episode_0005

‘The World Seen by the Little Prince.’

An action RPG game based on a famous fairy tale.

The work it originated from. It seems many elements were taken as motifs, perhaps to preserve its unique feel.

Backgrounds, settings, abilities, names… various details exist, but.

What truly stands out are the ‘characters.’

The main and supporting characters from the original fairy tale.

Their stories were adapted or reinterpreted, transforming them into fantasy-style characters.

It received much applause along with reviews praising its freshness.

The Pilot, Regia Filers.

The Little Prince, Charlotte Little von Stauffen.

The Drunkard, Selena Drunkerd.

As seen from their names, the character designs are perversely faithful to their concepts.

And this is also true for the ‘Fox’ I’ve come to rescue now.

‘Irene Foxis.’

A fox beastman known to be rare, and one of the supporting characters.

Her talent for the sword is unparalleled, and in the latter half of the game, she eventually reaches the realm of a ‘Sword Saint.’

A character with good performance and abundant utility.

Thanks to this, she even earned the nickname ‘Gukbap’ [a hearty, reliable dish]…

“She’s still an unripe grape, you see.”

The fox has not yet awakened her talent.

Since this is before her awakening, for now, she’s merely a weak fox beastman, number one.

If you put them in your debt at a time like this, favorability stacks up.

My goal is to see this world’s happy ending.

And to become friends with the protagonist’s party.

As an ardent fan of the original work, I wanted to build friendships with them.

“Well then~ shall we start getting our hands dirty?”

I’ve waited a lot, and I’m getting tired of watching the auction.

It’s like I want to move on to the highlight now.

I got up from my seat, leaving my relaxed murmuring behind.

Currently, the fox’s location is in the auction house’s basement.

She’s probably waiting for her turn, trapped in cold iron bars.

“Tonight will be long.”

A cunning smile spreading.

Gathering my shimmering lies, I walked into the darkness.

***

Meanwhile, in the building’s basement.

A prison where only cold air flowed.

Beneath the auction house, where laughter never ceased, lay a dense sanctuary of despair.

Light casts shadows.

The more brilliantly a light shines, the darker the shadow’s tone becomes.

This truth perfectly represents reality.

People steeped in luxury and pleasure.

In proportion to their joy, those beneath their feet groaned.

Though life is said to be suffering simply for being born, individual differences still exist.

While there are upper-class people who enjoy themselves without any pain.

There are also those at the bottom who live without a shred of hope.

“……”

The people trapped in this basement were at the bottom.

Whether they were born with such a fate or pushed down here by a dirty world, it wasn’t a difference that held much meaning.

Things worse than street scrap.

Trying to categorize within lives of trash would only add to the misery.

“……How did it come to this?”

The murmuring girl was no different.

She was swimming in the wretched depths.

Following her lamenting state, her tied-back hair, reaching her waist, fell into disarray.

Hair with an orange hue.

Quiet, dead black eyes.

The animal ears atop her head revealed the girl’s identity as a demi-human.

The girl’s name was Irene Foxis.

She was a fox beastman.

“Next up for auction! Bring out the wolf beastmen!”

“Handle them carefully. Their value as goods drops if they get even a scratch.”

“If they get hurt, the higher-ups will chew us out.”

The surrounding noise reached her ears.

Irene bit her lip tightly.

Around her, about ten shadows were visible.

They were her fellow kind, trapped in the same bars.

The beastmen with fox ears and tails were all trembling with fear.

All of them had been kidnapped or sold by slave traders.

‘Damn it.’

What would happen now?

She tried to find hope amidst her anxiety, but it wasn’t particularly meaningful.

Because the outcome was as clear as day.

Fox beastmen are a highly rare species.

Especially fox slaves traded in the underworld, they’re said to be worth whatever price is named.

In short, they are treated as ultimate luxury items.

Nobles’ ways of using foxes vary wildly.

They are made to work, or used as sex slaves.

She had even heard rumors of some nobles having them stuffed and displayed in their mansions.

‘Either way… it’s all equally fucked up.’

The girl silently chewed on her curses.

As she was imagining such a miserable future, a strange sound reached Irene’s ears.

