A Vulpine Spanner in the Works
Chapter 62: Things Are Looking Up
[Arche]
Day 70:
It was a short trip from the capital, less than a day's walk, before I arrived at my family's… estate. Before leaving though, I made my goodbyes to my teammates and we scheduled to meet up in the city in three weeks to discuss our next plans.
After all, with that massive reward, both from the employer who hired us and the gift from the Fox Princess, we were had more than enough to generously retire. From the looks of the others, they were tempted by the idea, just as I was.
But we felt it best to give ourselves some time to settle down and rest after this adventure before making any major decisions. After all, our fortunes could easily change in the span of a few weeks. My family was a living example of such.
Returning back home after another job was always a mixture of worry and relief. I worried that something may have happened while I was gone, it was almost always the case, and most of the time it was not for the better. On the other hand, the relief came from finally seeing my little sisters once more.
Entering the rusting gates, I noted that they were getting worse and would likely need replacement soon enough, not that my family could afford such a luxury. Had it been up to me, the gates would've been ripped down and sold for scrap.
Going further in, I saw unusual activity at the front of the manor. It looked like my parents were entertaining guests… or debtors.
As I passed the carriage parked outside the manor, I spotted a few men that looked… disreputable for visitors my parents would normally receive. I noted that all of them were armed, either with swords, daggers, and even one man had a whip.
I kept my eye on them, and they returned the action, but none of us said anything to one another. Something about them didn't sit right with me, and I would have to figure that out at a later time. Right now, I just wanted to get inside, see my sisters, and get some rest.
Arriving at the front door of my family's estate – if one could call the steadily deteriorating grounds and mansion an estate – I took a deep breath and hoped that Mother and Father wouldn't be too insufferable today. I was beyond the point of having lost my patience with both of them as they had constantly demonstrated a lack of ability to change their ways. I just prayed that I'd be able to get Kuuderika and Ureirika to someplace better after today was over.
Hopefully, my family's loyal servant, James, had been able to keep my parents' spending under control and take care of my sisters. His loyalty was absolutely wasted upon my family, and despite how meager his pay was, the man continued to remain in our employ.
Though, to be honest, his loyalty wasn't exactly to my parents. He was more attached to my sisters and I instead. Because of this, I was forever thankful that James could watch out – and care – for my sisters when I wasn't here.
Opening the door, I stepped inside and closed it behind me before I froze and found my heart pounding in my chest.
"What the fuck is this?" I found myself thinking aloud as I looked at the new carved, marble statue erected in the center of the entrance hall. It was formed into the likeness of a dragon. The statue wasn't even small since it stood at a good ten feet in height.
A statue like this wasn't cheap. On average, something of this size and detail would go for more than 50 gold at the cheapest. And with my parents tendency of buying above price, this was likely worth 60 to a 100…
My eyes narrowed as I began stomping through the halls, noting another fucking painting that hadn't been here before I left! Those oblivious morons!
"Mother! Father!" I called out, before heading for the parlor first. If they weren't there, then the study would be the next place I looked.
In less than a minute, I arrived in the parlor to find Mother and Father animatedly chatting with some guest that innately bothered me. More than that, I couldn't recognize who he was.
"–ell them to you. And as they are small, there is more than enough time for them to grow," Father said.
"Then we have a deal," the man replied as he and Father shook hands. They all seemed pleased with themselves until I stomped in with a glare.
"Mother… Father… What have you been doing since I've been gone?" I questioned. My parents quickly took notice of me along with the guest who looked over his shoulder to examine me with a gaze I found disgusting.
"Ah, you have finally returned," Father remarked as he looked over to the guest. "Lord Phineas, this would be our eldest daughter, Arche."
Lord Phineas had inky-black hair that was combed to the side along with a trimmed mustache. There was a bit of plumpness to the man that couldn't be hidden under any well-tailored clothes, while his green eyes hungrily looked at me as a smile grew upon his face.
"Quite a beautiful daughter you have," Lord Phineas complimented. "She hasn't been claimed yet, has she?"
Father shook his head with a wide smile. "Not at all. Arche has been untouched. More than that, she's also a mage, formerly a student of the Imperial Academy."
"How marvelous. I wonder, what might be a good offer for her?" My eyes widened as I was seeing exactly what was going on here.
"As our eldest, and a prominent mage with a Talent to see magic, a good dowry for her would be 50 gold," Father replied as I gritted my teeth and shook in rage. Father and Mother were trying to sell me off for a fucking marriage!
"That is agre–" I cut Phineas off at this point as I stomped over to Father and let the chest of treasure drop from my hands onto the floor with a thud.
"Lord Phineas, get the hell out of here right now! I have no intention of being bartered off like a trinket, and I have much I need to speak to my parents about!" I roared out, making the man jump in his seat. He gave a look to my parents before scrambling out of his seat and leaving the parlor.
"Arche, that was extremely rude of you to treat Lord Phineas in such a manner," Mother chastised while I growled in anger.
"Both of you, shut up and tell me how much money you two fucking wasted on that statue in the entrance hall and the painting I passed by on my way here?!" I immediately demanded.
"None of our spending on the displays of our nobility were a waste. It–" I didn't let Father continue with his tired excuse as I stomped up to him as he calmly sat in that cushioned chair, likely worth a gold or two if sold.
"That spending is a fucking waste when our family is in a pit of debt that you two are adamant on continuing to dig further into! How much money – that I made with my own efforts – did you two spend?!" I screamed at the pair.
The man got out of his chair before saying, "It was only a measly 96 gold. That will be simple enough to make back, so there's little to worry about." As soon as Father said this, I felt my heart sink into the pit of my stomach as my eyes burned.
Mother decided to chime in as Father walked around me, "They were marvelous to see when we saw them on display. We just knew that they were necessary for decorating our manor."
