The city is abuzz with excitement in anticipation of the Martial Emperor Festival. One of the fox strongholds in the cleats.
In one of the deep underground rooms, Seven Tails, Gough Schoenfelder, checked the list he had received and groaned.

'.................. This is going to be a massive battle.

The Fox is an organization of unparalleled quality and scale. It has a number of subordinate organizations, and its influence extends to the upper echelons of each country, but due to its thorough secrecy and control of information, few people understand its exact scope.
Gaff, a senior member named Nanao, has been involved in a number of operations and has some grasp of the organization's power, but even so, he can't say he knows everything.

The names on the list given to him by the boss ranged from large organizations to small groups of people.
Surprisingly, the list even included a group that could be called the Fox's subordinate organization.

It was unnatural. The list was full of criminal organizations and secret societies that are generally classified as 'evil'. They are competitors of the foxes, and depending on the strategy, they can be destroyed, but they are not necessarily adversaries.

The foxes usually fight treasure hunters, knights, merchants, nobles, and other influential figures in the underworld.
The mission Gaff was assigned to this time was no exception. The names on the new list were all names that were not on the original mission objectives.

'This isn't a one-size-fits-all operation. Does the boss want to set ...... the city on fire?


Every year during the Martial Emperor Festival, there are always bloody conflicts here and there. Any organization coming into the cleats at this time of year is on alert.
Combined with our first mission, we'll be destroying all of them, right and wrong.

The men Gaff has brought with him this time are all elite, but they are only here to accomplish the first mission.
Up until now, they have faithfully followed the orders of the organization and have risen to the level of the Seven Tails. If we succeed in this mission, we can go even further.

It's not our job to pry. But ............ is too much for us.'


But orders are absolute. We can't question them, no matter how unnatural.
If they don't know what they're after, that means Gaff doesn't need to know.


Depending on the size of the organization, destroying a few of them won't be a problem. Just kill them all.
But in the meantime, other organizations will surely notice the discrepancy. If they're smart, they'll figure out that the fox is going around destroying organizations. The more vigilant they are, the more time it will take to destroy them. There's no way we can make it in time for the Emperor's Festival.
A highly skilled covert operative, who had received the list from the boss, said.

'Perhaps this order was not meant to be given to us. But the boss is expecting it.

We know that. .......

Even if the fox is a secret organization, it doesn't mean it doesn't have a chain of command. Perhaps if Gaff and the others hadn't received the list, the orders would have gone through official channels to the other execution units.
That's why this is an opportunity. The organization is always on the lookout for useful members.

He frowned for a moment, considering the plan, but Gaff's available resources were not enough.
They'd be wary of him if he didn't crush them with a blitzkrieg, but he didn't have enough men to destroy them all in a short time.

'...... We don't have enough strength. But ...... you're right. ............ we're foxes. If we don't have the numbers, we'll find a way.

We've done a lot of difficult missions so far. We can't become the Seven Tails if this is all we do.
It's risky, but it's a direct order from the boss, the symbol of the organization. It's worth it. Gaff smiled deeply and gave his men a new order.








'Let's go look for the strong one -!

'Oh!'

The tension between Luke and Liz was rising. It's not that I don't believe in the activities of the fox mask lovers, but we can't let them go out alone, they're too quarrelsome.
The party all got along well and went out into the city. It was still a while before the Martial Emperor Festival, but the city of Cleet was boiling with excitement.

I don't know how crowded this city is in normal times, but there were many stalls and a huge crowd.
Not a few people were armed, but I doubt that all of them were contestants. For a warrior, participating in the Emperor's Festival is an honor. Some of them, like me, are only there to cheer on their comrades. Where there's a strong man, there's a strong man.

Citri looks up at me and smiles.

'Aren't you going to wear that fox mask today?

'Well...'

I stroke my cheek with the palm of my hand.
I want to hide my face as much as possible. That's why I'd like to wear the mask as much as possible, but it seems that wearing the mask would attract the fox mask lovers' club.
They follow me to my room, so I don't know how many people would gather if I wore it in a crowded place.

So far, no harm has come to me, but I'm learning too. Some of them may be blinded by greed and try to steal the mask.
If you hide your face to avoid danger, it's not worth it to put yourself in danger because of it.
I'm proud of my judgment.

I walk through the city, protected by Luke and the others. I won't just wander up to a chocolate dragon stall anymore.

If you listen carefully, you can hear a little gossip.
Everyone seems to be interested in the Martial Emperor Festival and the strongest, and although the contestants are not yet open to the public, they are all excited about who will win.
The names of Luke and Ansem, who are well known in Zebrudia, were also mentioned, and as a friend I was a little embarrassed.

And then my ears caught a name.

''It looks like you're a celebrity at ....... I'll have to get into the spirit of cheering him on.

According to Sitri, the two names are self-explanatory, but the fact that they've been gossiped about means that they will soon become official names.
I'm really looking forward to seeing what kind of strategy Krach Andrich will use.

When Liz heard my good-humored words, her lips twitched.

'Eh, I'm rooting for Krai-chan!

'Yeah, yeah, yeah.

I'm glad to hear that, but I'm not going to compete.

And of course, it goes without saying that the people I'm rooting for the most are Liz and the others.
I doubt that they will win, since the other contestants are all very talented, but if they do win, I would be very proud of them as childhood friends.

I used to get tangled up with a lot of people when I walked in crowded places, but this time, no one tangled with me.
Although Liz looked bored, no one would want to pick a fight with a bunch of strong guys (especially Anthem) before an important battle, even if it was after the tournament was over.

After walking around for a while, Luke clicks his tongue loudly.

'All right, let's go to the tavern.

'Sansei!

Lizzie looks unnecessarily happy. He was totally going to buy a fight, not a drink.
Both Sitri and Lucia looked dumbfounded.



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