The Fluffy Baby Fox Only Bites the Crazy Villain - Chapter 10

Karden’s gaze was extremely serious and grave.

“You can calm magic outbursts and have healing power. I want to know what kind of being you are and where you came from. Can you tell me?”

Faced with Karden’s serious and heavy gaze, I couldn’t move an inch. For a moment, I was flustered and my mind went blank.

Karden really treats me like a person. How can a baby fox that can’t even speak explain?

I can’t help it. I’ll have to use this method after all.

I folded my perky ears and brought my fluffy front paws together. I tilted my head with the most pitiful expression in the world.

“Kyaang.”

A breathless silence fell for a moment.

Huh? Why is there no reaction? Was this method wrong?

Karden’s expression hardened, and he let out a deep sigh. Then he covered his face with his hands and turned his head.

“Right… I understand.”

Oh, it worked? As expected, being cute solves everything.

After finishing his meal, Karden carried me in his arms and left the small dining room. In front of the mansion’s entrance hall, aide Maildra and several knights were waiting.

Surprised to see the Grand Duke carrying a cotton ball fox, the knights exchanged glances. I made eye contact with one of the knights.

I bared my sharp fangs threateningly.

“Kyang!”

“Gasp!”

Startled by my imposing presence, the knights flinched and clutched their hearts.

The place Karden took me was about ten minutes away from the mansion. A vast open space and buildings came into view.

“That’s the knight training ground. It’s where the northern castle knights train and live. I have an important meeting to attend, so wait here for a while.”

“Kaang? (You think I’ll wait just because you tell me to?)”

The corner of Karden’s mouth twisted up slightly.

“There’s no way you’d stay put.”

“Kaang? Keuung. (Gasp, did you understand my meow? You’re scary.)”

Karden turned his gaze to the knights.

“Guard this cotton ball. Make sure it doesn’t leave the training grounds.”

“Yes. We will obey your command.”

As Karden and Maildra entered the building, I was left blankly with two knights.

The young knights with youthful faces whispered in low voices while looking at me.

“To think that His Grace would keep a pet, I thought he was a strict person, but he has a soft side.”

“I couldn’t believe my eyes. It’s the first time I’ve seen the Grand Duke with such a gentle look.”

Eavesdropping on their conversation, I was dumbfounded and flabbergasted.

Where was the gentle look? He’s clearly monitoring me to use me.

Just then, dozens of soldiers came running in a line from the opposite direction. Upon seeing the knights, they immediately stopped and saluted.

“Hey, new recruits, keep up the good work.”

While the knights were talking to the soldiers, I quickly scampered away.

I slipped into the dense bushes right in front of me. Then I ran towards the open space of the knight training ground beyond the bushes.

In an instant, I was far from the knights. They didn’t seem to notice that I had run away.

Alright, now I’ll escape outside the training ground. If I can get to the castle gate and escape outside, I’ll succeed…

At that moment, a vast training ground spread out before my eyes. A small snow field covered in pristine white snow.

“Kyaang! (It’s snow!)”

The moment I saw the snow field, I got excited. I couldn’t stop my heart from pounding.

Perhaps because the fox I possessed grew up in a snow field, just seeing the pure white snow made me want to jump around with joy.

Especially rolling around freely in the snow!

I ran around the training ground covered in beautiful snow. Tiny footprints were dotted on the white snow field.

I scampered around the training ground, rolled around, buried my nose in snow piles and rubbed it, or swept the snow field back and forth as if brushing it with my tail.

“Kyaang!”

Ah, this is so fun! The best! Thrilling!

As an adult, playing in the snow would be embarrassing, but it’s okay because I’m a baby fox.

No need to study hard or work tirelessly.

To be able to play and eat like this every day, it’s the best.

I rolled around in the snow to my heart’s content until I was out of breath and exhausted.

I must have played too excitedly, as my body was covered in snow.

Brrrr!

I shook my whole body to shake off the snow. Snow scattered in all directions.

But the snow clumps stuck to my chest and my belly fur didn’t come off easily.

“Keuung…? (What should I do?)”

I couldn’t remove the snow with my short legs, and my mouth couldn’t reach it either.

As I was floundering in the snow field for a while, I heard the sound of footsteps crunching in the snow.

“Kaang! (Who’s there!)”

A brown-haired knight was staring at me from a short distance away.

He was a young man in his 20s with a gentle impression and a neat atmosphere. Judging by the sword at his waist and light armor, he seemed to be a knight of the northern castle.

“Little fox, shall I help you remove the snow?”

The brown-haired knight didn’t approach hastily but waited until I let my guard down.

I cautiously approached him. It was the first time I was alone in front of a stranger without Karden.

