Chapter 78: Master and Slave Over Family

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The small village became unusually noisy. The fox people who had been eavesdropping with perked ears began whispering among themselves.

"He says we're going to die? What nonsense is this?"

"You're not actually believing what a human says, are you? It's obviously rubbish."

"But all these ominous events lately…"

"That's because we're bearing all the misfortune since the Calamity Fox vanished."

The fox people's reactions to their impending doom were sharply divided.

Some felt the world had marked them for death, while others believed misfortune had simply shifted to them in the gumiho's absence.

Their responses were a mix of confusion and fear, stemming from their limited knowledge. Only the fox elder knew the full truth, having intentionally restricted information.

Long ago, when it was common knowledge that Rin was a gumiho, conflicts arose almost daily.

Half the population believed that they shouldn't live like heaven's dogs despite receiving the Mandate. They advocated for breaking the gumiho's seal to rebel once more.

The other half vehemently opposed, arguing they could never win against heaven and it would only be a foolish repeat of history.

In a small village with nowhere to go, such discord when unity was crucial spelled disaster.

After much deliberation, the path chosen by the elder of that time was to place all responsibility on the gumiho.

Over generations, they erased the Mandate of Heaven from the foxes' minds and instead ingrained the idea that the Pink Fox was a yokai that brought curses.

They claimed the reason for their confinement in White Cloud Valley was because of the Pink Fox.

Thus, all that remained was the Pink Fox, branded a criminal the moment she awoke from her seal. By using the powerless young gumiho as a scapegoat, peace returned to the village.

Karami clicked his tongue mentally.

In any case, this really doesn't sit well with me.

A fox doing the same thing as the Third Hokage, walking around leaning on a ninjutsu staff. Is it fox magic because he's a fox? Whatever.

Unlike Harold who had his circumstances, the fox people of White Cloud Valley were undeniably trash, no need to consider otherwise.

Karami wanted to just leave them to their fate, but one can't always live as they please in this world.

"What will you do? We're rather pressed for time and must leave soon. If the excuses continue, we'll be on our way."

"…What do you want?"

The elder cautiously probed, eyeing Karami warily. But Karami shook his head exaggeratedly and said otherwise.

"It seems you still fail to grasp the situation. You know full well that if we leave, all of you will become yokai food, right? It's not about what we want. You should be begging, 'Please save us.'"

"…"

He was right. Since the gumiho's disappearance from White Cloud Valley, the fox people had been facing life-threatening situations almost daily.

Moreover, now that she had returned as a five-tailed fox, they had no way to keep her from leaving. If Rin left, their demise was certain.

They lacked the ability to escape to the outside world while evading the yokai. There was no other way to save their clan.

After a long, tense silence, the fox elder finally bowed his head.

"Please. We don't want to die. We didn't want things to be this way. Why must we, who have done nothing wrong, bear the sins of our distant ancestors?"

If their ancestors hadn't rebelled against the heavens, if they had lived contentedly without greed, they wouldn't have been confined to White Cloud Valley like this.

The elder resented his ancestors and begged for sympathy, but Karami sneered at the pathetic excuse. Maybe it was because they were foxes, but they were terribly good at playing the victim.

"Don't play the victim now. Didn't you pin everything on Rin, who knew nothing?"

"We had no choice. If we hadn't done that, we would have all perished."

"What disgusting rationalization. If it were me, I would have achieved a much better result."

"That's because you weren't there at the time—"

"Enough excuses. Let's get to the point."

Even though a much younger human was being so disrespectful, the elder could do nothing but close his mouth and listen.

"The being threatening the fox people. It's the Ghost Bear outside, correct?"

"That is correct."

The Ghost Bear.

A bear ghost, considered the guardian deity of White Cloud Valley since ancient times. It was the primary reason why the fox people could not leave.

It fed on the spiritual energy of the mountain and was a massive 40 meters tall. Its breath contained a strange power that lingers in the air without dissipating.

That breath becomes the mist that covers White Cloud Valley.

Well, this leaves a bad taste in my mouth.

Karami suddenly felt disgusted at the thought of breathing in bear breath with every inhale.

Anyway, the goal was for Rin to defeat the Ghost Bear. By doing so, they could free the fox people from their fate of death.

Of course, he had no intention of doing this for free.

"We will take care of the Ghost Bear for you. However. There are two conditions."

So we're getting to the main point now.

The elder swallowed hard, unable to guess what demands he might make.

"First. Reveal to everyone what kind of existence Rin truly is. Including the Mandate they bear."

"…And the second?"

"I believe there's a shrine underground that only the fox elder knows about."

"How in the world did you…?"

The elder was shocked, almost to the point of fainting. And rightfully so. It was strange, was it not? He said there was a shrine only the fox elder knew about, yet this very outsider human was aware as well.

There was indeed a secret shrine under the fox den that no one knew about. Only the elder was aware of its existence, passed down from elder to elder.

"Let Rin enter that shrine. That's my second condition."

He even seemed to know perfectly well the reason for the shrine's existence.

How in the world?

The elder, who at first merely thought the man before him was someone to be wary of, now felt fear beyond wariness. It was clear that if he accepted his proposal here, something irreversible would happen.

"Will you accept or will you not? We don't have time."

But the elder wanted to live.

He was true to his survival instincts.

"I will accept the first condition. But the second…"

"Why? Is it not possible?"

"I judge that the gumiho's power is still insufficient. Even if she finds the shrine in her current state, she will be unable to make its power her own and may end up berserk instead. If that happens, there is no point in accepting your proposal."

