Field Trip (2)
When I saw the face of the fox that came bounding out through the brush, I tilted my head.
Why was she popping out here, of all places?
I already knew that the face-obsessed fox roamed around searching for people she found attractive.
That was the entire reason the Academy was allowed to hold its field trip in this forest in the first place.
The face-obsessed fox drinks in the beautiful students among the Academy's ranks, sates herself on the sight, and in exchange lends out her forest as the field trip grounds. It's a trade.
If all she did was lounge around her den watching the forest fall into chaos, would she ever have approved something like a field trip?
But when she went sightseeing, she usually did it through one of her avatars.
For all that she called herself the Lord of the Forest, she knew perfectly well which duties she had to keep and which lines she couldn't cross.
And yet, here's the thing. That fox right there? No matter how I looked at it, that looked like the face-obsessed fox's actual body.
Were my eyes playing tricks on me?
Had I fallen under some kind of illusion?
Apparently the strange one here wasn't me, but the face-obsessed fox herself.
I could be mistaken, sure — but Grandpa never got things wrong.
The snow-white fox that had been peeking out to observe us soon slipped free of the brush and planted herself in the middle of our resting spot.
"What a cute fox."
"I can feel something sacred from it."
It wasn't that the face-obsessed fox had never revealed her true body in the game.
The condition was simple.
When the combined Charm of the party members reached the point where the face-obsessed fox simply had to capture them with her own eyes, appearance stopped mattering — forest authority and all of it bowed to her desires, and she would appear in person.
But that's strange.
Was our party's Charm stat really that high?
Well, it must have been decent, at least.
Joy and Phoebe both had exceptionally high Charm.
Frey fell a bit short of those two, but her Charm was hardly low either.
And me?
Going by Arthur's reaction last time, I figured I was at least on par with Joy, if not higher.
Which is to say, put simply, we were above average — but not nearly enough to blow the face-obsessed fox's mind.
So why had she shown herself?
Was there another variable I didn't know about?
While I was puzzling it over in my head, the fox trotted along on all four paves and came to a stop right in front of me.
Mya mya mya mya.
Then she let out a little cry to draw my gaze and rubbed her face against my ankle, making her affection plain.
"It seems the fox has taken a liking to Lady Alrn."
The other party members watched the scene with warm smiles, but I alone could not have been less delighted.
Because I was the only one who knew this wasn't just a cute fox — it was a grotesque old crone dripping with ulterior motives.
Why is this old hag all over me?!
The world is overflowing with people prettier than me, so why does she have to waltz up to my feet and flaunt her creepy obsession, you deranged fox?!
Don't tell me you're a pervert with a taste for kids, just like the pathetic Chief God?!
Was there some hidden lore that never made it into the game?!
Haah. Well, if it works in my favor, I suppose it works in my favor.
I picked the fox up by the scruff of her neck and brought us face to face, and the fox broke into a smile.
Different species made expressions hard to read, supposedly — but I could tell, perfectly clearly, that this face-obsessed fox was happy right now.
Do you like me that much, you face-obsessed fox?
'Hello there, Lord of the Forest.'
"Face-obsessed fox. You like being treated like a pet by a girl hundreds of years younger than you? That's genuinely pathetic."
The moment I blatantly let on that I knew exactly who she was, the fox's smile froze.
She wagged her tail and let out little cries as if she knew nothing at all — a convincing enough impression of an actual fox — but even so, she couldn't fool me.
To be precise, it wasn't me she couldn't deceive — it was Grandpa.
'She's already been found out.'
"Don't tell me you actually thought you'd gotten away with it? Getting old must have dulled your judgment, huh? Pathetic~ Senile~"
"...How did you know?"
Only when I threw in one more jab did a human voice finally flow from the fox's mouth.
"Huh?"
"The fox just spoke?!"
"Amazing."
In the midst of the three's stunned disbelief — none of them had expected this — the fox slipped out of my grip and rolled once through the air.
Smoke bloomed up, and when it cleared, a woman stood there who had not been in this spot mere seconds before.
"So you are one who wraps herself in sacred aura. To so effortlessly discern this one's true identity."
The woman wore clothes made of silk — the kind of garment that would never once appear in a Western fantasy, fitting for a game NPC.
Narrow, slanted eyes and a languid, self-assured smile.
Snow-white fox ears atop her head, and nine tails swaying behind her.
And on top of all that, a figure that seized the eye.
The woman, radiating a bewitching yet dangerous allure, tapped her chin as she looked down at me.
"Your voice is as fine as your insight. You grow ever more endearing to this one. Will you not grace me with more of your words?"
'Sorry, but your stare is kind of disgusting.'
"Face-obsessed fox. Your gaze is creepy and revolting, so could you quit looking at me like that?"
"Haaah. I like this too. That rebellious streak — it's charming."
Everything I'd explained so far only applied while this fox kept her mouth shut.
In terms of looks alone, she ranked at the very top, above even every character in Soul Academy — but regrettably, this creature possessed a truly unfortunate personality.
As I said, she was a face-con.
Despite that gorgeous appearance, her nickname wasn't anything about her features — it was "Face-Connoisseur Fox," and that tells you everything about how hopeless she was.
With high Charm, anything you did got read favorably.
That's why I'd spoken up without a shred of hesitation.
From the moment she showed her fondness, I knew she'd laugh off anything I said, so I just spewed words without a filter.
Even watching her in the game, she was the type who genuinely made me cringe — and now that she was real, it was even worse.
Especially because I was the one on the receiving end.
