A Vulpine Spanner in the Works
Chapter 28: Talk of the Town
[Kashia]
I found myself having a strange dream tonight. It was from years ago on Earth when I was around six years old. I remember this moment clearly. It was the night of my birthday.
Mom and dad had both been planning this for a while and had saved up for weeks or months to buy me a small cake. It wasn't much, just a simple little chocolate cake around four inches in diameter that had six tiny candles, more akin to matchsticks, arranged on top and lit for me. But to me, this meant the world. It showed how much my parents loved me to use up some of the little money that they had to treat me like this.
"Happy birthday, kiddo! Go ahead and make a wish." My dad, Seth, said. He looked so much healthier now than he would a few years later. He had short hair that was still mostly brown, with only small hints of gray that would mostly cover it in five years. His green eyes were vividly filled with so much life and happiness compared to how dark and dull they looked as he got sicker.
Yet, while he was a lot healthier than in his later years, I could already see the hints of some slight starvation in his features. His face looked a little gaunt, not enough to be fully noticeable unless you were looking for it. When I had been younger, I always found it so strange how dad would seem to skip his dinner.
He'd always give the excuse that, "I already ate. I'm not that hungry." It was only later when I got older that I learned he'd intentionally skip eating if he could so that mom and I didn't starve. Yet, he never showed any signs of discomfort. He was always so happy and optimistic, even to his dying day.
"Okay, daddy!" I excitedly said before blowing out my candles. I had wished for another year like this one. Mom, Inari, took a photo with her phone before she squealed in delight and began clapping excitedly.
Unlike dad, mom always seemed to look so beautiful throughout her life. Her glowing white hair never changed or showed signs of gray like dad's. She never appeared tired or haggard after a long day of work, her slitted silver eyes always being wide awake and full of warmth whenever she looked at me. She had looked like this all the way up to the day she was forced to leave us.
After taking the photo, she walked over and gave me a hug before kissing my head. "You're another year older, sweetie. What did you wish for?" She asked me with a smile. I let out a childish giggle when she asked me this.
"Momma, if I tell you, then it won't happen!" I answered, earning me a laugh from mom and another kiss on my head.
"Then I hope that whatever you wish for comes true, my little fox." Mom said warmly.
"Me, too, momma!"
Dad chucked and tousled my blonde hair before kissing mom. Wasn't my hair brown? No, it was always blonde. I was misremembering that dad was the only brunette in the family. "I'll go get you a plate, K/aron." Dad said as he went to the cupboard and pulled out a metal plate for me along with a knife and fork.
When he came back, he set the plate in front of me and my little body bounced in my seat in excitement as dad cut off a slice of cake for me and set it onto my plate with a fork. I looked at my two parents expectantly as they both looked at me.
"Is something wrong, kiddo?" Dad asked.
"What about your plates?" I answered back as I glanced between the two of them. My parents looked at one another with surprise before gazing back at me.
"This is your cake, sweetie. It's all for you." Mom said as she sat on a chair next to me with her hands on either one of my shoulders. I always loved whenever mom held me since it always made me feel so safe and warm.
"It's supposed to be your special day, Kas/ron." Dad said. "You don't need to share your cake with us."
"It's my cake. I want you to have it with me, momma, daddy." I answered in a bit of a petulant tone that you wouldn't expect to be for something altruistic. My parents shared a knowing glance with one another at this before dad raised his hands in defeat.
"If that's what the birthday girl wants, then what can I do to say no?" Dad answered with a laugh as he went back to the cupboard to pull out two more plates and forks. Wait, what was it that dad called me? That sounded off…
When dad came back, he set a plate in front of mom and cut off a slice of cake and put it on her plate. Then, he sliced and extremely thin slice for himself and set it onto his own plate. This caused me to giggle, making dad give me a questioning look with a raised brow.
"Daddy, you're being funny! That's not a cake slice. That's a umm…uh…" My younger self stammered, trying to find the word for it.
"A cake shaving?" Mom said to help me out. I quickly nodded repeatedly with a laugh.
"Yeah, what momma said. That's a cake shaving!" I finished, making mom give me a hug as we both looked at dad.
"Come on, Seth. Our little girl is correct. You can barely consider that a slice of cake. Mind cutting a little bit more for yourself? Please?" Mom said with a pleading look a smile, one that I joined her in to get dad to take a little bit more for himself.
Dad sighed with a smile as he looked between us, "This is just unfair. How am I supposed to argue against the two most special girls in my life?" Dad said in resignation as he finally cut off another slice of cake, trying to take as little as he could get away with under the watchful eyes of mom and I.
"Yay!" My younger self cheered as dad finally ate, "You can't resist momma and me!"
"I really can't, Kashia." Dad said as he kissed my head and put a hand on top of mom's which was still resting on top of my shoulder. Wasn't there a different name that dad said? Mom and I joined dad in eating our slices of cake, talking and laughing the entire time. I still remember how sweet that cake had tasted along with how I was just beaming with happiness as I sat between mom and dad.
After we all had a second slice of cake, mom let go of my shoulder and got out of her chair before leaving the room. After a few moments, she came back with a simple cardboard box that had a red ribbon tied around it into a bow to hold the cover in place. My eyes had widened at seeing this, namely because mom and dad hadn't always been able to give me a present for my birthday.
Either because their jobs didn't give them time to make me a present or they didn't have the money to afford one. They did their best every year and I loved any birthday celebration they held for me, regardless of if there was a cake or present for me that year. So, when mom brought out that box, I was over the moon in excitement.
Mom rejoined us and sat in the chair next to me before handing the present over. "I made this for you, my little fox. It might not be a lot, but I hope it's enough." When she said this, I undid the bow of the ribbon and pulled it away. Then, I lifted the lid off the box and found a handsewn stuffed animal in the shape of a small red fox with nine tails. Oddly, the thought of a red dog popped into my head for a moment before I brushed it aside.
