episode_0051
by fnovelpiaA tea house located in the capital city of Vestia.
This is a store run by deer people. The quiet space and the leaves of grass decorating the interior make it feel like you’re in a forest.
Deer-like waiters with horns on their heads strolled briskly toward our table.
“The Antler Tea you ordered has arrived.”
Bolt puts down the car he ordered.
A thick tea with shades of green and brown.
It smells like something an old person might drink.
“What is this made of?”
“This is a tea made from the antlers of a deer. It helps relieve fatigue and boosts vitality. Try it.”
“Oh, deer horns… they’re a bit rough.”
So, it’s like green tea, but when you hear it from a deer’s mouth, it’s something else. It’s like eating pork in front of a pig.
I should have said it in my head, but it just came out of my mouth. The employee’s expression turned sour.
“Tsk. You shouldn’t drink it.”
“Oh, that’s not it… .”
“Anyway, humans are really picky eaters. They make food themselves and then blame the ingredients.”
The employee gave a sharp remark and went back with the car.
Seira writes another evaluation next to me. Even without looking at it, it’s a negative point.
“Karamy, you really are inexperienced in dealing with people. Do you think a slave trader would be good at that?”
“It’s not easy because there are so many different species of Suin. I’ve raised cats and dogs… .”
The common sense we had before and the bizarre reality keep clashing. The gap is so big that it’s not easy to adapt.
Just like playing a cat-raising game doesn’t mean you can raise a cat well.
“I’ll buy you the book ‘Suin Special Lecture: Tips for Dealing with Suin’, so read it.”
“That’s how it should be.”
Bolt slammed the car shut.
“So, Karami, what brings you to Bestia?”
“I came because I have business to attend to. I have someone to meet.”
“Are you an acquaintance?”
“You’ll find out soon.”
Bolt nodded as if he didn’t understand, but it didn’t matter.
“Where are you going?”
“You have to go to Baekungok.”
Baekungok (Baekungok Valley).
There is a small village where foxes live huddled together, which means a valley covered with white clouds.
The third main slave is there.
“Hmm, I don’t remember hearing about a place called Baekungok. My buddy, do you know about it?”
“I also know the habitats of other races well… This is my first time hearing about Baekungok.”
Bolt and Buddy looked unaware. Our eyes naturally turned to Seira. She sighed and soon answered.
“If you go east, there is a fog-covered area. Inside Baekungok, there is a fox den where about thirty Hoyo people live in hiding. However, it is not well known because there are many dangerous beasts and it is difficult to come and go.”
Sayra, who was saying that, narrows her eyes.
“How do you know this? I know this because I’m in a place where a lot of information flows, but it’s a piece of wallpaper that even the average person doesn’t know.”
Seira glared at him with suspicious eyes. She had the eyes of a predator who seemed ready to devour him at any moment, but she did not let that discourage her and responded with a confident attitude.
“How much do I love Suin, but don’t you know this?”
***
Fox Cave is located deep in Baekungok, where the mountains are covered in fog.
The sharp wind blowing through the valley was similar to the lamentation of a ghost, and could also be heard as the last words of an outsider who had come without knowing what was happening.
It’s so eerie that it feels like something is going to jump out at any moment. In fact, outside the valley, there are demons, or what some call monsters, roaming around.
They can’t get out. Fortunately, they can’t get past the narrow passage. So the foxes hid deep inside the valley.
Over several generations.
Therefore, this daily life of uncertainty is the fault of the ancestors who settled here, not the fault of anyone in the current generation.
But when we are pushed to our mental limit, we tend to blame someone. That way, we can rationalize it a little.
As it turned out, the foxes had someone they could blame.
“Tuesday, time to pay for dinner.”
Several pairs of eyes were focused solely on one little fox.
Pink fur.
Odd eyes that embrace day and night.
The girl’s appearance, different from others, stood out among the foxes. A monster fox that had been living in this valley for some time, and could not grow or speak.
That girl had no name.
Hwayo (禍狐), a monster that brings misfortune.
It is not a name or anything. Even those who have been abandoned by their parents have a name, but the girl does not have one.
The pink fox brings misfortune. This is a tale that has been passed down from ancient times.
Being trapped in Baekungok.
There are also monsters roaming around threatening the village.
The foxes had no doubt that all this was because Tuesday had brought misfortune.
