63 - The Freed S*aves Became Obsessed

Episode 63 For Seira, today seemed like an unusually lucky day. She woke up feeling refreshed, without any stiffness in her neck. When she cracked open an egg, there were two yolks, and there was exactly one spoonful of jam left. Since Rin had come to live with her, days like this were rare. Yet, Seira couldn't bring herself to be happy. Even with the twin-yolked fried eggs before her, she couldn't eat. "Meat. I want to eat meat." "You should have vegetables too. That way you can grow to be healthy and a pretty fox." "Ugh, but vegetables taste bad." "If you eat your vegetables well, I'll buy you a snack later." "Yay." The two conversed like a family. Although Seira was clearly the homeowner, the atmosphere at the table made it feel as if she was more of a guest. Seira sat quietly, holding her fork and knife, staring at the two in bewilderment. "What exactly is going on?" "What's the matter?" "Why is Rin suddenly speaking...?" Until the previous day, all Rin could manage were cries like "kiing" and "kaeng," yet here she was suddenly speaking fluently. Neither Karami nor Rin seemed to find it strange, but Seira was the only one puzzled by the situation. "What's so strange about it? Kids tend to grow up fast." Is that so? Well, perhaps. Beastfolk are known to develop quickly compared to other races. Thinking about it that way, it seemed possible for Rin to begin speaking at her age. But still. "I feel like I'm seeing things." "What are you seeing?" "I see three tails on Rin." Indeed, Rin appeared to have three fox tails. The three pink tails swayed back and forth as if they were dancing. The enticing movement was mesmerizing, making it hard to look away as if under a spell. Maybe I'm just not fully awake yet and seeing things. Or perhaps they're moving so fast that my eyes are trailing. Seira rubbed her eyes and opened them again, but nothing changed. The tails didn’t vanish. They weren’t illusions. "So, why does Rin have more tails?" "When kids grow, various things happen. Don’t deer grow antlers as they mature?" "I've never heard of a fox growing more tails." No, wait. Though she'd never seen it, she remembered hearing about it. A collection of legends involving mythical beastfolk popped into Seira's mind. "A nine-tailed fox...?" A mystical fox that's lived a thousand years. A fox spirit with nine tails. "What nine-tailed fox? She only has three tails." "But what if they keep growing until she has nine?" "Nine-tailed foxes are things of fairy tales, not reality! If that logic holds, would you say Rin is a three-tailed fox. A Sammiho." While a Gumiho (nine-tailed fox) remains an unseen creature of imagination, a Sammiho (three-tailed fox) occasionally appears among the fox tribe. Just like how there are Pegasi or Unicorns among the horse folk. "Why? If Rin were a nine-tailed fox, would you throw her out? Rin, Seira says she's unhappy with you." "Throw me out...? Does Seira hate Rin too?" "I never said—." "What if Seira throws me out, master...?" Rin glanced at Karami with anxious eyes. He sighed deeply, showing a pained expression. "Well, then, we’d be sleeping on the streets. Shivering in the cold, soaking wet in the rain." "But you have money─" "I don't want to be cold...." Rin sniffled, lowering her gaze to the table. Her lips pouted, eyes welling up with tears, her drooping ears and tails looking utterly forlorn. "We'd have no choice but to eat nothing but grass, every single day." "All the meat you are eating now, doesn’t it all come from─?" "I hate grass! Don't throw me out, Seira!" Rin’s cries eventually broke into sobs. Seira tried to defend herself, but it was too late. In Rin's mind, she pictured herself as the little match girl. With rain. Snow falling. Begging under a tattered cloak. Nothing but strands of grass on the table. Sleeping on the ground. Shivering from the cold. "Finally managing to get some meat, only to have it stolen by a stray cat…" "Don't take my meat, kitty!" Karami whispered cold truths—or something like it—into Rin’s ear, as she reached out for imaginary meat. Seira closed her eyes tight and rubbed her temples as if to relieve stress. "It’s so unfair. Throwing her out just for having a few tails. They always talk about how beastfolk should be treated, but they themselves—" "I’m not throwing anyone out. Whether she has nine tails or twenty, she stays. Is that satisfactory?" Unable to hold back any longer, Seira gave in. With her eyes puffy from crying, Rin cautiously looked at Seira. "Truly...?" "Truly." "Seira doesn’t dislike Rin?" "I don't dislike you. I like you." Rin turned her gaze to Karami. "Master, Seira isn’t throwing me out." "Thank goodness for that." "Did I do well?" "Very well." Where her tears vanished to, no one knew. Rin, now smiling a bright smile, picked up her fork and happily began to eat her meat. Seira couldn't help but let out a wry laugh. Her extended tails seemed to increase her playful cunningness. It might have been something picked up from her supposed 'owner.' *** "Master, where are we going?" "We’re going to meet the fox elder." "Fox elder?" Rin looked up at me. Her three tails swayed gently in a dance. Rin suddenly had three