Clatter-!

The sound of something metallic hitting the floor.

Following the sound, she turned her head and spotted a bundle of keys rolling in front of the bars.

“……Huh?”

Had a guard passing by dropped them?

A distance she could reach just by stretching out her hand.

After a moment of hesitation, Irene quickly snatched the keys.

Her heart pounded rapidly.

Perhaps the only chance for escape she’d been given.

The girl didn’t hesitate. Her quickly moving hand fiddled with the lock on the iron bars.

A glimmer of hope.

Click-!

Soon, the sensation of the lock disengaging reached her fingertips.

Irene grasped the slowly opening door.

A shallow breath escaped between her lips.

‘I need to be careful.’

Just then, many guards had left for the auction setup.

If she was going to do anything, it had to be now.

There would be no second stroke of luck.

Irene took a deep breath.

Calmly, she gathered her kin and quietly prepared for escape.

“Don’t worry, everyone. I’ll definitely protect you.”

The girl smiled, hiding her trembling.

Because there were those she had to protect.

Most of those inside the iron cage were children.

Seeing the weeping little ones, Irene simply couldn’t bring herself to escape alone.

“Instead, you must follow quietly… and well, okay?”

She picked up a sword lying discarded in a corner.

It was rusty and in poor condition, but it was certainly better than nothing.

Irene quietly raised the tip of the sword.

Creak-.

The iron bars opened with a faint creaking sound.

The foxes began to exit the prison with cautious steps.

Irene calmly thought.

Suddenly, the girl threw the bundle of keys towards a distant set of bars.

According to her memory, that was where the bear beastmen were imprisoned.

‘If I can just buy some time…!’

Among beastmen, bears were particularly ferocious.

If they found the keys and diverted attention, even for a moment, a gap would surely open up.

Making the guards rush in the opposite direction.

‘The few remaining here, I can handle them sufficiently.’

She had practiced swordsmanship since she was quite young.

Although her body was tired from long confinement, she had to grit her teeth for their escape.

Irene lowered her stance and held her breath.

Like a fox evading a hunter.

How much time had passed like that? A fierce echo resonated.

“ROOAAARRR!!!”

It was the direction where she had thrown the keys just now.

A thunderous roar. Sensing her plan had worked, Irene immediately led the children.

“Everyone, don’t look back, just run…!”

The foxes ran.

Behind them, animal roars raged, and the floor vibrated with heavy thuds. Still, they didn’t look back.

Occasionally, there were guards blocking their path.

Each time, Irene roughly cut them down.

A sword dance desperately performing slaughter.

There was no hesitation on the blood-soaked sword tip.

Because she knew that if she didn’t kill, she would die.

“Haa, haa…!”

Her breath came in ragged gasps.

As her physical condition wasn’t good, fatigue was accumulating rapidly.

Irene steadied her swaying balance.

Fortunately, the escape was proceeding smoothly.

The resistance of the bear beastmen was more intense than expected. Thanks to that, they secured a lot of time.

“Hup…!”

With a short grunt, she subdued another guard.

Perhaps because she was pushed to her limits, her senses felt opened to their extreme.

A strange tremor coursed through her entire body.

Her vision flashed white.

Strange sparks even flew from the sword’s surface, but Irene mostly ignored them.

Because she had no time to be distracted by anything else.

“Everyone, don’t stop! Just past this corridor and then…!”

The exit was right in front of them.

While confined, she had intermittently familiarized herself with the surrounding structure.

She had analyzed it in preparation for any potential opportunity.

Thanks to this, Irene could advance, envisioning the most ideal escape route.

‘Almost there.’

A narrow, tunnel-like passage.

After passing through here, there would be stairs leading to the surface.

A glimmer of hope crossed Irene’s pupils. It was a reckless plan, but she had finally succeeded.

Yes, that’s what she mistakenly thought.

…Until a voice came from behind her.

“Ahaha~ Everyone seems to be busily running away, aren’t they?”

Instantly, an eerie aura licked her ear.

A chill that pierced her lungs. Irene couldn’t help but freeze in place.

Her body had frozen reflexively.

Irene instinctively knew.

