Ch.9Fox (5)

“Delicious…!”

“It’s been so long since I had such warm food!”

“Big brother, you’re the best!”

The children melt with joy, cupping their cheeks.

The foxes, mouths full of food, move their utensils with happy expressions.

The table was so loaded it looked like the legs might break.

Starting with warm beef stew, layers of steak, soft tear-apart baguettes, and more…

A feast of visibly magnificent dishes.

“So delicious… I think I’m going to cry.”

“M-me too.”

“The bad men underground… they would hit us when we said we were hungry.”

“And it was cold. But it’s warm here.”

“Sniff…”

The starving children devour the food hastily.

At an age when they should be hungry all the time. They spent a long time in that dark prison without proper meals.

The foxes chewed diligently.

Fortunately, they seemed to eat everything without being picky.

It was admirable how well they ate their vegetables too.

Watching them eat so earnestly stirred a strange tenderness in my chest.

“Everyone, eat slowly. I’m still making more food.”

I say with a gentle smile.

While looking toward the table, my hands move quickly with the kitchen knife.

Skillfully displaying my cooking abilities.

It seemed everyone was enjoying the food.

Even Irene, who was initially suspicious that the food might be poisoned, was now eagerly emptying her plate.

“…Why are you staring at me like that?”

“It’s nothing.”

Hehe. I let out a satisfied laugh.

Irene seemed to check my expression for a moment, then turned her attention back to the fragrant stew.

The tail behind her wagged pleasantly.

‘Indeed… the first step in taming is filling their stomachs.’

I muttered to myself quietly so no one would hear.

Just before. What I had taken out of the drawer was none other than a pink apron.

“Children like those are somewhat… annoying.”

=Seeing the children crying… it hurts my heart.

“They need a bit of handling.”

=I need to lend them a helping hand.

“I didn’t want to go this far… but it’s your fault for bothering me.”

=Cooking directly is a bit troublesome… but I’ll do my best for all of you.

“Don’t be afraid, everyone. It will surely be enjoyable.”

=I’m good at cooking, so don’t worry. It will definitely be delicious.

Proudly wearing the apron, I headed to the kitchen and immediately began making food.

It had been a while since I cooked.

Perhaps my body remembered. Everything came together quickly.

Well, considering who taught me, that person would cry if I couldn’t make food like this.

‘Thanks to that, I’m putting it to good use.’

As delicious smells filled the room, the children’s crying subsided.

The evil mastermind offered a meal to the hungry children.

As they say, a full stomach breaks down barriers.

For the hungry foxes, such kindness must have felt like salvation.

The idea of approaching them using food as bait. It was a terrifyingly cunning plan, even if I came up with it myself.

“Is the food to everyone’s liking?”

Hiding my sinister smile, I walk toward the table.

There, the little foxes are gathered closely.

When the children notice me approaching, they wave their tails vigorously with bright smiles.

“It’s delicious!!”

“Y-you’re different from the bad men…”

Perhaps children will be children after all.

It seems their fear of me has quickly disappeared.

I gently reach out my hand and pat the head of the closest fox.

Very slowly.

Flinch.

A momentary trembling of fragile shoulders.

Though they seem tense at first, they soon accept my touch.

As we share this gentle interaction, a surprising reaction emerges after a while.

The child begins to tear up.

“…Sniff.”

“Oh. Perhaps you don’t like being patted? If it was rude, I apologize.”

“N-no, that’s not it…”

The little fox shakes their head at my question.

The child wipes away falling tears and murmurs with a sobbing voice.

“This… it’s been so long since someone did this.”

The short sentence carries many emotions.

“Suddenly tears are coming out, hic, and won’t stop. The food is so delicious… and that makes me so sad.”

“…”

I quietly waited.

It must have been difficult.

Trapped in a cold underground, soothing hungry stomachs, swallowing tears, despairing about the future, and repeating the agony of resignation.

It was too harsh a wound for a child to endure.

‘Poor thing.’

I sympathize in silence.

Having served a sentence with fate as the only crime, how unfair the world is.

A flower blooming from adult ugliness.

The name of the memory that takes root so miserably is sorrow.

Just yesterday, the children were still caged.

They had given up hope that things would ever change.

Then a miracle happened. They escaped from the cold floor and could share a warm meal with friends.

A sense of dissonance based on deep relief.

That must be the reason for the flowing tears.

“It’s okay now.”

I offer simple comfort.

“No one will be able to hurt you anymore.”

The young fox hangs their head low.

I console the child and deliberately laugh in a playful tone.

“Come now! Good children don’t cry. You should stop, okay?”

“Sniff… yes.”

“The food is getting cold. It tastes best when it’s warm.”

“Mmm.”

The little fox moves their fork while sniffling.

Indeed, children easily open their hearts after just a few kind gestures.

It’s a pity.

They shouldn’t open their hearts so easily to a villain like me.

I’ll have to make them regret it.

“Everyone, eat plenty. There’s lots of food prepared!”

A mountain of piled-up food.

This is my ultimate move.

-The Grandma’s Sincere “Just One More Bite” Punch-

I kept feeding them until the children collapsed saying they couldn’t eat anymore.

***

Crying, laughing, being wary, then feeling reassured.

After showing such a spectacular range of emotions, the children all fell asleep together before long.

It seems they couldn’t overcome their food coma.

They really ate until their bellies were full.

One or two started closing their eyes, then they all fell asleep in a heap.

‘…They must be tired.’

They would still have fatigue accumulated from their time at the auction house.

It was a sensitive and anxious period, but fortunately most of them seemed to be opening their hearts.

“How admirable.”

A soliloquy escapes me unintentionally.

