“This is quite a mistake, even if it’s a mistake for a long time!”
Silvia, who was standing absentmindedly, was startled.
The old man suddenly got excited and approached her closely.
“… Yes?”
“Take a look at this! It’s a young fox spirit, but isn’t its tail nine tails?”
The old man, who was said to be a deity from the eastern continent, blinked his eyes eagerly and pointed at the fox.
Silvia looked down at the injured fox.
Nine tails were shining with silver fur.
The reason the knight Silvia, from the western continent, sought out the deity from the eastern continent was because of those tails.
It seemed certain that it was a spirit from the eastern continent, but it didn’t feel right to dispose of it immediately.
Silvia was a keen knight.
Indeed, the old man’s face became serious as he wondered if it wasn’t an ordinary spirit.
“A fox spirit is born with one tail and grows one more every hundred years. The number of tails is equal to the spirit’s strength.”
“A hundred years? Then nine tails mean….”
“A nine hundred-year-old fox spirit. They call it a Gumiho.”
(Note: “Gumiho” is a Korean term for a mythical nine-tailed fox.)
Silvia shook her head.
“But this fox isn’t a cub, is it?”
“That’s the problem, that’s what!”
The old man’s face, with mushrooms sprouting, sank into deep thought.
“If a cub fox is born with nine tails, then what would be the identity of the mother who gave birth to a Gumiho?”
Silvia remained silent. She had no idea.
Dealing with animals from the eastern continent smuggled into the western continent was already a headache.
Among them, the worst were the spirits.
This fox spirit was also one of the items prepared to be sold to eccentric nobles.
Because the item was a spirit, only a knight could handle the situation.
If even one strong spirit were exposed, ordinary knights would not be able to withstand it.
“Unless it’s a celestial fox, a cub Gumiho wouldn’t be conceived. The mother must be a celestial fox.”
“What’s a celestial fox?”
“A celestial fox, after refining its skills for a thousand years and connecting with the heavens, becomes a celestial fox. A divine being.”
As the unfamiliar words continued to flow, Silvia’s complexion clouded.
The old man cleared his throat and switched to a Western style of speaking.
“It’s like a unicorn.”
Silvia’s eyes widened.
“A unicorn? A guardian horse?”
“Yes. What would happen if one were to recklessly interfere with divine creatures? Divine punishment would follow!”
“So, what should we do? Should we release it?”
“Nonsense!”
The old man exclaimed in alarm.
“This creature was born from the essence of a divine being, but its origin is that of a spirit! If released, it would mercilessly prey on people from the western continent!”
The more they conversed, the more splitting headaches surged through her head.
“If we kill it, we’ll face divine punishment, but if we release it, people will die. Then what should we do?”
“That’s why I said it’s a big mistake.”
Silvia lost her words and remained silent.
The old man, gazing into her green eyes, took a long breath.
It was as if he were inhaling the clean and pure fragrance emanating from her soul to discern whether it was genuine or not.
Suddenly, an amused expression crossed the old man’s face.
“What’s your name?”
Once a maiden who communicated with spirits but was exiled from the eastern continent due to her sins, the old man now asked for her name, and despite not being a maiden anymore, Silvia felt an undeniable force in the old man’s hoarse voice that compelled her to answer.
“You’re asking for my name, aren’t you?”
She reluctantly replied.
“Silvia.”
“I see. Silvia. Listen carefully to what I’m about to say.”
The old man spoke meaningfully as he looked down at the panting Gumiho.
“Raise this creature until it reaches maturity and then take it back to the eastern continent.”
“…Raise it?”
“Beings that can take on human form are spirits, incredibly mysterious entities. They hold a similar significance to the dragons of the western continent.”
“…”
“Depending on how it’s raised, it could become a servant of the heavens or a demon of hell.”
The old man’s eyes flickered with a mysterious light.
“Listen carefully. When you go to the eastern continent, you must leave this creature behind and return. If you want to live peacefully as you do now, that is.”
“Live peacefully as I do now?”
There was something curious in the old man’s words, but Silvia’s attention was elsewhere.
“Then won’t the people of the eastern continent suffer?”
The old man chuckled bitterly.
He seemed to have anticipated her asking that question.
“No. It will find its way to the traces of the celestial fox ascending to the heavens. Then its mother will come to fetch it.”
“…”
“Silvia.”
She met his gaze as if enchanted.
The old man’s clear pupils reflected her like a mirror.
“You must raise this spirit yourself.”
“…”
“I don’t want to see the cub of a celestial fox become a demon of hell, so follow my words. Understand?”
She wanted to ask why it had to be her, but she couldn’t bring herself to speak.
She couldn’t offer any response.
And the old man, as if expecting this, lifted the iron cage containing the Gumiho and placed it in her arms.
It was a signal to take it away quickly.
She carefully wrapped a cloth around the bars of the cage to avoid irritating the Gumiho’s wounds.
Although this alleyway reeked of foul odors and wasn’t frequented by anyone, she could still encounter people if she were unlucky.
“Thank you.”
Silvia checked meticulously to ensure that everything was covered before turning around.
“This matter will be compensated….”
Before she could finish her sentence, her eyes widened.
There was no one in the alley.
She stood there, looking around nervously.
The old man was nowhere to be seen, leaving Silvia alone.
She shivered unexpectedly. It felt strangely cold, for some reason.
It was as if the adventurous spirit of the maiden had entered and left her body.
***
That day, Silvia had a strange dream.
A man was holding her from behind in the dream.
No, could it be said that he was embracing her?
One hand was around her waist, the other around her shoulder, veins bulging on his blue-tinged arms.
It was an embrace that felt almost like a restraint.
The man, towering over 170 centimeters, seemed massive compared to Silvia, who fit snugly in his embrace.
He was so bear-like in stature that Silvia, who was held tightly against his broad chest, felt as small as a needle.
She tried to squirm free but couldn’t move at all.
It wasn’t human strength.
That was the only thing certain.
“You taught me, didn’t you?”
The baritone voice, pulled from the depths of her memories, swept over her.
Silvia trembled involuntarily.
Her hot breath dispersed into the air. She could sense the man slowly smiling into her mouth.
“I have instincts,” he said.
His smoldering lips traced an intoxicatingly deep melody.
He was an enigmatic man who left her speechless.
“Even well-trained dogs have instincts. What about me?”
“You, you’re just mistaken.”
“Where can you find a beast mistaken about its instincts?”
The man whispered affectionately.
“I am more than a beast. Silvia, you know that, don’t you?”
“…”
“Don’t worry. You taught me well. I won’t engage in risky behavior.”
“…”
“But you can’t run away.”
His strong arm tightened around her.
“Help me stay good, Silvia. Stay by my side.”
Forever.
Silvia woke up drenched in sweat from the dream.