My eyes were drooping, and the corners of the face-obsessed fox's mouth were curling higher and higher in response when—
Joy, having barely recovered from the shock, spoke up.
"Excuse me, but could someone explain how this situation is unfolding?"
Oh. Right.
I got so dazzled by this face-obsessed fox's depravity that I forgot to explain anything.
I'd thought I'd built up an immunity to perverted antics thanks to Karl lately, but apparently not.
The real ones who don't care about anyone else really are on another level.
"Forgive me. This one lost her composure for a moment."
Turning her head at Joy's voice, the face-obsessed fox bowed her head in a gentle tone.
Joy and Phoebe both had high Charm too, so look how courteous she is.
If I'd brought some nameless extra along, she'd have glared down at them sourly and told them to shut up.
"This one is called Rina, master of this forest. I sensed a sacred aura and came to behold it. I have no intention whatsoever of harming you, so you need not worry."
Sacred aura — did she mean Armadi's power?
Nakrad did the same thing before, and now the face-obsessed fox too — it seemed anyone who could sense aura picked up on something strange about me.
Judging by how favorably the face-obsessed fox was reacting, maybe that aura came with a Charm bonus attached?
Then again, the pathetic Chief God's divinity really did help, aside from that perverted stat wall.
It's that damn stat wall that makes my life difficult, though.
"Since things have come this far, shall we not adjourn to a more fitting place for conversation? I should like to spend some pleasant time together with you all."
At first the three had watched the face-obsessed fox with curiosity, but I could see their expressions stiffening with every word out of her mouth.
Anyone would be creeped out by that unsettling giggle and the drool running down her chin.
Even I am, and I'm standing right here.
"This one promises she will do you no harm. Or rather, I should say I cannot harm you. The ones lurking in this forest are not few, you see. If I misbehaved, my head would leave my shoulders."
The moment the face-obsessed fox finished speaking, the party's eyes turned to me.
I was the one who'd led them here, so they were looking to me for judgment, presumably.
The face-obsessed fox's sudden appearance had thrown our plans off-kilter, but this was by no means a bad variable.
Our goal from the start had been to seek out the face-obsessed fox.
And when she invites us of her own accord to her den? There's no reason to refuse.
I was about to nod when a thought suddenly occurred to me.
Forget Armadi's aura — the face-obsessed fox was already evaluating me extremely highly.
Highly enough that she wanted to invite me to her den just to talk.
In this situation, wasn't I the one in the dominant position, and this face-obsessed fox the one at my mercy?
There's a saying, isn't there? The one who falls in love first loses.
And by every measure, the loser here looked like the face-obsessed fox.
'Fine. But in exchange...'
"Deal, face-obsessed fox. But on one condition."
"Name it. Speak, and this one shall oblige your wishes however she can."
'Us...'
"Acknowledge us and grant us the reward that comes with it. Do that, and I'll grit my teeth, tolerate what a creepy, revolting pervert you are, and follow you willingly."
When I lifted my chin and declared it with all the shamelessness I could muster, the face-obsessed fox narrowed her eyes.
As if measuring something.
"I apologize, but that may prove difficult. I think very highly of you and your companions, yet a master's recognition is not something granted so easily."
Was I too brazen after all?
Face-con or not, she was still the Lord of the Forest — I'd been naive to assume she'd simply roll over and hand me everything, liver and all.
Still, now that she'd rated my Charm so highly, she wouldn't view me poorly.
She probably found my brazen attitude charming, on top of everything.
That's just the kind of hopeless face-con she is.
"In exchange, I shall make arrangements for your trial to begin at once. What would ordinarily require braving hardship after hardship to reach the forest's hidden depths — this one shall let you undergo it straightaway. A fair bargain, would you not say?"
Just as expected.
This was more than enough goodwill.
Normally, taking the trial for a master's recognition meant overcoming trial after trial before you ever came face to face with the forest's master.
Skipping all that and being allowed to take the trial immediately was the very limit of what a Lord of the Forest could offer.
If any other forest master heard about this, they'd have a stroke.
'I accept.'
"Fine. Face-obsessed fox. For an old crone, that's surprisingly reasonable of you."
"And what of the others? Do you all likewise consent to undergo this one's trial?"
At the face-obsessed fox's question, the other three nodded as well.
Naturally — on the way here, I'd already explained in full what blessing this fox granted and why it was worth obtaining.
They'd steeled themselves completely; there was no other reaction to be had.
"Ah. One thing. The child holding the sword. You are the exception. You do not yet possess the qualifications to take my trial."
"...Why?"
"Your Charm is lacking."
At those words, Frey blinked.
Haha. Right. That's our face-con fox for you.
Endlessly gracious to anyone who catches her eye, but an utterly cold beast toward anyone who falls short of her standards.
'Um...'
"Face-obsessed fox. That pathetic swordswoman is my comrade too, you know? You've lived long enough to grow moss — why are you so petty about it?"
Frey was already half a fixture in my party.
Her getting stronger translated directly into helping me, so the more beneficial rewards we could wring out, the better.
I was already planning to fall back on the various Charm-related items in my inventory to persuade her if it came to that — but the face-obsessed fox gave in with unexpected ease.
"...Hmm. Very well. If you insist to that degree, I shall allow it. That child's Charm is not so severely lacking as to be beyond consideration."
Wow. Just how big a Charm bonus does Armadi's divinity grant, that the face-obsessed fox backed down this readily?
"Now then, let us begin at once. The trial to earn this fox's recognition."
When the face-obsessed fox smiled and snapped her fingers, a mist closed in around us.