While the Gumiho went off to capture Ahmo, Karami remained behind in the city, planning to deliver the news to Yuha. He found her at Cheonsangru, attending to her duties in a modest office—a far cry from her once-lofty celestial residence.
Hearing that the Gumiho had set out to capture Ahmo, Yuha nodded in acknowledgent, though her expression was anything but pleased.
Even with the power she’d absorbed from the Cheonho, Yuha knew the Gumiho was unlikely to defeat Ahmo as she was now.
“I might have a plan.”
Like a con artist promising untold riches if only she trusted him, Karami presented a tempting suggestion.
Yuha, well-seasoned against countless charlatans, had built up a near-immunity to such tricks, yet even she couldn’t help but be intrigued by his proposal.
However, a few obstacles stood in the way.
Yuha had a rough idea of Umwolsan’s location, but the place was teeming with yokai—how would they even get there?
With her weakened powers, Yuha could manage only the simplest of spells. She was far too diminished to take on strong yokai.
“What are you worried about? I happen to have a strong slave on hand.”
“Ah.”
Without thinking, Yuha understood. There was only one person who ca to mind.
Recently, sothing peculiar had occurred at Bestia's royal palace.
The thug princess, Hilde, hadn’t stepped outside her room.
Far from upholding her royal dignity, she usually spent her days in the city, harassing innocent citizens.
But after a certain day, she hadn’t even glanced beyond the castle walls.
So thought she had finally matured, but the truth was different.
“That bastard. I’ll tear him apart!”
Since her humiliating experience as a pet—forced to go on walks as a re slave—she had not left her quarters. Though the leash was gone, the invisible chains bound to her soul remained intact.
She’d wanted to ask the court mage to remove the spell but couldn’t bring herself to do it. If anyone saw and spread rumors of the “princess in shackles,” it would be her downfall. She was trapped, with no way to avoid it.
Because of this, she hadn’t stepped outside. The last thing she wanted was to run into Karami and suffer further humiliation.
Thus, she remained confined to her room.
At least, as a princess, the palace was her safe haven. As long as she stayed inside, Karami couldn’t reach her.
Though enduring this changed nothing, it was still a far cry better than crawling on the ground like an animal.
Tap.
At the slightest noise, Hilde tensed, her shoulders twitching. A small, white fox perched on her window, dropping a scroll before slipping back out.
The fox was Yuha’s ssenger, used to deliver ssages. Hilde had received such ssages before.
Yuha.
The ungrateful fox who’d dared deceive a princess.
Like Karami, she was soone Hilde wanted to tear apart.
Wondering what sly words she would have for her this ti, Hilde unrolled the scroll.
Its ssage was brief:
-Bring your collar and co to Cheonsangru. If you don’t, I’ll make sure everyone knows you’re a slave.-
Hilde’s eyes widened, her face paling as though she’d just seen her na on a death list.
In shock, she stared blankly at the ssage, hoping she’d read it wrong, only to find it unchanged.
With a groan, she collapsed onto her bed, burying her face in her pillow and slamming her fists against the mattress in silent rage.
In the end, Hilde brought the collar and made her way to Cheonsangru.
Karami and Yuha were waiting. Hilde glared fiercely at Yuha, who averted her gaze slightly.
Karami laughed lightly, stepping between them.
“Ah, you ca quickly. We’d have been in trouble if you hadn’t shown up.”
While Karami’s words seed directed at himself, to Hilde they sounded like the opposite.
“Ah, so you made it on ti. If you hadn’t co, I’d have made sure everyone knew you’re a slave. Lucky for you.”
That was the gist of it. It was as if he was taunting her.
“Why... why did you call here? D-Don’t tell ... another walk...?”
“How could I possibly put a leash on a princess and take her for a walk in broad daylight? You’re speaking nonsense.”
Is it only nonsense because it’s daylight? Who’s the one really spouting nonsense here?!
Barely holding back her frustration, Hilde bit her tongue, suppressing her urge to argue.
“There’s a place we need to go. I’d like to request your protection.”
Are yokai too strong?
Then take a strong slave along.
With her level of skill, Hilde would be able to reach Umwolsan without much trouble.
And when else would he get the chance to have a princess as his escort? Best to make the most of the opportunity.
As Hilde begrudgingly prepared to set off, Yuha approached Karami.
