Chapter 127: When Foxes Smoked Tobacco (3)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 127: When Foxes Smoked Tobacco (3)
The Nine-Tailed Fox was a figure of legend, passed down through the long history of the Fox Spirit tribe.
A Fox Spirit with nine tails.
No such being had ever appeared in the history of Fox Pass.
It was a tale recorded not in history books, but in holy scriptures, for the Nine-Tailed Fox was a divine being.
The true guardian of the Fox Spirit tribe, and the master of all fox marbles.
A deity who stood shoulder-to-shoulder with gods like Nathaniel, Sanfriel, and Wizus in the Age of Myths.
That was the Nine-Tailed Fox.
And according to one legend, the Nine-Tailed Fox could manifest on the mortal plane.
‘When the red moon rises, if an Eight-Tailed Fox Spirit meets its end in extreme agony.’
The fox marble, resonating with that pain, would momentarily fracture the Ethereal Galaxy and create a passage.
Through it, the Nine-Tailed Fox would descend.
It would possess the body of the Eight-Tailed Fox Spirit. The original owner would die, but in their place, a divine being would descend upon the world.
“…Does that story even make sense?”
It was a week later when Caleb heard about the red moon.
They were in front of Hyedam’s residence.
“You said it was none of my business. Why are you asking now?”
She was feeding the fish in the pond.
She tore off small pieces of a rice cake and tossed them into the water, plip, plop.
“They’re eating well.”
Watching the fish feed, Hyedam fell into deep thought.
“I wonder how we look to the fish.”
“…”
“They may not be Beastfolk, but they might have their own thoughts and culture. They might even be laughing at us.”
To Hyedam, every being she had ever met outside of the Fox Spirits was an invader. Except for Caleb.
Bringing him here had been a kind of deviation, just as the elders had said, but now she was curious.
“I wonder how I look in the eyes of a fish.”
*
A few more weeks passed. Caleb came to light Hyedam’s long-stemmed pipe.
“Want to kiss?”
She asked out of the blue.
“Are you crazy?”
“You don’t want to? I haven’t smoked my pipe yet today.”
“I’m not refusing because of the smell of tobacco.”
“Then why not?”
“I didn’t say I didn’t want to.”
“Then why are you refusing?”
“Don’t try to soothe your anxiety like that.”
“…”
A look of indignation crossed Hyedam’s face.
“What do you know to say something like that?”
“Honestly, this is all ridiculous!”
Caleb shouted in anger.
“Let’s say all those legends are true. So what? You’re going to summon the Nine-Tailed Fox god here and die?”
“…”
“And aren’t the elders going too far? They’ve sent you into the jaws of death to fight off invaders, forced you into duels, and worked you to the bone all this time. Now that the red moon is about to rise, they’re telling you to commit a painful suicide?”
“So that’s how an outsider sees it.”
“Of course!”
In the west, there was an animal called an elephant.
It was an incredibly large and powerful creature.
If you chained a baby elephant, it would learn not to venture beyond the space the chain allowed.
But once that elephant was fully grown, it could easily break the chain with its immense strength.
And yet, the elephant never leaves its spot.
“That’s exactly what this looks like to me.”
“…”
“Don’t you actually want to leave this forest?”
She had always been curious about the world outside Fox Pass. That was why she enjoyed calling Caleb over to hear stories of the west, south, and north.
Her innocent blue eyes would go wide as she puffed on her pipe, completely engrossed.
Stories of Barbarians tearing into their hunted prey while it was still alive. Of Frostians taking ice-cold baths. Of Dwarves digging through mines. Of how the cold-blooded Lizards maintained their body temperature.
She was fascinated by the Beastfolk.
“People don’t live like this outside of Fox Pass. Someone with your skills could become a Labyrinth Adventurer and live a great life.”
“That sounds nice.”
“What in the world are you doing here? To me, it just looks… it’s just foolish.”
“Don’t be so quick to judge. Small, weak races like the Fox Spirits don’t have a choice.”
“What did you say?”
“Even a newborn has one tail and a fox marble.”
“…”
“I don’t know as much about the Beastfolk as you do, but I know one thing. The Fox Spirits are the weakest of all races. And we fetch the highest price.”
Someone as strong as Hyedam could protect herself, but most of the villagers could not.
A race like this had no other options. In the end, they had to sacrifice the labor of their strongest members to ensure the safety of all.
If they weren’t united to the point of foolishness, they would face extinction as a species.
That was why the elders were so obsessed with the Nine-Tailed Fox. If it could manifest on earth, the Fox Spirits would no longer have to live in fear and hiding.
“I understand.”
Hyedam loved her village, and her honor was important to her.
“It was my choice. I chose to die. The elders never forced me to summon the Nine-Tailed Fox. I chose this.”
She said.
“Don’t defile my decision.”
“…”
“Do you think I’m being exploited because I’m stupid? That’s not it.”
Hyedam picked up her long pipe.
“I chose this. I’m not a lamb or a pig being led to the slaughter for a sacrificial rite. Don’t look at me like that. I am…”
Her hand trembled as she lit the pipe herself.
“I am a martyr, charging onto the battlefield with the fate of all Fox Spirits on my shoulders.”
“…”
“So don’t treat me like an idiot.”
Before she put the pipe to her lips, her hand hesitated, hovering in the air.
And instead of inhaling the smoke…
“Want to kiss?”
She asked again, her voice a little more desperate than before.
“You said you didn’t not want to, right?”
