If I were to describe Lin's expression, it was the sa as when a child gets caught using the computer late at night without their mom knowing. Trying to turn off the power strip with their toes but slipping by mistake.
I was always the one getting caught. So, naturally, I wondered.
What does it feel like to catch soone in the act? Would there ever be a day when I take on my mom’s role?
That day finally ca for . I can now say for sure what it feels like. It can be described in just four words.
Wow... look at this kid.
"Lin, I believe I'm asking what you're doing right now?"
"Oh, uh? This... this can't be happening!"
Lin, too flustered to even think of answering my question, stamred with a panicked expression. Her pupils widened as if she had just realized sothing, and then her face twisted into a deep frown.
"That old hag...!"
When Lin's voice, filled with rage, hit my eardrums, I couldn't help but let out a sigh.
"Alright, that's enough."
It had been a while since I exercised my absolute authority as her master. Chains extended from , reaching the shackles bound to Lin’s soul. Her movents ca to an abrupt halt.
"Get down from there."
Lin slowly descended from above .
"Until I give you permission again, I forbid you from using any power."
After blocking Lin from doing anything reckless, I assessed the situation.
Lin, up to suspicious behavior while I slept. , sleeping soundly, completely unaware. This lingering fatigue that hasn’t gone away for days.
It was simple.
"Lin, did you take my energy?"
"Master! That...!"
Lin, who had been trying to offer excuses, confessed when she saw my cold, narrowed eyes staring at her.
"Yes..."
There was no need to ask how long she’d been doing it. It was clear things started acting up right after we caught the rogue monk, and I’d been feeling drained ever since.
"Why did you do it?"
"They say the energy of soone deeply entwined with a Gumiho’s fate tastes delicious... I tried it once out of curiosity, but I couldn't stop..."
So, the Gumiho had tempted her. That explained why it hadn’t appeared recently.
It's not the type to just disappear—turns out it had been pushing Lin from within, fueling her desires.
"Why did you hide it?"
"I was afraid you'd hate if you found out..."
"Were you aware of what you were doing?"
"....."
I pulled out Yuha's bead that I had been keeping close. It had shattered into pieces, having fulfilled its role. Yuha had read the situation and helped .
It was strange. While others were unaware of the situation, Yuha could have just told directly. Instead, she went through all the trouble to give this bead.
Why?
The reason was obvious.
"Lin, did you blackmail the Sky Fox?"
Lin, knowing full well that Yuha could see through her, must have used so sche to threaten her. There’s no other reason Yuha would have resorted to giving that bead.
Lin's head drooped. Her silence answered my question.
"Ha..."
A bitter laugh escaped my lips. An overwhelming sense of betrayal flooded over . It felt like a tower I had painstakingly built had crumbled in an instant.
After all the care I gave her, she not only cast a spell on her master to put him to sleep but drained his energy in the process. As if that wasn’t enough, she’d even lied about it without a hint of remorse.
'This isn’t the ti to be thinking about freeing her, is it?' I nearly died from exhaustion! Can I really trust her to continue? Who knows what else she might pull next ti?
Of course, I was just talking tough—I had no intention of abandoning Lin. I couldn't, even if I wanted to. But I couldn’t just let this slide either.
To resolve this, I needed to separate the Gumiho from Lin. If it tempted her again, she might give in.
‘Besides, I was going to deal with the Gumiho eventually anyway...’ Considering the current situation, now seed like the perfect ti. Sorry, Lin, but this is WWE.
I let out a long breath. Lin, sensing the tense atmosphere, flinched and her shoulders trembled.
"To be honest, I can’t trust you anymore, Lin."
"Master..."
"A slave that harms their master? There’s nothing more to discuss here. Let’s end this. I don’t understand why I should continue to risk my life for a slave."
Upon hearing those words, Lin’s face turned as pale as if all the blood had drained from it. She held her breath, frozen.
And then I delivered the final blow.
"I'm going to Cheonsangru to ask the Sky Fox to seal you back in Baegungok."
“I’ll go to Cheonsangru and ask the Sky Fox to seal the Gumiho back in Baegungok.”
After delivering that notice, Karamir climbed down from the bed. In the dead of night, he dressed quickly and prepared to leave, his expression void of emotion.
Even as Karamir passed by, Lin sat there, her eyes wide with shock. The re ntion of a single sentence had left her mind in complete disarray.
Sealing...? Baegungok? That dark valley?
Being sealed didn’t an living off potatoes for hundreds of years. It ant losing everything, just like the Gumiho attached to her soul had.
Her body. Her mind.
She would remain like that for an almost infinite amount of ti, until the seal broke. And even if it did break and the one-tailed fox returned, there was no guarantee that it would still be Lin.
But to be sealed by her beloved master’s hands? That was a fate worse than death for Lin.
The mont she realized that.
