55 - The Freed S*aves Became Obsessed

# Chapter 55: The Bond Deepens The true beginning of nurturing—a term more suited than mere upbringing. Bathing her. Teaching her to speak. Feeding her diligently. And right when I think she's plotting to escape—or even aiming for my life—there's no end to the surprises she brings. Is it exhausting? 'Absolutely not.' That's because the fox is simply adorable. When something is cute, it earns instant forgiveness. Now I understand why fathers become such pushovers for their daughters. "Woof!" Rin barks incessantly. Having spent considerable time together, I can now more or less understand the reasons behind her barks. This one means she's asking for food. "Nope, not happening. You just ate." "Woof!" "I said no. I'm not here to raise a pig." "Humph!" Realizing I wasn't going to give in, Rin snorts indignantly before curling up. She pays me no mind, licking her tail, grooming herself to contentment. Only when it’s time to eat does she pretend to be obedient. After her stomach is full and her body is warm, she's indifferent as if we're mere acquaintances. ‘What a mischievous little fox.’ I had anticipated some of this, but even so, she could be downright cheeky. There were times I almost felt like giving her a light scolding. ‘But I have to hold back.’ Exercising force here would spell disaster for any chance of improving our relationship. Instead, refusing to leave things be, I thought of my own small vengeance for all the money spent on her food. "Woof?" I picked up Rin, who had been lying curled up on the floor, and placed her on the bed, wrapping my arms around her like a back hug. I buried my face in her fluffy, cushion-like tail. "Inhale, ah... what a blissful aroma." The concentrated, rich scent emanating from her tail—it's intoxicatingly addictive. Like a vacuum cleaner, I inhaled every whiff. "Woof!" Rin, utterly flustered, tries to escape in a panic, but it's futile. My arms and legs grip Rin's body like an octopus. This is the consequence of showing aggression towards your owner. The tail, so soft and plush. Her plump cheeks, irresistible. "Urrgh...!" Those tiny paws, tender and gentle. Into the spaces between her toes, my fingers slip seamlessly. In her struggles, Rin expressed the only form of resistance she had left from within my embrace. "Woof!" Not working. Nuooowoo. *** ‘Ah, even playtime can be tiring.’ After a playful tussle with Rin, I headed out of the inn to attend to other matters. Even the tasks that seem mandatory require a minimum personal motivation. Only then does job satisfaction remain high. I realized how exhausting it is to execute tasks driven solely by duty without any personal interest. Playing with Rin exemplified just that. I should think about what needs to be done later. ‘Patting her sides, her calves... and giving her a belly rub.’ It’s still work, so I must do it diligently. Yes. "Oh, the human lad. You’ve come again today?" I stopped by the market. A fishing stall operated by a bear beastman. I came here to buy fish for the cat people. "Haha, yes, I came today as well." "The fish are piled in that bucket over there. Since you buy so much, I'll give you a discount—just 10 silvers." "Thank you." "No worries. They’re for the cat people, aren’t they?" The bear lady knows, too. Feeding the cats, I've become famous as a cat mom in Bestia. "Yes, indeed. Is it too much?" "I like it. Those little thieves used to steal all the time, but now you buy the fish, providing a stable income. Won’t have to prepare for the winter." Does she hibernate, perhaps? At this point, she might as well be a talking circus bear rather than a beastman. "Lad, why don’t you settle down in Bestia permanently?" "Unfortunately, I have many tasks at hand. I’ll buy as much as I can before leaving." After assuring the lady I’d return the next day, I picked up the bucket filled with lively fish. With it in hand, I headed towards the alley where the cat people gathered. The alley had a line-up of cat people. Without saying anything, over a few days, we’ve come to an understanding. "Hey, human! You’re a bit late today, meow!" "Yes, that