Pulling the stuffed animal carefully out of the box to avoid cutting it with my sharp nails, I squealed in excitement before hugging the red fox to my chest. Then I quickly pulled mom into that same hug. "Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" I said with a massive smile.
"You're welcome, Kashia." Mom said as she brushed my long hair out of my eyes. "I wanted to make sure that today was special for my little girl." Again, something about that just bothered me and didn't sound right.
Dad joined our hug and looked down at my stuffed animal. "So, kiddo, what do you want to name your new little friend?" He asked. My mind had already decided the moment I saw the stuffed animal still in the box.
"Meepo. I'm gonna name him Meepo." I answered. Dad got a chuckle out of that.
"Just like that little red dog from the cartoon you like to watch?" Dad guessed with an amused tone. I rapidly nodded in response. I remembered that show, 'My Marvelous Misadventures of Meepo Breepo'.
I loved watching it as a kid since I had always wanted a pet when I was younger, and the show about that animated dog was the closest I'd ever get to having a pet of my own since we could never afford one. After receiving my stuffed animal, Meepo, I carried him with me everywhere I went. I still had him to this day, or at least I did back on Earth.
"Yeah, daddy! Meepo and I are gonna to be friends forever! Thank you, momma, daddy! This is the best birthday ever!"
Day 21:
Waking up in the garden of my sanctuary with a yawn from my muzzle, I looked to the center of my curled bestial form to see that Tuare and Ninya were sleeping comfortably in the center of it with their heads resting against my side and my tails acting as blankets to cover the pair. At the same time, I found, to my amusement, my kobold Meepo curled up like a cat on top of my body. His form rose and fell from my steady breathing but he showed no sign of moving.
After coming back home to my daughters after dealing with the two former heads of Eight Fingers, Tuare had managed to convince me to shift into my alternate form because she wanted to see what it would be like to rest on me. That led to Ninya being convinced to join Tuare in her sister's curiosity. Once my girls had gotten quite comfortable, they ended up clocking out for the night. This led to Meepo also being slightly curious and asking if he could see what it was like.
And all of that led to my little family using me as an improvised bed for the night since I couldn't just transform back and wake them all up. I wonder if this is how mom and dad felt whenever I asked to sleep in their bed because of a bad dream?
Speaking of dreams, last night's dream was odd. Why did I dream of my birthday back on Earth? Parts of it had felt a little off, but I couldn't place a finger, or in my current case, paw on it. What I could fully confirm is that every emotion I felt from that day was completely correct. I got my stuffed animal, Meepo, from mom and dad and we all had cake together.
It was the last birthday that all three of us had been able to celebrate together. That same year, mom had to return back to the Realm of Foxes as she couldn't maintain her form in our realm any longer. Dad and I had been devastated when she left us, but he continued to soldier on so that I could be taken care of.
And just like dad had done, I was making sure that my kids were taken care of. One method of which was by getting rid of those that might or have hurt them, such as Cocco and Hilma. After I learned of exactly what Hilma had done to my Tuare with Cocco, I made certain to inform all of my subjects who I had brought with me that night about it. Needless to say, they were all highly upset that some filth had touched their Princess' daughter. It made all of them gung-ho on storming Cocco's little base, annihilating all the slavers within, rescuing the victims of the sick fuck, and then helping me to punish him for his actions.
And punish him they did. I watched with utter satisfaction as my subjects tore him apart, piece by piece, until he couldn't go on any longer. During that time, I forced Hilma to watch every last second of it. She took up the first option I gave her, but that didn't mean it was the easy path. I had her shoes removed before two of my dutiful subjects began to escort her to Re-Estize, where she would walk the entire way.
From the memories I took from them, Cocco's base was over 90 miles away from the capital. She had a long march to go, and my dutiful subjects would make sure she walked the entire way. The only other order given to my kitsune was that Hilma needed to be alive and cognizant enough to tell people who she was when she arrived at the city. Other than that, she could be fed bird shit and piss for all I cared. I left the details up to them, so they'd likely be creative.
That only left four more of these regular fuckers to go along with their big boss. Lucky for me that their club was going to have a meeting within a week or so with a few of the top brass that could show up. I was going to have fun that day.
Still, looking down at my girls, I was tempted to try and wake them up to start the day, but they looked too adorable as they are for me to do so. I'd give them some more time before then. Laying my head back down, I closed my eyes for a little bit longer.
[Pluton Ainzach]
To say that last night was hectic was to undersell it. I had to deal with a trio of nobles as they burst into my office and began screaming about a giant monster fox with nine tails that had appeared inside the Magician's Guild. All three of them gave conflicting statements at the same time which forced me to have to quickly piece through what was going on.
One noble had shouted about the fox being covered in blue fire and was going to burn the building down. The next noble claimed that the fox was made of solid gold and was going to eat everyone. And the last noble said that the fox had put everyone under a hypnotic spell that it was going to use to control the city. Three very conflicting stories, but all of them matching that a giant fox with nine tails was in the Magician's Guild at the moment.
I had to quickly shut the three up before telling them to alert the guards while I assembled any adventurers of high rank who were currently in the guild at that moment. Additionally, I also took up my own sword to join the eleven adventurers of gold to platinum-plate. Since my friend Theo was out of town, I had no wish for him to come back home to a destroyed guildhall.
With our group assembled, we quickly made our way to the Magician's Guild and burst through the doorway to find a huge number of the mages along with even a few nobles listening to the new assistant that Theo had told me about, Evelyn, preaching to everyone inside. I had absolutely no idea what was going on at this point until Evelyn finally noticed my party and stopped preaching.
From there, she told me exactly what happened, which I would have found absolutely insane if it wasn't for almost a hundred eye-witnesses who confirmed it, a few nobles included who were still in the guild even after the fox had left.
A literal goddess had come to their guild. She was called the Fox Princess, a name I was all too familiar with at this point considering how much the rumors have spread around the Adventurer's Guild about her. The rumors spoke of a giant stone tree that had been created by her on the Great Lake of Tob, along with a palace of gold guarded by an army of foxes with many tails. Those were the initial rumors at least.
