“Hmm, it looks like there’s no more sign of growth.”
Yuha, who had been supervising Lin’s training as usual, murmured as she examined Lin’s state.
Since becoming a five-tailed fox, Lin hadn’t shown any noticeable growth. Even after absorbing the essence from defeating strong monsters, there was no change.
It was as if she’d hit a wall. Like a martial artist needing enlightennt to break through to the next stage.
But that enlightennt seed elusive, even for Yuha. And strangely enough, it felt like she was more anxious about Lin’s stalled growth than I was.
“Is sothing the matter?”
“Princess Hilde ca by recently.”
“That lunatic?”
“You’re probably the only one in the world who would call Princess Hilde a lunatic.”
“Everyone thinks it, even if they don’t say it out loud.”
Plucking feathers from a bird beastman in passing. Burning down a squirrel beastman’s acorn stash. Flipping a turtle beastman on its back so it couldn’t get up.
That’s the mild stuff. Sotis she even leaves the kingdom to wreak havoc elsewhere.
In gas, whenever the phrase “You encountered Hilde, the Lioness of Bestia” appears, you can’t help but shout, “Oh, not this maniac again!”
eting her ans trouble, plain and simple. The fact that she showed up was worrying.
“So, why did that lunatic co by?”
“On the surface, it was to get a fortune read, but she suspects Lin might be a nine-tailed fox. I managed to divert her for now, but they’re bound to cross paths eventually. There’s a thread of fate connecting them.”
“Can’t you just cut that thread with scissors?”
“Fate isn’t sothing you can just snip... sigh.”
What’s with the sigh? Don’t give up on now.
I thought it was a clever idea. Yuha sighed deeply, as if she didn’t even want to talk to anymore, and took a sip of tea to wet her dry throat.
“Master, don’t worry. I’ll take care of her.”
“That would be ideal, but...”
Five tails wouldn’t be enough. Lin puffed her cheeks, asking if I didn’t trust her, but so things can’t be solved by trust alone.
She needs seven tails. We’re still two tails short.
“We’ll have to go to Baegun Valley.”
“Why there?”
“Because her growth is stalled.”
In Taoist’s world, slaves don’t grow infinitely just by training. Each one has personal issues they need to resolve to reach a higher level.
It was like that for Mirabel and Harold, and for Arpia’s suffering.
Growth and liberation are tightly intertwined, as freeing themselves from the chains that bind them is necessary for their growth.
For Lin, it’s the fox spirits of Baegun Valley. She needs to break the chains that oppressed her for centuries.
“There’s also sothing she needs to gain from there.”
A hidden opportunity deep within the fox den will accelerate Lin’s growth.
But ever since I ntioned going back to Baegun Valley, Lin has been adamantly against it.
“I hate those people. I don’t even want to see their faces. Let them stay there forever.”
I understand. Lin isn’t the sa as the naive fox who lived in a valley.
Back then, she was probably happy with just potatoes, but now she’s eating at, realizing how harsh her past was.
It’s a wonder she didn’t go back and exact revenge imdiately.
“That’s exactly why we need to go. Let’s take so at with us and show them they have nothing like this. Doesn’t that sound satisfying?”
“...I guess.”
“Lin didn’t do anything wrong, so why avoid them? Let’s show them how well she’s living.”
“If it’s like that...”
Lin seed reluctantly persuaded.
She didn’t seem completely convinced, but don’t worry. She’ll be in for a surprise once we get there.
Though the plan was set, it felt too soon to leave. My body hadn’t fully recovered from the journey, so taking a carriage ride now would be premature.
I figured I’d take this ti to recover and enjoy so culture. It seed a waste to co to another world and only focus on moving forward.
Sotis, you need to take a detour.
“Co out right now! If you don’t, I’ll blow the house down!”
We ended up at a theater.
The stage was dark. A pig beastman peeked through the window of a house-shaped prop, while a werewolf stood at the door.
Today’s play was the story of the Three Little Pigs.
The first and second pigs built shoddy houses out of straw and wood out of laziness.
When the wolf arrives, he destroys them, forcing the pigs to flee to the third pig’s brick house.
