Rifana had known her new master for three and a half weeks, but she couldn't understand the fox at all.
Rifana had learned that her current master was the shield hero, the person she had previously wanted fall in love with and marry. The demihuman didn't expect that the shield hero, the savior of demihumans, would outright ask if the child wanted to die when the first met. After branding her as a slave along with Raphtalia and a pair of siblings, the fox acted as if that never happened. She didn't act like Rifana's previous masters at all.
When the kids first wake up in the morning, the shield hero is in a seat reading a book or making medicine. Her bed was always untouched like she never slept. The children get dressed, then there's training. No, not anything with fighting or killing monsters. Naofumi places books on top of each child's head and, for a hour, they have to walk around the room without letting the books fall to the floor. Even when one of them had let the books drop, Rifana's master didn't get mad. She didn't hit them or yell. She only helped them stand back up and put the books back on their head. After that, they would all go down for breakfast. Naofumi would help all four of the demihumans with their table manners, giving each one of them advice. Rifana noticed that her master never ate. She only drank a cup of tea. When Atla had offered some food, Naofumi refused it. Even though the shield hero never ate, she didn't look unhealthy at all.
After breakfast, the shield hero would take the children out to the fields outside the castle walls to scavenge for materials like herbs. At first, Rifana was terrified. Monsters would try and attack them, but her master boredly slayed them with one hand. Now a feral balloon was nothing Rifana was truly worried about. Once all the herbs were gathered and materials were absorbed into Naofumi's shield, it was time to head back into the city. It was late noon by then, and they would go back to the same inn to eat dinner. The group would request a room for the night and a bath. Once it was night time, Rifana's master would go to work crafting medicine or some sort of jewelry. Yes, jewelry of all things. Apparently, a local jeweler had gifted the fox tools and items to make bracelets, necklaces, and other things. Why did the jeweler do this? Rifana still didn't know and didn't want to ask. She would sometimes quietly watch the fox work on a piece with such precision, it was like her master was a pro. Before bed, the shield hero would check each of the children's health. Well, she mostly looked over Atla. Rifana's master would help the small girl do exercises to build muscles in her legs. Then before Rifana knew it, she had fell asleep.
This was how the days went. Her master kept the small group on a schedule she decided, and the children obediently followed along. The demihuman children never made much of a fuss in hopes that they wouldn't be punished like how their old masters used to. In fact, her new master had even gifted the children toys to play with for doing a good job.
Raphtalia and Atla seemed enamored with the shield hero, Atla especially. Rifana didn't know if it was because the girl was grateful or just completely obsessed with the fox in general. Raphtalia kept her distance, but Rifana could tell by her eyes that she saw the fox in a much different light in comparison to Rifana. Fohl seemed like the most cautious. Always being weary of the fox's every move. The shield hero was kind to them, so none of them could complain.
That didn't stop Rifana's mind from wandering about the possibility of running away. At any point it would be so easy to just run. The fox had assigned Rifana to hold the bag filled with silver coins. If Rifana just grabbed Raphtalia's hand and ran until their feet couldn't take it anymore. The weasel had her doubts that the fox would follow. They both could be free, but there was a part of Rifana that knew. She knew Raphtalia and her wouldn't be able to survive without the shield hero by their side. It didn't stop her from thinking about it.
When her mind would drift off late at night, when she would be tucked into bed, she would turn her head to the side. There sitting at the table was the shield hero fast at work, crushing herbs in a bowl. The fox would be silently humming to herself, never paying any mind to Rifana's staring.
The fox was an enigma to Rifana.
An eye catching enigma that was hypnotizing to stare at.
It wasn't until one late afternoon when they were heading back from fields close by when Fohl had enough. He grabbed Naofumi by her sleeve and glared at her. Naofumi's ears perked up. Never had Fohl made an effort to directly touch her, much less stare directly into her eyes.
"Yes?" Naofumi tilted her head, her tails swishing in back of her.
"What's your deal?" Fohl asked the older fox.
Naofumi hummed, "Whatever do you mean, my darling Fohl?"
Fohl huffed, "You know what I mean! You buy us as slaves, but you don't treat us like slaves at all!"
"Do you wanted to be treated as a slave?" Naofumi questioned the child.
"No-" Fohl was cut off by Naofumi cupping his cheek with her hand.
"Then why are you complaining so, my sweet Fohl," Naofumi cupped his cheek. "If I didn't know any better, it would sound like you missed being a slave. I thought I treated you all rather nicely too, but if that's what you want..."
