The Freed Slaves Are Obsessed

After taking an adequate rest, we departed for Baegun Valley once I felt well enough.

“Ugh...”

I clung to the side of the carriage, retching violently as we arrived at the entrance to Baegun Valley. Lin patted my back, looking at me with worried eyes.

“Master, are you okay?”

“No...”

I couldn’t even muster a reassuring answer.

Since when had riding a carriage become this unbearable? I mean, as a modern person used to cars, carriage rides were always rough, but come on, I’m a slave trader who’s traveled from city to city. I got over getting sick from carriage rides ages ago.

But this was different. With all my experience, I could swear it wasn’t like this.

We didn’t just face noble nuisances like monster attacks or bandits.

No, we had the ground rising beneath us, the carriage flying through the air, landslides threatening to overturn us. It was a miracle I didn’t die along the way. We knew it was the misfortune caused by the nine-tailed fox.

“I’m sorry, Master...”

“It’s alright. Thanks to you, we made it here safely, didn’t we?”

It was true. It may have been because of Lin, but we made it through.

Despite the hardships, we finally returned to Baegun Valley.

Baegun Valley was always shrouded in eerie fog, no matter when you came. The valley echoed with the cries of beasts, not of animals but of yokai.

“It’s been a while, hasn’t it?”

“Yeah, it has...”

Lin was visibly tense, her tails bristling stiffly. Every time the yokai’s loud cries reverberated, she jumped in fright.

Lin had spent her whole life running from yokai, fighting for her life. Trauma wasn’t something that would disappear just because her tails had grown.

‘She’s so cute.’

I know it’s bad, but that’s the first thought that came to mind.

The fox who feared nothing in the outside world now looked small and vulnerable. It had been a while since I’d seen her this way.

This is why slaves are most endearing when they rely on their master. I missed the times when she’d say, “Master, help me!” Oh well.

“Let’s go in.”

We ventured further into the valley. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢

As we walked through the fog-filled valley where ghost lights drifted, memories of coming here with Seira resurfaced. Back then, she had been terrified, claiming it wasn’t part of her job to deal with yokai and tried to flee.

I had to remind her that if I abandoned her, I’d be leaving behind many beastmen, and she followed reluctantly.

‘And now she’s living under the same roof as me...’

I cut off my reminiscing.

Walking closely with Lin, we finally saw the village entrance.

“We were really lucky to meet that day, Lin. This place is incredibly complex. Don’t you think?”

The maze-like terrain, covered in fog, was designed to keep outsiders away. Anyone who got lost here would either starve to death or be eaten by yokai.

And to enter the fox den, one had to break the barrier, which made Lin’s appearance in front of me that day even luckier.

“It wasn’t luck...”

“Pardon?”

“Uh, never mind. I was just talking to myself. Let’s go in.”

We entered the fox den. A little fox playing outside squeaked and ran off to fetch an adult.

Fox spirits began emerging one by one, watching us with wary eyes.

“Who is that?”

“I don’t know. They don’t look like a beastman?”

“Is that pink fur... Hwayo?!”

“Hwayo? Hwayo has returned?”

The fox spirits murmured amongst themselves. They looked at us as if we were Columbus, wary yet unable to suppress their curiosity.

“She doesn’t look like she did before, but it’s definitely Hwayo.”

For generations, they had tormented Lin.

They probably sighed in relief when Lin disappeared from Baegun Valley, thinking, ‘Finally, the red fox is gone.’ No more threats from yokai.

But soon they must have realized.

“Where have you been? Do you know how much we suffered because of you?”

They realized just how important a role Lin played in Baegun Valley.

“Since you vanished without a word, the yokai have grown fiercer. Earthquakes, strange diseases—it's all because you left!”

“What’s this commotion?”

Through the crowd of fox spirits, an elderly three-tailed fox with a staff approached. The elder of the fox den, a village chief figure, if you will.

She looked even older than Yuha, but that was only because Yuha’s magic was on a different level. The elder’s aging showed.

“Elder, Hwayo has returned.”

“Hwayo?”

The elder’s eyes grew wide as she spotted Lin.

“Your tails...”

“What about them?”

Even in her old age, the three-tailed fox saw through Lin’s transformation. She knew Lin was a nine-tailed fox, the only fox spirit in Baegun Valley aware of it.