tails overnight. It wasn't uncommon for tails to grow more easily when young, but I hadn't expected two new ones at once. As the tails increased, so did her physical growth. She had grown slightly in height and her speech had become more coherent. ‘With practice, her speech will become more fluent.' She was adorable just the way she was now, but as is the heart of any guardian, I wanted to see what her more mature self would look like. Anyway, what's important here isn't anything else but the third tail. Three, six, nine. Every time Rin's tails reach a multiple of three, her powers as a nine-tailed fox (gumiho) significantly increase. Until now, she fought like a beast, but now she can wield magic like a true gumiho. Thus, we were on our way to find a teacher who could teach Rin magic. ‘What a drastic change.’ It feels like it hasn't been long since I first met Rin, and yet she's grown this much. Is this really the same Rin who used to growl at me all the time? It's overwhelming. ‘Is this it?’ A deserted alley. An old alleyway in between. A mural of a fox cradling clouds and a pearl painted on the wall. No doubt about it. This was the place. No matter how much I've played this game, I can't remember the detailed whereabouts and information of every character. However, one of the few witches I remember in Taosle. The mythical being of Bestia that I must meet to help Rin gain freedom. The witch of fate. Yuhwa, the celestial fox of the heavens. Yuhwa is supposed to be in the fortune-telling shop of this alley! "But why is she not here?" A barren fortune-telling shop. Opening the creaky old door, I found only a table and chairs. Instead of Yuhwa, all I encountered were clouds of dust. Perhaps she's stepped out for a bit. In the game, she was always here when I came, so this was a first. ‘It's not like today is my only chance.’ Deciding to return tomorrow, I headed home. But even the next day, and the day after, visiting the fortune shop yielded no sight of Yuhwa. With each fruitless visit, even Rin was getting slightly irritated. "Master, did the old hag pass away?" "I don't think so. Despite looking elderly, she’s someone who’d likely outlive me." Yuhwa wasn't showing up at her shop. Since a sudden death wasn’t likely, it was more reasonable to assume she’d stopped her fortune-telling business here. ‘Hmm, if that's the case….’ Though it's my first time facing this situation, luckily, I know another place where Yuhwa might be found. However, it's information you learn only after building a relationship with Yuhwa, so I'm uncertain if I should proceed there now. The ideal scenario was a chance encounter in the alley. But since I can't just avoid meeting her forever, I quickly made up my mind. *** Bestia, the main stage of Rin's story. In Taosle, which typically cosplays a Western medieval era, Bestia is a uniquely diverse nation where Western and Eastern styles coexist. Within it are monsters known as yokai, as opposed to demons, and the main slave character Rin herself, a gumiho, frequently found in East Asian folklore. Beyond that, there are creatures from Western literature like pegasi and harpies, as well as beings from Eastern classics like the Four Symbols. The reason is simple. ‘Gamers love it.’ Taosle's roots lie in being a nerdy charm-fueled game. Just as a Chinese game boasts regions reeking of its culture, and Japanese games have their samurais and ninjas regularly marked on a roll call, Bestia is a city centered around the gumiho, Rin. My story digressed a bit, but the place we've arrived at now is similar as well. An Eastern-styled building amid the Western-themed structures peppering Bestia's capital. This place, looking like a martial arts inn, is Bestia's greatest merchant guild. Heaven’s Tower (Cheongsangru). Just like finding out the old lady picking up scraps is the building owner, the owner of Cheongsangru is Yuhwa. “What brings you here?” Upon entering Cheongsangru, I was greeted by a tiger dressed in Eastern attire. "I’m here to see the guild master." "It's my first time seeing you. Did you schedule an appointment with the elder?" "No, I haven't." "If you haven’t an appointment, a meeting is difficult. She’s not someone you can meet freely." Busy? That elderly woman with seemingly nothing to do but hole up in a shabby fortune-telling shop and tell fortunes? Well, only a select few know about this. Perhaps an ordinary employee wouldn't be aware. "If it's truly difficult, could you at least pass on a message to the guild master?" “Hmm, as long as it’s nothing strange….” Luckily, the amiable big cat was going to relay the message. In that case, I needed something short that would instantly draw Yuhwa’s attention. "Please inform the guild master." There was one message Yuhwa would instantly understand. "A gumiho has come to see her." New 🐍🐍 rollthedice +109 +71 11.21 ₍ᐢ..ᐢ₎ 11.21 ☆Apocalypse Survival Novel Request☆ +1 11.21 🥬Testing the Lettuce 🥬 +2 11.21 Shake Shake Moonlight Beauty +98 11.21 The Return +1 11.21 Trending Spicy Web Novels +1 11.21 Detailed Record of Counseling +23 11.21 Random Post +13 11.21 🥕๑˃̶ᴗᵒ̴̶̷๑🧩 +4 11.21 Not Bad, Suggestions for Discussion Liberated Slaves Become Obsessed Ep. 63 (63/125)