96 gold, gone in a day after the fools wasted it all…
I had spent more than two months taking job after job, risking life and limb on multiple occasions, all to earn that money. It was meant to pay off our debts. Instead, it was all for nothing…
"Oh, and it looks like you've already gotten quite a good payment from the last job you went on," Father said from behind, making me turn around to see the man greedily pawing at the gold and jewels that had fallen from the chest I had been carrying. "It couldn't be that bad if this is what you were able to make from just this one job."
All for nothing…
Mother soon joined him in examining my earned reward. She picked up the golden fox statuette with a smile, "Oh, this little thing is just darling. It'll look fabulous when placed on the mantel of the fireplace," Mother remarked.
All for nothing…
My hand tightened into a fist as I began shaking. "Get away from my reward…" I demanded in a strained voice. Mother and Father continued pawing at my reward, either not hearing or heeding my voice.
That was when the fine string of civility I've held together all these years finally snapped.
"[Magic Arrow]!" I held my hand up and let the dart of mana fire out, streaking right in front of Mother and Father's vision before impacting against the wooden flooring.
Both of my parent fell back onto their asses with yelps. Then, they looked over to me with looks of fear. "Arche! Why in the Four's names would you do that?!" Father shouted.
"What is wrong with you, Arch–"
I interrupted Mother with a scream of rage, "BOTH OF YOU SHUT UP!" I stomped over to where Mother was laying down and ripped the statuette from her hand. I went over to Father and ripped the few gold and platinum coins from his hands and started putting them back into the chest.
"I have spent YEARS keeping things together! I put my life on hold because our family needed my help! I HAVE SWEAT AND BLED TO PAY FOR THE DEBTS THAT BOTH OF YOU PRIDEFUL, IGNORANT, AND OBLIVIOUS IDIOTS KEEP ON ACCRUING!"
Stomping over to one of the useless and expensive chairs, I kicked it over, delighting in hearing the wood of it crack from striking the floor too hard. "This chair! FOUR GOLD!" Moving over to a table with a glass top, I stomped on it, watching the glass shatter to the carpet. "This table! SEVEN GOLD!"
Pulling the staff from my back, I aimed its head at a trio of paintings and cast three more bolts of [Magic Arrow] that rushed at the worthless things and stabbed through them, ruining whatever value they once had.
"15 GOLD!" Turning to my cowering parents, I stomped towards them once more. "I have spent so much time, money, and effort taking care of your ungrateful asses! AND WHAT THANKS DO I GET? DO YOU USE THE MONEY I BRING IN TO PAY OFF YOUR DEBTS? TAKE CARE OF MY SISTERS, YOUR CHILDREN? NO! YOU WASTE IT!"
My eyes felt wet, but I continued screaming out all my pent-up frustration from my parents that festered and built up over the years. "I QUIT MY PLACE AT THE ACADEMY BECAUSE WE NEEDED TO SAVE MONEY! AND ALL THE THANKS I RECEIVE IS TO HEAR YOU DISCUSSING HOW TO SELL ME INTO A MARRIAGE WITH A COMPLETE STRANGER! ALL TO LIKELY GET SOME MORE MONEY TO WASTE ON FRIVOLOUS SHIT! IF YOU ARE SO OPEN ABOUT DOING THAT TO ME, THEN WHAT ABOUT MY SISTERS, HUH?!"
Neither of my parents had anything to say, only giving me terrified looks that angered me further. "NOTHING?! YOU HAVE NOTHING TO SAY FOR YOURSELVES?!"
"I believe that they are both too terrified to say much of anything right now," the familiar voice of the Fox Princess said from behind me. That stilled the rage I had been feeling as I turned around to see her standing with a calm smile on her face.
Had I been too angry to notice her appear? When did she even arrive? Why was this goddess even here right now?
"What?" Was the only word to come from my lips.
One of her tails slithered out and pointed to my hand, still tightly gripping the statuette hard enough to turn my knuckles white. "I could feel that you needed help, so here I am," the Fox Princess answered before her golden eyes glanced over to my parents. "Now, what seems to be the matter?"
"They are," I said, pointing to the selfish idiots that were my parents. "I've worked hard, over and over, to try and pay off my family's debts. I'm the only one that is doing so. My sisters are too young, and shouldn't have to worry about it, while our parents are too stupid and keep spending the money I send to pay off said debts on junk!"
Mother and Father both flinched at that point, either in fear or shame.
At this point, the rage that had been empowering me before was now leaving my body. I felt hollow in a way, even though I knew I had to keep going for Kuuderika and Ureirika.
My arms fell to my sides as I finally accepted what I had known for a while, but tried to believe otherwise. "They'll never change. I'm tired of pretending that they will."
"What would you like to do?"
Hearing that question made me pause for a moment as I considered the question. For an odd reason, I had the feeling that – were it in her power – the Fox Princess would help me fulfill whatever decision I made.
"I want to take my sisters and leave this sinking ship our parents are determined to drown themselves in. I don't have a complete idea on what I'd do after that aside from getting us a place in the capital and finding work…" I found myself trailing off as I hadn't thought that far ahead at the time. I had only thought about making enough money to even get my sister and I out of our situation. The thought of what to do after that was a distant idea.
"You mentioned something earlier about the academy? This wouldn't happen to be the Imperial Magic Academy, would it?" I met the goddess' gaze with a surprised expression.
"Y-Yes. I used to be a student there. I was mentored under Professor Fluder until my family's status as nobles was revoked and I had to drop out to take care of my family," I answered, getting an amused laugh from the Fox Princess.
"What an amusing coincidence," the goddess remarked.
"H-How so?"
The blonde goddess gently patted me on the shoulder and smiled, "I think I'll leave that as a surprise for now. Trust me, you'll like it. Now, what would you say if I could get you and your sisters a new home in the capital by tonight?"
