"Where to really start, that’s the issue, huh?” Lone chuckled.

Lossa smiled at him kindly. “Why don’t you tell me about your upbringing in the Golden Foxkin Clan?”

‘Ah, fuck. She thinks I’m over a hundred years old and related to a clan she likely had some ties to,’ Lone groaned internally.

He wasn’t sure how to deal with this, really. If he lied, he ran the risk of her having some sort of lie detection skill like Guildmaster Elksworth’s Eyes of the White Dragon.

As unlikely as that was, it still wasn’t something Lone wished to risk when he wanted this woman to trust him.

“In truth? I just kinda woke up on an abandoned island less than a year ago. I have no memory of anything related to the clan or much else to do with Teresta, really. Sofia was with me. She’s, uh, a young human woman just as clueless as I was about our circumstances," Lone said with a sigh.

Lossa - who had returned to her human appearance just in case they were interrupted - frowned. "Your case is similar to the infant Golden Foxkin that suddenly appeared in this very country.” A look of concern entered her eyes. “How did you manage to leave that island with little-to-no memories? It was uninhabited, no?”

“Abandoned, not uninhabited. Lots of goblins called it their home, haha,” Lone laughed. “We just struggled to survive. We eventually found a wrecked ship on the island. Somehow, we repaired it and then we sailed away.” He rapped the table, “And here is where we landed.”

“Heheh, an unfortunate place for our kind to find ourselves unprepared in. Luck works in mysterious ways,” Lossa commented before a sad look of hope overcame her expression. “You… really don’t know anything about your clan?”

Lone wore a strained smile. “Sadly not. I am curious about my kin though. What’s the deal with all the legends about Golden Foxkin? Why do I have nine tails while you only have seven? What this about an infant Goldin Foxkin? Is she or he related to me somehow? My mind’s a bit of a mess.”

Lossa reached over and gently squeezed his hand. “I understand. This must all be so overwhelming for you. I’ll try my best to answer all of your concerns. Let’s start from the top, shall we?”

Lone nodded eagerly. ‘Finally some answers.’

“Legends, yes? I wouldn’t put any stock in them. Your clan was always known for being secretive. So much so that only a handful of people even knew where their clan was located. And when I say a handful, I mean less than ten people – myself included... It’s only because of us few that we were even aware of your clan’s disappearance 107 years ago,” Lossa explained wistfully.

“I think people just like to fantasise about that which they know nought of. Unless the legends are talking about how your race was one of the most powerful with its Tail Spear skill, take no stock in them,” she finished.

“Huh... That... makes a lot of sense. Fear of the unknown is a normal thing,” Lone mumbled in response.

“Hehe, right you are. Sadly. Tails, now, yes? You, my distant cousin, have more than me and that pains me greatly. You asked because I assume you have forgotten how it is that we beastkin grow our additional racial traits,” Lossa stated in a slightly questioning way.

Lone nodded again, happy to receive some closure on this matter.

“Trauma is the simplest way I can answer you. How you have yet to awaken despite going through eight soul-harrowing events, all worse than the last, is a miracle,” the woman said.

Lone noticed that she’d started to tear up a bit. As she wiped her eyes delicately with a handkerchief, he asked, “Awakening? What’s that?”

“You truly are clueless,” Lossa said in shock. “To not even know that much... What happened to you to lose so many memories?”

‘Beats me,’ Lone remarked internally.

“Awakening is both a blessing and a curse to all beastkin. We are those that are closest to the gods – the Primals. Some believe us to be direct descendants of the Primals. Others think we forced a connection through heinous rituals aeons ago. Regardless, when we experience intense emotions, we are very susceptible to having a trickle of the Primals power become a part of our being. It grants us some of their strength in the form of a Primal skill but is also removes our immunity to ageing,” Lossa said with an accepting smile on her face.

Lone raised a surprised eyebrow. “The yellow in your hair and eyes...?”

“Life has blessed me with its boon,” she answered a bit cryptically. “Enough about me though.”

