Chapter 61

“This... this pink fox! She brings misfortune, no doubt about it!”

“The red fox? The cursed one?”

“That’s right!”

The adventurers whispered among themselves, disregarding Rin, who stood in front of them.

Rin’s proud expression froze, her face slowly going blank before being replaced by confusion. She hadn’t expected such words after helping them.

My own brow furrowed in irritation.

“Quite the harsh words for someone whose life was just saved by my slave.”

“Saved? If it wasn’t for the red fox, none of this would have happened in the first place!”

“No wonder. Treepidians usually stay deep in dark forests. It must’ve appeared because of the red fox’s misfortune.”

The beastfolk nodded as if they’d stumbled upon some newfound truth, seemingly forgetting how Rin had helped them. They were now convinced Rin’s misfortune had caused the Treepidian to appear.

“We lost a day of hunting, broke our gear, and it’s all because of the red fox! You’re her owner, aren’t you? You should take responsibility!”

“Let’s not jump to conclusions. You have no proof this was Rin’s fault.”

“What proof do we need? She’s right there in front of us! We could take this to the city and get a verdict from the townsfolk.”

The lizardman wore a smug expression, clearly confident in the outcome.

And I knew the likely outcome too. One hundred out of a hundred would side against Rin.

Sure, Rin did have a streak of bad luck. Today alone was proof of that, and when her storyline begins in the game, all sorts of trouble starts.

Shops get wrecked in storms. All the ingredients spoil when cooking. The slaves' conditions suddenly worsen, and so on.

But everyone has days like that, and I, better than anyone, know the extent of Rin’s misfortune with just one tail.

She’s not yet at the level where she could actually harm anyone.

This Treepidian incident was a coincidence, a result of their weakness. They were simply projecting their incompetence onto Rin.

“That’s what sucks about misfortune,” I thought.

It’s intangible and impossible to prove. They only needed to mention Rin’s color to form an unbreakable argument.

Even Rin herself seemed to believe that she had caused all this. Her tail drooped as she looked crestfallen.

“Ack, my back and neck are so stiff.”

“For real? Must be because of the Treepidian.”

“Exactly. I should go to the cathedral for healing. Let’s say three gold should cover the treatment, lost hunting time, and broken equipment.”

The adventurers chuckled among themselves, slapping their knees as if they were putting on a show.

Three gold, just because we happened to pass by? This was pure fraud.

I had the money. Even if points were scarce, I had more than enough to cover three gold.

“Why would I?”

But I had no intention of paying up.

“What do you mean, ‘why’? This happened because of your slave. You should be responsible!”

“Are you under the impression you can force me to pay? You couldn’t even handle a Treepidian. You think you can take on my slave?”

“What?”

“It’s not unusual for adventurers to never return from their journeys, especially low-rank ones without any titles.”

Their smug smiles faded as my words sank in. One of them paled visibly.

Their survival was a result of Rin’s generosity. They had no right to live if they didn’t appreciate it.

“Your misfortune isn’t the Treepidian—it’s encountering the red fox.”

We returned to the city after dealing with those foolish adventurers.

And no, Rin didn’t make a meal of them.

I let them go.

It didn’t matter to me whether they lived or died, but killing them would fall on Rin.

First, I didn’t want Rin to have to kill. Second, I didn’t want any of her fur to be left behind at the scene.

Instead, I left them with a silent curse, hoping misfortune would haunt them for life.

Rin walked beside me, shoulders slumped, her steps heavy.

“Don’t let what just happened bother you, Rin. There are plenty of shameless people in the world.”

“…”

No response. My words didn’t seem to comfort her at all.

“Hey, look. It’s the red fox.”

“Stay away! Kids, come inside, now!”

The townsfolk whispered as they saw us, ushering their children away as if we carried the plague.

Was it because of what Seyra had said earlier, or because of what had just happened?

Usually, I could ignore such comments, but today they seemed to pierce my ears.

And for Rin, with her keen hearing, the words must have been even louder. Her head hung low, tail wrapped around herself, as if trying to hide her pink fur.

It seemed like she wouldn’t shake this off easily.

That evening, Rin didn’t eat.

