I think the meeting went well.

I mean, I was interrupted midway through, but the meeting itself went well none the less.

As we approached the village though, I had to split up with Yenna. She hated the idea, but I calmed her down with a hug or two. Actually, she hugged me, and cracked my back a few times, but it ultimately calmed her down.

—Ah, I forgot how it felt to have one's back popped like that.

It's pleasant.

Anyways, I couldn't simply walk into the village like nothing happened. I revealed myself to those soldiers, and they now suspect that I'm involved with Princess Aire.

I was worried about the implications, but I've calmed down after thinking things through.

Before that though, I ended up sneaking into my home, and getting dressed into a more plain dress, before dropping off the beautiful red one with Ellen. It would trouble me if it got any more dirt on it, or if I tore it while staying in the forest.

After that, I truly became a resident of the forest. Well, I explained to mother and some of my close acquaintances, but they seemed to understand. After all, coming under the army's radar, they knew it wasn't quite a good idea to stick too closely to them.

So like most Fox Spirits, I sort of ended up becoming a forest dweller. Somehow though, I didn't find it too bad. I found a nice place to nap, and with my senses hardly anyone can sneak up on me. On top of that, the nearby river allowed me to wash my clothes regularly, and I was still able to bathe without worry.

Hmm? Aren't I worried about someone dropping by to watch me?

Let them!

Damn lolicon perverts.

Ah... I was one of those lolicon perverts once, too, huh?

It's not like I haven't had contact with anyone though.

Whenever the kids would go out to play, I'd join them for a game or two, and talk with them while I'm at it.

I still visit the Aliuen family regularly, where I learn about metal and forging from the husband, and learn about carving and different materials from the wife.

I talk to the village chief Jenn often, and still read through various books (though at this point I've found myself rereading books I already read).

I visit Ellen to fix up any scratches on my dress, and play with her baby while I'm at it.

Though, I do come by the Thenri family more often than I use to, to drop off any wild animals I happen to hunt, in exchange for some money and hunting tips (things like learning where certain animals usually live, or what kind of trails they leave behind). I use the money to pay Ellen for my dresses, and to purchase food whenever I'm tired of just meat. Everyone's nice and friendly, but I don't feel right just taking things for free, even if they offer it.

Overall, my interactions with the village have stayed largely the same, with some minor changes.

Of course, I've also been keeping an eye on Lein's camp.

A party of soldiers were sent south to continue their pursuit just in case, but the bulk of the force have setup camp near the village, and have been monitoring the area.

Senilea is of course conquered by Lein, and news has reached the village, so you could say these soldiers have a legitimate right to occupy the area. But the residents are still afraid of them, with how blatantly they walked into the village, and inspected them. Perhaps I'm also at fault, considering I directly confronted them and antagonized them, but what's done is done.

I'm not as calculating as I like to pretend I am.

Ah, on top of that, it seems they sent a messenger bird to Lein.

Maybe if I was more attentive of their camp I would have been able to stop the message from being sent, but it's too late now.

It's been at least two weeks since I met Princess Aire.

Reinforcements should be arriving about now, right?

I mean, Senilea is "average" in size, compared to its neighbors, but that's no larger than some of the tiny countries back in my old world.

Two weeks. The messenger bird should have arrived within a day or two. Following that, it shouldn't have taken any more than a week for enemy forces to arrive. Less, if they traveled by Dragon, but their Dragon Riders are probably too valuable for this. In fact, they're probably being prepared for the next invasion.

Going by the news, you could call Lein's current move a Blitzkrieg, so they probably intend to invade Kiitland next. Or they already have. It's probably a good idea Aire's group didn't keep going west.

With that in mind, it looks like Aire and Aniel are properly preparing for war. That's nice and all, but I don't want to involve the villagers, you know?

That said, I've not really helped the bunch very much at this point. At most I've given them food and shelter, but the deal was to let them use my "influence" as a spirit.

So it's understandable that Aniel hasn't shared his secrets with me.

But at this rate it'll be quite a while before he shares anything with me.

I can't help but ways to get it out of him.

Beating on him until he talks is impractical. He's a bit stronger physically, and with his magic I wouldn't really have a chance, unless I planned to just knock him out—but in that case I can't talk to him.

The other idea... well, even though I don't want to do it, I feel oddly open to the idea of seducing him. I'd bet my left testicle that I was straight—but then again my personality has been affected a lot by this body of mine, and I feel "open" to the idea, though not quite there yet.

