Chapter 54

I returned to the capital.

It had been three days since Lin collapsed, but she had not yet awakened. If she didn’t wake up, I had nothing to do either.

That said, I didn’t plan to just waste the entire day. I had other things to do.

No matter how wealthy a city is, where there is light, there are shadows, and in such places, there are those who rummage through trash cans to get through the day.

Vestia was no different.

However, if there were humans in the human city, most of Vestia was populated by…

“Alright, everyone. Line up in order. Hey, no cutting the line back there!”

The cat person.

It was a feline anthro.

From the spotted patterns reminiscent of a Korean long-nosed to various appearances of cat people with colors like white, black, and even Hitler-like fur, they lined up orderly before me.

“Is it true that if I sign a contract, you’ll give me fish?”

“Of course. Look over there. Others are already tearing into their fish, aren’t they?”

“You’re not going to make us work hard while you benefit from it, are you?”

“I would never do such a thing. You can live freely as usual and just come here for lunch every day. Then I will give you fish just like today.”

“You’re an angel!”

One of the cat people, with a squirming fish in its mouth, disappeared into an alley.

One after another, I initially formed master-slave contracts with about ten trusting ones. Once they spread the word and brought their friends, the number would double in no time.

The street cats of Vestia would all become my slaves.

“If you come to Vestia, you have to rake in the points.”

Anthros are a bowl of rice.

They inherently have a higher status than humans.

What that means is that just a bit of care would yield a greater influx of points when they are liberated compared to humans.

Earn points and save lives.

It’s two birds with one stone.

“Did you feed the street cat people again?”

“Haha, I merely did what was right. Ah, no need for thanks. Isn’t it a bit redundant?”

“Sigh…”

Seira squeezed her eyes shut and covered her forehead with her hand. After letting out a heavy sigh, she lifted her gaze and shot a sharp look at me.

“They do no work, and they’re a headache for the city, always causing problems whenever they have the chance. If you feed them carelessly, they’ll end up doing even less and just loaf around.”

“It sounds like a dream life.”

“The managers solving the problems they cause will have a hellish existence, though.”

Seira’s eyes looked unusually tired. It was the look of a wage slave working for a black company.

I understood her feelings. I’m someone who despises cat moms too.

But to me, they are half-human, half-animal. They only look like cute girls with cat ears and tails.

If I were to see them turn into cold corpses and spill onto the street, I would feel uncomfortable.

“I must save those I can save.”

Well, it’s unfortunate for Seira.

Instead, I decided to give her words of encouragement.

“Fighting.”

“Sigh…”

Boom!

It was just then that Seira sighed again. A dull crash echoed from the inn. It seemed the little fox had woken up.

I immediately went up to my room. I had also practiced how to talk to the fox for this day.

“Did you sleep well?”

With a heart full of joy, I burst through the door.

Whoosh—!

As I opened the door, everything in front of me went pitch black. Had the sun been obscured by clouds? Before I could even process what was happening, the incident occurred.

Bam!

“Meow!”

The thing that had blocked my view suddenly shot downwards. Because of my slow reaction, I blinked like a sloth before lowering my head.

“Grarrr.”

On the floor, Lin was pinned down by Seira, unable to move.

Lin’s sharp claws. Had it not been for Seira, my face would have almost been split into six pieces.

“A non-socialized anthro is no different from a wild beast. Please be cautious.”

I had considered the possibility of her lunging at me and had tied her up with sturdy rope, but the rope had been brutally cut and had perished valiantly.

“I need to procure metal chains.”

For when I would take her for a walk later.

“It’s safe now. Please let me go.”

“You’ll just pounce again.”

“I assure you that won’t happen. Let me go.”

Seira cast a doubtful glance as if she didn’t trust my word. However, my stance was firm, and eventually, she slowly began to rise, keeping an eye on Lin.

As expected, even though Seira had untied her, Lin still didn’t move.

I had formed the slave contract the moment we first met. At her juvenile stage, she had no power to rebel.

“Grarrr!”

Lin glared at me with the look of a beast that was ready to kill. She knew who was suppressing her freedom. She exuded an aura that suggested she would pounce at any moment.

“What are we going to do now? It seems she hasn’t socialized at all.”

“It’s still possible to do so now.”

“Anthros are different from humans. Even if they are the same species, they won’t mix unless they are with their original group. Not to mention, if they are like the foxes of Baeyun Gorge, who have completely severed ties with other species, the situation is even worse.”

That wasn’t an unreasonable tale.

There is actually the example of The Jungle Book, a novel based on true events.

A boy who was human but raised by a wolf pack. Later, a hunter discovered him and took him to an orphanage, but even though he was human, he couldn’t adapt to human society.

