Chapter 96

“Wow, this is really delicious. Do you eat stuff like this every day these days?”

“It’s a bit simpler in the morning. Dinner is much more extravagant.”

“Oh….”

Watching the two of them happily chat, Seira just blinked blankly today as well.

It’s a familiar sight.

It certainly seems like Lin used to do this every time her tail grew longer.

But now, the tail remains the same. The only thing that has changed is Lin herself. She doesn’t cling to Carami anymore and the atmosphere is much more mature. And the way she spoke reminded Seira of someone from centuries ago.

“What’s this?”

Unable to hold back, she asked.

“It’s a Gumiho.”

“Lin was originally a Gumiho, wasn’t she?”

“Not that Gumiho, the one from the legendary books. The Gumiho who was sealed away for challenging the heavens.”

“…?”

Not understanding, Seira needed Carami to elaborate on her answer.

From the fact that the Gumiho’s spirit had entered Baeyun Gorge, to how Lin had snuck away to steal spiritual energy and awakened the Gumiho’s personality.

Seira has been experiencing astonishing things every day with Carami. Just when she thought she had gotten used to it, this time she couldn’t help but be surprised.

“A Gumiho…?”

“Hello~ Was it Seira? Looking forward to working with you from now on.”

“Then, what about Lin?”

“She’s crying inside me and fell asleep. I don’t know if she’ll wake up or not. Well, even if she asks for herself back now, I won’t return her. Taking something back after giving it is just cheating, right?”

Seira roughly understood the meaning of the Gumiho’s words. It meant that as long as the Gumiho was present, Lin might not show up for a while.

Seira, who had grown fond of Lin, couldn’t help but feel quite flustered.

She signaled Carami with her eyes. Carami shrugged her shoulders nonchalantly. It seemed like she didn’t care much about it.

What kind of ploy was she trying to plan this time? Not knowing, Seira could only let out a frustrated sigh.

“Oh, I have one more thing to tell you.”

“Do as you please. You guys never consult with me anyway, do whatever you want.”

Whether you die or not, do as you wish!

Seira poured cold water.

“Um, I was going to mention that I’m going to duel with Princess Hilde.”

“Puh!”

Seira spat out the water. The Gumiho cleverly dodged, but Carami, who was sitting opposite, had to bear the brunt.

If it had been something of a slave’s, she would have licked it up saying, “This precious thing…!” but it wasn’t Seira’s. Although she wouldn’t easily yield elsewhere, Carami had gotten overly high expectations.

Thud!

Seira stood up abruptly, kicking her chair, as if she had no intention of apologizing, and began to argue.

“W-What do you mean a duel with the princess? What kind of nonsense is that?!”

Carami wiped her face with a handkerchief.

“She threatened to kill Lin, so I accepted. If I hadn’t, by now, soldiers would have barged in and the house would be a mess, right?”

“Um….”

Certainly, this might be better than having an army come barging in…?

Seira thought, but she felt a sharp gaze from the front. The Gumiho and Carami were looking at her with cold, expressionless eyes.

“Wow, you act like the world is your concern, but relaxing because your home is safe? Isn’t that a bit much?”

“That’s how people normally are. Their own interests come first. In contrast, I have led countless slaves to the path of liberation… Sigh, tsk.”

Seira couldn’t hold back and yelled at the two who were excitedly exchanging words.

“I don’t want to hear such things from a Gumiho and a slave merchant!”

***

The plans for Lin transforming into a Gumiho hadn’t unfolded. The day of the duel with Hilde, which Yu Hwa had mentioned, was approaching.

In the sky of the Celestial Pavilion, Yu Hwa was waiting. Seeing that Hilde was absent, it seemed she hadn’t arrived yet.

The momentum of Yu Hwa, upon discovering the Gumiho, began to wane.

“You….”

“How can you call your student ‘you’? You should kindly refer to me as Lin.”

