SAFBIAN Ch 20

Chapter 20

 

Haewon cautiously removed the gag.

“Fox, quickly now. Come on, eat fast.”

Seeing the fox shake his head with a snort, he rummaged through his pants and pulled out some jerky to offer.

‘…I appreciate the gesture, but still.’

Dori hesitated as he looked at the jerky that seemed to have come from between the man’s legs. It must’ve been hidden so deep to avoid being discovered that the dried seasoning had softened and turned sticky.

He was starving. But he didn’t really want to eat that… Dori sulkily shook his head.

“His Majesty is truly terrifying. If we’re caught, both you and I will die, you know? I even brought this without my master knowing, so if you just eat it quickly, no one will ever know.”

Haewon shook the jerky in front of his eyes.

That somehow made it feel even more sketchy…

Dori brought his black nose closer and sniffed. The beef jerky had been thinly sliced from lean, tender meat, likely dried in a breezy area.

His nostrils flared with hunger. He reluctantly began to open his mouth—but then, heavy footsteps echoed in the distance. Behind them, smaller, hurried ones followed.

Snap.

Dori quickly shut his half-open mouth and perked up his ears, flicking them.

“Huh? What’s wrong?”

But this naïve man, lacking in awareness, kept urging him to eat quickly. Dori pushed Haewon out of the pen with his front paw while simultaneously grabbing the jerky and hiding it under the cushion.

He had already had one terrifying experience where a human’s head could’ve been chopped off right in front of him. That was more than enough.

“Wait—no, I said eat it now! I have more…”

Then, realizing the situation too late, Haewon’s face turned pale.

“Y-Your Majesty must be coming! So suddenly?”

As the panicked Haewon flailed in confusion, Dori pushed the gag back into place with his nose and gave him a tap with his paw.

‘This is no time to panic. Put this on first, quick!’

“…Oh, right!”

Haewon clumsily tried to secure the gag, but in his haste, he kept fumbling, and it slipped from his hands. Dori tried to help, but his sharp claws only ended up scratching his own face.

“Fox, wait! No, hold still.”

“Kiing, kiing.”

Haewon grabbed Dori’s front paws. He finally pried open the fox’s snout, placed the gag, and was just about to secure the clasp when—

Click.

The door opened on both sides, and a dispassionate figure, Haban, stood there, spotting the scene before him.

A fox sitting calmly with its front paws together, Haewon appearing to embrace its neck, and a piece of jerky poorly hidden beneath the cushion.

“…Physician Woo.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“How many disciples has that child brought in so far?”

“He is the thirteenth.”

“I see. It must be hard to take in disciples at your age. At this rate, losing one wouldn’t make much difference.”

Dori and Haewon froze, eyes meeting. That “wouldn’t make much difference” surely didn’t mean they’d be let go.

“…F-Fox. I think we’ve been caught. W-What do we do? His Majesty seems really angry.”

Haewon whispered while trembling. The arm around Dori’s neck quivered like an aspen leaf.

Dori, too, had no idea what was going on.

‘This is strange. Just for jerky? Dying over jerky? This wasn’t the scene where Haewon dies, was it?’

Or was that just an offhand threat?

The fox’s eyes darted toward Haban’s expression—and relaxed.

‘Right. If he were angry, there’s no way he’d look so calm.’

“Your Majesty.”

The old man beside Haban bowed deeply.

“He is a clever and talented child. I don’t know what may have offended Your Majesty, but allow me to take him back and teach him properly. I ask that you show your gracious mercy.”

“Then how about leaving the palace along with him?”

As Haban reached out to the side, a palace attendant behind him raised a small tray. He picked up a teacup, removed the lid, cooled it slightly, then took a sip.

“I must inform you that all those deemed fit to succeed me have already been killed. In my feeble old state, I am the only one left to hold this post.”

…Gasp! He said he killed them all!

Haewon whispered while still embracing the fox’s neck. Haban’s thick eyebrows twitched as his gaze shifted.

Clang!

The teacup he flung split in half. The atmosphere grew so murderous that even Physician Woo, who had tried to protect his disciple, fell silent.

“You dare to lecture me? I spared your life because you’re old and close to death, yet here you are wagging your tongue fearlessly. I should’ve severed your head back then as well, so that silver tongue of yours would never have wagged again.”

‘…That bastard!’

Worse than the one who stole my milk!

Dori’s eyes darted between the white-haired old man, the pitch-black Haban, and the tea dripping from the shattered cup, utterly horrified.

‘I knew he was violent—but not like this.’