Becoming a baby fox made me more wary and cautious of people.

I found myself observing whether the other person had malicious intent or gave off a dangerous smell.

I stopped in front of the knight. I looked up at him with round eyes and pleaded pitifully.

“Kaaang. (Please remove the snow.)”

“Kuhup!”

The knight suddenly covered his mouth with his hand and his face turned red.

“You, you’re too cute… Like a cotton ball doll.”

Soon regaining his composure, the knight carefully and gently brushed off the snow clumps.

“You’re good at following people, like a puppy. Who’s taking care of you? The soldiers here?”

The brown-haired knight paused while brushing the snow off my neck fur.

He seemed to have noticed the small name tag attached to the ribbon around my neck. It was a name tag that Betty had thoughtfully made.

“Shushu. Is that your name?”

“Kaang.”

“It’s a cute name. I’m Owen. I’ve been assigned to serve at the northern castle. I hope we’ll see each other often.”

Owen seemed to have a kind and friendly personality. He even spoke comfortably to a fox he was seeing for the first time.

He looked more suited to scholarly pursuits, like a young nobleman. I wondered what circumstances brought him to this harsh place.

In the original story, the border fortress was so notorious that it was called a place of exile where knights went to die.

The knights of the northern castle undergo training harsher than hell. It was so severe that soldiers would desert, unable to endure the brutal training.

“There, I’ve brushed off all the snow. You should be comfortable now, Shushu.”

Thanks to Owen brushing off the snow, my body felt lighter and my tail wagged gently.

Just then, there was a commotion from the building connected to the training ground. Soldiers who had finished their meals came pouring out.

Oh no, I was in the middle of escaping. I should run away before people crowd in.

I quickly turned and ran away.

“Shushu, see you again!”

I heard Owen’s voice behind me.

We won’t see each other again. Because I’m going to escape from here.

The knight training ground’s open area is enclosed by a wooden stake fence. Sentries guard the main gate.

But there should be at least one small hole for animals to pass through.

As I diligently circled around the fence, I spotted a small hole. It was just big enough for my body to fit through.

I quickly passed through the hole and finally escaped from the training ground.

“Kaang! (I did it!)”

I shouldn’t be fooled by the cute pet life at the Grand Duke’s mansion.

Grand Duke Karden was the final villain in the original story. He was like a ticking time bomb, capable of going berserk with mana outbursts at any moment.

Before being used as his outburst treatment, I needed to escape and find a way to become human again.

The Grand Duke’s mansion and the knight training ground were located on the highest hill like a fortress. Coming outside, I could see the panoramic view of the lower town at a glance.

There were hundreds of brick houses with red roofs and a small square in the center. At the edge of the square, I could see the castle gate.

“Kaang! (That’s the castle gate over there!)”

It was while I was running towards the path leading to the castle gate. I saw a black figure beyond a secluded path.

I crouched slightly and glared at the black figure. Instinctively, I raised my fur on end and tensed up.

“Grrrr……”

A terrible beast smell and rough breathing.

As expected of the monster-infested north, even the dogs were large and scary-looking.

Could it be a training hound raised by the knight order?

I heard that in the northern knight order, they train hunting dogs to find traces of monsters or deploy them in battle.

Don’t tell me it’s mistaking me for a monster and attacking. You’ve got to be kidding, right?

The hunting dog bared its fangs, ready to tear out my throat at any moment. Its sharp fangs gleamed.

“Grrrr!”

The moment the hunting dog barked fiercely and lunged at me, I ran away with all my might.

“Kaaang (H-help, someone!)”

I ran as fast as I could, but sadly, my legs were too short and slow.

To escape the persistently chasing hunting dog, I went through the small hole under the fence.

I had just escaped, but now I was going back on my own. However, it was the only way to survive.

I barely made it through the small hole under the fence. In my haste, my chubby bottom got stuck and I flailed about.

At that moment, the hunting dog lunged to bite my tail.

“Kaang!”

I made it inside the fence by a hair’s breadth, and the hunting dog’s teeth barely grazed past me.

Once inside the training ground, I finally felt relieved.

It won’t be able to chase me anymore now.

The hunting dog was circling around the fence, still chasing me from afar. What a persistent beast.

I need to quickly ask someone for help!

Unfortunately, there wasn’t a single soldier in sight at the training ground.

I looked for a place to hide, but there was nowhere to conceal myself in the wide-open training ground. It was obvious I’d be caught quickly if I tried to run.

That’s when I spotted a small pond in the corner of the training ground.

The pond looked cold in the middle of winter, but I had no choice.

I need to buy time until someone comes.

I can’t die like this, getting mauled by a dog.

Without hesitation, I jumped into the pond.