Chapter 93: Busted (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 93: Busted (1)
This was a situation that required thorough preparation.
I had failed to receive the blessing of Unicorn Iris, which was crucial for subjugating the Twelve Yokai Fiends.
There is also the Pegasus, but...
A Western fantasy creature on par with the unicorn. Considering the timeline, she should be attending the academy in Vestia. The problem was, she wasn't a Pegasus yet. She was the type to take out a loan for her academy tuition, fail to pay it back, and end up being sold as a slave.
I would have to help her and awaken her as a Pegasus. Then I could receive a constant effect similar to the unicorn's blessing.
But how long would it take to raise and awaken her? That was a task for later, not now.
"Aren't you looking more and more gaunt?"
A few days had passed since the appearance of the Twelve Yokai Fiends.
I was sitting on the sofa, stroking Rin's tail and enjoying its fluffy texture, when Seira suddenly spoke up. It was something I'd been hearing a lot lately.
"I have been feeling tired lately..."
Drowsiness would wash over me at night. It was hard to wake up early in the morning. No matter how much I rested, the fatigue wouldn't go away.
"Is it that bad?"
"A passerby might not notice, but to someone who sees you every day, the difference is clear."
"Hmm..."
If I had to guess the reason, could it be the influence of misfortune? As it was, yokai sightings had increased at night ever since the Twelve Yokai Fiends had come and gone.
They would enter dreams to absorb essence, or kidnap people walking alone.
With a gumiho by my side, no yokai would dare approach me. But on the other hand, perhaps it was because a gumiho was by my side that I was being affected by her.
If I had to name one other possibility...
My gaze fell to Rin, who was licking the back of my hand on my thigh. Our eyes met for a moment.
"What is it, Master?"
"I was just looking because you're pretty."
Right. Surely she wouldn't be sucking my essence, would she? It probably wouldn't even taste good.
Maybe that Gumiho would, but this was Rin, whom I'd raised with my own hands. She would never do that. Even thinking such a thing was a betrayal of my trust in her.
I'm probably just tired. It'll pass.
I didn't pay it much mind.
"Hm?"
Rin, who had been lazing about without a care in the world, let out a questioning sound and summoned her fox orb. The orb blinked intermittently.
"Master, Granny's calling."
"The Celestial Fox?"
We went to the Celestial Pavilion every day for Rin's magic training, but occasionally Yuhwa would contact us like this.
It was probably about Hilde. I needed to check it out.
I immediately headed to the Celestial Pavilion with Rin.
*
"Hooo..."
Yuhwa let out a long, weary sigh.
Her body, weighed down by the years, was not what it used to be, but the main reason was likely the clear repercussions of defying the Mandate of Heaven to suppress the Gumiho.
How much power she'd had to use just to placate Hilde's anger. In the past, it would have been a drop in the bucket, but now, dealing with her was overwhelming.
If this continued, she might lose all her power as the Celestial Fox...
Blink, blink.
Yuhwa glanced at the orb.
The fox orb's light flickered, constantly receiving signals from the heavens. It was a sign, offering her a chance to turn everything back, even now.
Heaven's final mercy.
But Yuhwa turned her gaze from the orb without difficulty. If she were going to back down now, she wouldn't have helped the Gumiho in the first place.
She didn't fear Divine Punishment. She had lived for far too long for that.
And she had been deeply moved.
She sensed a presence in the Celestial Pavilion. It seemed the two troublemakers had arrived.
Yuhwa gestured, and a door opened in mid-air. On the other side were, just as she'd expected, the two of them.
"We're here."
"Hi, Granny~"
Karami bowed his head as he entered, while Rin waved freely. Enslaving a gumiho was impressive, but it seemed he hadn't managed to teach her any manners.
If he had, he wouldn't be a slave trader; he'd be a god. Yuhwa swallowed a bitter smile.
"You've arrived sooner than I thought... huh?"
Yuhwa, who had been about to greet the master and slave, froze. The moment she saw Karami, her sky-blue pupils widened.
"You...?"
"Haha, do I look a bit gaunt? I suppose it's because I've been working so hard I haven't had time to take care of myself."
Karami rattled off the words as if he'd expected the reaction, but it was far from enough to convince Yuhwa.
From not taking care of himself?
No. That wasn't a physical problem. It was something else entirely.
Yuhwa's Heavenly Eye could see it. The essence that constituted his life was not whole. It looked as if a bite had been taken out of it, just like when a yokai absorbs essence.
With a gumiho at his side, what fearless yokai would dare...?
A bewildered Yuhwa shifted her gaze and finally saw it. Karami's essence was flowing inside Rin's body. The moment she realized it.
-Granny.
Rin's voice echoed in her mind.
A step behind Karami, Rin's eyes and mouth curved into a thin smile. As her eyes met Yuhwa's, she raised a straight index finger to her lips.
-Shhh.
She made a soft hushing sound.
-You...?
-Master doesn't know. So you can't tell him.
