Chapter 53: Raising a Fox
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 53: Raising a Fox
I returned to the capital.
Three days had passed since Rin collapsed, but she still hadn't woken up. My hands were tied until she did.
But that didn't mean I was going to laze around all day. I had other things to do.
No matter how wealthy a city, where there is light, there must also be shadow. And in those shadows, there are always those who rummage through trash cans just to survive another day.
Vestia was no different.
However, while a human city has humans, most of Vestia's were…
“Alright, everyone. Form a line. Hey, no cutting in the back there.”
…furballs.
Cat beastkin.
From those with mottled patterns reminiscent of Korean shorthairs, to white ones, black ones, and even ‘kitlers,’ cat people of all shapes and sizes lined up neatly before me.
“Karami, if we really make a contract, will you give us fish-nyan?”
“Of course. Look over there. The others are already tearing into their fish, aren't they?”
“You're not going to make us do hard labor or work us to the bone, are you-nyan?”
“Absolutely not. You can all live freely as you always have, and just come here every day at lunchtime. Then I'll give you fish, just like today.”
“You're an angel-nyan!”
One of the furballs snatched a flopping fish in its mouth and disappeared down the alley.
One by one.
I made subjugation contracts with about ten of the less wary ones first. If they spread the word and brought their friends, the numbers would multiply in no time.
All the stray cats of Vestia would become my slaves.
Now that I'm in Vestia, I've got to rake in the points.
Beastkin were a sure thing.
Their base stats were higher than humans, who were more like cheap snacks.
In other words, even with just a little care, the points I’d get for liberating them were much higher than for humans.
Earn points, save lives.
Killing two birds with one stone.
“Did you feed the street cat people again?”
“Haha, I was only doing what needed to be done. Oh, and no need to thank me. It’s just what I do, you know?”
“Haaa…”
Seira squeezed her eyes shut and covered her forehead with her hand. After a moment of sighing as if she could bore a hole in the ground, she shot me a sharp glare.
“They don't do any work and cause trouble at every opportunity. They're a menace to the city. If you just hand out food to them, they'll have even less reason to work and will just fool around all day.”
“Sounds like a dream life.”
“But for us administrators who have to clean up the messes they make, it's a living hell.”
Seira's eyes looked particularly weary. They were the eyes of an office worker slaving away at a soul-crushing company.
I understood how she felt. I can't stand those crazy cat ladies myself.
But these were half-human, half-beast. To my eyes, they were just cute girls with cat ears and tails.
The thought of seeing them end up as cold corpses strewn across the streets was unsettling.
I have to save who I can save.
Well, sorry, Seira.
Instead, I decided to offer her a word of encouragement.
“Hang in there.”
“Haaaaa…”
Thump!
Just as Seira let out another sigh, a dull crash echoed from the inn. It seemed the little fox was awake.
I headed straight up to the room. I'd even practiced how to talk to a fox for this very occasion.
“Did you sleep well?”
I threw the door open, full of cheerful anticipation.
Whoosh-!
The moment I opened the door, my vision went dark, as if the sun had been hidden by a cloud. Before I could even register what was happening, it was over.
CRASH!
“Keng!”
The thing that had blocked my vision suddenly dropped down. My reaction was slow; I blinked like a sloth before lowering my head.
“Grrrrrrr.”
Rin was pinned to the floor, with Seira on top of her, holding her down.
Rin's claws were extended sharply. If it hadn't been for Seira, my face would have been slashed to ribbons.
“An unsocialized beastkin is no different from a wild animal. You should be careful.”
It's not that I hadn't considered she might attack, so I'd tied her up with a sturdy rope. But the rope had been slashed to pieces, a valiant casualty.
I'll have to get some metal chains.
If I was going to take her for walks later.
“It's fine now. Let her go.”
“She'll just attack again.”
“That won't happen. Let her go.”
Seira gave me a doubtful look, clearly not convinced. But seeing my firm stance, she finally began to rise slowly, keeping a wary eye on Rin.
And, just as expected, even after Seira let go, Rin remained motionless.
I had placed the slave contract on her the moment we first met. In her childlike state, she was incapable of defying me.
“Grrrrrr!”
Rin let out an animalistic growl, glaring at me as if she wanted to kill me. She knew who was suppressing her freedom. She radiated an intensity that suggested she would lunge at any moment.
“What are you going to do now? From the looks of it, she hasn't been socialized at all.”
“Then I'll start now.”
“Beastkin are different from humans. Even with their own kind, they won't associate with those outside their original pack. It's even more severe for those like the foxes of White Cloud Valley, who have been completely cut off from other races.”
It wasn't an outlandish theory.
In fact, there's the example of The Jungle Book, a novel based on a true story.
A human boy who lived among a pack of wolves. A hunter later found him and took him to an orphanage, but despite being human, he couldn't adapt to human society.
