episode_0008

A voice reverberated against the dark background.

At the proposal I made, Irene furrowed her brow.

“……What?”

Perhaps it was because she had been pushed to an extreme situation just moments before.

The girl glared at me with somewhat fierce eyes, but I smiled as if understanding.

First, I’d need to ease her wariness.

Because from now on, they were going to be my people.

“I will take you in. I will help you escape from this hellish place.”

“Take us in… I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“You can take it literally.”

“You’ll let us leave this place…?”

“That’s right.”

I nodded, meaning for them to be at ease.

The fox’s face clouded with confusion.

A glint of tension flickered in her black eyes.

Indeed, it would be disorienting for someone who was radiating killing intent just moments ago to suddenly turn friendly.

Perhaps I overdid it with the intimidation.

“Please forgive my earlier impoliteness.”

I offered a perfunctory apology.

Hearing that, Irene flinched her shoulders, then quickly threw out a few questions.

“……I don’t understand. Why are you helping us?”

“Shall we say, personal interest?”

“Interest, you say.”

Irene let out a hollow laugh.

She revealed strong hostility, hiding the fallen children behind her back.

“You intend to enslave us. You’re just like those disgusting auction house bastards.”

“Well, slaves aren’t really my preference.”

“Then… taxidermy?”

“Oh dear. You’re imagining dangerous things.”

I lightly denied it.

“I simply need friends.”

A sly smile spread across my lips.

I was trying my best to restrain myself, but the effect of my trait was more profound than I expected.

Before I knew it, I had taken on the perfect appearance of a mastermind.

Wouldn’t this scene appear to others like this?

A boy extending a hand to a future hero.

The primeval darkness corrupting a noble soul.

Irene seemed to feel a bit uneasy, hesitating to answer.

“Being cautious is good, but unfortunately, there isn’t much time left.”

“……What do you mean?”

“The soldiers guarding the auction house are about to storm in soon.”

Although I had roughly cleared the surroundings, it was only a temporary measure.

It wouldn’t be long before the auction house noticed.

I had to leave this place before things got troublesome.

“It’s a moment of choice.”

“……”

“Will you remain in this purgatory overflowing with sorrow… or will you take my hand and escape?”

I spoke as if giving her a choice, but in reality, there was no such option.

Because fate was cruel to the girl.

This was the Empire’s worst auction house, the Apple Tree.

Even if she was the future Sword Saint, she was still a bud that hadn’t yet bloomed.

For such an Irene to face numerous guards and attempt an escape with the children would be no different from suicide.

“……Ha.”

The fox laughed hollowly.

Had she come to terms with reality?

If she didn’t choose me, only death awaited her now.

“There was no choice to begin with.”

Immediately after her bitter self-mockery, the girl cautiously extended her hand. It was a sign of acceptance.

“I don’t trust humans. I know how despicable and cruel your kind can be.”

“Oh. Is that from experience?”

“……That’s a past I’ve forgotten now.”

Irene bit her lip, lost in thought.

As if recalling painful memories, her eyes were filled with a venomous aura.

It was a deeply lingering hatred.

As her immediate life was at stake, it seemed she was trying to control herself so as not to displease me, but such intense emotions were not easily hidden.

Honestly, this reaction didn’t feel strange.

After all, even in the early parts of the original story, Irene suffered from intense human distrust.

So, there was no reason for me to hold a grudge against her simply because she didn’t fully trust the goodwill I was offering.

“You may be wary of me.”

After all, taming inherently takes time.

I was willing to wait patiently.

The fox, who had been stiffened by my sly demeanor, took my hand and murmured softly.

“I hope you don’t regret it… this choice you’ve made now.”

“You certainly won’t.”

My existence is your dawn.

As the days pass and your stars sparkle, we will forge a bond in a wider wheat field.

I left a brief promise.

I embraced the girl generously.

Though it was a hand trembling poorly, it was a fragment that would one day cleave the heavens.

“Really… you won’t hurt the children, right?”

“Because I’m someone who keeps my word.”

“If it’s a lie…”

“If it’s a lie?”

“I will definitely get revenge. Even if it means sacrificing my entire life.”

“Haha! How exciting!”

I smiled playfully.

As we exchanged small talk for a moment, bustling noises could be heard from outside the passage.

Clanking armor. It seemed the soldiers were coming.

“It’s about time to leave.”

“But how are you going to escape? I know you’re strong, but breaking through all of them is…”

“Shh.”

I cut off Irene’s question.

Exuding a mysterious aura, I lightly winked.

“It’s a secret.”

If I show too much on our first meeting, they’ll quickly get bored, you see.

With a bland remark, I snapped my fingers.

Snap!

Immediately after, the darkness covering the entire passage writhed.

