Chapter 96: A Dawn Stroll
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 96: A Dawn Stroll
Since ancient times, in both the East and the West, the fox has been known as an animal of great cunning.
There is the idiom of the fox borrowing the tiger's might to display its own power. There are Aesop's fables, like the one about the old lion and the fox.
The Fox Clan, having inherited this sly nature, was no different, and the Gumiho was certainly no exception. She felt no need to humor Hilde.
Moreover, considering herself a proud fox, she utterly detested associating with lowly beings.
And so, the moment Hilde set foot in the Celestial Pavilion, the Gumiho cast an illusion.
A flower in a mirror, the moon on the water.
The illusion technique: Mirror Flower Water Moon.
With her Lunar Eye and her spiritual power replenishing her deficient strength, it wasn't difficult. Hilde’s lion’s roar had nearly shattered the illusory space, though.
Had Hilde realized it was an illusion and roared with the intent to break it, it would have shattered. But, well, she never caught on, so her attempt ended in failure.
Hilde paid dearly for her inability to escape the illusion. She collapsed to the floor, unconscious, without putting up any real resistance.
The Gumiho pressed her foot lightly on the back of Hilde’s head, pondering what to do with her.
“Should I just suck out her essence~?”
She was a brute, but she seemed to have a fair bit of power. Absorbing her essence would be a significant help in restoring her own strength.
Just as the Gumiho was about to absorb Hilde’s essence…
“Ah, you can’t do that.”
Karami’s voice cut in, and the Gumiho’s movement ceased. She shot him a displeased glare.
“Why? Wouldn’t it be good for you if she disappeared?”
“She may be a brute, but if a kingdom’s princess vanishes overnight, it would cause an uproar. How could that be good?”
“If I let her go, she’ll just come at me again. Sorry, but I’m not interested in pointless fights.”
“Even so, you’ll have to obey if I command it. Besides, I already have something in mind.”
Karami looked down at Hilde and let out a sinister chuckle.
*
“Ugh…”
Hilde’s eyes fluttered open as she regained consciousness. Her head spun as if she were suffering from extreme seasickness. She pressed a hand to her forehead.
‘What the…?’
She remembered going to the Celestial Pavilion for a duel. But this was a guest room in the Pavilion, wasn't it? She had no idea why she was lying in a bed, and on top of that…
“Are you awake?”
Karami, sitting in a chair beside the bed, spoke to her. He had been in the middle of reading a book.
“The café owner…?”
“You woke up sooner than I expected. Big Rin said you’d be out for the rest of the day. I suppose that’s a princess for you.”
Hilde, who had been blinking blankly, still unable to grasp the situation, shot up from the bed. The faint, dreamlike memories began to sharpen.
The memory of being caught in a strange spell, swinging her fists at empty air before being taken down.
“Where is that Gumiho bitch?!”
“Probably talking with the Celestial Fox? They seemed to have a lot to discuss.”
“How dare she pull that shit on me and then have a leisurely chat? She’s fucking dead.”
Hilde violently threw off the blanket and was about to storm out of the room.
“Whoa there, you shouldn’t move so recklessly.”
Thud.
Hilde’s body froze in the exact posture she’d been in as she tried to leave. Her hand was outstretched toward the doorknob, one foot awkwardly planted on the ground. Considerably flustered, Hilde looked down at her own ridiculous state.
“What… what the hell is this?”
Did that Gumiho do something strange to her? Her body wouldn't listen, as if it were bound by some kind of magic.
“It would be a problem if you rampaged about. Why don’t you calm down and have a seat for now?”
“What did you say, you bastard? Have you lost your damn mind? Who do you think you’re—huh?”
Contrary to the curses spilling from her mouth, Hilde obediently sat down on the bed. She sat in a demure posture she would never normally adopt.
It was a bizarre sensation, as if her body was ignoring her own will and obeying someone else's commands. Hilde’s panic climbed another notch.
“What’s happening to my body?”
“What do you mean? Where in the world is there a slave who doesn’t listen to her master?”
“What kind of bullshit is that? Why would I be your slave? Are you fucking crazy?”
“Hmm, it seems this slave has high strength stats but low intelligence stats…”
“You low-life piece of shit!”
Hilde was about to swing her fist, intending to crush Karami’s entire head.
“Stay.”
Once again, Hilde froze in the middle of throwing a punch.
“Sit.”
She hesitantly lowered herself, then crouched on the floor in a ‘stay’ position.
“Wh-what is this…?!”
Hilde struggled with all her might to break free, but she couldn’t budge an inch. Karami, who had been looking down at her with a leisurely smile and crossed legs, extended a hand.
“Paw.”
“What the hell do you take me for, you bastard!”
Thump.
Hilde placed her hand on top of Karami’s. A grin spread across Karami’s face.
“Other paw.”
Thump.
“Uh… huh?”
Only then did Hilde realize that something was very, very wrong. Karami nodded with a satisfied expression.
