A Vulpine Spanner in the Works

Chapter 60: John Doe and Remembering Snow

[Kashia]

Teleporting back to the palace after receiving the [Message] from Tsuki, I found her patiently sitting in at the foot of my throne waiting for me. "Good morning, your Highness. I truly do apologize for interrupting your business, but this was terribly urgent," the red kitsune apologized with a bow.

"It's alright," I assured her with a pat on her head. "Now, you said something about our scouts encountering trouble in the forest?"

Tsuki nodded, "Two of our scouts were ambushed by a strange creature that – in their words – looked like a giant hamster."

I cocked my head in confusion at hearing this. "A… giant hamster?" I asked more surprised than anything else.

"Yes, my Lady," Tsuki confirmed with a shared incredulous look. "From what the scouts said, it was quite strong and incredibly fast. If they had been weaker, the beast may have even killed them. On top of that, it was capable of magic, using the spell [Charm Species] on the scouts with little effect."

A magical, giant rodent? This thing was just getting weirder with the more I heard. "What happened with the scouts and this creature?"

"Tohru received a small scratch from the ambush while Mai remained unharmed." That was a little worrying. Both kitsune had four tails and were level 40 or a little higher. It made whatever this creature was in the high level 20's up to 30's. Tsuki continued, "Unfortunately, while the beast wasn't strong enough to truly hurt either of them, it quickly fled upon realizing that it was outmatched."

"It was fast enough to outpace both Tohru and Mai?" I asked.

"The beast was, your Highness. Currently, we have a few of our trackers hunting this creature down, but it is taking some time due to the beast being quite fast and likely knowing the woods better than we currently do."

Interesting, that there's a creature that can give my kitsune trouble. Guess I'll have to get involved and capture this thing before it can try to attack any more of my people. It does make me wonder what race this creature must be to have so much strength? That's something that I'll have to learn.

"Do we have a rough idea as to where it might be?" I asked.

Tsuki nodded, "From what has been reported to me, the creature is directly south of us at the moment.

That was helpful in nailing down where it is that I'd be looking.

Still, this was going to be like searching for a needle in a haystack. Granted, having extremely powerful magical abilities made the task so much easier, but it was still going to take a little bit of time. Time to get cracking on it.

Casting [Greater Scrying], my vision became divided as my sight extended out from the palace and towards the south. From there, I could see all the forest before my sight, yet I penetrated through it, continually searching for my potential target.

It would take a little bit of looking around, but I would eventually find my target, especially if my kitsune were hot on this creature's trail.

After around 20 minutes of looking around, I finally spotted the white and silvery blur of my target zipping around between a few trees. Not taking a chance to let it possibly evade my vision, I conjured up a portal and went through it.

Stepping out of the portal, I arrived in front of the beast and watched it come to a skidding halt before warily examining me, likely for any form of weakness.

It decided to speak first, "Another trespasser in this Wise King's forest. How infuriating! I will kill you, just as I will all the others."

Whatever kind of threatening speech the creature had for me was mostly nullified from finally seeing its full appearance and hearing its voice. Its squeaky, high-pitched voice. It almost made me want to laugh.

This beast was the cutest fucking animal I've ever seen.

The scouts weren't lying when they said that it looked like a giant hamster. It had silvery fur, with darker coloring up its back and at the top of its head while a few sigils dotted its fur.

Its legs looked quite stubby, but that may have had something to do with how the creature's fur made it look like a puffball. The only part of the creature that didn't share its puffy fur was the snake-like tail covered in dark green scales.

Beady, black eyes glared at me, but I couldn't take it seriously because of how its chubby cheeks, pink nose, and buck-teeth made it look adorable. Even if it wanted to kill me, I couldn't help but feel the urge to hug it like a giant plush toy.

"Oh, is this your forest, little guy?" I asked with a tone of voice reserved for little kids or cute animals.

"This Wise King is not little, beast woman! Don't patronize me!" The adorable animal complained in anger that was nullified by its squeaky voice.

"Of course," I replied calmly, attempting to be a little serious, even if the giant hamster made that a difficult challenge. "So, if you're the ruler of this forest, I'd probably guess that it would make you one of the –formerly three, now two – Great Rulers of Tob?"

"Yes, I am the Wise King of the Forest, trespasser. You, and the other creatures like you, have invaded my territory and consigned yourselves to death," the Wise King answered.

"If that's the case, then you're going to have a very difficult time going about that since you were unable to kill my scouts when you tried to take them unaware, running away after the attempt," I retorted with a simple smile. "If you couldn't take them, then how will you even handle my stronger servants or even me?"

"Don't you dare claim that this Wise King ran away! I tactically retreated to prepare for another ambush!" The little puffball adorably claimed before asking, "You're the leader of those strange foxes invading my territory?" Their little tail flicked behind them as they continued studying me.

I nodded in reply, "The kitsune all follow me. Why do you ask?"

"Because if this Wise King kills you, then it will reinforce my claim upon the forest and scare off all the trespassers!" The puffball announced before charging at me in what felt like slow-motion.