What the goddess said completely surprised me, yet before I had a chance to say anything, Father finally found whatever minute traces of courage he still had inside himself to stand up and interject, "N-Now, wait here, beastwoman! You are a tresspasser upon the Furt household and have no right to be here in the slightest as an uninvited peasant! And you, Arche," Father rounded on me as I received his fixed attention.
"You have much to answer for with this unbecoming and destructive behavior, not in the least repaying what you destroyed! And you will not take either of my daughters with you on this petulant tantrum of yours to some random place!" Father's declaration made me glare in anger.
Before I had the chance to respond, the Fox Princess spoke in my stead, "I think your daughter's anger is quite justified." The goddess then stepped towards Father with utter confidence in her movements as her tails arced around her with their tips pointed at the man.
"Do enlighten me, have either you or your wife done anything to make money that didn't involve borrowing from another?" The blonde goddess asked with an even tone.
"You have no right to ask such things! Now, I demand that you leave at once!" Father spat back as the Fox Princess stood her ground unimpressed.
"Arche, be a dear and get your sisters, along with anything else you want from this place, before we go," the blonde goddess told me, and that was a request I was enthusiastic to complete.
Yet, just as I was about to go, Father spoke up, "No! You won't take Kuuderika or Ureirika! We need them!" That made me stop in my tracks and look at the man.
"What do you mean when you say you need them? They are just children, so how could you need them?" I questioned in a dangerously low tone.
For a few moments, both Father and Mother looked away from me and remained silent. At least, they did until the Fox Princess calmly said, "Answer her." The warning in her voice was quite clear, aided by a few spell arrays that lit up around her. I didn't dare try to activate my Talent to examine them, especially after what happened last time I used it to look at the goddess.
Mother was the first to break as she finally answered, "Th-They were promised to another. It was an extremely generous deal."
"Holy shit…" I suddenly understood what Father and Phineas had been talking about earlier. It was unbelievable, but I quickly realized after the pudgy lord tried to buy a marriage with me, my sisters were just sold…
And they had been working on selling me right after. It was definitely not a marriage that Phineas had tried to buy me for, and it caused me to shake in rage.
"How much?" I demanded.
"…45 gold for each of them…"
"90 gold for my sisters? And I know for a fact that it's not a marriage!" At that point, the anger exploded out from me, "DID YOU JUST SELL MY SISTERS INTO SLAVERY?!" The fact that both of my paren– no, they were just people that shared blood with my sisters and I – looked away from me said everything.
Worst of all is when Errol Furt decided to open his fucking mouth, "They would be well taken care of. The Furt name must continue to stand proud, even if some sacrifices must be made to do so. Besides, we can always have more children."
I instantly aimed my staff at Errol's knee and shot out, "[Magic Arrow]!" A moment later, the bolt tore through his leg, making him collapse in pain as he tried to hold the bits of bone and flesh at his knee together while bleeding on the floor with a scream.
"WHY?!" The man who was formerly my father screamed.
"It should be obvious, Errol. You tried to sell my sisters," I spat back before reaching into my coin pouch where I pulled out a copper coin and threw it at Errol. It bounced off of him and fell into the growing puddle of blood around him. "That's the last copper you'll ever get for me. Try to make it last since you will never receive anything from me ever again."
Claudia – the woman that was formerly my mother – rushed over to Errol in some attempt to help him, before shouting at me, "Why would you do this to your own father?!"
"He is not my father and you are not my mother, Claudia. You abandoned that right the moment you sold Kuuderika and Ureirika. I hope to never see you two again," I finished, walking away to go collect my sisters. The sooner we were out of this house, the better.
"I'll meet you at the front door, Arche. Take as long as you need," the Fox Princess said from behind me. I looked over my shoulder and nodded at her before turning forwards once more and hastening my steps.
Hopefully, my sisters didn't overhear anything of what was said, but I didn't count my luck on it.
Unfortunately, as I passed into the main hall to go up the staircase, I caught sight of Phineas once more entering the front door with three men in tow. One carried a sword, another carried a whip, and the third – who I hadn't seen when passing by that carriage earlier – carried a staff that was obvious to tell was a magical foci.
I'd have loved to activate my Talent right now to see how strong he was, but I was currently too close to the Fox Princess and anything I tried to see might get overwhelmed by her sheer presence. So, I became slightly more defensive. After all, why would Phineas bring his men into the manor now when he hadn't before?
"Ah, Miss Arche, I wished to speak with you," the portly man said, making my eyes narrow.
"I'm currently busy right now, Phineas. I need to check on my sisters. If you have any further business with my parents, you can speak with them later, or even better, never at all," I shot back at the supposed 'Lord'.
The man gave an affable smile, "If you plan to see your younger sisters, I insist that two of my men go with you. Your parents said that a few ruffians had been seen wandering the estate earlier, so it's only astute of me to offer some protection for a young lady like yourself."
That was a piss-poor excuse.
Phineas wants what he paid for. He knows that I'm likely to object, so he'd probably have the two men that were sent to escort me to my sisters catch me off-guard or utilize my sisters as hostages for my cooperation.
What options does that leave me with? I could shout out for the Fox Princess and hope that she gets here in time to aid me. Then again, Phineas' men would probably be upon me at that point, and I didn't have anything to hide behind to take cover. Putting up any shielding spell like [Reinforce Armor] would take about three seconds, by which point that mage would already have cast some form of attack spell to incapacitate me.
I'll assume that he can cast 2nd Tier or 3rd Tier spells just by his age, which makes the idea of fighting against him when he could be even with my spellcasting ability a worrying prospect. And that's if he was alone. With the two other men, and I'd discount Phineas since he didn't look to have a single fighting bone in his body, I was outnumbered.
Needed a way to buy myself some time and ensure that their numbers didn't matter, which meant that the best option was to agree to his request.
I think I have a plan in mind.
"If you insist, then have your men come with me," I said in a resigned tone, watching as Phineas gave a silent nod to the swordsman and mage who followed after me.
