“Hey, Inari,” I turned my back from her and asked. “How are your people doing?”
“Thanks to you, Master, that my kind are able to settle themselves in a safe place like here. As of now, the transportation of the weaker ones, the three-tailed and below, had successfully finished.”
By people, we are talking about the fox monsters, the Tailed Foxes, under the thumb of Inari, their queen. Inari had started the transportation of the foxes last night and effectively and safely evacuated her people from a harsh environment.
Currently, there are numbers of huge foxes that can be seen within the 0th Floor of the dungeon, around fifty, but most of them are not bigger than the true size of Inari’s daughter since Inari prioritizes the younger and weaker ones.
“I never asked about it yet, so can you tell me how many foxes there will be?”
“Well, about that, Master…” Inari then averted her gaze after hearing my question.
(Huh? Is there anything wrong?) I pondered inwardly, then I asked her again. “What’s the problem, Inari?”
“Um, actually, there are about one hundred foxes, and aside from that…”
“Aside from that…” I folded my arms and then repeated her last words.
Inari seemed a little bit hesitant, and she was unable to portray her thoughts. I have no idea what was on her mind, but I have a feeling that she had something in mind that might oppose my opinion.
“You can tell me everything, Inari,” I condone. “No need to hold yourself back. I trust you.”
Once I relayed my genuine feelings into words and intoned them through my voice, Inari slowly drew her blue eyes into my pair of amethysts; her eyes seemed surprised and, at the same time, honestly clear and placid.
“If Master trusts me, who am I not to trust him? Please forgive my doubtful self.”
After her minimized daughter jumped off her arms, Inari put a hand on her chest and took a light bow before me, to which I responded with a nod. Now, let us hear her thoughts.
“Actually, Master, there are other beings in my people that are not foxes.”
“Really?” I was baffled by her words. “Were there others that were not of your kind?” ｂ𝚍ｎｏ𝚟ｌ.
“Yes. They are actually not even monsters, in fact, they are humans like yourself, Master.”
“…What…?”
Did I hear it right? They are humans among the people under the rule of Inari? The feelings of confusion and curiosity are swirling in my mind, so I asked Inari for more details about it.
“So there are human beings under your wing, huh?”
“Indeed, Master. Those humans are apparently worshippers and believers of us, the Tailed Foxes, and they are not affiliated with any jurisdiction within the Southern Continent.”
So that’s how it is. Those humans probably saw and treated Tailed Foxes as their local pagan deities, to the point of worshipping them.
The concept of religion existed in this world, so there should be deities aside from Goddess Primaria.
“Uh huh. So, when the wolves attacked the foxes and ravaged your place, it included the destruction of their settlement, yes?”
“That is right. Their village was situated north of our dwellings and was destroyed by the wolves on their way. The villagers approached us and sought protection. Even though we suffered much damage, I decided to accept and put them under my wing.”
Of course, when one’s life is in desperation, all one has to do is ask for a miracle from their respective gods. It is even happening in my previous world, so those kinds of people should exist here as well.
“From the gist of it, it seems that you want them to stay here, right?”
“You are right, Master. Along with us, I want you to give them the permission to stay here in this place.”
“You know, vixen,” after the request of Inari, Czarina suddenly chimed in on our conversation. “Even if you say that, this forest is my and Master’s territory.”
Inari glared at a woman clad in military uniform upon the sudden interruption of Czarina. I do not know if Inari was offended by what Czarina called her or if she was forced to recognize their huge gap.
“And if I were to choose,” Czarina continued. “I would never let those mutts to leech my plate.”
“Whoa, whoa. Calm down, Czarina.” I turned around and interjected. “There was no need for you to be that harsh and hostile towards humans, you know? Besides, I am a human, so your criticism involves me as well.”
“No, no, Master, you seemed to not understand it.” Czarina then moved forward and wrapped her arms around my body. “You are entirely different and much superior than ordinary humans.”
