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Chapter 70 – Crimson Flame (1)

There was a time for the fox as well.

A time when she was innocent, pure.

A time when she couldn’t even suspect others.

When she would fall for the lies of adults, and even when she realized she had been deceived, she would foolishly smile.

She, too, had regrets she hated the most.

—Irene.

A village turned into chaos.

Burning hay, the stench of smoke, and screams echoed all around as a white-haired old man stood silently.

Clutching only a single sword.

—I can no longer stay by your side, nor should I…

—So, this is farewell.

His wrinkled eyes smiled calmly.

Even with the looming nightmare drawing near, there wasn’t a single trace of fear in his gaze.

Just a faint smile.

The old man spoke, as if making one final request.

—Please, survive.

And then.

The frail old body turned away.

Facing the oncoming hunters alone, the master fought to buy time for the other foxes to escape.

The sound of clashing metal rang out under the dark night sky for a long time.

The fox fled, crying.

In her hands, she held the smaller foxes who still needed her care.

Swallowing her falling tears, she ran.

In the depths of her despair-filled heart, only a deep crimson hatred began to burn.

The ones who had turned her life into a living hell.

—I’m just a small businessman from the capital.

—I had some work near the village, and since I’m here, I thought we could get along.

—I want to be your friend.

Humans.

If only she hadn’t fallen for their lies, she wouldn’t have lost everything.

The girl was tormented by nightmares every day.

Trapped in an eternal cage.

Scratching at the walls, she cursed and swore.

She vowed never to trust a human again.

She swore to never open her heart in a world full of liars.

The fox was consumed by distrust.

—I trust no one.

That’s how it always was.

The girl was always alone.

"How ridiculous."

Irene muttered.

Perhaps it was the sudden encounter with the slave traders.

Bitter memories came rushing back.

She bit her lip gently.

Pushing away the fleeting thoughts, she refocused on the present situation.

Her fingers trembled faintly.

The more they did, the tighter she gripped her sword, her eyes widening with focus.

"…"

Irene had already left the carriage.

She had jumped off as it slowed down, quickly hiding herself in a nearby alley.

She was quietly observing the situation.

The carriages had stopped at a remote dock.

In the empty background, where not a single passerby could be seen, soldiers were busily transporting slaves.

Occasional cries and shouts reached her ears.

Irene held her breath, listening carefully to the distant sounds.

—Stop whining and move faster!

—If you try to escape again, you’ll die. Better not try anything funny.

—We’re about to set sail! Everyone, check if we’ve got everything!

The guards were noisily organizing the area.

It was a busy atmosphere.

The slaves, bound in chains, were being led in a line.

Irene calmly surveyed her surroundings.

Were they preparing to leave?

She had caught bits of conversation about setting sail, so it seemed they were planning to move by ship.

That meant there had to be a waiting vessel nearby.

As she mulled over this, scanning the dock—

"…Huh?"

Something massive caught her eye.

A huge shape that didn’t blend in with its surroundings.

Even though it floated on the water, its presence was overwhelmingly loud.

It was a colossal ship, as large as several luxury passenger ships combined.

The fox found herself staring in disbelief.

"What is that…?"

Even though her eyes were fixed on it, she couldn’t believe the size of the ship.

If she hadn’t looked closely, she might have mistaken it for a hotel anchored at the shoreline.

What in the world was that monstrous vessel?

The slaves were all being led toward the ship.

\'It’s ‘his’ doing.\'

Irene instinctively realized.

A giant of the underworld who ran countless illegal enterprises with enormous capital.

Commonly known as the "Businessman."

She had heard about him once.

Back when she had been trapped in a cage.

She recalled overhearing the guards as they bragged about their exploits.

There was talk of a vessel used for smuggling illegal slaves, weapons, and explosives to other countries.

—Didn’t this guy here ride that ship once?

—It’s the trade ship the boss runs. They say it’s so big, it looks like a building from the outside.

