77 - The Freed S*aves Became Obsessed

The Slaves I Freed Became Obsessed, Chapter 77 "Hmm, there's no sign of further growth." Yuhwa muttered as she observed Rin's state, just as she often did during training. Since Rin's tail had reached five, there hadn't been visible growth like before. Even when she defeated strong monsters and absorbed their energy, it was the same. It felt as if she had hit a large wall, like needing a certain epiphany to reach the next level in martial arts. Even Yuhwa seemed unsure about what that epiphany might be. But perhaps it was my imagination, it felt like she was more anxious than I was about Rin's halted growth. "Is something the matter?" "Princess Hilde visited me before." "That lunatic?" "You’re probably the only one in the world who would refer to Princess Hilde as a lunatic." "Everyone thinks it, even if they don't say it." Plucking feathers from passing bird people. Burning the squirrel people's acorn storage. Flipping turtle people so they couldn't get up. That counts as cute. Sometimes she even causes a ruckus outside the kingdom for fun. While playing a game, if 'You have encountered Hilde, the lioness of Bestia' pops up, you can’t help but mutter, 'Here comes that damn crazy lady again!' Meeting her usually means trouble's afoot. It makes sense I'd be worried she's visiting. "Why'd she come?" "She asked for a reading, ostensibly, but she suspects Rin is a nine-tailed fox. I managed to send her away with excuses, but you'll meet her someday. There's a thread of destiny between you two." "Can't you just cut it with scissors?" "Destiny isn’t something that can be snipped away so easily..." Come on. Why sigh? Don't give up. I thought it was a pretty clever idea. Yuhwa took a deep breath, as if she no longer wanted to continue talking, and sipped her tea to soothe her dry throat. "Master, don't worry. Rin will teach her a lesson." "That would be ideal, but..." As a five-tailed fox, it’s impossible. Rin puffed her cheeks in frustration, asking if I didn't trust her, but there are things in this world that can't be resolved with faith alone. It requires becoming a seven-tailed fox. She still needed two more tails. "We need to go to White Cloud Valley." "Why there?" "Because her growth has stalled." The slaves in Tao's Tale have unique stories and can’t achieve limitless growth merely through repetitive training. They have specific circumstances to resolve to reach higher realms. That's how it was for Mirabel and Harold, as well as the sufferings of Arpia. Liberation from the shackles that bind them is intricately linked to growth. For Rin, it was the White Cloud Valley fox tribe. She needed to sever the chains that had oppressed her for ages. 'There's also something to gain there.' The hidden opportunity deep in the Fox's Den would accelerate Rin's growth. However, since mentioning returning to White Cloud Valley, Rin vehemently expressed her dislike. "I hate them. I don’t even want to see their faces. They can live there forever." I understand. Rin isn't just a frog in a well or a fox confined to a valley anymore. Eating just potatoes might have made her happy back then, but now that she's been outside, enjoying meat and seeing the world, she realizes how harshly she lived in the past. It's amazing she hasn’t gone back for revenge now that she has power. "That’s why we must go. Bring meat and show them, ‘You didn’t have this where you live,’ just as they tormented you. Wouldn't that bring you some peace?" "Is that so?" "Rin hasn’t done anything wrong, so why avoid them? Let’s show them how well Rin is living!" "If it’s like that..." Rin seemed reluctantly convinced. She might not be fully persuaded, but don't worry. They'll be astonished once we get there. *** Although the plan was set, leaving right away seemed premature. I had only recently awakened and wasn't fully recovered for a carriage journey yet. So, as part of my recovery, I decided we'd enjoy some cultural outings after eons. After all, coming to this other world and not indulging in the culture is a waste, is it not? Sometimes, deviating from the usual path is necessary. "Are you not coming out?! If you don't come out now, I'll destroy the house!" The place we found was a theater. On the stage shrouded in darkness, a pig person was looking out a window of a house-shaped board, and a werewolf stood at the door. Today's play was the familiar story of the Three Little Pigs. The first two pigs built flimsy houses out of laziness, one of straw and the other of wood. But a wolf came later and demolished their homes, forcing them to run to the youngest pig's house. Unlike the older pigs, the youngest wisely invested time in building a sturdy brick house, which withstood the wolf’s attempt at demolition. It's a classic fable about preparedness and forethought. A story from childhood now reenacted by these animal people. 