The fox’s eyes, crumpled in defiance, grew to the size of a flower lantern.
“how was it? Did you like it?”
‘Ran.’
A forgotten voice came to mind.
‘There will be someone who calls your name.’
Ran.
That was the name that Cheonho, his dead mother, had carved directly into the fox’s soul.
Celia gave Ran the name Ran again.
‘If you meet a person who calls your name, don’t miss it. ‘He was someone who sees your true nature.’
‘What if you guessed my name by chance?’
‘Whether it was a coincidence or not, your soul will tell you.’
“Ran. How was it? Did you like it?”
Celia asked, looking deeply into Ran’s eyes.
Ran couldn’t deny that she didn’t like it.
It was the name of the soul.
It penetrates and spreads deep into the heart.
“You seem to like it.”
What on earth were you?
It was strange from the beginning.
How could a mere paladin recognize and reap the power of the spirit that flows in the blood of a youkai?
How on earth can one did this when one was neither a priestess from the Eastern Continent nor a saint from the Western Continent?
“I thought it suited you well. “There was no one better suited to this name than you.”
‘It was a coincidence. It must be a coincidence.’
Ran narrowed her eyes and refused.
To Celia’s eyes, the kitten seemed to be pouting with its mouth tightly closed.
‘Why were you sulking?’
She invited Ran and handed her some cooled sweet potatoes.
Ran turned his head… … .
‘My nose is fluttering.’
Celia bit the inside of her mouth to suppress laughter, then crushed a sweet potato between her fingertips.
Then, all of a sudden, he shoved it into Ran’s snout.
The fox was embarrassed.
‘Crazy man!’
Although he was still a baby, Ran was a monster. If you apply pressure to her muzzle, her fingers will be cut off.
Ran, who was swearing inwardly that she had no fear, licked Celia’s fingers without realizing it.
Clap clap clap.
Sweet.
As I sucked frantically, my fingers crushed the sweet potato and it came back into my mouth.
“Wow… … .”
Ran grumbled dissatisfiedly and licked her fingers impatiently.
Finally, Celia burst out laughing.
“How could you be so lovely?”
She muttered with a fluffy face and kissed Ran’s head and snout.
“Why were you so cute?”
‘What was he saying now.’
Ran sniffs! She chewed a chunk of sweet potato while blowing her nose hard.
Instead of a sweet potato, Celia felt like putting the entire small spout in her mouth and sucking it.
I didn’t know I would like foxes this much.
It was as if the dam of affection that had been stored up until now had burst and flowed towards the fox as if it had been waiting for it.
It was so lovely, pretty, and precious that I didn’t know what to do.
Because of the silver fur, it felt like I was holding a small silver lump in my arms.
The eyes were also such a gorgeous gold color.
It looked like diamonds were sparkling wildly inside the golden cup.
There was nothing more than a lump of living gold.
The thought of letting go one day already made my heart ache.
‘But you had to let me go. What if you got hurt because of me? If it happens again… … .’
Celia forced a smile.
‘Because just protecting myself was overwhelming.’
She put all her anxieties and fears aside.
‘For now, let’s love each other to our heart’s content. So that you don’t feel regretful when you break up, give plenty… … .’
“cute. Pretty. Lovely.”
Celia, rubbing her cheek against Ran’s fur, murmured happily, and Ran, who had finished eating the sweet potatoes, struggled.
The time of being captured and abused by humans was nearly 20 years.
I felt like I wouldn’t be able to forgive myself if I collapsed like this.
Ran refused Celia to come.
It was hard to accept everything, both the fact that it was getting harder to push away and the fact that I liked it when she called my name.
It couldn’t have entered my heart so easily.
That was not possible.
“You didn’t like it?”
Celia asked in a sullen voice.
Ran just struggled.
Celia put Ran in the cage with upset eyes and closed the cage.
Even though it was just us, it was quite comfortable as there was a fluffy blanket made of high-quality fabric inside.
Ran was stuck in a corner and crouched.
“Sleep well, Ran.”
She said as she set us down near the bed.
“If you had a nightmare, I’ll wake you up. So don’t worry.”
Ran didn’t even pretend to hear.
However, Celia was a paladin who always kept her word.
She repeatedly woke Ran, who had been having nightmares all night, and put her back to sleep by patting her back.
“Shh, it was okay. It doesn’t hurt anyone. Kind… … .”
With that singing voice.
With a gentle hand, Ran’s rejection was overshadowed.
Celia was worried as she headed to the garrison.
‘What was the problem?’
Ran, who I thought was open-minded, has become strange these days.
He reacted fiercely as if he had done it on purpose and did not hesitate to attack.
There was no use teaching them not to do that.