happened, Mr. Meow. But there seem to be more people than yesterday." The line stretched down the alley and around the corner. Roughly estimating, there must have been about thirty of them. "Word got out that a human gives fish for free with no conditions, meow." Just as planned. I flashed them a friendly smile. "Everyone, come over. Sign a contract with me, and you'll receive fish for free." *** Today, too, I successfully raised the favorability of the cat people. If I ran a shop, I’d have taken them in for cat massages. It would’ve printed money, no doubt, but alas. "Buy newspapers! News from Bestia Kingdom to Traul Kingdom!" The dog beastman promoting his papers to passersby. With white hair and tails dyed pink…. "Poppy?" "Oh? How do you know my name... Do we know each other?" I couldn’t believe it, but here was Poppy. As if straight out of a domestic game. "In the humanoid community, Poppy’s quite famous. Everyone knows Poppy." "P-Poppy is that famous?" Poppy looked incredulous, but it was undeniably true. Upon hearing the name Poppy, doesn’t something immediately come to mind? If you pictured a yordle with a hammer... unfortunate. "Poppy, I’ll take one copy." "Oh, yes! It’s 30 coppers!" "I don’t carry coppers. Keep the change. Buy yourself a chew." Handed over a silver coin. Poppy stared dazedly at the silver in his hand. "Th-thank you, sir! You’ll be blessed!" "Haha, think nothing of it. You stay safe during hot weather, Poppy." After exchanging warm pleasantries with Poppy, I settled on a nearby bench and unfolded the newspaper. The headline gracing the front page. -Lady Hu Bao of the Woonseol Family Engages in a Marital Alliance with the Barrenhar Family of Traul Kingdom. As Hu Bao departed the estate, she cried sorrowfully, "I am the treasured jewel of the Woonseol family!" The tears of those moved by her noble sacrifice created a river... "Hmm." A political marriage between a noble from Traul Kingdom and one from Bestia is quite the spectacle. While the fact that it's between a human and a beastman is intriguing, it's not exactly groundbreaking. Building diplomatic ties with other kingdoms is as common as ever. Moving on. - The Social Advancement of Forest Elves? Recently, elves from the great forest, particularly young elf maidens, have begun to emerge from obscurity. Reports say some elves are now working in taverns, serving humans, causing quite a stir in society... What? Elves working in taverns? Who could have possibly... ‘What a groundbreaking idea!’ Having elves, decked out and serving drinks, could rake in profits like nothing else. Whoever thought of this had quite the vision. ‘But why would elves work in a tavern?’ Elves, of all beings, serving humans? Given their racial pride and dignity, it's the last thing you'd expect them to do willingly. What kind of wind is blowing over there, I wonder? The article continued, so I read on. A trading company emerged out of nowhere, with elves at the forefront. Its name—a bit too dramatic—Death God’s Trading Company. Oh no, not "Death God" again? Whoever named it seems to lack imagination. Naming something is an art that shows potential, yet here they've chosen something so uninspired. This place is already doomed from the start. 'While some tirelessly roam in search of freeing slaves, others conveniently make money.' It deserves to fail spectacularly. With no other particularly interesting news, I folded the newspaper. It was time to head back and give Rin a belly rub. Rumble... Thunder roared. Looking up, I could see dark clouds gathering on the horizon. Seems like rain's on its way. *** The rain beat fiercely against the windows. Lightning lit up the sky as thunder rolled on this stormy night. When Karami asked nervously, "Are you scared of the thunder? Want to sleep together?" Rin snorted dismissively, "Humph!" and lay in the corner of the room. Around her ankle, however, was a chain that Karami had brought back. A bit loose and cushioned by her fur, it wasn’t uncomfortable. Rin used her long, lush tail as a makeshift blanket and pillow, coiling it into a perfect circle. “Yawn.” This