''His Majesty is very angry, do whatever it takes to find that fox mask! After wounding him so badly, he must still be nearby, and with the prestige of the Empire at stake, capture him by any means necessary! He must still be nearby, and we must capture him by any means necessary! They ignored our warnings! Even His Highness Murina is under attack here!

The Zebrudia embassy in Kleet was now in a state of turmoil, like a beehive being pecked at.

At the sound of Franz's shouting, soldiers and clerks rushed out in a panic. They had been working tirelessly for a full day since the incident at the Emperor's Festival, but had yet to find any useful information. This fact makes Franz and the others impatient.

The man with the fox mask was obviously seriously injured. In that condition, it was impossible for him to evade the attack of the Warrior Emperor, be surrounded by many high-level hunters, and then just disappear without leaving a single footprint.

The key of the earth probably sucked the magic power, and the fox face was suffering from the symptoms of magic power deficiency. He couldn't use magic in that condition. There's almost no chance he could have flown away.

Maybe he had help, or maybe there was a hidden passage. Regardless, it would be a loss of face for the great nation of Zebrudia to let a fox escape in that state.

I'm not going to use the excuse that the cleats are in another country. They fought Zebuldia head-on.

A meeting to decide policy. Negotiations with the representatives of Kryt. As they were hurriedly exchanging information, a subordinate came to report.

'Commander Franz, the collection of the remaining blood in the hall has been completed. It's enough for us to use divination.'

'I see. ...... I don't like relying on a technique with little certainty, but it can't be helped.

It's fortunate that the fox mask left blood. If we have the body parts, we can use divination to determine the general location even if we miss it completely.
Once we have a rough idea of their location, we can use the military power of the Empire to conduct a large-scale roller operation.
Of course, it would also alert the other side. This would be a last resort.

Then a subordinate said with a stiff expression.

''So... the alchemist who is a member of the Thousand Transformations party is asking for a share of the fox's blood...''

''............''

The unexpected words caused blood to rush to his head for a moment, but Franz took a deep breath and suppressed it.

''You can't refuse him, he's the one who contributed to this. You can share it with him to the extent that it doesn't interfere with the surgery.

I've had a lot of trouble with the secrecy of [Thousand Transformations], but credit where credit is due.
I don't know why the fox had the key, but it's thanks to the efforts of the Thousand Transformations that the damage was limited to the destruction of one venue. According to the analysis of the Imperial sorcerer, the destruction of the Key of the Earth was greatly suppressed immediately after the outbreak.

If Several Transformations hadn't fainted, the fox might not have escaped, but it was not humanly possible that it could only faint when it must have used an enormous amount of power to suppress the destruction.

I have to listen to what he has to say after he has rested, but no matter how much the empire values hunters, it would be a badge of honor if I had to rely on a single hunter.
I've enlisted the help of other hunters, including Branch Chief Gark.

If they want blood, then by all means, let them have it.
In the area of research, researchers affiliated with the state may be as good as any, but the sense of smell of an active treasure hunter is often frightening.


To kill the fox by any means necessary. That was the Emperor's order.
It will be a formal statement to all nations in the not-too-distant future. This is war now.

So Franz pressed his temples and turned his head.

'What happened to Her Highness the False Empress?

'She's being treated now. She was charred, but she has a terrible vitality--she will probably survive.'

'I see. ............ Since His Highness Murina was so concerned...'

He breathed a sigh of relief. That gentle princess would be very sad if her impostor died in her place.

One of the unexpected things that happened this time was that the fox attacked the fake Princess Murina.

The fake Princess Murina must have been created by the fox masks. It was too poorly thought out for the foxes to have mistakenly attacked her.
There was a lot of discussion among the Imperial investigators, but there is no doubt that the fox-masked assailants attacked His Highness Niseemulina, and that His Highness Niseemulina returned fire on two of them. There were three marauders, and it seems that one of them was missed, but it was unavoidable.

It's possible that the foxes were in a hurry. After all, the man with the fox mask mistook Krach Andrich for the real "Thousand Transformations" at first.

Anyway, that fake saved my life in a sense. It also proved its fighting prowess. We'll have to discuss how to deal with it when we get back to the Empire.

After all, he looks just like His Highness Murina. We can't let him go. We can't kill him.

Then his subordinate said with a stiff expression.