The shadows, twisting like living creatures, then swirled following my gesture.

A thick, inky blackness enveloped us.

In the very next moment.

The snakes and foxes were no longer in that spot.

Behind those who had vanished instantly, only a faint shadow remained.

The escape was successful.

***

That fierce dawn also passed.

At the end of the night, a new day always comes.

Even morning flowed by, and with the sun high in the sky, I sat quietly in a chair.

“Hmm.”

What met my eyes was a familiar scene.

It was the lodging where I had stayed for the past few days, having come down to take the academy exam.

It was spacious enough to rival a mansion. And comfortable.

It was a setting no different from yesterday.

“Ugh…”

Except for one thing.

“Unnie… I’m scared.”

“Did I, did I get sold to bad people? Are we, are we going to d-die…?”

“Sniffle, sniffle…”

The foxes huddled together in the corner.

The children were utterly terrified, each hiding themselves.

They had been in that state since a while ago.

“What could be the problem…? They certainly seemed like angels when they were sleeping.”

Immediately after the escape, when we returned to the lodging, everyone was asleep.

The harsh auction house life. Perhaps it was due to the accumulated fatigue from that period. The children truly fell asleep as if collapsing.

Even Irene, who seemed to be holding on a bit, quickly fell into a deep sleep.

They must have been through a lot.

‘Still, I feel a little hurt.’

I mean, I carried them all to bed myself and even tucked them in with blankets.

As soon as they woke up, they became wary of their surroundings.

The children who made eye contact with me even had tears welling up.

Do I look that sly?

I felt a little sad.

Judging people by their looks. What a dirty world.

“……Sorry. The kids are loud, aren’t they? I’ll quiet them down right away.”

Saying that, Irene tried to soothe the children.

Judging by her trembling voice, it seemed she was trying to gauge my mood.

As expected, I seemed to be regarded with wariness.

Perhaps it won’t be easy to approach them all at once.

“Why are you bothering to comfort them?”

“If their crying bothers you… you might kill the children just because they’re a nuisance.”

“Huh? What exactly do you think I am?”

“……A psychopath.”

A more direct word than expected came back.

That stings a bit.

Well, given the way I behaved yesterday, I can’t really refute it in good conscience.

I gave a bitter laugh.

“Just let them cry to their heart’s content. So they can calm down on their own.”

Suppression only escalates emotions.

Because emotions don’t work as one intends, I stopped Irene’s scolding.

Poor children.

They were stars meant to shine innocently, but due to adult greed, they couldn’t.

Having walked a thorny path without being able to shine for a long time.

I wished for them to cry their hearts out completely, now that they were liberated.

“Just wait a little… everyone will get tired and quiet down.”

“Alright.”

Irene quietly retreated.

Her eyes were somewhat confused.

Perhaps because I was taking a benevolent stance, she was instead furrowing her brow.

As if she couldn’t understand my intentions.

“Hehe.”

I quietly chuckled.

As I waited for a short while, the crying subsided, and a new sound reached my ears.

Rumble.

It was the sound of the children’s stomachs rumbling.

Were they suffering from hunger?

Indeed, they probably hadn’t been properly fed in the underground prison.

The foxes must not have eaten proper food for at least the past three months.

“Sniffle… Unnie, I’m hungry.”

“Me too…”

“What should we do? Unnie will go outside and get something.”

“Isn’t it dangerous…?”

“I don’t want Unnie to be in danger…”

The faint content of their conversation could be heard.

Even in their starving state, they were worried about Irene; they were truly thoughtful children.

I interjected with a light smile.

“It seems you need a meal?”

“……Yes. We’ve been suffering from hunger for too long.”

Irene flinched slightly, then nodded.

Behind the girl, the listless figures of the children could be seen.

“Hmm…”

I hummed, resting my chin in my hand.

After a brief pause, I wiggled my finger with an unenthusiastic reaction.

“Perhaps I shouldn’t have brought them.”

“What…?”

“Indeed, children like that are… a bit bothersome.”

Following my blunt words, the surrounding air grew cold.

“It seems I’ll need to discipline them a bit.”

“……What are you going to do?”

Irene glared at me, her body taut with tension.

The sniffling children also seemed to realize the situation was serious, holding their breath and trembling.

I smiled meaningfully.

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

I was just bored anyway. Perfect.

Shall I play with them for a bit?

I muttered to myself and opened a nearby drawer.

Then, with leisurely hands, I carefully took something out.

“……!”

“……?!”

The foxes stared at the object taken from the drawer.

Their eyes were filled with shock and terror.

But amidst their reactions, I merely smiled cruelly.

“Don’t be scared, everyone. It’s sure to be fun.”

The snake whispered softly.