Scyllia worked in the Paladin’s garrison and studied about nine-tailed foxes in her spare time.
「……The little fox monster can transform into a young human from the year it turns 10, and becomes an adult at the year it turns 20…」
Scyllia lowered her head as if piercing her nose in a book and read through it.
It was a very precious book that she had obtained from the Eastern continent.
She read the parts about the Nine-tailed fox until it was worn down, but there was a question that was not solved.
‘The Priestess said that Ran will become an adult in a year. Then he must be around 19 years old… Why isn’t he humanizing?’
It’s been quite some time since she has been with Ran, but Scyllia had never seen him transformed into a human.
‘Strictly speaking, Ran is not a fox monster cub.’
Ran was a baby nine-tailed fox. The only one in the world.
‘Is that the reason? I wonder if it’s something different…’
She rubbed her temples and moved on to the table of contents describing the nine-tailed foxes.
Compared to the normal fox monster, things about the nine-tailed fox covered a far shorter amount of text.
Because very little was known.
She slowly turned the page.
「…..Nine-Tailed foxes have a habit of obsessing over having only one companion in their life, so you should never touch their mates when dealing with them. If you accidentally touche their companions, you will have a terrible misfortune on your hands…」
“Nine-tailed foxes are monogamous.”
Scyllia thought it was a little strange.
This is because most monsters and creatures do not have the concept of companionship. Like animals, they met different mates during each breeding season and give birth.
‘Is a nine-tailed fox’s mate, another nine-tailed fox?’
Scyllia gradually fell into a labyrinth.
‘It seems that there are so few individuals that they only appear in legends. Do they live alone until they meet another nine-tailed fox?’
Scyllia was so worried about Ran, that she had completely forgotten that she could dream neither of love nor marriage.
‘I don’t think so, right? They could probably date a fox with two tails.’
But she couldn’t imagine that.
Ordinary monsters had no reason, and when they saw people they wanted to eat them so much that they went wild, rushing to attack.
To say that Ran and such a peculiar existence are in love…The level does not match, so I wonder if they could have a conversation.
Then she suddenly felt skeptical as to why she was even worried about this.
‘Ran will take care of this… Wait. Only one companion in their life? What if the companion dies in the middle?’
Shula, who would sip her tea while watching it, often shook her head.
Scyllia, who had been worrying throughout her working hours, began to educate the little fox as soon as she entered the house without even unpacking.
“Ran, do you understand? A female has to be unconditionally strong. Healthy and strong! Choose a strong female. She’ll live a long life, okay?”
The nodding Ran looked up at her, yawning so much that his little mouth was torn open.
Scyllia ignored all his gestures showing he was about to die of boredom, and never stopped talking with determination.
“Of course, you are already half a Heavenly Beast, so you must choose one that can be compatible. She can’t just be strong. Evil and stupid monsters won’t be a good match. If possible, choose a good guy.”
“Kwan~.”
Ran yawned again.
“Don’t be so bored, look at this.”
Scyllia rummaged through her bag and pulled out a book.
One, two, three…
After looking at the thick books lined up outside the large bag, he had a face that asked her about what she wanted him to see.
As books about monsters piled up like a mountain on both sides, Ran quietly stared at them.
Scyllia was busy finding the page she wanted to show among the many bookmarks she had marked.
The thick hardcover was tattered, and colorful memos could be seen sticking out of the pages.
You must be busy subjugating the monsters that appear in the Empire, when did you buy and study all those things?
Ran looked at the book and looked up at Scyllia.
There were so many books that she was a little lost.
“Ah, I found it.”
She opened the book in front of the column and showed it. Scyllia believed with not an ounce of doubt that Ran could read.
“Here, see?”
“Kyuu.”
“A nine-tailed fox has only one companion in its lifetime.”
“Kyuu.”
Ran was only looking at Scyllia’s face, barely looking at where she was pointing at.
But Scyllia did not notice his tenacious gaze and talked very fervently.
“I heard it’s your instinct. Even if you don’t want to, one female can hold you on a leash. You’ll be imprinted like a little chick.”
“…..”
“So, choose wisely. A good, strong, long-lived companion, all right?”
She gathered her eyebrows in real anxiety worried.
“How sad would it be if your companion died soon? Or if she played with you and threw you away in the middle…”
Ran, who had listened to Scyllia, lowered his eyes and licked his paw with his moist pink tongue. He was very concentrated, as he bend his ears until the back of his head. Ran moved to his other paw, and was licking it eagerly when Scyllia said.
