Because That's the Goal
"I've come to take this family."
Hearing Evan's words, Kiara lightly bit her lip and let out a low hum. Sharp gazes flew in from every direction—looks laced with mockery and resentment.
As the head of the household, she had not felt such stares in a very long time. Under ordinary circumstances the gazes fixed upon her would have been cheers, praise, awe, or fear. Not this scorn.
"…That will not be possible."
Kiara forced her composure back into place as she answered. She could not return the family. A rightful heir? A tailless failure who had fled the house ages ago?
However she had obtained those tails, Kiara and the rest of the household had every intention of dividing them amicably among themselves. The thought of handing the family over to Rainia had never once crossed their minds.
"A girl who has never received a single lesson in governing a household cannot simply declare herself head and expect anything good to come of it."
"Auntie."
"Aun…?"
"Your tongue is long."
Evan propped his chin on his hand and regarded Kiara with open boredom.
"You can't do this, you can't do that. Saying those things is useless. If you insist nothing is allowed, then we'll simply have to settle it by force."
"You think an outsider can change the head of this family with raw power?"
"Hm? No, I never said I would fight myself."
With a light shove to the small of her back, Evan pushed the blankly standing Rainia forward and pointed at her.
"I already heard the story. You people have that thing here, don't you?"
"Surely not."
"Rainia."
"Family Head. —Under the rules established by the Great White-Faced Golden-Furred Nine-Tailed Fox, I request a Bloodline Duel."
"Rainia…!"
At those words Kiara ground her teeth and glared. The Bloodline Duel. It was the safety device the White-Faced Golden-Furred Nine-Tailed Fox had left behind.
Beastmen or not, their roots were still those of beasts. Creatures more strongly swayed by instinct than by rational judgment. Pitiful beings who knelt before the logic of strength.
Knowing that truth, the nine-tailed fox had created this rule so that, when two beastmen clashed in opinion, they would settle the matter between themselves rather than drag their entire group into ruin.
The rule was simple. The two combatants would rank themselves by the power dwelling in their bloodlines. The victor's word became law.
"You mean to challenge me with that laughable scrap of experience you just gained from obtaining tails only moments ago?"
"No reason I shouldn't. Family Head. Once I tried it, it looked easy."
"Insolent…! Very well! Come at me!"
Under normal circumstances a runaway like Rainia suddenly challenging the Family Head would never have been tolerated. Even beastmen who lived by the logic of strength would push back if an outsider simply walked in and started flexing power.
Yet the supernatural disaster named Evan had short-circuited the entire process. He had forced the Family Head and Rainia face-to-face and created an atmosphere in which everything could be settled by a duel between the two of them alone.
Once matters had reached this point, Kiara could not refuse Rainia. She feared Evan too much to dismiss him as a mere outsider, and she could not claim Rainia lacked legitimacy when…
"Upper Class adventurer, Rainia."
"…Family Head of Gyeongguk-gyeongseong, Kiara."
"In the name of the Great White-Faced Golden-Furred Nine-Tailed Fox— we shall settle this fairly."
Anyone who saw those nine tails swaying behind Rainia would have found it impossible to utter any other words.
Kiara glanced down at her own four tails. Compared to Rainia's they looked meager, yet they were still luxuriant enough—golden tails that had made her Family Head and granted her the foremost power and ability among the fox clan.
"—Come."
"I am coming, Mother."
And in the next instant, fox met fox. Sorcery and allure collided.
"Kh… I… for me to end up like this…"
The Bloodline Duel ended with almost absurd simplicity. Four-tailed Kiara could not withstand the demonic power and sorcery pouring from nine-tailed Rainia.
Her best effort had been merely to resist Rainia's allure; in the end she was completely overpowered.
"With this— I am the master of Gyeongguk-gyeongseong. Mother."
"…Do as you please."
"Yes. That is exactly what I intend."
Kiara stared at Rainia with a face full of humiliation. Now formally Family Head, Rainia casually scanned the surroundings and singled out one of the fox-clan maids.
"You there. Come here."
"M-me, you mean?"
"Yes. You."
Summoned before Rainia, the maid began watching her face with a bewildered expression that clearly asked what on earth was happening.
Rainia gave a small smile at the sight of her.
This woman had been the same back then. Even while carefully reading the room, she had shared food with Rainia and helped her escape.
"From now on, you are the Acting Family Head."
