Chapter 44
Laria opened her tightly shut eyes.
The temple corridor had vanished, and a familiar scene came into view.
The place, decorated like a hunter’s lodge, was Solike’s room inside the information broker’s building.
Crackle, crackle—the sound of burning logs spread softly.
As she sat blankly listening to it, a sigh fell from right above her.
“Whew, I thought I was going to die.”
Having placed Laria in a soft chair, Solike wiped the cold sweat off his brow.
He slumped into the chair opposite her, ran a hand through his hair, and asked:
“You okay?”
Laria quietly nodded.
“I thought I had three lives… feels like I’ve already used up two today.”
Though he said it jokingly, his pale face showed he half-meant it.
Had they been a little later, he might have lost his life to Xenox.
“Good thing you had that potion I gave you.”
The one she had just used was a potion containing a one-time spatial transfer spell.
As soon as it was spilled, it transported her to the information broker’s.
Because it was difficult to make and required many rare materials, he had prepared just one bottle as an emergency.
She never thought she would actually end up using it like this.
“So…”
Solike kept muttering something, but none of it reached Laria’s ears.
All she could think about was Xenox’s face.
Since regaining her human form, she had sometimes imagined what it would be like to reunite with Xenox.
What was he like in her imagination?
Did he scold her, demanding she return the fox marble? Or did he just stare at her with a blank expression?
But imagination was only imagination.
Reality was so very different.
I’ve never seen that face before.
The dazed way Xenox had stared at her lingered in her mind.
“…Hayang.”
The moment her name was spoken, an indescribable surge of emotions welled up.
It wasn’t resentment—there was too much longing spilling through…
Seeing Laria’s expression darken, Solike stopped chattering and fell silent.
Then, after checking the clock, he asked:
“When will you turn back into a human?”
Pulled out of her thoughts, Laria shook her head without a word.
She had almost no memory of returning to human form after becoming a fox, so she didn’t know.
After the fire, she had been badly injured and unconscious when she reverted.
Would she really have to spend another half a year as a fox this time?
Ah, what do I do…
She had told her servant to wake her for dinner and slipped out secretly.
If they found her missing suddenly, it would be chaos.
Laria clutched her ears with both paws and groaned.
“What do foxes even eat? Can they eat anything? Maybe start with water?”
“Kyahng.”
At her little whimper, Solike covered his mouth.
Muttering to himself that he was starting to understand why the Grand Duke had gone mad over a fox, he brought her some water.
After moistening her throat with the cold water, she felt a little clearer.
Her drained energy gradually returned as well.
Taking a deep breath in and out, she suddenly felt a stirring inside her body.
It was similar to the sensation she’d had when she first swallowed the fox marble.
Huh?
Laria tilted her head.
Even though she had never experienced it before, instinct told her clearly—
It feels like I’m about to turn back into a human.
Laria jumped to her feet.
“Laria?”
Ignoring Solike calling her, she looked for a hiding spot.
The moment she slipped behind a stone pillar, she transformed back into her human form.
“Hand me some clothes.”
She stretched a hand out from behind the pillar. Solike, realizing the situation, brought her clothes.
After hastily dressing, she stepped out.
Solike, arms crossed, jerked his chin toward a seat as if to say sit down.
“So, tell me what happened.”
“…I don’t know. I just suddenly transformed into a fox.”
“There’s no potion that turns people into beasts… something must have gone wrong.”
He tilted his head, saying he had never seen someone fully turn into an animal before.
Then he shot a sharp question:
“Laria, you’re the fox the Grand Duke is looking for, aren’t you?”
Since Solike had already seen her as a fox, and since Xenox had also called her “Hayang,” it was only natural for him to be certain.
Should I be honest…?
Laria hesitated for a moment.
But she needed Solike’s help, so she briefly explained what had happened until now.
“That’s right. What happened is…”
She told him how she had attempted partial beast transformation but suddenly turned into a fox, and how she had been taken to live at the Grand Duke’s mansion.
She left out the fact that she had swallowed the fox marble, just in case.
Even so, revealing the general situation made her feel relieved.
Perhaps she had long wanted to tell someone the secret she had been keeping to herself.
“I see… so that’s what happened. No wonder you were digging into the Grand Duke’s fire incident.”
Solike nodded, as if it all made sense.
“Good thing you ran away. How could you live with someone that terrifying?”
“…He treated me well.”
“Are you defending him right now?”
Solike chuckled in disbelief.
“But still, how could a beastman live as someone’s pet?”
Having lived as a fox for so long, she hadn’t found it particularly unpleasant.
Not only Xenox, but also the servants of the Grand Duke’s mansion had been very kind to her.
But… she missed her family, and she worried about them too.
Enough that she buried her face in the pillow and cried at night.
“Either way, you don’t plan on telling the Grand Duke the truth, right?”
Though it was intruders that triggered her escape, the real reason she couldn’t tell Xenox the truth was because she had swallowed the fox marble.
And beyond that, there were countless reasons she couldn’t reveal herself as Hayang.
She didn’t want to disappoint him, either.
Swallowing her true feelings, Laria spoke firmly:
“Don’t tell anyone.”
“A crow’s mouth is heavier than gold.”
…Not lighter than a feather?
Solike was a man who would sell anything for a coin if he could.
She trusted him, but when it came to money, he wasn’t the most reliable.
Still, he was someone who always kept his word…
Laria spotted a flyer on the desk behind him.
It was a notice searching for Hayang.
He wouldn’t betray me for the reward, would he?
As her eyes narrowed, Solike’s gaze followed hers to the desk.
“You’re not seriously thinking I’d sell you out, are you?”
Laria, caught guilty, stayed silent.
Sounding indignant, Solike raised his voice.
“I get those delivered every morning—it’s driving me crazy. Tell the Grand Duke to stop sending them already.”
He grumbled that he used them as kindling because wasting paper annoyed him.
“And why would I sell you?”
Laria almost felt touched, thinking maybe he valued friendship over money after all…
“I’m not some fool who cuts open a goose that lays golden eggs!”
Her sentiment shattered instantly at being called a goose.
Right, that’s the kind of guy he is.
He always calculated which option was more profitable.
At least, to him, Laria was more valuable than the reward.
Then she suddenly remembered she had first met Solike at an illegal auction house.
“By the way, why were you there?”
“Gathering intel. You can find unexpected treasures in the garbage heap.”
Crows had exceptional tracking and searching abilities.
It made sense that most information brokers were crows.
“Thanks to that, I did get some incredible intel… but it’s useless now.”
He clicked his tongue regretfully.
If the Grand Duke’s fox weren’t Laria, he’d have packaged her up and delivered her on the spot.
Gathering intel, huh…
Laria thought of the man who had used that dark-red sorcery.
“Can you find the list of people who attended today’s auction?”
“It wouldn’t be too hard, though I can’t get a perfect list. Why?”
“There’s someone I need to find.”
After briefly explaining what had happened earlier, Solike’s face hardened.
“They used forbidden sorcery, you said?”
“I think so. Either the same person who cursed the Grand Duke’s mansion, or someone using the same style of sorcery.”
The magic was nearly identical, though with slight differences.
Perhaps they shared the same techniques.
For a long moment, Solike said nothing, his green eyes burning with hatred.
Because of his past, no one detested forbidden sorcery more than he did.
“I’ll look into the list as much as I can,” he said.
