Rubbing my dry, gritty eyes, I realized I was lying on a bed. “Ugh…”
A dull ache throbbed in my head. When I instinctively reached up to massage my temples, my fingers brushed against something unusual—a fluffy ear, it seemed.
Only then did I recall that I had apparently transformed into a Fox Demon.
Having already prepared myself mentally for such changes, I simply took two deep breaths, calming my racing heart. After all, becoming a girl had been far more thrilling than merely changing from a girl into a fox-girl.
“Awake?” Si, who had been sitting nearby, asked as she observed my series of movements upon rising.
I nodded.
“Good,” Si said, her nod one of satisfaction. “Now, I’ll tell you about our plan of action in the Dark Realm.”
‘A plan? It seems she’s not entirely unreliable after all,’ I mused.
“First, to meet that person, we must enter the King’s Domain,” Si explained, sitting on the edge of the bed.
“Actually, I wanted to ask, who is this person you want to kill? And why do you want to kill them?” I couldn’t help but feel intensely curious about what could provoke such a deep killing intent in Si, who usually seemed indifferent to everything.
“One of my disciples, I suppose,” Si replied with a mocking, disdainful tone. “A foolish fellow who only ever thought of creating profit, and then betrayed my principles. Now, I’ve come to cleanse my sect.”
“And what heinous deeds did he commit?” I pressed, still wanting to know the exact nature of his crimes.
“Oh, nothing much,” Si said, waving a dismissive hand. “Just massacred a few cities, destroyed a couple of minor worlds, and killed a few gods. That’s all.”
“Uh… it seems such a person truly is detestable…” I murmured. Slaying several gods, massacring cities, destroying minor worlds—any one of those would be an unforgivable sin.
“Exactly. So, there’s no need for any moral burden,” Si said, a hint of mischievous amusement playing on her lips as she looked at me. “I’ve already finalized the plan for the Dark Realm. You just need to follow it.”
“Alright.”
“First, as we discussed, we need to enter the King’s Domain, correct?”
I nodded, confirming I remembered.
“The reason I didn’t let you transform into a Cat Demon is that if you became one, your racial status would be inherently low, making entry extremely difficult.”
I nodded again, indicating my understanding. “I’ll do whatever you say.”
Her smile widened considerably. “And, well, it’s quite clear that noble races sell better than lowly ones. They have more market appeal.”
I nodded instinctively once more, then suddenly realized something. “Wait! Sell? What do you mean by ‘sell’?”
“Hm? Did I not mention it?” Si began, ticking off points on her fingers. “Normally, the King’s Domain is forbidden. Entry is only granted through the approval of the royal family, or—as cargo. So, I’ll pretend to be a s*ave trader, sell you to a large auction house, and let those lackeys from the King’s Domain buy you. Once inside, you just need to seize the opportunity to escape.”
“You absolutely did not say that!” I exclaimed, convinced she was doing this on purpose. “What if I can’t escape?”
“You said you’d listen to me. With me here, it’s impossible for you not to escape,” Si retorted, rolling her eyes with an utterly unreasonable air.
“But…”
“No buts. It’s decided!”
****
And so, the very next day, I found myself standing on a street in the Dark Realm.
I constantly tugged at the tattered cloth that barely covered my body, gripping the edges tightly, afraid to move even an inch lest I expose myself. All the while, I endured the burning, unfiltered stares from those around me.
This was because Si had insisted that if we were going to act, we had to act convincingly. All other slaves dressed this way, so I had to as well.
Ahead, Si, clad in a Western-style dress, was animatedly arguing with a dark-skinned, middle-aged Demon.
“I say, isn’t 100,000 gold coins a bit excessive?” the dark-skinned Demon began.
“I think I’m practically giving it away!” Si scoffed, pursing her lips. “I’ll give you 150,000 if you can find me a Fox Demon of this caliber. If you do, I’ll give her to you for free! If I wasn’t in desperate need of money, why would I ever let your auction house have such a bargain?”
“90,000. While the goods are excellent, she’s too short, completely unlike a typical Fox Demon, wouldn’t you agree?” The dark-skinned male Demon refused to budge.
‘Gg-g-g-g,’ my teeth ground together. He called me short! For some reason, I wanted to rush over and unleash a combo attack on him.
“What do you know?” Si asked, looking at the dark-skinned Demon as if he were utterly foolish. “These little ones are very popular with certain adults who have… unique tastes. I’d say it’s a bonus point, wouldn’t you?”
“Alright, alright, I can’t argue with you. 100,000, it’s a deal,” the dark-skinned Demon conceded, handing ten black cards to Si. “These are Demon Realm Scrolls worth 10,000 each. So, I’ll take this little one now, if you have no objections?”
“Of course. Go right ahead,” Si said with a smile. “I’ll take my leave then.”
The dark-skinned Demon immediately broke into a grin the moment Si turned away. “Haha, I’ve made a fortune! The price is sure to multiply several times over.” He then turned to me. “Alright, you. Come with me.”
With that, he walked into the auction house, and I followed, enduring the fiery gazes of the surrounding crowd. We passed through the main hall and entered a room at the very back.
The dark-skinned Demon stopped before a cage, opened it, and instructed, “Get in.”
I instinctively shook my head. After all, who would enjoy being locked up?
The dark-skinned Demon was clearly not a patient man. He took a few steps, roughly grabbed my shoulder, and tossed me inside.
The cage door slammed shut with a clang, and he left without another word.
Watching his retreating back, I simmered with indignation. But I could only curse him silently in my heart. What else could I do? Blast him with a fire meteor? I’d probably be dead in seconds if I tried that.