96 - The Freed S*aves Became Obsessed

The Freed Slaves Become Obsessed - Chapter 96 "Wow, this is incredibly delicious. Do people these days eat like this every day?" "It's simple since it's breakfast. Dinner is even more extravagant." "Oh..." Watching the two exchange friendly banter, Seira blinked absent-mindedly again today. It was a familiar scene. It seemed like it was always like this whenever Rin's tails had increased. But now, the number of tails remained the same. The change was in Rin herself. She no longer clung to Karami and seemed much more mature. And she spoke as if she were someone from hundreds of years ago. "What is going on here?" Unable to hold back, she asked. "It's a nine-tail fox." "Rin was originally a nine-tail fox." "Not that kind of nine-tail fox. The one from the legends, sealed for defying the heavens." "...?" Seira couldn't comprehend, so Karami had to add more details. He explained how the spiritual presence of the nine-tail fox had entered Rin during their time in White Cloud Valley, and how Rin secretly consumed energy before fleeing, awakening the fox's personality. Every day with Karami was filled with astonishing events for Seira. Just when she thought she was getting used to it, something would inevitably shock her again. "A nine-tail fox...?" "Hello~ You're Seira, right? Let's get along from now on." "So, what about Miss Rin?" "She's inside, crying, and fell asleep. I don't know if she'll wake up or not. Even if she wanted her place back, I'm not giving it. It's unfair to give something and then take it back, right?" Seira roughly understood what the nine-tail fox meant. As long as the fox was there, Rin might not appear again. Having grown quite attached to Rin, Seira was understandably flustered. She signaled to Karami with her eyes, hoping for some clarity. Karami shrugged nonchalantly, as if he didn't care much. What new scheme was he planning this time? Seira, clueless, could only sigh helplessly. "Oh, I have something else to tell you." "Do as you please. You never consult with me anyway, just do whatever you want." Live or die. Let the nine-tail fox take over or not, whatever! Seira chugged down cold water. "Well, I was going to mention that there's going to be a duel with Princess Hilde." "Pfft!" Seira spat out the water. While the nine-tail fox deftly dodged, sitting across from them, Karami ended up wearing it. If it had belonged to a slave, he might have licked it off, lamenting the wastage. But since it was Seira's, that wasn't the case. Her tastes were high, and Karami had grown accustomed to them. Bang! Seira stood up, slamming her chair aside, clearly more intent on interrogating than apologizing. "A duel with Her Highness the Princess? What kind of nonsense is this?!" Karami wiped his face with a handkerchief. "She threatened to kill Rin, so I accepted. Otherwise, an army might have stormed in and caused chaos." "Hmm..." Seira thought for a moment. Perhaps this was indeed preferable to having the army invade? Yet, she felt a piercing gaze from the front. The nine-tail fox and Karami were looking at her with cold eyes. "Wow, acting all concerned about the world but relieved when her own place is safe? That's shady." "People are naturally like that. Their own interests come first. In contrast, I've led countless slaves to freedom... Sigh." Annoyed by the cheerful exchange between the two, Seira couldn't hold back and shouted. "I don't want to hear that from a nine-tail fox and a slave trader!" *** The fact that Rin had transformed into a nine-tail fox didn't change their plans; the duel with Hilde, announced to Yuhwa, was approaching. In the skies above Celestial Tower, Yuhwa awaited. Since Hilde was nowhere to be seen, it seemed she had not yet arrived. Upon spotting the nine-tail fox, Yuhwa's presence became subdued. "You..." "Calling your student 'you'? You should kindly address me as Rin." "Don't speak nonsense. Did you steal the body?" "She said she didn't want to stay and handed over her place to me. If I'd left her alone, she would've gone berserk, thanks to her owner's harsh treatment." Yuhwa shot a sharp glance at Karami. She had trusted him to handle it with care. The fact that Rin was curled up inside, showing no sign of emerging, indicated how deeply wounded she was. If the nine-tail fox retained control and grew stronger, Rin might not awaken even if she wanted to. Whether Karami was aware of this or not, he appeared completely at ease. Yuhwa considered forcibly removing her while she couldn't fully harness her power, but it would be pointless. She had weakened to the point where she couldn't guarantee victory in a fight. There was nothing she could do but vaguely trust that Karami had a plan. Bzzz. Bzzz. At that moment, Yuhwa's fox orb glimmered. It seemed Hilde had arrived. *** It was a night where the moon reflected on the lake. The ground underfoot was soft, and the scent of forest and earth teased the nostrils. When a cool breeze blew, branches swayed, shedding leaves. Leaves that fell onto the lake caused gentle ripples. Hilde, who had been walking there, suddenly stopped. Standing still in the forest, Hilde faced the members staring at her—Yuhwa, Karami, and the nine-tail fox. When her eyes met those of the fox, her lips curled into a fierce smile. "Wow... look at this gal. She really has seven tails?" Since the body was Rin's, the nine-tail fox naturally had seven tails. To her, having many tails, even in pink, wasn't any sort of embarrassment. On her way to the Celestial Tower, she had proudly displayed her tails, so everyone in town knew the seven-tailed fox had appeared. Karami hadn't bothered to stop her. After all, there wasn't much left of Rin's story. He was confident they could win even if