-...Why did you do it? Are you trying to betray him?
-Don't say such things. I did it because I love Master so much. And it's noooot a threat to his life at all. He'll just feel a little tired, that's all.
It was true that it wasn't life-threatening. The amount of essence Rin had absorbed was minuscule. Seeing how she'd controlled it, she didn't seem to intend to harm Karami.
But when one's essence, which should be there, disappears, it brings an unshakable fatigue. One's quality of life plummets.
Putting all that aside, it was simply something she should not have done.
Why would Rin do such a thing?
Yuhwa's Heavenly Eye could see a little deeper. Deep within Rin's psyche, the Gumiho was crouched, biding its time.
Waiting for the moment Rin would cross the line.
The moment she would cross the river of no return.
The moment she would harm her master with her own hands.
To make that happen, it was secretly leading her down the path of corruption from within. Persuading her with words would only create resistance, so it subtly tampered with her thoughts from the inside.
"Celestial Fox?"
Since she had summoned him only to stand there silently, Karami, who had been waiting quietly, couldn't help but call out. He looked at Yuhwa with a puzzled expression.
Karami seemed to have no suspicion about his current state. Should she call him foolish, or a man of great faith? In this case, it seemed to be the latter.
"...It's nothing. The reason I called you is about Princess Hilde."
I must do something about this... before it's too late. Secretly, so the Gumiho doesn't find out.
"You know your identity has been revealed, I assume. And that Princess Hilde is determined to eliminate the Gumiho."
"I'm well aware. Did she ask for your cooperation, Celestial Fox?"
"No, she did not. My will is already set. However, persuading her seems difficult."
That the Gumiho wasn't as harmful as the old legends claimed. That it wasn't that bad. That the misfortune befalling the city could be resolved.
But Hilde wouldn't listen. She was blind to everything but the need to kill the Gumiho.
Still, if they fought recklessly, the city wouldn't survive. So, Yuhwa's proposal was to provide a place for them to duel.
"Here in the Celestial Pavilion?"
"Yes. Here, the fallout won't reach the outside world."
In other words, Yuhwa had taken on the role of arranging a duel between Rin and Hilde. Karami was willing to accept that.
A one-on-one battle between Hilde and Rin gave them a good chance of winning. It was a hurdle they had to overcome anyway.
"We'll do it. Is that okay, Rin?"
"Of course."
"Alright, then I will inform Princess Hilde. When a date is set, I will contact you as I did today."
Just as Karami, his business concluded, was about to leave, Yuhwa stopped him.
"Oh, I had something to give you but forgot. Take this."
Like a grandmother pressing candy into the hand of her grandson heading home after the holidays, Yuhwa placed a white orb in Karami's hand.
It glowed with a brilliant light; one look was enough to tell it was no ordinary object.
"This is...?"
"You said you were feeling weak, so this is a special gift. Keep it. Just carrying it on your person will boost your vitality."
"Granny, isn't this suspicious?"
"More difficult things are to come, so you must keep your wits about you. If your master were to suddenly collapse, it would surely affect you as well."
"Well..."
That would be a problem for Rin, too.
In many ways.
"Then I'll accept it without reservation."
Karami took the orb and put it in his pocket.
*
That night, as always, I lay down in the same bed as Rin to sleep.
I was given no blanket, no pillow. I used one of Rin's tails as a pillow and covered myself with the others like a blanket.
It wasn't something I had asked for. It was all done under Rin's initiative. I had no choice, as Rin had taken all the bedding.
Not that I mind.
The fluffy fur was warmer than any blanket. What man would refuse being held by a beautiful girl using her entire body? There was just one thing that bothered me.
Have I been spoiling her too much?
The thought occurred to me again.
With my other slaves, I would liberate them and part on good terms around the time their affection maxed out. But since I'd spent so much time with Rin, her affection had hit its peak long ago.
As a result, she often acted in ways that seemed to overstep the master-slave relationship.
I may cherish my slaves, but that's only when a slave acts like a slave.
It might be different after liberation, but a slave trying to be friends with their master was absurd. It went against my values.
The master treats the slave kindly, and the slave repays that kindness with unconditional loyalty. That is the most beautiful and healthy relationship.
But if I tried to be strict with her now, I was worried her affection would drop.
From now on, I'll have to proceed with the dignity of a master.
Since she's a person and not an NPC, if her affection gets too high, she might stop listening to me. Another lesson learned.
Drowsiness slowly crept in. It was strange how sleepy I got as soon as night fell. I would sleep without waking once, yet I'd be exhausted when I got up.
It was an irony.
"Rin?"
My eyes snapped open when I felt a strange sensation. The feeling of something being drained from my body. My hazy mind, as if doused with cold water, suddenly sharpened.
When I opened my eyes, Rin was on top of me, her hand on my chest.
"M-Master?"
Rin, her eyes meeting mine, was completely flustered.
Like a criminal caught in the act.
Crack. The sound of an orb shattering could be heard.
"What are you doing right now?"