Chapter 76

“Hmm, it looks like there’s no more sign of growth.”

Yuha, who had been supervising Lin’s training as usual, murmured as she examined Lin’s state.@@novelbin@@

Since becoming a five-tailed fox, Lin hadn’t shown any noticeable growth. Even after absorbing the essence from defeating strong monsters, there was no change.

It was as if she’d hit a wall. Like a martial artist needing enlightenment to break through to the next stage.

But that enlightenment seemed elusive, even for Yuha. And strangely enough, it felt like she was more anxious about Lin’s stalled growth than I was.

“Is something the matter?”

“Princess Hilde came by recently.”

“That lunatic?”

“You’re probably the only one in the world who would call Princess Hilde a lunatic.”

“Everyone thinks it, even if they don’t say it out loud.”

Plucking feathers from a bird beastman in passing. Burning down a squirrel beastman’s acorn stash. Flipping a turtle beastman on its back so it couldn’t get up.

That’s the mild stuff. Sometimes she even leaves the kingdom to wreak havoc elsewhere.

In games, whenever the phrase “You encountered Hilde, the Lioness of Bestia” appears, you can’t help but shout, “Oh, not this maniac again!”

Meeting her means trouble, plain and simple. The fact that she showed up was worrying.

“So, why did that lunatic come by?”

“On the surface, it was to get a fortune read, but she suspects Lin might be a nine-tailed fox. I managed to divert her for now, but they’re bound to cross paths eventually. There’s a thread of fate connecting them.”

“Can’t you just cut that thread with scissors?”

“Fate isn’t something you can just snip… sigh.”

What’s with the sigh? Don’t give up on me now.

I thought it was a clever idea. Yuha sighed deeply, as if she didn’t even want to talk to me anymore, and took a sip of tea to wet her dry throat.

“Master, don’t worry. I’ll take care of her.”

“That would be ideal, but…”

Five tails wouldn’t be enough. Lin puffed her cheeks, asking if I didn’t trust her, but some things can’t be solved by trust alone.

She needs seven tails. We’re still two tails short.

“We’ll have to go to Baegun Valley.”

“Why there?”

“Because her growth is stalled.”

In Taoist’s world, slaves don’t grow infinitely just by training. Each one has personal issues they need to resolve to reach a higher level.

It was like that for Mirabel and Harold, and for Arpia’s suffering.

Growth and liberation are tightly intertwined, as freeing themselves from the chains that bind them is necessary for their growth.

For Lin, it’s the fox spirits of Baegun Valley. She needs to break the chains that oppressed her for centuries.

“There’s also something she needs to gain from there.”

A hidden opportunity deep within the fox den will accelerate Lin’s growth.

But ever since I mentioned going back to Baegun Valley, Lin has been adamantly against it.

“I hate those people. I don’t even want to see their faces. Let them stay there forever.”

I understand. Lin isn’t the same as the naive fox who lived in a valley.

Back then, she was probably happy with just potatoes, but now she’s eating meat, realizing how harsh her past was.

It’s a wonder she didn’t go back and exact revenge immediately.

“That’s exactly why we need to go. Let’s take some meat with us and show them they have nothing like this. Doesn’t that sound satisfying?”

“…I guess.”

“Lin didn’t do anything wrong, so why avoid them? Let’s show them how well she’s living.”

“If it’s like that…”

Lin seemed reluctantly persuaded.

She didn’t seem completely convinced, but don’t worry. She’ll be in for a surprise once we get there.

Though the plan was set, it felt too soon to leave. My body hadn’t fully recovered from the journey, so taking a carriage ride now would be premature.

I figured I’d take this time to recover and enjoy some culture. It seemed a waste to come to another world and only focus on moving forward.

Sometimes, you need to take a detour.

“Come out right now! If you don’t, I’ll blow the house down!”

We ended up at a theater.

The stage was dark. A pig beastman peeked through the window of a house-shaped prop, while a werewolf stood at the door.

Today’s play was the story of the Three Little Pigs.

The first and second pigs built shoddy houses out of straw and wood out of laziness.

When the wolf arrives, he destroys them, forcing the pigs to flee to the third pig’s brick house.