—Must’ve cost a fortune. You can’t even compare it to buying a hotel.

—That’s why the boss only owns three of them.

At the time, she had dismissed it as just talk.

But that idiot’s story turned out to be true.

The businessman’s reach was far greater than she’d imagined.

The fox’s determination, which had been blazing fiercely, suddenly faltered.

She was up against an unexpected wall.

\'This… This is way beyond what I can handle.\'

Though she despised injustice, she wasn’t reckless enough to throw herself into the fire.

Irene was smart enough to assess the situation realistically.

Her opponent was far too overwhelming for a single person to take on.

And with an operation of this scale, there was no doubt they had at least one "hound" on board.

The wise choice now was to retreat.

\'I need to ask for help.\'

Irene began to step back slowly.

She needed to get away from there.

Silently, she moved to slip out of the dark alley.

But then, out of nowhere, she felt someone’s presence.

"Well, well… Look who we have here."

A voice brushed past her ears.

Someone was standing behind her.

"…?!"n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

Irene quickly turned, drawing her sword, but it was too late.

A sharp blow struck her head.

Thwack!

At the same time, her consciousness began to fade rapidly.

Her body lost all strength and collapsed.

As her blurry vision flickered, she saw a man in a gray robe standing over her.

He smiled wickedly.

"Look at this. The runaway fox came back on her own."

A hound.

Irene realized too late.

\'No way.\'

He had known all along.

From the moment she had boarded the carriage, the hound had been aware of her presence.

The man grabbed her by the hair, yanking her head up.

"Nice to see you again, you bitch."

As her vision dimmed and her consciousness faded completely, Irene lost all awareness.

***

How much time had passed?

What roused the unconscious fox was none other than a splash of cold water.

Splash!

The icy water hit her face, snapping her awake.

Irene groggily opened her eyes and took in her surroundings.

She was in a wide space, packed with crates.

It seemed she had been brought aboard the ship she had seen earlier.

"Feeling more awake now? Cold water really works, doesn’t it?"

The irritating voice grated against her ears.

In front of her, as she lay sprawled on the ground, stood the man in the gray robe.

The hound chuckled as he looked down at her.

"What a stroke of luck. The runaway we’ve been looking for comes crawling back."

The man sneered down at her.

"I’ve missed you, you worthless fox."

"…"

Irene recognized him at once.

The hounds.

They were mercenaries under the businessman’s direct command, hired to take care of all the dirty work.

Irene, her body tied up with rope, glared at him.

"What’s with that look? How about softening those eyes?"

Amused by her defiance, the hound chuckled, then pressed his foot down hard on her face.

"You’re lucky you’re a high-class product. If it weren’t for the boss’s orders, those eyes would’ve been gouged out long ago."

"Ugh…!"

Even though she groaned in pain, Irene didn’t lower her gaze.

Instead, her hatred only grew fiercer.

The man standing over her was one of those who had destroyed her village and led the fox hunts.

That mocking voice of his grated on her ears.

"Our boss is pretty pissed off because of you. He never imagined you’d actually escape from that place."

"…"

"I’d love to know, too. How’d you manage it? There’s no way you broke out on your own. I heard even the cage door was opened cleanly. Like someone unlocked it with a key."

"…"

"Did someone help you from the outside? After all that talk about hating humans, did you end up getting help from one of them?"

"Go to hell."

Spit.

Instead of answering, Irene spat at him.

The hound nearly lost his temper for a moment but took a deep breath, calming himself down.

He was forcing himself to follow his employer’s orders.

"…Well, I guess it doesn’t matter. You’re back in our hands now."

No matter how hard she fought, she was still trapped in his grasp.

The hound gave orders to the soldiers standing by.

"Take this one to the cage. I’ve got a guest to attend to."

"Yes, sir!"

The soldiers responded with a sharp salute.

They roughly lifted the fox from the ground and dragged her away.

Her crimson hair hung limply as she was pulled along.