Chapter 5
'The World the Little Prince Sees.'
An action RPG game based on a famous fairy tale.
The original work it's based on. Perhaps to preserve the unique feel, many elements seem to have been taken as motifs.
Background, setting, abilities, names... various details exist but.
The most noticeable thing is still the 'characters'.
The main and supporting characters appearing in the original fairy tale.
They adapted or reinterpreted their stories, transforming them into fantasy-style characters.
It received much applause along with praise for its freshness.
The Pilot, Regia Philertz.
The Little Prince, Charlotte Little von Staufen.
The Drunkard, Selena Drunkard.
As evident from their names, the character designs are perversely faithful to the concept.
And this applies to the 'Fox' I've come to rescue now as well.
'Irene Foxis.'
Known as a rare fox beastkin, she's one of the supporting characters.
Her talent with the sword is unparalleled, and by the late game, she even reaches the realm of 'Sword Star'.
A character with good performance and versatile use.
Thanks to this, she even earned the nickname of 'staple food' but...
"She's still an unripe grape, so to speak."
The fox hasn't yet awakened to her talent.
As it's before her awakening, for now she's just a fragile fox beastkin #1.
At times like this, if I create a debt, affection stacks will accumulate.
My goal is to see the happy ending of this world.
And to become close with the protagonist's group.
As an ardent fan of the original work, I wanted to build friendships with them.
"Well~ Shall we start making our move now?"
I've waited long enough, and I'm getting bored of watching the auction.
I'd like to move on to the highlight part, you could say.
With that leisurely self-talk, I stood up from my seat.
Currently, the fox's location is underground in the auction house.
She's probably waiting for her turn while locked in a cold iron cage.
"It's going to be a long night."
A smile tinged with wickedness.
Gathering the rippling lies, I walked into the darkness.
***
Meanwhile, in the building's basement.
A prison where only cold air flows.
Below the auction house where laughter never ceases, a sticky resting place of despair is situated.
Light creates shadows.
The more brilliantly the light burns, the darker the shadow's tone becomes.
This truth directly represents reality.
People steeped in luxury and pleasure.
Proportional to their joy, those trampled underfoot groan.
They say life is suffering just for being born, but even that has individual differences.
While there's an upper class enjoying themselves without any pain.
There's also a bottom class living without even a shred of hope.
"......"
The people trapped in this basement were the bottom.
Whether born into such a fate from the start, or pushed down here by the dirty world, it doesn't make much of a meaningful difference.
Things worse than discarded items on the street.
Among lives of trash, trying to distinguish ranks only added to the misery.
"...How did it come to this?"
The girl muttering is no different.
She's swimming in the wretched bottom.
Following her lamenting state, her hair tied down to her waist becomes disheveled.
Vermilion-colored hair.
Quietly dead black eyes.
The animal ears sitting atop her head reveal the girl's identity as a beastkin.
The girl's name is Irene Foxis.
She was a fox beastkin.
-Next auction coming up! Bring out the wolf beastkin!
-Handle them carefully. If they get scratched, their value drops.
-They'll throw a fit upstairs if there are injuries.
The surrounding noise reaches her ears.
Irene bites her lip hard.
Around her, about ten shadows can be seen.
Fellow beastkin trapped in the same cage.
The beastkin with fox ears and tails are all trembling in fear.
They were all either kidnapped or sold by slave traders.
'Damn it.'
What will happen from now on?
She tries to find hope amidst the anxiety, but it wasn't particularly meaningful.
Because the ending was clear as day.
Fox beastkin are a race with high rarity.
Especially fox slaves traded in the underworld are said to be worth whatever price is asked.
In other words, they're treated as extremely luxurious goods.
The ways nobles use foxes are diverse.
Some make them do labor, some use them as sex slaves.
She's even heard rumors of some nobles having them taxidermied and displayed in their mansions.
'Either way... it's all equally shitty.'
The girl quietly chews on curses.
