Telm and Kecak Chakka. Quite a strange combination.

Putting them together like this, even though they are both mages, the orthodox Therum and the suspicious Kecha Chakka seem to be polar opposites.
However, even though I gathered these members at random, they are now my most reliable allies. I'll flatter him. If the dragon appears again, we'll need you to fight it. .......

Thelum's eyes widen as he meets me smilingly. His gaze went to Crus, who was holding his chest on the floor.

'...... What's going on?'

'Hmm? Oh, well, ...... a few things. It's nothing to worry about.'

It was unacceptable for a proud spirit man to eat an amuse-nut and then get an upset stomach.
Krus glared at me with tears in his eyes and moaned in a small voice.

I'm not going to let it get to me. Don't worry about it.

If you have enough energy to be strong, you'll be fine. But it's a pity for a mage to get an upset stomach from eating amuse-nuts.

'Are you talking about the escort shift? If that's the case, I'm going to have Kecak Chakka and Telm work together as before,............, and the close guards will also do a lot of work, but I'm not sure I can leave it to the close guards alone.

He smiled a hard-boiled smile and lifted the hunter in a subtle way.

The decision to pair Kecak Chakka with Telm was based on an extremely calm decision.
First of all, I don't have confidence in my ability to communicate with Ketchupka during the escort. I'm also worried about pairing him with a kill knight who I don't know what he'll do. Krus is even weaker at communicating than I am, and I have no choice but to push Ketchupka to Telm. This was the downside of the dark pot.

'Yeah, you want some?

Thelum frowned at the words printed on the large bag of nuts he offered, and said in a sullen voice.

'............ Amuzu nuts interfere with magic operations. It's not something a mage would eat while under guard.'

'Yeah, yeah, I guess so. ......'

Crus is looking up at me with a grudge, his face red and his chest pressed against my chest. I wasn't a mage, so I chomped on a nut.
You don't need magic just to activate a treasure trove.

'But if I may say so, I can put up with the Amuzu nut's magic blockage if I try hard enough. You can use it for training.''

Sitri said. Lucia followed suit.
I love Amuznuts, partly because I used to get them in boxes and eat them to my heart's content.

Kecak Chakka is looking at me as if he's looking at something suspicious. Well, I'm not going to tell you to eat them.

'So, if you're not talking about your shift, what do you want?

Maybe he's saying he can't follow a leader like you anymore. Fine, you're the leader.

Thelum made a stern face at me as I nervously chewed on a crunchy nut, and then said as if whispering a secret.


' Thousands of changes ......, you have a 'tail'.'


'......Huh?'

My eyes widen in confusion. A dumb voice comes out. But the expression on Telm's face is extremely serious.

There's no such thing as a stupid ....... Where did the leak ...... come from?

No one can know that. The only people who know that I have a tail are the members of the same party, the Ghosts of Sorrows, and I don't think they would leak it.
But there was a strong conviction in Telm's eyes. I'm sure you're not mistaken.
There is no way that I, a human being, would have a tail, and I don't think I could fool them.

I guess you can't put your foot in your mouth. There is a possibility that I may have gotten drunk and told someone somewhere.
I'm in trouble. ...... I had decided to keep it a secret, but...

I've decided to keep it a secret. I'm sorry to tell you this, but this is information that Krus should not know.
If that's true, Kecak Chakka and Telm shouldn't know this information either. .......

'Krus, I'm sorry, but I'm going to have to ask you to leave. I have something important to say.'

'What ......? What the ......ck ......?'

'This is ...... a very sensitive subject. I'm sorry. I'm the leader this time, right? I'll be done in no time.'

'Ugh ......, I'm going to tell Lucia-san,......'.

I watched him walk out of the room, moving like a caterpillar. Next time I'll buy him something sweet that isn't nuts.
I took a deep breath and looked at Telm and Kecak Chakka.

The Tail. It's not a tail, to be exact, but a living mass of mana-material.

We once encountered a lost inn and surrendered without any room for resistance, but that doesn't mean we didn't bring back anything.

There was only one thing that we brought back. To be precise, it was forced upon me...

A tail. We were given the last of the thirteen tails that grew on the monster foxes as proof of our survival from the Lost Inn.

We called the part of the boss that we were forced to take home, the dangerous lump of magical power that shows no signs of disappearing even now, several years after it was detached, the "Final Tail of the Divine Fox".







There's no doubt about it. The man in front of me is a member of the foxes.
Kecha Chakka was sure of it from the blatant reaction Krei Andrich had shown him.

Ask him if he has a tail. It's a sign known to the members of the Fox.
It is rarely used, but when a lower member is sure of the identity of a higher member, it is used to confirm it.
When a subordinate member is convinced of the identity of a higher-ranking member, the higher-ranking member may use the sign to confirm it. This is a system that is possible because the higher members know the lower members.

