Bolt, who had been waiting in the safe zone on the outskirts of Baekwoongok, was growing impatient.

Buddy, too scared, hadn’t come along at all. He was probably still back in the inn at the village, grooming his feathers.

“When are they going to get out of there?”

It had already been an hour since Karamir and Seyra entered Baekwoongok.

Due to the thick fog, the inside was completely obscured, and the sound of the ground rumbling echoed through the valley.

Is it really safe to just wait here like this? If that monster shows up, I’m as good as dead.

To hell with it.

‘You were both good companions. May you rest in peace.’

Just as Bolt finished his prayer in 0.1 seconds and was about to turn around—

“Oh, we barely made it out. If I’d come alone, I’d have been trapped forever.”

“Why am I even doing this…”

“You need to monitor things. You have to take full responsibility, don’t you?”

The two people who had entered the valley emerged, parting the fog as they came out. Their appearance was almost mystical, like mountain spirits descending.

“You, you finally made it out! And I definitely wasn’t about to run off by myself… huh?”

Bolt’s eyes widened.

Karamir was holding a small beastfolk girl in his arms, cradling her as if she were a baby. Two had gone in, but three came out?

“Congratulations. A beautiful daughter! I didn’t think you two had that kind of relationship. But no matter how close you are, outdoor play is a bit much, isn’t it?”

“Stop spouting nonsense, Bolt.”

“S-Seyra?”

It wasn’t even Karamir speaking, but Seyra, who shot back with harsh words. Her appearance was different from usual, though.

Her hands and feet were like those of a beast, and her limbs were covered in ash-gray fur. It was a sign that she had used the beastfolk’s innate ability, Beastification.

“I’m a wolf. This child is a fox.”

“Hmm…? Ah, now that I take a closer look, you’re right. I misunderstood. Sorry, I was a bit distracted.”

She’s a cute-looking fox, with that pink fur…

Wait, pink fur?

A fox?

A pink fox?

“A r-Red Fox?!”

“That’s right. Isn’t she pretty? She’s my new slave.”

“Pretty?! You’ve enslaved a Red Fox? Are you out of your mind?!”

The Red Fox, or Hongho, was one of the most infamous creatures of legend. Just being near one brings misfortune and disaster.

To bring one along with you willingly... You’d have to be insane.

“You should take her back where you found her! If you don’t, you’re going to face some serious trouble!”

“Haha, how could I possibly leave such a cute girl in such a dangerous place? Maybe you don’t know, but there’s a massive bear monster called the Ungui prowling inside Baekwoongok. The moment you go in, you're dead.”

“But—!”

“Seyra.”

Karamir interrupted Bolt’s protest, casting a sly glance at Seyra. She shot him a wary look, clearly expecting him to spout more nonsense.

“…What is it?”

“If we leave a wounded child to die just because she brings misfortune, does that give us a plus or a minus?”

“Ugh.”

Seyra clicked her tongue as a form of response, and Karamir smiled, satisfied with her reaction.

“You heard her, right, Bolt? If we leave her, it’s abandonment. I already have a mark for abandonment on me; I can’t afford another one. Sorry, but we’re keeping her.”

“...I tried to warn you. Whatever happens now, I’m not responsible.”

 

They left Baekwoongok and returned to the small village where Buddy had been waiting.

It had been a tiring day, so they agreed to meet tomorrow and went to their rooms.

“Haaa…”

Karamir sat down on the bed. Even though it was the best room they could find at the inn, it still wasn’t very comfortable. A bit disappointing, but it couldn’t be helped.

As expected, Rin was fast asleep next to him, breathing softly.

The treatment had been finished earlier. Various parts of her body were wrapped in bandages, but she would heal quickly, thanks to the beastfolk's natural resilience.

Karamir gently stroked Rin’s hair, unconsciously flinching as if it were a sensation he’d never felt before.

‘Poor thing.’

She was the third main slave, the [Fox Who Brings Misfortune].

She was one of the most popular characters in Taosl.

There were several reasons for that, and one of them was that, unlike the others, Rin didn’t have a name.

It was a bit different from Mirabel’s case. Mirabel had chosen to hide her name, while Rin genuinely didn’t have one.

So where did the name ‘Rin’ come from?

‘I gave it to her in the game.’

In the game, she was [LIN].

The reason for the English name was simple: game rules only allowed names between 2 to 8 characters.

Rin was the only character in the game that players could name themselves.

The second difference was her growth.

Other slaves were already somewhat developed when you met them. Judging by their physical development, at least.

But Rin was small.

Even smaller than Mirabel.

However, as you progress through the story, Rin grows physically over time.

In other words, I gave her a name, and I’m the one raising her from the beginning. Watching her grow makes it impossible not to develop an attachment.

“Heh heh, heh heh heh.”