Aw, the little guy thinks they have a chance.

The puffball's snake-like tail whipped at my head, going straight for the killing blow. In reply, I caught the tail with one of my own before wrapping it around the scaled limb and preventing the puffball from running away.

This did little to deter the hamster as they tried to pounce upon me with their buck teeth at my throat and tiny little claws towards my heart. Four more tails caught the puffball in the air while two of my tails stabbed into the ground behind me, preventing my body from being pushed back.

By the end of it, the puffball was throughly held in place, doing what it could to struggle. Being this close to the hamster let me get a good whiff of their scent, which told me that the puffball is actually a girl.

Alongside this, now that the puffball was right in front of me, I decided to reach out and rub her fat, furry cheeks. I noted that her fur was a lot coarser than expected, almost the same feel like stiff needles instead of fluffy fur that I had imagined.

"Oh, you have such cute, chubby cheeks! Yes, you do!" I said while rubbing her cheeks, earning an adorable whine from the puffball.

"I-I am the Wise King of the Forest! Un-Unhand me!" Puffball claimed mid-struggle. "How are you this strong?! I'm supposed to be the strongest!"

"Hard work and because I'm a goddess. Besides, I'm nowhere near my physically strongest in my humanoid form," I replied.

"W-What do you mean by that?" The puffball asked, so I gave her a smile and transformed into my bestial form, now looking down upon her instead of her looking down upon me. The shocked expression in her face told me that I had successfully cowed any sense of superiority that she may have once had.

Then, I lowered my head down until I was eye-level with the puffball. "This is what I meant. Now, little puffball, what should I do with you?" As I asked this, I gave a yawn to reveal my large fangs before rapidly snapping my jaws shut which made a loud crack.

Following this, as a method to intimidate the puffball, I hungrily licked my muzzle. This got the desired response as I felt her trembling in the grip of my tails.

"T-This Wise King doesn't want to die!" Puffball cried out in reply, fully understanding the gravity of the situation.

"And yet, you tried to kill me and my people," I retorted and acted like I looked hungry with another lick of my muzzle. I found it amusing how much the puffball seemed frightened of me, considering that she is one of the rulers of this forest. But I guess I should figure out a use for her as she was extremely powerful for this world's standards, and perhaps I felt a little bad for her.

After all, with how this 'Wise King' was basically an animal with the ability to speak, I should try to look at this situation from her perspective. My people and I were essentially invading her home, and as an animal, she was simply trying to protect what was hers. At the same time, I couldn't exactly allow her to just slaughter anyone that ends up going through the forest in an effort to reach the lake.

Perhaps there was a way to satisfy both of our desires…

"Then again, it's hard to fault an animal when they are trying to defend their territory… Perhaps I shall offer you what I did your counterpart, Guu? You serve me now, with this territory belonging to me, and I will ensure that you are well taken care of in your servitude. Or you can leave this forest, spend time trying to find a new home that is suitable for you. Which will you choose, Puffball?"

"You won't kill or eat me?" Puffball questioned nervously.

I chuckled and nodded, "On the contrary, I'm willing to feed you, protect you, and ensure all your needs are met. All you'd need to do is obey me and help protect my territory. What do you say, Wise King?"

Puffball thought about the choice, which in her bestial mindset, was beyond generous. It would give her everything she wants, from food, space to move around, and protection under the strength of the dominant predator.

"This Wise King pledges her undying servitude to you, O' Great Fox Queen!" Puffball announced, no longer struggling in my grip. In return, I allowed my tails to slowly release her, noticing that her fur no longer felt like hardened needles, instead being soft and fluffy.

Interesting. She's similar to kitsune in that manner.

"Good to hear. Guess we should get our introductions in order," I said before shifting back to my humanoid form. "I'm Kashia Blanc, the new goddess of this world."

"This one is known as the Wise King of the Forest, Mistress," Puffball replied.

"No name other than that?"

Puffball shook her head, "This Wise King has never had a name until I spared the life of a human and that's what he referred to me by. Since then, that has been the only name I've needed."

"You need a proper name," I said, as I wasn't going to refer to Puffball as Wise King every time I wanted to talk to her. Wasn't going to name her Puffball either, that was a nickname that only I was to call her by. It had to be appropriately thematic for her.

Thanking about historical figures from back home, I smirked as I recalled the perfect one.

"I have decided that you will be named Elizabeth," I announced to the newly named Elizabeth.

"Is there any reason you chose to name this one as Elizabeth, Mistress?" Elizabeth asked.

"Two, actually. The first is that she was a former ruler from another country back in my homelands. The other–" I smiled as the thought came to mind, "–is that she was well-known for breeding an extremely cute dog breed."

"Then Elizabeth shall appreciate her new name, Mistress!" Elizabeth answered proudly.

I hugged her puffy cheeks, noting that my hands were able to sink into her fur this time. "I'm so happy to hear that my little Puffball enjoys her new name," I said, enjoying the feel of her fur. "Now, we should get you back to my palace for a filling meal, and after that, I'll inform you of your new duties."

