Chapter 77: The Pink Fox, the Fox of Calamity, and the Gumiho

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After resting adequately and feeling better, we set off for White Cloud Valley.

"Urgh…"

Upon arriving at the entrance of White Cloud Valley by carriage, I clung to a wall, dry heaving violently. Rin patted my back with a worried look.

"Are you okay, Master?"

"No…"

I couldn't even muster a white lie to say I was fine.

Was carriage travel always this difficult? Of course, for a modern person used to cars, carriage journeys were certainly arduous, but who was I?

I was a slave trader who traveled from city to city gathering slaves. The time for struggling with carriage rides had long passed.

But this time was different. Based on my countless experiences riding carriages, I could say with certainty that this was not normal.

Nobles might experience sudden monster attacks or bandits jumping out.

But for us, the ground suddenly rose, sending our carriage flying through the air. We nearly overturned due to a sudden landslide, and this happened not just once, but several times.

The carriage almost took us straight to the afterlife. We knew it was the effect of the misfortune brought by the gumiho.

"Sorry, Master…"

"It's okay. We're safe thanks to Rin, right?"

Even though it happened because of Rin, it was still the truth, and despite the trials and tribulations, we somehow managed to return to White Cloud Valley.

White Cloud Valley, perpetually shrouded in an eerie mist, always gave off an unpleasant feeling. The bizarre cries of yokai, not beasts, echoed endlessly through the valley.

"It's been a long time, hasn't it?"

"Yes, it has…"

Rin was visibly tense. Her tails stood straight and stiff. She flinched and jerked her body whenever a loud yokai cry rang out.

She had spent her entire life in life-or-death chases with yokai. Trauma wasn't something that could be easily shaken off just because her tails had grown.

How adorable.

I felt bad for thinking it, but that was my first impression.

As her tails grew, she had become a fearless fox. It had been a while since I'd seen her look this vulnerable.

Slaves are most lovable when they depend on their master. When they can't do anything alone and cry, 'Master, help me!' It was a shame.

"Let's go in."

We attempted to enter the valley.

As we walked through the misty valley with will-o'-wisps floating about, I was reminded of when I came here with Seira. Back then, she had been terrified and tried to run away, saying this wasn't part of her job.

She only reluctantly followed me nearly in tears when I threatened to run away and abandon a bunch of beastkin.

To think that same woman is now living in the same house as me…

Enough reminiscing about the past.

As we walked, sticking close to Rin, the entrance to the village came into view.

"It truly was… incredibly lucky that I met Rin that day. It's so complicated here. Don't you think?"

The terrain was like a maze, and with the fog, it was designed in a way that outsiders could never navigate. If you got lost after entering, you'd be surrounded by yokai, trembling in fear until you starved to death or were eaten.

Moreover, for an outsider to enter the fox den, they'd have to break through a barrier. In that sense, Rin appearing before me that day was truly fortunate.

"That wasn't luck…"

"What?"

"Mm. Nothing. Just talking to myself. Let's go in."

We entered the fox den. A young fox cub playing outside flinched and ran to call an adult.

The fox people started coming out one by one. They watched Rin and me with wary gazes.

"Who is it?"

"I don't know. They don't look like beastkin?"

"T-That pink fur…! Is it the Calamity Fox?!"

"The Calamity Fox? Did you say the Calamity Fox has returned?"

The fox people started murmuring. Isn't this exactly how the Native Americans must have looked when they saw Columbus? They approached us, unable to suppress their curiosity despite their wariness.

"She looks different from what I remember, but it's definitely the Calamity Fox. No doubt about it."

The fox people who had tormented Rin for generations.

When Rin disappeared from White Cloud Valley, they must have breathed a sigh of relief, thinking that the pink fox was finally gone. That the yokai would no longer threaten them.

But they must have soon realized,

"Where have you been? Do you know how much trouble we've had because of you?"

How important a role Rin had played in White Cloud Valley.

"Ever since you vanished without a word, the yokai have become more ferocious, earthquakes happen all the time, and mysterious plagues break out! It's all because you disappeared!"

"What's all the commotion?"

An elderly three-tailed fox leaning on a staff came pushing through the fox people—the elder of the fox den. In simple terms, he was like the village chief.

Though Yuhwa was undoubtedly far older, the level of magic they could use was worlds apart, which was why the elder looked much older.

"Elder, the Calamity Fox has returned."

"The Calamity Fox?"

The fox elder's eyes widened more than the other fox people when he spotted Rin.

"You, your tails…"

"What about my tails?"

Was this because he was a three-tailed fox despite his age? He had seen through Rin's shapeshifting. Well, he was also the only fox person who knew Rin was a gumiho.

There seemed to be no point in hiding it anymore, and we'd have to reveal it anyway to proceed. I nodded at Rin, and she dispelled her shapeshifting. Her tails spread out, revealing all five.

