The Fluffy Baby Fox Only Bites the Crazy Villain - Chapter 22
Just then, the door burst open and two soldiers entered carrying a small basket.
“Lady Shushu, it’s time for your morning training.”
“Kyaang! I want to sleep more. Can’t I just rest?”
Even though I threw a tantrum, squirming with my round belly showing, it was useless.
Even when a cute baby fox struggled, the stone-faced soldiers forcefully put me in the basket without even a glance.
“Lady Shushu, please have a safe trip.”
Parting with Betty who was tearfully seeing me off, I lay in the basket having given up on everything. While continuously cursing Karden internally.
What? He likes to talk about repaying debts for life. We’ll see about repaying kindness with cruelty.
At that moment, I spotted a familiar face at the entrance of the knights’ training ground.
It was Ron, the mage with red hair wearing a brown robe. When Ron saw me, he waved happily like a child.
“Oh? It’s Shushu!”
I too wagged my tail vigorously when I saw Ron. Now I can escape with dignity.
“Shushu, where are you going? His Grace went out to inspect the outer walls.”
The soldiers saluted Ron respectfully. Despite his young age, Ron was recognized as a mage and respected by the soldiers in the northern fortress.
Somehow, I feel proud. I don’t know whose son he is, but he grew up well.
“The Commander ordered Lady Shushu’s morning training, so we’re heading to the training grounds.”
“Is that so? That’s perfect. I was heading there too. I’ll take Shushu.”
“What? But it’s our duty…”
When the soldiers hesitated, Ron showed them a friendly smile.
“You soldiers must be busy too. I’ll take care of Shushu. Don’t worry.”
Ron quickly took me out of the basket and carried me away. Worried I might fall, Ron held me tight and walked carefully.
Come to think of it, Ron stayed up late taking care of Lord Bert. He must be tired too, I wonder if he’s alright.
“Ron, you worked hard taking care of Lord Bert yesterday. How is Lord Bert?”
“He’s stable now. The healers are taking turns treating him.”
“Did you get any sleep? You look so tired.”
Ron brushed back his messy hair and smiled brightly. The freckles on his nose wrinkled, making him look even cuter.
“Don’t worry. I came to check if Shushu was okay. You swallowed excessive mana yesterday. How are you feeling?”
“I’m as energetic as usual. But I could only stay human for a short time. I turned back after just an hour.”
I complained with a wrinkled nose. Even after swallowing such strong mana, the duration was too short. How can I stay human?
Ron fell into serious thought for a moment.
“That’s true. We don’t have any research materials on how fox beastfolk achieve human transformation. If we could find your kind, it would be easier to learn human transformation. Shushu, don’t you have any memories of your kind?”
Ron’s question made me feel guilty inside.
Since I was possessing a fox, I couldn’t have memories of fox beastfolk.
“Well… I seem to have lost my memories. I don’t remember anything except collapsing in the forest.”
I couldn’t tell Ron that I had no memories because I transmigrated here.
When I first opened my eyes, the baby fox was indeed alone. Where did the other fox folk go?
Ron gently scratched my small ears and comforted me in a kind voice.
“Shushu, don’t worry. We’ll find your kind soon. His Grace sent out search parties to look for fox beastfolk.”
“Karden did?”
“Yes. His Grace wants you to find your kind too. So you’ll find your family soon.”
When we arrived at the training grounds, loud shouts echoed through the air.
Under Owen’s command, new recruits were training on one side, running while carrying heavy logs.
Though the training ground was covered in snow, they trained intensely, rolling in the snow without minding it.
“The soldiers are training hard today too. Shall we play over there where we won’t disturb them?”
“Okay!”
I wagged my tail and my eyes sparkled.
Ron and I made a snowman in a corner where snow had piled up. I dug up snow with my hind legs, and Ron rolled it into balls.
“Wait a moment, don’t look. I’ll surprise you.”
Ron blocked my view with his back and worked hard on making the snowman.
Is Ron perhaps skipping magic research to play hooky?
After working on the snowman for a while, Ron turned around. His cheeks were red and his blue eyes sparkled from how absorbed he’d been in making the snowman.
“Ta-da! Complete! A cute Shushu snowman!”
“This is me?”
The rice-cake-shaped snowman had three black beans for eyes, nose, and mouth.
I stood next to the snowman, sniffing it. The size is similar to me. But it’s cuter than me?
