Chapter 87

When it comes to the sorcery of monsters, it is similar to the black magic handled by mages.

As much as it exerts evil effects, there exists a fatal weakness: at the moment of casting, it leaves behind marks that cannot be erased unless they are divine magic.

Of course, if a wide-ranging curse was cast collectively, it would be difficult to pinpoint the starting point, but this was not the case this time.

There was an easy-to-understand starting point.

The dead deer beastman, Veilun, before the curse spread rampantly.

According to Seira’s information, his body would be preserved without incineration at the royal palace’s medical center. He was the first victim of the curse, so there was much to be confirmed.

Thus, Lin sought out the palace’s medical center. She did not bring Carami.

Being together would impose restraints on her actions, and unlike Lin, Carami’s inadequate physique was likely to become infected by the curse.

Though Lin felt anxious being apart from Carami, it was unavoidable.

Infiltrating the palace’s medical center, Lin discovered a room where the security was particularly tight. Guards in armor wielding spears were standing watch.

However, infiltration was nothing to Lin. She had practiced shapeshifting and stealth more diligently than any other sorcery.

Shapeshifting to fit Carami’s tastes. Stealth to sneak a peek at Carami, who no longer bathed together after growing up.

She was confident that she was better than anyone else in these two areas.

– Sigh.

The gumiho, who read Lin’s disgraceful thoughts, let out a sigh that rose from deep within her chest. It might be optimal for seducing humans, but after all, she was a gumiho.

If it were in the process of sucking away vitality, it would be one thing. The fact that it was merely to gain favor with an ordinary human was just unfortunate.

As Lin landed softly after observing the situation from the ceiling, the guards narrowed their eyes and pointed their spears at the outsider who fell from the sky.

“Who are you?!”

“Be quiet. Lin’s ears hurt.”

“Yes, understood!”

As Lin issued her command, the guards responded sharply and lowered their spears. However, their eyes were dazed.

It was Lin’s allure.

Though she had shapeshifting and stealth skills, there was nothing better than illusion magic for entering a secret room.

“Open the door.”

The guard, hastily dressed in armor, unlocked the door with a key.

“Wait here.”

“Yes.”

Lin passed through the guards without any trouble and was able to find the isolated body of Veilun.

As reported in advance, the corpse appeared rotten. It was a trace of the curse. Moreover, there remained a minuscule amount of sorcery’s remnants that had not dissipated.

It was such a small quantity that an ordinary person would not notice, but for Lin, a beastman and gumiho with the Eye of Insight, it was not difficult to read that trace.

Using her Eye of Insight, Lin examined Veilun.

Fragments of destiny began to emerge. The number of fragments related to Veilun was significantly fewer than those during Carami’s incident, so much so that they could be counted with the eyes.

No matter how much a gumiho may twist destiny, it did not affect the dead.

Lin focused on a blackened fragment scattered in the air.

There, she could see the process that pushed Veilun into the fate of death, the trajectory of destiny.

A back alley.

An encounter with a suspicious rat beastman.

At that moment, Veilun’s fate had clouded.

– These guys. He wasn’t infected; he was cursed.

She had found the host.

Her next steps were determined.

***

The city’s clock tower.

Lin stood atop the sharply pointed spire.

From the highest point in the city, she gazed down at the ground.

Based on the recent information, she needed to find the rat beastman, but it was not easy to spot. The curse that spread throughout the city had woven a web that hindered her search.

Even so, with the Eye of Insight, a gumiho’s ability, she should be able to catch what she desired, but Lin was still unskilled in its use. Reluctantly, the gumiho provided additional advice.

Lin moved her fingers. She formed two “fox hands” by bringing her middle and ring fingers to her thumb.

The left-hand pinky and right-hand index were joined together and crossed. Then, she relaxed the remaining fingers to create a hole in the center.

Fox window.

She looked at the world through the fox window.

Then, what Lin sought began to appear outside the hole: the trajectory of fate where Veilun and the rat beastman had come into contact. A red thread connecting them was visible to Lin.

That thread led down beneath the city.

Lin searched for a path leading directly underground.

Below ground existed the domain of various beastmen, including rat beastmen and mole beastmen. While it wasn’t as extensive as the surface, the underground was sufficiently vast.

However, the moment Lin entered the underground tunnel, there was no longer any need to use the Eye of Insight. The stench of decay hit her nostrils.

Following that smell, Lin soon found the rat beastman from Veilun’s destiny.

The host, she, had long been abandoned by her kind and was rotting away in the dirt. Her physical state was such that it wouldn’t be surprising if she died, yet she remained alive.

It was due to the actions of the pa gye seung seeking to spread the curse even a little further. Even now, ominous heat waves were spreading in all directions.

Lin, using her spirit power to block the curse’s energy, approached the rat beastman to examine her state closely.

“If we remove the curse, can she be saved?”

– Her body is rotten; how could removing the curse save her? Why, do you want to save her?

“Because it was caused by Lin.”

The gumiho snickered.

– If you save her, do you think she’d express her gratitude? It’d be a miracle if she doesn’t blame you for what happened.

Lin had experienced something similar. She remembered a time she saved an adventurer in danger, only to be blamed for it later.

As Lin fell into her thoughts, the gumiho began to plant stories into her mind.

– Since ancient times, gumiho have been born with the qualities of a king. Looking neither below nor beside, but solely at the heights, the king of monsters.

“Do I not need to look back?”