“Nonsense. Did you steal her body?”

“She handed it over because she didn’t want to be here. If I had just left her alone, she would have rampaged. Because her master treated her so harshly.”

With that, Yu Hwa shot a sharp glance at Carami. If that was the case, she thought she should have been able to soothe and calm her.

That’s why she trusted her. But how much trauma had Lin suffered to be curled up inside? There was no sign of her wanting to come out.

If the Gumiho continued to occupy the body for too long and gained strength, it would be impossible to wake her even if she wanted to.

Knowing that or not, Carami maintained an unconcerned expression.

At this moment, when her powers hadn’t fully materialized, Yu Hwa thought about forcibly drawing them out, but it would be meaningless. She had weakened to the point where she couldn’t guarantee victory even if she fought.

All she could do was vaguely believe that Carami would have some kind of scheme and entrust this to her.

Buzz buzz.

At that moment, Yu Hwa’s Fox bead sparkled.

It seemed Hilde had arrived.

***

It was a night when the moon was reflected on the lake.

The ground that met her feet was soft, and the scents of the forest and earth tickled her nostrils. A cool breeze blew, rustling the branches and dropping leaves.

The leaves that fell on the lake caused gentle ripples.

Hilde, walking there, suddenly stopped at some moment.

Standing amidst the forest, Hilde faced the members who were gazing at her. When her eyes met Yu Hwa, Carami, and the Gumiho, the corners of her mouth twisted menacingly.

“Wow… look at this? She really has seven tails?”

Since it had taken over Lin’s body, the Gumiho obviously had seven tails. Moreover, having many tails and them being pink didn’t seem to be any flaw to her.

Even on the way to the Celestial Pavilion, she had flaunted her tails proudly, so everyone in the neighborhood knew that a Seven-Tailed Fox had appeared.

Carami didn’t bother to stop her. After all, Lin’s story had very little time left. She had confidence that she could win even if they attacked.

But from Hilde’s perspective, it looked like nothing but mockery.

“Have you been hiding your tails all this time? Wow, I’ve seen this disgusting bitch for so long.”

“…disgusting bitch?”

“Why, is even the great Gumiho’s ears tingling at hearing insults? Would you like me to keep going?”

“Hah.”

The Gumiho let out a dismissive smile and tossed her bangs back with her hand. In her odd-colored eyes, a flash of light appeared for a moment.

“Even the beasts that couldn’t discern right from wrong are speaking now. Even the pathetic ones are provoking me.”

Indeed, the old days were good.

If she regained her strength now, reverting the world back to how it used to be wouldn’t be such a bad idea.

The Gumiho rolled her wrist.

The Fox bead popped out into the air.

The two had communicated with each other without needing to say much, so even Hilde, who was on the brink of battle, began to loosen her body.

Hilde’s body burned with excitement as she awaited the moment of battle. Tension and exhilaration intertwined in a double helix.

The expectation of facing someone with matched health, the pleasure felt in battle, and the ecstasy when she surpassed that opponent.

After defeating the evil spirit and peeling off its shell to hang in the square, it was her chance to be revered as the strongest hero in Vestia’s history.

A smile spread across Hilde’s lips. The corners of her mouth twitched uncontrollably. Muscles twitched, and her blood craved battle.

The instant the cool breeze of the forest brushed past her.

“Ugh!”

KWA-BOOM!

The eyes of the battle-maddened warrior flashed, awakening her violent instincts.

Even with seven tails, her opponent was a Gumiho. She wasn’t foolish enough to go easy on her.

From the start, she would go all out.

With a bold shout, Hilde’s dark magic explosively burst forth. Leaves scattered like dust.

Planting her hands on the ground, Hilde assumed the stance of a beast.

The Gumiho wore a graceful smile and let out a breathy sound.

“Hmm, your momentum is good.”

“Ugh, how long can you stay so relaxed?”