It was silent as I went up the stair with my two silent 'guardians' following right behind me. Yet, at the top of the stairs, instead of going right to where my sisters would likely be, I went left to where the study was. I'd probably only be able to get a good shot on one of them before the other reacted. I needed to make this count.
Arriving at the study's door, I spotted my two followers about seven feet back. Opening the door and entering quickly enough, I announced to the empty room, "Kuuderika! Ureirika! I've finally returned." Then, I went behind the door and cast [Reinforce Armor] before waiting.
The tell-tale sound of a sword being drawn filled my ears as I prepared [Magic Arrow]. Then, the swordsman finally entered the room alongside the mage and both looked befuddled upon finding no one inside.
"[Magic Arrow]." I fired off the spell, watching it stab through the back of the swordsman's head before he had any time to react, killing him. Following this, I set about readying my next spell just as the mage wheeled around towards me.
"[Flash]!" I cast the spell, watching as the entire room lit up from the intense, blinding light being emitted from my body.
"ARGH!" The mage grunted out in pain from his eyes being exposed to the blinding light. This caused his aim to go off course as a bolt of magic shot out and impacted two feet right of my head.
Taking my chance, and conserving the mana I had for any other surprises, I pulled out the single dagger I had on my person and charged the mage. Within two seconds, my dagger met the wet thud of flesh as it stabbed his chest, followed by a weak gasp from the mage.
Ripping the dagger out, I gave the man two more stabs, each time feeling him slump more and more onto my body until I let him roll off me and collapse onto the ground. It was around this time that my spell finally wore off, dimming the room back to its regular lighting.
With both men dead, I wiped the blood off my dagger on the mage's robes before quickly sheathing the blade and exiting the room. Just as I was about consider my next steps against the whip user and Phineas, I found myself suddenly contacted with the [Message] spell.
'You won't have to worry about the other two guests of yours. Go ahead and continue to retrieve your sisters. I'll be waiting at the front door.'
The connection ended before I could reply. Cautiously, I passed by the staircase and saw the Fox Princess calmly waiting at the entrance of the manor, giving me a nod when our gazes met. No one else was there, and I found myself wondering what had happened to them before pushing the thought aside and rushing to my sisters' room.
Upon arriving at their door, I was about to open it until I realized that my gloves were covered in blood. Taking them off and folding them up to stuff into my satchel, I inspected the rest of my body and was happy to note that my gloves had been the only evidence of the fight I just had.
Taking. A breath to calm myself, I opened the door to find James sitting on the floor in the middle of the room with both of my sisters sitting beside him as he read a book to them.
I found myself smiling at the sight, happy to see that James had done well in keeping my sisters occupied. "Kuuderika, Ureirika, I'm back," I announced, getting the attention of the two girls as they both grew large smiles on their faces.
"Big sister!" The twins happily cried out as they stood up together and rushed over to wrap their arms around my waist.
Hugging them tightly in response, I laughed, "It's good to see you both again, I missed you."
"We did as well, big sister!" Ureirika replied as she looked up at me with Kuuderika. Both girls were almost completely identical to each other, with the only differences being how their bangs were styled and their color preferences for clothes.
"Yeah, we waited for you every day since we knew you'd come back!" Kuuderika added.
"Of course I would. I promised I would always come back, didn't I?" I asked, receiving nods from both of the twins. "Have both of you been good for James?"
The twins rapidly nodded, "We listened to Mister James, just like you asked, big sister," Kuuderika answered.
"We even helped him take care of the manor and garden," Ureirika added.
"I'm happy to hear it," I said before kneeling down to become level with their eyes. "Now, I've got some big news for both of you. The three of us are going on a long trip together."
"Really?" The twins asked together.
Nodding to confirm, I answered, "Yes, and because of that, I have a very important job for both of you. I need both of you to grab your favorite things in the whole, wide world that you can carry, and bring them over to be packed. Can you do that?"
"We can do it, big sister!" Kuuderika said excitedly.
"We'll finish in no time!" Ureirika added. I gave both of them a nod and let them go to start racing off around the room to grab whatever possessions they wanted, since we weren't coming back here ever again.
As I stood up, James approached me with a small smile, but an immensely tired look in his blue eyes. It had barely been a month, but I could see more gray in the man's hair than the last time I saw him. "I see that you're finally taking the girls. Did that last job pay enough to allow this?" He asked.
"All that and more, James," I replied, getting a sigh of relief from the butler which filled me with concern. "Is everything alright?"
"I'm certain that you took notice of the new additions that your mother and father decided to add?" James questioned.
I nodded in reply, "They were hard to miss."
"For that, Lady Arche, I'm so terribly sorry that I couldn't prevent them from frivolously wasting money in such a manner. It was all I could do to stop them from buying even more paintings and statues. I know how difficult it was for you earn as much as you did. I should've done more––" I put a hand on James' shoulder at that point to stop his self-deprecation.
"You don't need to apologize. I understand how hard it was to stop Errol and Claudia from wasting money. I appreciate everything you've done over the years to help my sisters and I," I reassured the loyal butler with a smile.
Yet, I noticed the curious look in James' eyes after I said this. "I've never heard you refer to your parents in that way before."
"That's because I don't see them as my parents any longer, nor are they the parents of my sisters either. They lost that right," I replied.
"What happened?"
Taking a breath to keep my smoldering anger in check, I answered, "They sold my sisters, likely to slavers, and they were in the middle of selling me as well."
What I saw next from James was something I've never seen before. To give context, I've known the butler my entire life. During that time, I've seen him happy, sad, and even annoyed, but never have I ever seen the man angry. Right now, he looked downright furious.
"I-I knew that they were falling in with an unsavory type, but never did I think… Those-Those cumberworld, mumblecrust, roiderbank, loiter-sack b-b-b-b… bastards," James quietly whispered that last insult, like a child trying to avoid being overheard by their parents.