Karamir chuckled to himself, already excited at the thought of raising Rin.

Daddy’s going to raise you beautifully.

 

In the back alleys of Bestia, down a long-forgotten road, stood a small fortune-teller’s shop.

The shop smelled musty and old. Inside, it was dark, with a round table in the center, and a white crystal ball placed on top.

An old woman with wrinkled hands moved them mysteriously over the crystal ball, her silver tail swaying gently in rhythm with her motions.

“Let me see… I see you running down a road, and others are chasing after you. It looks thrilling, almost like a race.”

“A race?”

“You entered first. People are cheering and congratulating you.”

“Really?”

The old woman nodded as she gazed into the crystal ball.

“And after that…”

“And then?”

The girl watching the fortune eagerly swallowed nervously, waiting for the next words.

“You’re dancing and singing.”

“Dancing?”

“Yes, a lot of men are cheering for you, waving their poles.”

“First I run a race, come in first, then I dance and sing? What kind of ridiculous fortune is that?”

“No, it’s—”

“Everyone said you were a great fortune teller, but you’re just a fraud. I’m leaving.”

The dissatisfied girl stormed out of the shop, her tail swaying behind her.

For a moment, there was silence.

“Khuh. Khuhuhu.”

A woman watching the scene stifled a small laugh. She tried to cover her mouth, but it was no use. Eventually, she burst out laughing.

“…If you mock me like that, I’ll get upset, Princess.”

Her long, dark hair and golden eyes, along with her pointed ears and tail, marked her as none other than Hilde Brigitta Lioness, the Lioness Princess of Bestia.

“Khuhu, sorry. But I just couldn’t help it. I never thought the day would come when someone called Yuhwa a fraud.”

Yuhwa pressed her lips together in silence.

To most people, Yuhwa was just an old fortune-teller, but the few who knew her true identity called her something else:

One of the Three Enigmatic Foxes, who had disappeared from the eyes of the world. She was the [Sky Fox] Yuhwa, a witch who could read the flow of fate.

Although she wasn’t an elf, Yuhwa had lived for a thousand years, witnessing the changing world as a living legend.

“Yuhwa, have you really gotten so old? Seeing you tell such ridiculous fortunes.”

Yuhwa’s tail, once as white as clouds, had faded with time. The wrinkles around her eyes bore the weight of her long life.

Once a great seer of the future, she had now fallen into a mere trickster, dabbling in minor magic.

“Hmmm, this doesn’t seem right…”

Still unwilling to give up, Yuhwa frowned as she peered into the crystal ball.

Even though she wasn’t as sharp as before, the girl in her vision was no more than an ordinary child, and the near future should have been clear.

It didn’t make sense for her reading to be wrong.

The vision showed the beastfolk girl running through the city, winning first place in a competition, and dancing on stage with her competitors.

As absurd as it was, the image in the crystal ball refused to change.

“Yuhwa, why don’t you come to the palace? You could read my fortunes every morning.”

“I must decline, Princess. Besides running a trading company, sometimes the fortunes are bad, and I’d hate to displease you.”

“When that happens, you could tell a white lie. You know I trust everything you say.”

“If I lied about fate, the heavens would punish me, Princess.”

“I know. That’s why I trust you.”

If you know that, why suggest I lie?

Sighing at the princess's playful nature, Yuhwa was about to respond when—

Clatter.

“Hm?”

Suddenly, the crystal ball shook.

It wasn’t an earthquake, nor was it the wind.

“What’s this? Yuhwa, is that a crystal or an egg?”

There was no time for Yuhwa to respond to Hilde’s frivolous joke. She just stared at the crystal ball.

The shaking intensified, and then a pink light exploded, filling the ball entirely.

Yuhwa’s usually calm eyes widened in disbelief.

“T-This…?!”

“What is it?”

Yuhwa’s eyes trembled just like the crystal ball.

The pink mist swirling inside began to take shape, forming nine distinct trails, swaying as if they were tails.

The movements were unmistakable.

“She… she’s come back?”

A being long hidden from the eyes of the world, twisting the natural order of the heavens, had returned.

But that wasn’t all.

‘Someone else is involved.’

Whoever had twisted the heavens to summon this fox was hiding behind a large tree in the vision.

‘An elf?’

The World Tree? But no, there was no sign of an elf’s presence...

The mist dissipated, and the crystal returned to its original state, the shaking finally ceasing.

Everything had passed too quickly. Yuhwa was left speechless, struggling to comprehend the back-to-back absurdities.

“Yuhwa, what’s going on?”

Hilde’s voice pulled Yuhwa back to her senses, but exhaustion was evident on her face.

“It seems I’ll have to close this shop for good.”

Her powers must truly have dwindled. There was no other explanation.

Yes, it’s time to quit.