The youngest pig had built a sturdy house of bricks, and it stood firm against the wolf’s attack.
A fairy tale teaching the importance of preparing for the future. I rember this story from childhood books, now reenacted by beastn.
‘But why is the youngest pig the first one on stage?’
The set was shaped like a brick house. Its owner was Po, the youngest pig.
In the tale, doesn’t the brick house appear last? Yet, here the youngest pig showed up first.
“Try to blow it down if you can, you amateur!”
The youngest pig taunted the wolf, whose furious performance felt all too real as he swung a pickaxe at the brick house. The wall crumbled completely.
“Ahhh! My house!”
Out of the wrecked house ca Po, the female pig, fleeing adorably as she waved her little limbs, entering the second pig’s wooden house.
The wolf, in pursuit, soon arrived at the wooden house.
“You sneaky pigs! Open up before I rip that tender at off your bones!”
“This house is made of sturdy wood! You won’t break it with a pickaxe like before!”
In response, the wolf started a fire. He wasn’t the foolish wolf who only huffed and puffed. Naturally, the house caught fire, and the pigs escaped.
The pigs hid in the first pig’s straw hut. It looked shabbier than the other houses. As they huddled together, it seed the wolf would finally feast.
“Hah, hah... Co out now...?”
The wolf, exhausted from chasing and breaking houses, was panting. At that mont, the curtain-door opened, revealing the first pig.
“Have you finally given up...?”
But sothing was off. The second and third pigs stepped out behind him, all wearing scanty, provocative outfits, posing seductively.
The first pig approached the wolf with a sultry smile, leaning forward to emphasize her cleavage.
“Mr. Wolf, you look exhausted. Why don’t you co inside and rest for a while?”
“Hmm?”
“Don’t you want a taste of our tender at?”
The first pig raised a finger, teasingly tickling the wolf’s fur, whispering seductively near his ear.
“It’s a rare opportunity for a feast with sisters, you know?”
“......!”
The predator-prey dynamic flipped. As if hypnotized, the wolf followed the pigs into the small hut, ending the play.
Today’s moral? Even the lazy survive if they can sway their hips right.
Title: The Three Sow Sisters.
...
‘What did I just watch?’
This was far from the hopeful, life-lesson-filled story for children I rembered.
Where did the pigs go? Why were they acting like serpents?
Apparently, I was the only one confused, as the surrounding audience rose to give a standing ovation with cheers.
Lin clasped her hands together with a blissful expression, jotting down notes in her fox bead.
“In tis of crisis, a female should wag her tail to attract a male she likes. Noted...”
I decided not to look at what she was writing.
“Master, that play was amazing. This is how the world works. I feel like I learned a lot as a fox.”
“Is that so...”
Everyone has different interpretations, and my view clearly differed from Lin’s.
While I was trying hard to erase it from my mory, Lin seed determined never to forget it, savoring every mont.
“The next play is about Little Red Riding Hood, but this ti it’s about a boy and a big sister wolf. Let’s co watch it.”
Why a boy instead of a girl? And what’s with the wolf being a big sister? I decided not to think too hard about it.
I thought I had adapted to Bestia, but it was far too soon for that.
“Since you showed sothing fun, master, shall we go sowhere you’d like next?”
“Really?”
What luck! There were a few places I’d wanted to check out.
“Lin, there’s this place called ‘Rabbit in the Moon’ over there.”
“What’s that?”
“It’s a pub.”
It wasn’t just any pub. As the na suggests, it’s run by bunny beastn.
Real bunny girls, not cosplayers! Hop, hop!
“No.”
“Pardon?”
Lin shot down imdiately. She looked at with a frosty expression.
“Didn’t you just say we could go sowhere I wanted?”
“Master, are you saying you’d leave to go to a pub? Do you want to watch you drool over bunnies?”
“Then where...?”
“A place with no beastn. Otherwise, I won’t allow it.”
A place with no beastn in Bestia? There’s no such place.
“Let’s just go ho...”
“Alright. We could explore more, but if you insist, master, let’s go. I’ll even give you a tail pillow.”
Touched all the tails.
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