"O-Of course, Mistress," Elizabeth agreed.

[The Stranger]

Day 65:

It had been mildly embarrassing to be carried through the village, that I learned was called Carne Village, and into Enri and her sister's – who I learned is named Nemu – house. From there, the older blonde had taken to dressing me into a spare set of clothes she had that fit me well enough.

I noticed that she looked slightly sad as she dressed me in the clothes, and I found myself wondering if they had belonged to someone important to her. Even with that burning curiosity, I decided to not ask her as I guessed recalling those memories would be painful for her.

From there, I spent the past few days in bed being taken care of by Enri and Nemu as they did their best to feed me and help me with more… embarrassing needs

Of what I learned, Carne Village was just a tiny village on the outskirts of what was known as the Re-Estize Kingdom. Unfortunately, due to being on the outskirts of the Kingdom, they bordered a hostile nation of the Baharuth Empire that had yearly territorial wars with them.

I found myself worrying for these people of this tiny village. They would be the first hit if an invasion force arrived in the Re-Estize. They'd also be the hardest hit.

Still, there wasn't much I could do, still stuck in bed as I was. All that could be done is me just resting here and recovering, sometimes plagued by scatterings of memories that I had no context for.

For instance, I still don't even remember my name.

I continued to ponder my situation, attempting to recall anything to mind while waiting for my daily visitors of Enri and Nemu.

"So, you're the new arrival that Enri told me about, huh?" The voice of a woman suddenly spoke next to me, startling me enough that, had I been capable of moving, I'd have jumped out of bed.

Instead, I gave a startled yelp until I calmed down to realize that it was just a young woman standing next to my bed. I know that I hadn't seen her before, and her clothing was completely different from what the villagers wore, which consisted of a white and black dress with a slit up the side to reveal her leg. A matching cap covered her head to complete the look.

The woman was someone I could easily admit was extremely beautiful. She had tanned, caramel skin, crimson hair that was braided into a set of pigtails, and animalistic, golden eyes. Her lips were quirked into an amused smile as she looked down at me.

"How did you get in here without me noticing?" I found myself asking once I caught my breath.

"Oh, I have my ways. Telling you would just spoil the fun," she teased with a friendly smile. Yet, for some reason, that friendliness didn't reach her eyes.

"W-Who might you be, Miss?" I questioned her, trying to relax in place as best I could.

"My name's Lupusregina Beta. I tend to visit Carne Village every now and then. Who might you be?" Lupusregina replied curiously.

That felt like an odd name to me, even out here in this village. But maybe that was just me.

"I don't know…" I answered, watching as her curious expression slowly turned to boredom.

Lupusregina gave me a simple glance over my prone form before concluding, "Seems that Enri wasn't lying when she said you had amnesia."

"Yeah, I unfortunately do. Otherwise, I'd give you my name. Makes me feel a little rude that I can't, Lupusregina," I joked with a smile.

"Truly is a shame," Lupusregina remarked in agreement. "Still, looks like we'll have to wait a bit longer to make some proper introductions. It was… interesting to meet you, and I hope you'll recover your memories soon enough."

With this, the boredom the woman felt seemed to fill her face as she began walking away from me. It was as she walked towards the door that the strange, tanned woman began humming to herself a tune that I was oddly familiar with, enough so that I blurted out the name.

"Bad Moon Rising?"

As soon as I said this, she stopped humming and froze in her tracks before turning to look at me, her yellow eyes narrowed in suspicion as she began examining me, almost like a predator would with its prey. "…What did you just say?"

"I just could somehow recognize that song. Bad Moon Rising," I replied, watching as the woman slowly stalked over to where I laid in bed.

"Is there… anything else that you can remember?" She questioned; her attention fully fixed upon me now.

Shaking my head, I gave her a disappointed look, "Nothing really comes to mind. Just… bits and pieces, flashes of recognition. Do you know where that song's from?"

Lupusregina was silent in thought, then she finally replied, "It's a song I heard from the Supreme Beings, from my creator."

"Oh. Does that mean your creator might know more about my past?" I asked, earning a sneer from the tanned woman.

"Highly doubtful that they would know anything about a simple human like yourself," she replied in amusement. While there might've been a smile on her face, the look in her eyes held none of it, only a cruel malice that seemed worrying.

I did my best to hide my reaction from the woman and only nodded. "Sorry about bothering you," I apologized. "I was just hoping that there was something that could help me understand more about my situation."

"No forgiveness needed," Lupusregina replied with a toothy grin that revealed a few sharp teeth. "By the way, would you be able to tell me your opinion on Nazarick?"

I gave her a confused look as that name didn't spark any feeling of recognition for me. "What's a Nazarick?" I asked.

The tanned woman's smile softened into a neutral state as disappointment filled her eyes. "Nothing you need to worry about for now." She then walked over and patted my leg, yet it seemed anything but reassuring, "Try to recover quickly. I've no doubt that we'll see each other again soon enough."

