CHAPTER 982: CHAPTER 149 - THE NINE-TAILED FOX CLAN (5)

The Nine-Tailed Fox—the Kitsune Clan—was far bigger than I had imagined. From a distance, I thought there might only be a few of them scattered around, but as we walked through the settlement, I realized there were probably between fifty to a hundred Kitsune living here. The place felt alive—warm even. Children with fox tails ran between the huts, laughter echoing like soft chimes in the air, while the older ones chatted or prepared food by the fires. It was strange... seeing a group known for their cunning and mischief living such peaceful, simple lives. Somehow, it was... heartwarming.

"Fufufufu, Elf Breeder, that couldn’t have been more accurate, could it?" Aegis teased, her voice filled with amusement, the corners of her lips curling into a smug grin.

I sighed, side-eyeing her. Finding out that I had that ridiculous nickname was embarrassing enough, but seeing how much she enjoyed it made it worse. Did she even realize that she was an elf too? Technically, I was also "breeding" her. But fine—I’d let her have her fun. She was clearly enjoying herself too much to ruin it for her.

Still, it was surprising that the other races in the Great Forest even knew about what was going on in the Kingdom of Elves. They were always so reclusive, keeping to themselves and hating anything that wasn’t their own kind. Especially humans. The idea that rumors had spread this far was... strange.

"Well, I didn’t think the rumors were true about the elves welcoming a male into their borders. That’s practically unheard of," said Eiju, his tone curious, his gaze fixed on me. "I heard from some traders passing through that they saw a man among the elves, and that they’d heard a lot of things there too. So word got around the Great Forest that there’s someone breeding the elves." He chuckled, shaking his head slightly. "At first, I thought it was nonsense. But then you show up. You practically smell like someone who’s been with many elves. They also said that man had quite an appetite—that he liked collecting women from different races. And looking at your group," his eyes drifted from me to Aegis and the others before narrowing, "I’d say that rumor isn’t too far off."

I couldn’t deny it. As absurd as it sounded, every part of what he said was true. I never planned for my life to end up like this, but here I was.

"I’m guessing, since you came all this way, you’re planning to take one of our women too?" he asked, his tone lowering, his eyes narrowing into sharp golden slits. The warmth from earlier disappeared in an instant. The air around him turned heavy and serious.

Well, that was expected. If someone from another race suddenly showed up in your home and made it sound like he was here to fuck one of your women, you’d be pissed too. Especially when your clan’s population wasn’t exactly high.

"I’m not," I said, keeping my tone calm. "I came here because Ayane wanted to. She got worried when she heard that the Great Forest was being attacked by bandits."

"Is that so?" he said, his voice still sharp. His eyes didn’t soften. "Just for the record, have you done it with my sister?"

I exhaled through my nose and met his glare. "Don’t take me for that kind of man. I might have a bad reputation, and I’m sure you’ve heard all sorts of crap about me, but I’d never do something that would break the trust they’ve given me."

He held my gaze for a few seconds, his expression unreadable, before sighing heavily. "I see. I guess I misjudged you then. My apologies."

"It’s fine," I said casually. "I wasn’t offended."

A moment later, we reached his house—by far the largest one in the entire village. The wooden structure stood tall, with carved patterns of fox tails and fire along its beams. It wasn’t hard to guess—this guy was the clan head.

"Well then, why don’t you all sit down and rest a bit? I’ll prepare some food for you," he said, motioning toward the doorway.

"You don’t have to worry about that," I told him.

He paused, raising a brow. "Huh?"

"Well, it’s been years since the two of you last saw each other, right?" I said, glancing between him and Ayane. "You should use this time to catch up. We can handle our food in the meantime. We brought plenty of meat with us anyway."

"I’ll prepare the food instead," Maya said, stepping forward with a small smile.

Eiju chuckled lightly, shaking his head. "You’re really considerate, huh? Well, if that’s what you want, then... thank you."

With that, the two siblings moved off to the side, talking quietly.

***

Ayane’s POV

It’s been so long since I last stood in this place. Everything looked different—the trees seemed older, the houses more refined—but somehow, it still felt like home. Like nothing had really changed.

Even though I never liked this place much because of how isolated it was from the outside world, I couldn’t deny that I missed it. The scent of burning wood, the faint sound of laughter, the familiar warmth in the air—it all brought back memories I thought I’d forgotten.

"You’ve changed a lot, Ayane," said Eiju.

I looked up at him. My brother. The man who’d carried the weight of our clan on his shoulders since our parents died when I was just a little pup. He was older now—his eyes sharper, his presence heavier—but the way he spoke to me was still gentle.

He was the one who raised me, after all. Maybe it was because he’d always been so busy managing everything that I turned into a troublemaker. I was wild, rebellious, and stubborn. Even as I grew older, I refused to listen. I was spoiled—by attention, by freedom, by my own pride.

That’s probably why he looked so surprised to see me so calm now.

"That man must’ve changed you," he said, his tone almost teasing. "Do you like him?"

"Like him?" I echoed quietly, my eyes drifting to the floor.

It was hard to answer. I didn’t even know how to put my feelings into words. But... yes, my feelings for him had grown—slowly, without me realizing. Not because we talked much, or shared long moments together. In fact, we hardly had any long conversations at all. But there was something about him. Something real. Something pure, despite how crude and shameless he could be.

That’s what drew me to him.

"Master Leon..." I said softly, feeling my chest tighten. "I don’t think he has feelings for me. But yes... I love him."

Even if that love never gets returned, even if he never looks at me the same way I look at him, I’ll still say it. I’ll still admit it—because it’s the truth.

And for the first time, I told my brother how I truly felt about Master Leon.