The Final Masterminds Are Obsessed with My Foot Jelly
We finished eating and decided to take a leisurely stroll along the mountain path behind the Princess’s Palace to help with digestion.
Kailian, the fox that stuck to me like gum and refused to let go, and I.
“Blanc, full yet? Walk a little slower?”
“Kyaoo.”
I’m fine.
Kailian walked with me in step, asking affectionately.
I wagged my tail gently in agreement. The top-grade steak in my stomach was heavy and satisfying.
Walking made the breeze that gently brushed past even more refreshing, perfect for a stroll.
“Oh my, has the Divine Beast come out?”
“He seems peaceful today as well.”
At the entrance to the path, where a gazebo was overgrown with wisteria, Saintess Lina and Tower Master Rosalia, who had been talking with serious expressions, spotted us and approached.
The two appeared to be discussing something important, but the moment they saw me their faces flipped 180 degrees.
That was kind of scary.
“Kyaoo!”
Did you eat the bread I made today too?
I greeted them happily with my paw raised. Feeling full and lazy, I was overjoyed to see my butlers.
They really are capable beauties when you look at them normally… but right now they’re my can-openers.
“Kyahanghang.”
“Oh my, is something good happening?”
Lina stroked my head. I went over and nuzzled my head against theirs.
While I purred happily from the petting of Rosalia and Lina, the fox that had been clinging to my hind leg suddenly jumped and hid behind me.
“Kyaoo?”
Ah, must be because they’re human.
“Kyaoo!”
These guys are my butlers. Be nice.
“Kkking… kyeng.”
The clingy, spoiled behavior from just moments ago was gone; instead, the fox had flattened its ears tightly in fear.
I felt its fur stand on end on my leg.
“Kking…”
The fox hid its body behind my rear, wrapped its tail around my hind leg, and—nervously—rubbed its face against my fur to sniff my scent.
“…Kyaoo.”
The warm air on the peaceful path subtly changed.
Lina and Rosalia’s gazes locked onto the fox trembling behind my leg.
“Hmmm…”
Rosalia narrowed her eyes. Her sharp gaze pierced the fox, and her magic intuition screamed that the fox was no ordinary creature.
“Blanc-nim, what is that fox? It doesn’t look like a normal wild fox…”
Rosalia slowly reached out her hand.
“Excuse me for a moment. Let me check. The movements and aura are completely different from an ordinary beast.”
She tried to grab the fox’s tail with a fierce look. A faint detection magic wave rippled from the tip of her hand.
“Kyaoo.”
Gotcha.
Pop!
Before Rosalia’s hand could touch it, the fox dodged nimbly.
Recognizing the fine magic wave flowing from Rosalia’s hand, the fox panicked and bolted to the opposite side of my leg to hide.
“Ho-oh?”
A smile tugged at Rosalia’s lips. Cool curiosity flashed behind her monocle.
“You’re evading my touch. Your mana-detection ability… it’s extremely sensitive. You already read my hand’s trajectory and intent. This level of sensing isn’t something a wild beast can manage.”
“Oh my, it’s scared. The Tower Master is being too strict. It’s like staring at an experiment subject, so the kid gets startled.”
Lina smiled gently as she approached.
“Kyaoo…”
Hey, ease up on the power.
“Come here, little one. I’m not a bad person.”
Lina’s white hand reached softly toward the fox. Warm sacred energy swirled like mist from the fingertips.
But the fox panicked again and darted away.
Thud!
Sweat beading on its forehead, the fox ran straight under my belly and flattened itself on the ground.
Lina’s hand sliced through empty air.
“…Hng.”
When the fox met Lina’s eyes, it shrieked in shock and trembled violently.
“Kyaoo…”
You can tell the weird ones right away.
I gave Lina a cold stare.
Lina’s eyebrows twitched. The sound of something cracking came from the folded parasol handle she was gripping.
Crack!
The sturdy parasol handle shattered. Veins bulged and receded on the back of Lina’s white hand.
“Oh my, my mistake. I put a little too much strength in.”
“Kyaoo…”
So the fox is scared.
Lina smiled casually and hid the broken parasol behind her back.
“Normal animals like my touch… but this kid rejects it?”
From under my belly the fox trembled double its size.
It seemed to have sensed something instinctively.
These women here are all off their rockers. I’m doing society well as the new butler.
Rosalia and Lina’s gazes—along with those of the empire’s great figures—fixed on the fox.
‘This isn’t a normal fox.’