Still, in all my life, I've never heard James say an obscenity in front of me.
"It's part of why I'm taking my sisters and leaving. And I also wish that you would leave them as well. Your loyalty to them is absolutely wasted. Since I'm not going to be paying either of my former parents debts any longer, I'm going to give you half of the reward I earned so that you can go retire to a nice place somewhere to live out the rest of your life," I said in an attempt to persuade the kindly butler to take his well-deserved retirement.
My words seemed enough to drive back that anger in James' face as he looked at me with a smile. "You are such a kind girl, and it has been an absolute pleasure to watch you grow into the fine, young woman you are today. But if it's all the same with you, I would like to continue serving the Furt family for a little longer."
A look of confusion crossed my face as I looked at James, "Why would you wish to continue serving the Furt family after everything they've done–"
"I am not talking about the deplorable reprobates that were your parents, Lady Arche. They are undeserving of being called Furts. I speak of you and your sisters instead," James corrected. "It may be a little selfish, but I would like to make certain that all of you have established yourselves and 'flown the nest' as it were, before I consider retirement. If you'll have me, that is?"
Tears filled my eyes as a smile grew upon my lips, then I pulled James into a hug. "Of course, I would!" I felt the older man wrap his arms around me to return the gesture, and it brought me more comfort than I could put to words.
After a few moment longer, James and I separated and the butler put his one of his hands on my shoulder while the other wiped the tears from my eyes, "If we shall be leaving, you should go and pack anything you wish to take as well. I'll be sure to bring the young misses to the main hall after we are done packing, Lady Arche."
"Right," I said with a nod before leaving for my room to grab the few possessions I'd want to take with me before our exodus from this estate. And as I quickly made my way through the halls, I found myself happier than I had been in a long time.
Things were finally going my way for once after years of setbacks…
[Emperor Jircniv]
I watched as Gramps and Leinas entered my office after finally returning from their expedition to meet the supposed goddess known as the Fox Princess. It would be a lie if I said I wouldn't have been devastated to learn that the old man had possibly died during the trip.
From the way that Gramps looked, it was clear to see that he had achieved some measure of success for this journey. Yet, something I found to be even odder than that was Leinas.
Since first recruiting her as one of my knights, I had known the cursed woman to be one of the most dour people alive. Leinas never smiled, nor did she show any hint of happiness. Her most positive expression had always been one of indifference.
Yet, I could currently see a smirk on her face that almost felt unnatural, in a sense. From the reactions of my other knights, they also noticed this oddity as well.
Why would she display this level of emotion in all the time I've kno–
Her curse was cured, wasn't it? It was the only explanation for her dramatic shift in personality. And that also potentially meant that her allegiance has just shifted.
Part of what told me that is the spear she was carrying on her back. It was obviously magical as the head of it seemed to glow like it had been pulled out of the forge. And with the superb craftsmanship that was noticeable even from here, this wasn't a cheap gift. It would only be given to someone the owner thought special somehow.
I could very well have a traitor in my midst.
Unless… this goddess was able to afford to just hand out high-quality magical items without issue. And that left out Gramps.
He would obviously be able to tell if Leinas was a traitor or not. With it being the case, it left the dark implication that Gramps had actually betrayed me. What added to this idea is what I know about the old man and his personality.
Gramps is obsessed with magic, more so than anyone else I know. Were he to be offered an immense amount of magical knowledge from this goddess, then he would likely abandon me for it.
But were their treachery to be the case, they would obviously know that I would suspect it upon their return. They wouldn't be stupid enough to just return since it would lead to their possible deaths. That is, unless I'm actually being played by this goddess who wants me to think this way.
Make me paranoid enough that I would kill two of my competent subordinates in order to protect myself. That would have the potential to backfire on me and cause my other subjects to become wary of me, enough so that they might act suspiciously around me.
From there, it could lead to making bad decisions that end with my subjects turning against me. And before I know it, I would be dethroned and dead.
Damnit! Is this the kind of game being played against me?
For now, I have to remain calm and level-headed. If there was anything that Gramps taught me over the years, it's that I needed to keep my emotions in check when making difficult decisions.
Giving a smile to Gramps and Leinas, I greeted the pair, "Good to see you have returned safely, Gramps. How was the expedition?"
Gramps smirked, "Fortuitous in some respects, difficult in others, your Majesty. Leinas and I were able to come into contact with the goddess known as the Fox Princess. From our discussion, the goddess told us of her wish to establish diplomatic ties with the Empire."
As Gramps said this, he motioned to Leinas who stepped forwards with a chest in her hands that she set upon my desk. A moment later, the lid opened to reveal an extremely generous amount of gold and jewels. "One of a few gifts she granted us as a step towards forming ties with the Empire."
"A few gifts? What else has she given to you?" I questioned while contemplating the immeasurable wealth she had since there had been more than a few reports of citizens appearing with gold and platinum in hand claiming that they were from the Fox Princess.
Leinas was the first to answer as she unhooked her spear from her back and showed it to me, "This was given to me by the goddess, your Majesty. Yet, I feel it pales in comparison to the other gift she gave me," the blonde knight said before pulling back the bangs on the right side of her face.
Just like I thought, the Fox Princess cured Leinas' curse, restoring her face's complete beauty to what it had once been. A few gasps came from my other knights as they've all been witness to the blonde's curse at least once.
"That is certainly a grand gift, Leinas," I remarked, earning a nod from the woman. "What will you do now that you have finally received the cure you're been searching for all these years?"
This could be what revealed Leinas' mindset as the woman was historically a bad liar. She could hesitate in a way that I would easily be able to discern as a lie or she might genuinely be truthful. Either way, it would at least give me something to work with.
