The fox’s fur begins to singe. Her white coat scatters like ash as she lets out a piercing shriek.

‘Ke-keet…!!!’

She lost the initiative.

The Yoho (Fox Spirit) bounces around, letting out frantic yelps. She struggles desperately to attach her solidified spiritual power to her tail and manifest it as spirit fire.

‘Heu… heu-he…’

The concentrated sorcery flows and spreads. Drool leaks out of her mouth, sliding down her tongue.

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Drip.

‘Hu-hu-hu-hu.’

The young dragon lets out a loose smirk. The fox, shedding tears of frustration, trembles with rage.

‘Why, you little…!!’

Her face flushes red as she sniffs back her tears. She picks her collapsed body up and brushes off the debris. Glaring fiercely, she looks down at the dragon beneath her. She digs her heels in and bares her fangs. Her corneas turn a deep blue, and her pupils split into two. Sorcery bleeds from her nine tails. It is a “Ma” (demonic) essence similar to Magi, but since it is fainter, it is not strictly called Magi. She reveals her true demonic nature.

‘You… you, you dare play with a Gumiho (Nine-Tailed Fox)~?!!!’

Her words ring out cold and murky, thick in the air. She had only meant to tease the dragon a little, but if things were going this way, she had no reason to back down.

‘I was going to be kind… but you want to see this through to the end, don’t you?’

The fox draws out her words. She doesn’t mean a battle to the death, of course. She simply wants to settle the hierarchy once and for all.

‘Hu-hu… Let’s see who’s the alpha and who’s the beta, you little lizard.‘

‘…Go ahead then.’

The strange resonance in her voice makes it seem as though there are two of her. Though fueled by jealousy, the dragon has no intention of retreating. She loves her father more than this mere fox does. There is no reason to yield.

Slash—!

The claws of the two beasts grate against their nerves. Driven by instinct, they are desperate to tear each other apart. Poisoned eyes look down at the reptile; the dragon’s heated eyes open wide to bite the wild beast. They are the ultimate rivals—veritable “cats and dogs.”

‘…Sigh.’

Watching the pathetic spectacle, a bitter smile naturally forms.

Clap, clap—

The Elf, who had been busy slicing through monsters further away, claps her homes. A refreshing breeze echoes through the dungeon’s acoustic waves, making the two beasts react. The fox lowers her tail but keeps her eyes glared. The dragon is the first to step back, withdrawing the bloodlust directed at her opponent.

‘Can we stop there? We’re currently inside a dungeon. Settling the hierarchy is fine, but that’s a problem for the two of you to solve once we get back to the surface, isn’t it?’

The Elf clears her throat.

‘And…’

An absolute decree. A few seconds pass before the command reaches their ears. Intuition already tells them whose words the Elf is about to relay.

‘The Master… I mean, the Captain, has commanded it. Fighting between guild members is strictly forbidden. If you really want to settle your rank, go out and do it in secret.’

The Command. The Captain. There was no more effective word to calm these two beastly natures. To the two beasts, it was an irresistible providence. To the Elf, it was a grand mandate.

‘…So you sent me up here just in case this happened.’

The place the dragon headed was the lowest floor of the dungeon—a partitioned area where, strictly speaking, only the weakest monsters swarmed. It was too cramped to be a lair, yet too vast to be a simple cave.

Fwaaaa—!!

‘Kra-haak…!!!’

Looking up at the stone-gray ceiling, opaque screams blanketed the area.

Fwhoosh—!!

Looking down at the ground, the only things illuminating the darkness were yellowish-purple flames. The open-air fire contained in spheres shone with a gem-like white light.

‘Take this~!! You bottom-feeders!’

‘Ke-ha-aak…!!’

Innocent laughter overlapped with monstrous shrieks. As the fox crossed her fingers, the ground began to collapse.

Fox Window.

That was certainly no ordinary fire. It was spiritual power.

‘Fire alone can’t produce that kind of power…’

Even if one cast high-tier magic, flames alone wouldn’t create such a spectacle. To be clear, that was not a mass of mana. It was a mass of sorcery. When the spirit of the sky is inspired, the wind blows, and a gale becomes a makeshift weapon to strike down. When the fox fans her tails, the manifested foxfire turns everything into the “living dead.”

What does the dragon do? Does she flap her wings and gracefully ascend to breathe fire from her mouth? No.

‘Haah… haah…’

She merely does her best to block the minions trying to escape during the chaos. Even this was taxing, as she was nursing minor wounds. She exhales steady breaths. Limping, she applies pressure to stop the heavy bleeding. Closing her eyes, she recites a chant. She imagines a spring and visualizes the spiritual water pooling in a puddle. In the spring water she meticulously described, branches grow from the main stem, eventually bearing fruit and scattering seeds.