Then they started getting weird; from her knowing the secrets of creation, having blood that turns people into demigods, somehow being the true ruler of Re-Estize come back to reclaim what's hers. Those were the tamer ones in comparison. I had actually been planning to get to the bottom of this before the events of last night happened. Evelyn beat me to it.
The entire Magician's Guild at this point was worshipping her as the new goddess of magic who had chosen to give gifts to the guild. And the reason for the arrival of the Fox Princess to their guild last night was because they had upset her by acting overzealous and dogmatic about her worship unto others. That, and they forced her demigoddess daughter to do some ritual.
It was after this berating that she had taken on her humanoid form with nine tails and gave kind words of encouragement to everyone within the guildhall. Somehow, this even got the nobles to start listening in as Evelyn gave a sermon to everyone there until my group arrived. After this, I sent all the adventurers that I had taken with me back to our guild to receive compensation for their aid.
I, on the other hand, stayed at the Magician's Guild where I, and a few of the nobles who had stayed, had a chat with Evelyn over the oncoming storm of issues that was likely to follow this event. If knowledge of this goddess wasn't known before, it was going to be known all across the city by tomorrow. And that left the headache of what I, and the nobles with us, knew would happen.
"The Church of the Four Great Gods is not going to let this slide, Evelyn. You do know this, right?" I asked her.
Evelyn nodded as she gently removed the strange hat she was wearing and set it onto the table. "I, and my fellow members of the Order, have been aware of what would occur should the church find out about us. Originally, we had planned for battle if that is what was required. But since the Fox Princess has told us otherwise. We will not retaliate and instead continue our worship, knowing that She will protect us."
"Waiting around for the Fox Princess to protect you is good and all. But there are other methods that the church can use to harm your guild in retaliation." One of the nobles said. I knew him to be Baron Dominic Everet Reylans. Both he and his wife, Baroness Victoria Sanamaria Reylans, had been gifted amulets from the Fox Princess herself.
Evelyn nodded, her veil doing little to obscure the scowl on her face. "There is not much that the Magician's Guild could do to stop them as we are now. They have a strong hold over not only this city, but the kingdom itself. We are barely cared for by the kingdom as is. We receive no funding, our place in politics is laughable, and we are given scorn regardless of all the advances we could produce.
In turn, the church receives donations yearly from both the people as well as the government. They have a powerful voice in court that even the king would listen to. And they have a stranglehold on any healing magics that could be used for the common people. Once they find out, they will begin by sending an investigation unit to us."
"What if the Magician's Guild had allies?" That took me by surprise to hear Dominic say this.
"What do you mean by that?" Evelyn asked with an interest that I shared. Dominic looked between Evelyn, another baron named Argost Night Rettenmaier, a viscountess named Annabella Emilius Belmun, and myself.
Argost was an older man, with a grim expression and graying hair and beard that were both barely kept to courtly standards. This was opposite Annabella, a younger woman with brunette hair held back into a bun; every bit the prim and proper lady you'd expect to see in court.
"Victoria and I have been seeing the writing on the wall for a few years now. The Re-Estize is doomed at the rate that its going. The Baharuth will eventually grind our armies down to nothing before they invade. That's if a civil war doesn't happen or our food supplies don't run out first. We're running on borrowed time as of this moment, and the nobles around the country are either too ignorant to see it or they try to ignore the obvious issues." Dominic explained before Victoria followed up his answer with hers.
"Unless our kingdom gets a massive and overwhelming army within the coming year or the Baharuth ends their goal of conquest, we will be conquered. Most of us here who are nobles will likely lose everything we have, if not our lives, to the Bloody Emperor Jircniv. At this point, we have only divine intervention to aid us, and throughout all my life, the Church of the Four Great Gods has never had a single god set physical foot in any of their churches." Victoria finished this with a dry chuckle.
Evelyn's blue eyes, ringed with a glowing gold on the edges, narrowed in thought at Victoria's statement. "You believe that my Goddess might be able to help in this issue." The veiled woman surmised.
"It's a long shot, but it's the best hope that Victoria and I have. As it currently stands, none of the church have ever aided us in the continual wars. Neither have their gods tried to prevent the continuous tragedy that is the Katze Plains every year. We're desperate and an actual goddess was witnessed by almost all of us walking about in this guild." Dominic reasoned in a tired tone of a man who was on his last rope.
"And what do the rest of you think about this?" Evelyn asked to Argost, Annabella, and I.
Argost was the first to answer, "What would you wish me to say? That I don't understand our situation right now? I am fully aware of the precarious situation that we all face. Would it be nice to have a goddess save us all from our troubles with the Baharuth dogs?
Absolutely! But no, that's not why I would be willing to throw my lot in with your group." Evelyn leaned forward in interest at hearing this, and I couldn't help but match this interest.
"Why is it that you'd be willing to aid the Magician's Guild? I'd reason that it would have to be something unique if it's not for country patriotism." Evelyn asked, her lips beginning to quirk into a smile.
"Because it would bloody the nose of the church. Aiding a conflicting religion that has a goddess walking among them unlike the church would be an amazing irony that I want to see happen." Argost answered honestly with a grin.
"But why would you want that? What exactly did the church do to you?"
Argost thumbed a silver ring on his finger before looking back to Evelyn. "You know, the church has quite the monopoly on the usage of healing magics. Years prior, when I had been young and stupid, I had an argument with a young priest that escalated from words to fists. I can't even remember what it had even been about, probably something inane at this point." Argost laughed as he said this as his face looked even more haggard than it had before.
"I thought that had been the end of it. Just a pair of stupid young men who had a fight and parted ways afterwards. Yet, while I moved on with my life, that young priest hadn't forgotten. As I married my love, Fiona, and we had our son, Henry; that priest was busy rising through the ranks of the church. Until finally, it culminated in the year of the crimson fever." Argost's fingers closed into a tight fist while his eyes took on a glare of long-suffered anger.