Fohl swatted her hand away, "No! I'm just saying that my previous masters never took this much care of Atla and me! I'm sure Rifana and Raphtalia also had masters that mistreated and forced them to obey, but you-"
Naofumi cut him off again, "Being forced to obey is something I never liked to do. It always drained any sense of pleasure I had in my life."
Rifana's ears perked up at the statement. Was her master in a situation similar to her's?
"I bought you all out of a whim," Naofumi said. "It was impulsive, but the timing was ideal. I was getting constantly pestered to get some maidens to serve under me. The pestering only got worse in the recent thirty years, so this is convenient to me."
"I keep telling you I'm a boy! Why would I be a maiden?" Fohl sneered at the older woman.
Naofumi's lips turned upwards in her signature grin. She poked Fohl in the chest, "And I told you that a maiden's gender it's irrelevant. It's simply a title to show that you serve me and me alone."
Fohl narrowed his eyes, "So it's no different from being a slave?"
"Hm?," Naofumi hummed. "Actually, I believe it's better. While you only serve me, you are above every single mortal since you serve a god-like creature. I won't make you do anything out of your realm of possibility."
"You won't make me fight," Fohl asked.
"Unless you want to," Naofumi shrugged. "Right now, I want to focus on crafting medicine. It's good to have extra hands help me collect herbs, but if you want to fight I don't mind."
"I don't understand you." Fohl crossed his arms. "What exactly are you?"
Naofumi patted his head in between his ears, "How sweet! It seems like you truly are curious about me. Hey, it's time for lunch. Shall we go back to the inn since we've already collected enough for today?" The fox started walking ahead with her basket of herbs, slightly swaying in the breeze.
"Hey! Don't try to change the subject!" Fohl called out to the fox. He let out a sigh as be picked up Atla, and jogged towards the shield hero.
Rifana and Raphtalia blinked.
"She's not as scary as I thought she was," Raphtalia muttered just barely audible enough for Rifana to hear. The raccoon looked down at the basket of various plants huddled together in the make-shift basket. "She's a lot nicer than our other owner..."
Rifana turned her attention to the retreating figure of the fox. "Yeah, she is. Raphtalia," Rifana began. The weasel bit her lip. "What if we ra-"
Rifana stopped when she saw the look on Raphtalia's face. The look of pure admiration that was painted on the raccoon's face. The look of wonder that Raphtalia had in her eyes, as if stars had imprinted themselves into her irises. Rifana closed her mouth before the rest of the sentence could escape her.
Rifana couldn't blame Raphtalia for staring at the fox like that. Her master was strange, but the shield hero was memorizing. The way her hair would flow in the gentle breeze, as if the wind was made for her. Her master turned her head a bit to face the children trailing behind her, strands of dark hair trying to block her face. She smiled and called for them to follow her. It was a sight to behold, but her smile was never honest.
The walk to the apothecary's was silent, except for Fohl's grumbles of annoyance. Rifana trailed slightly behind the rest of them with her head slightly down.
Maybe it was selfish of her to try to run away? Her current master took care of her and Raphtalia, and Raphtalia seemed like her too. She fed them, taught them, and gave them gifts. In return, the fox never asked for much. She never hit them or yelled. But why was she so unsettling?
Rifana, deep in thought, bumped her head into a body. The money bag she was carrying scattered on the ground. Rifana jumped back, and looked up at the taller figure. It wasn't her master. Instead, a blonde man talking to two other, as a woman clung to his arm. Had Rifana lost her master? Where did the fox go?
Rifana blinked, focusing her attention on who she collided with. The woman who was clinging to the arm sent her a nasty sneer. A sneer of disgust that Rifana was far too familiar with.
"Sorry-" Rifana nervously apologized at whoever she bumped into it. She knelt down to try and recover as much of the coins as possible.
"Don't worry about it young lady," the blonde man started to help her pick up the fallen money. "Somebody as adorable as you should watch where she's going." The man laughed.
The woman who stood behind him, grunted in displeasure. "Sir Motoyasu, you shouldn't lower yourself to help some street urchin."
The man, Motoyasu, laughed. "Come on! Don't be like that Myne. What kind of hero would I be if I didn't help a young lady out?"
The woman narrowed her eyes at the child, "Why does a demihuman have so much money anyway?"
Rifana stilled.