“…”
“I’m not trying to soothe my anxiety, either. It’s true that I’m anxious, but the reason I asked for a kiss is…”
“…”
“I’m curious.”
Her hand holding the pipe trembled.
“Whether it’s sweeter than this pipe. Because this is still all I have…”
Caleb pulled her into a fierce embrace and kissed her.
*
She was a pitiful person.
She claimed it was her choice, but how could it be a choice?
To choose something means to lay out all the options, weigh the pros and cons, and then pick one.
But she had never once stepped outside of Fox Pass.
So how could that be a choice?
Just six months ago, she didn’t even know that Lizards licked their own eyeballs!
She didn’t know about Labyrinth Eruptions!
“Two weeks left, Hyedam.”
The elders’ nagging, when they visited that day, grated on Caleb’s nerves.
“The red moon appears because the sun illuminates the continent from across the sea. When the continent’s shadow covers the moon, it turns red. That moment will last for a fleeting three minutes at most.”
“Yes.”
“If you miss that moment, the chance to summon the Nine-Tailed Fox will be lost forever. Compose yourself and clear your mind. You must not be tainted by any impurity.”
“I understand.”
Hyedam’s meek obedience was suffocating to watch.
“Is the Nine-Tailed Fox even real?”
The words that slipped out of the young man’s mouth as he was lighting the pipe made the air in the room freeze.
“What…”
“Did you just say that?”
“That human?”
The elders, utterly flabbergasted, glared at Caleb. Having already started, he didn’t stop.
“If the Fox Spirits are weak, shouldn’t you be the ones getting stronger?”
“…”
“Hiding behind one powerful shaman as your guardian, protecting your safety and your pride, exploiting her like this… Don’t you feel ashamed, puffing out your chests and acting all high and mighty as elders?”
Caleb expected the elders to fly into a rage, but instead, they burst out laughing.
“Hahaha!”
Then, without a word to Caleb, they started tearing into Hyedam.
“Hyedam!”
“…I-I’m sorry.”
“You’ve been keeping scum like this by your side all this time?!”
The elders’ shouts echoed through the room.
“How many times did we tell you to conduct yourself properly to avoid impurity!”
“Drag this bastard out and execute him at once!”
“You must cut him off yourself, Hyedam.”
An elder took out a dagger and tossed it in front of her.
“Kill him now.”
“…”
Hyedam bit her lip.
“Ca… Caleb is not an invader.”
“Caleb? You even call him by name?”
“…Elders. I was the one who brought him here. In a way, he is a guest of this house. Would it not be a dishonor to kill a weak and defenseless civilian? Please, show him mercy.”
Hyedam prostrated herself on the floor, bowing her head.
“Tsk.”
The elders clicked their tongues.
“Get him out of here by the end of the day.”
“…Yes.”
*
“What the hell do you know to spout such nonsense!”
After the elders left, all hell broke loose.
Seething with rage, Hyedam shoved Caleb’s shoulders repeatedly, screaming.
“I told you! I’m not being exploited!”
She struck his shoulder again and again with her long pipe.
“I chose this! I love this village, and I want to protect the Fox Spirits!”
She yelled.
“I’d rather be a martyr here than wander outside the village in dishonor as a traitor!”
“…”
“So who do you think you are, humiliating me in front of the elders!”
Crack!
The long pipe broke.
“…That’s not it.”
“What’s not it?”
“You didn’t choose this!”
Caleb tossed aside the broken pipe and grabbed both of Hyedam’s shoulders.
“What…?”
Her anger boiling over, Hyedam gritted her teeth.
“You kissed me once, and now you think you’re something special?”
“…”
“I called you here, kept you close, and listened to your stories. Did that make you feel proud?”
“Hyedam!”
“Fine. I’ll admit what I must. Compared to the Nine-Tailed Fox, I am a frail mortal, and my heart is as fragile as a flower. It’s true that I suffered from loneliness and anxiety. I, too…”
Tears streamed down Hyedam’s face.
“I don’t want to die either.”
“…”
“I’m scared of dying, too. Fine. I admit it. That’s… that’s why I called you here. Because I wanted to hear about the outside world. I wanted to know before I died. I was curious!”
She said.
“But… but don’t you dare mistake that for you being something special. You were just something I kept by my side for a while to soothe my loneliness and anxiety.”
“Hyedam…”
“You are not my lover, nor are you my teacher. To me, you were like a pet. Something warm and comforting to hold, that calmed my heart, like a puppy or a cat. That’s all you were.”
Hyedam shoved him away.
“Get out.”
“…”
“Get out of this village. I was planning on sending you away soon anyway.”
“You…”
Caleb slowly turned around.
“You are a pitiful person.”
“…”
“I wanted to get you out of here.”
“Wait.”
As Caleb started to leave, Hyedam stopped him.
“N-not yet. Wait a moment.”
She tried to calm her heaving chest, racked with tears and agitation.
“I have something for you.”
Hyedam took something out of her pocket.
It was a set of five paper talismans.
“I wrote these for you. A weakling like you will probably get caught by marauders again on your way down the mountain.”
“…”
“Use them in an emergency.”
[Foxfire]
[Fox Charm]
[Soul Marble Shield]
[Mysterious Fox Den]
[Spirit Dash]
“This is payment for your service.”
“…Thank you.”
Caleb took the five talismans and left.
With a cruel, cold finality.
Without a single glance back.
“…”
Left alone, Hyedam struggled to hold back the tears welling in her eyes.
She wanted to smoke her long pipe.
But the pipe was broken.