I remember the year of the crimson fever 36 years ago. It seemed to just sweep through the Re-Estize like a wildfire. It started with a simple cough, followed by increased sweating. A day or two later, the afflicted would become bedridden as they seemed to heat up, like a furnace had been lit within their bodies. Their body would just redden up, like a blush that wouldn't end. If they managed to survive around the two weeks or so it took for the fever to break, then they'd bounce back quickly enough.
Problem was that most could barely last a week as their body would just seem to cook itself from the inside out. It was only thanks to the healers of the church working in tandem with alchemists that the fever didn't do greater damage. Miraculously enough, the church even lowered their usual fees for healings and treatments at the time to more easily eradicate the fever. By the end of it, they gained a lot of political power and good will in the Re-Estize Kingdom.
"Fiona and Henry had fallen ill with the fever during the winter. I called for the healers at once, but none came. I couldn't understand why as I was a baron, I obviously had the money to afford whatever treatment they might require. After a day of no answer, I immediately rode to E-Rantel in haste towards the church. On my arrival, I found myself brought before the high priest of the city's temple, Jonah Carpashin."
My eyes widened as I knew Jonah to be the Head High Priest in the capital. He had already left E-Rantel by the time I had started my tenure as the guildmaster of the Adventurer's Guild, so I didn't have much knowledge on what he was like. This was certainly eye-opening to hear.
"He gave a holy spiel about how the gods are doing all they can in these trying times. I didn't understand what it was that he was trying to tell me until he said the words that I still remember to this day, 'the gods judge us all fairly, though sometimes this judgement appears like a fist to one's face.' That was when I knew that he'd never forgotten that day of our fight. He then told me that they had no healers to spare and that I'd need to go to another temple.
Bastard was even smiling when he said this. It would take almost two weeks to reach the next closest temple, and Jonah made certain that no healer or alchemist would dare try and help me. I was forced to watch my love and my little boy burn up from the inside until their bodies gave out within a week. And while I lost my family, Jonah was promoted for his services in helping to contain the plague by being made the Head High Priest before taking his new post in the capital. It's a fucking joke." Argost growled this out with barely contained rage.
His fist slammed into the arm of his chair as he continued, "If a man like that can be made the head of a religion without the gods' intervention against it, then it means that either the gods are too weak and pitiful to do anything of value or they're bastards just like him. I'd love to see the church burn, or if not that, then kicked in the metaphorical balls. This is probably the closest I might ever get to that, so I'm willing to bet everything on helping you since I have nothing left in my life otherwise."
The room was silent for a while as we contemplated what Argost had said. I was well aware of the issue with the church, from some of the amounts of corruption within, its monopoly on healing magic, and how those who managed to anger the church had a chance of disappearing. It was enlightening to know how far up the corruption of the church went.
I only wish that Theo hadn't gotten involved in this new religion of his since it was a political nightmare in the making. Too bad it's not in my nature to leave my friend to fend for himself.
"And what's so different between the Four Gods of the church compared to the Fox Princess? For all you know, you could be trading one corrupt church for another?" Evelyn questioned as she rested her arms on the table and folded her fingers together.
Argost smirked at the question, "Because unlike the Four Great Gods, your goddess came to her worshippers today and told you all off." Evelyn laughed and nodded in acknowledgement at the baron's words.
"Right you are on all accounts. Today was a surprise to know how much I and the other members of the Order had upset our Goddess. We had taken the wrong path, so we must resolve to be better because of it. Yet, what of you two, Viscountess Annabella and Guildmaster Pluton? What do you think of this?"
Annabella gave a sly smile as she answered, "I've no interest in revenge like our dear Baron Argost, nor have I much care for our country like Lord and Lady Reylans. Instead, I have well-proven intuition that tells me where the winds of change are blowing. It's in my best interest to stay ahead of them, especially if there is a profit to be made."
"What profit are you talking about?" Victoria asked.
"There's always profit to be made if you know where to look. For instance, say the Fox Princess is as strong as I think she is, this city would probably be the safest in all the kingdom from invasion with her protecting it, which also protects the multiple investments I've made into this city. People would flock here for sanctuary, creating an influx of new customers to my businesses, along with increasing the value of all my properties in E-Rantel."
Annabella certainly is a shrewd woman if she had managed to come to this conclusion within the span of an hour. From what I knew of her, Annabella was the current head of the Belmun family, a status she had earned through wit and guile after her father died with no male heir apparent. Even with the title of viscountess, she was likely one of the richest nobles of the kingdom due purely to good investments and decisions made. It's surprising that she hasn't married yet.
"I see, Lady Annabella. I apologize for doubting you." Victoria said with a quick bow of her head.
"There's no need for apologies, Lady Reylans. I wouldn't be as wealthy as I am currently if everyone could see opportunities like I could." Annabella replied with an amused smile, "But now that I've given my thoughts on the matter, what of you, Guildmaster Pluton?"
"I couldn't care much about religion or the political climate. I just want to make sure that my friend doesn't get killed." I stated simply, "I've watched out for Theo since we've been kids, same as he does for me. I have no interest in changing that stance anytime soon."
Evelyn gave me a warm smile as I said this. "An honorable mentality. You have my respect, Pluton." She complimented before focusing on everyone, "With that in mind, how do you all plan to aid the Order of the Fox Princess and the Magician's Guild?"
"I have stakes in half of the businesses in just this city alone. A few words to the right associates can see businesses divesting themselves of the church within the week, gutting quite a bit of their income from donations." Annabella answered, "At the same time, a few good words can see some people in high places giving some interest to the Magician's Guild."
"Victoria and I have enough associates that share the same opinion as we do about the kingdom. They can help to spread word of the Fox Princess to others." Dominic explained as he and Victoria held each other's hands in solidarity.
Argost smirked, "My cousin's the mayor of this city. He would have no interest in religious conflict breaking out in his city and would be able to run opposition against the church as needed. That's in addition to the fact that he has a low opinion of them as is due to what they did to my family."
