The room’s floor was covered with a bearskin rug, and the ceiling had ventilation holes. In the center of the floor was a square frame containing a small campfire, with simple cooking utensils placed on top. Everyone was gathered around the fire. Waermor and Waluolan sat together on one side, while Cass, Bried, and Kersey sat clockwise around them.
“Thank you again for saving Waluolan.”
As soon as Waermor, Waluolan’s mother, bowed her head, Bried, Kersey, and even Cass hurriedly stood up to stop her. Waluolan even held her back, preventing her from moving, worried about affecting the child in her belly.
“Waluolan returned later than predicted. I had already sent people out to search, but fortunately I can have them come back now.”
Waermor said with a smile. According to the servant Noy standing outside, Waermor was currently the acting clan chief.
The married fox woman—or rather, the widowed fox woman—was clearly much more amiable than the red-masked old fox, and she welcomed the three outsiders, Cass and the others, with an open attitude. She personally took out a kettle from the water vat. Waluolan said she could do it, but Waermor politely declined with a smile.
Every movement Waermor made was elegant and composed, fully expressing a uniquely feminine gentleness. That distinctive beauty left Cass and Kersey staring blankly.
Unlike the two, Bried was tense. In her eyes, everything—from the ill-fitting wooden floor to the sparks flying from the burning firewood and the large kettle—radiated danger signals. Mainly because all these things could easily hurt Waermor. Although she looked only 20 years old, Bried heard from Waluolan that Waermor was actually 65. Bried’s own parents were very old, so she couldn’t help but feel extra concern for Waermor.
Soon, the contents in the kettle began to boil, and a scent of cream and chocolate drifted out. Waluolan took down the boiling kettle and poured into each person’s wooden cup in turn. The moment the three drank, they realized it was actually alcohol. It smelled like chocolate cocoa, but it tasted like chocolate-flavored liquor.
“This is called Hazel Bamboo Wine. The ingredient is bamboo grown in the back mountain. After cooking, it becomes this wonderfully fragrant wine. It’s a local specialty.”
Waermor said like a tour guide who loves her hometown.
Afterward, Waermor listened to Waluolan’s introduction and understood Cass’s group’s intentions. Her glossy, shiny large tail wagged and her eyes widened slightly.
“Truly… in such a difficult time, for someone to be willing to stand by Waluolan—this must be the guidance of the Ancestor Spirits.”
Cass took another sip of the Hazel Bamboo Wine.
“Difficult time? The village looks quite peaceful.”
Waermor gently shook her head. The liquid in her cup was a white tea. Her tone turned somewhat sorrowful as she continued.
“It’s not as peaceful as it appears on the surface. My husband…”
Waluolan’s hand covered Waermor’s hand.
“After he passed away, the position of clan chief in the tribe became vacant. Originally, according to tradition, her uncle—the High Priest Baruma—would inherit the chief position. However, my husband had said before that he hoped to pass the position to this child, not to her uncle.”
“Waluolan, you want to become the clan chief?”
Bried said in surprise. After all, Waluolan looked the same age as them, yet she was going to be a leader. But considering how deceptively young her mother looked, maybe Waluolan was also very old.
“Yeah. The purpose of my travels was also to gain experience. I originally planned to wait until Father thought the time was right to pass it to me. I never expected it to be so soon… so suddenly that I would have to inherit his will.”
Waluolan replied dejectedly.
Then everyone listened quietly to Waermor’s account.
“Now the tribe is split into two factions: one supports the High Priest Baruma, and the other supports my daughter Waluolan. However, more people are in a wait-and-see state, not participating on either side. Lately, there have even been those supporting me, and for some reason, the number seems considerable.”
Bried remembered that when they entered the village, some fox people just watched from a distance without any further action. At the same time, she thought this married fox woman might be humblebragging. With such stunning beauty, even as a girl she had lost any envy—it wouldn’t be strange for her to be supported by many.
“Speaking of which, at first it was only the High Priest and his subordinates who claimed it was vampires… who killed my husband. The High Priest says every day that the vampires did it. As time passed, coupled with the monsters with red armor that Waluolan encountered—they have a heavy smell of blood—people said they looked like the vampires’ minions, and more people believed the High Priest. And the High Priest is still tirelessly spreading the word about vampires. I think the whole village now believes the vampires did it.”
“Um, excuse me…”
Cass raised his hand like a good student.
Waermor chuckled.
“It’s fine, just speak your mind. No need to be so reserved.”
Cass met Waermor’s eyes.
“Forgive me if I’ve misunderstood. It sounds like you don’t believe it was vampires.”
Waluolan’s lips parted slightly, as if she wanted to say something, but then she closed them again.
“Hmm… you’re right. Waluolan, you’ve made some very impressive friends.”
Waermor happily patted Waluolan’s head.
“That’s correct. I really don’t believe it was vampires.”
“Th-then the reason is…?”
Kersey asked weakly while eating rice cakes. Bried also focused her attention on Waermor.
Facing the three’s gazes, Waermor twitched her triangular animal ears.
“I don’t know.”
The three were speechless.
“Sorry about that. It’s just my gut feeling that the culprit is not a vampire. It’s definitely not the High Priest either. He was my husband’s younger brother, after all; they were blood brothers. The culprit is probably someone else, but I have no evidence. Compared to this unreliable intuition of mine…”
Waermor wore a helpless expression.
