DKFTI 78

“You’re really strange. Strange.”

Aizen said that to Sibel. But Sibel thought differently.

“The Hero knows he’s stranger, right? What kind of hero follows demons when they go to take care of their own business?”

Sibel thought Aizen was the strange one for interfering when he was going to look for Ruru.

Sibel, Shanti, and Aizen were flying in the sky on Crow’s back.

“I’m curious too, what should I do?”

“Curious about what? The fox village?”

“Well, that too.”

Sibel thought Aizen’s easygoing way of tagging along was amazing. How could an Apostle live doing whatever he wanted like that? Later when Aizen wrote his autobiography in old age, Sibel had to read it.

“But the fox village is pretty far.”

The three demons and one human had warped with Shanti’s power, and where they could not go by magic, they borrowed Crow’s back to fly. They had already been in the air for about an hour.

“I think we’re almost there.”

Shanti pointed to a mountain in the distance. At the place his short finger aimed, traces of a small village could be seen. If only sharp-eyed Ruru, with his vision of 5.0 and 5.0, had been here, he would have recognized it right away.

As they got closer, the shape of the village became clear. The village, located halfway up the mountain, was small and had a cozy charm.

‘It’s a mountain village.’

Crow flew lower and lower toward the village.

***

Sibel stretched his stiff body. The huge crow shrank its body and perched on Shanti’s shoulder.

“This village really smells like food.”

“Right? It’s my first time seeing the fox village too, it’s amazing.”

“But it’s not that big, so it shouldn’t be hard to find.”

Aizen looked around the village as he spoke.

“Where’s Ruru’s photo?”

“Here.”

Sibel took the photo of Ruru that Shanti handed him and headed toward the village. As they passed the entrance, they saw a fox demon.

‘He looks like Ruru.’

Happy, Sibel ran toward the fox demon.

“Excuse me!”

“Uagh! Wh- what, a human?”

The fox saw Sibel, Shanti, and Aizen, then stepped back cautiously.

“We’re demons. We’re looking for a friend.”

“Friend?”

Suspicion appeared on the fox demon’s face.

Even that suspicious face looked alike. Seeing him made Sibel miss Ruru even more.

“He’s called Ruru, and he looks like this.”

When Sibel showed the photo he had held close, the fox demon rubbed his chin and thought for a while.

“Hmm.”

“Do you know him? Did he come here?”

The fox demon, who was looking at the photo, squinted his eyes and scanned Sibel up and down.

“Why did you say you’re looking for him?”

“He’s a friend, no, family who lived in my castle, but he suddenly disappeared, so I’m looking for him.”

“Hmm…”

The fox demon kept sending suspicious looks. Then Shanti stepped forward.

“We didn’t come to catch a swindler. So relax and tell us.”

Would that make anyone relax? Sibel glared at Shanti. Then Aizen stepped up. He drew the holy sword.

Srrng–.

The tip of the sword pointed at the fox demon.

“What are you doing?!”

The one surprised was Sibel. But Aizen dug his finger in his ear and spoke.

“Why waste time here? If he won’t talk, just say we’ll cut him down.”

Truly, words befitting an Apostle of Justice. A crazy Apostle. A lunatic Apostle.

“Eeek!”

The startled fox jumped in place, and Sibel missed Ruru even more. Even this worthless reaction looked like Ruru’s.

Then Aizen brought the sword even closer.

“I-if it’s that guy, nobody in this village wouldn’t know him! But he didn’t come here. It’s been over six hundred years since he last came to the village…”

“Six hundred years?”

How old was Ruru? With that cute face, he was an old man.

“Yes. Ruru completely turned this peaceful village upside down and then left!”

“Are you Ruru’s friend?”

Sibel asked the fox, and he nodded.

“Meet the elder. Then you can know more detail… ugh! Put the sword away!”

“…put it away.”

Sibel wondered if someone living like that really deserved to be called the Empire’s hero.

“Show us where.”

Aizen ordered.

“There’s no need to show! It’s that one with the red roof, right there!”

The fox pointed to a house with a red roof, standing at the highest place in the village. Only then did Aizen put the sword away.

“See. It got solved quickly.”

