The Freed Slaves Are Obsessed

Love, for a woman, is the sustenance of the heart.

She dresses herself to be loved and adjusts her behavior to receive love.

The assurance of being loved boosts her confidence and fills the void of inner anxiety and emptiness.

In love, she feels special and valuable, which invigorates her life.

The sense of being loved is not just simple happiness but a confirmation that instills a deep belief in her worth.

In other words, a woman deprived of love is like a flower left unwatered. Slowly, she withers away.

“Ugh... Master...”

Here, we find a fox girl.

Her pink ears drooped lifelessly, and her nine tails hung limp and still.

Though she lay sprawled on a soft, cloud-like surface, it provided no comfort. The plush texture embraced her body, but it did nothing to console her.

Just as a pet grows despondent when separated from its owner, the fox girl was gloomy from being apart from her master. Of course, in her case, it was not a pet-owner relationship but one of slave and master.

Her name was Lin.

On the surface, she appeared to be nothing more than a cute little fox. However, she was, in truth, the once-feared fox god, the nine-tailed gumiho, who had threatened the world.

The true form of a gumiho is closer to that of a mature woman. But now, she appeared no different from a naïve child.

“Master is a liar... He said being a slave was bad. But being free feels even worse for Lin...”

And though he had promised her spirit energy once she defeated the Baekguyahang, he disappeared without fulfilling his vow.

It was her own doing, of course. Lin bore most of the blame for her predicament, but there were other contributing factors.

“Master is a busy person. Throwing a tantrum won’t bring him back.”

The comment came from a maid girl engrossed in a book beside Lin.

Lin, in her attempt to monopolize her master for trivial reasons, had caused an uproar. But she had been subdued by this maid girl who appeared out of nowhere. While Lin was being restrained, Karami had been whisked away.

The idea of a maid overpowering a gumiho was unbelievable. Yet, this wasn’t just any maid—she was arguably the strongest maid in the world.

She was none other than the Archwitch, the Tower Master of the Mages’ Tower.

Mirabel.

That was the maid girl’s name.

The thick tome Mirabel was reading was the Book of Omniscience, a compendium merging the infinite knowledge of the Akashic Records. It contained the beginning and end of the world, perhaps even the secrets of this realm.

Mirabel clearly did not like Lin. No, she openly despised her. She disliked Lin even more than the cat-people who had once stolen her prized meat.

“Lin wants to see Master! It would take just a moment to find him, so why are you stopping me?”

Because she was preventing Lin from seeing her master! She was worse than any villain, even worse than the gumiho herself!

“If Lin can’t smell Master’s scent, she’ll die!”

“That’s fine. I’ll revive you, so feel free to pass away.”

“If Master isn’t here, Lin can’t sleep!”

“Oh, I can’t sleep either.”

There wasn’t a single step of ground ceded in this argument. How could such a monstrous girl exist? This was beyond a game—it was an outright violation of power balance.

If only Mirabel wasn’t Karami’s slave. If only Lin still bore the shackles of servitude, they might stand a chance in a fight.

Unlike Mirabel, Lin didn’t know how to reapply the broken shackles on her own.

“Don’t you want to see Master?” Lin asked.

“I want to see him very much.”

“Then let’s go find him!”

“I can’t do that. I’ve already disappointed Master once. I must not go to him first. I have to wait until Master recognizes my value again and needs my presence.”

“Ugh.”

This maid was so stubborn it was infuriating. Lin felt like she might die of frustration.

“Besides, weren’t you an adult not long ago? Why are you acting like a child now?”

Though Mirabel struck at her core, Lin was unfazed. Instead, she tilted her head as if Mirabel was spouting nonsense.

“Adapting behavior to match my transformed body is a basic skill for a gumiho. Besides, a gumiho doesn’t have a true form. This is just as much my real form as any other.”

The current Lin resembled her appearance as a sammiho, a three-tailed fox. In this form, she looked like a girl about Mirabel’s size, except with nine tails.

Lin insisted on maintaining this particular form out of all her possible shapes because it held many cherished memories of her time with Karami.

There was no other reason.

“Then why don’t you stay here alone! Why do you keep stopping me from going to Master?”

“Because I am Master’s maid. He instructed me to keep you here. And you? What are you to Master?”

“L-Lin is...”

Not his maid.

Claiming to be his slave felt wrong, as her shackles were gone.

The only thing that came to Lin’s mind was...

“P-pet?”

“...?”

For the first time, Mirabel looked away from her book, her gaze meeting Lin’s odd-colored eyes.

“Yes! Lin is Master’s pet! It’s natural for pets to want to stay by their master’s side!”

“And it’s the maid’s job to manage Master’s pets.”

“Ugh.”

There was no escaping it. She was a natural predator, a hunter specialized in foxes.