The youngest pig had built a sturdy house of bricks, and it stood firm against the wolf’s attack.

A fairy tale teaching the importance of preparing for the future. I remember this story from childhood books, now reenacted by beastmen.

‘But why is the youngest pig the first one on stage?’

The set was shaped like a brick house. Its owner was Po, the youngest pig.

In the tale, doesn’t the brick house appear last? Yet, here the youngest pig showed up first.

“Try to blow it down if you can, you amateur!”

The youngest pig taunted the wolf, whose furious performance felt all too real as he swung a pickaxe at the brick house. The wall crumbled completely.

“Ahhh! My house!”

Out of the wrecked house came Po, the female pig, fleeing adorably as she waved her little limbs, entering the second pig’s wooden house.

The wolf, in pursuit, soon arrived at the wooden house.

“You sneaky pigs! Open up before I rip that tender meat off your bones!”

“This house is made of sturdy wood! You won’t break it with a pickaxe like before!”

In response, the wolf started a fire. He wasn’t the foolish wolf who only huffed and puffed. Naturally, the house caught fire, and the pigs escaped.

The pigs hid in the first pig’s straw hut. It looked shabbier than the other houses. As they huddled together, it seemed the wolf would finally feast.

“Hah, hah… Come out now…?”

The wolf, exhausted from chasing and breaking houses, was panting. At that moment, the curtain-door opened, revealing the first pig.

“Have you finally given up…?”

But something was off. The second and third pigs stepped out behind him, all wearing scanty, provocative outfits, posing seductively.

The first pig approached the wolf with a sultry smile, leaning forward to emphasize her cleavage.

“Mr. Wolf, you look exhausted. Why don’t you come inside and rest for a while?”

“Hmm?”

“Don’t you want a taste of our tender meat?”

The first pig raised a finger, teasingly tickling the wolf’s fur, whispering seductively near his ear.

“It’s a rare opportunity for a feast with sisters, you know?”

“……!”

The predator-prey dynamic flipped. As if hypnotized, the wolf followed the pigs into the small hut, ending the play.

Today’s moral? Even the lazy survive if they can sway their hips right.

Title: The Three Sow Sisters.

…

‘What did I just watch?’

This was far from the hopeful, life-lesson-filled story for children I remembered.

Where did the pigs go? Why were they acting like serpents?

Apparently, I was the only one confused, as the surrounding audience rose to give a standing ovation with cheers.

Lin clasped her hands together with a blissful expression, jotting down notes in her fox bead.

“In times of crisis, a female should wag her tail to attract a male she likes. Noted…”

I decided not to look at what she was writing.

“Master, that play was amazing. This is how the world works. I feel like I learned a lot as a fox.”

“Is that so…”

Everyone has different interpretations, and my view clearly differed from Lin’s.

While I was trying hard to erase it from my memory, Lin seemed determined never to forget it, savoring every moment.

“The next play is about Little Red Riding Hood, but this time it’s about a boy and a big sister wolf. Let’s come watch it.”

Why a boy instead of a girl? And what’s with the wolf being a big sister? I decided not to think too hard about it.

I thought I had adapted to Bestia, but it was far too soon for that.

“Since you showed me something fun, master, shall we go somewhere you’d like next?”

“Really?”

What luck! There were a few places I’d wanted to check out.

“Lin, there’s this place called ‘Rabbit in the Moon’ over there.”

“What’s that?”

“It’s a pub.”

It wasn’t just any pub. As the name suggests, it’s run by bunny beastmen.

Real bunny girls, not cosplayers! Hop, hop!

“No.”

“Pardon?”

Lin shot me down immediately. She looked at me with a frosty expression.

“Didn’t you just say we could go somewhere I wanted?”

“Master, are you saying you’d leave me to go to a pub? Do you want me to watch you drool over bunnies?”

“Then where…?”

“A place with no beastmen. Otherwise, I won’t allow it.”

A place with no beastmen in Bestia? There’s no such place.

“Let’s just go home…”

“Alright. We could explore more, but if you insist, master, let’s go. I’ll even give you a tail pillow.”

Touched all the tails.