“Ahmo may be highly vigilant, but she’s also insatiably curious—like a scholar who can’t resist his questions. Take this. If used at the right mont, it’ll serve you well.”
Yuha handed him a small brown pouch. Inside were three beads—one blue, one red, and one white, each slightly smaller than a fist.
“Oh.”
Karami knew exactly what they were.
Yuha’s magic pouch, inspired by the Three-Colored Gourd from the Korean folktale The Fox Sister, used to repel foxes.
It was amusing that a fox herself was handing him these, but right now, any assistance was welco.
After receiving instructions on how to use the beads, Karami set off for Umwolsan.
“Damn, damn, damn!”
“Wow, you’re incredibly fast.”
Riding on Hilde’s back.
“I’ve co for a reading~”
This is the story leading up to Karami’s arrival at Umwolsan.
To Heukbi, who knew none of the details, he was nothing but an intruder.
Who is this madman?
Heukbi, who was usually calm and detached, found herself thinking such thoughts for the first ti. This man was unhinged.
Who could he be?
Occasionally, Heukbi would transform herself and wander the human world, eting people here and there. But she didn’t recognize this man; he was a stranger.
Her first instinct was to ignore him, but he could be an ally of the Gumiho. If he broke the barrier, it would be disastrous.
As long as the barrier held, the Gumiho couldn’t escape. Maintaining it, Heukbi descended outside. Her graceful descent had an ethereal quality, like that of a celestial maiden.
Her fox ears and tail had been concealed through transformation.
“Oh?”
Karami’s eyes widened in surprise at Heukbi’s sudden appearance from the sky.
Heukbi landed gracefully before him, looking at him with clear displeasure for interrupting her work.
Though her Silver Eyes didn’t grant her omniscient insight, her keen gaze allowed her to assess his appearance accurately.
Completely ordinary...
He was as unremarkable as a man could be. How soone so ordinary had made it here was a mystery.
Perhaps he possessed hidden abilities that weren’t imdiately apparent. Heukbi, on guard, spoke.
“Who are you?”
“I’m here for a reading. A friend told this was a famous fortune-telling shrine.”
“You must be mistaken. As you can see, there is nothing here.”
“Nothing here, or did it simply beco nothing?”
The ground was scarred with signs of a fierce battle, and all that remained of the shrine was a charred foundation and smoldering remnants.
So what?
What would you do about it if there was a fight?
Heukbi felt a surge of irritation welling up from deep within. She considered killing him outright but wasn’t fond of taking lives.
Besides, with the Gumiho captured, she was in a good mood, so she decided to show rcy.
“There’s no need for you to know what happened here. I don’t know who inford you, but this is no place for you. Leave at once.”
Her tone was calm, but the underlying command was clear.
She wanted him gone, and Karami sensed he should drop the matter.
“Hmm, I suppose I have no choice.”
Just as she thought he was about to leave, he began rummaging in his clothes, pulling out a small brown pouch. From it, he drew a white bead.
“Here you go.”
He tossed it lightly in Heukbi’s direction.
Bang!
The bead exploded, releasing a burst of smoke.
“Cough, cough!”
Caught off guard, Heukbi inhaled the smoke, coughing violently.
She clutched her sleeve to her face, her body shaking as her previously hidden ears and tail popped out.
My transformation?!
Her disguise spell had been broken.
By nothing more than a bead thrown by a human.
But this was no ordinary bead; it was infused with the Cheonho’s power, deadly to foxes.
“The Cheonho...?”
“Ah, she’s the friend who recomnded this place. You seem to know her?”
“...”
A friend of the Cheonho?
Who had revealed her location?
The Cheonho had sided with the Gumiho... what ulterior motives were at play? And what was this man thinking?
“So you ca for a reading?”
“Yes.”
“...Very well. While I am no Cheonho, I can read fortunes well enough.”
Heukbi’s Silver Eyes scanned the surroundings, restoring the damaged shrine and ground to their original states in an instant.
“Co inside.”
With silent steps, Heukbi led the way. It would be easy enough to investigate who this human was.
Her curiosity had finally outweighed her caution.
Following her closely, Karami thought to himself:
“Wow! Ahmo! Heukbi! A fox priestess!”
It was the ultimate set of yokai right before his eyes!
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