The nature of the entire world.

She evokes the abundance of the Great Nature and spreads its nutrients. Her wounds begin to heal, the bleeding stops, and vitality starts to surge through her.

‘Ooh? Hu… hu-hu, what is she doing~?’

The dragon let out a sigh of relief.

‘Puff… puff-ff-ff…’

Regardless, there was someone further away desperately trying to hold back a snicker. The mischievous fox wore a full smirk. Brushing off her own heavy wounds, her flesh regrew instantly. Flinching through the air, the fox vanished from sight in a heartbeat.

Poof—!

‘He-heng~!’

She reappeared with a bang alongside a cloud of stone-gray smoke.

‘Pffft…’

‘Pffft…?’

‘Pffft… Hahaha!!’

The fox’s mouth curls in blatant mockery. The dragon, startled, winces.

‘Pffft~ I knew you were a weakling, but now I see you’re just a small fry below third-rate~???’

Her sleek white tails wrap around the dragon. Flying over Libera’s head, she lifts her up into the air.

‘……’

‘My, my. You acted all elegant and noble when you first joined. Calling the Captain “Papa” and then getting thrashed by these low-level minions. Just what kind of confidence made you think you could compete with me~?’

As the joy-filled “owner” mocked her, her tails began to dance jubilantly like living creatures.

‘Hu-hu!’

One tail holds her tight as they move through the mountain of funeral songs. As the labyrinth breaks and reconstructs repeatedly, the lowest floor area somehow ends up situated in the middle floors.

“What… what are you doing…!”

She scowls while being carried like a sack.

‘I’d love to stay, but let’s finish this outside~? The dungeon break is about to trigger.’

The Gumiho leaps swiftly toward the portal. The Elf follows behind with light movements. The captured dragon stirs her messy thoughts, wondering what on earth is happening.

The three heroes, having emerged from the chaotic labyrinth of the lower floors, greeted the Captain.

‘He-heng! We’re back~’

‘We’ve returned, Master.’

‘…’

Unlike the two pristine women, a young dragon covered in dust was seen stuck to the fox’s side. Her confident entrance into the dungeon felt like a lie. The young dragon’s expression was dead—or rather, she looked utterly crushed by the circumstances. Keyaru’s face clouded over as he turned his gaze.

‘Huh…? Why, why are you looking at me like that?’

‘…Because you’re the most suspicious.’

‘Hey now~ what’s so suspicious? I didn’t do anything.’

He pierced her with a sharp look. The fox denied it, waving her hand through the air.

‘Then… why is Libera being carried like that?’

‘…I just brought this little brat outside. I couldn’t let us get caught in a labyrinth break.’

As he pointed to the dragon whose self-esteem had been shattered, the fox—playing the part of the guilty party acting indignant—tried to feign ignorance.

‘You don’t trust me~?’

She puffed out her cheeks in a pout. The fox began to act up.

‘Hmph! I personally saved and brought back the daughter the Captain dotes on so much! We caught so many that we almost ended up above the 20th floor~?!’

‘You should be thanking me! Thank! Me!’

The fox boldly beat her chest.

‘…Sigh.’

Letting out a deep sigh, Keyaru extended his arms, and the white fox lunged to embrace him. …Look at this one.

‘Hi-hi-hi!! I did good, right?’

‘……No.’

His eyes turned toward the discarded Libera.

‘Give me Libera. I need to take her with me.’

Tsk.

‘What, so that’s how it is…?’

The fox clicked her tongue. The dragon brushed herself off and stood up.

‘Elaina. Can you bring me something to drink?’

Nod.

The Elf nodded wordlessly and left the spot. The fox, stomping her feet and expressing her rage with her whole body, also yanked the door open and headed somewhere.

‘Well… it’s just the two of us now.’

A small, impromptu counseling room was formed.

‘…’

Keyaru, perched on the edge of the chair, leaned his body back lazily. It was a posture that anyone would call unrefined. Libera, sitting across from him, didn’t care at all.

‘Did something happen?’

‘…No, nothing happened.’

Keyaru, holding a smile, threw the question at Libera. However, Libera answered emotionlessly and said nothing more.

‘…’

‘…’

A moment of silence passes. But then:

‘Papa. I did okay, didn’t I?’

This time, it was Libera who spoke first.

‘….’

She moved her mouth as if seeking praise for what she had achieved.

‘I… I… can get stronger than that fox, right?’

She spoke so deeply and softly it was almost inaudible. Libera, who had her worth denied, asked the “father” who had given her a place to belong for the first time.

‘…Yes. Libera, you will grow even more.’

The answer she received was more than enough to comfort the dragon who had lost her dignity.