episode_0077
by fnovelpiaAfter getting some proper rest, I left for Baekungok when I felt better.
“Keeeek… … .”
The entrance to Baekungok Valley, reached by carriage.
I retched violently, holding onto the wall. Lin patted my back with a worried look in her eyes.
“Master, are you okay?”
“No… .”
Even empty words don’t make it sound okay.
Was riding a carriage really this hard? Of course, for a modern person who is used to driving a car, traveling by carriage is definitely hard work, but who am I?
Aren’t cities just slave traders who roam the city looking for slaves? The days of riding in carriages and struggling are long gone.
But this time it wasn’t like that. I can say with absolute certainty that it wasn’t like that from countless times of riding in carriages.
A horde of monsters raiding or a group of bandits popping out are nobles.
Things like carriages flying through the air due to the ground rising up, or carriages almost overturning due to sudden landslides, happened not once but often.
I almost went to the afterlife riding in a carriage. We didn’t know that it was the result of the misfortune caused by the nine-tailed fox.
“Sorry, Master… .”
“It’s okay. Thanks to Lin, you’re safe, right?”
It’s true.
Well, it happened because of Lin, anyway.
Although there were some twists and turns, we somehow returned to Baekungok.
Baekungok, covered in gloomy fog all year round, is always eerie. The eerie cries of monsters, not beasts, echo throughout the valley.
“It’s been a while, right? ”
“Yeah, I guess so… .”
Lin’s nervous expression was evident. Her tails were stiff and upright. When the monster’s loud roar was heard, she flinched and shook her body violently.
Rin has spent her entire life risking her life chasing after monsters. Trauma is not something that can be easily shaken off just because the tail has grown a little longer.
‘So cute.’
I’m sorry to say this, but that feeling came first.
As its tail grew longer, it became a fox that didn’t know how to fear the world. It’s been a while since I’ve seen such a weak appearance.
After all, a slave is most lovable when he depends on his master. It’s nice when he can’t do anything on his own and says, ‘Master, help me!’ It’s just a pity.
“Let’s go in.”
We tried to enter the valley.
As I walk through the foggy valley where will-o’-the-wisps float, I think back to when I came with Seira in the past. At that time, Seira was terrified and tried to run away, saying that this was none of her business.
I remember him crying and following me when I told him that I was going to run away and leave a lot of people behind.
‘That girl who used to be like that now lives in the same house as me…’
That’s enough reminiscing about the past.
As I walk with Lin, the entrance to the village begins to come into view.
“Really… I was really lucky to have met Lin that day. What’s so complicated? Isn’t it?”
The terrain is like a maze and covered in fog, so it is a structure that outsiders will never be able to find. The moment you enter and get lost, you will be surrounded by monsters and will starve to death or be eaten.
Moreover, in order for an outsider to enter the fox den, the barrier must be lifted, so in that sense, it was quite fortunate that Lin appeared in front of me that day.
“That’s not luck… .”
“Yes?”
“Ugh. No. Just talking to myself. Let’s go in.”
He entered the fox den. A little fox who was playing outside flinched and called an adult.
The Hoyo tribe begins to come out one by one. They watch me and Lin with wary eyes.
“Who are you?”
“I don’t know. I don’t think it’s Suin?”
“Me, me pink fur…! Tuesday?!”
“Tuesday? Tuesday is back?”
The Hoyos are making a noise. Isn’t that exactly what Americans looked like when they saw Columbus? They are wary of us, but they can’t suppress their curiosity and approach us.
“It’s different from what I remember, but it’s really Tuesday. I’m sure of it.”
The Hoyo tribe that has been tormenting Lin for generations.
When Lin disappeared from Baekwoon Valley, he must have breathed a sigh of relief. Hongho was finally gone. The monsters would no longer threaten him.
But you will soon realize.
“Where have you been? Do you know how much trouble we’ve had because of you?”
How important a role did Lin play in Baekwoon Valley?
“Since you disappeared without a word, the monsters have become more violent, earthquakes occur out of the blue, and unknown plagues have spread. It’s all because you disappeared!”
“What’s the fuss?”
The one who approached, pushing the Hoyo tribe left and right, was an old Sam-Taekho leaning on a cane. He was the elder of the fox den. To put it simply, he was like the village chief.
Although Yuhwa’s age was far behind, the level of magic they used was so different that the elder was much older.
“Elder, Tuesday is back.”
“Tuesday?”
The fox elder’s eyes grow bigger than those of the other Hoyo tribe members when he discovers Lin.
“You, your tail… .”
“Why the tail?”
Is this still the Sam-Tailed Fox even in old age? She saw through Rin’s disguise. Well, she’s the only Hoyo who knows that Rin is a nine-tailed fox.
There seems to be no point in hiding it any longer, and it is something that needs to be shown in order to proceed anyway. I nodded while looking at Lin, and Lin released her disguise. Her tails spread out into five.
“Tue, Tuesday has five tails!”
“There are more tails than the elders?”