If she hadn’t stopped just now, she would have died.

“……”

“As expected, I knew I’d meet you if I waited here!”

What on earth was it?

What was this dreadful aura?

Just perceiving the presence behind her sent a pain like her brain was being crushed.

Her orange eyes darted wildly.

Following her slowly turning head, Irene’s gaze landed on the figure behind her.

“Hello!”

Golden hair resembling a wheat field.

Narrow, slit eyes.

A sly smile on his lips.

Outwardly, he was just a boy with a somewhat unique appearance.

However, Irene, whose senses were sharpened to their limit, could recognize it.

The ‘thing’ before her was not human.

It merely wore human flesh, but its true nature was entirely different.

“You probably don’t know how much I’ve wanted to meet you.”

An ominousness that filled the entire space.

Just by looking, it felt as though her limbs would be torn apart.

It was a ‘monster’ possessing terrifying power.

“……Ha.”

A hollow laugh escaped her lips.

Because such a monster was blatantly revealing its killing intent and approaching the foxes.

“Fuck.”

The air was pressed down with a poisonous weight.

Irene muttered, feeling disheartened.

It was all over.

Her eyes, once sparkling with hope, were now stained with pitch-black despair.

***

“You probably don’t know how much I’ve wanted to meet you.”

A voice brimming with joy.

I was smiling broadly, looking at the girl nearby.

Long hair tied back.

Black eyes visible between her orange-hued hair.

A scar beneath her chin.

Even the animal ears and tail, which are characteristic of beastmen.

‘The Fox, Irene Foxis.’

One of the characters from the original work stood before my eyes.

I calmly gathered my excited feelings.

First Regia, and now Irene.

Seeing a beloved game character moving alive was quite a moving scene.

Exaggerating a bit, enough to bring tears to my eyes.

I quietly laughed.

“Hehe.”

It’s fun.

My smile wouldn’t leave due to the intense pleasure.

Gathering my beaming lips, I posed a meaningful question to the girl.

“Have you enjoyed the stage I’ve prepared so far?”

Pitifully trembling black eyes.

Their gazes met briefly.

What was contained within that fleeting glance was a sense of futility.

It seemed she had realized.

The fact that the situation they were currently confronting was a planned part from the very beginning.

‘As expected, she’s quick-witted.’

The foxes had fortunately succeeded in escaping.

The keys accidentally dropped by a passing guard, the rusty sword rolling on the floor just then, the unusually small number of guards.

The foxes had seized a chance for escape through divine luck.

…At least, that’s what they must have thought until just now.

“Following the script presented, you have truly followed splendidly.”

Regrettably, everything was by design.

Behind what the girl considered luck, my hand had been at work.

Wandering the basement after leaving the auction house, I cast a mind control spell on one of the guards I happened to encounter.

“You’ll have to grant me a few favors.”

What I instructed was to subtly drop the keys in front of the bars.

I also requested a sword that Irene could use.

If it were well-maintained, it might raise suspicion, so I asked for the oldest and rustiest one possible.

The situation unfolded exactly as I intended.

It was an impromptu script I came up with, but I was quite satisfied.

The output of my lies was a bit on the edge, but I suppose this much counts as a success.

“Come this way.”

I had roughly put the other guards on patrol to sleep.

Since I’d spread my lies quite thickly, there’d be no need to worry for a while.

If so, now it was truly time for escape.

I elegantly extended my hand.

It meant I would take her out of here, so she should grab it.

Irene seemed to stumble for a moment at that gesture, then soon slumped to the ground.

What’s this? Has she relaxed too much?

As I calmly tilted my head, looking at the fox…

“You’re trying to… kill us, aren’t you?”

“Huh?”

“I knew it was too smooth. It was a trap to toy with us from the very beginning.”

“Huuuh?”

An absurd question flew out.

I hastily denied the girl’s words and conveyed my purpose.

“Haha~ Why are you acting like this? I’m simply trying to send you off comfortably!”

“……”

Irene’s face stiffened.

To prevent the girl’s misunderstanding from deepening, I gave her a refreshing smile.

“Don’t worry. It won’t hurt.”

Well, I do plan to have a little fun.