attacked. However, from Hilde's perspective, it was nothing short of mockery. "You've been hiding your tails all this time? Wow, I've never seen such a deceitful bitch." "...Bitch?" "What, does the esteemed nine-tail fox get ticklish hearing insults? Want to hear more?" "Hah." The nine-tail fox let out a contemptuous laugh, then casually brushed her bangs back. A glint of light flickered in her heterochromatic eyes. "Even beasts who couldn't distinguish right from wrong start arguing when they learn to speak." Indeed, times were better in the past. If she regained her power now, perhaps it'd be nice to return the world to those days. The nine-tail fox rolled her wrist. A fox orb popped out into the air. Though no words were exchanged, the tension in the air communicated all. Hilde, on the brink of battle, started to stretch and loosen her body. Hilde's body heated with anticipation of the fight. Excitement and tension intertwined, generating an electric anticipation of facing a formidable opponent. The thrill of battle, the ecstasy of overcoming her opponent — defeating the malevolence and hanging its shell in the square would allow her to be hailed as the greatest hero in Bestia's history. A smile spread across Hilde's lips, despite herself. The corners of her mouth trembled uncontrollably. Muscles twitched, and every part of her yearned for the coming fight. As the cool forest breeze blew by. "Hup!" Boom! A gleam in the battle-mad warrior's eyes awakened a violent instinct. Though she was facing a seven-tailed being, it was still a nine-tail fox at heart. She wouldn't hold back from the start. With a spirited shout, Hilde's dark magic burst forth explosively, scattering leaves like dust. She crouched low, mimicking a predatory beast. The nine-tail fox smiled serenely, letting out a taunting sound. "Hmm, the spirit is impressive." "Hah, how long will you keep that composure, I wonder?" Hilde's power, exploding outwards, took the form of a massive lion. Within its black mane, golden eyes flashed. Roar! The lion's roar, reminiscent of a battlefield trumpet, reverberated across the lake. Though the moonlight on the water seemed to shatter, it did not break. Boom! Hilde launched herself like a projectile. Her blurred afterimage streaked through the air, her powerful kick-up churning the ground as though a landslide had occurred. "What's wrong, moving sluggishly? Too scared to move─!" It happened in a blink. Hilde was suddenly right in front of the nine-tail fox. Crackle, she clenched her fist, viciously twisting her lips. Putting half her power into her fist, she aimed a deadly strike at the nine-tail fox's face like a flash of lightning. Swish! Boom! A raging storm. Beyond her extended fist, a massive black blast streaked the sky, splitting the forest in two. The lion's blow, meant to erase everything within its range, left nothing behind. Only the scorched earth where the forest once stood remained. And the nine-tail fox as well. Hilde's eyes widened. The nine-tail fox had vanished without a trace. Really turned into dust? Could the nine-tail fox have truly died so easily? No way. "Where are you attacking? Do you look so gluttonous that you ate your own eyes?" Before she could finish her thoughts, the nine-tail fox's characteristic sassy voice echoed. Without even looking, Hilde swung her fist in the direction of the sound. Boom! Once again, a black flash tore through the air. Though the output was reduced, it still packed enough power to punch through a mountain. "Where exactly are you attacking~ Do you think you can even touch my hair like that?" Yet the nine-tail fox's voice continued. Hilde scanned around, but she couldn't find the fox anywhere. Even Karami and Yuhwa were nowhere to be seen. Even if the fox was elusive, the others should have been visible. "Ha! Acting all high and mighty, but relying on tricks? Not much for a great nine-tail fox, huh?" "Your taunts are meaningless. The fight ended a while ago." "What, are you scared? Planning to run away now?" "Shush. Keeping your voice down makes you look weaker." The nine-tail fox's mocking laughter echoed in the air, like the condescending tone of a superior towards an ignorant subordinate, as she kindly explained. "Though most of the power of the Moonlight Eye was lost, not all of it vanished. With the eyes in my possession, I can still use its inherent abilities." "What?" "If the Sunlight Eye reveals the truth, the Moonlight Eye holds the mystery of the moon, capable of beguiling anything." "What nonsense are you babbling about! Stop hiding and show yourself!" The nine-tail fox continued speaking, unperturbed by Hilde's raging calls. Leaves fluttered in the breeze. Ripples spread across the lake's surface. The moon reflected in the water quivered. In a world where senses blurred like a dream, like seeing illusions, only the nine-tail fox's voice resonated clearly in Hilde's mind. After watching Hilde flounder about, the nine-tail fox chuckled, whispering with a smile. "When do you think our duel began?" At that moment. Snap! A crisp finger snap echoed, silencing all other sounds. The swirling leaves froze in mid-air, ripples halting in perfect circles. In a world where the sense of time and space vanished. The only change was the disappearance of the moon reflected on the lake. "Shatter, mirror flower water moon." In response to the voice, space itself began to crack. The night sky fragmented, falling to the ground like shattered pieces. The heavens crashed down upon the earth. With all the space collapsing, what appeared was not the forest but the skies of Celestial Tower. And then. "All that flair, yet not much of a fight~" There lay Hilde on the ground, with the nine-tail fox triumphantly stepping on her head.