At some moment, the explosive power of Hilde transformed into the figure of a giant lion. The lion’s golden eyes sparkled amidst the black mane.

ROOOOOAR!

The lion’s roar, reminiscent of a battle horn, shook the lake. The moonlight on the surface wavered, yet remained intact.

Boom!

Hilde shot herself forth like a cannonball. Her image blurred, creating an afterimage. With fierce footfalls, the ground was swept away as if a landslide had occurred.

“What’s with you? You’re moving so slowly! Are you frozen in fear—!?”

In an instant.

Hilde appeared in front of the Gumiho.

Crunching, she clenched her fist and brutally stretched her mouth. A punch infused with half her magic for a finishing blow targeted the Gumiho’s face, shooting forth like a flash.

Whoosh!

KWA-BOOM!

The raging wind. A vast black blast glimmered beyond the stretching punch. A streak of light drawn in a straight line split the forest in half.

It was the lion’s strike, set to obliterate everything within range. In the spot where the light faded, nothing remained. Only the utterly ravaged forest remained, swept away by the punch.

The Gumiho as well.

Hilde’s eyes widened.

The Gumiho had vanished without a trace.

Did she really turn to dust and disappear?

Could the Gumiho die so easily?

There was no way that could happen.

“Where are you attacking? Are you so foolish that it looks like you’re going to eat anything you pick up with your own eyes?”

Just as that thought crossed her mind, the Gumiho’s characteristic annoying taunts echoed. Hilde didn’t even glance, immediately hurling her punch in the direction the sound came from.

KWA-BOOM!

This time, an unerring black flash drew a line. Although the output had diminished compared to before, it hadn’t changed into a powerful strike capable of effortlessly piercing the ground.

“Really, where are you attacking? With that, can you even touch my hair?”

Yet the Gumiho’s voice continued to be heard. Hilde scanned her surroundings, but the Gumiho was nowhere to be found. Moreover, neither Carami nor Yu Hwa were there either.

Even if the Gumiho was missing, the appearances of those who should have been present were also gone.

“Hah! You’re all high and mighty but now you’re just using grabbing techniques? Even the great Gumiho isn’t anything special, huh?”

“Provocation means nothing. The battle ended a long time ago.”

“Why, are you scared? Trying to run away now?”

“Shh. Don’t raise your voice too much. You’ll look weak instead.”

The Gumiho’s frivolous laughter echoed through the air. As if it were the mercy of a superior towards the ignorant, she began to kindly explain.

“The power of the Moonlight Eye has mostly been taken away, but not all of it has vanished. As long as the eyes are with me, I can still access essential powers.”

“What?”

“If the Daylight Eye reveals the truths of all things, then the Moonlight Eye contains the mystery of the moon that can ensnare anything.”

“What kind of nonsense are you spouting! Stop hiding and come out right now!”

Ignoring Hilde’s shouts, the Gumiho continued to speak solemnly.

Leaves were scattered.

Ripples spread across the surface of the lake.

The moon reflected on the water flickered.

In a world where sensations felt vague like a dream, only the Gumiho’s voice rang clearly in Hilde’s mind.

After laughing for a long time while watching Hilde like a clown, the Gumiho whispered with a smile.

“You, when do you think we started the duel?”

In that moment.

Snap!

With a bright finger snap that silenced all sounds, fluttering leaves froze in mid-air, and the ripples came to a halt in perfect circles.

In a world where the sense of time and space seemed to vanish, the only change was that the moon reflected on the lake had disappeared.

“Break apart, Flower in the Mirror, Water on the Moon.”

As if responding to that voice, the very fabric of space began to split. The night sky shattered like glass, raining down to the ground. The sky fell, pouring down.

As all space collapsed, what appeared was not a forest but the sky of the Celestial Pavilion.

And.

“Your momentum is all slick, but you’re nothing special~”

There was the Gumiho, stomping her foot on the fallen Hilde’s head.