Small foxes dozing on the floor. As I carefully move them one by one to the bed, a voice interrupts from the side.

“I’ll help too.”

It was Irene.

The girl approaches and quietly helps with the transport.

Perhaps still suspicious of me, she glares with fierce eyes whenever I lift a child.

A fox baring its teeth fiercely.

“I haven’t done anything yet.”

“I know.”

“And I don’t plan to do anything in the future.”

“That remains to be seen.”

“I suppose so?”

Taming is certainly difficult.

After that quiet mutter, I place the last child I was holding onto the bed.

Very carefully so as not to wake them.

As I cover the foxes with blankets, I feel a vague gaze.

“…”

The girl stares at me silently.

Her cold expression contained rather complex emotions.

She seemed confused.

‘Perhaps I’ve been too kind.’

From Irene’s perspective, it must be suspicious.

After all, someone she just met yesterday was showing inexplicable kindness.

She might worry she’s been caught in some trap.

Such concern would be natural.

‘Well… she has been caught by a villain, so she’s not wrong.’

I smile at this idle thought.

As I quietly watch the soundly sleeping children, Irene speaks first.

“You’re unexpected.”

“In what way?”

“You seem to like children. I thought you’d be annoyed by them.”

“How could I be?”

I was closer to liking them.

I appreciated the unique innocence that children possess.

Unlike adults tainted by the world’s stains, they had an untouched purity. I envied that.

It was something I hadn’t possessed for a long time.

“I just don’t get close to them.”

“…I should at least thank you. You did get us out of that hellish place.”

“It’s nothing.”

“And thanks for the meal. It was delicious.”

“I’m glad it suited your taste. I’m happy to receive such praise.”

A few light exchanges.

I quietly observed the girl. My transparent dark eyes held only the image of the children.

It was a scene filled with tender atmosphere.

-I don’t trust anyone.

As I momentarily lose focus, a scene flashes before my eyes.

It was from the middle of the original work.

The part where I uploaded my first walkthrough video.

A story that appeared in the first side story episode [The Untamed Fox].

-Sold!

According to the original flow, Irene is sold as a slave at the auction house.

Afterward, the fox who suffers cruel abuse from nobles eventually goes so far as to kill her master and escape.

A girl wandering the streets.

During this time of despair, a fateful meeting occurs.

-Who are you? You’re so pretty.

The Empire’s First Princess, Sharlotte Little von Staufen.

Charlotte, who plays the role of the little prince in the story, discovers the fox.

-Come with me.

Charlotte, recognizing the fox’s talent.

She takes in Irene and makes her one of her close associates.

The little prince cherishes the fox. The fox depends on the little prince. The two become the closest of friends.

Just when it seemed like peaceful days would continue…

-I heard the news today.

-About the children who were imprisoned with me… they all died.

From the moment this news arrives, the story’s atmosphere darkens dramatically.

The fox says to the little prince:

-They died in so many different ways. From abuse to torture, taxidermy, even butchering…

-Every single one of them, miserably.

Tears fall drop by drop.

But what filled those dewdrops wasn’t just sadness. It was closer to bitter self-blame.

The girl chews on her lament.

-Even what little remained is taken away.

Since my master passed away, they were the only hope I had left.

-I couldn’t protect them.

-Even in that cold cage, they trusted only me, but they perished miserably…

-While I shamelessly survived.

The part ends with the fox in despair.

It wasn’t a typical story, but a [Hidden Episode] in the form of a side story that could only be seen when following a specific route.

I was the first person to discover this.

I still vividly remember the reaction when I uploaded the video.

‘Half the people were amazed at how I found it, the other half were saddened by Irene’s story.’

Irene, who had always seemed so steadfast.

Since it was a scene where such a character breaks down, users were quite shocked.

I felt somewhat proud.

After all, I prevented such an event from happening.

‘The original work will change, but… that’s something to think about later.’

For now, I thought it was okay to celebrate.

I prevented Irene’s misfortune, and by doing so, I established a foundation to get closer to the original protagonist’s group.

A satisfied feeling lingered for a while.

What woke me from my reverie was none other than the fox’s call.

“I don’t get it.”

“Uh… what?”

“You. I really can’t figure you out.”

When I turn my head at this unexpected remark, I see eyes staring directly at me.

The calmly shining pupils resemble stars.

After seeming to hesitate for a moment, the girl speaks again.

“…You said you wanted something from me, right?”

“Hmm?”

“You said you would tame me.”

“Ah, I did say that.”

I nodded, belatedly remembering.

So she remembered. I thought she might have ignored it since I mentioned it only in passing.

“That’s right. That’s why I brought you here, Irene.”

“Is it that important?”

“Of course.”

A clear answer. But the girl makes a puzzled expression instead.

She asked quietly.

“What does it mean… to tame?”

She questions the meaning of taming.

At this bold question, I couldn’t help but pause for a moment. I reflect on the meaning internally.

To tame something.

It was a value now forgotten by many people.

But despite that, it was still my shining guidepost.

I answered without thinking.

“To tame means… to establish a relationship.”

“…?”

A moment of silence passes. Our previously divergent gazes meet.

“What?”

“I want to establish a relationship with you. I’ll tame you to my liking.”

“…”

The plainly recited definition of taming.

I thought I had conveyed my sincere feelings as they were, but Irene’s reaction was somehow strange.

Her blank face distorts.

Her brow furrows, and contempt fills her pupils.

The fox steps back a few paces, then mutters in a chilly voice.

“…You piece of trash.”

It was a look as if she were looking at waste material.

Irene wrapped her arms around her shoulders, sharply raising her previously relaxed guard.

I respond stupidly.

“Oh my…?”

Did I say something wrong?