'But why is the youngest pig first?' The board was shaped like a brick house. Its owner was Popo, the youngest pig. In the tale of the three little pigs, the brick house is supposed to appear last, isn't it? Yet the youngest pig was introduced first. "You foolish brute, think you can blow it down?" The youngest pig taunted. The wolf, snarling with believable anger, wielded a pickaxe against the brick house. The exposed wall collapsed a side of it. "Ahhh! My house!" From the collapsed dwelling, a female pig named Popo emerged. Flailing her limbs cutely, she fled to the wooden second house. The wolf chased her to the wooden house. "You sly pigs! Open up now before I feast on your plump flesh!" "This house is made of sturdy wood? You can't just knock it down with a mere pickaxe!" Then the wolf started a fire. This wasn't the foolish wolf I remembered who just huffed and puffed. Predictably, the house caught fire and the pigs fled. The pigs sought refuge in the eldest pig's straw hut, which was far less impressive than the previous houses. All huddled together, it seemed that today the wolf might feast. "Hah, hah... Don't you dare... come out?" The wolf panted, seemingly out of breath from demolishing houses and chasing pigs. Then, the curtain-like straw door parted, revealing the eldest pig. "Giving up already...?" But something was off. The second and third pigs timidly appeared behind the eldest, all wearing scandalously revealing outfits, striking seductive poses. The eldest pig approached the wolf with a sultry smile, bending slightly to accentuate her cleavage at a perfect angle. "Mr. Wolf, you look exhausted. Why not come in and take a break?" "Hmm?" "Don't you want to eat some plump, juicy pigs?" The eldest pig twirled her finger through the wolf’s fur, as if to allure him. She whispered in a hushed tone that seemed to blow hot breath into the wolf’s ear. "It's a chance for a sister smorgasbord." "......!" A scene where predator and prey roles were reversed. As if under a spell, the wolf was lured into the tiny hut by the pigs, bringing the play to an end. The lesson of the day: Even if you’re lazy, you can survive by shaking your assets well. Title: The Three Sister Pigs. …. ‘What did I just watch.’ This was drastically different from what I remembered. Shouldn’t it have been more uplifting, imparting a life lesson to children? Where did the pigs go, and why are there seductresses? Was I the only one finding this odd? The surrounding audience broke into cheers and stood in applause. Rin clasped her hands together tightly, wore a look of awe, and began diligently scribbling something into her fox bead. "In moments of crisis, a female can sway a male she likes by swaying her tail. Note…" I decided not to see what she was writing. *** "Master, that play was incredible. I’ve come to a huge epiphany about how life should be lived, as a fox." "Is that so…?" Even when two people see the same thing, impressions can differ greatly. The difference between mine and Rin's impressions was stark. I was trying to erase the memory, thinking it would have been better not to have watched it, while Rin was relishing in the memory and vowed never to forget it. "The next play is about Little Red Riding Boy and Wolf Sister. Let's definitely go watch it." Why a boy, not a girl? And what's with the wolf sister? I decided not to think too deeply about it. I thought I had adjusted well to Bestia, but I was far from it. "Since Master showed Rin something fun, why don’t we go somewhere Master wants next?" "Really?" What a lucky break. I did have places I wanted to visit. "Rin, there's a place over there called Rabbit in the Moon." "What kind of place is that?" "It's a tavern." The tavern isn’t the main point. As the name suggests, it's known for having rabbit people as staff. Not cosplay, but real bunny girls! Hopping, hopping! "No way." "What?" But Rin rejected it flatly. She glared at me coldly. "Didn’t you just say we could go where I want?” "Master, are you planning to go to a tavern without me? You want me to watch you drool over rabbits?" "Then where..." "A place with no animal people. Otherwise, no permission." A place in Bestia without animal people? That’s not likely. "Let's just go home, then." "Really? We can keep looking, but if Master insists, Rin will follow. Let's go. I’ll make a tail pillow for you." I got to touch the tail extensively.