"Master, wait!!"
Lin stumbled off the bed, almost tripping, and threw herself to her knees in front of Karamir, desperately clutching his pant leg. Tears welled up in her eyes.
"M-Master, I’m sorry! I won’t do it again!"
"I’m afraid I can’t believe such empty words anymore. Without a command, you would put to sleep again and continue as before."
"I swear I won’t! Please, don’t seal away!"
"Hah..."
Karamir coldly pushed Lin’s hands away and said,
"Once trust is broken, it’s impossible to put it back together."
"Master..."
Karamir muttered sothing to himself, as if talking to no one in particular.
"If I’d known it would co to this, I wouldn’t have brought you with in the first place. After all, you are just a pink fox..."
"...What?"
Lin’s fingers loosened from their grip on Karamir's pants. Her hands fell limply to the ground.
Karamir was the only one who had stood by her when the world labeled her as a Hongho, avoided her, and spat insults at her. For him to casually toss out such a remark—it was a cutting blow straight to her heart.
Her mind, beyond re fogginess, felt completely empty as though all thoughts had disappeared.
Karamir’s expression as he looked down at Lin was colder than ice, making it terrifying to et his gaze.
Fear began to swell within her, the looming terror of being abandoned. Lin clutched her arms, trembling uncontrollably.
"Why... why, why, why, why? I... I did it because I love you, Master... why...?"
Lin mumbled almost inaudibly, lips quivering. Amid the shattering pieces of her mind, a voice as sweet as magic drifted in.
-Run away. If you run, you can escape this fear.
Escape...?
If it had been before, Lin would have dismissed the Gumiho’s honeyed words without a second thought. But right now, they seed like her only way out.
-Take my hand.
The Gumiho’s hand reached out from the abyss. The mont Lin stretched her hand out to grab it—
Snap!
The Gumiho pulled her down. Lin’s consciousness plunged into the void as the Gumiho’s consciousness began to surface.
Fwoosh!
Seven tails unfurled like the wings of a peacock as “her” head arched back to its limit.
As if overwheld by a climax, her body trembled with pleasure.
After the strange movent, her head slowly rotated back to its original position.
Thunk.
She blinked, seemingly still groggy, moved her hands and feet, and then stretched leisurely.
"Mmm~ This is the feeling. It’s so much better to have a body."
While the spirit form moves freely, it lacks any sensation. Even the simple pleasure of stretching could not be felt in that form.
After reacquainting herself with the sensations of her body, she sat up and locked eyes with Karamir. A sly grin curled her lips.
"Hello? What should I call you? Master? Nah, that’s too cringe."
Her voice and face were Lin’s, but the atmosphere was entirely different. This wasn’t Lin. It was the Gumiho, who had been biding her ti, waiting for a chance to awaken within Lin.
"You were the one egging Lin on, weren’t you?"
"Egging her on? I rely gave her so information. She made all the decisions herself. Though I didn’t expect her to blackmail the Sky Fox—that was impressive. She’s got potential."
The Gumiho nodded approvingly.
"But you’re surprisingly calm about all this."
"I’ve seen this routine too many tis."
The Gumiho, now fully in control of Lin’s body, had been waiting for the right mont to take over. Her consciousness would erge when Lin's ntal strength weakened or when she was overwheld by power.
In other words, the Gumiho’s appearance was proof that Lin had been pushed to her psychological limit.
‘Did I go too far?’
But it couldn’t be helped. To drive the Gumiho out of Lin, I had to force her into this state. I needed the Gumiho’s consciousness to surface in order to deal with it.
Well, wrong is wrong. Once this is over, I’ll make it up to her with sothing she likes.
As Karamir thought this, the Gumiho brushed herself off and gracefully stood up. Lin’s eyes were red from crying, but the Gumiho wore a mocking smile, making her face seem strangely different.
The Gumiho tried to summon her yokai power.
"Hmm, my power’s blocked."
"I’ve sealed it. I’ll release it when necessary. If it displeases , I’ll send you straight to Nirvana."
"No need for that. I’ve finally gotten this body. It could be fun, so I’ll play along for now."
The Gumiho waved her hand lazily as she attempted to leave the room.
"Where do you think you’re going?"
"Next door. Lin sleeps there sotis. I need to check sothing alone for a bit."
"What nonsense. You’re sleeping next to ."
"...Huh?"
The Gumiho, who had been acting all nonchalant, blinked in confusion, looking at as if I were talking nonsense. Karamir tilted his head and feigned ignorance.
"You need to cover your tails for ."
"Why should I...!"
"I don’t care if you were the mighty Gumiho or the King of Yokai. You’re my slave. Do as I say. Co on, let’s sleep. It’s cold, and your master’s getting chilly."
Karamir flashed a bright, carefree smile.
Welco, you fool. If you don’t like it, you can leave.
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