I was a Nine-tailed Fox.
Several hundred years had passed since I was first born into this world.
I had always lived freely.
Nothing bound me.
Or so I believed.
About a century ago, I decided to have a child on a whim.
The child was meant to be my other half, yet I did not consider her particularly important at the time.
Still, I was not so cold-hearted as to abandon her where she lay, so I entrusted her care to a nearby human village.
The price I paid was my Divine Protection.
It was a more than generous reward.
From then on, it became my habit to visit her about once a year.
It was a bother, but it did not feel unpleasant.
Perhaps it was also because the village I had entrusted her to had come to worship both my child and me.
Everything changed this year.
The village I had left her with was destroyed.
In just one year?
Impossible.
What had happened to my Divine Protection?
Had it truly been shattered?
And what of my child!
The moment those thoughts crossed my mind, a dark emotion welled up from the depths of my soul.
Before I knew it, I was trading blows with the Undead King.
I eventually called a truce with the Undead King.
It was only because I recognized his face.
He seemed to have forgotten me, though...
Ah, perhaps I was the one who had forgotten.
Hahaha.
It was not amusing.
It turned out that someone had kidnapped my child.
Since the Undead King promised to retrieve her, I returned to the ruins of the village and waited.
...
A village that had been so prosperous was gone so easily.
According to the undead, it was the work of a Hero.
Truly, they never did anything good.
I could not forgive this.
If they were only causing chaos in the world, I might have looked the other way, but to shatter my Divine Protection and harm those under my aegis...
Tearing them limb from limb would not have sufficed.
I would make them suffer in Eternal Purgatory.
Ah, no, that would not do.
I was nearly consumed by dark emotions again.
Hurry, Undead King.
I did not know how much longer I could maintain my composure.
The Undead King kept his promise.
Yes.
Truly magnificent.
My child, Hitoe.
Were you safe?
Was it a frightening experience?
I see, I see.
There were people here who took care of you.
Yes, I shall thank them myself.
Immediately?
I wished to, but the Undead King was on the verge of collapse.
He was undead, so he likely would not die, but if I pushed him any further, it would have taken forever for him to recover.
Undead King.
Rest until tomorrow.
I shall protect you until then.
"I thank you for protecting my daughter."
The place the Undead King guided me to was a certain village.
This was... the Forest of Death.
To think anyone would settle in such a terrifying place.
The residents... undead, winged ones, horned ones, high elves, and lizardmen—they were quite a collection of powerful warriors.
They even kept Horned Wolves and spiders.
How eccentric.
However, the truly terrifying ones were the Dragon Race.
The Gate Guardian Dragon and... the Calamity.
I had traded blows with the Calamity a few times in the past.
Hm?
There were familiar faces.
Members of the ancient Devil Race.
Did they remember our old rampages?
Hahaha.
We destroyed a kingdom back then, did we not?
No, was it that we sank a continent?
Was I exaggerating?
It was only about half of one.
No, no.
I was getting carried away by the first banquet I had attended in a long while.
This delicious sake was to blame.
One more cup.
The food was good, but the sake was excellent.
Oops, my child...
What, was she playing with the kittens?
Very well.
Let her do as she pleased.
Pardon me, but another cup of sake.
I will take it in that large vessel over there.
The banquet continued, but all things must end.
Once the Undead King woke up, it was time to depart.
However, I could not return yet.
If I left now, would I not have simply been a guest who enjoyed their hospitality?
I had to repay the favor for the care they gave my child.
I thought I could decide what to do once I arrived, but the village was already quite well-equipped.
In that case, should I grant my Divine Protection?
No, a Hero had already broken it once.
To counter such a threat...
How about I lived here and protected them myself?
Oh, was that not a grand idea?
When I proposed this, the Undead King led me outside.
What was this?
Eh?
I was misunderstanding something?
What did he mean?
That Village Head?
Let’s see... ah, the man who was often coddling my child and the kittens.
I sensed a bit of Divine Aura from him, but...
He appeared to be a mere human.
"That is where you are mistaken. He is stronger than you."
"Nonsense."
"Is that so? Then, let us make a bet."
"A bet?"
If I fought the Village Head and won, it was my victory.
If the Village Head won, it was the Undead King's victory.
The winner could give the loser one order—anything at all.
How foolish.
Was the outcome not obvious?
...
Why was the Undead King looking at me with such pitying eyes?
Could it be that the Village Head was actually strong?
...I would not be careless.
I would not be careless, yet my intuition told me everything would be fine.
Hmph.
I would play along with this child's play.
I faced the Village Head from about fifty meters away.
As expected, my intuition gave no warning.
If I so desired, this distance might as well have been non-existent.
He was a weakling I could kill in an instant.
Besides, the Village Head seemed reluctant to attack me.
I supposed as much.
He did not look like the type capable of killing his own kind.
I found that quality agreeable, but it also made him seem unreliable.
However... at this rate, the bet would never be settled.
I returned to my beast form.
Now it should have been easier for him to ready a weapon against me.
What!
Suddenly?
I felt a sudden wave of regret for even standing there.
Terror.
My instincts screamed at me to flee.
W-What was I facing?
Was he not just a human?
This pressure...
What was that spear?
Where did he produce it from?
Hey, do not just stand there dazed!
I had to bolster my defenses!
Since it was a spear, it was a physical attack.
Eighteen layers of Anti-physical Barriers.
I would not be careless.
As a countermeasure against magic, I added twenty-two layers of the highest rank for every attribute.
A total of forty layers in a Multi-layered Barrier.
It was the strongest shield I possessed.
With this shield, I could even block a dragon’s breath.
Furthermore, I was constantly enveloped in seven layers of Universal Barriers.
What was there to fear?
I told myself to be calm.
I had to go on the offensive.
My greatest attack...
What I saw next was the Village Head’s gaze shifting from my face to my leg.
I did not even have time to wonder why.
The spear he threw shattered my strongest shield and blew my right leg clean off.
Wh...
However, I used the magic power stored in my tails to activate Super Regeneration on the stump.
I was surprised by that attack, but throwing his only weapon was a foolish move!
And he would soon regret not aiming for my face!
Then I saw it—the Village Head was already readying a second spear.
...
By any chance, could he produce an infinite number of those things?
I lowered my head.
I believe it was the first time since my birth.
I was begging for forgiveness.
No, no, I had no ill will toward the village.
That proposal was made with the village’s best interests at heart.
Even though my child was saved, I would never have dreamt of doing anything so cruel.
I truly meant it.
I also apologized for my poor choice of words.
I had never even considered that someone so strong existed that my protection was unnecessary.
I begged him to forgive my insolence.
Undead King, you too!
Come now, you must defend me.
Payment for the bet?
I knew.
I had not forgotten.
So, please.
In conclusion, the Village Head was a man who could be reasoned with.
Phew.
I returned to my human form and was led back to the village by the Undead King.
No, no, I was truly sor—wait?
What was this?
What were these threads binding me?
I could not break them?
Eh?
No way...
I nearly screamed.
Wait, what, why?
The Spider Queen...
And she was absolutely furious.
I do not wish to speak of what happened after I was dragged into the village dungeon.
I will only report that I exhausted most of the magic power stored in my tails and that I would be unable to move for a while.
Also, that pack of Horned Wolves.
That was not fair.
Total foul play.