"Currently, your Majesty, I am uncertain on my current plans. I've been after a cure for so long, that it hasn't left much in the way for future plans. For now, I'll continue to serve you until I've decided my next course of action," Leinas answered while keeping eye contact the entire time. There had been no waver in her voice, so she could be telling me the truth…
But I could also be wrong.
"Then I will continue to appreciate your current service until you've decided your next destination in life," I replied with a nod before matching gazes with Gramps.
"As for me, your Majesty, the goddess gave me a tome of knowledge that I plan to decipher and spread among our mages, along with this," the old man said as he reached into his robe an pulled out a flask filled with a substance that looked like glowing, liquid gold.
Delicately, Gramps handed the flask over to me, and I took hold of it, noting that the substance was quite warm to the touch, as if a living thing. "What is this?" I asked, gently examining the curious liquid.
"The literal blood of a goddess. It is what will make our mages some of the strongest in all the surrounding countries, your Majesty," Gramps answered confidently, making me reevaluate this… blood in my hands.
"And she just… gave this to you?" I questioned, yet noticed no sign of panic in the old man's eyes.
"While unexpected, it was the Fox Princess' method of giving stronger evidence of her existence to you and the Empire, your Majesty. From what she has said, the substance can permanently empower one's mana and casting ability if they were to consume it. If I had to theorize, due to that blood in essence being liquid mana, its density combines with the mana of normal beings to reinforce and expand it beyond their own natural limits.
Gramps then got that familiar look in his eyes, one that told me I might not see him for a week since he'd be locked in his laboratory to study the newest thing that caught his interest. In one way, the familiarity comforted me.
The other? It worried me that my fears were correct and the old man planned to betray me.
"I see. And with all of these gifts, what did the Fox Princess want in return?" That was the other worrying question. Such great gifts were never given so freely.
A sympathetic look appeared in Gramps' eyes before he said, "I believe that, while she naturally appeared to be generous, we received greater gifts as an attempt to compensate for her goal of not allowing us to invade the Re-Estize."
My eyes widened in shock. "What do you mean she won't allow us?"
"Your Majesty, I will be entirely honest when I say that her magic potential hilariously outclasses the entire Empire's. I learned this in the most… risky way when I used my Talent on her. Were I a lesser man, I'd likely have vomited everything I ate that day or gotten a heart attack. But just that one moment told me everything," Gramps replied with a concerned look. "She would annihilate any army sent her way."
"Where does that leave us?"
"No worse than you are currently, with the potential for things to get better. The goddess doesn't plan to invade us or allow us to be invaded in turn. While it isn't the greatest prospect, it does aid us in one way," Gramps said with a slight smirk.
My brow rose in question. "How so?"
"With the Fox Princess preventing any form of invasion to the west of us, we won't have to worry about the Re-Estize attempting to retaliate or the Slane Theocracy potentially attempting an invasion of its own. We can focus internally or east."
Resting my chin in my hand, I considered the idea as it did have merit. The east had been my next target of conquest after consolidating the Re-Estize and my empire.
"Additionally, your Majesty, there is one aspect of this goddess that we could exploit and utilize that could greatly help your plans." As soon as Gramps said this, my eyes quickly met with his.
Potentially, this could be a sign that the old man hadn't betrayed me. Else, he would have been more hesitant in trying to exploit his new ruler…
"Go on, I'm interested," I replied with a small smirk. At the same time, I also wondered if this was just another trap?
"She desperately wants worship, and she wants to ensure the prosperity of her followers. If we were to get her invested in the Empire, then it would give us another form of protection from any invaders. On top of that, the Fox Princess could make your empire extremely wealthy as the gold and jewels you see in that chest was conjured by her. Imagine what else she could possibly make for us with a single spell? Or, better yet, imagine if our mages learned how to perform that spell ourselves?"
It was a possibility. If what Gramps says is true, then attempting to fight her would be a waste of effort and only earn this goddess' ire. Were that to be the case – and I remained slightly skeptical – attaining her patronage is my empire's best course of action for the time being. Additionally, she could be useful in helping to break the Church's power over the Empire.
But at the same time, I would look into methods to potentially deal with her depending upon if she was too much of a threat to my goals. There were too many unknowns surrounding this woman, and I needed to know more before I could fully commit.
That isn't to say that I couldn't appear to be fully enthusiastic about working with her. It would get the Fox Princess to lower her guard and give me the opportunity to find a flaw in her defenses.
From there, I'd make my next move appropriately.
Unfortunately, I will also need to put spies on Gramps and Leinas as I couldn't fully trust that they hadn't turned on me, Leinas especially.
"An interesting proposal. Is there any means for us to contact her quickly about discussing further thoughts on an alliance?" I asked.
It's best to begin such talks soon.
"Of course, your Majesty…"
[Fluder Paradyne]
In the confines of my laboratory, I was hard at work reading the tome I had been given by Teacher. I had, of course, gone about copying the text on my way back to Arwintar, It had taken less than twelve days to come back, with my work to copy the text taking only ten.
If there's one thing I was thankful for during my younger years, it was learning how to quickly copy knowledge from tomes. That had been especially useful when I had been a poor student of the arcane arts. Even if my old bones weren't capable of such a feat now, I had the habit of breaking into repositories of magical knowledge, a lot of the time by scaling walls before I learned the [Fly] spell.
From there, I'd rapidly copy whatever books I found as quickly as possible, leave, then return the next night to do it again. While I could've just stolen the books to make my life easier, that would've potentially alerted the owners of said arcane knowledge, and they'd be on guard for any future intruders.
My method, while slower, gave me continued access to more magical tomes, which got me to where I am today.
Speaking of the day, it had certainly been an interesting one due to my report to his Majesty of my encounter with Teacher. I wasn't blind to ignore the possibility that my former ward suspected mine and Leinas' allegiances had shifted.
