SHMBM 07

Chapter 07

Walking around inside Cheonwolru with Sehwa left me with a simple impression.

‘There’s grass and even a pond. Though it’s all obviously maintained by humans.’

And maybe it was just my imagination, but I didn’t see any humans who looked like customers.

At most, there were humans who seemed to be guarding Cheonwolru, humans dressed in pretty clothing focusing on something inside, and humans who were helping those people or diligently cleaning the interior.

‘They say high-class information gathers here.’

Does that mean the fewer the customers, the higher the quality? But then wouldn’t that also mean less information?

I tilted my head repeatedly at the unanswered question, and Sehwa softly laughed as she bent down beside me.

“Are you curious about the carp in the pond?”

“Kyawng?”

[What’s there to be curious about? Anyone can see these fish were selectively bred by humans to suit their tastes. They don’t even look tasty.]

“Those carp are ones the Master cherishes. You might fall in if you get too close, so let’s step back.”

“Kyeong!”

[As if he cherishes them that much.]

Still, I hated getting my fluffy baby fur wet, so I obediently stepped back as Sehwa said.

Then came a gentle hand patting my head, as if praising me.

“Grrrng.”

“You listen so well. What a good boy.”

Ugh, I should say nothing. If I wanted to, I could easily communicate properly with Sehwa too. But why bother?

‘The fox cares about this human. I don’t.’

This time, I followed the fox and ended up at Haomun, but in my previous life I never remembered seeing Sehwa.

Even if I had, he was important in Haomun—he would’ve died just like the fox.

And regardless of how kind he acts, a human is still a human.

Even if they’re young and admirable, a little time will pass and they’ll be dead before you know it.

So I had no intention of getting attached.

Humans couldn’t be trusted, and getting tangled with them only brought trouble.

If the fox comes back soon, I can recover my inner core and be less tied to this human too.

The more I recognized reality, the more grim I felt. Humans gathered in groups, were strong individually, and were cunning.

Still, I swallowed the discomfort and quietly followed behind Sehwa.

Sehwa walked slower than other humans… probably because he was considerate of my short little legs as I scampered along.

“Grrrng!”

‘This hurts my pride.’

I—who could easily overpower a human even in this small form—was being coddled. That alone wounded my pride.

How did my life fall this far?

‘No, calm down.’

I was given another chance, wasn’t I? I returned to the past—given the chance for revenge against that damned Blood Sect.

Remembering that, chasing after a human with my short legs didn’t feel as bad.

“Why? Are you tired?”

“Kyeong!”

No, don’t try to pick me up.

I tapped Sehwa’s reaching hand with my front paw to say exactly that. And since he was being considerate, I didn’t extend my claws—I hit him gently.

If I used claws, that pale, soft palm of his would end up covered in scratches.

“Alright. You want to walk on your own?”

“Kyawng!”

“Okay, okay. If you get tired, make a sound.”

“Kkuuuu!”

‘I’m not a newborn cub, you know…’

At this size, I should at least be able to hunt butterflies while following my mother.

Annoyed, I flicked my tail sharply as I walked. Sehwa made a suppressed laugh behind me, but I pretended not to hear it.

Sehwa then guided me mainly to the areas we hadn’t seen yet, as if keeping the fox’s request in mind.

‘I can’t rely only on the herbs and elixirs the fox provides.’

Gathering spiritual energy doesn’t only come from eating; I’d need to train when the time is right.

Then, I heard approaching footsteps and perked my ears.

“Sehwa-nim, you’re here?”

We’d arrived at what seemed to be the living quarters for people staying in Cheonwolru. It felt much more lived-in, and people dressed more comfortably gathered around Sehwa.

“Oh my? Kyaa! It’s— it’s a baby tiger, isn’t it?”

“A tiger cub? Really? Why is a tiger here?”

“Oh my gosh! I’ve never seen a tiger cub before…!”

When they finally noticed me, they shrieked briefly in excitement. Sehwa frowned and scolded them sharply.

“Compose yourselves. Would you behave like this in front of customers?”

“B-but…”

“Even if a pit of snakes is before you, you must not lose your smile in front of customers. Don’t forget.”

“…Yes, Sehwa-nim.”

They immediately calmed down. Their staring at me also vanished.

Though their shoulders slumped as if they’d been scolded too harshly.

“…And this tiger was brought here by the Master.”

“…The Master?”

From the wide-eyed reactions, it seemed the fox really had done something unexpected.

“Yes. He named him Sangun, and said we are to raise him well so he becomes one of Cheonwolru’s attractions.”

“An attraction… a tiger?”

“There are no places that keep tigers, so it would certainly be unique, but… isn’t it dangerous for customers?”

“We’ll need to approach carefully. And we must train him. Since the Master is paying attention to Sangun, he surely has a method.”

“Well… if it’s the Master…”

‘No seriously, how did that idiot fox act in the human world for people to react like this?’

Judging by his usual behavior, the fox didn’t seem dependable. Yet apparently humans here trusted him quite a bit.

Suddenly, one woman bravely stepped forward.

“S-Sehwa-nim… in that case, shouldn’t Sangun get used to the people of Cheonwolru?”

“That’s true.”

“And if he’s to become an attraction, he mustn’t harm anyone—he should feel familiar with people.”

“…Is that all?”

“I—I want to pet Sangun!”

At the unexpected request, both Sehwa and I widened our eyes at her.

Under our gaze, her face flushed bright red as she stammered.

“M-my father used to say you have to handle baby animals from young if you want to tame them…”

“She’s right. Animals raised with human touch from young tend to follow humans well.”

“And he is a tiger. If he’s not used to human touch, he might suddenly bite someone!”

As if waiting for permission, the others chimed in too.

Sehwa looked down at me, pondering deeply. Why was he considering it??

“…Yes. That makes sense.”

“Kyawng?”

[No, why??]

“If Sangun shows discomfort, stop immediately. Even if he’s a tiger, he’s still young.”

“Y-you’re really letting us?”

“Yes. For safety, familiarity is important. I’ll report it to the Master myself. But only touch him in my presence. Understood?”

“Kyaa! Yes, Sehwa-nim!”

“Your exclamations are excessive.”

“I’ll restrain myself, Sehwa-nim.”

Answering earnestly, the same brave woman crouched in front of me.

…A strange feeling crawled up my spine, and the fur on my back bristled.

* * *

My age—I’m roughly a thousand years old.

Maybe ten years younger now, but still. At this age, a crisis—not quite a crisis—had arrived.

“So cute…!”

“How is he this gentle? Even a cranky housecat would be more temperamental than Sangun.”

“Oh my gosh, his paw pads are so soft…!!”

The humans here were all weak. Other than the life force inside them, they had no real qi to speak of, and their skin was ridiculously soft.

Since becoming a spirit beast, I’ve never hunted another beast or spirit to eat. And of course, I never ate humans.

So letting them pet me was something I could tolerate with a generous heart.

And the humans’ faces melted into goofy smiles as if this was the happiest moment of their lives.

It was a little annoying, but what could I do? If I accidentally hit them too hard out of annoyance, these humans would genuinely die.

“Kkiwoong.”

But despite all the time passing, they didn’t look like they planned to leave. Getting tired, I flicked my ears.

“Kyaa! So cute!”

“Oh my, oh my…!”

Their reactions to every tiny movement were so exaggerated it was becoming troublesome.