Two people were moving fast through a forest filled with tall and thick-trunked trees, trying not to stumble on anyone.

The sky in the east had already started to brighten, and little patches of sunlight were seeping through the foliage.

---

MC's POV

The fox woman insisted on carrying me again, as we had no time left.

I was dragged over her shoulder like a rice bag, and a series of my heartbeats were mixed in with the murmurs of fox people we encountered along the way, which embarrassed me a lot.

Maintain your composure.

We were on the main highway towards the gate of the kingdom, the home of the foxes.

In this world that I was dropped into, I was given the body of a special kind of fox, and as I went about in a dizzy, I somehow wound up being carried by this fox woman.

Yet, I did not even feel an ounce of regret for the decisions I made. It's only natural for a person to get carried away in the tense of danger in this world.

Probably.

She stopped running, crouched, and let me down.

Urgh. My legs felt numbed... Wait, she turned around and whispered in my right ear.

“My apologies, young fox lady. Your legs are healed, aren't they?"

Now I remember that moment, a few seconds ago, that cracking sound I felt.

"Y-you, you're making me disabled! How violent! "

"Hm..."

She cast her eyes downward, as if there was nothing wrong.

"Seems you walk properly well, young fox lady. Let's go before it's too late. "

This woman walking in front of me said she was a silver fox. She had smooth porcelain skin and hard, long silvery hair, and her ears were shorter than those of normal foxes we encountered on the way.

Her tall frame was wrapped in a kind of conservative-style clothing of black and clay over somber clothes, and her curvaceous body overflowed with enough appeal to attract the eyes of any man or woman.

However, this isn't exactly the case for humans. Instead, it's the fox people who have this form of lust regarding their tails. I'm pretty sure of it from what I've observed so far.

By the way, her name was Alcina Fracess. She was commander-in-chief of the Austrona kingdom's warriors, which was one of the kingdoms of the Foxendom and the place we were going through, she said.

A thin sword hung at her waist, and she also possessed a powerful physique and more speed than I could imagine.

All of a sudden, she stopped and focused her brilliant golden eyes on me.

Somehow, she seemed to have noticed my quietness. I'm quite amazed. Since that heavenly girl grew up in such an environment, I'm adept at making less than zero noise and blending into the surroundings.

As I said, the body I got when I came to this world was the same one as that girl's constitution, but mysteriously, not exactly the case for my clothing.

My whole body was covered in detailed black, full of pink-red flowers, intricate on each square section and at accurate intervals that wouldn't be unusual for a common fox citizen to wear, and most noticeable were the three white crosses. Two similar in size on both my shoulders and one covering the upper part of where my heart is located.

Listener, do you imagine that I'm a nun without a veil but a priest as well? short-skirted and flower-filled design?

If memory serves right, she didn't remember wearing this before her last moments.

Well, this is okay and comfortable at best. I can move around freely.

While thinking about such things, Alcina raised her voice.

“Soon we'll reach the majestic rivers. Once we reach the major one, we'll take a break. Afterward, our destination will be only a few walks upstream.“

When Alcina turned around to inform me, I was able to see the tall cliff that overlooked the riverbed that I had passed by before.

It seems like a better natural defense against invasions.

As the wide river came into view, the tree line receded and the surroundings became brighter.

The daylight was getting weaker, with the sun concealing the huge foxendom as it sank, and the level of sunlight that penetrated the foliage was gradually decreasing.

Not to mention these towering, huge trees that minimize the sun's heat, making the surroundings cooler. Wooden houses are installed at high altitudes, and there are bridges for interconnections.

It was as if these trees served them, and the construction of these houses was natural.

Even more mysterious is the abundance of fruits and vegetables everywhere, which are mostly unknown to me. I want to grab one but...

While Alcina had found her place to sit and rest, I lowered my whole being on a suitable rock and placed leaf cushions.

We reached the foxendom domain but not the actual kingdom, she said.

Even on the outskirts, it truly was a pleasant and lively place for ordinary fox folks.

Perhaps only the higher stratum of fox society lives inside the kingdom?

All the foxes I saw differed only in hair color and the number of tails they had.

Well, this is a common misunderstanding, maybe.

As I walk beside Alcina, these fox people fix their eyes on me, and it makes me suffocate.

I'm a fairly observant person, and I hate crowds, especially talking about me.

Trying to accompany her for the sake of convenience and the pressure from the crowd is far too much.

I asked Alcina everything I could think of with appropriateness since I didn't want to get on her bad side, and she answered me about this and that.

According to Alcina, those knights failed to capture anyone, even on the outskirts. There are also some unofficial authorities, like birds, surveying each place from time to time. And countless insects patrol in each corner.

These patrol fox men saluted before us and so forth.

The wind blew across the bank of the main river, whose crystal clear waters caused the leaves to rustle.

The cheeping of birds and the occasional cry of people were mixed in; we spent our time here calmly as we walked.

I'll say it again: this place gives you fantastical vibes.

Alcina, who had been walking up until this point, jumped down to take a drink of water, but wait...

"You are not supposed to drink that!"

I warned her since microbes could make her sick.

"That's undrinkable."

She flinched and stared up at me.

“Did I hear you correctly, young fox lady, that our waters are filthy? "

Terrifying! Her gloomy aura has turned into an explosion of hatred!

"Never! No way! No way! That was my mistake, ma'am! Spare my life, please! "

To my shock, Arxes turned around and suddenly grabbed my neck!

Too fast!

"Urg!", "Urg!", "Urg!", "Urg!", "Urg!"

"Make yourself lucky today, young fox lady. If you aren't kin of ours, I'll slay you right here and now. "

After she threatened me, Alcina released me and urged me to follow her.