We have funding from Annabella. Dominic and Victoria can attain more backing from other nobles. Argost can have Panasolei run interference to delay any overt conflict. Now, what can I do? Well, that's simple enough.
Theo, I hope that wherever you are right now, you know how much I'm hanging my neck out on the line for you. Who am I kidding? Even if he didn't know, I'd still continue helping him.
"While the Adventurer's Guild can't directly get involved in kingdom politics, there's two things we can do to get around this. First; have the guild's rumors of the Fox Princess be spread a bit faster and with more accuracy woven in. Second; we might not be able to get involved in religion or politics, but who's to say that a member of the Adventurer's Guild was in the wrong if they so happened to have been hired to defend a place or people from bad actors, like at the Magician's Guild for instance. And oddly, their guild was given a discount for said job."
"That's an interesting hypothetical." Evelyn remarked in amusement.
"It certainly is." I smirked back.
Following this, we spoke a little further on the subject before separating as the city guard had arrived and both Evelyn and I needed to inform them that there was no longer any crisis. Afterwards, I left to head home and finally sleep before I had to deal with the headache of tomorrow.
And that all led to this morning where I was sitting at my desk with a specific guild receptionist before me.
"Good morning, Uncle Pluton. Is there something that I could do for you?" My niece asked.
"There is, Helena." I said with a nod, "You, along with the other receptionists, have a bit of leeway on spreading rumors throughout the guild. I'd like you to spread a few for me." I handed her a rolled-up scroll containing a few of the detailed rumors that I wanted heard.
Helena's gray eyes blinked in surprise as she took the scroll and looked at me. "Is there any specific reason for why you want us spreading rumors? You almost never do this."
"A lot of things are in current motion that are going to affect the city soon. One of my friends is involved, and I want to help so that nothing bad happens to him." When I said this, Helena smiled.
"I see. If it's to protect one of your friends, then I'll do my best to not let you down, Uncle." Helena answered with a nod.
I smiled at my niece's enthusiasm before I decided to ask her something I discovered yesterday. "Before you go, Helena. I heard that you went walking around the city with a man. More specifically, an adventurer named Peter Mauk."
Helena's face began matching the color of her hair as she sputtered out, "Y-Yes. P-Peter took me out f-for dinner last night."
"Did you at least have fun?" My niece smiled brightly, which was a good reassurance.
"Absolutely! Peter was a complete gentleman." Helena replied.
"Very good. Just remember, if you have any issues with him, you can come to me and I can take care of him…permanently." I offered, partly joking, but also completely serious.
Helena rolled her eyes at this, "Uncle, can you please not think of harming a guy I like?" She complained.
"I'm just trying to make sure that my favorite niece is safe." I stated.
Helena gave me a sigh of exasperation, even if she was still smiling, "Uncle Pluton, I'm your only niece."
"Automatically making you my favorite." We both laughed at our little ongoing joke, "Don't worry, Helena, I'm just teasing you. I was young once as well, so I'm very aware of what you kids tend to get into. Just make sure to be careful."
"I will. Thanks, Uncle."
"You're welcome. Off you go then." I said with a playful shooing motion as Helena giggled and left my office.
This left me alone to work on the Magician's Guild protection assignments that Viscountess Annabella had agreed to help the Magician's Guild bankroll. I had a few gold and platinum-plate adventurers in mind that were willing to take long-term protection assignments with the high chance of combat occurring. Setting everything up was going to be a lot of work I needed to do within a single day.
By the gods, the things I do for my friends.
[Momonga/Ainz Ooal Gown]
As I entered the Adventurer's Guild with Narberal to turn in another completed mission, I couldn't help but find it odd how busy the guild seemed today. Lots of adventurers were talking, and even the arrival of Narberal and I did little to quell the buzz around the guildhall.
Approaching the reception desk of the guild, I set a sack of fangs that Narberal and I had taken from the giant serpents that were terrorizing a village to the west. That job was so boring since the monsters did nothing to pique my attention during the fight.
All I could think of was if their hides might make good armor or be useful in the production of magic scrolls. I had the bodies sent back to Nazarick to investigate it along with a few of the eggs that had been recovered from the nest that the serpents had made.
"Good morning, Mr. Momon and Miss Nabe. Are you here because you completed your job?" The receptionist asked.
I gave a nod of my head in response, "Nabe and I dealt with the serpents and the nest that they created. They shouldn't bother the village of Roanwood any further." I answered.
"That's wonderful. Please wait here while I go collect your reward." The receptionist said as she took the sack of fangs and walked away.
While she did so, I took a glance over to Narberal who was looking around the guild and its humans with some measure of interest instead of the disdain she normally held. I was glad to see that Narberal was, if not actually being sociable, appearing like everything wasn't beneath her attention.
I doubt that she'd ever see humans as anything but lesser beings in her eyes. Yet, she was taking some small steps in being slightly more approachable. It was progress at the very least. My only guess as to why she was changing her behavior is due to her repeated interactions with Kashia and her team of humans.
It probably confused the hell out of Narberal on why a strong being like Kashia would deign to spend time around them or, in one instance, have repeated sex with one. I still found it hilarious that we managed to interrupt Kashia and Lukrut yesterday.
Another interesting development with Narberal was her dedication to her new hobby of painting. While the starting pieces I've seen were not the greatest, she's slowly improving which is something I'm happy to see.
On another note, was the new potential threat of foreign foes. I've had security around Nazarick increased and I had Albedo put in charge of handling the defenses while I'm gone. She was quite upset when I told her about the foiled kidnapping attempt.
I can only assume that it was due to learning of a new potential enemy to Nazarick that may come for us. I hope she doesn't end up overworking herself since both she and Demiurge seemed constantly busy. Maybe those two needed a break? After all, it wouldn't do for my subordinates to be overworked, otherwise productivity can fall.
"Here's your reward, you two." The receptionist said as she came back with a sack of coins.