It does seem strange about why a small child would be carrying so much money with her. Especially since she was a demihuman. If they believed she stole it, she would be reported. They would find out she was a slave, and if they couldn't find her master, a new one would buy her. Would she even survive a new master? Her last one nearly killed her.
"Oh my," Rifana snapped out of her thought at the sound of a familiar voice. Rifana slowly turned her head behind her to face shield hero. "Looks like the other heroes are here."
Her master was here, approaching the group with the gaggle of demihuman children following her. Raphtalia, seeing that her childhood friend was on the ground, immediately went to see if Rifana was alright.
Rifana felt her ears perk. The other heroes? Her master had never mentioned them to her. Looking at the man who was helping her, Rifana noticed that he stiffened at the sight of the fox. In fact, the people he was talking to instantly froze.
Naofumi blinked and directed her attention to Rifana and the scattered coins that surrounded her. Rifana, realizing she had yet to pick up all the silver, rushed to gather it all in her hands.
"Rifana," Naofumi called out the girl's name. The weasel demihuman froze. "Are you hurt?"
It was a simple question, but it felt like Rifana's heart had stopped. She had did her best not to draw her master's attention towards her. The more attention she received, the more she was at risk.
Rifana nodded, earning a hum of acknowledgement from the shield hero.
"It's been a short while since we last saw each other, hasn't it?" Naofumi asked. "Time is funny like that. You never really know how much times passes, huh?"
The heroes and their respective parties all stared at the smiling fox. No one dared to speak. It was like time was frozen.
Naofumi deciding to take the lead, proceeded to talk. "It seems my little Rifana has caused a bit of a mess. I hope she didn't trouble you or did you trouble her?"
"Nao-chan, what are you doing here?" Motoyasu finally spoke up nervously. It was clear he was avoiding eye contact with the fox, whose tails were swishing behind her.
Naofumi tilted her head, "Is it a crime to simply walk here? My, I had no clue. The laws of this world are still unknown to me. You'll have to forgive my ignorance, just like I forgave your's."
Rifana saw the red haired woman grit her teeth, and her face contorted into a nasty sneer. The girl gulped and looked up at her master. As always, Naofumi's face was in her usual unchanging smile, but her eyes held a bit of mischief in them. Rifana finished gather the silver with the help of Raphtalia, and they both made their way back to their master's side.
Naofumi looked down at Rifana. "It's very bad to wander off like that. A small child like yourself could have been kidnapped or worse. You should be more aware of your surrounds, Rifana."
Rifana put her head down and muttered a quick, "Sorry..."
"The fox sighed, reaching out her clawed hand to pat Rifana on the head. "Children are so troublesome, but as long as you learned your lesson."
Why was her hand so warm? It was so welcoming like an older sibling.
Naofumi retracted her hand. She turned towards the other heroes and their parties, who were trying to leave.
"It's getting quite late, " Naofumi called out to the heroes, not caring about the obvious tension that surrounded them. "Why don't we all settle at an inn and have dinner together?"
The heroes stopped where they were, and looked back at the grinning kitsune.
"Actually Naofumi-sama, we're sure your busy-" Itsuki began but was cut off.
"We got off on the wrong foot. It would be terrible if we stayed on bad terms." Naofumi smiled at the three heroes. "I simply would like to start making amends and extend a hand of friendship, is that so wrong?" She tilted her head innocently to the side.
That's how the four heroes found themselves seated at a square table, in the center of an inn's dining room. Their parties were seated at the surrounding tables, trying to not stare at the cardinal heroes.
Naofumi was peacefully sipping her tea, as the other heroes tried to eat. They all would take glances at the shield hero, who seemed to be ignoring it for the most part. At times, she would meet their stare, only for them to quickly look back down at their plate.
Naofumi tired of silence, decided to start the conversation. "What have you three been up to?" She asked, taking another sip.
The heroes remained silent until Ren decided to speak up. "I've been grinding levels."
"Grinding levels?" The fox blinked.
Ren sweatdropped, "I've been gaining levelS by defeating mobs."
Naofumi tilted her head, "Mobs? Oh! You mean those creatures outside the city's walls. Ren, you're adorable! You use such strange words! It's hilarious!" The fox reached over to pinch Ren's cheek, watching it flush between her fingers.
Itsuki coughed, drawing the fox's attention. "I've actually have been thinking of overthrowing a local lord."
Naofumi hummed, "Hm? A lord?"
"I was planning wait until after the wave, but he's treating his people unfairly. He's overtaxing them to the point of bankruptcy. I can't just turn a blind eye to his misdeeds." The fox noticed a smug look on the bow hero's face.