“I don't know where you came from. Just a warning and some advice to you: disrespecting the forest you stand in right now is tantamount to disrespecting the whole foxendom. Understood?"

She continued on her walk while I struggled to relieve the pain.

This is the most unbearable pain I have ever felt in this body.

Alcina is extremely powerful.

And what a bad thing to say!

Of course, this world isn't as extremely polluted as that on Earth!

Are the kinds of people we encounter along the way similarly sensitive and prideful?

Well, I need to be careful with my words now.

Alcina was a silver fox person that was about six-seven feet in height. Though she had the body and face of a human, her multiple bushy tails made up half of her body and were the same shape as a cotton ball.

However, the form of her legs gave her the impression of a magnanimous, strict teacher. Her soft fur was shiny silver on her back and was pure gray if you looked closely.

Well, for now, let's walk and follow her silently.

Are you still there, my listener?

Oh, I forgot. Besides me and Alcina, we met two female foxes on the way. It seems they were saved by Alcina from slavers from the nearest human settlement.

They're quite the silent type like me and pretty common in appearance, yet they have beautiful feminine curves and look younger, which are perhaps the reasons they are kidnapped.

I don't know exactly what happened to them since I only heard their conversation earlier.

And now, these fox women never raised a word and barely managed to follow us.

There is still a lingering desire within me to smell their scent and it's disrespectful unless they take the initiative first.

Hehe.

Furthermore, I can't imagine their situation—multiple wounds and bruises all over their bodies.

Humans are cruel even in this world, huh. Torturing these poor souls, I began to hate humans.

I could tell their innocent hearts experienced sudden horrors.

It was evident in their gloomy eyes until they saw Alcina and me. Alcina somehow alleviates their hopelessness, and as for myself, they ignore me.

"Miss Shiensa, you could use this if you like."

Since Alcina was already completely equipped thanks to her terrifying sword, she offered the other normal-looking sheathed sword to her. When Miss Shiensa received the sword, she opened her eyes wide.

"Is it okay, Great Miss Alcina? This is a very good sword";

"I don't mind. I discovered it along the way when I rescued you two, and it is also a rarity of its kind. Since Miss Shiensa is pretty adept at swordplay, I will give this to you to protect yourself and your friend. Besides, I already have this... "

Saying so, Alcina held up her one-meter-long thin sword. What she was displaying was the highest grade weapon known as "Magnimi Csion." As she explained it to us,

Miss Shiensa looked surprised for a moment before she wordlessly unsheathed the sword in her hand to inspect the grip and blade, and once she was finished, she nodded before sheathing it again.

"Thank you, great Miss Alcina. This will be helpful."

Her full lips lifted into a smile as she thanked Alcina and put the sword on her waist.

"Oh, it looks suitable for you, Miss."

"Umm... uh, thanks."

She turns her back against me. It seems socializing isn't my thing, and I felt she hated to be associated with me.

"We'll end our break soon and continue our trek upstream."

It didn't take that long before we arrived at a river fork.

Coming from the Maryland Mountain Ranges, my homeland, the big river split into two at this location.

It appears that the river splitting off is called the Yagaya river.

It was very wide, and judging by the color of the water, it was quite deep as well. Since the current seemed to be very strong, you'd normally have to cross it further upstream than this.

The reason we were here was to meet up with the ten other foxes and their guide to the kingdom.

I was wrong that perhaps a kilometer or two would be enough to reach the kingdom's gate.

These behemoth trees are perhaps the reason.

Even so, I could certainly see the gigantic gate up here.

While looking around, I saw the silhouettes of people emerging from the trees near the riverbank.

A fox man in a beige cloak walked out while being cautious of his surroundings, especially the people they encounter, and when they saw us, four fox girls ran straight to us.

varying hair colors of black, gold, silver, and, uh, pink? No white-furs like me?

Well,

Since the girls were running at me and twice shorter, I bent down on one knee to receive them.

"Uh."

At that moment, the silent woman, accompanied by Miss Shensia, jumped from joy, ran through me, and sat on the ground in front of them, blocking me from their view. The fox girls surrounded her at once.

If I heard it correctly, I think her name is Sammia.

It seems like Miss Sammia, which is why I thought an introvert like me had all of the popularity and cheerfulness.

Well, she's in a pretty mood. That's good.

"You're earlier than expected. I take it that we're bringing this foreign fox lady along with us? "

The fox man, named Loriem, asked Alcina the question in a low voice in passing, once he saw me pretending to take a break to cover up my awkwardness.

"Thanks to this lassie's pitiful presence, I failed to capture them. Some other circumstances require her to meet with the Grand Elder";

"That's a long and troublesome story, huh? Don't bother the old man too much. "

Loriem gave that simple reply to Alcina before he closed his eyes and mouth.

Alcina faced the ravaging river and simply said,

"I know."

"This young lady is no ordinary Alcina. Besides, that pure, bright white color of hers is the first in Foxendom history, I presume. Not to mention the bloody eyes of a warrior and her holy aura, I would not be surprised if she's older than any of us. "

"!!!"

Can he tell? These foxes are terrifying too, though all of them have the desire to touch Alcina's tails.

"Well then, since there's no time, let's proceed. "

With the pat on the shoulder that accompanied the question, I rose to my feet.

It shocked me to the core! Who was that who touched me?! I never felt a presence at all and if that's the case, I will dodge instinctively and confront this molester!

I will never let anyone abuse this body! Never!

Just where are you?!

I gritted my teeth in anger and searched the surroundings, but found nobody in the vicinity.

Perhaps I was hallucinating.

Whatever, I must be cautious here and now.

"Hey, young fox lady! testing my patience, aren't you?"

"Coming! Ma'am! "

I rushed over to her side for the better.

When the sky was dyed a deep red and the forest's shadows thickened, we finally arrived at our destination.