Picking them up, I said, "Thank you. By the way, is there any reason for why the guild seems so energetic today?"
The receptionist nodded, "Last night, the Magician's Guild was visited by an actual goddess called the Fox Princess. From what was said, over a hundred witnesses, including nobles, saw her in the form of a large, golden fox with nine tails as she spoke to everyone. Before she left, she transformed back into the form of a beautiful woman with nine tails and gave words of encouragement to everyone there."
Wait. What?!
There's no way that could be anyone other than Kashia. What the hell did she do last night?
"Do you know who this Fox Princess even is?" I asked.
"From what's known, she was originally found at the Great Lake of Tob where an expedition party of the Magician's Guild found her in a palace of gold by a giant stone tree. After that, it's said that she gave them knowledge and power before sending the party on their way. Following this, they began worshipping her." The receptionist answered which only made me want to ask even more questions.
"Thank you for telling me." I said calmly, while internally I couldn't stop thinking 'what the hell?'
"My pleasure, Mr. Momon!"
With that, Narberal and I began walking to the exit.
"My Lord, what do you think this means? Could it be…" Narberal looked around to make sure no one was listening before whispering, "Kashia?"
"Probably. And if it isn't, then she's likely involved." I answered.
"What is it that you wish to do about this?" Narberal questioned with a slight hint of worry.
"Absolutely nothing. At most, I just want to ask her what's going on before trying to stay out of the way of whatever ridiculous plan she's concocted. It'll likely be for the best of the collected sanity of myself and all of Nazarick." As I said this, I wondered what kind of plan she had right now.
Was this goddess business meant to draw Kashia's enemies out into the open so that she could more easily deal with them? Or is this supposed to help find other Players?
At this point, I really couldn't tell what my friend was doing.
As we exited the guild, Narberal asked, "If she's claiming that kind of status, why haven't you done the same, my Lord?"
"Because I am not one. Additionally, I feel that doing so would bring the wrong kind of attention on me." What I actually left out from my answer is that I was definitely not envious about the bureaucratic nightmare running a religion could be.
Having to maintain temples was one issue. Figuring out what they were even supposed to worship me for was another. Then, I'd likely need to make constant appearances or have someone else do so along with performing miracles or some such. And that's before one went into conflicting religions that might not appreciate a new one appearing.
Those were just some of the issues at hand. While I could just have my subordinates maintain the religion in my stead, it would be a waste of manpower that could be better spent elsewhere.
Also, why was she calling herself the Fox Princess?
Arriving at the field where mine and Kashia's dungeon was, I found said woman sitting in a white plastic deck chair. She was currently busy watching her team through a scrying spell.
Kashia looked over her shoulder and waved. "Hey, Momo and Narbee. Come by to watch the fun?" She asked as two more chairs appeared next to her.
"Partially." I answered as Narberal and I took a seat. The blonde kitsune gave me a questioning look.
"What's that supposed to mean, Momo?"
Hmm, how should I tell her? Directly or perhaps tease her like she does me? Yeah, turnaround would be more satisfying.
"Narberal and I had an interesting morning, Fox Princess." When I said this, Kashia smacked her hand to her face, and not even my curse could prevent the immense satisfaction I felt as she cringed. I just had to make sure that she never found out about Pandora's Actor or I would likely be feeling even worse than she is right now.
"How did you two find out?" She asked with a wry smile.
"Whatever it was that you did last night has already spread throughout the Adventurer's Guild. From there, the whole city's likely been hearing about it. What is going on?" I asked.
"Remember when I told you that shenanigans happened during my job with the Magician's Guild?"
"Yes." I answered slowly.
"Well, it kinda ended with me having to take on a goddess persona to hide my identity. Then, a bunch of mages began worshipping me as some goddess of magic. I learned that they had been acting a little too cult-like for my taste, so I told them off. It's kinda spiraled out of control from there." She said quickly.
I was suddenly happy that I decided to stay out of this one. "Do you have any plan for this?"
"I've got absolutely no damn idea what I'm doing. At this point, I'm just winging it and hoping that things don't get worse from there." Kashia admitted, making me sigh.
"Should I be concerned?"
"About what I'm doing? No. About if anything I'm doing actually works out or not? Yes."
That answer only reinforced my decision. "I'm staying out of this one. You started this for yourself, you can handle it." I declared without hesitation. Kashia looked at me with wide eyes.
"Come on, Albert Spinestein! You can't just leave me alone on this!" Kashia complained.
"That's exactly what I plan to do, Tails-Fails." I answered. I will say, without any regret, that I did have one or two of my subordinates assigned to come up with material for me to use against Kashia.
"That's just cruel, Momo." I simply patted her on the shoulder.
"I'm not being cruel, just smart enough to know when to stay out of a ludicrous quagmire. Me being cruel would be if I sped up the worship of your new religion, Fox Princess, and forced you to deal with even more followers. That, or I just tell them where you live." I teased with a chuckle.
"Please don't. I don't think I could handle the magical nerds waiting outside my door at all times of day. It's already creepy enough that they've been drinking my blood. It would be even worse if they were stalkers.'
When Kashia mentioned drinking her blood, that made me pause, "Wait, hold on. Your followers are drinking your blood?"
Kashia nodded, "Yeah. I only found out about it yesterday. Apparently, it's magical enough to boost the mana of anyone who drinks it."
How the hell can her blood boost a person's mana? Is it because we are out of the confined rules of YGGDRASIL? It's got to be it. Though, that just brings up further questions, like if it can do so for other Players or NPCs?
I didn't want to ask her to loan me some of her blood to test it out since it would just be creepy. Maybe I should have a subordinate or two observe those who already have drank her blood and report their findings.
"Sounds very odd. How did they even get your blood in the first place?" I asked.
"During that meeting I had at the lake, I gave them a flask of it so that they could take it to the guild in the capital to prove my existence. Didn't expect them to be adding it to water and chugging it." That was reasonable to hear.
I likely wouldn't consider drinking my blood to be a possibility either if I was in her position.