“I can’t. I’m worried about you choosing a companion, will you come to visit me later? I will look after your companion.”
She is now trying to play the hole of mother-in-law. Besides, what’s this all about ‘when choosing a companion’?
A nine-tailed fox does not have the authority to choose a companion. Because it is a realm close to instinct.
Isn’t human love similar to that?
Whether you like it or not, if you are attracted to someone you end up falling in love, just like failing in the water and getting your clothes wet as a result.
The difference between a human and a nine-tailed fox is that they cannot escape from that love forever.
Ran was a puppy, but he knew the difference from birth, much like his hunting instinct, he possessed enlightenment when he came into this world.
Didn’t Scyllia just say something like that? Instinct. That was the right expression.
‘My mother had a monster who was his companion for all her life.’
His father was a 600-year-old snake monster, a colossal snake. Although he died protecting Ran’s mother, he was wiser than humans.
In most cases, when monsters were of different blood, only one of the two races was born.
Ran’s blood followed the fox.
But he would sometimes notice that the snake blood was dormant in him, and snakes were a race known to be as obsessive to their companions as the nine-tailed foxes.
‘Companion….’
Ran suddenly wanted to grow up quickly. He finds it strange that every time he sees Scyllia, his desire to grow up quickly intensifies.
“Did you let the nine-tailed fox wander free in the house?”
At that moment, a sharp voice hummed from near the front door. Ran raised his head and looked at it.
Shula was coming in.
“I asked her to come to examine if you are growing well and if there are no sores.”
Scyllia kindly explained.
Of course, the real purpose was that she wondered if the reason for not humanizing was because of a physical problem. However, the real one was not said and the astonished Shula was left behind and Scyllia brought a cage with his prey.
“How about eating in your room today? You will be uncomfortable here, right?”
An animal knows like a ghost whether it’s liked it or hated.
Ran was like that too. He was offended by Shula, who treated him as a time bomb that could explode at any moment. The rude priest was as hostile to Ran as she was kind to Scyllia.
“Leader. How can you let the nine-tailed fox out of the cage like that?”
“He won’t attack. He has been very gentle.”
Scyllia now knew how to make a loose face in front of Shula.
Shula, staring blankly at her lovely face, grumbled, scratching her red cheeks.
“Anyway, it’s like that but, you are not letting it out of the cage when you sleep, are you?”
“Don’t worry.”
“But that’s a male.”
Shula looked at Ran and licked her dry lips.
“No matter how gentle he is, don’t let your guard too relaxed. Animals follow their instincts. You never know when they might suddenly act.”
Shula made a significant observation of Ran, who was staring intently at Scyllia.
‘It seems true that he has become gentle. But that’s not what I mean to warn…’
Shula’s eyes narrowed.
Unlike Scyllia, who was tactless, Shula was quite sensitive. She had alert eyes to catch any innate instincts and impulses of the male nine-tailed fox.
‘It seems that he has a crush on the Commander.’
Shula came to a conclusion close to the answer.
‘Isn’t he being sneaky right now?’
“Today I brought a chicken that lives only in the Piflos Region. It’s big, right?
Not noticing the tension between Ran and Shula, Scyllia smiled as she held out the cage with his prey. It was hard to believe that she turned into a different person when she went into battle.
“Come on, let’s go to the room.”
Ran quietly headed to Scyllia’s room.
She left the cage with the chickens open and went out into the living room.
The chicken was terrified and frozen like ice. Ran leisurely squeezed the chicken’s body and bit the nape of its neck, sucking life energy.
He tends to satisfy his hunger by chewing the meat after eating the life force of his prey, but he was particularly reluctant to do it today.
‘My spirit is not strong. If I stay like this, I can’t become an adult even after a year has passed.’
Being an adult in the 20th year was the standard for a fox monster that ate human life force.
The only thing Ran ate was animals.
An unknown sense of urgency came close to him as if burning his tail. Even when he was abused by humans, he didn’t want to become an adult so earnestly like this.
‘Why am I so frustrated?’
The mere sight of Scyllia’s face made his heart burst with impatience.
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She would sometimes become pale and lock herself in her bedroom. At that time, she didn’t even let Ran inside.
After a while, she appeared, soaked in a cold sweat, and went into the bathroom to shower.
Scyllia smelled of pain at those moments.
Every time Ran smelled it, he felt terribly hungry.
To the extent that he wants to lick her whole body to eat the smell away.