*Whoosh~*
Ellia also arrived at the scene.
However, her mouth went agape as she saw the people who had gathered in the mansion.
Saintess Lunaria and Stella were in front of the gates. Davis was in front of them, and further to the back were Shimei and Everlight staring at each other. Around them were Evelynn, Isabella, Shirley, and many others.
Ellia's mouth remained agape as she didn't know how it came to this mess, especially when they were all silent, simply staring at each other.
"I really didn't expect… that there's an Emperor-Tier Nine Lives Gracious Fox here..."
Saintess Lunaria's voice resounded in a curious yet amused tone.
She let go of Stella's hand and floated past Davis, appearing beside Shimei. She couldn't help but stare at Everlight for a few seconds before her gaze went back and forth between Shimei and Everlight.
The Emperor-Tier Nine Lives Gracious Fox was fifty-percent smaller, possessed a set of nine beautiful tails, and was carved with numerous runic inscriptions of Life Laws all over her body, especially the wings and tails. Just looking at Everlight caused her heart to skip a beat as she appeared to be mesmerized.
However, Everlight was just the opposite.
Her body went stiff, and she didn't dare match gazes with Saintess Lunaria. How could she not know the reason why she was in a concealed space all the time?
Her big eyes moved left and right as though wanting to hide, which was hilarious to watch for Davis and the others but not so much when they understood the weight of this situation.
Even the goofy Stella understood that something was wrong.
She didn't know what to say as she was cheerful when she sensed Saintess Lunaria in the vicinity, causing her to go meet her and bring her here. Surprisingly, her mother's master was warm and didn't put on airs, contrary to what she imagined, causing her to like Saintess Lunaria very much as she absentmindedly walked with her, only now remembering that she should've warned them about the sudden visit.
It wasn't long before Saintess Lunaria jolted out of her reverie and looked around innocently. Her mannerisms were that of a youth, but each of her movements was filled with ripe elegance.
"Could it be that I shouldn't be here…?"
Saintess Lunaria innocently blinked as she saw the stiff expressions of the people around her. One look and she could tell that they didn't want her here or that her being here was bad for them.
"Haha~ Of course not. I wonder what brings Saintess Lunaria here?"
Davis walked over before he stood beside Everlight, caressing her fluffy jade-white fur. Everlight had been suppressing a shiver, but once her Davis was beside her, she quickly turned into a tiny wolf and hopped onto his shoulder, huddling over his neck as her tails wrapped around his neck.
"Well, since I promised you that I would protect your family, I thought it should pay a visit like a responsible person."
"Many thanks~" Davis cupped his hands.
"Nevertheless," Saintess Lunaria placed a hand over her lips behind her veil as she eyed Everlight.
"I never expected a good feast to be present that I might accidentally monopolize and devour it~"
"Hii~"
Saintess Lunaria suddenly flicked her fingers as they turned into a claw, causing Everlight to flinch as she moved back Davis's shoulder and hid behind them.
Meanwhile, Davis was stunned as he never expected Saintess Lunaria to be the playful type. She silently giggled after seeing Everlight's reaction before her gaze gracefully fell on him.
"I presume that this is your doing."
Davis's expression twitched, "I guess so."
Saintess Lunaria seemed to be smiling. She turned around, patting her Nine Lives Gracious Fox.
"Shimei, do you have anything to say to your Empress?"
"I'm… I'm speechless. I thought… an Emperor-Tier Beast of our species would never exist..."
Shimei's melodious voice cracked, appearing to be emotional. When she appeared in the vicinity, she felt her bloodline strangely react, even somewhat heating up. Wanting to check what was going on, she followed the source of this strange aura she felt, wandering around the mansion, and entered.
Perhaps, following the same trail, the Emperor-Tier Beast appeared outside, allowing them to meet. However, the fact that she didn't feel the Emperor-Tier Beast's presence until she was closer meant that the other party was hiding her undulations like now.
"You… who are you? Why are you with a human male?"
Shimei asked with a worried voice, but Davis's brows narrowed.
He appeared to be unamused by that question, but Saintess Lunaria lightly smiled as she gestured for Shimei to stop.
"Don't misunderstand. The Nine Lives Gracious foxes are such pure, virtuous beings that they wouldn't mingle with anyone else other than their own. After all, mixed race is considered impure, not to mention their numbers are extremely low, that if they started inter-breeding, they would go extinct. Other immortal beasts may not care, have some resistance, or even crave other races like dragons, but the Nine Lives Gracious Fox Race considers coupling with other races the cardinal taboo."
"They would find the very thought of it extremely repulsive and would scamper away as soon as they can, but looking at her huddle over you like this and considering she is living in your mansion amidst your women you care so much about, I think it would be safe to consider that she is your woman, no?"
"…"
Hearing Saintess Lunaria's speech, Davis was slightly taken aback before he thought for a moment and opened his mouth.
"Not exactly, but you aren't wrong either."
"…?"
Saintess Lunaria tilted her head softly, "Meaning?"
"Everlight has promised herself to me, but she is still pure-"
"Everlight, you didn't tell me about this taboo. Is it true?"
Davis asked Everlight. He remembered that she did feel repulsed when he first touched her after her transformation, but he never thought it was instinctual to her bloodline itself. At the most, he assumed that it was because her body and soul were not in a coherent state, leading her to reject him, but now, it seemed ingrained in her blood not to be intimate with someone who was not of her race.
"…"
Everlight stayed quiet, even looking away from Davis's gaze.
Her silence was resounding to Davis that he turned shocked.
Considering that she was an Emperor-Tier Beast, he could only imagine how overbearing that repulsive feeling was in her heart and soul, yet after some time of adjusting to her body, she never pushed him away.
"No… I… I overcame it…"
Everlight used her cute tiny paws to hold his cheek and tightly wrapped her miniature tails around his neck.
"And mysteriously enough, after I revived master, I don't feel the repulsiveness as much as I did before that it could be said to be negligible."
She sent him a soul transmission, licking his cheek as she whimpered as though to show she was not repulsed.
'So you were indeed repulsed before that...'
Davis gawked.
He was extremely glad that he didn't touch her around inappropriately. However, he was greatly moved by this fox who stuck to her words and remained extremely loyal that she went as far as to forgo her own biological impulse that told her to stay away from him.
"Everlight… Isn't she the Light Sky Wolf who first bound your relationship with the Starlight Jade Wolf Clan?"
But suddenly, Saintess Lunaria's emerald gaze flickered as she asked Davis, causing the latter's expression to turn wry as he felt that there was no use hiding and that it was better to come clean instead.
"I'm sure Saintess Lunaria can speculate the sequence of events."
"…"
Saintess Lunaria blinked. A few seconds later, her eyes went wide.
Could it be that the reason Everlight had become a Nine Lives Gracious Fox wasn't him but the calamitous treasure he held!?
She had thought his luck allowed him to come in contact with an Emperor-Tier Nine Lives Gracious Fox or lesser in the Grand Beginnings Continent and allowed it to grow here like a few others around him who also seemed to exude Emperor-Tier aura, but it seemed like he turned a wolf into a fox, and a Nine Lives Gracious Fox at that with the help of that calamitous treasure…?
Her gaze turned solemn as she stared at him. Perhaps, it held even a sliver of horror, not knowing how this person was still alive.
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