was a completely different place from the one she slept in all her life. The environment, too, was vastly different, so it would've been no surprise if she couldn't sleep. But with her belly full of the most delicious meal she had ever tasted and knowing the other fox beastmen forced her to sleep outdoors because of a superstition that misery spreads... Those restless nights, where at the slightest approach of a monster she'd jump up and run. Having lived like this, Rin found sleep easy in this new setting. “......” Rin gazed at Karami, who was asleep on the bed. She didn't understand why Karami treated her so well. She was grateful for the delicious food but didn't trust him blindly. Just as humans warn their kids not to follow strangers, the fox people taught their young, “Humans capture beastmen and skin them.” Though Rin never received formal teachings, she had overheard such lessons passed down through generations. Even if she were young at heart, the thought that 'humans are dangerous' was ingrained. So, she knew Karami must have some ulterior motive. Even if not, she believed he would shun and abandon her once misfortune struck. But Rin didn’t care. She was born under an unlucky pink moon, so what could she do? She simply intended to enjoy as much tasty food as possible until she was inevitably cast out. What kind of delicious food would she eat tomorrow? She hoped she would dream of eating more meat. With this simple wish, Rin closed her eyes. Swish... A wind blew in. Cold and chilling. A strange occurrence. Every door was closed, leaving no space for a draft. Puzzled, Rin opened her eyes. "Woof...?" A subtle change in the room’s atmosphere. An unseen force twisted the air, contouring the space in a bizarre manner, as a never-ending cold indigo mist spiraled in reverse, warping reality. A silhouette emerged from the dense, ominous darkness. A body indistinct as fog. The skeletal hand gripping a massive scythe. A dark azure aura ominously spreading from the shadows. It was hard to discern in the dim room, but— Crack! When lightning illuminated the space, Rin saw it clearly. It was brief, yet she captured it in her sight. Death. The Grim Reaper. From beneath the hood, the skull’s eyes glowed a ghostly blue. --- **User Comments:** **한대만찌르게해줘 2024.09.21 21:04 - Report:** Finding the parodies and memes the author scatters throughout this novel is half the fun! Haha **jid159 2024.10.10 02:46 - Report:** Telling Poppy to be careful on hot days, lolol! **aghad 2024.10.21 12:11 - Report:** Hu Bao being described as a "precious jewel" made me laugh out loud! **raharu 2024.11.06 00:50 - Report:** Is Hu Bao really out of her mind or what? Haha **Desk10 2024.11.06 23:11 - Report:** Here comes Mirabel! --- **Weekly Best Sellers:** **Adults** **BL/GL** +2191 [Magic School: How to Live as a Wizard] +862 [The Freed Slaves Become Obsessed] +253 [I’m Not the Boss Monster, Really!] +1434 [Genius Mage on Medication] +945 [Heavenly Demonic Cult: The Double Agent] +286 [Why are My Skill Tooltips Weird?] +1507 [My Childhood Friend, the Greatest Under Heaven] +328 [Apocalypse: Too Easy for Me] +419 [Became the Cute One in the Solver Group] +4910 [Became a Necromancer in the Zombie World] +2011 [I Can Hear the Saintess’s Inner Thoughts] +4912 [Nothing Special About Martial Arts] +4513 [Abandoned 6★ Heroes Become Obsessed] +3614 [Dark Fantasy Normalization] +6215 [The King of the Underworld is Tired] +6316 [I Want to Be a Former VTuber] +2217 [Even When Falling into Horror Stories, I Still Need to Work] +1318 [Level Maxed All-Master Raises a Northern Duchy] +6019 [Life is Easy When You’re Handsome] +5220 [Popular NPC in the Gender-Reversed Game] **New Posts:** + More **New Roulette... Good night😴** 🍀🍀🍀 RSori +1 +1 11.20 Does anyone know this work? 11.20 Turning requests please…! 🥺🥺 +3 11.20 Roulette ❗5 PM❗ 3 co🍀🍀🍀 +9 11.20 Come read Love Story Chapte 5, Talkies! +4 11.20 Starting my 4th F1 story... 11.20 “Summer Again” Request please!! +42 11.20 🤔 11.20 [TS] Requested "Became a Peach Saintess" +3 11.20 ᘏ⑅ᘏ +3 11.20 Payback **The Freed Slaves Become Obsessed – Chapter 55 (55/123)**