That said, I'd have to hide it from Yenna, or she'd kill me. I try not to be flirtatious in front of her, so it helps I can hear or smell her approach.

Well, with nothing else to do, I've decided to just go along with their plans.

It seems they intend to fight the forces sent here, outside of the forest, and from there they intend to regroup with Aire's father. I've been feeding them the reports that Lein receives, and it seems the King has been leading a bit of a rebellion. One could say, that with the King escaping their grasp, they botched their invasion into Senilea, because the country isn't quite known for its military power—underestimating a nation with little political power or military might is expected.

But it's not like the King is winning. All he's managed to do is evade capture, and annoy the enemy.

Aire has an idea of where the King might be hiding, and wants to leave the city as soon as Lein's reinforcements arrive. That way she can crush them before heading after her father.

I thought she was expecting far too much from Aniel at first, but I forgot about the other twenty background characters that followed these two around. I had already learned from Aire that Aniel had researched "Enchantments", so I made the assumption that his magic may be related to that. I hadn't quite expected for Aniel to conjure several enchanted items for his small army of Magicians.

Scary scary.

I'm sure they'll be fine with this much.

Learning that the magic really is enacted by a magic item, I thought to steal the pendants those children wore, but decided against it.

I didn't know if they had some special activation requirement, or were set so that they only worked with one person. On top of that, I wouldn't learn how to create one, and would ultimately break any trust I had built with Aniel.

Just learning that Enchanted Items with this level of power can be created, is enough for now.

----------------------------------------

"Are you eating well?"

"Mhmm,"

"Have the armored men come by and said anything?"

"Hmm, one came by to talk to father. Asked him some questions and then left. That's all,"

"I see."

"Ah! Aishel beat up Rojji today. Got into a fight about something. Dunno what it was about. Uncle Jenn broke it up before I could ask, but Rojji already had a black eye,"

"Ah, that idiot's pretty big, but he punches like a baby,"

Yenna and myself sat in a small clearing just outside the village, surrounded by trees and tall grass. I wore a plain white kimono, and had my regular sandals to my side, while I sat barefoot, with my toes wiggling joyously in the breezing air.

Between us was a small basket of snacks the two of us were sharing, while she recounted her day.

It seemed like a normal day all around.

The fact they talked to her father isn't much cause for concern—we never really interacted, but his worry about me more-or-less vanished with time. Sometimes I wonder if he even remembers I'm a boy.

Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.

We've had these little short get-togethers, seeing as Yenna insisted on meeting regularly.

I don't really mind them. I don't have much else to do than hunting and spying.

I've some how become a real fox, huh?

Anyways, I've come to notice that Yenna has begun to... develop. It's still too early for there to be much noticeable, but her chest is still there.

I wonder if Yenna is one of those early bloomers? I've known some girls like that in my old life who at 12 or so had a handful, but I wonder if that's a matter of genetics, or diet?

Ah, I should stop before my mind strays—I feel that Yenna would instinctively hit me for losing myself in such thoughts. Even though she doesn't seem to know about such thoughts...

Hmm, thinking about it, I've decided on Yenna's life arbitrarily, without asking her say, haven't I?

With that in mind, I swallow bit of sweet crackers I was chewing on, and ask.

"Sis. What do you plan to do?"

"Probably just going to go play with the others later," She answered simply.

"No no, not what do you plan today," I said, "Like, in life."

"... I dunno," She said as she tilted her head. "I never thought about it."

I expected a more grandiose dream on the level of fairies and unicorns, but thinking about it clearly, I guess that's unreasonable of me.

After all, I come from a society where from a young age we're constantly fed dreams, and asked what we want to be, while being told we could be whatever we want to be. After all, I lived in a country where theoretically, I really could become anything, if I put in the right effort, and maybe had the right timing and luck.

Something like becoming President was certainly unlikely, but it was still a very real possibility.

In this world though, the right to rule is reserved by families with power, and inheritance is law. Aishel's father is a village hunter, and he himself will probably grow up to also become a hunter. He has probably never even considered the possibility of becoming something else, and if he has or will, it's likely he will eventually come to consider it an unlikely or even unattainable dream. He never has to make a choice, because he is choosing a path that was set before him.

However, Yenna...

Well, as a woman, it's not like she has anything to inherit, as mean as that sounds.

That being said, because of that, she more or less has the freedom to do as she pleases, profession wise. But she has no special skills. Being young, she could probably learn something even now, and I feel that she has the ability to learn anything, if motivated to do so.

In my mind however, I can only imagine her with a single role.

But it's likely just my being selfish.