Where you are born and raised has a drastically significant impact.

Especially for anthros, who possess not only human characteristics but also traits of animals, it would probably be even more severe for them.

But that’s okay.

“You don’t need to worry. I can raise her without any problems.”

“Are you planning to resort to violence…?”

“What do you take people for? I would never do that. Just ignore me and step out. You’re hindering the bond-building.”

I picked up the unmoving Lin under my armpit, shooed Seira out, and closed the door.

Then I opened it again.

“Go downstairs and bring up some food. She must be hungry.”

“What are you acting like a father for—”

Bang.

I shut the door. After sitting on the bed, I laid Lin sideways across my thighs. If it were up to me, I would want to free her, but it was still too early for that.

I needed to find chains, tie her to a pillar, and then finally let her go.

“Let’s see… It seems most of the wounds have healed. But her fur is in bad shape, so I’ll have to take care of that.”

She was wearing a loosely flowing white dress, and I wasn’t planning to buy her anything for now. She was in her growth stage anyway, so even if I got her pretty clothes, she would outgrow them in no time.

“Grarrr.”

“I’ll bring you food soon, so just wait a little bit. Until then, shall we have some fun with Master?”

“Meow!”

Huh? Does she not understand what I’m saying?

But that’s fine. I memorized the language of foxes in case of times like this.

“Hartyhartyhartyho.”

“Grarr…”

“Wafapapapapaw.”

“Meooooow—!”

Emergency.

It seemed to only escalate her anger.

“Huh, what’s going on?”

What went wrong? My fox sounds were supposed to be perfect. Maybe it was an issue on Lin’s end for not being properly educated.

But that’s okay. As her Master, I must show great patience.

For now, she couldn’t understand me, and since her hostility towards me was still high, any effort on my part would likely be in vain. I should just pet her tail.

I waited for a while. Lin’s crying gradually subsided. Instead, she began sniffing and turning her head toward the direction of the door.

Click.

“I’ve brought your meal.”

Seira appeared, holding plates with both hands. I could see one of her legs had slightly risen, suggesting she had used her foot to turn the doorknob.

“Thank you. Please set it down properly on the floor.”

“…Do you know how lowly it is to threaten others with biological needs?”

“That’s something you should tell the foxes of Baeyun Gorge. Can you seriously say that looking at these skinny arms?”

“……”

Unable to think of a rebuttal, Seira sighed and placed the dishes on the floor before leaving.

In no time, the room was filled with the smell of meat. The appetite-stimulating aroma was enough for me to swallow my saliva. If I felt this way, how would Lin be?

As expected, she was glued to the food like a dog. Genuine drool, not just metaphorical, was really flowing down her mouth like a waterfall.

If my memory served me right, during her time in the village, Lin was treated to just a few potatoes and sweet potatoes.

Meat? That was something she never even laid eyes on.

While she was luring youkai out of the village, the others stuffed themselves.

No matter how omnivorous a fox may be, try eating just potatoes for hundreds of years. Even the girl would say, “Don’t you have anything but potatoes?”

Don’t worry. Daddy’s going to let you eat so much meat today that your tummy will burst. Of course, it won’t be for free.

“Do you want to eat?”

Lin flinched.

Her gaze shifted from the food to me.

She wasn’t growling.

Her dual-colored eyes sparkled as if a big bang had occurred.

Even without words, she understood. To eat that, she needed someone’s permission.

“I will let you eat if you make a promise with me.”

“…!”

“If you listen to me well, this will be yours. How does that sound? Isn’t it worth it?”

As Lin was still at the level of a 5-year-old, her primal instincts took precedence. Lin nodded her head vigorously in response.

“Alright. If you promise to listen well, then rewards must come.”

I sat her on the bed and brought the plate closer. I planned to feed her directly.

Though I made a promise, verbal contracts made with a child are generally not valid. It could easily turn into a case of cannibalism.

I picked up a juicy piece of meat and stabbed it with a fork. As I brought it closer, Lin’s eyes followed it like a magnet. No matter how I moved it, it wouldn’t stray from her sight.

This would be where I stopped the games.

As I brought the meat to her mouth, she opened wide, “Wagh!” biting down on it without hesitation.

In that moment, Lin’s eyes grew wide with amazement.

With her hands unable to move freely, I gradually pushed the meat into her mouth. While she became absorbed in the food, I patted her head with my other hand.

Let this sensation become familiar to her.

Let her accept this touch.

“Remember the taste of the meat you are eating well. If you listen to me, you can have delicious meals every day.”

“Grarrr!”

“Oh, seriously.”

It was only until she was eating.

Isn’t it so delicious?

Such a gluttonous fox.