Chapter 13 : Fox, Fox, What are you doing? (4)

“Holy…” Dante’s jaw dropped. She wasn’t delusional; she was a real goddess! A celestial deity, guardian of an empire! And he’d found her in the forest!

“Come here, Dante. Let me give you a hug.”

“W-wait a sec──Mmph!?” Yeonhwa pulled him into a tight embrace, his face buried in her ample bosom. Dante blushed furiously, mentally conjuring an image of his deceased mother to regain his composure.

‘Wise mother, please guide me. What do I do?’

‘[Just give in, son. It’s easier that way.]’

‘Not helpful!’

“Hee hee, you’re so adorable. So lovely.” Yeonhwa cooed, stroking his hair. “I know this is presumptuous, but… may I ask a favor?”

“Y-yes… if it’s something I can do…”

She leaned closer, their foreheads touching, a seductive smile playing on her lips. “Would you… make me your shikigami?”

“Shiki…gami? What’s that?”

“Ah, in this world, it would be called a ‘familiar.’”

“A familiar…!” Dante’s golden eyes widened in surprise.

A familiar was a supernatural entity bound to a master. An absolute master-servant contract. Anything from a lowly insect to a divine beast could become a familiar. But for him, a mere demon, to form a contract with a former guardian deity… it was absurd!

“I-I couldn’t! I’m not worthy…! It’s too much to ask!”

“Even with my power restored, I am no longer a goddess. I am simply a fox with many tails, no different from any other monster in this land.”

‘A nine-tailed fox? What kind of monster is that? That’s a divine beast! A god!’

“Therefore,” Yeonhwa’s eyes crinkled into crescent moons, “my status is irrelevant to our contract. Is it not common for humans to form contracts with monsters?”

“W-well…”

‘This must be what it feels like to be charmed by a fox.’

She gently took his hand, intertwining their fingers. His sweaty palm stuck to hers. His golden eyes darted nervously, while her violet eyes gleamed, predatory.

Pushing him against the bed, Yeonhwa whispered in his ear, “──Dante, foxes never forget kindness.” Her warm breath tickled his skin. “If you wish it, I will gladly obey any command. So…”

Nine tails wrapped softly around him. “…Let me stay by your side.”

[Olivia’s Perspective]

“…! A sudden sense of foreboding… Don’t tell me…!”

Crash!

“Dante! Are you alright?!”

Slam!

Olivia kicked open Dante’s door, crimson eyes blazing, ready for a fight. But fate, it seemed, had other plans.

“──!?”

Dante, half-dressed, stared at her with wide, horrified eyes. “I… I…!!”

Olivia blinked. “…Looking delicious!”

“Get ouuuuuuuuuut!!!!!!!!” He shrieked, launching a wooden pillow at her face.

Crack!

Crisis averted. Barely.

“Phew…” Dante quickly put on his shirt. “You can come out now, Yeonhwa.”

“Ah.” Yeonhwa, now back in her small fox form, emerged from under the bed and hopped onto the mattress.

‘So, I ended up forming a contract with Yeonhwa… I really need to learn how to say no.’ The ritual had been simple: a drop of the familiar’s blood on the master’s back, creating a mark visible only to them.

It had been a close call. He’d asked Yeonhwa to transform back into her fox form immediately after the contract, just in case. If Olivia had seen them together while Yeonhwa was in her human form… the consequences would have been unimaginable.

‘Come to think of it, this is the first time Yeonhwa’s seen Olivia.’

Yeonhwa nudged his knee with a paw, her voice grave. “[Dante, was that your master… the one you mentioned before…?!]”

“Yep… that’s the one… ahaha…”

“[Oh dear… How could this be…?]” She covered her face with her tails, aghast. A dragon—a Black Dragon, no less—keeping a human as a s*ave in her castle!

Dragons were known for their arrogance and ferocity, beings even divine beasts avoided. They lived for eons, ruled the food chain, and could destroy nations on a whim. Black Dragons, in particular, were notorious for their savagery. And a dragon, a creature obsessed with treasure, who never forgave trespassers, had allowed a human into her castle, into her hoard?

It was beyond comprehension.

“──Yeonhwa.” Sensing her confusion, Dante spoke softly, his eyes downcast.

He’d reached a state of zen-like acceptance. “Just… give up… it’s easier that way…”

‘My life is a legend. I cursed out a dragon and got a job.’

Thus spoke Dante.

Dante has obtained a familiar!

Stress level increased by 100!