“Her mouth is foul, but her body is honest. This slave must be the tsundere type. Still, I’m not a fan of profanity, so she’ll need some special training.”
A way to subdue Hilde without stealing her essence.
‘There’s nothing better than making her a slave.’
All he had to do was place the soul shackles on her and give a command. Simple.
Truthfully, he didn’t like forcibly enslaving people he disliked. It was unavoidable for the story slaves, but he didn’t use his power carelessly on others.
But, in a rare case, Hilde was an exception.
‘Every time I think about my dog café that went out of business because of her, tears well up… sob.’
It was personal.
And there was another reason.
‘I’ve never had the chance to raise her as a slave.’
Though she was the princess of Vestia, Hilde was nothing more than Obstacle #1, interfering with Rin’s liberation. She was a frequently appearing extra, but it had been impossible to enslave her.
As a slave enthusiast who had raised every type of slave imaginable, how could I pass up an opportunity like this?
Hilde, who had plummeted from a nation’s princess to a slave in an instant, stared with vacant eyes, unable to accept reality.
“It seems it hasn’t sunk in yet. That’s alright! I know a very good way to deepen the bond between a master and a slave.”
Karami pulled a leash from his coat.
Hilde looked up at him, her eyes filled with anxiety.
“Shall we go for a walk?”
*
‘Fuck, fuck, fuck, motherfucker!!!’
In the dead of night, when everyone was asleep.
Hilde swallowed her curses and walked the silent streets.
Ordinarily, this wouldn’t be strange. With a personality that made her restless if she stood still, Hilde often roamed the city whenever she had a chance.
When bored, she would beat up hyena beastkin scavengers and hang sleeping sloths from the tops of towers, only to watch the spectacle the next morning.
But today, Hilde’s dawn stroll was different.
First, her line of sight. It was so low, she imagined it must be what the world looked like to a toddler just learning to walk.
Second, her posture. The number of limbs touching the cool pavement was not two, but four. She used her arms like a beast, crawling on all fours.
And the last thing.
“The cool dawn breeze feels nice, doesn’t it?”
She had a companion.
That companion was, of course, Karami. In his hand, he held a leash, and that leash was connected to Hilde’s neck.
Princess Hilde was crawling through the marketplace on all fours.
For slaves, especially beastkin slaves, the most effective way to raise affinity was a walk. It also served to engrave the master-slave relationship into their minds, making it the perfect interaction.
“Just you wait until this magic wears off. I’ll tear you limb from limb while you’re still alive!”
Of course, some slaves were ferocious, but that was even better. Taming such a creature was the fundamental joy and ultimate content of raising slaves, was it not?
Karami was only delighted by Hilde’s growling.
“Are you sure you should be shouting like that? Someone might hear the commotion and come. Oh, speak of the devil, there’s someone up ahead.”
“What…?”
In front of an inn.
A man, unable to sleep, was smoking a cigarette and getting some air. He had no tail or ears; he was a human.
“Ugh!”
She couldn’t let anyone see her in this humiliating state. Hilde tried to turn, but Karami pulled on the leash.
“Now, now, where are you going? The path is this way.”
“Hey. W-wait a minute…!”
Hilde’s resistance was futile as Karami dragged her toward the man. The man, who had been gazing at the moon while smoking, turned his head at the sound of their approach.
“Hm? Who goes there?”
“Oh, my apologies for startling you. I was just taking my slave for a walk.”
Karami lifted the hand holding the leash for the man to see. The man’s gaze followed the leash down. On the ground was a beastkin, walking on all fours.
She seemed quite shy, as her head was pressed to the ground, hiding her face.
“She seems to be a shy slave.”
“Yes, I only recently acquired her. We’re in the process of getting to know each other.”
“What species is she? She looks a bit like a cat, but on closer inspection, she could be a lion…”
The lion, known as the king of beasts, reigned as the king of Vestia. A lion beastkin would have royal blood.
Did that mean this slave was of royal lineage? There was no way something so absurd could be true.
But she was female, and her fur happened to be black. Her build seemed to be that of a woman in her twenties, similar to Princess Hilde of Vestia. She really did look like a lion beastkin…
As the man stared intently, Karami laughed aloud.
“Haha, a lion? How could that be? She’s a cat.”
“Ah, I suppose that makes more sense.”
The man was quickly convinced.
Hilde’s infamy was known even in other countries. The idea of her being a human’s slave was ridiculous. It was utter nonsense.
“Would you like to pet her?”
“I do like beastkin, but won’t she scratch?”
“Haha, don’t worry. My cat doesn’t bite.”
“Hmm, if you say so…”
The man crouched down and gently stroked Hilde’s head. Her hair was fine and soft, clearly well-cared for.
“Oho, her master must cherish her quite a bit.”
“A master should naturally know how to care for their slave.”
“You’ve found a truly good master. Be sure to listen to him from now on.”
The man chuckled, patting her head without a second thought.
It was a damn good thing he couldn’t see the look on Hilde’s face, bowed as it was.