‘Life. That’s one of the eight Primals, right? The antithesis of Death,’ Lone wondered as he listened.

“From what I have learned of your potential relative, the owner of a large chain of continent-spanning auction halls suddenly announced that he had found the child and that he was going to sell her off to the highest bidder. Though that's only a rumour. Some claim he never said it was a Golden Foxkin and merely a very intelligent Golden Fox thought to be a spiritual creature."

'Her? so it's a baby girl... Poor thing... I do know what a spiritual beast is though. Milindo’s library isn’t entirely useless. It’s just an animal with close to human-level intelligence, right? There may be more to it that the library didn’t explain, right?' Lone asked himself before saying, "Can't you find out for sure and stop him if it is true? Or I dunno, make a private deal."

While aware that slavery was legal in this country, Lone didn't like the idea of a baby being sold to the person who was willing to pay the most for it, regardless of the infant's species, race, or gender.

As a former citizen of modern-day Earth, the very concept of slavery made him sick, let alone child slavery.

"You think I haven't tried?” Lossa laughed slightly. “Lord Deposit is one of the most powerful people on the continent.”

“Strong enough to ignore the leader of the Crimson Foxkin Clan?” Lone asked.

“No, not strong, powerful. Of course, he’s not weak by any means. Lord Deposit is a renowned master of the enchanting, space, gravity, and only the Primals know what other schools of magic. I suspect he has created or found a dimensional pocket and is keeping the infant in it while he waits for the auction to begin. He deals with emperors and Divines. A lowly person such as myself can’t enter his eyes, especially when I’m only interested in one potential item he wishes to sell," Lossa lamented.

"I see..." Lone was just given a plethora of information to mull over, so he wasn't sure how to aptly respond to all of that right now. What was common knowledge and what was not?

Sometimes, the best way to not make a fool out of yourself was to simply say nothing at all.

Lossa smiled faintly. "Let's stop discussing such a saddening thing, shall we? While she may be your kin, she may not even be real. Let’s get back to what is real - you."

"Sure," Lone agreed.

"Tell me, Lone. Why are you still in Milindo? From my reports, you've been in this country for roughly a little over a month now. I don't understand why you would stay in such a horrible place all things considered," Lossa asked with nothing but concern lacing her words.

Lone smiled awkwardly. "It wasn't by choice, trust me. We want to leave, but I stupidly signed up for the tournament that's scheduled to take place in three weeks. We also have temp citizenship that forbids us from leaving until it expires. I figured the tournament would be a great chance to, uh, test myself properly against other people before leaving. Also, regardless of the dangers of skipping town and ignoring the tournament, I have a blacksmithing apprenticeship here under a local dwarf. I didn't want to cut that too short. Pun unintended."

Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

Lossa chuckled softly. "I see. You have an interest in blacksmithing? It's good to have hobbies, but yes... The tournament, hmm? I have researched it and its rules. I assume you're worried that Duke Henry Malik will hunt you down and kill you should you leave before the contest begins, yes?"

Lone nodded. "Exactly. He's never let anyone live who didn't show up in the past, something I sorely wish I knew before signing up for it. I think it'd just be wiser to grit my teeth and endure any more discrimination that comes my way before the tournament begins. I'll just lose during the first round, then leave Milindo. The duke doesn’t chase those who leave before temp citizenship expires, after all. You... You'll take us then, right? I'd personally rather not live in the wilderness again."

"Heh, life on that isolated island must have been hard on you. Of course, the Crimson Foxkin Clan will welcome you with open arms. I'll also make sure that your friend isn't subjected to any bullying due to her being a human. I understand that you may think coming to live with us will merely reverse who out of the two of you is enduring hardships, but I swear on the Primals, I'll ensure both of you are comfortable and cared for," Lossa said in a very understanding tone.

Lone breathed out a sigh of relief. "That's good to know. I was actually worried about that. So, uh, how should I contact you? Will you be staying here until the tournament ends, or will you return to, I dunno, escort us?"

