I was working in the fields when one of Kuro’s pups came to find me.
I wondered what was going on, but it seemed a fox cub had wandered into the village.
A fox?
The word "pest" flickered in the back of my mind, but it isn’t right to judge something before seeing it.
I decided to go take a look.
When I returned to the mansion, Urza and Gral had already arrived, carrying the fox cub between them. It was as quiet as a stuffed animal.
Well, it was flailing its little limbs a bit.
One of the High Ogre maids snatched the cub away and began lecturing Urza and Gral.
The fox cub was quite filthy, and since the girls had been holding it, their clothes were stained pitch black. It made sense they were getting scolded.
"Wait, High Ogre maid," I said. "The way you’re holding it by the scruff looks a bit painful. Please, be a little gentler."
At that stage, I had already pretty much decided to keep the cub. As for a name... since it was a fox, how about Kon? I didn't think it was a bad choice.
"My name is Hitoe," the cub replied.
I was rejected by the cub herself.
Well, if she already had a name, there wasn’t much I could do. But wait—that wasn't the point.
The fox cub had transformed into a human. Specifically, a young girl.
I hurriedly tried to find some clothes for her, but it seemed she couldn't maintain her human form for very long. She immediately reverted to her fox cub state. I figured I would just gather information through brief conversations whenever she transformed, but the need for that vanished quickly.
Progenitor-san arrived, looking absolutely haggard.
Apparently, things had become complicated regarding the Saint, and he was desperate for manpower. While he was explaining the situation, he suddenly froze when he saw Hitoe, the fox cub, frolicking with the kittens.
When I told him she was a fox cub who could take human form, he collapsed on the spot in sheer relief.
Progenitor-san had been searching for a place to settle the Saint. He had scouted several candidates, but most of them had run into some kind of trouble. While he was finalizing preparations at a location that had seemed safe, he was suddenly ambushed by an enraged Nine-tailed Fox.
In terms of raw power, she was apparently on par with Progenitor-san himself.
Unable to ignore a rampaging Nine-tailed Fox, Progenitor-san fought back. After several days of a life-and-death struggle, they reached a ceasefire. The fox had been rampaging because her child had been kidnapped, so Progenitor-san promised to rescue the child to get her to calm down.
Using the followers of the Korin Religion in the area, he identified the kidnappers. To be absolutely sure of success, he brought in Fouche and her subordinates to launch a surprise attack on the enemy’s hideout. They suppressed and captured most of the kidnappers, but they made a mistake at the very end.
The enemy leader used teleportation magic to escape.
It wasn't the convenient sort of teleportation used by Progenitor-san or Beezel; it was a clumsy, hazardous spell where the destination was unknown. It was primarily used as a desperation move to send an opponent somewhere far away.
The leader used that magic on both himself and the child. He used it on himself to flee, but it was assumed he used it on the child out of pure spite.
That spite was incredibly effective. After all, Progenitor-san had given his word to the Nine-tailed Fox that he would rescue her daughter.
Progenitor-san had spent two weeks without sleep or rest, mobilizing the Korin Religion in every region to search for her. But he found nothing.
As he grew increasingly anxious that she might already be dead, he came here to ask for help—only to find the child playing with the kittens. He confirmed her name immediately. There was no doubt; it was her.
After explaining the situation, Progenitor-san left with the fox cub in his arms. It was a good thing she was going back to her mother, but the sudden goodbye felt a bit lonely. The kittens seemed to feel the same way.
The reunion happened the very next day.
"I thank you for protecting my daughter."
A beautiful woman with long black hair stood before me, dressed in what looked like a kimono. Nine large, fluffy tails swayed behind her. She held the fox cub in her arms.
Beside her, Progenitor-san looked like he was about to faint after using his teleportation magic. I told him to go rest while I handled the greetings.
We held a banquet that evening.
The mother fox, the Nine-tailed Fox herself, was named Yoko. She seemed like a very graceful person; it was hard to believe she had fought Progenitor-san to a standstill. I wondered why Lu and Tia wouldn't leave my side, whispering that this was just her "tactic."
