Ha-neul’s Stroll Through the Inner Realm (1)

In the past, if this was the Ha-neul from just a few months ago, she might have instantly struck the adorable squirrel with her martial arts upon realizing it was a yokai.

Granted, as a Martial Artist whose job was to kill yokai, she had the unconventional belief that yokai with human hearts could exist.

But still, a yokai was a yokai.

As a human, feeling an instinctive aversion towards yokai was unavoidable for her.

However, Ha-neul had already made a proper mistake with the fox yokai Miho, so she didn’t immediately attack the squirrel yokai.

In fact, Ha-neul could roughly guess this squirrel yokai’s identity.

After all, Miho had mentioned the ‘squirrel yokai of the Inner Realm’ to her before.

Chk, chk, chkchkchk!

Since a human had infiltrated the Inner Realm for the first time, the yokai Depot naturally regarded Ha-neul with caution.

Despite his cute appearance, Depot was a considerably powerful yokai.

To begin with, all the yokai residing in the Inner Realm were formidable.

The concentration of such powerful yokai in the Inner Realm was, of course, by the Lord of the Mountain’s design.

“Chjeek, chk!”

Just as Depot was about to release his life force to summon lightning, the short-legged, bowlegged squirrel struck a threatening pose.

His lethal cuteness caused an involuntary laugh to escape Ha-neul’s lips.

However, despite his adorable looks, Depot’s menace was genuine, prompting Ha-neul to frantically wave her hands as she spoke:

“Wait, wait, time out! I’m not an enemy!”

“A human for sure, chjeek! And carrying that nasty wand, anyone can see you’re an enemy! Chk, chk, chkchkchk!”

“Miho!”

Ha-neul uttered the magic word, and:

“…Chk?”

After tilting his head, Depot withdrew his life force and spoke:

“…Flat human woman. Chk. Do you know Miho?”

“Flat human woman?! It’s Miho who’s the freak, I’m pretty average.”

“Ah, I remember now! Chk! The flat human woman Miho told me about, Ha-neul!”

“I said I’m average!”

---

The Lord of the Mountain had informed me that ‘a Martial Artist has entered the Inner Realm’.

Upon hearing this news, I opened my mouth in shock:

“That lunatic Geusseundae… Did he do it intentionally or not?! Where is Ha-neul right now?”

[Worry not, ahem. The Martial Artist named Ha-neul is unharmed.]

“Of course she’s fine for now! But if she encounters other yokai, they will surely…”

[She has already met Depot.]

“Aaaarghhh…”

Disaster had struck – the worst possible scenario.

The two beings most precious to me would undoubtedly try killing each other.

While I was a special case, the relationship between humans and yokai was one where they could only kill or be killed, instinctively abhorring one another.

Could a worse situation even exist?

“…Where?”

[Your nest. But there is no need to rush.]

“Be silent!”

My eyes rolled back upon learning ‘Depot and Ha-neul had met’, forgetting my fears as I rudely snapped at the Lord of the Mountain before hurriedly departing.

…

…

…

“Chk, and then you know what Miho did? She started wagging her tail, thanking me!”

“Puhahahahaha! The fox yokai who had just left her dying wish to be buried in the sun was now wagging her tail at the prospect of living? That’s so Miho.”

“Yes! Actually, Miho didn’t want to die either. Depot and Grandfather Pouch knew that, but Miho was the only one who didn’t! Miho blockhead, dummy, fool!”

“Well, Miho does have her shortcomings. Sometimes she seems so smart, yet other times she acts like such a blockhead that the words just slip out…”

What was this situation?

I had expected Ha-neul and Depot to be violently fighting upon my arrival at my nest.

While I didn’t know Depot’s exact capabilities, I knew he was no weakling.

After all, Depot was a 200-year-old squirrel yokai – he couldn’t be frail after such a long lifespan.

When I first manifested six tails, Depot was terrified by my surging life force, so he likely wasn’t as powerful as my six-tailed state.

Depot was probably on par with my five-tailed state, or slightly stronger.

Of course, it seemed he became overwhelmingly powerful on thundery days, but that was conditional.

In any case, Ha-neul and Depot’s objective strength levels were about even – a bloody battle where the winner couldn’t be easily predicted.

So I had expected them to be battered and bruised at the very least.

But instead, the scene I witnessed was them enthusiastically chatting about me.

“And then you know what Miho said to me? ‘Depot, for you to show such kindness to this lowly fox yokai… I am truly grateful!'”

“Aha, so Miho uses honorifics with you?”