"And what do you plan to do after?" Naofumi let go of Ren's red cheek.
"After?"
Naofumi stirred her cooling tea. "After the lord is no longer in power, what is your plan after? You can't just leave the people to do as they please with no one in power. Another individual will come and take the position the lord had. If you don't have a plan for what happens after, then I suggest not doing it at all."
Itsuki stared dumbfounded. "But I can't just leave his subjects to suf-"
"If you have no plan, then you are not helping anyone. You're just making more problems to be unsolved in the future." Naofumi took a sip of her tea. "If you want to make any sort of change, then have a concrete plan to go off of."
Itsuki paused and narrowed his eyes, obviously displeased with the shield hero being right. "And what would you do?"
Naofumi set her cup down. "Find someone who you believe will do a good job leading the people. You're young so I advise not doing that though. You're far too naive, and too many people are at risk if you make a mistake. Focus on 'grinding levels' for the time being, understand?"
Itsuki bit his lip and stared down at his food.
Naofumi continued, "I've seen it too many times over the centuries, and the outcome is always the same. You humans never learn, but it's really troublesome."
Itsuki turned his head away from the shield hero, who took another sip from her cup.
Motoyasu blinked. What did Naofumi just say? Centuries?
"Naofumi-chan, how old are you?" Motoyasu asked the fox.
Naofumi thought for a moment, "Hm? About five hundred give or take a century or two."
Motoyasu choked on his drink. Between coughs, he managed to speak again. "What do you mean a century or two?"
He tried not to scream. The woman in front of him looked to be in her late teens or very early twenties! Did being immortal make you look A LOT younger than you actual are? Did she have some secret, miracle face mask that prevented her from aging.
"There was a point of my life that was filled with so much bloodshed it all blended together," Naofumi nonchalantly said. "There's no real difference with being 500 or being 700. It all depends on experience." She shrugged.
Motoyasu really wanted to laugh in disbelief. How was a century not a big deal?
"Wait Naofumi-sama, you said 'bloodshed'," Itsuki started. Naofumi noticed that he looked at her with distrust, more so than usual. "Did you kill people?"
Naofumi hummed, "Too many to count. It's honestly a pain keeping the numbers."
"You killed that many people?" Itsuki wanted to snarl, but he kept his composure for the most part. He figured she was a murderer, but at least take some regard for the lives she took.
"Humans, demons, creatures, other gods, there's no difference really. It's not like I wanted to do it, but as a servant of the gods I had no real choice." The fox took another sip.
It was true. She had killed a lot, more than she could possible remember. All those faces start to blend together after a certain point.
"So you killed other gods, but you also served them?" Itsuki questioned her.
Gods, she was getting sick of all these questions. Oh well, she'll amuse them for a bit longer. "I am a high ranking servant near godly status. Low to mid ranking gods are below me, but the high ranking gods, like Amaterasu, are the ones I serve. Though, Inari is my primary master. Besides, gods are reborn if they are well known enough or through other means of reincarnation."
Itsuki pressed further, "Then why kill them if they're just going to come back?"
"To stop rebellions," Naofumi answered simply. "Gods don't like to be told what to do or believe they deserve more, so there are times when those of lower status try to shift the order. When a god is 'killed' they are reborn as a young child with little to no memories of their past self, and they are deterred from making the same mistakes they did in the past."
Itsuki slammed his hand on the table, "But that doesn't make any sense? Why not change if there are rebellions? It's like there is no justice with the gods!"
"As much as it may pain you to hear this," Naofumi began. "Gods are imperfect just like humans are. You humans romanticize them so much, you forget that they also have their flaws. Gods, just like humans, are greedy, selfish, prideful, gluttonous, and so on. I understand your anger. After all, I was once human too, but I've long since accepted that as the truth."
The other three heroes paused. She was once a human? The fox that sat before them was once mortal just like the rest of them? But how did she turn into a creature of legend? There was no stories from where they came from of a human turning into a kitsune!
"Something wrong?" The fox said, breaking the other heroes out of their thoughts.
"Um, no..." Motoyasu took another bite of his meal, he very much wanted to change the subject to literally anything else. He swallowed, "Anyway, what's with the children with you?
Naofumi's ears perked up, "Aren't they adorable? They costed me quite a bit of coin, but they were worth every single bit. They help me out a lot when I collect medicinal plants."