As she was drawing such a miserable future, an out-of-place noise reaches Irene's ears.
Clang-!
The sound of something metallic falling to the floor.
Following that sound, she turns her head to find a bundle of keys rolling in front of the bars.
"...Huh?"
Did a guard passing by drop it?
Within reach if she just extends her hand.
After hesitating for a moment, Irene quickly snatches the keys.
Her heart beats rapidly.
Perhaps the only chance of escape given.
The girl didn't hesitate. Her quickly moving hand fiddles with the lock on the iron bars.
A hope, just in case.
Click-!
Soon, the sensation of the lock opening transmits through her fingertips.
Irene grabs the slowly opening door.
A faint deep breath escapes between her lips.
'I need to be careful.'
Fortunately, many guards were away setting up for the auction.
If there was a time to do something, it was now.
There wouldn't be a second stroke of luck.
Irene takes a deep breath.
She calmly gathers her fellow beastkin and quietly prepares for escape.
"Don't worry, everyone. I'll definitely protect you all."
The girl smiles while hiding her trembling.
Because there were those she had to protect.
Most of those in the cage were young children.
Seeing the sobbing little ones, Irene couldn't bring herself to escape alone.
"Just stay quiet... and follow me closely, okay?"
She picks up a sword lying in the corner.
It was rusty and in poor condition, but it was certainly better than nothing.
Irene quietly raises the sword tip.
Creeeeak-.
The iron cage opens with a faint noise.
The foxes begin to leave the prison with careful steps.
Irene calmly turns her thoughts.
She suddenly throws the bundle of keys towards a distant cage.
If she remembered correctly, it was where the bear beastkin were locked up.
'If they can buy us even a little time...!'
Bears, particularly fierce among beastkin.
If they found the keys and drew attention for a moment, it would surely create an opening.
It would make the guards rush to the opposite direction.
'I can handle the few remaining ones here myself.'
She had been training in swordsmanship since childhood.
Although her body was weakened from long confinement, she had to grit her teeth for escape.
Irene lowered her stance and held her breath.
Like a fox avoiding hunters.
How much time passed like that? A violent echo is heard.
-Grooooar!!!
From the direction she had thrown the keys earlier.
A thunderous roar. Sensing her plan had worked, Irene immediately led the children.
"Everyone run without looking back...!"
The foxes ran.
Behind them, beast cries rampage and the floor trembles. Still, they don't look back.
Occasionally, guards block their way.
Each time, Irene roughly cuts them down.
A desperate dance of slaughter with the sword.
There was no hesitation in the blood-soaked sword tip.
Because she knew if she didn't kill, she would be killed.
"Haa, haa...!"
Breath rising rapidly.
As her physical condition wasn't good, fatigue was accumulating quickly.
Irene steadied her wavering center of balance.
Fortunately, the escape was progressing smoothly.
The bear beastkins' resistance was more fierce than expected. Thanks to that, much time was secured.
"Hup...!"
With a short shout, she subdues another guard.
Perhaps because she was pushed to her limits, it felt like her senses were opening to the extreme.
A strange trembling circled her entire body.
Her vision flashes white.
Strange sparks were even rising from the sword blade, but Irene roughly ignored it.
There was no time to be distracted by other things.
"Don't stop, everyone! Once we pass this corridor...!"
The exit was right before their eyes.
She had analyzed the surrounding structure bit by bit while confined.
It was something she had analyzed in preparation for a possible chance.
Thanks to that, Irene could advance while drawing the most ideal escape route.
'We're almost there.'
A narrow tunnel-like corridor.
Once they pass through here, stairs leading to the ground will appear.
A light of hope brushes Irene's pupils. It was a reckless plan, but they had finally succeeded.
Yes, that's what she mistakenly thought.
...Until a stream of voice was heard from behind.
"Ahaha~ You're all fleeing in such a hurry?"
In that moment, a chilling sensation licks her earlobes.
A coldness piercing through her lungs. Irene could only freeze in place.
