Kairon looked back and forth between me and the fox, then finally shook his head.
“…No. Thanks to you… we’re alive.”
I pulled the sword free of the fox’s neck and shook off the blood. Mid-motion I spotted a wand that had fallen near the Tower Master’s pocket. The moment I picked it up, Kairon flinched.
“…That sent me underground.”
“You dropped it? It must have held the Tower Master’s magic.”
“…Probably.”
The Tower Master’s unique magic warped space. I knew that from the fox of my previous life. The fox I had met then had absorbed the First Prince’s speed and the Tower Master’s spatial distortion, and still kept devouring more afterward. An opponent impossible to beat in a head-on fight. Even in the previous life there had been only one single method that worked.
Before he grew any stronger.
Before he appeared in that form.
He was an enemy who absolutely had to be killed.
“For all that, you got out rather quickly.”
“I know… a little.”
“Know what?”
“…The layout here.”
“Kh… hah.”
In that gap Amelia woke inside Kairon’s arms and coughed for air.
“Wh-where is this? Brother… where is Brother… Hasgard…”
“I’m unharmed. Lord Kairon as well.”
“Half your armor looks blown away…”
“My body itself wasn’t blown away, so I’m fine. It just hurt a bit.”
“Is that so… th-then it’s over.”
Amelia spoke, then let out a deep breath of relief at the sight of the fox’s corpse.
“Hasgard, how did you do it?”
“That furry beast? It’s a rather long story.”
“No. Not that. I mean how did you come straight here.”
I couldn’t honestly explain the Bond skill, so I roughly called it magic.
“I see. So that’s how you came right to my side… wait.”
Amelia whipped her head around and checked her own body.
“H-hyah! D-don’t look! Looking like this, covered in blood… it’s embarrassing…”
“I already know about Your Highness’s body.”
“Why? I never permitted anything of that sort…”
“Pardon? No—I mean I know about your bloodline.”
“Even though I carry the blood of a barbarian… you don’t think me vulgar? Even though I display brute strength unbefitting royalty…”
“Of course not. I’ve never thought that.”
My own mother—the Countess Hasgard—came from a similar origin and constitution. There was no way I could think such a thing. Setting Amelia aside, I could never insult my own mother.
“I… I see…”
She flushed and turned her head slightly. Apparently my answer had pleased her. I had only said it because I couldn’t self-deprecatingly trash-talk my mother, but… surely her affection wouldn’t climb past ninety-nine the way Laward’s SS-Rank had.
“Come to think of it, how did Brother reach this place? It looked like you fell very deep. How did you climb all the way to the top floor…”
“Just… ran…”
“Hah.”
“Actually… I know the paths here…”
“I know.”
Amelia cut him off.
“That fox bastard ran his mouth as he pleased.”
“Mm…”
“Because Brother was stupid enough to fall for it and come all the way here, I was forced out of the royal family as well.”
“….”
Kairon fidgeted, then finally lowered his head.
“Sorry…”
“Why are you apologizing? Choosing your side was my decision. I was just as stupid. So—did you manage to save anyone?”
At the question Kairon gave a small nod and raised one finger.
“…One person.”
“Only one?”
Clatter—Kairon hung his head without confidence.
“What have you two been talking about this whole time?”
I asked while pulling the Royal Ring from the fox’s finger. I carefully wiped the blood from it and slipped it onto my own hand.
“Brother, it’s all right for Hasgard to hear.”
“…Yeah.”
“Hasgard. There is something you must know. You said you would make me king, so you need to hear how we ended up outside the palace.”
“Wasn’t it while rescuing Rebecca?”
“Huh?”
“…?”
Amelia and Kairon both tilted their heads at the same time.
“…Daywin, how do you…”
“Who knows.”
“How much… do you know?”
“I don’t really know either. Only fragments. While we’re at it, why don’t you tell it yourself, Lord Kairon? Hearing it from the person involved will feel more real.”
“What… Hasgard, no…!”
“Pardon?”
“If you let Brother speak…”
Amelia looked appalled, but Kairon had already begun to open his mouth.
“It could take hours…!”
Just as she said, listening to the entire story in Kairon’s slow, quiet voice took a full two hours. On top of that he had no talent for storytelling, so I had to ask him to repeat parts several times.
Therefore I will tell the story in his place.
From here on, this is a tale unrelated to the protagonist.
A story with no connection to the main plot.
No choices appear, and no Bonds are formed.
It leaves not a single footprint toward the goal of stopping the end of the world.
If you wish to skip it, please step lightly past.
“Rebecca, ready for our trip?”
Kairon’s orange hair fluttered in the breeze. He enjoyed the soft wind brushing over his head as he met Rebecca’s emerald eyes at the same height.
“Yeah!”
“Good.”
Kairon’s calloused hand gently stroked her blonde hair.