Fed up with whining, Lin buried her face in the fluffy cloud surface.

Mirabel let out a shallow sigh, narrowing her eyes as she regarded Lin with pity.

"Instead of sulking, why don’t you do something? Who knows? If you raise your value, Master might need you and come looking for you."

"Lin doesn’t know how to do that."

Already a gumiho, how was she supposed to increase her worth any further? Lin gave up on the conversation. Talking to Mirabel was like talking to a wall.

Watching the exchange between these two godlike girls, Morgana chuckled, her crescent-shaped eyes shifting to the girl sitting across from her, Yuhwa.

"Yuhwa, you always went on about how dangerous gumiho are, but she’s nothing special, huh? Can’t even squeak back at our Tower Master."

“Hmm...”

"Well, I suppose this is the difference in level between a witch of direct lineage and a mere yokai."

Relishing the victory in the girls' quarrel, Morgana elegantly lifted her pinky finger and sipped her coffee. It tasted unusually sweet today.

Meanwhile, Yuhwa, quietly sipping her tea, found it oddly bitter today.

Wooooong.

The space within the Dreaming Garden wavered as Heukbi entered, her black tails swishing gently. Her hands were full of papers.

"Lady Yuhwa."

"What is it?"

After losing the power of the Celestial Fox, Yuhwa had entrusted the business of the trading company to Heukbi. Her condition had worsened, both physically and mentally, after losing that power, leaving her unable to manage as she once did. 𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖

Heukbi, having left the Black Moon Guild with no other duties, took over. As a fellow yokai, her wit was on par with or even superior to Yuhwa’s.

Though still inexperienced in some areas, Heukbi often came to Yuhwa for advice.

"I came to report about the spirit rental contract you signed with the Traul Kingdom’s trading company."

"Ah, yes, that."

It was the largest contract Yuhwa had negotiated before stepping down as head of the trading company.

Spirits, intricately tied to nature, could significantly enhance the fertility of the land. They maximized the growth, yield, and quality of crops.

The idea of renting such spirits at a high price was quite the clever business move.

"It was with the company of the envoy, wasn’t it?"

A trading company established less than six months ago, now the top trading company in the kingdom. Even Yuhwa couldn’t help but admire the shrewdness of the envoy leading it.

"What did you need to say about it?"

"It’s just that an elf from their company is scheduled to arrive in Bestia soon. I thought you should know."

"You don’t need to report every detail to me. You’re the head of the company now."

"I’d prefer not to be, honestly..."

Heukbi’s pointed stare accused Yuhwa of shirking responsibility. Clearing her throat, Yuhwa replied awkwardly.

"Ahem, it’s all good experience. You’ll find it useful someday."

"I’ve lived for hundreds of years as a yokai. I think I’ve had enough experience, thank you."

"Then why do you keep calling yourself ‘this girl, this girl’? Shouldn’t it be ‘this old lady’? Want me to call you Granny?"

"......."

Heukbi fell silent. No matter how long she lived, she didn’t want to be called an old lady. She intended to remain a girl forever.

"Blackie."

Who dared to call the enigmatic Heukbi “Blackie”?

Looking down, Heukbi saw Lin rolling on the ground until she stopped at Heukbi’s feet, looking up at her with pleading eyes. Heukbi couldn’t help but sigh.

"...What is it, Lady Lin?"

"Lin wants to try running a business."

"And why, pray tell, do you suddenly want to run a business?"

"Master loves money. If Lin earns a lot of money, he’ll be happy."

"I could just give you money. Why not stay still?"

"No! Why does everyone keep telling Lin to do nothing? Lin wants to do something too!"

"Ahh..."

Heukbi let out a long sigh, covering her eyes with her hand. She felt exhausted.

The old gumiho was a self-assured leader with the qualities of a king. Lin, however, was just an immature brat who threw tantrums and rolled around on the floor.

Is this what raising a child feels like? Heukbi found herself newly impressed by Karami’s ability to handle Lin.

"What kind of business do you want to start?"

"I don’t know!"

"At the very least, you need to have some idea so I can help."

"Ugh..."

Lin pouted, tugging at her lips as she thought hard. Since transforming into a child, it seemed her intelligence had regressed. Or perhaps she was just deeply affected by her master’s absence.

Seeing how weary Heukbi looked, Yuhwa decided to step in with a suggestion.

"What about opening a fortune-telling shop?"

"A fortune-telling shop?"

"You’re a yokai. Surely you can tell fortunes."

"Oooh, Granny is a genius!"

"Sigh..."

That tone again. Yuhwa heaved another sigh.

Lin jumped to her feet, suddenly energized. She had a goal now.

"It’s decided! Lin will become the King of Fortune-Tellers!"