“Ugh, cute Shushu next to a cute snowman. They match so well.”
I smiled broadly at Ron who was jumping around in joy.
I felt sorry for Ron who spent long hours in the tower doing magic research. He’s still at an age where he should be playing around.
As his big sister figure, maybe I should play with Ron today.
“Hey, want to dig holes? I heard foxes living in cold places like digging holes in snow.”
Ron crouched down and looked at me with expectant eyes.
Though I have a fox’s body, my soul is that of a rational, intelligent adult. There’s no way I’d enjoy digging snow…
But I couldn’t ignore Ron’s sparkling eyes. I can’t destroy his innocence.
I made a show of lightly pawing at the snow.
Huh? Wait, this is actually fun?
Before I knew it, I was enthusiastically digging with both paws. When a small hole appeared, I felt a sense of achievement and pride.
“Wow, Shushu, you’re really good at making holes.”
Ron clapped while crouching, smiling brightly.
Feeling somewhat proud, I started digging another snow hole. I ended up making three holes big enough for my body to fit in.
I stuck out my small tongue and panted from the effort.
Why do I feel so proud and accomplished just from digging useless snow holes?
While looking around at my hole masterpieces, I slipped and lost my footing.
“Kyaang!”
Though the hole wasn’t deep, it was embarrassing. Falling into the hole I dug myself. I scrambled out of the hole hurriedly.
“Shushu, are you okay? Are you hurt?”
Ron gently brushed off the snow on my body, startled.
Thank goodness. Nobody else saw that, right?
Looking at the training ground, the soldiers were sitting and resting after putting down their logs.
The seated soldiers were trying to hold back their laughter while watching me. Some showed warm smiles or waved at me.
What, they all saw it. How embarrassing.
I covered my eyes with my fluffy tail out of shame.
Just then, Owen approached us with a smiling face, waving his hand.
“Ron, you brought Shushu.”
“Yes, Sir Owen. Shushu came to train too.”
Owen gently brushed the snow from my ears with his fingers and smiled kindly.
“Shushu, did you have fun playing in the snow?”
His brown hair and blue eyes sparkled in the sunlight. It was so dazzling I had to squint to admire Owen’s beauty.
“Shushu’s presence has raised the soldiers’ morale. They say seeing cute Shushu play gives them strength.”
“Hehe, I am quite cute, aren’t I?”
I wagged my tail and lifted my small nose proudly. Ron and Owen smiled simultaneously at my smug expression.
Just then, three or four soldiers approached curiously. They carefully asked while watching Owen’s reaction.
“Training Officer, may we look at the fox too?”
“We’ll just watch quietly from afar.”
It’s overwhelming to have people suddenly gather around.
I quietly hid behind Owen’s legs. Whether it was animal instinct making me wary of unfamiliar smells and people, my body moved naturally.
Owen noticed my shyness and calmly advised the soldiers.
“The baby fox isn’t used to people. Don’t approach too closely. You might frighten it.”
The soldiers apologetically scratched their heads.
“Ah, we didn’t mean to scare you. Sorry, fox.”
“Don’t worry. This guy looks scary but won’t hurt you.”
“Look who’s talking. The baby fox is scared because of you.”
Before long, the soldiers were arguing about whose scary face was frightening me.
They all looked like honest and kind young men. Tools would suit them better than weapons.
The borderlands are cold with poor soil, making farming difficult. I heard that poor farmers’ children volunteer for the border guard.
Becoming a soldier means not having to worry about meals, and the salary helps support their families.
Of all places, they joined the dangerous border guard that gets attacked by magical beasts whenever they feel like it. Tsk tsk, poor things.
I wagged my tail at the soldiers.
Hey rookie, this is hell. Run away quickly.
I wanted to tell the poor soldiers to escape while they still could.
Looking around, I spotted a branch. I picked it up in my mouth and wrote wobbly letters in the snow.
The soldiers were surprised and amazed.
“Oh? The fox is writing something!”
“Really. It’s writing letters. Amazing that a fox knows how to write!”
They put their heads together and watched me write.
“What did it write? Let’s see, ru…”
“RUN AWAY!”
Owen shouted urgently with all his might.
Huh? I did write to escape from the border guard, but that’s too strong a reaction.
Just then, an ear-splitting roar echoed through the sky.
SCREEEECH!
“It’s a wyvern!”