"Thank you, Lupusregina," I replied, receiving a smirk mixed with a calculated gaze from the woman before she left me alone in my room.

It innately bothered me that something just rubbed me the wrong way when talking to her. Additionally, there was this animalistic quality to her that just seemed distantly familiar.

Why was that the cas–

Any further thought ceased as a painful headache filled my mind!

H-y, -d-y! L-ok wh- I -id! Do-s-'t my tail -ook pret-y?

-s-i-, you -now paint -ets st-c- in -our fur. B-t yes, -ou do loo- pretty.

That voice, it was her. And… And I was talking to her. I can remember feeling happy about whatever we had been talking about, even laughing, yet I can't recall what that may have been about.

It made me groan in frustration that I was forgetting something so important, but I couldn't tell what. Why did this have to be so Goddamn maddening?

Before I could think much further on it, I heard small footsteps outside my room before the door opened and Nemu walked in with a bowl of porridge – I think – in her hands. She certainly looked cheerful, and I did my best to weakly sit up in bed for her, not that it accounted for much.

"Hey, Nemu," I said with a smile to her, "got something for me?"

The red-haired girl nodded enthusiastically with a smile. It was a little adorable, to be honest. It felt nostalgic.

"I've got porridge, Mr. Stranger. I made most of it myself, with Enri helping a little! So, it's gonna be good," Nemu boasted, making me chuckle.

"You made most of it by yourself? Well, that'll mean it must be delicious," I played along for Nemu, making the child that much more excited. I attempted to reach out for the spoon in the bowl, but I could barely muster my shaky arm to move halfway towards her before it fell back onto the bed.

"I'm sorry, Nemu," I apologized to her. "You'll have to feed it to me again." Yet, my admittance didn't seem to upset her as she hopped up onto the side of the bed and scooped out a spoonful of the porridge for me.

"Don't be sorry, Mr. Stranger. You're still pretty weak since we found you," she said as I opened my mouth and let her feed me.

I was honestly expecting the porridge to be pretty bad and had prepared myself to try and eat it without showing any displeasure. I'm happy to say that it wasn't the case, though it wasn't exactly the best either. Actually, I am fairly certain that I've eaten much worse in my life.

Swallowing the porridge, I gave Nemu another smile, "Tastes delicious. You must be a really good cook," I complimented, making her quite happy.

"You really think so?" Nemu asked with a massive grin. I gave her a nod which made the girl excitedly bounce in place as she scooped out another spoonful for me to eat.

It pleased me to know that I could at least make another's day better, especially when they were being forced to care for me. Besides, kids needed encouragement to grow, otherwise they'd be discouraged from even trying… Why did I know that?

As Nemu continued to feed me, grinning all the while, her form was replaced with the image of a little blonde girl doing the exact same, and it made me so happy.

D-d-y, -ere y-u go! Ho-e you e-jo- i-!

"Mr. Stranger?" The image of the little blonde girl faded away to leave Nemu in her place with a look of concern on her face. "Mr. Stranger, are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm okay," I replied, "why do you ask?"

"Well, it's because you're crying," Nemu answered, making me realize that my eyes and cheeks did feel wet. "Are you hurt?"

I chuckled and shook my head, "No, I'm not hurt. I was just… thinking about something that made me extremely happy," I replied with a cheerful tone.

"What were you thinking about?" Nemu asked as she fed me another spoonful of the porridge.

"I just recalled this little girl around your age that you reminded me of, but I can't remember anything else about her," I said while trying my best to remember how I possibly knew her.

Nemu seemed excited as she said, "Does that mean you're starting to remember things now, Mr. Stranger?"

"Maybe…" That was the best answer I could give her.

"Hmm, ma–" Nemu didn't get to finished her thought as a voice interrupted her.

"Nemu, I hope you aren't bothering our guest too much?" Enri asked from the doorway with a smirk on her face. Nemu shook her head in reply.

"I was just feeding Mr. Stranger and talking to him," the younger girl said, causing me to lightly chuckle.

Enri came over and patted her sister on the shoulder as she gently took the bowl and spoon from her hands, "I'm happy to hear that you're being so helpful. How about you take a break and have some fun while I keep feeding our guest?"

"But I wanna keep talking to Mr. Stranger," Nemu complained.

"Go have some fun, Nemu. I'll still be here when you get back, and you shouldn't need to stay stuck inside all day taking care of me," I said while motioning my head to the door and giving the red-haired girl a reassuring smile.

"Okay, Mr. Stranger," Nemu finally relented and hopped off the bed. "I'll see you soon!" With that, she was rushing out of the room, off to some little adventure, no doubt.

With Nemu finally gone, Enri and I looked back to one another. "She's a good kid," I said, eliciting a smile and nod from the blonde girl as she fed me.

"Nemu's been very helpful these past few months, trying to perform any tasks she can which I suspect is her trying to lighten my workload," Enri remarked with a sad smile. "I only wish that she wouldn't work herself too hard and enjoy a little bit more of the childhood she has left."