The "Thousand Transformations" that had expelled Crus raised its hands in surrender and said with a smile.

'I don't know where you got that information, but you shouldn't say it outright. I'm in trouble.'

'............ Did you think I wouldn't notice? Your behavior is too suspicious.'

Telm Apokris is a terrible man. He has the power of a level 7 and the discretion of a level 7.


He is one of the top five mages Kechackachka has ever seen in terms of magic. At least in terms of direct killing ability, Kecchatka is not even close.

Concentrating the magical power circulating in his body, Therum takes an offensive stance. At first glance, it seemed natural, but as a mage, Kechackachka could see its sharp magic power and sharpened killing intent.
However, Senhenhenbanka was even more natural than Telm. Even in the face of Telm's murderous intent, it never changed its color. It was as if he didn't understand anything at all.

'Let's see, ...... I'm confused. Did I do anything suspicious?

'You admit you're a fox, don't you?

' 'Fox'? No, ............ as you can see, I'm human.

The sign says it all. Terrible acting skills.
Even with all this circumstantial evidence, Kecak Chakka can't see the man in front of him as anything but a human being.

The half-hearted smile on his face, as if he were in trouble. Therum continues his interrogation quietly.

'How many tails do you have, ......?'

'What ............? I'm on my thirteenth ...... tail.'

'!

My eyes widen involuntarily at his words.
The ninth fox is the highest rank. There is no such thing as a thirteenth. The expression on Term's face twisted for the first time, as if he hadn't expected that answer.

If you're not sure what you're looking for, you might want to check out this website.

'Stupid ......, there are only nine tails.'

'What ......? Yeah, it's a new one. It grows every time it gains power. Oh, so you didn't know that. ......'

There was no indication that he was lying.
If what he said was true, then the twenty year old man in front of me was incredibly superior.

I had expected this. I had fought beings of higher rank than myself many times before. But still, Kecak couldn't help but shudder at the words.

How many talents and accomplishments would it take to reach the highest ranks of the Nine-Tailed Shadow Fox at only twenty? It must be more difficult than being certified as a level 8 by the Explorers Society to reach that level in an organization that is so thoroughly secretive.

'Is Crus one of them?

'No, she's not involved.'

'Hmm ......, let's see your tails .......'

'Seven tails. The nine tailed shadow fox's top member, Thermu Apokris of the Water Stopper, does not show any agitation and asks.
The [Thousand Transformations] blinked and gave the right answer in a dumb voice.


'No, you can't show it to me now. I'm leaving it with my sister.

Sister ......?







What the hell was that exchange all about?
I'm not sure what's going on, but Thelm asks me shortly.

'Let's hear the plan.

Apparently, he's done with the tail. Apparently, Thelum also has a tail, but ...... that's okay.
Since we got the tail, it would not be surprising if Telm and the others got it too. The odds are miraculous, but it's not something to talk about during an escort.

The tail is a mass of magic. It is both extremely useful and extremely dangerous for a mage.

I'm not sure what to make of that.
............ How old is Telm? I'm pretty sure that the fox said that his thirteenth tail grew a hundred years ago.

'As I said before, the combination is always the same. Basically, I'll take Franz-san's word for it.'

'Can we trust the Kill Knight?'

'Hmm? Yeah, they're a little shady. No problem. I can control them.''

Thelum replied in a light voice with a serious expression. Apparently, he hadn't shown it, but he was concerned about it.

I wonder where the controller is. .......
Well, I don't think there's anything wrong with being in independent thinking mode,......, since Citrie gave it to me.

'Don't worry. I don't think anything will happen to you for a while.'

'Keke .......'

'If anything, the problems will start once we're in the air. There's nowhere to run if something happens.''

'Hmm ...... I understand.'

Thelum nodded with a serious expression. Perhaps it was because they turned out to be members who had the same tail pressed against them that the distance between them seemed to have shortened a little.
I wonder if I can't get along with Thelum and resolve the feud with the Abyssal Fire Extinction .......

'Leave the fighting to Telm. It was a brilliant piece of magic. It's probably even better than the Abyssal Fire.

'Lohse is too flashy. It's not for you.'

'Kecak Chakka's pretty good too. I'm counting on you. Use your magic to your heart's content. I'm counting on you.

'Hihihi......'

Ketchupka nodded his head in agreement with my hard-boiled instructions. Apparently he's a lot nicer than he looks. I hope Lies and the others can learn from his cooperative nature.

'Don't worry. We're a great team. We should be able to handle a request like this easily. Let's go for it.


I nodded broadly and raised my arms in an enthusiastic 'yeah, yeah, yeah'.