“Really?” I asked as I was feeling the softness of her chest.
“Of course, Master. You had proven your worth when you one-sidedly defeated an Ancient Dragon such as myself, Master.”
“Yeah, yeah, I already get it, Czarina.” I then embraced her.
Technically, I am not a Human anymore since I evolved into a High Human just yesterday. The claims of Czarina are, so to speak, somewhat true.
But my evolution does not stop me from considering myself a human being. I still have my rights and concerns as a human, though a large amount of my morality has left my entire existence.
“Still, will you consider inferior beings and change your evaluation of them?”
“Hm? Why would I do that?”
“You must have known this, but underestimating and not understanding your opponent might lead to your demise. There might be others that looked weak at first glance but are actually capable of defeating mighty beings such as yourself.”
“Master…”
“You had experienced that yourself. So you have to be extra careful, especially since you do not possess any appraisal abilities.”
“Umu. If Master says so, I will definitely keep that in mind.”
Good, it looks like she is convinced by my explanation. I know that it runs through her veins, but Czarina should lower her pride, not only for her own good but for the sake of her surroundings as well.
“Good to hear, Czarina.” I finally said and let go of her. “But can you at least treat Inari as your equal? Since both of you are basically my subjects.”
“Hmph. If that is what Master wants, I will do it.”
“Good. One more thing, I want you two to treat Griffith the same as yourselves.”
I cannot forget Griffith, of course. She is my first tamed monster, and I have made many memories with her. As their senior, Inari and Czarina have to show respect for Griffith, even though they are more powerful than her by several folds.
“As you desire, Master.”
“If Master says so…”
“Good.”
Once Czarina had settled down, I turned my attention to Inari, with whom I had a conversation but which was halted due to the intervention of Czarina.
“Going back to the request of Inari, how do you think of them?” I asked.
“Well, I had talked to them, and they seemed desperate like us. After the wolves attacked, some of them survived and sought protection from us, which we accepted since we were basically on the same page.”
“There should be at least some payback for taking them under your wing, yes?”
“Indeed, Master. In exchange for our guardianship, they swore us their allegiance.”
“I see. Please do continue.”
“Yes, Master. We spent time together and helped one another amidst the coldness. We had talked about the migration and decided that they were willing to pledge their new allegiance to you, Master.”
Inari said that herself, so it must be true, but I cannot be too hasty in accepting those humans. I have so many things to consider before accepting a group of people into my territory.
“By the way, how many humans will there be?”
“After the destruction of their village, only half of them survived. During our wander, a few of them died from the extreme cold, and as of now, there was an approximate head count of one hundred fifty.”
Hm. That number is a bit high, but less so compared to the villages around our city. They used to be around three hundred originally but was reaped to half.
Not only did they suffer massive losses, but their population was gradually chipping off due to the environment they were in. The monstrous foxes had been desperately seeking help to find a safe place, let alone the fragile humans.
Firming my resolve, I let out a deep sigh and faced Inari. “Okay, Inari. I am now allowing those humans to live here.”
“Really, Master?” Inari widened her eyes upon hearing my decision. “Thank you very much.”
“But you will take the responsibility of them.”
“Of course, Master. I will take full responsibility.”
I don’t know if I had it correct or if I am right, but my final decision was to accept the humans to settle here. There were various reasons for my decision, but one of them was out of my sympathy for them.
Now that I have accepted that number of people, a settlement will be needed to establish. When that happens, a fraction of the dungeon would be used. It’s not that I mind if they use a little plot, but they need to work for me, of course.
With the loyalty that Inari has for me, those humans would definitely follow my words. Even if they were to incite a revolt, they would taste the wrath of Czarina, who is much more powerful than Inari.
“Ah, Inari.” Suddenly, a certain memory popped up in my mind. “I remembered that my promise hasn’t been completed yet.”
“Oh, that promise,” she said, then took a glance at her daughter. “It will be our pleasure, Master.”