The Fluffy Baby Fox Only Bites the Crazy Villain - Chapter 13
Betty took me to the small drawing room connected to the Grand Duke’s bedroom. This place had now become my exclusive room.
As soon as we entered the drawing room, Betty lifted me up. Her expression was still one of surprise and disbelief.
“Lady Shushu, are you really alright now?”
“Yes, that’s right. I’m very healthy.”
I nodded while dangling from her hands.
“I’m so glad. Not only are you safe, but you can speak too! It’s like a dream to be able to converse with you, Lady Shushu.”
Betty’s face was filled with emotion, her eyes glistening with tears of joy.
Seeing Betty’s genuine happiness made my heart swell.
To be honest, I’m happy to be able to talk with these kind people too.
There were many times when I was frustrated because I couldn’t communicate properly, only making fox noises.
I gently rubbed my cheek against Betty’s palm and said, “Kyang, me too, Betty.”
***
The atmosphere in the office was heavy. Karden, seated at the desk, was glaring at the fireplace light.
The shadows of the firelight fell on his coldly set face.
In front of Karden stood his aide Maildra and the Knight Captain Burke, their expressions grim.
Karden’s blue eyes, glaring at his subordinates, flashed with icy anger.
“How did you manage things that a hunting dog escaped the training ground and attacked Shushu? What if something had happened to Shushu!”
Unable to contain his rage, Karden slammed his fist on the desk.
Maildra and Burke bowed their heads even lower in remorse. Burke stepped forward, repeatedly bowing his head as he spoke.
“I apologize, Your Grace. The responsibility for the lax management of the hunting dogs lies with me. I will supervise more strictly from now on.”
“Make sure such an accident never happens again. Ensure that the hunting dogs cannot freely enter and exit the training grounds.”
Karden took a moment to compose himself, then spoke in a cold voice.
“If such an incident occurs again, I will personally punish whoever is responsible.”
“We, we will keep that in mind.”
Burke, the indomitable knight who never wavered in any crisis, was overwhelmed with dismay.
Burke had served Grand Duke Karden for many years, sharing life and death experiences.
To see his lord expressing such intense emotions, enraged over an accident involving a baby fox.
It felt unfamiliar, as he had always been rational and never showed personal emotions.
Maildra stepped forward before Karden with a guilty expression.
“We are deeply sorry. We will ensure this doesn’t happen again. Still, it’s fortunate that Lady Shushu wasn’t hurt.”
Karden calmed his anger and stared out the window.
Maildra couldn’t hide his surprise at the Grand Duke’s behavior, so different from usual.
When he first brought the baby fox, he thought it was just for use as a mana suppression treatment.
Perhaps Lady Shushu might change their Grand Duke’s barren heart.
Maildra felt a pleasant premonition and smiled gently.
“Your Grace!”
The door burst open, and Ron rushed in urgently. His hair was disheveled and his face flushed, as if he had run in a hurry.
Without time for proper etiquette, Ron fired a question at Karden.
“I heard Shushu fell into the pond. Is she alright?”
“She’s stable now. Ron, I called you because I have something to discuss.”
“Please speak, Your Grace.”
Ron straightened his posture and spoke maturely.
“Shushu bit me while unconscious and briefly transformed into a human.”
Karden’s words shocked everyone in the office. Burke and Maildra exchanged surprised glances.
Maildra cautiously asked Karden.
“By becoming human, do you mean Shushu was indeed a beastman?”
“Yes. Her human transformation is still immature. She reverted to a fox after just a few minutes.”
Ron bit his thumb pensively, a habit he had when concentrating on magic research or artifact creation.
“If she bit Your Grace, that means she absorbed mana, so Shushu transforms into a human through mana.”
“Is this normal for beastmen?”
“No, it’s not. I’ve heard that they undergo human transformation training when they reach adulthood. There are no records of beastmen becoming human by consuming mana.”
“Would there be no adverse effects on Shushu’s body if she continues to absorb my mana?”
At Karden’s question, Ron looked troubled and scratched the back of his head.
“I’m sorry. I’m not sure about that. I’ll continue to investigate. But if we could find another fox beastman, we might get more accurate information.”
“You’re right. There’s a limit to what we can learn from books.”
Karden turned his gaze to Knight Captain Burke.
“Burke, have there been any recent sightings of beastman tribes in the barrier area?”
Burke immediately shook his head and answered.
