Chapter 51: I’m a fox mask! not a pervert

The night sky has never felt so eerie.

As a chilling wind blew…

I looked at the mansion, isolated from Mysticgrove.

A quiet, lonely-looking mansion.

I smiled faintly, gazing at it.

“…Hmm. So this is where you lived.”

The rightful lord of Mysticgrove, pushed aside by the wicked Dracos Blacksmith, lived here.

There are no “what ifs” in history…

But what if…

What if this person, not Dracos Blacksmith, had become the lord…?

Lunari wouldn’t have fallen into villainy…

And she wouldn’t have been hunted by beastkin.

He dreamed of a village where humans and beastkin coexisted…

“Shall we create a ‘what if’ scenario?”

I secretly took the mask Lunari was wearing.

The Lucky Fox Mask.

It doesn’t actually have any luck-boosting powers…

But there’s no need to show my face…

I put on the mask and quietly entered the mansion.

I’m wearing the Invisibility Robe, but…

There seem to be no servants guarding the place.

He’s a fallen noble, so he probably can’t afford them…

And there’s no reason to keep them around.

I surveyed the ordinary interior of the mansion…

And slowly searched for the bedroom.

“Hmm…She might be here.”

I sensed a presence in this room.

I’m certain she’s here.

“Then, I should use this.”

I used the last item I had saved in the point shop.

The Divine Potion.

This item had a special condition in the point shop.

It could only be purchased when Lunari Evergrace’s Malice Gauge reached 0%.

This item has two effects.

First, it can charm the person you’re talking to.

And the second, the most important effect…

Is that it grants the charmed person’s wish, based on their thoughts, mindset, and abilities.

It has the power to make the target’s deepest desires come true.

This incredibly powerful potion can only be used once in a lifetime.

And this potion is meant to be used for Lunari’s redemption.

“Ugh, this tastes awful.”

I drank the potion and quietly entered the room.

“Hmm…?”

I’m still not sure…

But I can sense it instinctively.

A presence in the distance.

I quietly looked around.

And there…

A woman stood by the window, her hair fluttering in the breeze that slipped through the curtains.

“…Was she watching from the beginning?”

Bathed in moonlight, she was staring blankly out the window.

“…Has it finally come…?”

A faint, powerless voice.

She turned around with a resigned look.

“Even if you try to take something from me…there’s nothing to take…I have nothing…”

A noblewoman standing by the window, wearing an eyepatch, with a deeply saddened expression.

Elysion Aias.

She gave me a faint smile.

“If you’re going to kill me…please make it painless. If you’re going to violate me…please be gentle. If you’re going to torture me…”

“…Please just kill me quickly.”

Hmm, she seems to think I’m a villain.

I shrugged and chuckled softly.

“My, my…I’m not a villain. That’s quite the greeting.”

“…?”

I looked at her and introduced myself.

Not as the Black Hound, nor as Isabel Leonhardt…but as the Fox Mask.

“I apologize for the late introduction. I am the Fox Mask, a messenger sent by God.”

“…Fox…Mask…?”

My sudden introduction must be confusing.

I continued, unfazed,

“Elysion Aias. Future lord. I’ve been watching you from the heavens.”

Well, technically, from outside the monitor…

But I did watch her, so…

It’s not a lie.

“…From the heavens…?”

“I’ll grant your wish.”

Yes, her wish. To become the lord of Mysticgrove.

I have to guide her there.

“…Wish…?”

“Please become the lord of Mysticgrove, Miss Aias.”

“…Yes? What…?”

This situation is quite absurd.

A stranger suddenly appears and tells you to become the lord.

However, I drank the Divine Potion…

And I can control her…

No, guide her.

I will make her the lord.

“I’ll grant your wish. You prayed, didn’t you? To the heavens…”

“What…”

Aias’s eyes wavered, and she gave an awkward smile.

“…Did you…hear my prayer…?”

“Yes. You always prayed while looking at the moon, didn’t you? You prayed for Mysticgrove to become a peaceful village where humans and beastkin coexist.”

“How did you…?”

How could I not know?

Elysion Aias. She’s truly an angelic lord.

So angelic that she was taken advantage of…

Aias was originally meant to be the next lord of Mysticgrove, but…

She was ruined by Dracos’s political maneuvering and various incidents.

Even so, she didn’t give up.

As a citizen, not a lord, she continued to pray for the peace of Mysticgrove.

I saw her prayer in the game, so I pointed at the sky.

“The heavens have spoken. They said to make you the lord and let you rule Mysticgrove. I will grant your prayer.”

“…Thank you for your kind words, but…I can’t do it anymore…with my own power…”

Aias lowered her head with a bitter expression and murmured,

“…Because I’m cursed…and I wear this eyepatch…So even if you’re a messenger of God…”

I chuckled at her weak words.

“Well. You can ignore that fat lord Dracos’s insults.”

“…?”

“Because the heavens have already decreed his punishment.”

“…Punishment?”

I spread my arms and showed a small special effect.

An effect that appears when you drink the potion.

Pink petals fluttered around me…

And my body glowed with a bright light.

“All you have to do is say ‘Yes.’ Then everything will come true.”

“Everything…?”

“But there’s a condition.”

“…A condition?”

“Please create a village where humans and beastkin can live together in harmony. Can you do that?”

The reason I met this lord…

Aias, standing before me, is capable of fulfilling the condition I set.

That’s why I can truly activate the potion.

Now, the question is whether she’ll accept or not…

But since the potion has a charming effect…she’ll definitely say yes.