"Children shouldn't have to worry about the world of adults. At most, they should just be worrying about whatever fun they might be getting up to," I commented, earning a laugh from Enri.

"I completely agree. Speaking of children, you seem to be pretty good with them."

Giving Enri a curious look, I then thought about it. "I guess you're right about that," I replied.

Enri then gave a slightly guilty look before saying, "I hope that you aren't bothered, but I did overhear a bit of what you were talking about with Nemu. And I couldn't help but think that perhaps this girl you keep remembering might just be your daughter?"

Her words gave me pause to consider them…

Daddy, -an M-e-o and I -leep in you- bed to-ig-t? We h-d a ba- dream.

Of co-rse, kiddo. You -nd M-e-o just lay down righ- h-re an- I'll keep -oth of you safe -rom anym-re bad dream-.

"I think that you might be right, Enri…" I replied, thinking about that one memory. I'm a father…

I have a daughter. What is her name? More importantly, why does it feel like something about her is missing? There… There was something on her head…

"Did you just remember something?" Enri asked with an inquisitive gaze.

"Yes, I remember a little girl calling me daddy… But why am I here instead of with her?" I asked myself in frustration.

"I'm sorry to say, but I couldn't give you an answer about that. What I can say is that worrying will get you nowhere," Enri said while putting a reassuring hand on my shoulder. "The best thing that you can do, both for yourself and your daughter, is to rest and recover. I'm sure that your memories will come back soon enough."

I gave Enri a nod and small smile, "Perhaps you're right. Thank you for everything you're doing for me, Enri. I promise that I'll make up for your kindness as soon as I can."

The blonde girl smiled at this, "Try not to worry about repaying me right now. Just rest, Mr. Stranger," Enri said, using the little name her sister had taken to calling me by.

"I will," I said, allowing my head to rest upon the bed before I closed my eyes and fell into a deep sleep.

I remember it being cold, unbelievably cold, while walking down the street. A steady mechanical hiss came from each breath I took, filling my lungs with air that tasted stale. Something was on my face, some kind of mask of some sort.

My back felt heavy, like I was carrying a large burden as I went down an empty street. On either side of me were gray buildings, ominously towering into a dark-gray sky. I was moving quickly because I was afraid of something, but I couldn't remember what.

Above me, I saw snow starting to fall, yet this snow wasn't a pure white, it was a brown and gray color that seemed polluted, dirty.

"Shit. Gotta move fast," I said to myself, trying to pick up my pace despite the burden I carried.

I made it a block further before loud bangs were heard from an alleyway. "–s the nice cloak and we'll let you be on your way," a man's voice echoed from alley.

A part of me wanted to just ignore what might be happening, to run to a place of safety from the cold instead of wasting time out here. And yet, my feet wouldn't take me any further towards this potential safety and instead I walked towards the alley filled with obvious danger. Someone needed my help, I don't know who, but I know that it's the right thing to do.

As I walked towards the alley, my hand reached into a dark jacket I was wearing and pulled out a weapon of some sort… What was it? It was familiar…

A gun.

Yet it didn't have any ammunition, and I couldn't recall why that was. At best, it would ward away anyone smart enough to understand the danger, but sometimes that was all that was needed. Enough people die every day and I didn't want to have to add to that number if I didn't have to.

"I'm warning you two, leave me alone and just go on your way," a woman's voice rang out from the alley.

Even in the heart of what seemed to be a strange memory, I felt a longing that tore at my heart. I didn't know who this woman was, yet hearing her voice made me want to cry through the lucidity of this dream. It felt this incomprehensible mixture of raw grief, happiness, and love.

I wanted to hear her talk more. It didn't matter if it was the most profound wisdom or an inane idiocy. I just wanted to hear that voice a little bit longer. That beautiful voice…

Continuing to watch this strange dream, I arrived at that point at the entrance of the alley to see two figures wearing masks on their faces, with ragged, dark clothing over their bodies. In their hands were sharp knives that were brandished at their target.

Past them, backed against a wall at the end of the alleyway, was a shorter figure in a long, dark, hooded cloak with a mask obscuring her face. Despite the odds against her, she proudly stood tall against the two men. I could see multiple rippling movements under her cloak, likely her trying to prepare something against the two muggers.

"Come on, sweetheart. It's just a simple toll for walking on our streets. Though, I'm certain that there might be other ways for you to pay that toll off if you're really so desperate to hold onto that cloak," the shorter of the two muggers said with mirth that his partner echoed with his own laughter.

Even with her face obscured, I could just feel that the woman was likely glaring at the two men with enough intensity to make their heads explode if she could.

"Try that shit with me, and I'll make sure that any idea of having future children is a mere memory for the both of you," the woman warned with a hint of a growl in her voice. Both muggers only chuckled at her, yet I had a feeling that she was quite serious about that threat.

