End. Truth

End. Truth

“Goodbye. And I’m sorry for leaving you alone.”

“….”

Starlight Wind’s form dissolved into the air like sand grains scattering in the wind, disappearing without a trace. All that remained were the shattered glass display case and me, standing still.

“Kkang, kkang.”

And one polar fox.

No… two?

“No.”

It’s one.

No matter what anyone says, I am a wolf suin. That fox suin, whether it’s Starlight Wind or Wind of Stars, calling me a fox is because they mistook me for someone else.

After all, it wasn’t a video recorded for me, was it?

From the beginning, it was a video meant for another fox suin who would come to this place. I happened to overhear it while passing by.

So, the Seol-ah they’re talking about must be a different Seol-ah, not me.

Yes… it seems there’s another child named Seol-ah in this world. It’s strange that our names overlap. And that we are divided into a polar fox suin and a polar wolf suin.

“Kkang kkang, kkang-“

“No. I’m not a fox.”

Meanwhile, this big idiot fox was talking as if I were a fox suin, unaware of such facts.

There are things you can say to people and things you can’t. I scowled, wagging my tail furiously. At my strong expression of displeasure, Seol-gu whimpered, tucked its tail, and cowered.

My older sister is a wolf, my dad is a wolf, and my mom is a wolf, so why on earth am I a fox?

Rang Seol-ah, the youngest daughter of the wolf tribe leader.

That is me.

What fox in the world would live as a member of a wolf tribe? Even a hamster walking by the roadside knows that’s impossible. It seems the fox doesn’t know, though.

Yes….

Yes.

I am a wolf.

A very cool wolf.

“Seol-ah? Goodness, why is the glass here so….”

Just then, someone arrived to break the strange atmosphere. Seeing the completely shattered glass display case, my sister urgently checked on me.

“Did you break it while playing? Are you hurt anywhere?”

“Big sister.”

I quietly looked at my sister’s face.

My sister’s eyes were blue. They seemed like a deep, clear sea, or perhaps the high autumn sky.

My reflection in them… was a deep brown.

“What’s wrong? Are you hurt….”

“Big sister, I’m a wolf, right?”

“Huh?”

My sister looked at me with a bewildered expression. Seeing her tail stiffen, she seemed quite flustered.

Looking at my sister’s spiky tail, unlike my own fluffy one, I continued,

“I’m not a fox, right? Someone over there said I was a fox, a polar fox suin… No, right? They mistook me for someone else, right?”

“W-what are you talking about, all of a sudden?”

“Big sister….”

I had lived for years with pride, believing I was a wolf… There’s no way I could be a fox. No way I could be a foolish and stupid fox suin.

It was such an obvious fact that there was no reason to doubt it. So, all I needed now was one thing: my sister’s confirmation that I was a wolf.

My voluminous tail shrank. The hand gripping my sister’s forearm trembled slightly. I quickly let go, startled by the feeling of her tail fur being pulled out.

After trembling her tail for a moment, my sister opened her mouth.

“Seol-ah.”

“Yes.”

“Seol-ah….”

My sister’s words stretched on endlessly. I watched her lips with my wavering eyes.

A tense moment.

I was so tense that I unconsciously gripped my sister’s tail tightly and exerted force. Feeling her tail fur being plucked out, I quickly let go.

After trembling her tail for a moment, my sister opened her mouth.

“Seol-ah… dislikes polar foxes?”

“It’s not that….”

I don’t dislike foxes. If I did, I wouldn’t have adopted Seol-gu as a pet.

Foxes are foolish, but perhaps that’s why they’re also cute. It would be harder to find someone who dislikes a fox face-planting into the snow while whimpering “Kkang.”

But such sentiments didn’t suit me.

I am a strong and powerful wolf, not a weak and cute fox.

Calling me a fox is like calling a human a monkey, or a swan a duck – a preposterous statement. It’s such foolish talk that it’s not even worth discussing.

Therefore, I waited with my tail puffed out, expecting my sister to say, “You are a wolf.”

My sister stroked my head for a moment without saying anything.

“Seol-ah, listen carefully.”

“Yes….”

My sister’s mouth opened, but I felt uneasy. I squeezed my eyes shut, and my sister took a deep breath as if she had made up her mind, then continued,

“Seol-ah is a polar fox.”

Jerk-

My body trembled.

I urgently said to my sister,

“Why? I’m not a fox. I’m a wolf. Mom and Dad are wolves.”

“When I was young like you, Seol-ah, I went hunting with Father.”

My sister put me down on the floor, met my eyes, and began to speak softly. I listened to my sister’s words, nervously wagging my tail.

“But when we were far from home, dark clouds suddenly began to gather in the sky. By the time I noticed, it had already started snowing heavily… We quickly took shelter in a nearby cave.”