"Then, how about working for me?" I said, putting a hand to my chest in confidence.

However, she merely tilted her head, as thought she didn't understand. After all, what kind of "job" would she have under myself?

"And do what?" She asked.

"Protect me, of course," was the only response I could give.

"I already do that, though," She said with a frown. Ah, so she does, huh? There was that one group of punks... Well at least she handled it so I didn't have to.

"I mean like, a soldier, but only for me," I said with a light laugh, "Or maybe a guardian would be a better word? I guess I could just call you my agent," I said, as I shifted my head to the side in thought. Maybe I'm being a bit conceited here? Even though people see me as an object of worship, it's not as though I'm a real god or anything. Having something like an agent is probably too much.

"Your agent? What would I do?" She asked curious.

"Like I said; you'd fight for me when I needed you too! Or, just follow me where I go. Honestly, I just think it'd be nice to have someone I know around," I said before swallowing a large cookie.

"Heh~ Then I'll do it," she said, jumping to her feet.

"Ah, you don't have to do it now. I'll be around anyways, so you just have to grow up nicely. Besides, you don't know how to fight just yet," I reasoned.

"But you need me to protect you now. I'll start now. I can learn!" She insisted.

Well, it's true, it's not like there's anything stopping her at the moment. I'm not going anywhere or anything. Ultimately the position she's taking on has little weight, or legitimacy.

Like my friend who wanted to make me his "science guy" for some "company" he was making, when he was 15.

Well, this has slightly more implications and weight than that, but still.

"Well, alright, I'll teach you what I know about fighting," I told her. I did take a few martial arts classes, and I had some scuffles growing up. It's not much, but it's better than nothing. Heck, having her train at all would be a good thing.

As I pulled myself to my bare feet, I gestured for Yenna to approach. She scurried towards me, as I placed my hands on her shoulders, and guided her onto her knees. She seemed a bit confused for a moment, but put up no resistance, as she sat before me.

"Then, Yenna Arii. I hereby name you my agent," I said reaching out to her, and held her face in my palms, "Do well to represent me, dear sister," I told her, before kissing her forehead.

It was a childish ceremony. Looking at it from the outside, I'm sure it looked like nothing more than two children playing a game of pretend.

But to me it had something of a symbolic value.

And to Yenna? I couldn't be too sure. But through that mysterious bond which linked her to me, I could feel grace and duty wash over her, as she sincerely accepted my words.

While I intended to wait a couple years to do this, I somehow felt it necessary to start now.

Perhaps the recent events have made me feel rushed, so I couldn't resist taking her "soul" as my own.

"Now my little sister. I need you to go home, understand?"

Much unlike her, she said nothing, but merely nodded with a new dutiful expression.

"Don't speak of this to anyone yet. Just act as though nothing has happened, except when you're with me," I explained, as I drew back my hands, which till now had cupped her face. Ah, she's really pretty when she has that expression—ready to carry out any task I give, no matter how ludicrous.

"Then. I'll be going. Be sure to take that basket, and tell mother I loved her snacks," I said, grazing my tail against the side of her face, one last time before departing.

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Rushing through the forest, I felt quite an excitement overflow me.

However, only part of this was my own excitement. I could feel Yenna's love and excitement flow into me through that bond. Well, it relieved me to think that such a thing also allowed me to feel such a heart-warming feeling. The first time I noticed this bond, it was from the anxiety and fear the villagers felt, so I assumed that maybe this was a warning system, regarding those close to me. But I'm not quite sure about that yet.

However. as I ran through the forest, and began walking across a shallow stream—a bolt of white light pierced the air in front of me, stopping me in my tracks.

"Ah... You decided to show yourself?" I asked, turning my eyes words the direction of that bolt.

There, standing between two trees stood a figure I'd never quite seen before. However, their scent had been all over my forest, and through the village recently. It's impossible that I wouldn't notice them.

A tall woman, in the prime of her youth. Well, taller than me anyways. She had a beautiful aura to her, and I'm sure that if it were the old me, I would be quite captivated by her. Even now, the only reason I can avoid staring is because—as conceited as it sounds—I would rate myself a bit higher.

However, instead of a dress or even a yukata like my own, she wore something much more suited for travel and battle, giving the impression of a warrior.

I could tell... This girl was here to fight.

"So? What have you been doing, meddling in my woods?" I asked, as I turned myself towards the woman.

The silver white hair which framed her face was far from her most peculiar feature.

After all, she bore two triangular fox ears, and four long tails which sprouted behind her.