Vol. 14 - Ch. 7 - Request for Silver Fox (?) Subjugation

“Keith, Aria, can I talk to you for a bit?”Shiryoo called out to Keith and Aria. They were practicing magic in the training hall that was built inside Notorius’s building.

“Ah, Shiryoo-san!”

“Yes, what is it?”

“There’s a job I wanted to entrust to you guys.”

“Is it a request!? Please leave it to us!!”

Shiryoo felt a sense of crisis now that Keith and Aria were steadily becoming stronger day by day, so he made it a point to avoid them as much as possible.

It has been a while since they last saw Shiryoo, so both Keith and Aria’s faces lightened up.

“What kind of commission is it?”

“Silver Fox—you have to subjugate that monster.”

“Silver Fox?”

“Is that powerful?”

“Its combat power should be around the level of a D-rank.”

“Then it’ll be an easy win, for sure!”

“However, those foxes have troublesome abilities—they can brainwash and hypnotize you. Those abilities are characteristic of fox-type monsters, so it’s not a skill exclusive to silver foxes only.”

“Ah, Shiryoo-san, you can rest assured then.”

“Yes. I believe we’re qualified enough.”

“That’s because —”

“We’re resistant against hypnosis and illusions.”

“W-What!?”

“It’s true. There’s a forest called “Enchanted Woods,” and unless you’re resistant to illusions, you won’t be able to make it out alive.”

“We’ve been following the adults inside the forest to gather food since we were little kids, so we’ve developed resistance.”

“...S-Seriously?”

Shiryoo was shocked as he listened to them, but in the end, he still relayed the contents of the request to them.

“So, we’re tasked to find the Silver Fox, who disguised itself into a human and is mingling with people, and to subjugate that monster?”

“That’s right. Finding the Silver Fox’s hideout will be a pain in the neck, though…”

“We can use this “Crystal Magic Sight” to look for the fox’s hidden tails.”

Aria peeked into the crystal that Shiryoo handed her. When she tried looking at Shiryoo through the crystal, she could see the mana wrapped around him.

“That crystal can visualize mana up to a certain level of concentration. It should be able to show the tails if it’s Silver Fox level.”

“Alright!”

“It’ll be easier for us thanks to this.”

They would be able to see the fox even if it was hiding, and they could win against it with their combat power. Moreover, the enemy’s trump card, the creation of illusions, didn’t work on Keith and Aria, so that made them a formidable team.

It was just a matter of time before they subjugated the Silver Fox that strayed into the kingdom of Glendale.

If that creature was indeed a silver fox, that was…

“Well then, Shiryoo-san, we’re off now.”

“We’re going now! When we get back, please spar with us from time to time, okay?”

“Ah, Keith, that’s unfair! Shiryoo-san, spar with me too, please!”

“Yeah, fine, fine. Once you guys are back, I’ll train you, since it’s been a while. That’s why you guys do a good job, alright.”

“Really!? Yes!! Aria, let’s finish it right away!!”

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After their chitchat, Keith and Aria left to travel to the region where the silver foxes were rumored to be spotted.

As their backs disappeared from his view, Shiryoo started muttering to himself now that he was alone.

“Idiots. Silver foxes can do illusions and hypnosis, but they can’t shapeshift into humans. The only fox-type monsters capable of shapeshifting into humans are the higher ranking Flame Foxes and… the Nine-Tailed Foxes, known as natural calamities.”

Shiryoo’s intention was to use Keith and Aria to assess the strength of the upper-level fox-type monster confirmed to be in Glendale. Kiel, the Vice Commander of the Kingdom's 20th Knight Division, had confirmed its existence through his skill.

However, Kiel wasn’t certain whether the creature was a Flame Fox or a Nine-Tailed Fox, and that was the reason why he commissioned capable pawns from Shiryoo, which resulted in Keith and Aria being dispatched by the clan.

Flame Foxes were considered A-rank in terms of the danger risk that they pose. Keith and Aria’s deaths were considered set in stone if that was the case. However, should Shiryoo or the top-tier members of Notorius have joined the mission, then extermination would’ve been possible.

However, it would be problematic for them if the monster that Kiel discovered turned out to be a Nine-Tailed Fox. In that case, they would have no choice but to mobilize top-tier adventurers from the Adventurer’s Guild and the Kingdom Knights to annihilate the Nine-Tailed Fox before it matured.

Even so, it was highly unlikely that the creature was a full-fledged Nine-Tailed Fox in its fully matured form, given that such beings would continue going on a rampage until they exhausted all the mana that was stored within their tails. The one they were dealing with had not yet gone on a rampage, so it should not be a full-fledged Nine-Tailed Fox; thus, Shiryoo deemed that it wasn’t an urgent, immediate problem that should be addressed.

Instead, he could make the most of it by dispatching the annoying pair while receiving a hefty sum from Kiel. In case the beast was confirmed to be a Nine-Tailed Fox, then Kiel would request assistance from the Guild through the official channels, and the clan would also receive compensation from there as well.

No matter how things would play out, it was certain that money would keep flowing into Notorius.

“So go ahead and just die. Rest assured, Keith and Aria. It’s been a short time, but thanks a lot for everything until now.

Shiryoo muttered in the direction where Keith and Aria left. A nasty grin warped his face.

──＊＊＊──

A short time had passed since Keith and Aria left the Royal Capital.

A gorgeous lady was relaxing in the onsen of a certain place.

“Oh dear, it seems like the people tasked with subjugating this concubine have arrived. It’s been a while since the bait was laid out.”

The woman had a full grasp of the events in the Royal City despite the distance. She had been receiving information from people in the Knight Order and the Adventurer’s Guild that she “brainwashed.”

“As for the subjugation team… Oh my, they are rather adorable, aren't they?"

The beauty closed her eyes and smiled when the image of Keith and Aria appeared in her mind.

“Since there are only two of them, is their objective not subjugation but rather an assessment of this concubine’s abilities? In that case, that person might be coming closer this time."

This woman had been doing these things in order to eliminate the nosy rat that had been snooping around her husband.

That “rat” was none other than Kiel. He was ever so elusive, so the beauty took it upon herself to be the decoy that would lure Kiel and roast him.

“So, what to do now? Hmm, is it true that… Hypnosis doesn’t work on those two? That person and the heroes from the other world are the only ones who can resist the illusions in the Enchanted Forest. Other than them, there shouldn’t be anyone else—”

The beauty realized something.

“No way… But, all the puzzle pieces will fit if that’s the case. Hmm, it seems I have to deal with those two in order to confirm this conjecture. Depending on the situation, it’s even possible that they would be useful immediately.”

She decided to believe in the theory that sprung into her mind. If everything went well, she was confident that she could further enhance the combat strength of her husband.

“Halt-sama, it’s Kikyou. May I have a moment of your time?”