My sister stroked my head once, paused, and continued,

“It was so dark outside that I couldn’t see an inch ahead, and the snow was pouring down as if someone was dumping it with buckets… I thought we wouldn’t be able to get home that day.”

“Yes….”

“So, I headed deeper into the cave. I was bored waiting for the weather to clear. And at the end… there was a newborn baby.”

My sister moved her hand and stroked my head. I shook my head to return my hair to its place.

“That was Seol-ah.”

“….”

So I was an adopted child.

Perhaps I had known for a long time.

Perhaps I had known and chosen to ignore it.

Thinking that I was just a little different, just a peculiar wolf.

Even though it was obvious to anyone.

Like an idiot.

My tail drooped.

“Seol-ah, Seol-ah is… a polar fox. But that doesn’t mean Seol-ah is no longer part of our family. Father and Mother love Seol-ah. Of course, so do I.”

My sister hugged me tightly and said. I buried my face in her embrace and said nothing.

“Seol-ah’s name has ‘Rang’ in it. Even if you’re not a real wolf, the fact that Seol-ah is a member of our tribe doesn’t change.”

“But I… I thought I was a wolf. So I wanted to grow up quickly and become a strong wolf like you….”

“Foxes can also become strong and powerful like wolves. Seol-ah, you’ve shown it yourself.”

My sister continued,

“You defeated the large mining machine, protected Yura and Yuri from the Wyvern, gave Lucy a magical gift, and… you’ve done so many other things.”

“….”

“Seol-ah is already a strong and powerful wolf.”

I took a deep breath. The familiar scent of my sister filled my nostrils.

“I’m sorry for hiding it until now. I originally planned to tell you when you became an adult….”

“… No.”

I know how difficult it is to tell a child such a secret about their birth. I do wish you hadn’t hidden the truth from me since I was a baby, but it’s ridiculous to complain about something that has already happened.

I fiddled with the transparent stone… the fox bead.

After the hologram video disappeared, the bead’s brightness returned to its usual subtle level. The dazzling light from before was gone.

Nevertheless, I could still feel the immense power contained within it. Perhaps the power had become complete by combining with Starlight Wind’s fox bead.

The bead was still crooked. But… it was less so than before. It looked more like a bead.

I looked at it for a moment, then turned my head and looked at Seol-gu next to me. Seol-gu approached me, whimpering “Kkang.”

“Seol-gu.”

“Kkang!”

Perhaps because I finally realized I was a fox, Seol-gu’s expression seemed exceptionally happy. Feeling strangely uncomfortable with that look, I picked up Seol-gu, buried my face in its belly, and blew a raspberry.

Rumble rumble rumble.

“Kkaeng?!”

“Hehe.”

Now I feel a little better.

That I’m the same species as that idiot….

I suppose I’ll have to modify what I said earlier a bit.

Not all foxes are idiots. Half are idiots, and the other half are geniuses of the century.

Yes, of course.

Sigh, I let out a deep sigh and looked at the fox bead.

The fox bead… had somehow become a perfectly round sphere. I held it high in the sky.

If there’s one thing I’ve always thought, it’s that strong and powerful wolves should act in a way that befits them.

And since I am a strong and powerful wolf, officially recognized by my sister, I had to act with appropriate gravitas and prudence.

This was the first of those actions.

“Stone… please don’t let any more bad people come to the North Pole!”

The bead shone more brilliantly than I had ever seen before. The bead, shining in various colors, cast its light as if embracing us.

“Wow….”

The shimmering light unfolded in the air like a small aurora.

It was a beauty so captivating that it stole all my attention for a moment.

With this, a giant barrier was erected in the North Pole. A barrier that would prevent those with ill intentions from entering, and allow only good people to pass.

This will fulfill the wishes of the foxes who wanted to protect the North Pole.

I can’t be sure, but probably.

Even if the barrier is somehow breached, I’ll just go and fix it myself. Because I have Seol-gu, my early warning system.

“Kkang.”

“I’ll count on you, Seol-gu.”

“Kkang, kkang.”

Seol-gu patted its chest, telling me to trust only it. It wasn’t exactly trustworthy, but it was cute.

I brushed the snow off my knees and stood up. It was time to leave.

“Big sister, let’s go.”

My first step as a strong and powerful fox. I put the completed fox bead into my tail and pulled my sister’s arm to turn back down the hallway… or so I thought.

“Seol-ah.”

“Yes?”

“You have to clean up the broken glass before you go.”

“Gasp.”

My sister pointed to the shattered glass pieces of the display case scattered everywhere. Seeing them, I gasped and swallowed.

“Kkang!!”

That day, I had to get spanked.