Volume 6 Chapter 14 The Fox and the Rabbit’s Security Inspection
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
The stone basement was thick with dust, dry air, and the faint metallic tang of old rust.
Leaning back in the leather chair with my arms crossed, I looked down at the two prisoners while the Mana Shell at the edge of my vision flickered and hummed with a low vibration, like an insect trapped against a windowpane.
”Well?” I asked, my voice carrying through the chamber. “Start presenting the benefits of keeping you alive.”
Lara, the fox-kin woman, cleared her throat. She tried to smile, but the strain at the corners of her mouth made the effort obvious.
”I-I apologize,” she said1. “I can control Gauz-sama’s beasts, and the Illusion Magic I used earlier is a secret technique of the Fox-kin. If it is you, Goshujin-sama2, I am certain you could master it. I will teach you everything I know.”
”Oh? Illusion Magic?”
That was not a bad offer. I had already seen how useful that ability could be on the battlefield, and the sight of those nine tails had remained in the back of my mind ever since. If I could learn the same art, manipulating visual information on a larger scale might become possible.
”Wait,” I said. “Do not come any closer.”
Lara froze immediately, her attempt to approach cut short by a single command.
”Eh…?”
”First comes a body search.”
She exchanged a glance with Mimi. That reaction was only natural. A few hours earlier, they had been enemies trying to kill me, and surrender alone was not enough to erase that fact. If either of them had concealed a weapon or poison, carelessness would be fatal.
”Take off your clothes,” I ordered. “Everything. I do not know what you might be hiding.”
Keeping my expression flat, I tilted my chin toward the floor. The message was simple enough.
Defy me, and die.
”Y-yes…”
The sound of rustling fabric echoed through the basement. Lara slowly removed her armor with trembling fingers, while Mimi pulled her oversized shirt over her head and set it aside, her breathing shallow with fear.
I observed them carefully without lowering my guard. Whatever they were, they were not human.
Lara’s ivory skin was interrupted by fine golden fur that ran from the back of her neck down her spine before thickening near the tailbone and merging into a single tail. Muscles at its base twitched in rhythm with her heartbeat. Mimi, by contrast, seemed almost translucent. Blue veins showed faintly beneath her pale skin, and countless vessels were visible through her long ears whenever the light caught them.
”Confirm you are carrying no weapons,” I said. “Check yourselves.”
”O-ourselves…?” Mimi asked.
”That is right.”
The order itself mattered less than the reaction. If they were going to remain alive, I needed to know how deeply their surrender ran.
Reluctantly, they complied. Their movements were hesitant and awkward, their expressions growing steadily more strained as the inspection continued under my watchful gaze.
I never looked away.
Fear outweighed embarrassment. That much was obvious from the way their shoulders trembled and their eyes watered despite their attempts to remain composed. More than any verbal promise, that reaction told me where the balance of power stood.
Eventually I nodded.
”Enough. It appears there is nothing there. Now the lower half.”
The inspection continued in the same manner. Every hiding place I could think of had to be ruled out, no matter how unlikely. Lara glared at me through tear-filled eyes, while Mimi obeyed with visible reluctance, yet neither attempted resistance.
By the time I was satisfied, both were exhausted and breathing hard.
”Very well,” I said at last. “You seem clean.”
Relief flashed across their faces for only a moment before I rose from my chair.
”Now for the last thing.”
Both of them stiffened.
I walked over to Mimi and stopped in front of her.
”Your ears. I have been curious about them. You are not hiding some kind of communicator in there, are you?”
”Hick… N-no. They are just my ears…”
Reaching out, I grabbed the base of one.
Immediately, I felt the strong pulse of an artery beneath the thin skin. Her body temperature was surprisingly high, and the sensation lingered against my fingertips.
Then it happened.
Kiiiiiiiiiin…
A sharp metallic vibration rang through my mana.
”…Huh?”
Frowning, I tightened my grip and pressed more firmly against the base of her ear.
This was no ordinary reaction.
The moment my mana touched it, something responded.
—
Summary:
Ryuichi interrogates two demi-human captives, Lara and Mimi, in a dusty basement. He forces them to undergo a degrading, systematic body search under the guise of security to establish dominance. The scene ends abruptly when he touches Mimi’s ear and experiences a mysterious, metallic vibration.
—
Trivia:
The Mana Shell produces a sound like insects.
Lara has nine tails and a patch of golden fur on her spine.
Mimi has translucent skin with visible blue veins and ears that pulse red.
The captives have heightened pheromones.
—
Translation Notes:
Notes:
• Man – A roughneck wearing a hat who participated in a group assault. He suffers the loss of his right arm and later his left arm during an experiment by the protagonist before being stored.
• Lara – A long-haired, golden fox-woman of the Hundred-Beast Federation with nine tails. Highly intelligent, elegant, and calculating, this strategist and political advisor suppresses her fear to manipulate social situations for survival. She uses Illusion Magic to project an aura of power and maneuvers Gauz for political goals, though she is currently a captive subjected to a body search.
• Hob – A species of Goblin with higher intelligence than ordinary Goblins. Speaks in halting words and shows fear toward the protagonist. Both hands were missing in the observed individual.
• Mia – The young, deceased daughter of Nier whose tragic fate serves as the primary catalyst for his actions. She is the object of Nier’s immense love, the core motivation for his will to survive, and the driving force behind his entire journey.
• Gauz – A giant, steel-furred lion beast-man with golden eyes, dense muscle armor, and a massive mane. This hyper-durable, regenerative commander leads a 30,000-strong Southern Expeditionary Force. A muscle-brained warrior wielding the axe Agito, he is an arrogant, predatory tool for his boss, valuing only the strongest leader. Mentioned by Lara as a beast-keeper, he is now a charred runaway tank.
• Mimi – A petite, cowering rabbit-kin from the Hundred-Beast Federation with translucent skin and long, sensitive ears. Perpetually terrified, traumatized by the sound of the world’s life force being consumed, she acts as a sensory receiver for distant information. Frequently dragged along by stronger individuals, she is currently a captive subjected to a body search alongside her companion, Lara.
• Ryuichi – A 40-year-old, plain-looking Spirit King with black hair, a beard, and Japanese past-life memories. This weary, analytical leader controls the basement, Grimm mansion, and an elf village, protecting his growing household with blunt, ruthless pragmatism and calculated efficiency. Commanding god-like mana, Mana Shell, interdimensional magic, gravity manipulation, and regeneration, he treats enemies and powerful creatures as tools with cold, clinical logic. He provided the essence for the women and built the vitrified waterway, though his current absence has spurred intimacy between Nier and Helga.
• Ryu – A man with Interdimensional Magic who leads a growing household. He acts as a provider and protector for his slaves, while maintaining a pragmatic and blunt personality.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
Thanks for reading.
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