Her body instinctively froze.
Irene sensed it.
If she hadn't stopped just now, she would have died.
"......"
"I knew if I waited here, I'd meet you!"
What could it be?
What is this terrible aura?
Just by recognizing the presence behind her, a pain like her brain being crushed washes over her.
Vermilion eyes trembling wildly.
Following her slowly turning head, Irene's gaze reaches behind her.
"Hello there!"
Golden hair resembling a wheat field.
Narrowly slit eyes.
A lecherous smile on his lips.
On the surface, he was just a boy with a somewhat unique appearance.
But Irene, with her senses honed to the limit, could tell.
The 'thing' before her eyes wasn't human.
It was merely wearing human cloth, but its essence was completely different.
"You probably don't know how much I've wanted to meet you."
An ominousness filling the entire space.
Just looking at it feels like her limbs might be torn off.
It's a 'monster' possessing terrifying power.
"...Ha."
A bitter laugh escapes between her lips.
Because such a monster was approaching the foxes while blatantly revealing killing intent.
"Shit."
The air crushes down viciously.
Irene mutters in despair.
It's all over.
Her eyes that had been sparkling with hope were now dyed with pitch-black despair.
***
"You probably don't know how much I've wanted to meet you."
A voice full of joy.
I was looking at the girl before me with a broad smile.
Long hair tied up.
Black eyes visible between vermilion hair.
A scar below her chin.
Animal ears and tail, characteristics of beastkin.
'Fox, Irene Foxis.'
One of the characters from the original work was standing before my eyes.
I quietly gathered my excited feelings.
First Regia, and now Irene.
Seeing game characters I had loved come to life and move was quite a moving scene.
To exaggerate a bit, it was enough to bring tears to my eyes.
I quietly smiled.
"Huhu."
I'm happy.
Due to the intense joy, the smile wouldn't leave my face.
Gathering my widely smiling mouth corners, I threw a meaningful question at the girl.
"Have you enjoyed the stage I've prepared so far?"
Black eyes trembling pitifully.
Our gazes meet briefly.
What's contained in that momentary eye contact is despair.
It seems she's realized.
The fact that the situation we're facing now was planned from the start.
'As expected, she's quick-witted.'
The foxes were lucky to succeed in escaping.
A key accidentally dropped by a passing guard, a rusty sword conveniently lying on the floor, the strangely small number of guards.
The foxes thought they had grabbed a chance to escape through divine fortune.
...At least that's what they thought until just now.
"You've followed the given script splendidly."
Sadly, everything was designed.
My hand was behind all the things the girl thought were luck.
As I wandered the underground after leaving the auction house, I happened to encounter one of the guards and brainwashed him.
-You'll have to do a few favors for me.
What I instructed was to casually drop the key in front of the cage.
I also asked for a sword that Irene could use.
Since a well-maintained item might raise suspicion, I asked for something as old and rusty as possible.
The situation flowed exactly as I intended.
It was a script I came up with on the spot, but I was quite satisfied.
The output of the lie was a bit precarious, but I suppose this much can be considered a success.
"Come this way."
I put the other guards standing watch to sleep.
I sprinkled the lie quite thickly, so there's no need to worry for a while.
Then, now it was truly time for escape.
I elegantly extended my hand.
It meant to grab it, as I would take them out of here.
Irene seemed to stagger for a moment at that gesture, then soon sat down on the spot.
What's this? Did the tension release?
As I'm tilting my head and looking at the fox...
"You're... trying to kill us, right?"
"Pardon?"
"I thought it was too smooth. It was a trap to play with us from the start."
"Huh?"
An unexpected question flies in.
I hurriedly denied the girl's words and conveyed my purpose.
"Haha~ Why are you saying that? I'm simply trying to send you all off comfortably!"
"......"
Irene's face hardens.
To prevent the girl's misunderstanding from deepening, I flashed a fresh smile.
"Don't worry. It won't hurt."
Well, I do intend to have a bit of fun though.