“Recently, the High Priest and his people have been gathering manpower, saying they need to eliminate vampires. There are fewer people working in the fields, and I have to coordinate everywhere. That’s the real trouble. So exhausting. Sorry for going off on a tangent.”
“I admit I’m biased. If we’re talking about who should be chief, I think my child—Waluolan—is more capable. It was also I who used the summoning spell to contact Waluolan and call her back. You must have seen the village protection spell when you entered. The High Priest is accomplished in magic, letting everyone in the village sleep well at night…”
Waermor’s beautiful brows knitted tightly.
“He is excellent as a priest, but his personality is not very good. I don’t think he is suitable to be chief.”
“Mom, you don’t have to be so considerate. Uncle Quan has some problems with his mind—he’s always jittery, and he often drools when he looks at women.”
Waluolan said in a rare tone of dissatisfaction.
“Waluolan… you shouldn’t say that. When you were little, he was indeed like that. I kept rejecting him and told your father about it. Your father had a big fight with your uncle, but later your uncle apologized to me, and the two brothers made up.”
“Haven’t I often asked you to have tea and go on dates?”
“What I said is the truth. Besides, when your father was still alive, although I personally… didn’t really like the High Priest. Now that the High Priest’s group has grown, I don’t feel safe going out without guards.”
Waermor sighed.
Bried nodded along with her teammates, feeling the same.
“Is there any way to increase Waluolan’s chances of becoming chief?”
Cass brought the topic back.
“There is. Although we’re split into two factions, after observing, I believe everyone’s true intention is the same—avenging the chief.”
Bried thought for a moment.
“In other words, if we can help Waluolan’s faction defeat the vampires, we’ll win the tribe’s greatest support, and her becoming chief will be a sure thing.”
“Yes, that’s right.”
Waermor hesitated and nodded, then said solemnly.
“This could cost you your lives… are you sure that’s okay?”
“We’ve offered to help. It’s no trouble at all.”
Cass patted his chest and said confidently.
“Then tomorrow we’ll take them down… no. Let’s scout the situation first.”
“…It’s been a long time since I’ve seen three people with such sincere hearts.”
Waermor stroked her belly and bowed her head in gratitude as best she could.
Although this trend of “avenge the chief to become chief” was set by Baruma, Bried didn’t mind beating him to it. It seemed this dungeon task was really that simple—as long as they could defeat the vampire, everyone would be happy.
The biggest problem was the vampire. Bried had never encountered one before; she had only seen illustrations and introductions in textbooks. Immortal, weak against daylight, silverware, and holy water—they probably knew plenty of skills. In short, they had too little intelligence on the enemy. They needed to scout thoroughly before making a plan. If they could defeat it, her swordsmanship would surely reach a new level.
“It seems my leave was still too long. We can finish within a week. When we go back, we’ll run into Siloque and get him to cook to celebrate. We can also have dinner with my parents in the evening.”
Earlier, Teacher Priss said Siloque only took two weeks off, but recently she said it was extended by one week. Was the first floor task that difficult? He should be fine… he’s been replying normally on LINE. Bried didn’t realize she was having baseless thoughts about her childhood friend.
Just as she was about to ask for specific information about the vampire—
“Grrrrrr—”
Everyone heard a peculiar “dragon’s roar.”
“Kersey, you’re hungry, aren’t you? Sorry, my friend here gets hungry easily.”
“N-no—?! It’s not Bried, you—”
Bried snatched a rice cake with the movement of a iai draw and stuffed it into Kersey’s mouth.
Waermor didn’t find the stomach growling that echoed through the room rude; instead, she showed a gentle smile.
“Oh my, my apologies for my poor hospitality. You must be tired from traveling, and it’s already noon. Time to eat.”
She made a good point. They could ask about the vampire over dinner. What kind of dishes did the fox people eat? Roast chicken, crispy fried fish, stir-fried chicken gizzards?
As Bried pondered, Kersey, with her cheeks puffed out from the rice cake, glared at Bried in protest.
“Noy.”
Waermor called out to the door.
“Yes.”
Noy silently opened the door.
“Take them to the dining tent. It’s a little early, but the food should be ready. Use the best things to entertain them. Don’t neglect proper etiquette.”
Waluolan wanted to catch up with her mother, so she had Cass’s group go eat with Noy first. The dining tent wasn’t far, and Noy would also show them around and arrange their lodging for the night.
The room fell silent for a moment. Neither of the two fox women could easily speak, because the father figure who should have been there was missing. Waermor took out a comb. Waluolan knew her mother wanted to comb her hair, so she turned around and sat down.
Waluolan’s ears drooped as she let her mother stroke and comb.
“It’s not an illusion. I truly feel he is still alive. I heard his call in my dreams…”
“Mom… you’re the one who told me you saw Father disappear into the black vortex.”
Waluolan’s expression contorted with conflict. The possibility that her father was still alive, and the possibility that her mother was hallucinating from excessive longing—her conflicting feelings made her unsure whether to agree or to warn her mother not to think too much.
“That vampire hasn’t come out of the castle since my grandmother’s generation. Why has it started moving recently…”
Waermor murmured, stopping her stroking. Her gaze drifted vaguely toward the forest outside the window.
“I don’t know. My heart just tells me… tells me your father is still alive.”