As the muggers got closer to her, the taller one replied, "You've got nothing to threaten us with, sweetheart. You know," the mugger said, glancing to his partner, "depending on what she looks like under that cloak, we might make some good money if we sell her to the Toy House—"

I didn't bother to let him finish with that idea, "Both of you, put your hands up and face against the wall before I put a bullet through your heads!" I shouted, making both men freeze as they raised their hands above their heads as their knives clattered on the cement. They tried to glance back to me, but I quickly responded to it, "Don't turn your damn heads! Wall! Now!"

"S-Shit! I didn't know the cops were here!" The taller of the two muggers said as the pair went up against the wall.

"Damnit! Why'd they have to come down this way?! They never do!" The other man said back.

Looking over to the woman, I motioned her over, keeping the gun trained on the would-be muggers. She didn't make a single complaint about it as she came over.

When she was close enough, I whispered, "Do you have a safe place nearby to go to? My gun doesn't have any ammo, so I don't know how long they'll fall for this."

She shook her head, "No, I don't. I was looking for a place before those two cornered me," she answered, making me feel pity for her. The snowfall was the worst time to be outside without a nearby shelter.

"Just play along, and back away with me slowly." I received a nod from her in reply before focusing my attention back on the two men. "Both of you, keep your faces against that wall while my partner comes over to search you, and keep your mouths fucking shut, or we'll remove those masks of yours and give you something to really complain about!" I said to the muggers as I slowly had us back away and out of the alley.

Once on the street, I motioned for the woman to start moving and we both took off, leaving the two muggers still in the alleyway, awaiting my non-existent partner to frisk them. That would buy us a good 20 seconds before they figured out the trick.

Upon getting far enough down the street, I had her and I duck into another alleyway and hide behind some trashcans. We heard the muggers shout in annoyance before their footfalls against the sidewalk echoed near us as they started running. The pair completely ignored the alleyway, as they ran past it towards wherever they thought we had gone to.

It was a good couple of seconds before the woman spoke up, "I can't hear them anymore."

I nodded and stored the gun away into my jacket once more. As I did so, I noticed that the snowfall was starting to pick up now, the toxic brown and gray particles now a constant rain upon us. "Are you alright?" I asked.

"Yes, they didn't get a chance to do anything," she answered as both of us got up from behind the trashcans and exited the alley.

"Good to hear. Will you be good to walk home on your own?"

The woman was silent for a moment, then she finally answered, "I believe so. Thanks for asking, and for the help. It's appreciated."

I smiled under my mask upon hearing this, "You're welcome. Try to stay safe during the storm, it's a bad idea to be on the street too long for it," I said before I started to make the rest of the trek back to my home. Yet, as I walked, I found myself looking over my shoulder to the woman still standing where she was. She hadn't moved an inch…

She seemed lost…

The best idea would be to just continue on. Conserve all the supplies that I have for myself. Yet…

I stopped and turned around, walking back towards her. "Miss, do you have a place to stay? It's not good to stay out here now if there isn't any shelter nearby," I asked her, taking her out of whatever train of thought she was in so that she could look at me.

With a bit of hesitation, the woman shook her head. "I am still new to this city, so I don't know where to go, nor do I have anyone that would take me."

I couldn't leave her out here to die. Not when I could help.

"Come on," I said while motioning for her to follow, "My place isn't far. And it's a damn sight better than staying out here and freezing to death."

"I wouldn't want to impose on you, you've already helped me enough today. Besides, you probably have limited supplies for yourself as is," she tried to argue. In a way, the woman reminded me of, well, me. Namely, that I would try to avoid taking a gift from another if they needed it more.

"Please," I asked — though perhaps begged would be more accurate— while gently taking her hand, hoping that she would allow me to lead her to shelter. "I don't want to see someone die if I have the ability to stop it. I have more than enough food, so don't feel like you're imposing on me."

She weighed her decision for a few, tense moments that was made all the harder to discern her choice because of the mask on her face. Then, she stepped towards me, "I promise to repay you for this kindness."

I shook my head. "Don't even think about it now. Worry about that after the storm's finally passed," I replied.

"Thank you," she said as she followed me down the street. "My name is Inari."

"That's a very pretty name. Mine's Seth. Wish that we could've met under better circumstances."

Inari gave a small laugh that like fluttering windchimes to my ears. "So do I. But sometimes, a meeting under difficult circumstances is better than no meeting at all…"

[Lupusregina]

"Give me your report, Lupusregina," Lord Ainz commanded with a patient tone. In a way, I found myself smiling at receiving my Lord's attention for once. Most of the time, Narberal interacted with Lord Ainz, so to get the chance for myself is a great honor.

"Certainly, my Lord," I said with a deep bow of my head before gazing upon his imposing figure settled into his throne. "Earlier today, I performed my usual duty of checking upon Carne Village and ensuring that everything has been falling into your plan."

I still couldn't fully understand why it was that Lord Ainz seemed to even care about the humans of that village. At best, they would be entertaining toys to play around with, food, or fodder for whatever plan my Lord had in place.