"Oh, that's great-" Wait a minute did she say they 'costed her' "What do you mean by costed you?" Motoyasu asked.
"I bought them from a slaver." Naofumi stated. "You should have seen them before. They were just like small little bugs."
The fox's voice sounded so sweet for something so terrible.
"You bought children," Itsuki pratically hissed. "For what purpose? What exactly are you planning to do with them?"
"I'm afraid what I do is none of your business, understand?" Naofumi smiled at the bow hero. "But I assure you it's nothing bad. I have no reason to harm them."
The table went silent. Ren awkwardly tried to finish his food quickly, so he could finally escape the tension. Itsuki looked like he was about to flip the table. His face was flushed red with anger. Motoyasu seemed to be trying to defuse the situation however he could. The literally almost deity sitting next to him was still drinking from that damn cup. How much tea can fit in one small cup? God, Ren was dying just sitting here.
Naofumi finished her cup of tea, and placed it down. "Actually brave heroes, I would like to train you."
Ren put down his fork, "Train us?"
"Yes," Naofumi gently smiled. "So you can learn to use your weapons more effectively. I used many weapons, but I'm most confident with a sword. I'm sure you can learn from me."
Itsuki crossed his arms, "I don't know about the other two, but I'm doing fine with my bow."
"I'm sure you're busy..." Motoyasu nervously chuckled, letting his gaze trail to the side.
"How disappointing," Naofumi sighed. "I thought this was a chance for us to bond. Hm? How about I reward you if you beat me? Every being likes rewards."
Ren blinked, "A reward?"
Naofumi nodded, "Yes, I specialize in war, craftsmanship, and medicine, but there's nothing too out of reach that I can't do."
"Like how you did to that soldier? When you kissed his head?" Motoyasu pointed to his own forehead as an example.
"Well, what I gave him was immunity to any disease and poison for a year. It was a very small gift." Naofumi said. "I'm sure you three will want something more, no?"
What? Did the three of them hear Naofumi correctly? Giving the soldier an immunity to poison and disease was a small gift to her? She literally could prevent his death, and that was something small and insignificant to her? Just what could she grant them.
"What will you give us?" Ren finally spoke up.
Naofumi hummed, "Whatever I deem fitting for you. Of course, I'll always give you options on what to pick, but I can't give you anything I think will give you too much power."
"But you said if we beat you, you have way more experience than any of us. It seems farfetched to actually defeat you in battle." Ren pointed out.
"You're right," Naofumi thought for a moment. "I'll hold myself back to give you a fair chance on what I deem a victory for you, since you three can't defeat me."
The three heroes looked skeptically at each other. If they took this chance, Naofumi could grant them with powers beyond their weapon's capabilities. The fox seemed very untrustworthy though and threatening. Just a few weeks ago she wanted to remove the first princess's eyeball, but this was a great opportunity.
Naofumi sighed, "I understand your skeptical, but please understand. I'm only doing this to prepare you for the future. After all, you don't know what this 'wave' is capable of. I adore you mortals, which is why I'm so willing to help. This world is depending you three, so won't you try to get stronger to save it?" Naofumi looked at the three heroes with 'honest' eyes.
Ren turned his head away, "Fine, as long as you keep your word about giving us a reward. Tomorrow morning in the fields just outside the walls, we'll train there."
Naofumi smiled sweetly, "Of course! And you two?"
"I don't see why not. It's too good of an opportunity to miss anyway." He sighed, placing his hand in his hands.
"Actually," Motoyasu spoke up. "Myne wanted to go to the church tomorrow. Maybe I can train with you some other day?"
Naofumi's ears twitched, "Church? There's church in this world?"
Itsuki spoke up, "You haven't seen it. It's the second largest building here besides the castle. Have you never seen a church? It's place where people worship their god just like a shr-"
"I've seen a church before, but I just didn't think they would have one in this world." Naofumi blinked and looked off to the side in deep thought.
"Why's that?" Motoyasu questioned her after a few seconds.
Naofumi snapped out of her thoughts and smiled, "I just thought they would have a tower or something along those lines as a place of worship. I guess this world isn't too far off from our own." She giggled into her sleeve.
Dinner finished as planned, and the heroes and their parties booked rooms for the night. The demihuman children tight into bed, silently snoozing away. The fox sat at the edge of Atla's bed, running her hands through Atla silver and black locks. She let her gaze wander to the clear night skies.
A church in this world? How funny...
There are no gods in this world.