"T-The Calamity Fox has five tails!"

"She has more tails than the elder?"

"What's going on? Why does the Calamity Fox have five tails? Could it be… a gumiho?!"

The small commotion grew uncontrollably like throwing a rock into a pond.

BOOM!

A massive collision sound echoed from outside the fox den. It seemed the Ghost Bear had come close.

"…It seems difficult to have a quiet conversation here. I will guide you inside."

We followed the fox elder deeper into the village while the fox people followed at a distance.

Was this how animals in a zoo felt? It wasn't a particularly pleasant feeling.

We entered the house where the elder stayed. It wasn't just the foxes of White Cloud Valley who were looking around curiously. Rin too was constantly turning her head, examining the house.

"What's wrong?"

"It's my first time inside… I've only ever seen it from outside. So this is what the inside looks like…"

Rin muttered these impressions while looking around the house with curious eyes. I was shocked. I felt dazed.

What the hell? She lived here for years and this is her first time inside a house?

I knew from the text that she only ate potatoes for every meal and slept curled up in a corner of the village, but hearing Rin's impressions in real-time made my blood boil.

It was lucky I didn't have any power right now. For a moment, I almost lost control of my anger and was about to throw away all plans for the fortuitous encounter.

"Please, sit comfortably."

The elder shamelessly told us to sit comfortably, but there wasn't even a chair, let alone a sofa. Just a stiff mat woven from plant stems.

Of course, we couldn't just stand, so we sat down roughly. Rin naturally took her place between my legs as I sat cross-legged.

The elder's eyes widened in disbelief.

"Who are you? How is it that the Calamity Fox obeys you?"

"I am this child's master. And please do not call her the Calamity Fox. She has a name now, Rin."

"I see. So you're the one who drew out the gumiho."

Old man. I told you to stop calling her Calamity Fox, and now you call her gumiho? He was determined not to call Rin by her name even if it killed him.

"Someone may believe I kidnapped her. She came to me of her own free will."

"Hand over the gumiho's custody to White Cloud Valley. The gumiho must remain here."

"Hmm. Why?"

"That… is a matter for us fox people. We cannot tell outsiders. And if you stay with the gumiho, you too will be in danger."

He must know his position, yet he had been putting on airs with his petty pride. Was he going to keep this up?

This won't do.

You lot need to suffer a bit.

The fox people were conveniently gathered outside the house, watching. A perfect setting. Listen up, all of you.

"Are you afraid you'll fail to uphold the Mandate of Heaven if Rin were to disappear?"

"H-How do you know about that…?!"

Now we're getting the reaction I wanted.

Let's sort this out one by one, as it might be confusing. There were three titles for Rin:

First, the Pink Fox, Bringer of Misfortune.

Second, the Fox of Calamity, Herald of Disaster.

Third, the Gumiho, Defier of Heaven's Mandate.

All these epithets point to her nature as a gumiho. It was absurd to think she could cause supernatural phenomena merely because of her pink fur. Pink is neither at fault nor culpable.

Just as not every black-haired foreigner roams about seducing all in their path, this gumiho's pink coloration was merely coincidental.

The full story went like this:

Long, long ago, in a barbaric age when the boundary between beasts and beastkin did not exist…

The beings that roamed the earth were all true to their bestial instincts. They had neither language nor reason, and only the sound of trampling earth and cries filled the world.

But among them was a particularly special race, the fox people. The foxes who wielded the mystery of magic were smarter and more cunning than other races.

The foxes, arrogant in their belief that they were superior to all others, sought to challenge the heavens to mold the world to their will. After all, the existence of the Mandate of Heaven naturally placed constraints on their actions.

However, as the result shows, the rebellion ended in failure. The gumiho who lost the war lost her powers and was sealed away, and the fox clans who participated in the rebellion were imprisoned in White Cloud Valley.

And so a thousand years passed.

In the distant past, all fox people knew that a gumiho existed in White Cloud Valley, but as time passed and generations changed, they gradually forgot.

When oral traditions are passed down for a thousand years, things inevitably get lost over the passage of time.

As the seal gradually weakened, the gumiho awoke in this state. But since no one recognized the gumiho, the fox people called her the Fox of Calamity.

The current generation of fox people simply use the derogatory term 'Calamity Fox' as they learned from the previous generation. Not aware of what Rin's existence truly meant.

They even forgot the role bestowed upon them.

The new Mandate of Heaven given to the fox people who survived after failing in their rebellion—the role of watchmen, to monitor the gumiho and prevent her from venturing into the outside world. Yet they failed to stop Rin's escape.

The Mandate of Heaven is both an order from heaven and a lifespan bestowed by heaven, so the fate of those who violate it is clear.

"Oh my, it seems my eyes have become the Heavenly Eye. I can see your Mandate of Heaven. Eh? It looks like you're all destined to die soon?"

Listen up, kids.

You're all about to kick the bucket.