Chapter 96: Walking at Dawn
Since ancient times, foxes have been famous for being cunning animals in both the East and West.
There was the saying that a fox borrows a tiger’s power, Aesop’s fable of the old lion and the fox, and so on.
The fox people who inherited these clever traits were no exception, and of course, this included the gumiho. She felt no need to humor Hilde.
As a being who considered herself a proud fox, she extremely disliked associating with lowly beings.
So as soon as Hilde set foot in the Celestial Pavilion, she cast an illusion.
Flowers in the mirror, moon in the water.
The illusion spell, Mirror Flower Water Moon.
It wasn’t difficult to use with the Lunar Eye and spiritual power filling in for her lacking strength. The illusion nearly shattered from Hilde’s lion roar.
It would have broken if she had noticed it was an illusion and roared to break it. But well, she failed because she never realized the truth until the end.
Hilde paid dearly for not escaping the illusory space and was laying collapsed, unconscious on the ground without putting up much resistance.
The gumiho pressed down firmly on the back of Hilde’s head, contemplating what to do.
“Should I suck out her esssencee~”
Though brutish, she seemed quite strong. Absorbing her essence would significantly help in recovering power.
Just as the gumiho was about to absorb Hilde’s essence.
“Ah, that won’t do.”
Karami’s voice rang out and the gumiho’s movements stopped, glancing at him with displeasure.
“Why? Wouldn’t it be good for you too if she disappeared?”
“No matter how much of a brute she is, if a princess of a nation suddenly vanishes overnight, the kingdom would be in chaos. How could that be good?”
“If we let her go like this, won’t she just attack again? Sorry, but I’m not interested in meaningless fights.”
“That’s true, however, she will have to obey if I command her. Well, even if it doesn’t come to that, I do have something else in mind.”
Karami smiled at Hilde, chuckling softly at the deeper meaning behind his words.
***
“Ugh...”
Hilde regained consciousness, opening her bleary eyes. Her head was spinning like she had severe motion sickness, and she pressed her hand to her forehead.
What’s going on...?
She clearly remembered going to the Celestial Pavilion for the duel. But wasn’t this a guest room in the Celestial Pavilion? She wondered why she was lying in bed, and moreover.
“Are you awake?”
Karami, sitting in a chair beside the bed, spoke to her. He had been reading a book.
“Cafe boss man...?”
“You woke up faster than expected. Big Rin said you wouldn’t wake up for a whole day, but I guess that’s because you’re a princess.”
Hilde blinked silently for a moment, unable to grasp the situation, then suddenly sat up. The hazy memories that felt like a dream began to come back clearly.
The memory of being caught while just punching thin air, trapped by some strange magic.
“Where is that gumiho bitch?!”
“Probably talking with the Celestial Fox? They seemed to have a lot to discuss.”
“How dare she pull that shit on me and then leisurely chat? That bitch is fucking dead.”
Hilde roughly threw off the blanket and was about to dash out of the room when.
“Whoa, don’t move so recklessly.”
Click.
As she tried to rush out, Hilde’s body froze in place. One hand stretched towards the doorknob, one foot on the ground in an awkward stance. Considerably flustered, Hilde examined her own state.
Read lat𝙚st chapters at fɾeewebnoveℓ.co๓ Only.
“W-What. Why is this happening?”
Did the gumiho do something strange? Her body wasn’t listening to her, as if under some binding spell.
“It would be troublesome if you thrashed about too much. Why don’t you sit down calmly for now?”
“What the fuck? Do you not see who I am? How dare you─ Huh?”
Despite the curses coming out of her mouth, Hilde obediently sat on the bed in a demure posture she would never normally take.
It was an alien sensation, as if her body wasn’t listening to her but following someone else’s commands. Hilde’s confusion climbed another step.
“What’s going on? Why is my body like this?”
“Why you ask? Is there a slave in this world who doesn’t listen to their master?”
“What bullshit are you saying? Why am I your slave? Have you really lost your mind?”
“Hmm, this slave seems to have high strength stats but low intelligence...”
“You lowborn bastard!”
Just as Hilde was about to swing her fist, intending to smash Karami’s head entirely.
“Stop.”
Once again, Hilde froze in place.
“Sit.”
She hesitantly lowered herself and crouched on the floor in a waiting position.
“W-What the hell is happening...?!”
Hilde tried with all her might to break free but couldn’t budge an inch. Looking down at her with a relaxed smile, Karami, legs crossed, extended his hand.
“Hand.”
“What the hell do you think you’re─”
Thud.
Hilde placed her hand on top of Karami’s. Karami’s lips curled up into a smirk.
“Other hand.”
Thud.
“Uh... huh?”
Only then did Hilde realize something was terribly wrong. Karami nodded with a satisfied expression.
