The Fox and the Raven
She’s a madwoman.
A madwoman has appeared!!!
Well, she’s not actually crazy, but it’s one of the terms used to refer to that woman over there.
It’s a nickname given because of her fierce temperament.
That thick red hair.
At first, I thought it was just dyed, but it turns out it’s natural.
The stark white face contrasting with it, and those red lips that look like she’s swallowed a few rats.
Just by looking at her appearance, she’s a woman with a beauty that would make any man unable to look away. But that’s only a thought when you don’t know her mind.
Anyone who knows her true nature would never think that.
She’s not fussy, not violent, not some kind of mood disorder patient, just clear and pure.
It’s not for nothing that they call her a madwoman.
“……Hey, this is too much, right? Huh? You’re going to keep calling me madwoman, madwoman?
What?
Could this woman be reading people’s minds?
I looked at her carefully with suspicious eyes.
I was a little relieved. It was really dangerous when we parted ways…
“…Why did you come? You said last time you wouldn’t join the military, right?”
Red Fox gave me a bewitching smile in response to my question. Of course, to my eyes, she just looked like a fox that would eat people.
“Hmm~ Is this too much? Do you not know how much I’ve taken care of this place for the past few months? Or do you really not know?”
Kim, the uncle next to me, interjected with a servile laugh.
It seems even the uncle knows what kind of madwoman she is.
“Hey, why wouldn’t we know that the commander took care of us? I know all the rough and dirty work you had us do for the shelter people during that time. Hey, Raven, you know too, right? You even said you’re grateful to me, right?”
No, when did I ever say I was grateful? Had I ever said that?
Just as I was about to say I never said that, the uncle’s face appeared almost like he was about to cry.
Well, I had a vague idea. In fact, when the military brought survivors to use, they usually used them as bullet catchers or sent them to very dangerous tasks.
If they survived, good; if not, too bad.
Even if they didn’t follow that, they were forcibly taken. No, originally, because they monopolized food, the people had no choice anyway.
Unless they were going to live self-sufficiently in the mountains.
“What? You knew I took care of you? Huh? That’s it?”
That overly coquettish expression was something I wished she’d stop. But I should at least play along a bit?
Even setting aside her personal abilities, her status wasn’t just that of a big boss.
“…Hoo, I know well.”
“Really? Then why are you raising your voice?”
“It’s not like we’re alone, right?”
“Tsk, whatever. Let’s go back. Your seat is always ready. If you want anything, tell me. Okay?”
Wanting something?
It would be nice to have a good sword, but it’s a bit awkward to say I want a knife.
In fact, I felt quite guilty because she had left when I was in trouble.
Well, looking back now, it was a good choice.
“…None.”
At my words that there was none, a mischievous glint appeared in her eyes. What kind of words was she going to say now?
“What’s good, there are many young pretty girls. I’ll bring a woman every night.”
“…I don’t dislike women, but I don’t sleep with any woman either.”
“Then what kind of woman would be good? Huh? Huh?”
Creak
The door opened, and she happened to return.
“I’m back. Master, today I went to gather some mountain spinach…”
Mao Mei stopped talking upon seeing the red fox clinging to my front.
“What? Is it because of this little brat? Hmm? What, her chest is almost flat, and her face… did she do some special makeup? She’s pretty cute, though. I didn’t think Raven had this kind of taste. If it was before the apocalypse, this would be a crime, you know?”
Mao Mei’s expression became somewhat angry.
“…She is an adult. And there’s everything there.”
“Oh my? You’d love it if you could run, right? Hmm~ I can’t run though? Kyahaha.”
“……”
At that moment, killing intent was felt from Mao Mei’s eyes.
It was an action that no one else could do, but definitely not to that woman. It’s not that I’m calling her a madwoman for nothing. Her violent tendencies were really out of control sometimes.
A red aura began to spread from the red fox’s body. Soon, that momentum enveloped Mao Mei.
I had no choice but to throw a chopstick filled with inner power towards her.
#
Red Fox, Lee Hee-su, was dumbfounded when she saw me looking at her and thinking she was a madwoman.
How could she be so consistent?
Her abilities were mainly in the mental realm.
Reading others’ minds, manipulating them, and also powerful telekinesis, shockwaves, and precognition.
The gazes of the men looking at her were one of two things.
Those who feared her.
Or those who harbored lust for her.
Most harbored lust because of her glamorous appearance, but once they learned her true nature, they feared her.
They treated her like something from another world living in a crack.
A man who viewed her with different eyes.
That was me, Seo Hyeon-woo, usually called Raven.
That was me.
Raven did not fear Red Fox. Nor did he see her as an object of desire. If I had to summarize the emotions he had for her in one word?
“Ah, no? Calling me a madwoman the moment I see you? Haa?”
While cursing her a madwoman, that curse contained a strange worry.
Other emotions besides lust and fear were quite fresh to her.
When she was trying to seduce me with various stories, Mao Mei came in.
“What? A girl I haven’t seen before? What, did she cover her ugly face? Look at this kid, she’s thinking of hiding her killing intent from the start?”
She was trying to give a little fright.
“What? Is it because of this little brat? Hmm? What, her chest is almost flat, and her face… did she do some special makeup? She’s pretty cute, though. I didn’t think Raven had this kind of taste. If it was before the apocalypse, this would be a crime, you know?”
“…She is an adult. And there’s everything there.”
Red Fox decided to provoke Mao Mei a bit more.
“Oh my? You’d love it if you could run, right? Hmm~ I can’t run though? Kyahaha.”
