Chapter 49 Greatest Fox Hospitality!

As soon as Jack and the Old Ghost were alone… "Kid, you can fool that girl, but you can't fool me! The Fate God Cursed you, didn't he?! This is BAD!"

"Hmm? But I even got a cool Title! Not to brag, but I'm the youngest Fate Heretic!" Jack chuckled, even striking a pose.

"…?!?"

Was he for real?!

Just as the Ghost was about to berate the youngster, he suddenly saw the teasing gleam in his eyes. "Wait, that's not all… Don't tell me you actually unlocked an Ability?!"

Jack winked as he gave a summary.

"F-Fate Seeing Eye?! Seriously?! Perhaps completing the Fate Trial somehow unlocked it automatically? Either way, you need to Train that new Unique Skill for sure!"

"Agreed. Where's the best place to start?"

"Home. Gotta be careful with vision abilities; People get angry when you spy on them." The Old Ghost sighed as if remembering painful memories.

Thus the party returned home. But as soon as they crossed the barrier of the Flame Mansion… A couple of half-shaved foxes rushed to them, panicked.

"Woo!" (Master, come quick!)

"Woo!" (Master, Hurry. We can't stall anymore!)

"Woo!" (Visitors, lots of them! They're here for you, Master!)

The foxes cried out one after the other. Jack had barely been gone a day,  but this time frame had been unbearable for them as they had to hide his absence!

Training would have to wait…

Jack rushed to his room, sneaking in by entering a back window. Meanwhile, a procession of warriors carrying treasure chests could be seen out there. Offerings? Perhaps just bait...

"How long have they been there? And what do they want?"

"Woo!" (Right after you left! No idea, Master!)

The more they talked and the less Jack understood. Apparently, they had tried meeting with the flame Lord to no avail… so they had come here instead?

"How did they even go through the Flame Barrier?!"

"Visitor tokens, probably. It allows an audience… Don't tell me the Flame Lord forgot about it and technically made you second in command?" The Old Ghost sighed.

"Isn't this super dangerous?!" Jack exclaimed.

"No, it strips the visitors of all power. They're risking their lives, if anything. Anyway, do you know them? Purple outfits with lightning Ravens, does that ring any bell?"

So they were the Thunder Lord's men, eh?! What did they expect to accomplish by meeting a baby? Were they possibly suspicious of him? It couldn't be… right?!

Either way, Jack knew just how to deal with them!

"Foxes, assemble!" He glanced at them all.

"Good job stalling, but you guys shouldn't forget to be hospitable! Sigh, I can't believe you left them at the mercy of the elements out there! Now, go out and build them a shelter!"

Jack ordered! At first, the foxes were hella puzzled. Elements, what elements?! This place was warm and cozy all year long! But then, a few smart ones realized what he meant.

"Woo!" (I see! How scheming!)

Their Master clearly didn't want to entertain the newcomers, but he wouldn't outright turn them away either, nor "voluntarily" offend the Thunder Lord.

No, they would make them choke with so much hospitality that they'd eventually leave by themselves! That was the start of a bizarre trial for the already very bored visitors.

They were low-key chatting:

"Can't we just leave? This is so damn dull!"

"Shh— You're an ambassador now. Waiting is literally your job! We just need to stick around until we meet the Flame Young Master, that's all!"

"He didn't appear before. Why do you think we'll see him today? Those foxes are obviously wary of us. What if they don't let us meet him?!"

"Hehe, do you really think a kid his age will stay cooped up in his room all day long? No, they'll bring him to get fresh air at some point. That's when we'll strike!"

Jack heard every single word. They had accounted for the foxes and had made sure not to be heard by them… but the Old Ghost could easily bypass this!

"So, they're here for me?"

Jack raised a brow. It didn't seem like they were suspicious of him, nor did they look like they had any murderous intent. Still, they were scheming something!

As for what it was… who freaking cared?! He wasn't about to step into such an obvious trap! No, he simply chuckled as he watched the drama that was about to unfold.

Day 1: Foxes brought the visitors some beds.

Except said beds weren't the soft kind, but hay and branches all strewn together to look like bird nests. The foxes proudly urged the visitors to try their new beds.

It was highly uncomfortable. It was as if they had voluntarily made it as torturous as possible. Then again, looking at their naive mugs, it couldn't be.

Day 2: The foxes brought the visitors "tents".

They actually brought whole bushes from who knows where and showed the soldiers how to use them. "Woo!" (Hide yourself in the middle… It protects from wind and rain!)

Under the insistence of the foxes, a few soldiers had to crawl inside a bush to please their "hosts". The foxes left their tails wagging, knowing they had done a great job.

Day 3: This time, delicacies were brought to the soldiers.

The foxes happily brought tender meat to their visitors. There was just one slight issue, why was it RAW?! A Fire should be the least of worries for the Flame Mansion, right?!

Yet, the tiny creatures just wouldn't leave them alone, so a couple of men soldiered on, faking satisfied noises as they devoured the bloodiest flesh of their lives.

Day 4:  After bedding, housing, and food came… cleaning!

But they didn't bring any water. Nope, it was done animal-style! The foxes showed up and started licking the soldiers clean! Before long, most of them were dripping in saliva!

That's when many started to wonder if the foxes were bloody trolling them. Why was their hospitality so annoying?! Were they trying to help or drive them away?!

They wanted to be angry… but every time they saw the foxes rejoicing at being "helpful", they'd feel at a loss. Besides, starting a war over this was ridiculous! So they endured…

But then came day 5, and everything changed.

After a good meal and a great bath, all that remained was to have LOTS of fun! That day, all the foxes in the Flame Mansion organized a game of Tag… fireball tag!

— Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! —

— BOOM! CRASH! RUMBLE! —

This was the sound of the entire Flame Mansion's topography changing in real-time thanks to a barrage of deadly fireballs. It was a scene from Hell!

The sound of projectiles was so loud that the cries of the "visitors" went completely unheard! It was as if a fiery Apocalypse had suddenly dawned on them!

"P-please stop!"

"What the heck is this?!"

"Men, we retreat, or we're all gonna die!"

The poor leader suddenly had to sound the retreat from enemy territory. They rushed out with their tails between their legs; This place was madness!

As they left the compound, their hearts beat so crazily, many showing slight burns just from the air heating up after fireballs passed near them!

"L-leader… do you think they were trying to drive us out?!"

"I honestly have no damn clue. Those foxes look so dumb; it wouldn't surprise me if they really meant well." He couldn't help but sigh profoundly… what a failure!

As for Jack, he was chuckling at home while petting his foxes. He still had some XP from Fortuna Mountain. "Now, who wants some petting?"

Amidst a blissful sea of foxes, Jack finally had the peace of mind to train, thanks to the intruders being gone. "Activate Fate Seeing Eye!" He mumbled to himself.

That's when the world changed before his eyes…

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Jack Bright (Classless)

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BODY 18 (STR 6/ AGI 6 / RES 6)

SOUL 47 ( MAGIC 10 / SENSE 18 / WILL 19)

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(NEW!)

- Worst Host Ever! ????

- Incredibly Cautious! ????

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