“What are you doing instead of going out? It’s Tuesday.”
It was a cold and dispassionate voice.
The foxes would chase the girl out of the village whenever a monster appeared. It was a tradition that had been passed down from the old days. If the girl went away from the village, the monsters would follow her.
Tuesday might die in the process, but that’s not something I should know. I should be grateful just for being fed and given a place to sleep.
It was the least mercy one could show to one’s own kind.
“… … .”
Tuesday stood at the crossroads leading out of town.
The loneliness and fear she felt every time she was forced out did not go away. Tuesday’s body began to tremble.
Tuesday took her steps outside into the thick darkness. She looked back for the last time.
There was only a fox there, waiting to get out as soon as possible.
Tuesday disappeared into the fog with sharp winds blowing.
***
“Haah… Haah… .”
Tuesday ran on all fours through the valley, panting for breath.
Tuesday, the sound of her lonely footsteps spread through the forest. She couldn’t see even an inch ahead because of the thick fog. She continued to run precariously, feeling like she might miss her step at any moment.
Her pink fur was already soaked with fog and sweat, and her heart was pounding like it was going to burst.
The fragile child’s hands and feet were covered in wounds, but he had no luxury of feeling pain.
Beyond the fog, a strange blue light flickered. It was a will-o’-the-wisps. The lights flickered faintly and circled around her as if mocking her.
It seemed as if it was whispering ominous words, as if trying to lure the lost one into deeper confusion.
Thump… thump… .
My ears twitched. The low, terrible breathing of the giant monster echoed. The sound was getting closer.
If you stop, you die.
If you get lost, you die.
Even though it’s my number one escape, I never get used to it. The fog that covers the sea like a sea mist makes me lose my sense of direction.
Because of that, I got lost and returned to the village after four days.
But there was no time to rest. He hurriedly ate the potatoes the residents threw at him and ran outside again that night.
Tuesday didn’t blame them. It was her fault for being born with the misfortune. It was her fault for being born with the color pink.
They are grateful just for being able to save their lives.
thud!
The monster’s footsteps shook the ground. It felt like an earthquake was happening, and Hwayo jumped up and down in her seat.
I looked around frantically.
Where should I go?
Where should I go?
I don’t know.
I don’t know anything.
Anxiety spreads like waves.
Fear enveloped my entire body.
Hwaak.
“… ?”
At that moment, Tuesday’s nose twitched. What flowed in was the scent of the forest. The refreshing scent of the forest that she had never smelled before instantly took over her nasal passages.
I don’t know what’s there, but Suin’s instinctive sense tells me that I have to go that way.
It was the moment when Tuesday took a big step forward.
“Ah… !”
slope.
I couldn’t see it because of the fog.
I stumbled and rolled down.
Tuesday, who had fallen to the floor, tried to get up again, but could not. Blood flowed from her legs, which were covered in bruises.
Kuung!
The sound is getting closer.
I have to run away.
I need to run away, but I can’t move.
I’m scared. I’m in pain. I’m in pain.
Tears flowed from Tuesday’s two-colored eyes. The wounded area felt hot as if it was burning.
There was no one in the world who would embrace her, who was marked with the mark of Heonaidan.
Hwayo crawled forward, dragging her injured leg. Then, the sound of footsteps was heard.
It was noticeably lighter than the monster’s, but she couldn’t tell the difference as her consciousness was fading away.
Through my closing eyelids I saw a black shadow approaching from the fog.
The shape of a god of death.
As if they were trying to take away the life that was being maintained like a beggar.
Consciousness becomes clouded.
The odd eyes of the sun and moon disappeared.
The shadow of the god of death falls over Hwa-yo’s head as she lies on the floor, unconscious.
Karami looked down at the little fox hanging limply in front of her.
A tail and ears that have lost their luster due to lack of care and are tangled and covered in dirt and dust. Covered in wounds. A skinny body due to lack of food.
A disaster brought about by misfortune.
“We met like this. I’m lucky.”
But Karami said he was lucky.
I was lost on the road and was wondering how I was going to get to the village, but she came first.
[The Fox That Brings Misfortune]
The third main slave.
One of the most popular characters, competing for the top spot in the Taoist popularity poll.
Tuesday, the nameless fox.
And, a name that only Karami knows in the world.
“Rin.”
The Tuesday ear called Lin flinched slightly.
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