Terrified, Dori buried his nose into Haewon’s shoulder. Haewon, too, buried his face in the fox’s fur, weeping with a sorrowful expression.

Haban’s face grew cold and stony.

“Look at that. Your disciple is neither clever nor aware of his own impending death.”

His tone was indifferent and composed. Yet the warning hidden within it constricted everyone’s throats like a noose.

“What are you doing still standing there! Bring him here at once!”

Physician Woo shouted, and Haewon carefully let go of Dori. His eyes were full of sorrow as he looked at the fox clinging to him and crying.

Thud.

Dori kicked off the ground and retreated.

If Haewon left too, only Haban and himself would remain. The tension made his ears and tail stand stiff and bristled. He looked completely different from how he had just been nestled against Haewon.

Haban’s gaze turned curious.

“They said he was close to death, but he seems perfectly fine. Everyone leave.”

Physician Woo, still weak in the legs, pulled up his disciple’s arm. The palace attendants left the room and quietly closed the doors.

Left inside the half-open cage was a lone fox.

‘S-Scary…’

Dori flinched and lowered his head. Those chilly eyes devoid of any laughter. A faint fear brushed down his spine.

Since Haban was blocking the entrance to the cage, Dori retreated deeper inside. His fluffy tail had long since tucked tightly between his hindquarters.

His head turned reflexively toward the door.

“Are you worried about him?”

A voice clenched like gritted molars, repressed.

‘No! It’s not like that for me…!’

Dori squirmed in panic. He pointed outside with his forepaw, then pointed to himself.

‘I want to go out!’

Haban’s expression changed. Did he understand the meaning?

“I see.”

No—he must have misunderstood.

Haban reached his arm into the cage and grabbed Dori’s scruff roughly. With that brutish grip, Dori was dragged outside, his claws scraping the ground.

“Unfortunately, that man will have his head displayed on the city wall tomorrow. He dared lay hands on the Emperor’s possession.”

“…Ki, kik.”

All four limbs flailed in the air.

“If a beast bites its master, it must be killed. You’ve yet to learn that lesson.”

As Dori bared his teeth and tried to bite Haban’s wrist, his airway was abruptly choked off.

“Before I sever his neck, I must first train my beast myself.”

Lifted high, those pitch-black eyes met his directly.

Dori’s breathing grew ragged. At this point, losing consciousness would have been a mercy. He resented Haban for raging so senselessly.

‘Hhh, ugh.’

A tremble escaped his thinly shaking lips, and at last a sob broke free. Tears welled in his golden round eyes and fell in fat drops.

‘Why, why… why are you doing this to me… I haven’t even transformed into a human. Hrk.’

Truthfully, ever since falling into this strange world, he’d been terrified.

Born into misfortune, plagued by bad luck all his life—why did he have to transmigrate into a novel like this? After all his suffering, the ending that awaited him was death?

And what of the reality he’d left behind?

Even now, the deposit for the hard-earned one-room he’d scraped together must be dwindling, and bills would be piling up neatly on the floor.

His meager savings were probably trickling away, leaving him with nothing. Earning money was like grasping a handful of sand—no matter how tightly he clutched it, it slipped away.

And what if the landlord just took the deposit and handed the room off to someone else?

“Uuuhhhhnngh. Ughhhhhh.”

Tears fell in a torrent.

‘Three years of saving… That was my entire fortune…’

Winter was harsh on everyone, but for him, it was especially cruel. He’d been kicked out of the orphanage during winter, and he’d nearly frozen to death on the streets when he had nowhere else to go.

Albino syndrome. That is, he had fragile skin. He could never forget the pain of cold wind ripping at his flesh.

Such was life. Even breathing cost money. Even sending off the dead required money.

What if he died here and couldn’t return to reality?

He had no family, so no one would mourn him. Not a single chrysanthemum would be left for him. In the end, he’d disappear from the world without leaving a trace in anyone’s memory.

He’d been holding out, pretending to be fine, just for the love he had for Dori—but in truth, he was deeply afraid.

“Hah.”

Haban let out a low sigh, as if he were dumbfounded. He grabbed the fox’s snout and turned its head.

“What are you crying about like you did something right.”

The white fur beneath the eyes was damp.

Though not even human, the fox sobbed so bitterly it was as if he were wailing. Ears drooped, eyes squeezed shut—the fox looked ready to pass out at any moment.

“Honestly, that stubbornness…”

Haban clicked his tongue in reproach. At that, the fox only grew more sorrowful and opened his mouth wide again.