“Rebecca, look over there—see the mountain?”
He settled her on his thick forearm so she could look at the mountain.
“That tallest one.”
“Beard… so fluffy…!”
“Ow, don’t pull.”
“Fluffy…!”
Kairon sighed and, unable to win, let Rebecca play for a while. When she finally grew bored he spoke again.
“We’re going to cross that mountain.”
“Cross it?”
“Yeah. We’ll cross mountains, cross rivers, and even see the ocean. Fun, right?”
“Ocean! Yeah yeah…!”
“Great. From now on you and I are going on a fun trip. But the mountain, the river, and the ocean are all really shy. If we don’t hurry, they’ll run away before we get there.”
“Why are they shy?”
“Umm… well… I dunno.”
Kairon scratched his head; he hadn’t expected kids to ask “why” about everything.
“Maybe because Rebecca is so pretty they get embarrassed?”
“Hah…! Is that it…!”
“Y-yeah… so we have to go super, super fast.”
“How fast?”
“As fast as Rebecca can. The fastest!”
When Kairon pretended to run, Rebecca copied him.
“Then let’s go quick!”
“Yeah, let’s go quick. So Rebecca, even if it gets a little hard, you have to endure it. Can you?”
“Yeah!”
“Rebecca’s a good girl. Completely different from my little sister… even though you’re about the same age.”
Kairon swung her up onto his shoulders. Then he listened carefully to the faint voices of pursuers that had begun to reach his ears.
“Let’s go.”
He murmured it low and serious.
Several days passed.
“Sorry, Rebecca. We can’t go down to the village right now. There might be people there who recognize us.”
“But why not?”
“Uh, huh? Well… that is…”
Kairon mumbled an answer while pulling two rabbits from his bag.
“F-first let’s eat! Look. I caught these earlier.”
“Food…?”
“Yeah, meat for the first time in a while…”
“Fooood…? These guys… are dead…? Did you kill them…?”
“Uh…?”
“W-waaahhh!”
“Rebecca, q-quiet.”
“Kairon is a barbarian! How, how can you eat rabbits! Hwaaahhh!”
“I’m sorry, Rebecca. I couldn’t find any other food…”
“They’re not fooood!”
And so, a few hours later.
“Hic… hic…”
Rebecca sniffled while chewing slowly.
“I’m sorry. Rabbit… w-waah. I’m so sorryyy.”
Kairon watched Rebecca cry while eating rabbit out of sheer hunger and let out a hollow laugh.
Again, several months later.
Thwack—!
The arrow Rebecca loosed pierced a deer’s neck.
“Amazing, Rebecca! You’ve got real talent!”
Kairon clapped with a bit of exaggeration.
“R-really?”
“Yeah. Rebecca could become an archer.”
“Should I? I’ll… think about it!”
Again, months later.
“Another duel?”
Rebecca asked, sitting on a tree stump and watching Kairon fuss with his sword.
“Yeah. Nobles are dueling and they need someone to fight in their place. I’m going. We’ve only been eating mountain animals for days. I’ll earn some money.”
“Lately that’s all you do…”
“Rebecca’s growing. You need to eat properly.”
Shink, shink—
Kairon carefully sharpened the blade. Then with practiced hands he oiled it and slowly wiped the edge clean. He worked on the sword for a long time.
“Hm? Still watching?”
“Yeah.”
“Go to sleep. We have to head down the mountain early tomorrow.”
“It looks like praying.”
“Hm?”
“What you just did, Kairon.”
“Ah, I guess it could look that way. With one sword hanging on food, clothes, and a place to stay… well…”
“You could die.”
“Yeah. My life’s on the line too.”
“Aren’t you worried?”
“I don’t lose. At least I have no intention of dying and leaving you behind.”
Kairon lifted the well-oiled sword high to inspect it. He looked as if he and the blade had become one.
The next day.
“See, Rebecca? I told you I don’t lose.”
Kairon returned limping and held out a heavy pouch of coins with pride. Rebecca stared hard at his leg, then looked up at his face.
“I want to be a swordsman.”
“Huh?”
“Shooting a bow is fun, but I want to be a swordsman.”
“All of a sudden…?”
“Yeah. I just decided. Not just any swordsman—the best.”
“Then Rebecca will become a Sword Saint.”
“Sword Saint?”
“Yeah. The strongest swordsman.”
“Sword Saint! I want to be a Sword Saint!”
“All right.”
Kairon stroked Rebecca’s head.
“From now on I’ll have to take Rebecca to the duels. Watch carefully what I do.”
Again and again, time passed.
“Surrender, Kairon.”
“Brother, n-no. Not yet…”
The First Prince, accompanied by the royal special forces, stood before Kairon. Kairon hid Rebecca behind his legs and rested a hand on his sword hilt.
“It is Father’s order to bring you in.”