“……”
At that moment, Mao Mei’s killing intent was sensed by Red Fox, and at the same time, a red aura was thrown at Mao Mei.
Shockwave.
This would freeze the movement of whoever it hit, whether human or monster, temporarily.
However, if an untrained ordinary person was hit, they could die from the shock or at least suffer serious injury.
Because of that, I intervened.
Without a sound, a streak of silver light flew towards Red Fox.
The direction was straight ahead.
No murderous intent. But if I didn’t stop here?
I didn’t want to be hated by anyone, and at least not by her.
“…It seems we’re closer than I thought…”
With a wry smile, I redirected the direction of the energy.
Kwa kwa kwang!
The table next to Mao Mei was smashed to pieces and exploded.
“…That’s excessive.”
“Really? The chopstick I threw is fine, right?”
I walked over and pulled out the chopstick. The chopstick was stuck more than half into the thick wooden table.
“You knew the direction, right?”
“What? Is that little brat your woman?”
“No.”
Not a woman? Then what? Daughter? No, the age difference was too small for that.
“Then what? Niece?”
“…A disciple.”
“Disciple? A disciple?”
Interest sparkled in Red Fox’s eyes.
“Nice. That’s enough for today. See you again soon.”
“Take care.”
“Tsk, this is really boring. Well, anyway… Oh, by the way, why did you send those orphans to me?”
“…No particular reason?”
“Really? You came calling my name? Well, I’m not someone who would unconditionally accept anyone, and you know that better than anyone…”
Red Fox finished speaking and prepared to return to the unit with her adjutant.
A slight smile lingered at the corner of her mouth. His emotions had changed a little.
Worry.
Or, to put it another way, that emotion was compassion.
From irritation and annoyance
To worry
Now to compassion…
#
“…Commander? There’s something I want to ask.”
The adjutant supporting Red Fox, his name was Kim Hee-seong, rank lieutenant, non-awakener soldier.
I glanced at my adjutant. What did he think of her?
He still saw her as a woman, like other men.
Since he was a man, he knew he sometimes harbored personal desires, but she didn’t pay much attention. What could she do? It was the price of being born pretty.
“Huh? Go ahead.”
“…Why did you bring Seo Hyeon-woo, that Raven guy, into the Hound unit like this?”
“Why?”
“Yes, I honestly don’t understand. Of course, I know the man’s combat power is different from ordinary humans. But even so, isn’t he human? Not an awakener or a new human, right?”
Awakener, new human, whatever, that kind wasn’t it. People who awakened their abilities had unique auras.
“You have it, right? What if someone shoots at me with a gun? What would happen to me?”
“…A gun? Before shooting, wouldn’t you suppress it?”
“That’s right. Normally, yes. No matter how new human or awakener, you’re powerless against surprise bullets. So normally, you use shockwaves or mental attacks to blow them away and start?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“But that guy from earlier? Does that guy dodge bullets? No. He got hit by a bullet but didn’t die. The bullet didn’t penetrate.”
“What? That, that’s impossible?”
Red Fox told the story of the day she first met Raven.
Approximately 8 months ago from now, she had gone on an operation to restore the crack zone, and there she first met Seo Hyeon-woo.
To restore the crack zone, they had to exterminate the monsters and zombies in the area and destroy the core of the crack, which was usually located in the center of the crack zone.
The zombies and monsters in the area gathered to the crack zone due to their habits, so the operation had many casualties.
“Kyahahaha! Let’s sweep them all today too!”
The subordinates’ expressions hardened at Red Fox’s laughter. Normally she didn’t show such viciousness, but in operations, she was a woman whose direction could change at any time.
The reason she got the name ‘slaughter witch’ was because she had blown away allied soldiers and civilians entangled with zombie hordes with shockwaves.
Thanks to that, the crack restoration was successful, but her image became very bad.
In fact, just being entangled with zombies meant the operation failed. If you got bitten by a zombie, you’d become a zombie, so distinguishing between those not bitten and those bitten and rescuing them was tantamount to abandoning the operation.
Moreover, the time they could stay in the crack zone was limited.
She chose to suffer allied casualties rather than fail. Or to put it precisely, she chose the latter between failure and operational success.
“Commander! Monster group!”
“Why? Are they coming this way? No, how did they know our position?”
“Ah, no, the monster group is fleeing.”
Fleeing?
From what? I didn’t understand. Was another unit coming besides them? Or government forces?
“What? Wasn’t this operation our solo operation? Ah? Are those government brats? These guys…”
“No. This operation was requested by the government side. They have no reason to help us.”
“Ah? I see. Then why are the monsters fleeing?”
Soon one subordinate reported after assessing the situation with a dumbfounded look.
“Commander… this time, zombies… the zombies are fleeing.”
“What? Zombies? Zombies are fleeing?”
It didn’t make sense. What did it mean zombies were fleeing?
Monsters were intelligent beasts.
That’s why when the situation was unfavorable, they fled. But zombies were creatures that couldn’t even think.
Fleeing was not a word for them.
“What? What the hell… Everyone wait here.”
She ordered the subordinates to wait and rode her armored vehicle alone.
“No, please come with us. We don’t have armor…”
Pfft
Red Fox was a cruel woman, but she wasn’t one who would sacrifice subordinates unnecessarily.
“Enough. Would that scrap armored vehicle help? Wait here. If I don’t return within 30 minutes, withdraw.”
The subordinates quietly accepted the order. She never repeated herself twice.
“What the hell is going on? Let’s go watch.”
Small stones to large rocks began to float around her car, protecting her surroundings.
And her car began to run towards the center where the zombies and monsters were fleeing.
***