But since I couldn't touch them, only watch, ensure that they still existed, and report anything of interest that I saw, I found the job to be quite boring. It's what led to me mingling about the village at times as a 'watchful guardian' for them. At least doing something instead of just sitting up on a hill watching the village gave me some entertainment.

More than that, I found it quite amusing how much I frightened Enri's little squad of goblins that my Lord was so generously kind to give her. It appeared that they had a bit more awareness of my actual feelings and personality than the idiotic human villagers.

"Yet, during this checkup, it came to my attention that a strange man with amnesia was found nearby the village just left for dead. Just to be safe, I checked on this stranger once before I left to make certain that he wouldn't cause any trouble for the plan you had for Carne Village." I almost found myself wondering if Lord Ainz planned to turn the village in a hunting ground. I really hoped so.

"And what did you discover about this man that made him special enough to report about?" Lord Ainz questioned.

"Originally, absolutely nothing, my Lord. By all accounts, the man was an extremely weak human that, by all accounts, would probably be dead at this point if he hadn't received aid. He had no aura of combat ability, and he didn't have the feeling of a mage. But as I was about to leave, whistling a lullaby from my Creator, Lord Mekongawa, the man said something that stopped me in my tracks. He knew the name of the lullaby."

Lord Ainz appeared to freeze in place for a moment, his body slightly outline in a green glow, then he quickly asked, "What was the name of the song?"

"Bad Moon Rising, my Lord," I quickly answered. "Is something wrong, my Lord?"

Lord Ainz was silent for an uncomfortable length of time, and I almost felt like I may have overstepped my place. That caused a cold fear to creep down my spine. What if I had upset him? Would he punish me, even kill me for it?

"I could not fully say at the moment," Lord Ainz finally replied, making me feel a wave of relief wash over me that he wasn't upset from my question. "But he is completely human, nothing special about him in his entirety?"

I nodded, "My sense of smell is very powerful, my Lord. He smelled of nothing more than a regular human. Additionally, I tried to test him, see if his amnesia was fake and that he knew of Nazarick, but the man replied truthfully that he didn't know. He truly is suffering from a case of amnesia."

"Hmm… I believe that I may wish to meet this man for myself. Perhaps ask him a few questions. Even if it's just a small hope, he might have some knowledge pertaining to my comrades or…" As Lord Ainz trailed off, I found myself speaking out of turn due to my curiosity.

"Or what, my Lord? Is there something else that is concerning you about him?"

"…Perhaps this man… Hmm…" Lord Ainz looked lost in thought before his glowing red eyes focused onto mine with a heavy intensity. "Lupusregina Beta, I hereby order you to keep this man safe and in good health before I visit him tomorrow."

Lord Ainz then reached into the dark portal of his inventory and pulled out a healing potion which he held out to me. "Give the man this to help him recover faster."

I stood up and walked over to my Lord on his throne and took the potion in my hands. "My Lord, if this man is truly as important as you think he is, then why not allow me to bring him back to Nazarick?" I asked.

"Because, if I'm wrong and this man is a trap of some kind, I'd rather he be kept out of Nazarick than allowed access inside. Once I meet with him, I'll come to a proper decision of what to do with him." Lord Ainz then leaned slightly closer to me and said in a tone that terrified me, "Until then, keep him safe. Do you understand, Lupusregina Beta?"

I quickly nodded, feeling that chilling wave travel down my spine once again. "Yes, my Lord. I swear that none will lay a hand on him while I stand watch!"

"Good," Lord Ainz replied, leaning back into his chair as the chilling terror I had been feeling disappeared. "You may go on our way, Lupusregina."

Giving my Lord a bow, I quickly made my way out of the throne room and back to Carne Village…

[Slane Theocracy]

"It's been weeks at this point," Maximilian pointed out to his fellow gathered cardinals. "With no response from Quaiesse, we must assume the worst that he has been killed, or worse, captured."

Dominic growled his angry frustration as this was said, "And what? We just accept that this false goddess has taken one of our best while still being allowed to gain more support?! And that's in addition to her likely gaining the divine weapon that is desecrated in her hands!"

"The reports coming from the Re-Estize says that it might be even worse than that," Zinedine countered, his body looking more skeletal than it had before due to a lack of sleep. "My spies rapidly relayed two reports to me with utmost haste. The first is that the item we had been searching for that created the pillar was most likely this false goddess herself."

Multiple gasps of shock came from around the meeting table. Zinedine then continued, "In addition to this pillar, a temple was built, dedicated to her, that is filled with an ever-flowing spring of golden water – made from her own blood – which is capable of enhancing the mana and magic of any who consume it. And on top of this, there comes the larger issue of the Northern Kingdoms Annexation Plan potentially being halted."

"But that is preposterous! None but the Six should have such a power!" Dominic argued.

"Zinedine," Raymond spoke up, a mixture of concern and worry laced in his tone, "what is this about our Annexation Plan being halted?"