"So you won't show it to her?"

"It's not that I won't show it. Defeat the Ghost Bear first. If she is able to defeat the Ghost Bear, it will prove she has at least the minimum qualifications."

The elder's expression was resolute as he said this. Even the elder who had immediately lowered his tail when his life was at stake seemed determined not to budge on this point.

So it's come to this, as expected.

The elder's refusal was within Karami's expectations.

In the original story, to raise Rin into a proper gumiho, they had to return to White Cloud Valley. Until those who failed to uphold the Mandate died.

It was a time-limited quest, so to speak. Rin had to be grown before then.

When her growth stagnated as a five-tailed fox, they had to return to White Cloud Valley, and receive the elder's request to defeat the Ghost Bear. Only then would they be allowed to enter the shrine as a reward.

However, he had information. The degree of freedom was incomparably higher than in the game. This meant new options that didn't exist before were now available.

He thought if they could obtain the fortuitous encounter beforehand, they could defeat the Ghost Bear much more easily, so he tried to get it first, but they said no.

"Hmm, I suppose there's no choice if you're going to be so stubborn. Alright. Then let's accept the first condition for now, and we'll take the second after everything is over."

***

The fox elder gathered all the villagers in the small square, revealing the long-hidden truth:

Rin's true identity.

Why they were in White Cloud Valley.

The reason for the recent increase in misfortunes.

What would happen if Rin disappeared.

Their lives were in Rin's hands. As this realization dawned, the fox people were thrown into a state of shock.

"It's a lie, isn't it…?"

One of Rin's main tormentors looked at the elder, their mouth twitching. The elder avoided their gaze, lowering his eyes slightly.

It meant it wasn't a lie, but the truth. Naturally, all eyes turned to Rin.

"Calamity Fox… no, Rin? You won't abandon us, right?"

"C-Come on~ We're family, aren't we? There's no way you would do that. Right? Let's eat meat together from now on! Animal liver is delicious, you know."

"She'll defeat the Ghost Bear for us, won't she? That means she'll get us out of this place."

The foxes approached Rin with sly smiles like courtiers flattering a king.

Rin felt uneasy watching them grovel before her. An unstoppable whirlpool of conflicting emotions was churning within her.

Those who had treated her as a calamity now acted as if she were their messiah. All because she had grown a few more tails.

Could perception really change as easily as flipping your hand over?

It was unpleasant.

She wanted nothing to do with them.

In a flash, Rin leapt away, disappearing into the village.

"What? Where's she going? She's not leaving, is she? She has to defeat the bear first!"

"She wouldn't do that, would she? After all, we'd die if the Calamity Fox left, but she's survived this long thanks to us not driving her out and sharing potatoes with her all the time. If she has any conscience, she should help us in return."

"That's right, isn't it? We're practically family, she wouldn't abandon her heavenly bonds, would she?"

Watching them reassure each other, Karami sighed. Living in this isolated village, interacting only among themselves, it seemed they had failed to grasp basic decency.

Karami went in the direction Rin had disappeared, finding her crouched in a corner of the village where no one else was around.

"What's wrong? Is something bothering you?"

Even though he had come right up next to her, Rin's gaze remained fixed on the cold ground.

"Those who ignored you and tried to drive you out now need you. You hold the lives of those who tormented you in your hands. Aren't you pleased?"

"This isn't what Rin wanted. Rin wanted to be treated as a fellow fox, as family…"

Rin had always watched from afar. She saw the foxes laughing and getting along with each other, envying it and dreaming that one day they would treat her the same way.

But their current attitude wasn't how one treated family. They merely saw her as a tool to sacrifice herself for their sake.

Rin, who had truly hoped they would see her differently, felt an indescribable disappointment.

"Hmm, it seems Rin is fixated on the concept of family."

"That's…"

"Rin, did you know that family isn't really all that special?"

"Huh?"

Rin's ears perked up.

Karami's lips curled into a sly smile, befitting a slave trader with ulterior motives.

"Did you choose to live with them because you wanted to? No. You just found yourself with them when you became aware. It's the same for them. Family is a relationship where no one's will is involved. Just like the Mandate of Heaven."

Children can't choose their parents, nor parents their children. Even if it's a child they gave birth to, they didn't specifically choose that child—it just happened to be that child when they had one.

"People often say that we're stuck in these relationships whether we like it or not. Even if we didn't choose it, even if we don't like it, we have to stick together. It sounds uncomfortable just imagining it, doesn't it?"

"…"

"But the people we meet in life are different. I choose who I want to be with, and those who want to be with me choose me. With the feeling of 'Ah, I want to be with that person.' Just like how I chose Rin."

Rin lifted her head slightly.

"A relationship that doesn't form unless both parties choose it. A bond created by our own will, not fate. Isn't that beautiful? I believe this kind of relationship is even closer than family. What do you think, Rin?"

Rin thought for a moment.

Karami, a stranger who cared for her.

The fox people, family who only looked out for themselves.

The choice was clear.

"Rin thinks the same as Master. Rin likes Master more than those people. Rin wants to be with Master."

"Then is there really a need to be recognized as family by them? You only need to look good in my eyes. Because Rin is my slave, and a slave only needs to look good to their master."

It was absolutely correct.

She only needed to live up to the expectations of the master who had picked her up that day. The well-being of the fox people had never been a consideration from the start.

Their master-slave relationship transcended family ties.

Having sorted out her thoughts, Rin stood up, brushing off her bottom.

"Rin will catch the bear."

Everything is for Master.