"Hmm. This sake and food are quite magnificent. Another cup of this, if you please. Use that larger vessel over there."
She seemed to prefer alcohol over food and proved to be quite a heavy drinker. The Dwarves accepted her as a comrade almost immediately.
Hitoe, the fox cub, ate with the kittens. Her meal was mostly fruit, but she ate meat too. She nibbled on the small pieces of meat that the High Ogre maids had cut up for her.
Yoko turned out to be an acquaintance of Bulga and Stifano. Apparently, they had gone on rampages together in the past. She blushed and called it a youthful indiscretion, but I couldn't even begin to imagine the scale of their "fun" based on their stories. The claim about turning an entire kingdom into scorched earth had to be an exaggeration, right?
Draim, who seemed to know Yoko, sat in a distant seat with a troubled expression, while Hakuren boldly took a spot directly across from her. She was already talking about how Yoko would be the perfect opponent to test her skills against. I had to tell her not to start any fights in the village or the forest.
As for Rusty... her time was drawing near, so she skipped the banquet to rest. It was almost time. I hoped the baby would be born safely.
The large banquet was only on the first day, but smaller gatherings continued after that. I thought we would keep it up until Progenitor-san recovered, but it took him a while to bounce back.
"I honestly thought about sleeping for a hundred years," he said when he finally woke up.
That was a terrifying thought. I suppose it was lucky he woke up after only five days. We held the banquet for one more day in his honor, and then it was time for them to leave with the souvenirs I’d prepared.
"Fox cub Hitoe, let's meet again," I said.
"No, I will not be leaving," Yoko interjected. "I shall live here."
Wait, what?
"There are many powerful warriors here. In this place, I can raise Hitoe in safety," Yoko declared. "Therefore, I shall rule this village. You would all do well to work for our sake."
I started to protest, but Progenitor-san stopped me with a smile. He used teleportation magic to take Yoko outside.
"What is this?" Yoko asked. "Do you intend to clash with me again?"
"No, I just thought I should clear things up, as you seem to be laboring under a misunderstanding," Progenitor-san replied.
"A misunderstanding? Me?"
"Yes. What did you think when you looked at the Village Head?"
"He is but a mere human. I feel a bit of a divine aura from him, but... he is no match for me."
"Is that so? Then let's make a bet."
"A bet, you say?"
"Yes, a bet."
"How interesting."
"No, it's not interesting at all. Because I am definitely going to win."
Progenitor-san teleported back, and this time he took me with him. We arrived in a part of the Forest of Death quite far to the west of the village. He asked me to throw the spear that had brought down the Wyvern at Yoko.
"I'm not sure about this..." I hesitated.
"Is my human form in the way? Then how about this!"
Yoko transformed into a gargantuan fox. She was easily ten meters tall. She had nine tails, just as expected, and she could actually run through the air in that form. It was incredible.
"Nine-tailed Fox, it would be better if you moved further away," Progenitor-san warned.
"You tell me to keep my distance? Do not mock me. I fear no human!"
"I see," Progenitor-san said. "Then, Village Head... if you please."
"But still..."
"She says she wants to rule the Village of the Great Tree."
...That would be a problem.
I summoned the spear form of the Universal Farming Tool. I took aim. She was a terrifying-looking fox, but I couldn't bring myself to aim for her head. Instead, I aimed for her leg.
A moment later, Yoko was prostrated before me in a perfect dogeza.
"I am truly sorry for my insolent words and actions!"
Behind her, Progenitor-san looked strangely refreshed.
Well, I did end up throwing the spear. I asked if her leg was okay, and it seemed she was fine. That was a relief. Since she retracted her plan to rule the village, we returned home using Progenitor-san's teleportation.
As soon as we got back, Zabuton tied Yoko up and dragged her away.
I wondered where they were going. Zabuton hadn't shown herself to Yoko until now, and I had wondered why. Perhaps they were old acquaintances? Yoko’s face had turned pale as she was being pulled away.
Hitoe, the fox cub, continued to play happily with the kittens.