– A king stands alone. To reign, one must forget how to stand beside someone or sacrifice for others. Just climb higher and look down at the world.

The gumiho embedded within Lin was able to observe many things from within her.

Loneliness.

Distrust.

Those two primarily occupied her being.

Whether it was due to the influence of the gumiho or because Lin had lived such a life, she could not tell. Whatever it was, Lin was very similar to the gumiho.

If she were to dig into that aspect, raising Lin to be a gumiho similar to herself…

“What are you saying? Lin has a master.”

– Huh?

“And I have Seira, albeit not quite like a master. Don’t think of Lin the same way as you.”

– ……

Lin did not budge in response to the gumiho’s sweet whispers. Surprised by the unexpected reaction, the gumiho slightly raised an eyebrow.

Could it be that, being a gumiho herself, Lin was highly resistant to allure?

That might indeed be the case, but the gumiho sensed something else emanating from within Lin.

An overwhelming trust that could not be shattered by any sweet words. A firm belief that she would not be betrayed by her master.

Before that impregnable fortress, the gumiho’s temptations were mere breezes.

– I see~ Sorry. I mistook things. Lin did have a wonderful master~

“Humph. You just needed to know that.”

It seemed that ordinary methods would not be enough to shake Lin. Then a change of strategy was necessary.

– Then shall we hurry to catch the pa gye seung and go receive praise from that wonderful master?

“My master told me to return when I found a clue, though.”

– In such cases, catching him secretly will win you favor. It’s a surprise gift.

Thinking it over, Lin found it plausible.

It was an opportunity to show how much she had grown.

“Alright.”

Lin nodded.

She confirmed the trajectory of the rat beastman’s fate.

The pa gye seung encountered at night. Using the spell with the three fingers of his hand, just like with Veilun, the rat beastman’s fate was instantly tainted by darkness.

Lin was soon able to pinpoint the location of the pa gye seung.

It was not far.

***

The underground waterway of Vestia.

The pa gye seung knelt and slowly stretched his hand toward the stream. A black fog began to spread from his fingertips into the water as if it were a living entity.

The previously clear and transparent underground water began to cloud.

The curse, spread starting from the rat beastman, was indeed effective. Not only did it pervade throughout Vestia, but also without the awareness of those in the incubation period, it flew even to other cities and kingdoms.

However, that alone was insufficient. They had to respond quickly to prevent penetration into the deeper areas, requiring a different approach.

Unlike creatures that could survive solely by consuming spirit power, living beings could not live without water, so he intended to contaminate that water. If this plan succeeded, it would flow into the royal palace of Vestia.

By absorbing the spirit power of the incapacitated beastmen and the strength of the gumiho… it would be more than enough for evolution into a higher entity.

In the pitch-black water, a satisfied smile reflected on the pa gye seung’s face.

Splash, splash.

At that moment, footsteps echoed through the waterlogged underground tunnel. The pa gye seung turned to see an approaching fox girl from the darkness.

With pink hair tied on either side, one glimmering golden and the other blue, the odd-eyed girl was undoubtedly a sign of a gumiho.

However, upon seeing her six swaying tails, the pa gye seung’s mouth twitched. He bowed his head to hide his face.

“I am but a piece of dust floating in the air. To stand before you, O great gumiho, is an honor.”

“Why are you speaking like that?”

– Because a lowly creature is welcoming the king of beasts, it must be done this way. Something’s odd about you.

To the pa gye seung, who neither saw nor sensed the gumiho, Lin appeared to be speaking to herself. Without paying any mind, he continued.

“I intended to visit you directly, but I never thought you would come here in person.”

“I never thought you would come spreading such wickedness.”

Finding the pa gye seung was a piece of cake.

There was no need to follow the trajectory of fate.

The rat beastman, who had directly received the pa gye seung’s curse, was teeming with concentrated malevolent spirit power. And the same foul energy leaked from the underground waterway.

“However, my king… it seems that, in my inadequate eyes, you are not yet in your complete gumiho form.”

“Isn’t it obvious?”

“Though your appearance as a six-tailed gumiho is sufficiently fearsome, I worry that your incomplete state might be a burden while visiting here.”

In simple terms, it meant that a mere six-tailed one was too oblivious of its own status to show up. Lost in the glorious past that appeared far away, acting as if they were a gumiho now.

But this was perfect for the original purpose of the pa gye seung. He slammed a rusted stone plate down.

Clang, clang~!

The ring and bell attached to the stone plate clanged, resonating metal sounds filling the area. The talismans installed throughout the underground began emitting an ominous purple light.

Threads meticulously woven together began to envelop the space. The wriggling threads, like snakes, slithered across the walls and ceilings, unfurling a massive curtain that surrounded the underground.

A barrier, preventing any escape or intervention from the outside.

The pa gye seung murmured quietly.

“Cheonraji-mang (Heavenly Net).”

Instantly, as Lin looked around, enveloped by the curtain on all sides, she asked.

“What is the Cheonraji-mang?”

– Ah, that’s what it is. It means a net that cannot catch anything, not even an ant.

The gumiho’s eyes held a vision.

What the Cheonraji-mang would become.

– Now, let’s quit worrying about that junk and continue our lesson. Just in time, there’s a suitable opponent.

The gumiho placed her hand on Lin’s shoulder and raised her lips in a smirk.

The sight appeared as if she were fighting on Lin’s behalf, like a ghostly king of beasts.