“Other than a wolf beastman appearing a few years ago, there have been none recently.”
“Then send scouts to search the birch forest near the barrier. There might still be fox beastman tribes remaining.”
“Yes, I will follow your orders.”
“And.”
Karden looked around at his subordinates and gave an order in a firm tone.
“Keep Shushu’s human transformation strictly confidential.”
“We will obey your command.”
After all the subordinates left, the office was enveloped in quiet silence. Karden sat leaning on his desk with a stern expression, lost in deep thought.
He never imagined that taking in a lost young fox would lead to this outcome.
A bitter smile lingered at the corner of Karden’s mouth.
If Uncle Bert knew I had taken in an animal, he would have scolded him.
Karden hadn’t been able to keep even a puppy since childhood. It was because of his powerful mana.
His mana manifested when he was 6 years old, and it was so powerful that he couldn’t control it.
Young Karden, pure but curious, once accidentally touched a baby bird and killed it with his mana.
The baby bird, turning cold as stone in his small hand.
That terrible and sad sensation was still vivid in his hand.
First, it was birds, then a cat he carelessly stroked because it was cute. After that, even the pony he rode sickened and died.
Karden’s mentor, his uncle Bert, strictly ordered him never to touch animals. He even prevented him from getting close to children his age.
At that time, young Karden vaguely felt:
As long as this mana flows through my body, I will never meet someone precious to share my life with.
Karden had been training in the western annex until he could control his mana.
It wasn’t until he was 15 that he could stably control his mana, and he began formal knight training.
Later, at 18, he became the youngest commander and suppressed the raging mana inside him while subjugating monsters.
The reason the Helleide family had been subjugating monsters for generations was not only out of loyalty to the kingdom but also to suppress the mana that was like a family curse.
The world feared Karden as a warmonger thirsting for monster blood, but for him, war was the only salvation that allowed him to live as a person without succumbing to mana.
After becoming Grand Duke, he fought tirelessly for stability and peace while ruling the northern castle and territory.
He thought it was his mission to devote himself to the kingdom and its people and to uphold the family honor.
Karden had come of age but never engaged in any relationships.
He never even considered a life partner, let alone a pet.
Perhaps it was because of his childhood trauma.
He feared small, fragile, and soft beings. He never knew when they might wither away in his hands.
Bringing the fox home was impulsive.
He was amazed at how lively and confident it was, not overwhelmed by mana. Above all, the warm, wriggling presence was so welcome.
When he saw Shushu, a little ball of fluff sleeping peacefully in his arms that were usually covered in the bloody stench of monsters, a corner of his heart ached.
It was the first warmth he had felt. Something that felt vividly alive even in his embrace.
Karden’s gaze turned to his palm.
The soft touch of the silver hair that had just been flowing through his hands was still vivid.
“To think she was a fox beastman who could become human…”
At the same time, a being that could control mana outbursts.
He needed to carefully consider what to do with Shushu from now on.
Whether to keep her close or send her back to where she came from.
Karden got up from his desk and walked to the window. Beyond the office window, he could see the layered castle walls.
Beyond the walls, the blue flag of the western tower was fluttering.
The blue flag meant all was well.
When there was an emergency in the western annex, soldiers would change it to a red flag.
Staring at the blue flag shining clearly under the moonlit night sky, Karden murmured softly.
“If Uncle saw me now, he would say I’m still like a child entangled in emotions.”
Karden gently clenched his empty hand. As if the warm and soft touch of Shushu still lingered there.
***
A warm light tickled my eyelids. In the distance, I could hear peaceful birdsong.
As a human, the clear birdsong would have put me in a good mood, but as a fox…
With my eyes half-open, I smacked my lips.
How delicious would it be to hunt and eat a plump bird?
“Kyaung! No!”
I opened my eyes wide with a scream.
Wanting to hunt birds? I’m really thinking like a real fox.
At that moment, I saw Karden sleeping in front of me. Strange. I had slept in the basket under the bed last night.
I frowned. It was clear that Karden had brought me to the bed again to sleep.
How annoying! I prefer sleeping alone!
Irritated, I tapped his straight forehead with my front paw.
Just then, Karden’s long eyelashes twitched. His long lashes slowly rose, and his blue eyes shone. Like an emerald lake.
Startled, I quickly withdrew my paw and sat quietly.
“You’re up early, Shushu.”
