Vargis paced atop the stone ramparts of Canisgard. His tail was stiff and unmoving due to the overwhelming agitation coursing through his soul. His commanding voice rang through the air as he barked orders at his warriors.
“Search every street! Every den! Find my daughter!”
The soldiers scattered, obeying their lord’s orders. Their keen noses began scouring the winds for any trace of Kitsara.
Vargis clenched his fists, so much so his claws dug into his palms. How could she have been so brash and careless? She was no pup… she was cunning, slippery, and damn near impossible to catch when she didn’t want to be found. But this wasn’t her sneaking off for mischief. This was something else, something much more serious: based on the reports of her maids, she decided to throw herself at the human called Devil without consulting anyone beforehand.
He was a career criminal for the Goddess’ sake! Kidnapping the daughter of the chieftain of the dogkin people should be right up his alley—she was the perfect blackmail material. The worst of it was that Kitsara presented herself before Devil willingly, handing him the keys to all that the dogkin owned. He didn’t even have to lift a finger, all of that fell into his lap.
Then Vargis smelled it.
A sharp, undeniable scent flooded his nose, stopping him mid-step. Kitsara. Strong. Too strong. His golden eyes snapped upward.
Far above the city, against the glow of the moon, a figure hovered. A man, tall and imposing. In his arms, nestled against his chest, was a body. Vargis narrowed his eyes while his nostrils flared. It was too far to see clearly, but there was no mistaking that scent.
His daughter was in that man’s arms.
A snarl rumbled from his throat. He bent his knees and collected all 338 of his Strength stats into his legs. Then, with a single powerful leap, he rocketed high into the sky. His body cut through the air like a missile. Instead of attacking the man holding his daughter, Vargis aimed his jump so that he would stand face-to-face with the man.
The dogkin chieftain’s eyes met Devil’s. To his surprise, there were no traces of hostility visible in them. Vargis was worried he had taken Kitsara hostage, but the man made no moves to utilize his hold over his precious daughter. His hands remained under her body, letting her rest in his arms peacefully.
Be that as it may, Vargis was just a very strong dogkin who specialized in the Strength stat as his class gave him a 50% bonus to that one attribute. He had no abilities that allowed him to hover in the air. As such, he began to fall back toward the ground.
Until the wind shifted.
An unseen force wrapped around him. It wasn’t natural. It shouldn’t be possible. The wind itself caught him, gently gripping onto his body. His fur bristled. His instincts screamed. The man above wasn’t simply strong, he had dominion over forces beyond what he thought possible.
Was all this power… his?
However, Vargis barely spared Devil a glance before his gaze snapped to the girl in his arms.
Kitsara’s face was utterly ridiculous.
Her expression was dazed, her lips parted, her eyes unfocused and heavy-lidded. A silly, dopey grin sat on her flushed face, utterly lost in whatever stupor she had fallen into. She was wrapped in a simple blanket instead of the supposed robe she put on before departing from the palace.
He inhaled and nearly gagged. The stench of his daughter’s rampaging hormones filled his senses, an overwhelming, pungent confirmation of exactly what had transpired between the two. A vein throbbed on his temple as he pinched his nose shut with his left hand. In the other, he brought out his trusty war axe that had been accompanying him on all his greatest conquests.
Finally, he turned his glare onto the man—onto Devil. His eyes burned with fury.
“What did you do to my daughter…? I welcomed you to my home as an esteemed guest!”
Before he could erupt further, Kitsara stirred in his arms. Her features cleared from their earlier dazed state.
“Father… He is entirely blameless. Didn’t my maids tell you the story?”
“…They did,” Vargis replied with much difficulty.
“I decided on the future path I’ll follow. Once Quinlan leaves these lands, I’ll go with him.”
The dogkin chieftain sighed with a tense heart. It seemed his daughter was going to be stubborn about this issue. Nevertheless, he couldn’t help but worry. “I knew the day I would have to let you go was approaching, but this is all too abrupt! You didn’t even spend a whole day in his presence… You shouldn’t rush such an important decision. What will you even be doing in human lands?
Every day you’ll have to worry about getting captured and enslaved! Is this the life you want for yourself? You should stay here and reveal your class to the foxkin people. Even their leader, Silver, might be interested in you if you do! I know he looked at you favorably when you met that one time, but he insulted you out of duty for his people, he had to keep appearances up… I’d heard only good things about how he treats his wives, he would do his utmost to help you grow your tails.”
Kitsara strongly shook her head. “There’s no man on the entire face of Thalorind who is greater than Quinlan… No noble, no prince, no king, no emperor. My decision might’ve been rushed, but didn’t you teach me to pounce when the opportunity presented itself? I have a once-in-a-lifetime chance, I refuse to squander it. Father… I know no words will ease your heart, so I’ll show you tangible proof that I made the right choice.”
Having said her piece, Kitsara glanced up at the man called Quinlan who’d been mutely observing the conversation thus far, respecting the pair enough not to butt into the family drama. In her eyes, Vargis saw great emotions. She was looking at him tenderly, an instinctive smile appeared on her lips as her eyes sparkled. The father knew his daughter enough to understand she saw him as much more than just an opportunity to better her life.
She planted a loving peck on his cheeks before making a few hand gestures in front of her chest and casting, “[Cancel].”
As the spell activated, Kitsara’s foxkin form shimmered for just a brief second as the veiling effect was canceled before a new tail sprouted from just above her tailbone. The second tail emerged smoothly, its fur was just as lustrous and elegant as the first. Thanks to Vargis’ honed senses over the centuries, he could detect an undeniable increase in her latent power.
He inhaled sharply. His eyes widened, but not in rage—no, this time, it was something far deeper.
Joy.
Raw, unfiltered joy rampaged through him as his vision blurred and tears welled in his eyes.
For thirty-two years, Kitsara had been locked in place, unable to take even a single step forward as a Nine-Tailed Sorceress despite their tireless efforts. He had done everything in his power, such as hiring the greatest scholars, seeking the wisest shamans, and even gathering his mightiest warriors who’d faced Nine-Tailed Sorceresses before and lived to tell the tale—but no answer ever came. Her class remained stagnant.
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