“What? What happened? Why does Tuesday have five tails? Could it be… a nine-tailed fox?!”
A small commotion grows into an uncontrollable commotion, like throwing a rock into a pond swaying in the wind.
Kuung!
A huge crashing sound is heard outside the fox den. It seems that the owl has come near.
“… It seems difficult to have a quiet conversation here. I will guide you inside.”
Guided by the fox elder, I entered the village. The Hoyo tribe followed me, keeping a certain distance.
I wonder if this is how the animals in the zoo feel. It’s not a very pleasant gaze.
We entered the house where the elder was staying. It wasn’t just the foxes of Baekungok who were looking at us curiously. Rin also kept turning her head to look around the house.
“Why is that?”
“It’s my first time here… .I’ve always only seen it from the outside. This is what the inside looks like… … .”
Lin muttered such sentiments while looking around the house with curious eyes. She couldn’t help but feel shocked. She felt dazed.
‘Oh, you damn bastards. How many years has this guy been here and this is his first time coming home?’
I knew from reading the text that he only eats potatoes for every meal and sleeps curled up in a corner of the village, but hearing Lin’s thoughts in real time made me angry.
It’s fortunate that I have no power. I couldn’t hold back my anger for a moment, and I almost threw fate and everything away.
“Please sit comfortably.”
The elder shamelessly told us to sit comfortably, but there was not even a chair, let alone a sofa. All there was was a stiff mat made by weaving plant stems.
Of course, I couldn’t stand, so I just sat down. Lin sat down between my legs as if it was natural.
The elder’s eyes widen in disbelief.
“Who are you? Why does Tuesday follow you?”
“I am the owner of this child. And please stop calling her Tuesday. She has a name of Rin now.”
“I see. You’re the one who pulled out the nine-tailed fox.”
Old man. I told you not to call me Hwayo, but look at you calling me Gumiho. Even if I die soon, I won’t be able to call Rin Rin.
“If anyone heard this, they’d think I kidnapped you. You came to me on your own two feet.”
“Please hand over the Gumiho’s body to Baekungok. The Gumiho must stay in Baekungok.”
“Hmm. Why?”
“That’s… the situation of our Hoyo tribe. You can’t tell outsiders. And if you stay with the nine-tailed fox, you’ll be in danger too.”
You must know your own position, but you’ve been acting like you have no self-respect since a while ago. Are you going to keep acting like that?
It won’t work.
You guys are going to have to take some losses.
It’s the perfect environment, with the Hoyo people gathered outside the house to watch. Listen up, you too.
“Are you afraid that if Lin disappears, you won’t be able to keep your promise?”
“How, how did you do that…!”
Now I’m finally getting the reaction I wanted.
If it’s confusing, let’s organize them one by one. There are three nicknames for Woo-sun-rin.
First is Hongho, who causes misfortune.
The second is the Tuesday that brings disaster.
The third is a nine-tailed fox who beats the heavenly mandate.
All nicknames lead to the nine-tailed fox. Just because it’s a little pink doesn’t mean it can cause supernatural phenomena. There’s nothing wrong with pink, and it’s not a sin.
Just like the black-haired Barbarian doesn’t go around eating just anyone. The nine-tailed fox just happened to be pink.
The story was like this.
Long ago, in a savage era when the line between beasts and humans did not exist.
All beings running on the earth were true to their beastly instincts. They had no language or reason, and only the sound of trampling the earth and the cries filled the world.
But among them, there was a very special race, the Hoyo race. These foxes, who dealt with the mysteries of sorcery, were smarter and more clever than other races.
The foxes, who were proud that they were superior to everyone else, looked up to the heavens to rule the world as they pleased. It was only when there was a mandate that there were restrictions on their actions.
However, as you can see from the results, the rebellion ended in failure. The nine-tailed fox, who lost the war, lost her powers and was sealed away, and the Hoyo tribe that participated in the rebellion were imprisoned in Baekungok.
It’s been like that for a thousand years.
In the distant past, all of the Hoyo tribe knew that the nine-tailed fox existed in Baekungok, but as time passed and generations changed, they gradually forgot about it.
If oral tradition is passed down for a thousand years, something is bound to be missed.
In that state, the seal gradually weakened and the nine-tailed fox woke up. However, no one recognized the nine-tailed fox, so the Hoyo tribe called the nine-tailed fox Hwayo.
The current generation of Hoyo people use the derogatory term “Hwayo” just as they learned from the previous generation. They don’t even know what Lin’s existence is.
‘Even forgetting the roles they were given.’
A new mandate granted by the heavens in exchange for the survival of the Hoyo tribe who failed in their rebellion. The role of the watchers is to watch over the nine-tailed fox and prevent it from going out into the outside world. However, they failed to prevent Lin’s escape.
The mandate of heaven is a command from heaven, and a life span granted by heaven. Those who disobey the mandate of heaven will say the following.
“Oh, I guess I have clairvoyance. I can see your destiny. Huh? I’m destined to die soon?”
Hey guys.
You guys are coming soon.
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