Aizen shrugged his shoulders proudly, but Sibel shook his head.

“Then I can go now, right?”

“Uh, yeah!”

Sibel waved his hand at the fox who had shown them the way.

“But why don’t you put the sword away?”

Normally, when Aizen drew the holy sword, it disappeared right after use. But today the sword did not vanish and remained there. Sibel was curious and asked.

“Because I think I’ll use it again over there.”

Aizen pointed his chin toward the elder’s house as he spoke. He was truly a hopeless bastard…

“I’ll handle things there myself.”

Aizen sneered. Why was a human like that?

“Let’s go.”

Aizen took the lead, and Sibel and Shanti followed. At that point, Sibel had a question.

“Sir Aizen, do you also want to see Ruru?”

“…Me? That guy?”

Aizen looked at Sibel with scorn, like he was dumbfounded.

“No, I mean. You came all the way here…”

“Yeah, no. Who would miss some demon?”

He immediately answered, but Sibel was certain Aizen missed Ruru. Otherwise why!? Why would that human!? Go so far as to draw his sword and cooperate!

“Walk faster. The sun will go down.”

Why was he rushing like that!?

Seriously, he just couldn’t be honest.

***

“You said you came here looking for Ruru.”

They met the elder of the fox tribe. He was just as Sibel imagined…

Cure

How could someone be an elder and still be cute? Sibel admired the fox tribe’s traits. Maybe even if Ruru grew old, he would still be that cute.

Sibel could not take his eyes off the elder’s full tail. Except for the fur being a little lighter in color, he looked quite similar to Ruru.

The elder, who welcomed Sibel’s group, served each of them a cup of tea. Then he walked to the shelf in the center of the house. His hand touched a frame.

“Is that Ruru?”

Sibel jumped up from his seat when he saw the photo. He stuck right next to the elder and looked at it.

‘Even if he’s young, that must be Ruru!’

Most fox demons looked similar. The young fox demons in the photo all did. But Sibel recognized Ruru right away. That gaze. That sly and shady smile! It was the mini version of the Ruru he knew.

“That’s right. You recognized him immediately.”

“Elder, do you know Ruru well?”

“Ruru is…”

The elder’s gaze grew deep. He closed his eyes slowly.

“That child is a pitiful child.”

“Earlier another fox said Ruru turned the village upside down and left…”

“Six hundred years ago, there was a great disaster here. Many foxes died then.”

“Ruru did that…?”

Sibel could not believe it. If it was something where an entire tribe died, that was on a different level from the Pachinko incident.

“Some in the tribe think it was Ruru’s fault.”

“But it wasn’t, right?”

The elder nodded at Sibel’s words.

“I believe Ruru saved our tribe.”

“Saved the tribe…?”

“You said you are looking for Ruru.”

“Ah, yes.”

The elder opened a drawer and took something out.

“If you go here, you might be able to meet Ruru.”

On the paper was a strangely drawn picture.

“A teleport scroll.”

“Ohh.”

Sibel examined the scroll with wonder.

“But if you go there, I cannot guarantee your life.”

“L-Life?”

“…Because Petra is such a place.”

“Petra?”

Sibel blinked at Shanti, and Shanti spoke.

“It’s infamous even in the Demon Realm. The demon king there is just a lunatic obsessed with slaughter.”

“A lunatic?”

If it was about lunatics, there was already one here… Sibel’s gaze went to Aizen, and furrowed his eyebrows.

“Hmm. But what does that demon king have to do with Ruru?”

“Ruru became his subordinate.”

“What?”

Sibel could not understand.

‘Ruru… wasn’t he my subordinate?!’

His head throbbed like he had been hit in the back. Ruru, did he actually have another master?

“There is a long story. It would be better to hear it directly from Ruru.”

“……”

“You said you and Ruru were like family.”

“Yes.”

Family, was it? It must be, right?

Sibel suddenly thought that maybe all the actions and words Ruru had shown him were lies.

“In that case, please save Ruru.”

The elder’s face looked cute, but his eyes were very serious and sorrowful.

“What on earth is going on?”

Aizen spoke. But Sibel also wanted to know.

What on earth was happening here?