There was no point in hiding it anymore, and we needed to reveal it for the next part. I nodded to Lin, and she dropped her transformation, spreading her five tails.

“H-Hwayo has five tails!”

“She has more tails than the elder?”

“What’s going on? Why does Hwayo have five tails? Could she be... a nine-tailed fox?!”

Like a rock thrown into a pond, the small commotion rapidly escalated.

Boom!

A loud crash echoed from outside the den. The yokai must be nearby.

“...It seems we can’t talk here in peace. Please, follow me inside.”

The elder led us deeper into the village. The fox spirits followed at a distance, keeping a wary eye.

Is this what it feels like to be an animal in a zoo? Not the most pleasant gaze.

We entered the elder’s house. The fox spirits weren’t the only ones observing. Lin glanced around, taking in the interior with wide eyes.

“What’s wrong?”

“It’s my first time inside... I always saw it from the outside. So, this is what it looks like...”

Lin murmured, marveling at the house with curious eyes. I was taken aback. I felt a numbness in my mind.

‘These bastards. She lived here for years and never entered this place?’

I knew from the text she lived on potatoes, curled up in corners of the village, but hearing her thoughts in real time made my blood boil.

It was a good thing I didn’t have any power. I might have wrecked the place in a moment of rage.

“Please, have a seat.”

The elder suggested, but there wasn’t even a chair, let alone a sofa. Only a stiff mat made from woven plant fibers.

Of course, standing wasn’t an option, so I sat down. Lin, as naturally as ever, settled between my legs in a cross-legged position.

The elder’s eyes widened as if in disbelief.

“Who are you? Why does Hwayo follow you?”

“I’m her master. And please, stop calling her Hwayo. She goes by Lin now.”

“I see. You’re the one who brought out the nine-tailed fox.”

This old hag. I told her not to call her Hwayo, and now she’s calling her a nine-tailed fox. Seems like she’ll never call Lin by her name.

“You make it sound like I kidnapped her. She came to me on her own.”

“Hand over the nine-tailed fox to Baegun Valley. The nine-tailed fox must stay here.”

“Oh? And why is that?”

“That... is our fox spirit matter. It’s not for outsiders. Besides, being with her is dangerous for you.”

She was hiding something, clinging to her pride. Was this how she was going to play it?

Nope, that won’t do. You guys need to lose something.

Fortunately, there were plenty of fox spirits gathered outside, listening in. Perfect.

“Are you afraid that without Lin, you won’t fulfill your heavenly duty?”

“H-How do you know about that?!”

There it is, the reaction I wanted.

Let’s clear up some confusion. Lin has three nicknames:

First, the red fox that brings misfortune. Second, the disaster-bringer, Hwayo. Third, the nine-tailed fox that twists fate.

All nicknames point back to the nine-tailed fox. The color pink doesn’t cause supernatural events. There’s nothing inherently wrong or sinful about pink.

It’s like assuming all black-haired barbarians are lustful. The nine-tailed fox just happened to be pink.

Here’s the story:

Once upon a time, in a wild era without distinctions between beasts and beastmen.

All creatures on earth followed their primal instincts. They knew neither language nor reason, filling the world with the sound of their feet and roars.

Among them, the fox spirits were unique, wielding the mystique of magic. Smarter, more cunning than other species.

Foxes, smug in their superiority, aimed to take over the world and defy the heavens. But there was a catch—their actions were limited by fate.

As evident by the outcome, the rebellion failed. Defeated in war, the nine-tailed fox was stripped of its power and sealed, while the rebellious fox spirits were confined to Baegun Valley.

A thousand years passed.

In ancient times, all fox spirits knew of the nine-tailed fox’s existence. But as time went on, generations forgot.

After centuries of oral tradition, something was always bound to get lost.

And so, as the seal weakened, the nine-tailed fox awoke. But no one recognized her, so they called her Hwayo.

The current generation continues to use the slur Hwayo, passed down without understanding Lin’s true nature.

‘They forgot their role.’

The fox spirits who survived the failed rebellion were given a new heavenly duty: to guard the nine-tailed fox and prevent her from leaving. They failed to stop Lin’s escape.

The heavenly duty is both an order and a lifespan granted by the heavens. Those who defy it face one end.

“Oh, am I clairvoyant now? I can see your fate. Ah, you’re all doomed.”

Guys, You’re all gonna die.