If I was optimistic, I would say that I still supported his Majesty's endeavors and would do what I could to aid the boy, but there was a limit to it. Were his orders to go counter to Teacher's wishes, or if she decided that the Empire was her enemy, I would have no choice but to follow her.
I hoped it wouldn't come to that, but I'm too old to believe something so fanciful. Anything could happen that might change this.
Though, implanting the idea that his Majesty could work with Teacher, even benefit from her presence, might help to prevent any hostilities. I only hoped that he would see reason instead of making her an enemy.
At the very least, I knew that his Majesty wouldn't enact any hostile plans against Teacher anytime soon. At least until her knows more about her. I've taught him better than that, after all.
Yet, I also guessed that my former ward has already sent spies to watch me. I'll have to be cautious about any further actions I take, so as to not alarm his Majesty.
Before I could ponder this any further, a knocking echoed on the door. "Come in," I called out, momentarily taking my eyes off the pages of the tome to see one of my aids, Patraklos step inside. "Is there something I can help you with, Patraklos?"
"Sir, we have some visitors here to see you. I didn't recognize any of them except for one; your former student, Arche Eeb Rile Furt." Patraklos answered, actually giving me a moment of pause at the surprising news.
It had been a few years since my promising student had dropped out of the academy. I had been utterly disappointed at her departure as I knew she had the potential for greatness if properly taught. It also helped that she was the extremely rare mage who shared the same Talent that I had.
That had made her such a joy to teach as she could see magic move in its beautiful patterns and motions the same way that I could. It felt so gratifying to have another who could appreciate the splendor of what I was able to witness every day. It helped batter away the isolation I felt around other mages due to my ability to see what they could not. She was the first person I've ever met who I could truly relate to, and I hadn't wanted to lose it.
Even though I knew my former student had left due to issues with her family, it didn't dull that sense of betrayal I felt from watching her leave. More than that, I became emotional and rash instead of in control and logical. If I had, then I'm certain I could've used my resources to aid the girl while still allowing Arche to continue her tutelage.
Instead, I said regretful words of my disappointment in her and let Arche leave.
I had been meaning to look for her again, though my shame in the way our last encounter ended held me back.
"Let them in," I said, putting aside the tome aside while standing up from my chair. For a man with an age spanning centuries, I almost felt a childish fear at the thought of meeting my former student.
What would I tell the girl? Should I try to apologize to start with?
Patraklos left the laboratory for a moment and two visitors entered.
My eyes fell to the shorter of the pair immediately as I noticed how much bigger the girl had gotten since I had last seen her. She was dressed in the type of garb that workers or adventurers might wear. Finally, my eyes fell to her face, and I almost felt worried for a moment that I might see anger or some form of rejection.
Instead, I saw a mixture of worry and happiness.
"Hello, Arche, it's a very pleasant surprise to see you again," I said warmly while approaching her.
The girl smiled in reply, "I missed you as well, Professor. I'm sorry about how things ended the way they did."
I shook my head in denial, "No, I'm old enough to know when the folly is my own, not yours. I'm the one that needs to apologize, Arche, not you. And I truly am sorry for what was said, dear girl."
Then, my eyes glanced over to the person that was accompanying Arche, and I almost felt my eyes bulge open.
Her clothes may have been different, her eyes weren't glowing gold, and she lacked the bestial traits she had before, but this woman looked exactly like the Fox Princess! All I could assume is that she was trying to come here in a more subtle appearance, but I couldn't understand why that was?
"Teacher?!"
"Hello, Fluder. It's been a couple of days, huh? We've got a little bit to talk about, and much of it involves young Arche right here" Teacher said with a grin as she patted the confused looking girl on her shoulder…
[Yoshi and Chihiro]
It had been another day of patrolling around E-Rantel for Yoshi and Chihiro before they finally decided to retire back to their den. The pair had been planning out their perfect home in this New Realm for many weeks, and they had been beyond excited when they finally found a perfect spot to raise a family.
They both wanted their home to have a few trees around it, both for the aesthetic and so that it could give their home a bit of protective coverage. The couple also wanted to be remote enough that people wouldn't easily just stumble upon it, but they also wanted it to not be too far from any civilization as they wished for their future kits to have the chance to interact with others as they got older.
After enough searching, they found the spot for their dream home and began building. It took the pair over two weeks – with the aid of magic – to get everything just right.
Now they only needed to let nature take its course.
Tonight, both were in the little kitchen of their home, preparing dinner for each other. Chihiro was busy cooking most of the dish of their meal while Yoshi helped by peeling the vegetables.
"So, Yoshi, have you started thinking about names yet?" Chihiro asked as she shifted from her silver-furred bestial form to her silver-haired humanoid form and began chopping the venison meat into pieces. She wore a simple, green, woolen dress and a brown vest. Her silver hair was tied into a loose bun.
As for Yoshi, he remained in his humanoid form, wearing a gray linen shirt, brown trousers, and a pair of suspenders to hold his pants up. His messy brown hair was tied together into a low ponytail.
Both she and Yoshi had taken to adopting to the clothing style of this New Realm that they were making their home.
Yoshi's hand with the knife wiggled indecisively in reply. "It's really difficult to decide. I mean, our kits are gonna have those names forever, so it's gotta be something good that they can live with and be happy about." The brunette kitsune replied as he went back to peeling potatoes.
"We could always name them after our parents?" The silver-haired kitsune offered, getting an instant shake from Yoshi's head.
"Definitely not. My dad would kill me for being too unoriginal. Mom might even help him," Yoshi said with a shudder, getting a giggle from Chihiro.
"Then we'll just have to keep working on it, won't we?" Chihiro mused, getting a nod from her mate.
"We do have time, so I'm sure we'll figure something out. That or we just name our kits Child One, Child Two, Child Three, and ad nauseam…" The couple got a good laugh from that before they both suddenly stopped laughing.
"I just heard something," Chihiro said quietly as a dagger suddenly appeared in her hand. In turn, Yoshi's hands lit up with blue with gathered mana.