“Chkchk, of course! You could say Miho is my subordinate…”

…Ah, so that’s why the Lord told me not to worry.

For now, I heaved a sigh of relief.

But I had to do what needed to be done.

“…Hey.”

Using my spirit energy, I grabbed Depot’s tail and began spinning him like a propeller in mid-air.

“Chee, chk! Chjeeeeeek!”

“Say that again. Whose subordinate am I supposed to be?”

“Wh, when did you get here?! I couldn’t sense your life force, how sneaky!”

“I said say it again, you little rat!”

“I, I’m sorry! He, help me, flat woman!”

Glare.

I glared at Ha-neul.

In response, she averted her gaze while whistling, like a thief realizing her own misdeed.

I had nearly died from anxiety, only to find them casually chatting about me.

Of course I would be pissed.

After spinning the squirrel propeller for a while, I finally released Depot.

“Chjeeeek…”

That should be enough for him to reflect.

I healed the dizzied Depot, who then nonchalantly scurried into my chest pouch before speaking:

“Miho, say hi! This is Ha-neul, a Martial Artist!”

“…I already know.”

“Ahahahaha…”

…

…

…

After properly introducing Ha-neul to Depot and vice versa, I fell into contemplation.

Based on the Lord of the Mountain’s tone, Ha-neul’s entry into the Inner Realm seemed intentional on Geusseundae’s part, not a mistake.

With that in mind, I decided to take Ha-neul to meet the Lord.

Taken aback, Ha-neul asked me:

“Mi, Miho, did you just say Lord of the Mountain?”

“Yes, the tiger spirit Lord of the Mountain.”

“So the Lord of the Mountain is a real tiger! I thought it was just a legendary figure!”

It seemed Ha-neul, as the disciple of Yokai Extermination Director Baek Nam-hun, had also heard the name ‘Lord of the Mountain’ before.

Of course, she didn’t know the details beyond the fact that the ‘Lord of the Mountain’ was a tiger who assisted the first Martial Artist, the ‘King of Yurdo’.

For a moment, Director Baek’s warning not to divulge the Lord’s existence to others echoed in my mind.

But that warning became meaningless the moment Ha-neul entered the Inner Realm.

On our way to the Lord, I fervently hoped we wouldn’t encounter any other yokai of the Inner Realm.

While they were all kindhearted yokai who would likely accept Ha-neul’s presence if it aligned with the Lord’s will, Ha-neul was still human, not yokai.

To yokai, humans were inherently seen with hostility, no matter what.

However, contrary to my expectations, Ha-neul seemed rather adept at communicating with the Inner Realm’s yokai.

The suddenly appearing Grandfather Pouch scanned Ha-neul’s body up and down as usual before clicking his tongue and criticizing my ‘uncouth physique’.

He then proceeded to discuss Ha-neul and myself:

“Hurhurhurhur, for an old woman, you have quite the discerning eye. Yes, as you say, Miho with seven tails is uncouthly vulgar, but Miho with three tails was breathtakingly beautiful beyond compare.”

“I’m not that old. I’m only in my mid-twenties…”

“To me, that’s quite old. However, unlike that vulgar vixen, you still retain a girlish figure, so I can begrudgingly accept you to some degree.”

“Those are some pretty unpleasant things to say. Well, I wholeheartedly agree that three-tailed Miho was at least a hundred times, no, a thousaaand times cuter than she is now.”

“…”

The exchange between the two lolicons favoring my three-tailed form was rather bewildering.

Grandfather Pouch usually didn’t bother speaking to anyone but children.

For some reason, though his expression showed displeasure, he at least conversed with Ha-neul.

Was it because of Ha-neul’s petite frame?

Or did they simply share similar tastes?

I had no idea.

“But I prefer seven-tailed Miho! She’s so soft and fluffy!”

In contrast, Depot enthusiastically voiced his preference for my seven-tailed state from within my chest pouch.

Which version of me was I supposed to conform to now?

Irked by them critiquing my body before me, I manifested two more tails out of spite, becoming my five-tailed form.

“Ambiguous…”

“Quite ambiguous.”

“Ambiguous!”

Hmm.

Satisfied with their ‘ambiguous’ reactions, I thought to myself:

At least they won’t be discussing my physique any further.

We encountered several more yokai afterwards during our journey through the Inner Realm.

Each time, I was able to placate them by invoking the ‘Lord’s will’ as a magic phrase.

“…”

As we neared the Lord, I began sweating anxiously.

“What’s wrong, Miho?”

“No… It’s just. I feel like…”

Come to think of it…

I had rudely snapped at him before running away.