“…If that’s all…I can do it…No…I have to do it.”

She has to do it.

Her words were filled with conviction.

And she couldn’t help but feel this way.

She was saved by beastkin when she was young.

She still remembers it.

So she has a strong affinity for beastkin.

“Then, that’s fine.”

I smiled faintly behind my mask and held out my hand.

“Follow me, Aias. I want to make your dream come true. I will grant your wish.”

The item seemed to activate at my words, and the system announced,

[The Divine Potion has been activated!]
[Elysion Aias’s wish will be granted!]

With this, all preparations for redemption are complete.

At the same time…

Late at night, Dracos was restless.

“…Damn it, damn it, damn it…! Haven’t those female beastkin been captured yet!?”

“W-We apologize! Captain Sishilia is out of contact…! And the beastkin hunting patrol has vanished without a trace…”

The real reason Dracos hunted beastkin…

Wasn’t just to oppress them…

But mostly…

Because he’s a crazy bastard who wants to collect beastkin for his taxidermy collection.

He’s that kind of villain.

“Thanks to that Black Hound bastard…telling me where the beastkin are…I gladly sent my men…Kikiki, I can’t wait to spank those bitches and pull out their tails!”

“They said they’d be back as soon as possible after hunting the beastkin, so please be patient.”

Despite his servant’s words, he couldn’t hide his excitement.

Dracos clenched his fists, his anxiety growing.

“They…they didn’t escape, did they!?”

“…That’s impossible.”

“Then why…why aren’t they back yet…!? ”

What happened?

They promised to return soon after hunting the beastkin…

Could they have betrayed him?

Anxiety gnawed at Dracos’s heart.

“Go look for them again! Or…to the neighboring village…”

Just as he was about to continue…

The door burst open, and Sishilia and the patrolmen entered.

“…Lord!”

“Y-You bastards! Why are you so late!?”

Sishilia and the patrolmen were covered in bruises.

They all knelt and bowed to the lord.

Then Sishilia looked at Dracos and spoke,

“We apologize, Lord. It took a while to completely hunt down the beastkin.”

“Kihihihihi! So…where are the beastkin!?”

“There are…too many to bring here. It would be better if you came and saw for yourself…”

Dracos roared in anger at Sishilia’s words.

“What!? You didn’t bring them here!?”

“W-We apologize. But we have them waiting outside, so if you just come…”

Dracos groaned and clenched his jaw.

His servant quietly looked at Dracos.

“Lord…”

“Fine! I’ll go. I want to see how many you’ve caught.”

“Understood. I’ll guide you.”

Sishilia puffed out his chest like a triumphant general.

The servant quietly spoke to the lord,

“…L-Lord, it’s late…maybe tomorrow…”

“Shut up! I have to enjoy myself now!”

“Hahaha! Let’s go. You come too.”

Something feels off.

The servant felt uneasy…

But since the patrol captain and his men were escorting the lord…

He had no choice but to follow.

Late at night…

Dracos and his servant followed Sishilia outside.

It was now dawn.

Even Dracos, after walking for so long, had reached his limit.

He’s overweight and doesn’t exercise…

It’s only natural.

Dracos collapsed.

“…Damn it! How much longer do I have to walk!?”

“M-My Lord!”

The servant wiped Dracos’s sweat.

Sishilia laughed heartily and said,

“We apologize. We’re almost there.”

“Almost there? What are you talking about! It’s been over an hour! Why didn’t you bring a carriage for me!?”

“Ah…didn’t I tell you? The carriage wheel broke…and…”

“What’s the point of dragging me all the way here!?”

“You could have just reported to me tomorrow…!”

To the servant, this situation made no sense.

It was too suspicious.

They kept saying it was just around the corner…

But they’ve been led to a strange part of the forest.

“Are you really Sishilia?”

The servant glared suspiciously at Sishilia.

Sishilia’s expression hardened at the servant’s gaze, then he suddenly started laughing.

“Khehehe…”

“…Why…why are you laughing?”

“Kyahahahaha!!!! I’ve been waiting for this! I’ve been waiting!!!”

Sishilia and his men…

Their appearances began to change.

People with animal ears.

They were all beastkin disguised by Lunari’s power.

“Y-You…!”

“B-Beastkin!”

Dracos and his servant finally realized something was wrong.

But it was too late.

A beastkin smiled and said to his comrade,

“Hey, remember what that human said? This fat bastard is the one who made us hunt beastkin.”

“That’s right. And to atone for the sins he committed against our Lady Yoho…we have to kill this bigot.”

The beastkin bared their fangs and glared menacingly.

Drooling, ready to pounce like wild animals…

Dracos groaned and raised his finger weakly.

“Y-You…do you know who I am…!? I-I’m Dracos…”

But…such words only provoked the beastkin further.

Crunch! A beastkin bit off Dracos’s ear.

“Aaack!!”

As blood spurted from Dracos like a fountain…

The beastkin became even more frenzied.

“What are you waiting for!? Human feast!”

“Kyahahaha!!”

“Aaaaaaaaaack!!!”

Screams echoed through the forest.

Dracos’s gruesome end.

Meanwhile…

Lunari was floating in the air, the orb growing larger.

“Heh. Isabel will like this, won’t he?”

She swung her legs playfully, resting her chin on her hand, and imagined the future.

An ideal future with Isabel…

Author’s Note:

We’ll soon see Lunari’s ending!

Please enjoy it until the end!

(Recommendations, ratings, and comments are a great help to the author!)