''So, ...... actually, an alchemist who is a party member of the Senkenbanka is asking for a diagnosis of His Highness Princess Nise Murina--''

'............What the hell is going on with his party......'

Is he an enemy or a friend? Does he want to interfere, stir things up, or just make sense?

I owe you one hell of a debt.

Franz slammed the table in exasperation and gave his permission in a stifled voice.












It was a crisis that the boss, who had performed many difficult missions for the organization, had never experienced before.
For the secretive fox, capture was the thing he feared the most. At that moment when he was chased by the former warrior emperor in the arena, the boss was definitely cornered.

His magic power was nearly depleted and he was wounded. Since it was a spur-of-the-moment operation, there was no established escape route in case of emergency.
There were many high-level hunters in the vicinity, and the chance of escape was close to zero.



--Unless the mysterious girl with the fox mask appeared.



At best, she was mysterious; at worst, she had an inhuman air about her. And best of all, her face was covered with the same mask that the boss wore.

The boss knows the other top executives well. There are no such young members in the Fox organization.

To the boss, who wondered if this was a new move, the girl said.


I'll let you go.


I don't remember much from that point on. The only thing I know for sure is that the boss got out of the cleat without any trouble thanks to the girl's power.

He didn't see the warrior emperor who was supposed to be chasing him, or any of the soldiers who were surrounding the arena - perhaps that was some kind of illusion.

It was a powerful illusion that fooled even high level hunters with high tolerance.





The boss finally breathed a sigh of relief when he arrived at the safe house of the emergency organization in the nearby town.
He scolded his tired body and recovered his wounds and magic power with potions. For the moment, the biggest crisis was over, but he could not let his guard down yet.

The organization had envisioned an all-out war with the Empire, but that was a long way off. The tiger's child, the key to the earth, has been lost, and the hard fight will begin.

What happened to the men who were engaged in the assassination of the Empress?
If they were successful, they should have returned to headquarters. If by any chance they failed, they're probably dead.




I closed my eyes and rested my body while maintaining my attention. In my mind was the fox-faced girl who saved the boss.

Her appearance, her unusual strength, the fox mask she wore. Unless you're from the organization, there's only one thing that comes to mind.

The treasure house that led to the establishment of the "Shadow Fox of the Nine Tails", the "Lost Inn". He's one of the gods who make that place their home.

The founder of the "Shadow Fox of the Nine Tails" once encountered the Treasure House and was given a fox mask by the gods who live there.
The organization has a rule that anyone who encounters the treasure house and obtains the mask is accepted by the gods.

The belief in the Fox God is one of the pillars of the organization. But at the same time, it's only a good cause.

The organization accepts those who are accepted by the gods as those who are accepted by the gods because they are strong enough to encounter the lost inn and obtain the mask, the drop of the illusion, through a fateful process. That's all there is to it.
In other words, obtaining the mask is only a test to bring in the strong.

There is no deep reason why the priests are given special status. The Shadow Fox of the Nine Tails is merely a development of an intelligence agency.

As a matter of course, there is no cooperative relationship between the phantom of the Lost Inn and the organization. In the long history of the organization, there have been several times when the organization has fallen into crisis, but the phantom of the treasure house has never saved the organization. In the first place, it is against the providence for a phantom to appear outside the Treasure House.


The fox-faced girl told the boss, "Mr. Crisis's enemy. I'll let you go. .................. This time, I'll win! She said.
What is the meaning of these words? Who is Mr. Crisis? Is that your real name? I'm not sure if it's a nickname or a real name. Why did it become such a nickname? Why would letting the boss go be a win-win situation for her?

No matter how much I think about it, I can't come up with an answer. If you want to know more about this, please visit our website.


...... No, you should take a break now.
The organization is in a shaky state. It's too risky to fight the incarnation in this state.

Whatever the identity of that fox-faced girl, the enemy of my enemy is my friend. We should assume that we have a strong ally and use it to our advantage.



--I was just thinking to that point when a voice called out to me from behind.




You can find a lot more information on this topic at ....... It looks like you've been beaten up pretty badly.

It was a woman's voice with a chilling resonance. The boss opened his eyes and sighed at the voice that came without any sign.

Before he knew it, there were more tall shadows in the room. He was dressed in a loose kimono and wore a sword at his waist. His face was covered with a mask similar to the one the boss wore.


