Chapter 68

Hilde... Lioness.

I think she had a middle name, but I can’t remember it. Not that it matters. The only important thing is that she's the princess of Bestia.

A fierce personality. Despite being a princess, her exposed limbs and abdomen reveal well-defined muscles. She's the lioness of Bestia, poking into anything she sees and smashing whatever irritates her.

On top of that, Hilde constantly watches for a chance to kill Rin, the nine-tailed fox. She claims it’s for the kingdom’s safety. While it may seem like the right thing from her perspective as a princess, from my perspective—who needs to free Rin—she’s a villain to be avoided at all costs.

In fact, even that whole safety thing is just a pretext. Most of the time, it’s just something she does to kill time.

And now, Hilde is heading towards the shop. This isn’t good.

“Rin, hide inside the shop for a while. Don’t come out until I call for you.”

“Are we playing hide-and-seek?”

“Yes.”

“Got it!”

Rin darts into the back of the shop. The time will come when she’ll inevitably clash with Hilde, but not today. Not yet.

Hilde approaches, hands in her pockets, swaggering like a thug. The street is chaotic, so no one recognizes her. Only Seyra rushes forward to greet her.

“Greetings, Princess Hilde.”

“Hm? Who are you?”

“I am Seyra, team leader from the Immigration Department.”

“Ah, I see. Nice to meet you. But why is someone from Immigration here? Isn’t it work hours?”

“I’m out on a field assignment.”

Hilde nods as if she understands. Keeping her head bowed, Seyra carefully inquires.

“What brings you here without an escort, Your Highness?”

“I heard this place is a hotspot lately. I wanted to see for myself. Who’s that beastfolk behind you?”

“That’s Karamir, the owner of the cat café, Your Highness.”

“Oh, so you’re the owner here? Perfect. I’ve been wanting to see who it was.”

She wanted to see me? Hilde? Could it be that Yuhwa snitched?

Hilde is one of the few people who know about Yuhwa’s identity. They have a pretty close relationship.

Could it be that the old hag couldn’t handle it herself due to the contract and sent Hilde to get rid of Rin?

I can’t tell. My mouth goes dry. I try to swallow, but it doesn’t help.

“Hey.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

“In your opinion, who’s superior, dogs or cats?”

What’s with this deflating question? She, a lioness, briefly seemed like a cute kitten.

I quickly grasp the reason for Hilde’s visit and her question’s intent. Then, I come up with an answer that’ll please her.

“Obviously, cats.”

“Is that so? You’re not just saying that because I’m in front of you?”

“Why would I run a cat café, Your Highness? It’s all because I love cats.”

“Now that I think about it, that makes sense.”

Hilde nods in understanding. Thank goodness Rin isn’t here. If she had heard, she’d probably throw a tantrum about how I’m “so mean!”

But even if Rin had been here, I would’ve given the same answer. Even Seyra slightly nods, signaling approval for my response.

“So, the ones across the street are the dog faction? I’ll remember that clearly.”

Oh, who told them to favor dogs? Serves them right.

“I’ll have to meet the owner of that dog café, too. Do you know them?”

“I’ve never seen their face.”

Since I don’t look in the mirror, it wasn’t a lie.

“I must make sure I never get caught.”

Hilde might just smash it all up if it displeases her. She’s that crazy.

“Ah, this is boring. I’ll be off now. Hey, owner.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

“Does it make sense for cats and dogs to be equals? Make sure those fools understand who’s superior.”

Hilde shoots me a chilling glare.

“If they’re still around next time, I’ll consider it your incompetence, and you’ll have discredited the cats. Got it?”

“Yes, understood.”

A few days later, a notice was posted on the dog café.

[We, the Dog Clan, admit defeat to the Cat People. Acknowledging our loss, we will close down effective today. We thank all customers who have supported us so far....]

“What’s the meaning of this? Who decided to close it down?”

“Oh ho ho! You should’ve spent more money here. Ah, I think I’ll go get a massage at the cat café~”

The people at the dog café made a fuss. Meanwhile, the cat people and cat faction grinned, watching the spectacle like it was the best entertainment.

In contrast, I fell into a gloomy mood.

“My money... There was still so much more I could’ve squeezed out... And now it’s gone....”

“Well, who told you to stir up trouble? This is your own doing.”@@novelbin@@

Seyra gave me a pitying look. As if I knew Hilde would show up out of nowhere.

It was then that I found someone I really wanted to whip into shape, like a slave.

“Here’s the earnings report.”

It had been a while since I was at the Celestial Tower. I shared my monthly business report with Yuhwa.

Yuhwa had created a round table and chairs out of clouds, and she reviewed the report while sipping tea. She looked like a celestial being.

“You sure started something big. Stirring up interspecies conflict?”

“Ah, that. I didn’t see it coming either. They all look like beastfolk to me, so I don’t see why they fight. I wish they’d just get along.”

Yuhwa’s narrowed gaze pierced through the report at me.

“You’re good with words.”

“Basic merchant skills. Thank you.”

Yuhwa sighed and shook her head before setting down the report.

“So, how is it?”