‘Will it ever get better like this?’
Celia encouraged herself not to rush.
It was clear that it was a wound in my heart.
It wasn’t something that could be solved with just a day or two of hard work.
There was nothing I could do except wait and treat Ran with a consistent attitude.
Ran needed time.
‘The problem was the wounds on my body.’
As the number of scratches increased day by day, the members’ eyes were unusual these days.
Maybe it was because she was so cold that it was hard to talk to her, but she had a puzzled look on her face.
“Captain!”
As soon as she left the leader’s residence, a tall man spotted Celia and ran towards her.
She opened her eyes wide.
‘Eric?’
“Sir Eric. “What was going on here?”
Eric’s eyes narrowed as he glanced over her body.
Bright red lines were drawn not only on the neck, but also on the cheeks and the backs of the hands.
Celia calmly opened her mouth, not even noticing the deep furrow between Eric’s eyebrows.
“Weren’t you asking? “What was going on here?”
“Captain.”
“okay.”
“What was going on those days?”
In the end, the question came to an end.
Celia remained silent in embarrassment.
Although he was shocked on the inside, on the outside he looked cold as if he had been asked a presumptuous question.
Of course, Eric was very nervous.
Celia’s bright jade-colored eyes rolled gently.
Eric swallowed dry saliva and added hastily, like a thief with numb feet.
“You keep getting hurt these days, don’t you? “All members were worried.”
“Did you come all the way here to say that?”
You don’t have to worry that much.
That was what he meant, but it sounded like this to Eric’s ears.
How dare you come near my residence for something like that?
If Shula had been nearby, she would have probably said that anyone would have thought she was trying to eat Eric.
“Nothing to worry about.”
A blunt answer was given.
Eric wanted to give up, but he forced himself to press the soles of his feet.
“But didn’t you have scratches on your face? “She feels better than she did yesterday.”
“… … .”
“How about going to a treatment center?”
As Celia stood motionless like a stone, Eric’s voice became earnest.
“Still, there were monsters rampant in the empire, so weren’t you overdoing things?”
“Even if they say there was nothing to worry about.”
“Hey, don’t did that. Yes?”
As Eric quickly noticed, two large knights who were loitering nearby cautiously approached.
Viliato and Rauner swallowed dryly as they looked at Cilia.
He looked like he wanted to quit right away, but Eric was rolling his eyes.
“Weren’t we all vessels of the divine power bestowed by Solar?”
Eric, with his tongue coated in oil, began.
“It was said that the bodies of all ordained priests are temples. How would you be embarrassed?”
“That was a long introduction.”
“Did you ever fight with Priest Shula?”
Biliato and Rauner looked at Eric with rabbit eyes.
The look in his eyes was as if he was truly crazy.
However, Celia was someone who would take care of herself at least in this way.
I couldn’t figure out where I was getting hurt like that.
I had never seen her get hurt during a battle, so it seemed like a personal issue, but it didn’t seem serious.
‘Were you raising wild animals? … .’
Celia was a capable and strong leader, but she was strangely dangerous, so she kept attracting attention.
Anyway, I couldn’t pretend like I didn’t know.
The hierarchy of the Holy Knights was gentler than that of the regular knights.
This was because the only being they respect was Solar, the god of the Western Continent.
It was thanks to him that Eric was able to care for Celia like this.
“It was been over a week since you haven’t visited the priest.”
Either way, Celia had no intention of moving from her seat.
‘I feel uncomfortable being a Shula priest.’
She had never shared a secret with anyone.
Because I endured all the hardships alone.
But when the nine-tailed fox came, I shared a secret with Shula for the first time.
Whatever it was, the first time was bound to be uncomfortable and awkward.
‘What should I say when I meet him? Should I just pretend not to know?’
Shula was the leader of the treatment center.
When the leader stopped by the treatment center, the healing priest who would accompany her was Shula.
I feel like I can’t breathe just thinking about it, but Eric didn’t delay.
“Biliato, Rauner.”
Two knights trembled and held on to Celia’s left and right arms.
The intention was to forcefully drag him to a treatment center.
“Forgave me, Captain.”
“Well, you know I was doing this because I was worried, right?”
I was worried that she would get angry, but surprisingly, Celia didn’t react like a large wax doll.
‘You were surprisingly gentle.’
Eric thought strangely, but played with his feet.
But perhaps because he was in a hurry, Rauner, who was pale, stumbled.
“Ahh!”
Celia was surprised and helped him maintain his balance.
“Were you okay?”
“Huh! Yes, four, four! Fine… … .”
Rauner was shocked when he answered, but then he suddenly looked at Celia from a short distance away and took a deep breath.