The nine-tailed shadow fox has multiple tails. There is more than one supreme leader with masks.


'...... rude. 'Kenobi, this is my territory.'

'How dare you--you think I don't know anything about this? I've heard rumors. I've heard rumors that the organization system is almost unsustainable and that the headquarters is in chaos.


The boss, the one at the top of the organization, frowned as he was hit with a sore spot.


You can find a lot of things that you can do to make your life easier. This time, it is only a small part of it that has been reduced to chaos by the [Thousand Transformations], but it is also the most important part.
The failure of losing the major forces of [Stop Water] and [Call of the Dragon] was more than just painful.


Originally, it was against the law for a boss to appear in the territory of another boss without permission. Keno is a superhuman who has risen to the top ranks with just his sword, but he is not so incompetent that he cannot understand this.
Above all, Keno's fighting ability is high. He has managed to overcome all the fences with his strength alone, and his pure killing power is one of the best in the organization. This is also the reason why Keno is recognized among the foxes who value intrigue.


'But the M.O. is known. The chaos will be over soon. There's nothing to worry about.'


And there the sky-tail opened his eyes.

No, it was not fortuitous that ...... this sword-tail had come along.

No matter what kind of "Thousand Transformations" you are, you must be on your guard right now.
It's a pity I can't do anything about it myself, but if I send this woman to assassinate him, everything will be fine.

The Empire should become a little more docile once the Thousand Transformations is dead.
More importantly, the Thousand Transformations could be the organization's natural enemy. There's no better time than now to destroy it.


And then, Keno said in a calm voice.


'I understand the situation in general. By the way, Sorao, how did you--how did you get through that enclosure? It would have been difficult for you to escape with all your strength...'


I see. So you were hiding in plain sight. That's also against the rules of the organization, but I appreciate it now.
Sorao took a deep breath and replied calmly.


'............ Believe it or not, I was saved by the Fox God's family. The gods have blessed the organization.'



'...... Yes.'



Keno's answer was unexpectedly straightforward.

Without any further questioning, he drew his weapon from his waist in a natural motion.

The blade is over a meter long. The curved blade has a unique pattern. The blade, reminiscent of the depths of the sea, had an absorbing appeal, more like a work of art than a weapon.

The blade emits a quiet radiance. It may look like it's just standing there, but there's no room for error or error in its body.


'...... What do you mean?

Her strength is almost back. There's no problem in using the technique. Catching Sorou's gaze, Kenou gave a small snort.




'What kind of excuse do you think you have for being a god? ...... Even Sorao, known for his ruthless pragmatism and scheming, has fallen. You are suspected of plunging the organization into danger through the unauthorized use of the strategic weapon, the Key of the Earth, and of secretly giving masks to your subordinates in order to plunge the headquarters into chaos and start a civil war. I'm going to have to ask you to leave.

'...... what the hell?

At these unexpected words, he stood up and glared at Keno. The mask hid Keno's expression from view, but his voice was filled with contempt and pity.
The sword of his treasure trove - a wet-looking blade - wavers and points.


'Don't worry, foxes don't die. It just grows a new tail. You should be grateful to the Thousand Transformations for stopping the destruction in its tracks. The command of Zebuldia and its vicinity will be taken over without any problems.


'Thousand Transformations'?

At that word, a revelation fell upon the sky-tail.
The events that had occurred up until now flashed through Soroo's mind like a running lantern.



When you think about it calmly, the actions of the Thousand Transformations in the cleat were too deadly and precise for the organization. It was as if the boss knew every move he was going to make and every operation he was going to carry out in the cleat.
No conspirator would have been able to pull off such an operation without knowing the fox's every move and policy.

And then-- the helping hand of the fox gods appeared at the right moment.
If there's even the slightest chance of manipulating the fox god's family members, it's none other than the priests.


If all of this was a plan to trap Sky-o...


We'd need power to plant them without the Tao Tei knowing. Help from the highest levels.


I knew there were rumors of a suspected civil war going on at headquarters.
I thought it was just a joke at the time, but...


He stood up and let his magic flow.
I've heard that Keno is not very good at scheming, but this is all a bluff.


'............ Don't tell me you're using the Thousand Transformations to start a civil war?



'? Hmm, no point in further negotiations.



The traitor snickered at Soroo's question, and held his sword up to his eyes.