Jokingly, I thought aloud, "I wonder if you could just start up a business of bottling up your blood before selling it?"
"You know, I've actually thought about that as well." Kashia added, making both of us chuckle. Then, she gained a thoughtful look before asking, "Hey, Momo. Back on Earth, what was your childhood like for you?"
Thinking about it, I looked over to Narberal and said, "Narberal, please, keep silent about anything you might hear today."
The maid gave a nod of respect and replied, "As you wish, my Lord."
"Thank you." Looking back to Kashia, I finally answered, "It was a tough life. Mom tried her best to make it as enjoyable as she could, but there was only so much she could do. Aside from the times I could just rest and relax from school, I did odd jobs to try and help my mom out. What about you?"
Kashia looked thoughtful for a moment before she answered, "I went to school like every kid. But after, I'd try to have fun with my friends. Since playing outside was impossible, and we were all too poor to afford VR at the time, we entertained ourselves in other ways.
There was a time one of my friends managed to snag a few bottle rockets from a truck. We lit them off in the halls of our apartment building before running off laughing. I was a real tomboy back then." She said before laughing in nostalgia, then she suddenly stopped, "Huh…"
When Kashia stopped, I looked at her with some concern. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah, I'm fine. It's just that something felt off. Almost like déjà vu, or a word on the tip of your tongue that you just can't recall." She answered as her eyes seemed to be trying to search for something far off.
"Has this been happening a lot?" I asked, wondering if something might be happening to her.
"Not really, it just comes and goes. It's like I've forgotten something important, but I just don't know what." I don't know how to answer that. What could she have forgotten that was so important, yet could be discarded so easily?
"Have you thought about putting your thoughts down in a journal?" I recommended, hoping that might help.
"I might just take you up on that idea. Who knows, maybe I might recall what I've forgotten?" She said with her regular optimism.
That's good. Hopefully, that would help my friend remember. It might also help her with those scatter-brained tendencies of hers.
[Albedo]
It was hard to contain the frustration I felt when my Love told me that the doppelgänger plot had been discovered and foiled. Obviously, the fox whore had put some protection onto those two humans of hers. Somehow, she had already predicted or known about our kidnapping attempt and prepared for it.
"We'll need to call off any further attempts on the Veyron sisters until we know what kind of protections we're dealing with." Demiurge said reasonably. I hated that he was right about this.
"Kashia is on high alert and will likely now expect any further replacement attempts. That leaves us with very few covert ways to do so unless we wish to go overt. I'll need some time to come up with a new plan until then." I replied to my coworker.
"Perhaps the issue is that we've been spreading our focus on both sisters instead of focusing on one. If I had to choose, the younger one would be the better option." Demiurge remarked, causing me to raise a brow in question.
"I would believe that the older sister is the easier target, considering that she isn't a mage or any kind of fighter like the younger. What's your reasoning?" I asked, curious at what the Archdevil might say.
Demiurge pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose before answering, "It's precisely because the older sister isn't any kind of fighter that she's the worst target. She's likely been given more forms of protection because she's unable to defend herself. I turn, the younger would likely receive fewer defenses, both because she's a mage and because she spends much time around Kashia."
I laughed at the boldness of Demiurge's thought process. "That means that we'll only need to wait for Kashia to let her guard down before we snatch the girl from under her nose. But first, we'll need to discover what protections the girl might be receiving right now."
"I'll have my spies observe both of the girls from a distance until then. Eventually, their protection will reveal itself for us." Demiurge said with a smirk, "On other matters, my spies have begun their work on subtly annexing control of the city in the Baharuth Empire nearest to Nazarick called Faelwuld."
"Already beginning our Lord's conquest of the Baharuth?" I asked with curiosity.
"In a manner of speaking. In fact, it was a combination of our Lord's subtle approach, along with Kashia's continued impersonation of a human, and our attempts to capture the Veyron sisters that inspired it. I merely view Faelwuld as an experimental conquest before our Lord truly begins it in earnest." I was intrigued to hear of how this conquest might work, even if it was slightly inspired by the fox whore.
"Go ahead." I motioned him to go on.
"Currently, I've been using our forces to slowly capture and replace those in leadership positions of the city. While not as fast as through battle, the results have proven quite worthwhile, especially after we interrogate them for all knowledge that they may have on both the city and the nation itself. I expect us to fully own the city within four months, without a drop of blood lost on our side. Additionally, as we've captured the families of those in these leadership positions, I've been given many more subjects to test with at the research outpost and materials to be sent to my farm."
Ah, Demiurge's farm. He's been quite excited about it ever since my Love gave him permission to make it. While I'm certain that there are better ways to gain materials for spell scrolls than to use the flesh of humans, Demiurge is more of the scientist than I am, so I'd leave such things to his discretion.
I gave the Archdevil a nod of acknowledgement in his progress. "Good work, Demiurge. How goes work with the research on our Lord's condition?"
"While nothing concrete so far, we have made a branching study into the usage of cursed chimeras for conquest. With this new research, we've found ways of utilizing captured enemy combatants to recoup any losses our armies may suffer while also demoralizing the enemy forces as their friends, neighbors, and loved ones are forced to attack them. In fact, I should show you one of my favorite specimens, a chimera that used to be a pair of human family members who we have made into a beautiful monstrosity."
I found myself giggling at how excitable Demiurge acted when trying to show off his new toys.
"Perhaps later, Demiurge. After all, I'll need to make sure that any future units of our Lord's army are up to his standards." I answered.
"Of course, Albedo. As Grand Overseer, that is your duty." Demiurge answered with a nod.
Soon, my Love would have everything that he possibly desired in hand. A kingdom to rule, a trophy chained to his throne, his curse cured, and me by his side for the rest of eternity. I only wish that he would stop playing this game of pretend with the fox whore and finally bring her down to heel. I just couldn't understand otherwise why he would accept her request to go fishing of all things?