"It will be impossible to come in person again nor can I stay for much longer. As a matriarch, I'm very busy, you see. It could also be deemed an act of provocation for me to be found here given my strength and political position. Don't worry, however, I'll be leaving you with this," she replied as she reached into her robes and passed a bright red orb to Lone. "It's a-"

"Communication orb?" Lone interrupted.

"Ah, I see you're already familiar with such items despite your missing memories. As expected of a Golden Foxkin. Very resourceful," Lossa said with a pleasantly surprised expression on her face. "This particular orb is rather special. It can be used to contact the Crimson Foxkin Clan by injecting some MP into it, yes, but it also acts as a compass to our clan as well."

She placed the ball on the now-empty chess table, and, amazingly, it slowly began rolling towards Lone, or more accurately, it began rolling eastward.

Before it could fall from the table, Lossa grabbed it. "It will always roll in the direction of its sister orb. Please, don't lose it. It was rather... difficult to convince the clan elders that you needed it. The metal magic enchantment on it granting it that magnetic effect was very expensive."

Lone smiled wryly. 'Another orb that I can't pay for. I guess I owe her a favour. There's no way that she'll just let me say no, will she? I kinda feel a bit iffy about it since if it can track the other orb, then the other orb can track it, and by proxy, track me... Oh well. Not like I've got much of a choice.'

He accepted the orb and put it in his trouser pocket for now. It bounced against the pitch-black orb that had made that very same pocket its home.

'Ah, right... this thing... Should I bring it up? Maybe Lossa knows more about it?' Lone wondered. He gently caressed the ball as he thought a bit more on the matter. 'No. She might want it, and I'm too weak to stop her if she gets forceful...'

"Lone?" Lossa called with a worried expression on her face.

"Ah, sorry. My, uh, my mind was elsewhere," Lone replied before he chose to move the communication orb to his other pocket, and he then smiled. "So, uh, is there anything else you're curious about?"

Lossa shook her head. "No, I just wanted to make sure that you were safe and well. Trella is a reliable boy, but his sister, Tiera... She can be quite... imaginative. Speaking of which, I need to thank you for teaching her a lesson in regard to her illusion magic. She's very immature, so you seeing through her prank and letting her know the dangers of doing something like that again were very helpful. Unlike the usual four or five pranks a day, she's settled for one or two, and always of a lesser scale, and also never involving her racial skill."

"Hah, is that so? I'm glad I could help. I was only teasing her since she was trying to do the same to me," Lone replied nonchalantly.

"Regardless, were you a more guarded demi, you may have killed both Tiera and Trella before realising that they were, in fact, disguised foxkin children," Lossa claimed.

"Huh." Lone wore a ponderous expression. "I guess discrimination is a two-way street. One-sided racis- uh, speciesism may be even rarer than both sides mutually hating each other for the other's words and actions."

Lossa nodded. "Indeed. Very wise. Many cannot see that they are in the wrong with their unconditional hatred of humans. Pray that you don't meet the patriarch of the Iron Ravenkin Clan with your companion. He is a great man, but he turns into a cruel monster when he meets those that are not beastkin, and when he meets humans... He turns into a murdering psychopath. It's something I wish never to witness in my life ever again."

"Sounds like a cunt," Lone accidentally spoke his mind.

Lossa hid her mouth with her hand as she giggled softly. "That he is. Well, I suppose I should be going now."

She stood up and brushed her knees before she fixed her robes and smiled warmly towards Lone.

Quickly following suit, Lone got out of his chair and offered his hand, she, once again, pushed it aside and gave him an affectionate hug instead. "Don't die. Were it my choice, I'd bring you back to the clan with or without your consent right now, but I respect your freedom, so please, whatever you do, don't needlessly end your life. The Crimson Foxkin Clan shall always be your friend."

"Uh... Sure, I'll try. I mean, who in their right mind wants to die? I'm not gonna jump on a sword or anything," Lone responded, and this time, he returned the woman's hug confidently.

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

"Well?" Sophie asked as she raised her body and yawned. Clearly, Soph had fallen asleep while waiting for Lone to finish his conversation with Lossa.