As soon as we got home, she locked herself in her room and didn’t come out.

I never thought I’d see the day Rin skipped a meal. Normally, she’d eat at least three plates. Even Seyra was taken aback.

“Did something happen?”

“Well…”

I explained what had occurred during the day. Once Seyra understood the situation, she looked thoughtful, her expression grave.

“I see. That must have really hurt her.”

“Probably.”

She was still young, just a child. It was likely she’d be swept away by the harsh words of others.

“You should go comfort her.”

“Of course. But who’s going to comfort me?”

“What?”

“Every day, I face discrimination as a human. Someone should offer me some comfort…”

Seyra reached for a knife.

“Perhaps you’ll find comfort in hell?”

“I’ll go check on Rin immediately.”

I quickly retreated to Rin’s room.

“Rin, you must be hungry. It’s important to eat, especially during tough times…”

When I entered the room, I was startled.

The room was a mess. Pink fur was scattered everywhere, and Rin was tearing her clothes to shreds.

At first, I thought she might be venting her anger, but that wasn’t it. She was trying to cover her tail with the torn fabric.

There were signs she’d been tugging at her tail, trying to hide it.

It pained me to see this. I sighed softly and sat on the edge of her bed.

“Rin.”

“…”

“Rin.”

Even with me beside her, Rin didn’t acknowledge me. She kept at her task, ignoring me completely.

I had no choice but to snatch the fabric from her hands. She lunged at me to get it back, but I stopped her with a command.

“No.”

“Yip!”

“No means no.”

Covering or dyeing her tail was out of the question. It would be an admission that her pink fur was a mark of shame.

It was the same reason I didn’t pay those adventurers.

Rin’s expression softened, her heterochromatic eyes welling up with tears, ready to cry at any moment.@@novelbin@@

I sighed again, pulling her onto my lap, and began brushing her tangled tail with the brush Seyra had given me.

“People just don’t get it. This pink color is so beautiful, so soft-looking.”

“…”

“Do you really care that much about what people say?”

“…”

“There’s no need to listen to them. When you become beautiful, those people will turn into sycophants.”

Rin didn’t respond.

It’s true that a single word of criticism can sting more than a hundred words of comfort.

But what else could I do?

If a hundred words weren’t enough, I’d give her a thousand or ten thousand until it sank in.

“Think about it. If you weren’t amazing, why would I bother keeping you around? I’m not an idiot, and as a slave trader, I know how to look after my interests.”

“…”

“I keep you because you’re beautiful. Maybe others don’t see it, but to me, you’re an adorable fox I want to look at and touch all day.”

Rin’s ears twitched slightly.

“Don’t worry about anyone else. Just listen to me. After all, who knows you better than I do?”

Finally, her ears, now fully upright, turned toward me.

That’s the nice thing about beastfolk. Even without a response, you can tell how they’re feeling.

“One day, you’ll captivate everyone as a beautiful fox. I promise.”

“…”

“So please, don’t try to hide your tail. Don’t think of it as something shameful. I love your tail very much.”

“...Yip.”

It was a small sound, but it was something.

This little one made me worry too much. I ruffled her hair and stood up from the bed.

“Let’s eat. If you don’t want to, that’s fine. I’ll eat everything myself.”

“Yip!”

Rin devoured six plates that night, a record.

Since the Reaper attack, Rin had taken to sleeping curled up on my stomach.

According to Seyra, it was the spot where she felt safest.

So, the weight I felt on my abdomen was Rin, slightly heavier than yesterday. Not heavy, exactly—just a bit more substantial.

“Maybe I let her eat too much last night?”

I worried she might start rolling around at this rate.

“I'm hungry. Feed me.”

In my half-asleep state, I heard a voice.

“Just five more minutes…”

“Get up! Feed me!”

Why was her voice so loud? I tried to ignore it and go back to sleep, but it was impossible.

“Didn’t you eat enough last night? Are you trying to become a pig instead of a fox...?”

Opening my eyes, I was greeted by Rin’s pouty face glaring at me.

She looked ready to pounce. Nothing unusual, except... there were now three pink tails swaying behind her.

“Feed meeeeee!