The Final Masterminds Are Obsessed with My Foot Jelly
"Kyau! Kyaah!"
Hey, look at this! I caught these myself!
Right in the middle of the knights' base camp, I wagged my tail for all I was worth, showing off to anyone who would look. The Magical Beasts I had brought down were laid out in a row, and I puffed my chest at the knights, striking the most majestic pose I could manage.
See? This is the dignity of a Divine Beast.
The knights looked from the beasts spread across the ground to me, then threw both hands in the air and cheered.
"Ooooh!! As expected of the Divine Beast!"
"Good heavens—that Giant Boar's skull was solid as rock, and it's been crushed without a trace!"
"I knew it...! If those front paws can snap my family's treasured sword, Magical Beasts like these wouldn't last a single blow!"
A few of the knights even wiped away tears of emotion as they heaped praise on me.
"Kyau...?"
That's right, that's right. Keep the compliments coming. Music to my ears.
I soaked up their fervor, twitching my hips from side to side and thumping the ground with my tail.
Getting praised really does feel good. I'll have to brag to Grandpa and Mom when I get home, too.
I was mulling over what souvenirs to bring back for Lumia, Grandpa, and Demian when my sharp ears picked up voices from behind the carriage. I glanced that way and found Kailian, Lina, and Gumiho gathered together, talking with grave expressions.
What, are they debating the dinner menu? Why so serious?
"...So. How did a Spiritual Beast as remarkable as you end up in a mountain range this remote?"
Kailian asked, arms folded, looking at Gumiho. Even if Gumiho fell a little short of Divine Beasts like Blanc and Haetae, she was still an outstanding Spiritual Beast, and the fact that such a being had appeared alone in these mountains only deepened Kailian's suspicion.
Gumiho stroked one of her tails, a bitter, sorrowful smile touching her lips.
"I was... searching for my lost daughter."
"Ah...? You have a child?"
Kailian tilted her head.
"You got separated from a kid you're searching for this desperately?"
At Kailian's words, Gumiho's tail shrank in on itself.
That butler... Good grief, maybe show a little consideration when you talk to people. Still, I guess this is an improvement.
Gumiho's face darkened in an instant. Her pupils trembled as if some terrible memory had risen up behind her eyes.
"That is..."
"Ah, never mind. Looking at your face, it's a story you'd rather not tell. Don't force it."
Kailian finally seemed to read the room. She cleared her throat and quickly changed the subject.
"So, what does that daughter look like? If we know any distinguishing features, we can put out inquiries on our end."
"Indeed. The Holy See will assist as well."
Lina chimed in with a gentle smile.
Look at that. She's actually acting like a proper Saintess for once.
Gumiho seemed a little eased by their kindness. She drew a small breath and spoke.
"As for features... she's still such a young child... a little one with white fur, like mine. Only one tail has come in so far... an utterly adorable child."
A fox with white fur?
My steps, which had been quietly carrying me toward my butlers, came to a halt.
"Hmm. A white fox..."
Kailian murmured, stroking her chin. Then Lina's eyes lit up.
"Then might I ask the child's name? Knowing a name would make the search much easier."
At Lina's question, Gumiho shook her head with difficulty.
"...She was so young when we were parted that she didn't yet know her own True Name... I called her Seolhwa instead."
The news that they had been separated when the child was so small settled a heavy silence around them.
"Kyaung."
Why the long faces, all of you? It's not like we've confirmed we can't find her.
I wagged my tail and walked right in between Kailian and Gumiho, then burrowed under the legs of the fox who stood there with such a sad face.
Sniff, sniff...
"Kyauung?"
I knew it... I've smelled this before.
I drew Gumiho's scent in deep through my nose. Back in the cave, blood and dust had muddled it enough that I couldn't be sure. Now that her wounds had healed and she'd settled, the scent came through crystal clear.
This smell... it was remarkably close to that of my little sister Lumia, waiting for me at home.
This is probably what Lumia will smell like when she grows up.
Fur color might differ a little, but the scent of blood kin doesn't change. And a tiny fox with white fur and a single tail?
Anyone with eyes could tell this is Lumia's mother.
"Kyau."
What even is my luck? How do I keep finding both the mom and the kid?