"Like we thought, it was the matriarch of the Crimson Foxkin Clan," Lone casually replied as he kicked his shoes off and then withdrew a custom-made chair from his Dimensional Storage and sat on it.

Sophie stretched her back and nodded. "Soph could have told you that. I don't understand why she didn't. Perhaps because she was tired. That woman... her Magic Power capacity slightly exceeds our own, an uncommon occurrence in our experiences thus far. Only the guildmaster has surpassed us in that regard thus far. We do not doubt that if she wished to, she could have easily ended your life before you could have even considered using Mental Destruction on her."

"That suffocating, huh? I guess I'm glad I can't sense it like you can," Lone commented before taking a book out of his Dimensional Storage and then flipped it open to where his bookmarker was.

"We would happily trade Mana Sensing for working eyes. She won't admit it herself, but Soph desperately wishes to gaze upon your face with her own two eyes. To us, mana is shown in several strange and unique colours when it is coming from a sentient being. Yours is a brilliant gold. Ours is a bright light green. That woman and the children foxkin, theirs was an almost entirely see-through red. Buildings here are a light grey or an almost white hue if they are more expensive in design, and the ground is a deep-sea blue. While a beautiful sight, Soph still wishes to know what you actually look like in the flesh, what the world looks like in the flesh," Sophie explained offhandedly before she put her hands behind her head and laid back down with her head pressed against a pillow.

"Right. You've mentioned that colour-vision before, not in so much detail, granted. It sounds amazing," Lone replied.

Sophie shrugged even if she knew Lone wasn't looking at her right now. "The wonder of anything is lost if you fully understand it and are accustomed to it."

"That's certainly true," Lone responded a bit robotically.

"Well, someone's absorbed in their book. We shan't disturb you anymore. If you get in the mood later, let us know. We shall merely be lying here like the defenceless maiden we are," Sophie teased.

"Haha, sure. Don't stay awake on my account though. I wanna finish this before the night's over," Lone claimed as he shook his book a bit to indicate that it was what he was referring to.

"I see." Sophie didn't say anything more after that point.

Aware that the conversation was over, Lone gave his entire attention to the book. '... The centre of this circular area is the fovea. The fovea and a small area surrounding it are not supplied by the central retinal artery or its branches, but instead by the choroid. The central retinal artery is approximately 160 micrometres in diameter... Approximately? What the fuck am I meant to do with approximately?'

Lone sighed softly and ran his fingers through his hair. 'It took me over a week to make this stupid book, but why the fuck does an eyeball have so many God-damned parts? It's gonna take me forever to fully understand how eyes work...'

His hand unconsciously reached for the orb in his pocket. Rubbing it calmed him and helped focus his mind, after all.

A few minutes passed before a thought crossed his mind. 'I have this extremely detailed book... If I read it while studying actual human eyeballs... hmm... I do have the corpses of those criminals. Granted, none are women or even close to being similar to Sofia, but it'd certainly help me learn more and faster than I do and am right now...'

He glanced over at Sophie, who had picked up one of her swords and was now carelessly twirling it around in her hand as she lay there on the bed. Sensing his gaze, she stopped and raised her head.

She smiled coyly at him then licked her lips. "Hungry, are we? We admit, we do look like quite the tasty treat in these revealing pyjamas, don't we?"

Lone chuckled. "I may be a bit peckish, but you’re certainly thirsty, aren’t you?”

"Heh," Sophie simply chuckled back at him in response and then resumed playing with her sword.

'Yeah, I'll do it. If it's to help her, I... I'll mutilate a body or two. It's not like I could feel any more guilt for killing them already, so what's the harm beyond compromising my morals a little bit?' Lone decided with resolve in his heart.

Of course, there was no way that he'd be able to, essentially, experiment on corpses and allow Soph or Sophie to find out.

'Hmm... She's hardly ever more than a few metres away from me... What to do...' The orb in his pocket simply hummed and pulsed slightly in response to his internal musings.