"From all reports of my spies, the 'Fox Princess' will likely try to stop the Baharuth from invading the Re-Estize. This would quickly run counter to the overall plan, and this is if we ignore our role in the events," Zinedine answered with a stern look.

Every cardinal in the meeting chamber shared concerned or thoughtful looks. The entire plan was to acquire territory for the Slane Theocracy. With the more defensible natural barriers of the mountains, the Theocracy would be capable of more easily defending its borders when they were finally pushed back from their territory.

Even if they displayed a strong front, the Slane Theocracy was slowly losing ground bit by bit. Be it the elves or the demi-humans, the multiple, simultaneous wars that the Theocracy is fighting are taking their toll. The blood of the Godkin grew weaker with each successive generation, aside from a few anomalies, such as Zesshi.

Soon enough, they would be forced to bring out their limited trump cards from the Treasury to hold back their enemies. Quite a few of those ancient relics had a one-time use, their abilities were unknown, or they were too powerful for casual display on the battlefield.

With the loss of one of the Black Scripture members capable of acting as an entire army on his lonesome, it was quite damaging to the Theocracy's strength, and that didn't even consider how Quiaesse's equipment was irreplaceable. They had lost too much and gained nothing in return from it.

Technically, the Theocracy could send Zesshi out to any of the fronts, and likely win them. Yet that came with cost. It would leave the capital and Treasury undefended, and Zesshi could become too preoccupied to quickly support another front if it collapsed.

Alongside this was the risk of the Theocracy's trump card potentially falling in battle. But worst of all, her great displays of strength on the battlefield could attract the attention of the Elf King, her own father.

Were that to happen, with the proclivities that they knew of the elf, he'd likely be motivated to put a pause to his hedonism and actually personally invade the Theocracy to capture, and then impregnate, his own daughter for more powerful children just as he had her mother.

In fact, worryingly enough, it might not even require Zesshi taking to the battlefield for Decem to finally get off his throne and personally act. If news of this 'Fox Princess' reached him, he might actually cut a swath through the Theocracy, and then the Re-Estize, to get to her.

What truly made Decem so dangerous is how unpredictable his moods could be.

Regardless, part of the Theocracy's entire plan to reinforce itself involved the Baharuth and Re-Estize weakening themselves against one another to allow for the Slane to easily conquer both. From there, they could work on reinforcing the new territories before eventually retreating their people behind those new defenses.

It looked like Zinedine was about to say more before Dominic beat him to it. "We've spent so many preparing for the annexation, and you're saying that it will all be upended because of some demi-human witch?!" The angered cardinal asked in pure outrage.

"Perhaps we shouldn't be so hasty as to fully dismiss this Fox Princess," Yvon spoke up while adjusting his monocle. "Remember as the Scripture says, the Six appeared during a calamitous time for humanity to protect them from the dangers of the world."

"And how does this even relate? The Six are beyond this paltry witch and her false claims!"

Finally, Zinedine spoke up, "I'm sorry to say, but the other part of the report I received was anything but paltry." That got the attention of the other cardinals before the elderly man continued, "She displayed an ability for mass resurrection beyond the ability for mortals to be capable of."

"What manner of mass resurrection do you mean?" Bernice asked with narrowed eyes.

The elderly man took a breath to steady himself, then he answered, "Hundreds… Perhaps she could've done more, but my spies were unable to discover it."

Dominic's face reddened, either from fury or from embarrassment from being proven wrong. "But you also forget that the Evil Deities also displayed tremendous power that was similar to the Six!"

"And yet, she hasn't shown the same wish for destruction and death as the Evil Deities did," Raymond countered. "Perhaps we should continue monitoring the Fox Princess and her spheres of influence. It will give us time to examine and make an informed judgement upon her. From there we can decide if she could possibly be a new protector of humanity sent by the Six or if she's an enemy that must be eliminated."

"Whatever she is, and I still believe that she is an enemy to the Church and our way of life," Dominic began with a more even tone, "realize that the Elf King is likely to act when he hears about her, if he hasn't already. We might be dealing with a massacre on our hands because of her existence."

Maximilian acknowledged the concerns with a nod as he drew attention to himself, "We still have the Divine Item of Downfall of Castle and Country in our possession. And from what has been said, despite the damage that it took from the attack of the greater vampire, it has lost none of its efficacy."

That got all of the cardinals thinking until Raymond broke the silence, "A test if you will. We attempt to use Downfall on the Fox Princess. It was said that only gods, like the Six, would be able to be unaffected by the item. If it works against her, we'll have gained control over a powerful mage that could be used against our enemies. If it fails, then we'll tell her it was to test the truth of her divinity."

"It… isn't a bad idea. We could gain a powerful ally either way, though a great amount of deference would need to be shown were the item to not work on her," Yvon agreed.

One by one, the rest of the cardinals gave their own agreements to the plan until it left Dominic as the last to give a decision. For a few moments longer, the cardinal in green sat in silence.

Finally, he answered, "Yes, let's finally put our doubts to rest on the matter…"