I Was Nearly Killed by My Fellow A-Rank Party, but Now I Fed a Nine-Tailed Fox Deep in the Dungeon. ~ “My Master, I Shall Never Leave Your Side for All Eternity,” the Legendary Monsters Said While Doting on Me. Before I Knew It, I Had Become the World’s Strongest Lord of the Demon Realm~ - Chapter 21 & 22

A Pretty Brutal “Take That”

“Uh, hold up, I wanna grab some ingredients before we head out.”

As soon as I said that, Tamamo, Yukime, and Suzu in my pocket all got super excited.

“Kuon, fried tofu! Buy up every last bit of it!”

“Sorry, Tamamo. Thing is, I make the fried tofu myself all the time, so it’s not even sold in shops. Plus, it’s a total pain to whip up, and I bet I’m the only one around here who can do it.”

“Huh? How come you can make stuff like that, Kuon?”

“Well, I just wanted Fokko—my familiar—to have something tasty to eat, y’know? So I dug through all sorts of old books and messed around with cooking research. That’s when I found this recipe from the eastern lands and gave it a shot.”

“Ah, gotcha… So that’s why you’re so good in the kitchen.”

“I love big bro Kuon’s cooking!”

“You make that strawberry syrup too, huh?”

“Yeah, you like it?”

“Eh… it’s okay, I guess. You can make more if you want.”

Looks like my cooking’s a hit or something.

Back when I was with that A-rank party, they just called it “beast chow” and wouldn’t touch it…

But seeing folks this happy? Makes it all worth the hassle, y’know.

Once we wrapped up shopping at the food store, we headed to the town gate.

There at the entrance, Leadas was still hanging there.

The ice that’d covered his whole body had melted and splashed down to the ground, and he looked totally passed out.

Tamamo took one look at him and put on this fake heartbroken face.

“Who the heck would do something this awful… Gotta warm him up quick.”

“Huh? You forgetting already?”

Tamamo lit up some foxfire under the hanging Leadas, like a little campfire.

His cold-stiffened feet started getting scorched right at the soles.

“Hot!?”

“Oh, good! You’re awake now.”

“F-F-Fire!? P-Put it out! My feet are burning up!”

Still dangling there, Leadas thrashed his body around in midair, trying to kick away from the flames.

“You’re really going all out with that happy dance… No need to thank me.”

“It’s hot! I’m so sorry, for real! Please forgive meee!”

“Tamamo, you sure this isn’t overdoing it?”

“Kuon, this guy’s the one who tried to stab you to death with a knife. Fact he’s not dead by my hand? That’s me being pretty damn merciful, y’know?”

Yeah, okay, she might have a point.

Just to be safe, I covered Suzu’s eyes and ears.

After watching the happy dance—or, y’know, the roasting—for a bit, Tamamo sliced through the rope holding Leadas and let him drop to the dirt.

“Please… forgive me… I can’t take anymore… I’m gonna die…”

Leadas stayed flat on his face in the dirt, his voice all raspy and wrecked from screaming his head off, throat totally shot.

“You’ve got some nice muscles on you, huh. Perfect timing. You’re gonna carry us all the way to that city called Looseworth.”

“L- ‘Looseworth’? That’s… that’s gotta be, like, miles from here…”

“No worries there. Yukime, whip up something easy to ride on for him.”

“Yes, Lady Nine-Tails.”

Yukime worked her cold air magic and shaped up an ice wagon just like that.

“Yep, this’ll do. You’ll be pulling it in place of a horse.”

“W-Wait, please… my feet are all burned up right now…”

“You’re gonna do it.”

“Yes, ma’am…”

“You can keep your clothes on, though. Unlike Kuon’s body, yours is just ugly to look at. Wouldn’t want guards mistaking you for a monster and causing a fuss.”

(If Leadas is getting this kinda treatment, I wonder what kinda revenge is waiting for Zex and the others who kicked me out…)

I hopped on the wagon while thinking stuff like that.

“It’s all ice, so yeah, it’s freezing cold, obviously.”

“True that. Kuon, come sit on my lap so you don’t get chilly.”

“But then you’d be the one freezing, Tamamo.”

As I said that, Yukime bowed her head low.

“Lady Nine-Tails, let me be your rug! I’ll protect that cute little butt of yours!”

Then she stretched out flat on the wagon bed.

“Come on! Sit right on me! Face area is prime real estate!”

“Nah, that’d be awkward for you. I can pull out a cushion myself.”

With that, Tamamo plucked just one hair from her tail and blew on it.

Poof—a super fluffy cushion appeared, and she plopped it down across from where Yukime was lying.

Then she scooped me up onto her lap.

“Alright, let’s roll out. And don’t go shaking it too much.”

“Ugh…! My feet… my feet hurt so bad…! And the handles are ice, so they’re freezing…”

And just like that, we left town behind.

Payback for What They Did

In the wagon, for like a few hours, Tamamo kept petting me or sniffing me or rubbing her super fluffy tail and body all over me…

“We’re here! Looseworth!”

—Thud.

Right as we pulled up, Leadas just collapsed… Can’t blame the guy.

“Alrighty, this guy’s slow-ass wagon pulling made it lunchtime already! Let’s go grab some grub.”

“Yay! Food time~!”

“Riding in the same wagon as Lady Nine-Tails, getting all jostled… That was the best!”

Of course, nobody’s batting an eye at Leadas or anything.

Well, in Leadas’s case, he messed with a big yokai, and the one who pranked him was a zashiki-warashi…

Bet that was one hell of a pricey lesson.

(Least I can do is leave him some food… Dude hasn’t eaten since last night, probably.)

I pulled out a plate of sandwiches and some warm soup from my Infinite Storage Pouch and set it down in front of Leadas.

He took one look and just started bawling his eyes out.

“Thanks… I’m so sorry…”

Probably ’cause his hands were all frostbitten from gripping that ice the whole time, Leadas grabbed the soup bowl right away, like he was craving any kinda warmth.

Then Tamamo just cracks up laughing.

“That was just Kuon ‘setting it down’ there, y’know? You’re basically a thief now, huh?”

“Eek…!”

That’s exactly what Leadas said to Suzu back at the Adventurers’ Guild.

But then Tamamo lets out this big sigh.

“…Kidding, obviously. Just don’t go screwing over folks anymore, got it?”

“Uh, Tamamo? Leadas passed out from sheer terror here?”

“Man, what a pathetic dude. Called Kuon a weakling and all, but look at him now.”

And with that, we left the shell-shocked Leadas behind and headed into the castle town.