"Wh-what!? What do you mean by…"
"You will run Gyeongguk-gyeongseong in my place. You need not worry about Bloodline Duels. You are not the Family Head, only the Acting Family Head. Anyone who wants the actual position will have to come looking for me, not you."
"A-are you serious? I can't do something like that… I-I'm sure to make some mistake and ruin the entire family…!"
"That's fine. Because that's the goal."
The maid stared at Rainia in pure shock. Ruining the family was her goal?
Whether the maid was shocked or not, Rainia turned to Kiara and the other family heads and spoke.
"If no one has any objections, we will proceed this way. When I am absent, treat her as the Family Head and give her the respect due that position."
With those parting words she and Evan bolted out of the mansion. Once outside, Rainia let out a long breath and burst into laughter.
Evan tilted his head at her as if wondering what was going on.
"What's the matter?"
"Nothing, really. I just never once imagined something like this would be possible. Becoming Family Head only to hand the position over to a maid who was kind to me… either way, both were completely absurd."
Rainia spoke and then glanced sideways at Evan.
Every single one of these events would never have come to pass if she had been alone. If she had never met Evan.
Gaining nine tails, becoming Family Head, and then casually throwing the title away—all of it had been possible only because the solid presence named Evan had been supporting her from behind.
Whether he understood that or not, Evan simply stared at her with the purest, blankest expression imaginable.
"Cute little thing."
"Wh-what all of a sudden?"
"I only said you were cute. Don't be so startled. It makes me want to eat you up."
"…Excuse me!? Wh-what did you just say? Hello? Rainia?"
Evan pestered the now-silent Rainia as they left the Nine Lives mansion, bantering the whole way, until he spotted a man and a group approaching from afar.
The moment his eyes landed on the tiger beastman at the front, he stopped dead and grabbed Rainia's sleeve.
"—Rainia."
"Hm? What is it, Evan?"
"Run."
Just as the startled Rainia was about to ask what was wrong, the beastman who had been walking toward them from a distance leapt and landed squarely in front of the two of them in an instant.
Scattering rubble in every direction as he touched down, the tiger beastman curled his lips into a grin and blocked their path.
"A human and a nine-tailed fox. Both faces I've never seen before."
Evan let out a low hum at the sight of the tiger beastman. Yeah, things had been going a little too smoothly.
"Is this your pet? Nine-tails."
"…Watch your tongue. I am the Family Head of Gyeongguk-gyeongseong, Rainia."
"The head over there is Auntie Kiara, though? What, do you foxes just hand the Family Head position around whenever someone has more tails?"
The tiger beastman showed not the slightest intimidation at Rainia's claim. That meant either he possessed power great enough to ignore the title of Family Head, or—
"Captain Ryung, please go a little slower. What's the big rush?"
"Right. Anyone watching would think you had a lover hidden at home."
—or that he himself was a Family Head. The moment she heard the name Ryung, Rainia instantly understood his identity.
Head of Ilgidangcheon. Tiger Ryung.
A peerless superhuman unmatched by ten thousand.
Gyeongguk-gyeongseong had no superhumans.
That did not mean Nine Lives as a whole lacked them.
Nine Lives was a union formed by nine families and organizations. Gather that many people and exceptional beings were bound to appear.
Tiger Ryung was one such being. Head of Ilgidangcheon and simultaneously Family Head of the tiger clan. The superhuman who stood at the absolute peak of pure martial might within Nine Lives.
Having finished a hunt and returned, Ryung had spotted an interesting-looking human and nine-tailed fox on the road home. And so he had blocked their path.
"—So, what exactly are you two supposed to be?"
Ryung spoke while looking Evan and Rainia up and down. Most of that gaze, however, was fixed not on Rainia but on Evan.
It was not because he felt any particular hatred or interest toward humans. It was simply that the aura and scent that only the strong carried rolled off Evan in waves.
Evan stepped in front of Rainia and gripped his sword hilt.
"Mister, what's your name?"
"Ryung. Tiger Ryung. What's yours, brat?"
"Evan. Evan Calshooter."
"Is that sooo— interesting name."
"We were just trying to leave. You don't plan on letting us go, do you?"
Tiger Ryung grinned and nodded as if it were the most natural thing in the world. The moment Evan saw that, he drew his sword and swung.
If the man had no intention of letting them pass, there was no need for further conversation.
Tiger Ryung dodged the slash with astonishing agility and bellowed at the top of his lungs.
"Anyone who interferes—I'll kill that bastard first—!"
He could not let anyone else snatch this delicious treat. With that thought, Tiger Ryung charged straight at Evan.