Was it some master plan to lower her guard so that she might be easier to capture? I'm not fully certain on what else could be needed from her since he had me at his beck and call. Perhaps he's trying to protect me from any trickery that the slut might conjure. Yes, that's exactly it, my Love is trying to keep me safe.
This just goes to show how much he truly loves me in comparison to the traitor and the fox whore. I can already imagine the wedding bells as my Love met me down the isle and gifted me the chained fox whore as a wedding present for me to do with as I please.
But in order for that to pass, everything must be prepared beforehand.
And in order to start this toppling of dominos, I needed that bitch's human daughter.
[Temple of the Four Great Gods – E-Rantel]
Within the great temple of the Four Great Gods was a great chapel by which to give worship to the four great deities and the myriads of lesser ones of the Re-Estize. It was split down the center by a great red carpet with pews on either side. The walls of marble in this chapel were decorated with the figures of the many lesser gods that all were pointed to the head of this sacred place of worship.
At the head of this chapel was a set of four great statues, all in the images of the four gods of fire, water, wind, and earth. Yet, at the bare feet of these glorious idols of worship knelt a woman in white who prayed fervently to these idols. Her white dress was spotless, the only color blemishing it came from a sash consisting of the colors red, green, blue, and brown. It was meant to represent the unity between the four gods.
Around her was a ceremonial belt that held multiple tiny charms, each a unique carving from one another. These were meant to symbolize the many lesser gods below the four great ones. Covering her long brown hair was a white headdress held in place by a band with four jewels in place, each the color of the gods.
This woman's name was Verona Margrost, High Priestess of this temple, and devoted adherent to the Four Great Gods for the past 27 years. Ever since she was a little girl, she had felt the love of her many gods and knew that her place was in service to them. And so, she had spent her life serving, and her faith and devotion were rewarded as the gods saw fit to grant her greater amounts of power until she had finally been able to cast 3rd Tier spells of her gods. With this, she knew that she had chosen the correct path, it was her duty now to lead others onto that same path.
In the midst of her daily prayer, she found her concentration interrupted as the doors to the chapel opened and the hurried feet of a person quickly approaching her. With a final kiss to the feet of each idol, Verona finally stood and turned to see an adherent clothed in blue and white robes, symbolizing his path of the God of Water.
Yet, instead of the calm look of one that stood before the idols of the Great Four, Verona saw a panicked look on the young man's face.
"Mikhail, what seems to trouble you so?" Verona asked gently with a smile. She had always been available as an open ear to any in the temple if they had troubles. Verona could only hope that she might be able to aid this young soul in whatever plight he might be facing.
"High Priestess Verona, there has been terrible news that has spread throughout the city today!" Mikhail answered. Verona continued to maintain a serene expression as she led Mikhail to one of the pews before they both took a seat.
"What news has been spread that is so terrible and has you greatly worried?" Verona asked.
"Last night, it was reported that a goddess taking the form of a golden fox with nine tails appeared in the Magician's Guild and spoke to all those within. Then, she transformed into the form of a woman with nine tails before vanishing. And now, the Magician's Guild is worshipping this being known as the Fox Princess as the new goddess of their faith!"
As soon as Mikhail said this, Verona's gray eyes became steely and cruel, yet her smile remained serene as an odd juxtaposition. "I see, quite unfortunate news. Has there been any other reports of this false goddess?" Verona asked, already contemplating what might need to be done, for the greater good of the city, of course.
"Yes, High Priestess! It is said that she was originally found at the Great Lake of Tob by an expedition for of the Magician's Guild. She resided within a palace of gold on the lake under the body of a massive stone tree. I worry what this might mean. Could it be real, for all those at the Magician's Guild, including nobles who were performing business at the time, claimed that she was?"
Verona gave a mirthless laugh. "Oh, dear Mikhail, of course there isn't a new goddess. Just a witch playing pretend and disturbing the minds of the good people of this city. And as such, it is our duty as members of the Church of the Four Great Gods to show to the people that false idols such as this pretender are nothing more than mortals pretending to be something they aren't.
Worry not, with deep prayer and faith, those being led astray will be brought to the righteous path, away from such bringers of chaos."
Mikhail seemed to show relief at Verona's words before he clasped one of her hands with both of his in gratitude. "Thank you, High Priestess Verona, for your blessed words of reassurance. I feel so terrible for having such doubts take root within my heart."
"You do not have to look upon yourself so harshly, my child. To doubt is to be human. The gods will not treat you any less for they see that even with your doubt, you still found courage in remaining on their good path." Verona consoled the man, relieving him of any further guilt he may have, "Now, go on and take a walk around the temple to clear your mind, you'll feel better afterwards."
"I will, High Priestess! Thank you once again for your aid." Mikhail said with a few bows of his head.
"You are welcome, my child." As Verona watched Mikhail walk away with a smile on his face and a weight of guilt lifted from his mind, Verona's smile fell into a scowl. Seeing such a devoted man of faith be left questioning himself was something that the High Priestess could not stand for.
It seems that an odious witch has ensnared the minds of the good people of this city and was causing them to question their faith. This would not do. As it was Verona's sworn duty to protect her flock, the woman knew that this rogue element must be removed. Thankfully, the gods had seen fit to bless special members of the church with the holy power to display their righteous wrath.
Verona had needed to call upon their services a few times, from removing troublesome greedy merchants who would attempt to steal from the gods by offering healing magics for free, to times like these. Only twice in Verona's time in E-Rantel had the church executors, the Punishment Squad, been used to remove heretical faiths with absolute results.
Now, they must be called upon once more. This time, its judgment would be brought down upon the Magician's Guild itself, an organization that Verona had always had misgivings against. People should not be freely gifted with magic unless it was in service to the Four Great Gods. Yet the Magician's Guild spat upon this with their flaunted abilities. In a way, Verona saw this as a blessing from the gods, removing two great thorns to this beautiful city.
By tomorrow night, the Punishment Squad would be fully assembled and their righteous wrath would be brought down upon the heretics.