“Your mouth is foul, but your body is honest. It seems this slave is the tsundere type. Still, I don’t like cursing, so I will have to give you a much-needed correction.”
A way to subdue Hilde without taking her essence.
Nothing beats making her a slave.
Just put on the soul shackles, give orders, and it was done.
But truthfully, he didn’t like forcibly making someone he disliked into a slave. It couldn’t be helped for story slaves, but otherwise, he didn’t carelessly use force.
However, Hilde was a rare exception.
Every time I think about my pet dog cafe that closed because of her, I feel like crying... sob.
Personal feelings.
And one more reason.
I’ve never raised her as a slave before.
Though she was the princess of Vestia, Hilde was merely Obstacle #1 hindering Rin’s liberation. She was a frequently appearing extra, but it was completely impossible to make her a slave.
As a slave maniac who had raised every slave possible, how could he pass up this opportunity?
Hilde, who had fallen from the princess of a kingdom to a slave in an instant, seemed unable to accept reality, her eyes trembling in shock.
“It seems you still can’t believe it. Don’t worry! It must be truly shocking, but I know very well how to strengthen the bond between master and slave.”
Karami pulled out a leash from his pocket.
Hilde looked up anxiously.
“Shall we go for a walk?”
***
Fucking hell, fuck, fuck, WHAT THE FUCK!!!
At dawn when people were still asleep.
Hilde swallowed curses past her throat as she walked the quiet streets.
There was nothing unusual about this. Hilde, who became restless if she stayed still, often roamed the city whenever she had the chance.
When bored, she would beat up hyena beastkin scavengers, or hang sleeping sloths from the top of towers to watch the next morning.
But Hilde’s walk at dawn today was particularly awkward.
First, her field of vision. It was so low that it might be exactly like the view of a baby who had just learned to walk.
Second was her position. The number of body parts touching the cool pavement wasn’t two, but four. She crawled using her two arms like a beast, like four legs.
Lastly,
“The cool breeze at dawn really feels nice, wouldn’t you agree?”
She had a companion.
That companion was, of course, Karami. In his hand was a leash, and that leash was connected to Hilde’s neck.
Princess Hilde was crawling on all fours through the streets.
Walking is the most excellent way to increase affection with slaves, especially beastkin slaves. There’s no better interaction for imprinting the master-slave relationship in their minds.
“Just wait until this magic wears off. I’ll tear you apart alive!”
Of course, there are occasionally fierce slaves, but that’s even better. Isn’t taming them the essence and best part of slave raising?
Karami was only delighted by the growling Hilde.
“Should you be shouting like that? Someone might hear the noise and come. Look, there’s someone ahead.”
“What...?”
In front of an inn.
A man smoking a cigarette, getting some air because he couldn’t sleep. No tail or ears, so he was human.
“Ugh!”
She couldn’t let anyone see her in such a humiliating state. Hilde tried to change direction, but Karami pulled on the leash.
“Now, now, where are you going? The path is this way.”
“H-Hey, wait a minute...!”
Despite her resistance, Karami dragged her towards the man. The man, who had been looking up at the moon while smoking, turned his head at the presence.
“Hm? Who’s there?”
“Oh my, I apologize for startling you. I was just taking my slave for a walk.”
Karami raised the hand holding the leash as if to show off. The man’s gaze followed the leash down. On the ground was a beastkin walking on all fours.
She seemed very shy, as her face wasn’t visible with her head pressed to the ground.
“Seems like a shy slave.”
“Yes, I recently made her my slave. We are currently working on improving our bond.”
“What kind is it? Looks like a cat, but if I look closely, it also resembles a lion...”
Lions, also known as the king of beasts, reign as the rulers of Vestia. If it was a lion beastkin, it meant royal blood flowed in their veins.
Does that mean this slave has royal lineage? Surely such an absurd thing couldn’t be possible.
But she’s female, and her fur happens to be black. Her appearance seems to be in her 20s, similar to Princess Hilde of Vestia. She does look like a lion beastkin...?
As the man stared intently, Karami laughed out loud.
“Haha, a lion? How could that be? She’s just a cat.”
“Hmm, I suppose you’re right.”
The man quickly accepted this.
Hilde’s infamy is well-known even in other countries. How can someone like her be a human’s slave? That’s nonsense.
“Would you like to pet her?”
“I do like beastkin, but won’t she scratch?”
“Haha, don’t worry. My cat doesn’t bite.”
“Hmm, then don’t mind if I...”
The man crouched down and gently stroked Hilde’s head. Her hair was smooth and soft, indicating she was well-cared for.
“Oh, it seems the master cherishes her quite a bit.”
“A master should naturally treasure their slaves.”
“You really found a good master. Be sure to listen well to your master from now on.”
The man chuckled and stroked her head without much thought.
It was fortunate he couldn’t see Hilde’s face as she kept her head lowered.