I let out a disbelieving huff of laughter and lifted my head to stare at Gumiho.
What do I even call her...? She's too pretty for "auntie"... and "big sis" feels weird.
I sorted out the form of address for a moment, then called to her.
"Kyau!"
Gumiho!
When in doubt, skip the honorifics. Always the best policy.
"...Hm? What is it?"
Gumiho looked down at me, puzzled. I lifted a front paw and pressed it into the top of her foot, tilting my head.
"Kyau! Kyaung!"
There's a little fox at our house, you know? Come on, let's go check if it's her!
I flicked my tail, signaling her to follow. Gumiho just blinked at me, bewildered.
"Go... where, all of a sudden?"
"Kyau!"
I told you, our house!
"Hold on..."
Watching my behavior, Kailian's eyes flashed sharp for an instant. She looked from me to Gumiho and back, then a faint smile crept onto her face, as if something had clicked.
Not bad. Living with me this long has sharpened the butler's instincts.
"Blanc. You're saying we should take her home with us, aren't you?"
Kailian turned and looked Gumiho straight in the eye.
"Gumiho. That daughter you're looking for."
"Yes. Why do you ask... Have you seen her?"
"Yeah. As it happens, we've got a very small, very cute white fox at our place too."
"......!!"
At Kailian's words, Gumiho's tail shot straight up as if she'd been struck by lightning.
"That little one has a story of her own. Our Blanc brought her in. Her fur is snow-white, just like you said, and she's still so young she's only got one tail."
Kailian added, the corner of her mouth lifting slightly.
"And considering our Blanc sniffed you and now wants to take you home... I'd say there's a pretty decent chance the fox at our house is your daughter."
"Th-that's... what...?"
Gumiho's eyes shook wildly. She couldn't even breathe properly, gasping, and both her hands began to tremble like aspen leaves.
The child she had fled that hell and been parted from—the daughter she had believed she would never find again—might still be alive and well. And she might be somewhere she could reach this very moment. Gumiho couldn't form a single word. She just stood frozen, looking back and forth between Kailian and Blanc.
"Ah... aah..."
Watching Gumiho stand there dazed, tears welling, I decided not to let the shock freeze her any longer.
"Kyau!"
Stop standing around and let's go confirm it already!
I kicked off the ground hard, bounced up, and nestled right into the frozen Gumiho's chest.
"Ah......!"
Then I spread my plump front paws wide and firmly pressed my pink jelly pads against both of her dazed cheeks.
Squish.
"Kyau! Kahaang!"
Let's go already! If we'd gotten in the carriage by now, we'd already be having a meal with Lumia.
I urged her on, crying right in front of her nose. I wanted Lumia to meet her family as soon as possible. I'd already been uneasy, remembering how she'd been on the verge of tears before I left, and the thought that I could give her a huge present made my tail swish with impatience.
The soft press of paw pads against her cheeks, and the warm, lively cries urging her on—at last, Gumiho's frozen time began to move again.
"Hic.... hhuk..."
Thick teardrops fell, plip, plip, from Gumiho's large eyes. She clutched my small body as if she might crush me, and broke into a beast's raw sobbing.
"Kyau."
I'll endure this. It's a touching scene.
I did my best not to suffocate in her arms.
"Please... please take me to where that child is... Let me confirm it, if nothing else..."
It was a plea steeped in a mother's burning love, aching and desperate. She held me tight and bowed her head deeply toward Kailian.
"Of course we're taking you. She might be our little one's family."
Kailian smiled and reached out to help Gumiho to her feet. Then she walked steadily toward me, still nestled in Gumiho's arms.
Poke.
"Kyau?"
Kailian's long, firm fingers poked into my soft white belly.
"Hey, Blanc."
"Kyaung."
Why are you poking me. That tickles.
"We're going back to the Imperial Palace with this Gumiho, just like you wanted. I did what you asked, so you have to listen to me too, all right?"
Kailian looked at me with a chilly little smile.
"Tonight you sleep with me. Just the two of us. My arm for a pillow, and no sneaking off to sleep somewhere else in the middle of the night. Got it?"
"Kyaung."
Honestly... she's got separation anxiety at this point.
I looked at her with a moment of pity, then nodded.