"Something also tripped my wards," Yoshi softly replied. "Wasn't human or animal. Demon." The man was silent for a moment before he looked to Chihiro with concern in his gaze, "I couldn't send a [Message] out to any of our allies."
Chihiro's blue eyes widened in worry and her eyes quickly glanced over to a hidden alcove that the pair had secretly dug out for an emergency, "We just have to head through the escape tunnel and make our way towards the city. I doubt that this magic that is hindering your ability to send out a [Message] has that far of a range. If we can get out of it, we can call for some help."
Yoshi nodded, then both he and Chihiro quickly made their way towards the alcove until the brunette kitsune's ears swiveled at a whistling sound which made him quickly pull his mate from the alcove as a blast of magic shot out at where they had been standing.
"Shock and awe?" Yoshi asked.
"Shock and awe," Chihiro agreed.
Both kitsune gave each other a nod and shifted into their bestial forms before quickly sprinting up the stairs of their den, with Yoshi throwing a powerful blast of blue fire that broke the door off the entrance of their home and flew in the air as they took off under the fiery cover.
As the number of enemies was completely unknown to the couple, they decided to avoid an all-out fight, especially if this was an ambush like both suspected it to be. The best thing to do against an ambush was escape the area that an enemy wished you to be.
They had both hoped that the surprise of their exit would distract the unknown intruders long enough to give them the chance to run away. It was their best bet at the moment.
At least, that was what they believed until a strong attack hit Yoshi in the side, knocking him into Chihiro and sending both flying through the trunks of a few trees until their momentum weakened enough that they smacked violently into a final tree, causing it to groan and shudder, but still remain standing upright and whole.
"C-Chihiro, are you– are you alright?" Yoshi asked with a ragged breath as he shakily rose to his paws.
"Ye-Yes. Just surprised is all," Chihiro said while standing up once more. "What hit us?"
"That would be me," a female voice answered before a bird-like woman suddenly appeared before the couple. Her scent alone named the new enemy as a demon. "My Master has requested your immediate presence, with or without your consent."
The kitsune immediately took guarded stances as they glared at the demon. Then, Chihiro replied, "We have absolutely no interest in following you anywhere. Who is this master of yours?"
A patronizing laughter came from the woman before she answered, "You don't have the luxury to ask any questions at the moment." The human-like mouth that was beneath the bird-like head covering the woman's features like a helmet suddenly smiled. "But I am quite thankful that both of you decided to make this difficult."
Yoshi gave a subtle nod to Chihiro, relaying more words in the simple gesture than speaking could in that moment. In an instant, the pair acted.
"[Foxfire Fireball]!" Yoshi quickly cast the spell, shooting out a fireball made of blue flames at the demon.
At the same time, the silver-haired kitsune shifted into her humanoid form and charged mana into her dagger, "[Greater Magic Weapon]!" Before throwing it through the fire.
Yet when the flames cleared, both kitsune were greeted to the demon's amused expression as she held Chihiro's dagger between her fingers, tauntingly wagging it at the pair like an adult disciplining a child.
"How weak," the demon stated. A moment later, and she was suddenly on the pair. With a quick motion that Chihiro couldn't even follow, the dagger the bird-like woman had been holding was now buried to the hilt in the silver-haired kitsune's shoulder.
That caused Chihiro to scream in pain, enraging Yoshi as he rapidly shifted to his humanoid form, using the momentum of his transformation to aid in delivering an uppercut to the demon's human-like jaw.
Instead of lifting her into the air like he expected, Yoshi's punch only caused the demon's head to tilt up without an injury in sight. Worse still, the brunette kitsune's fist now stung with immense pain like he had hit a wall of adamantite.
"Pathetic," the demon said, returning the attack with a frontal kick to Yoshi's stomach that launched him through a few trees.
By the time he hit the last tree, the man was doubled over and hacking up blood as he desperately tried to inhale a breath from the wind being knocked out of him. All the while, in his mind, he knew that this enemy was beyond either his or his mate's abilities
"YOSHI!" Chihiro screamed as she pulled out another dagger, stabbing it into the demon's exposed stomach. But much to her horror, the dagger's blade shattered on contact.
"Worms like you don't seem to learn," the demon said, amusement still clear in her tone. Then, she twisted the dagger in Chihiro's shoulder that filled the kitsune with excruciating pain and made her scream further until the bird-like woman gave a quick blow to Chihiro's solar plexus, driving the air out of her lungs and turning any further screams into wheezes. "You are nothing compared to your betters."
Yoshi weakly swayed to his feet and was about to charge over and aid his mate until he heard Chihiro weakly speak out, "J-Just r-run and get h-help."
An internal struggle broke out in Yoshi's mind at the thought of leaving his mate behind. His instinctual mind wanted to rush to Chihiro's aid and fight to save her. His logical mind knew that he couldn't beat this demon, and that this would simply end with both of their captures.
Tears fell from the man's eyes as he made his quick decision, "I will always come back to you," Yoshi said loud enough for Chihiro to hear, then he shifted into his bestial form and took off for E-Rantel as the instinctual side of him screamed in frustration.
Yoshi barely made it past the treeline before a heavy blow slammed into the back of his head, completely stunning the kitsune which caused the brunette kitsune to collapse and slide a few feet across the dirt and grass as a chuckling echoed in his ears. "Oh, did you think you'd be getting away that easily?" A male voice said as a red-haired demon with black wings, pale-almost gray skin, and dark clothing stepped into his sight.
At the same time, imps and other ghastly demons landed on the ground around him. Yoshi knew at that point that they never had a chance of winning or escaping in the first place.
"Time to sleep," the red-haired demon said as he pointed a finger at the defeated kitsune as a crimson light of a spell charged at its tip.
Yoshi squeezed his eyes shut at what he knew would come next…