The heavy atmosphere made my fur stand on end. If we left it like this, the fox might get dissected or dragged away by Lina.
Even if it was rescued from outside, watching it tremble while clinging to my leg made me unable to leave it.
Plus, it was a life I had saved myself.
‘No way. Let’s run.’
I made up my mind, lowered my head, and gently bit the fox’s nape while it was trembling under my belly.
“Kyeng?!”
“Kyaoo.”
Stay still. I’m doing this for you.
The fox startled at my sudden action and opened its eyes. The dangling creature flailed awkwardly in the air.
Explaining would be annoying.
Tat.
I took the fox in my mouth and ran across the garden.
“Eh? Blanc! Where are you going!”
“Divine Beast?!”
My butlers’ astonished voices rang from behind, but I ran all the way to the wide grassy field and gently set the fox down.
Tuwok.
The fox hit the ground with a butt slap and stared up at me blankly. It still hadn’t processed that it had been snatched away.
I wagged my tail at the fox and lowered my paw, playfully growling.
“Kyaoo!”
Don’t worry about them—let’s play with me.
I tapped the fox with my paw, suggesting a game of tag to ease the tension. It was my small way of caring.
Did it understand my intention, or was it just happy that I had saved it?
The fox’s golden eyes began to sparkle once more. Fear melted away instantly, replaced by pure joy.
“Kyeng! Kyeng!”
The fox quickly regained its energy and charged toward me.
We started rolling around on the grass in play.
Whenever I tapped the fox with my paw, it flopped onto its back showing its belly; when I ran, it chased after me with leaps.
The sight of two fluffy white tails tangling together was so peaceful and adorable it wiped away the earlier tense atmosphere in an instant.
From afar, Rosalia rested her chin on her hand and murmured.
“Hmmm… it’s definitely suspicious. It knew exactly that our mana reactions and intelligence were things it should avoid. That judgment goes beyond instinct.”
Lina nodded.
“Yes, it’s close to a spirit beast or a yokai. Not a normal fox. But…”
Lina smiled bitterly while watching me play with the fox.
“No mana is felt. And most of all, since the Divine Beast likes it so much… it would be too hasty to ‘purify’ it right away.”
“I agree. Let’s classify it as an observation target for now. We can deal with it later if it tries to harm the Divine Beast.”
The two decided to put it on hold. Blanc’s happiness came first.
While playing excitedly, Rosalia and Lina’s suspicious gazes softened; they snuck closer to us.
“Divine Beast! Let us play too! Exercise is important!”
“Blanc-nim, we’ll make it even more fun if we play together.”
Once the two joined in, the garden grew even more lively.
Kailian, who also thought the fox was annoying, couldn’t bring herself to break the fun after seeing me happy.
“Sigh, fine. If you want to, then let’s play too.”
Eventually Kailian joined, and a massive tag game erupted.
The fleeing fox, me chasing it, and the butlers chasing us all created absolute chaos.
After playing for a long time, our breaths came short and we collapsed onto the grass.
“Hah… it was tough.”
Kailian buried her face in my back and panted.
At that moment the fox seized the chance and burrowed into my arms.
“Kking~ Kyuoo~.”
The fox tucked its face into my chest fur and licked my paw, acting spoiled in every way. Thinking the danger was gone, its behavior grew bolder.
The fox even tried to crawl onto my head.
‘By pampering me like this, it thinks it’s the boss now.’
Even if it was cute, the line had to be drawn. How dare it try to sit on a tiger’s head?
I lifted my heavy paw and gently pressed the fox’s head that was trying to climb onto mine.
Puuk.
“Kyaoong.”
Easy now. Who do you think is the boss?
I pressed with my weight, flattening the fox like a rice cake. Its face disappeared into the grass.
“Kyeng…”
The fox couldn’t move an inch under my paw pad and whined. But its tail still wagged happily.
Why does it like it more?
Was it considering my warning as something good?
Seeing this, Kailian burst out laughing.
“Yeah, Blanc. Press harder. Make it super flat. We need to establish the hierarchy clearly.”
“The Divine Beast already… showing its own dignity… I’m moved.”
Lina and Rosalia both smiled in satisfaction.
“We must establish the hierarchy clearly. Remember this, new butler.”
I am #1. The rest… let the butlers decide.
“Kyeng!”
The fox, as if it had understood, rubbed its head against my paw pad. Something sparkled from its slightly open mouth.
“Kyaoo?”
What was that thing that sparkled from that fox’s mouth just now?
Probably nothing special.