Where one is born and raised has a huge impact.
And since beastkin possess not only human traits but animal ones as well, the effect would be even more pronounced for them.
But that was fine.
“You don't have to worry. I can raise her without any problems.”
“Don't tell me you're going to use violence…?”
“What do you take me for? That will absolutely not happen, so mind your own business and leave. You're interrupting our bonding time.”
I picked up the immobilized Rin, tucked her under my arm, shooed Seira out, and closed the door.
Then I opened it again.
“Could you go downstairs and bring up some food? The kid must be hungry.”
“Why are you acting like her dad—”
Thump.
I closed the door. I sat on the bed and laid Rin horizontally across my lap. I wanted to let her move freely, but it was still too soon.
I'd have to get some chains and tie her to a post or something before I could let her loose.
“Let's see… Her wounds seem to be mostly healed. Her fur is damaged, though, so it'll need some care.”
I'd dressed her in a simple, flowing white dress, and I had no plans to buy her anything else for a while. She was in a growth spurt, so any pretty clothes I got her would be outgrown in no time.
“Grrrrr.”
“The lady will bring some food soon, so just wait a little. Until then, want to have some fun with Master?”
“KRAANG!”
Hmph. Does she not understand me?
But no problem. I'd memorized the language of foxes for just such an occasion.
“Hatee-hatee-hatee-ho.”
“Grrrr…”
“Wa-pa-pa-pa-pa-pow.”
“KYAAANG—!”
Emergency.
It seemed I only made her angrier.
Hmph, this is unexpected.
What went wrong? My fox impression should have been perfect. Maybe the problem was with Rin, who hadn't been properly educated.
But that was okay. As her master, I had to show great magnanimity.
For now, words weren't getting through, and her hostility towards me was so high that nothing seemed like it would work. I decided to just stroke her tail.
I don't know how long I waited like that. Rin's growling gradually subsided. Instead, she started sniffing the air, her nose twitching. Her head turned toward the door.
Click.
“I've brought the food.”
Seira appeared, holding plates in both hands. One of her legs was slightly raised, suggesting she'd used her foot to pull the doorknob.
“Thank you. Just put it on the floor.”
“…Do you have any idea how low it is to use someone's biological needs to control them?”
“You should be saying that to the foxes of White Cloud Valley, not me. Can you really say that after seeing these skinny limbs?”
“……”
Unable to think of a rebuttal, Seira just sighed, set the dishes on the floor, and left.
The smell of meat instantly filled the room. The appetizing aroma made my own mouth water. If it was like this for me, what must it be like for Rin?
Sure enough, her eyes were glued to the food as if nailed there. And it wasn't a metaphor—drool was literally pouring from her mouth like a waterfall.
If my memory served me right, back in the village, Rin had lived on nothing more than a few scavenged potatoes and sweet potatoes.
Meat? She'd never even seen it.
While Rin was out luring yokai away from the village, they had feasted on it all by themselves.
Even if foxes are omnivores, try eating nothing but potatoes for hundreds of years. Anyone would ask, “Do you people own anything but potatoes?”
Don't you worry. Daddy's going to feed you meat until you burst today. Of course, it's not for free.
“Do you want some?”
Flinch.
Rin wavered. Her gaze, which had been fixed on the meat, shifted to me.
She wasn't growling.
Her mismatched eyes, one the color of the sun and the other the moon, sparkled wildly as if the Big Bang was going off inside them.
She knew without me saying a word. She knew whose permission she needed to eat it.
“If you make a promise with me, I'll let you eat.”
“…!”
“Listen to my words. That's all. What do you say? That's not so hard, is it?”
For Rin, whose intelligence was still only at the level of a five-year-old, instinctual desire was paramount. She nodded her head frantically.
“Good. If you're going to listen to me, you deserve a reward.”
I sat Rin up on the bed and brought the plate over. I planned to feed her myself.
She'd promised, but a verbal contract with a child is basically worthless. One wrong move, and human flesh could be added to the menu.
I speared a juicy chunk of meat with a fork. As I lifted it, Rin's eyes followed it like a magnet. No matter how I moved it, her gaze never left.
That was enough teasing.
When I brought the meat to her lips, she opened her mouth as wide as it could go and chomped down with a “Waaang!”
In that instant, Rin's eyes went wide.
Since Rin couldn't move her hands freely, I slowly pushed the meat into her mouth. While she was distracted by the food, I used my other hand to stroke her head.
So she could slowly get used to the sensation.
So she would come to accept this touch.
“Remember the taste of this meat well. Remember that if you listen to me, you can eat delicious food like this every single day.”
“Grrrrrr!”
“Ah, seriously.”
It only lasted until she was done eating.
Her belly's full now, is it?
What a cunning little fox.