“Your performance barely meets the threshold, but you’ve become well-known. You pass.”

I let out a small sigh of relief. I expected to pass, so I wasn’t surprised.

“Since you passed the test, I, too, should keep my promise.”

Yuhwa conjured a contract from thin air and added a few clauses.

She would teach Rin fox magic, and the place of instruction would be the Celestial Tower.

“By training here, the effects of misfortune should be minimized. At most, it’ll affect you and me.”

“Thank you.”

“Now’s not the time for thanks. As I’ve said before, death hovers around you. The more you stay with the nine-tailed fox, the stronger it’ll grow.”

“I’ll take it into consideration.”

“You’re as stubborn as ever.”

Yuhwa sighed deeply again before turning her gaze to Rin.

“Hey, nine-tailed fox, how well do you control your yokai energy?”

“I’m not a nine-tailed fox! I’m Rin!”

“...Alright, Rin. Have you ever controlled yokai energy?”

“Yokai energy?”

Rin’s response indicated she had no idea what yokai energy was.

“Didn’t I explain this to you before?”

“You did? Hmm....”

Rin furrowed her brow, thinking hard, arms folded.

You can do this. I explained it several times. You even said, ‘Ah, I completely get it now!’ as you munched on meat.

“Nope!”

It was all a lie. Who taught her to lie like that?

Looks like I need a celestial fox after all.

“We’ll have to start from the basics....”

“If humans have magic, then we yokai have yokai energy.”

Yuhwa sat on the floor, and Rin sat beside her, back to back. Yuhwa placed her hand on Rin’s back to observe the flow of her yokai energy.

“Yokai can grow their yokai energy by absorbing the vital essence of other beings. Have you ever done that?”

“I have! I caught lots of rabbits with Master!”

“Right. The energy you absorbed from them is yokai energy.”

Unlike ordinary creatures, yokai grow steadily by absorbing vital essence. Just like how a minor snow yokai can become a yuki-onna.

Of course, as a nine-tailed fox, Rin’s natural rank is far above most yokai. She can grow strong even without absorbing essence.

Still, little by little, it all adds up.

“Do you remember releasing your yokai energy when you shrugged off my seal?”

“Hmm?”

“It was probably an unconscious action. But that’s okay. Even if your mind forgets, your body remembers.”

Yuhwa accelerated the flow of Rin’s yokai energy. Rin’s eyes grew wide.

“Can you feel it? This is the yokai energy within you.”

“Whoa?”

“Now, gather it all at once and release it.”

“Like... like taking a dump?”

“...In whatever way works.”

Rin grunted, straining as thin threads of energy wriggled over her body.

With a whoosh! The flames that had once appeared around her sparked to life again.

“It’s red!”

“It’s pink. Now, once you can freely control it, you’ll be ready for the next step....”

“Whoa? Whoa?”

Yuhwa trailed off. The flames of yokai energy around Rin waxed and waned as Rin tilted her head.

She really is a nine-tailed fox. Her learning speed is remarkable. It’s almost fun to teach her.

That means it’s time for the next step. The very essence of fox magic.

“Now, let’s make a fox marble.”

A fox marble. It’s the core of fox magic and amplifies a yokai’s power.

Just as a dragon has its jade, the fox yokai has its marble.

“Alright, bring your hands together. Imagine forming a ball in between, and gather your yokai energy. Focus.”

“Hnnng....”

Rin steadied her breathing, bringing her hands together and furrowing her brows, concentrating with all her might.

The energy that had been flowing outwards retracted, gathering atop her small hands. The thin threads of yokai energy coiled together like a spool.

Sweat trickled down Rin’s forehead. She was more focused than when she ate.

The threads coalesced into a small orb.

“Now, compress it.”

With Yuhwa’s guidance, Rin compressed the orb, squeezing it to its limit. Eventually, a tiny dot formed.

“Now, keep that shape steady while gradually infusing it with yokai energy.”

Rin carefully infused the dot with yokai energy. It expanded slowly, like it was breathing.

Before long, the orb floating above her hands was large enough to be called a marble.

“It’s done.”

“Haah, haah, haah....”

Rin’s chest heaved. She seemed to have forgotten to breathe during the effort.

Yuhwa examined the marble in Rin’s hand. It was about the size of a fist, glowing with a soft pink hue, infused with Rin’s yokai energy.

It was a beautiful fox marble.

“It’s well made. There’s no need to make another.”

If it had any irregularities or cracks, they would have to break and remake it repeatedly for days. Fortunately, Rin didn’t have to.

Yuhwa returned the marble to Rin, who gazed at it, entranced.

“Rin’s marble...?”

“Yes, it’s yours.”

Rin admired the marble, shaking it with pride.

“Master! It’s Rin’s marble! Isn’t it pretty?”

“It is.”

“Heheheh.”

Rin continued to stare at the marble, polishing it with her clothes like it was a precious treasure. Her three tails swished behind her, creating a breeze with their enthusiasm.

Yuhwa, who had been watching with a complicated smile, quickly composed herself.

“It’s too early to celebrate. This is only the beginning.”

“Don’t worry, old hag! If it’s Rin, I can do it just fine!”