“Brother, I…”
“You should never have caused trouble. Did you think you could seduce the king’s concubines, spread conspiracy in the Magic Tower, and still escape?”
“Brother, I didn’t do anything!”
“Nonsense. Did you think you could hide the fact that you held secret trysts with them?”
“They approached me on their own…”
“Silence, Kairon. Are you proud of being a succubus’s child? You must have used some kind of magic.”
“No matter who my mother is, I am still His Majesty’s son. Are you saying you deny that, Brother?”
“Who knows. Father says you bewitched them.”
“Brother, I truly did nothing…”
“Disgusting. Don’t call me that.”
The First Prince drew his sword, and his soldiers began to surround Kairon.
“I have never once considered a vulgar creature like you my brother.”
Just before the soldiers closed in, Kairon shoved Rebecca backward.
“Rebecca, a little farther and you’ll reach the marquisate. There’s a village. You have to go right now if you want to catch the river and the ocean. Remember what I said? They’re shy.”
“Kai…ron. You’re not coming?”
“I hurt my leg a little, so I don’t think I can keep up.”
“Kairon, together…”
“Run! Before the ocean runs away!”
Kairon roughly pushed Rebecca away and charged the First Prince. At that moment the First Prince wore a meaningful smile.
“D-don’t die, you idiot!”
Rebecca’s voice rang out.
“Haha… so you already knew…”
Kairon murmured quietly and knocked the First Prince’s sword aside with fierce eyes.
“Kids grow up so fast…”
It would have been nicer if we could have seen the ocean together.
That day.
Dragged back to the palace, Kairon was fitted with a helmet over the ominous face that supposedly bewitched women, and was cast out. The king discarded the Fourth Prince.
A few days later, in the marquisate.
“Oh my—”
District 6 of Marquis Fred’s territory.
A drunk blonde woman tilted her head as she looked at the filthy little Rebecca.
“Why is a kid in a place like this?”
“I’m not a kid.”
“Sure, sure. You lost? Where’s your mom?”
“Mom… gone.”
“I seeee. That can happen. You’re not hurt, are you… ah, right—where’s your dad?”
At those words Rebecca somehow thought of Kairon’s face.
“Dad…”
“Yeah, dad. Where’s your dad?”
“Dad’s… gone too.”
“…I asked something I shouldn’t have. What’s your name?”
“Rebecca.”
“Okay, Rebecca. Got a place to sleep tonight? Ah, my name’s Akikira. Big sister Akikira.”
“Weird… name…”
“Yeah, trueee. I’m a weird big sister. This isn’t some new scam, is it…”
“Huh?”
“Nah. Nothing. Well, it’ll work out somehow…”
Akikira crouched with resolve and looked straight into Rebecca’s face.
“Rebecca, let’s go to big sister’s house. Tonight you sleep at big sister’s.”
“Thank… you. Ara-ara big sister…?”
“My name is Akikira. Come on, again.”
Akikira took Rebecca’s small hand.
“What’s my name?”
“Would it be all right if you went to see Rebecca sometime? She’s grown far better than you expected, Lord Kairon. And very lively at that.”
When I spoke, Kairon shook his head desolately, helmet clattering.
“Actually…… I already met her.”
“What? When?”
“Daywin… when I went to the marquisate to meet you…… they said you were the Academy’s sponsor…… so I looked into it and found Rebecca’s name……”
Kairon spoke while staring at the ground.
“My face is like this so that’s one thing……”
He fidgeted with his helmet.
“But my name, my voice…… she didn’t remember a single thing……”
So that was it. He had already tasted that despair. I knew a similar feeling. Chris, Blash—none of them remembered me at all.
“She’s alive…… so it’s okay……”
“Idiot brother.”
“Your Highness, please don’t.”
“Idiot brother.”
“Hey, I said stop—twice already…”
“It’s okay…… I am. Rebecca didn’t forget because she wanted to……”
“She didn’t forget.”
“…Huh?”
I took Rebecca’s notebook from my inner pocket. The story I had promised to tell her after a month. Her secret.
“It’s true she doesn’t remember the voice or the name. But she never forgot the memories from back then.”
In the writing Rebecca had pressed down hard were the rough days she had spent with Kairon—evading pursuers all the way to the distant marquisate.
Teacher, I went on a fun trip.
Their travel story.
We promised to meet the mountains and the rivers and the ocean.
I carefully handed over the notebook. The moment Kairon saw Rebecca’s writing, he collapsed.
“Actually… the truth is I…… I was so scared she might resent me for not protecting her…… that she forgot because of that…… I was so, so scared…… I said I wouldn’t lose……”
Drip, drip.
Tears fell to the floor.
“She thought…… it was fun……”
Kairon’s sobs struck the metal of his helmet and echoed like a cry.
The fox rain was still falling.