Chapter 12 Part II

    Inari, The Captive

    “Are you looking for trouble talking like that? Don't think your cannon, which can’t even fire, will do anything to me."

    Black Bear began to speak about what seemed like a weakness for Purple Spider, knowing well that Purple Spider's nature would definitely boast about the cannon stolen from him. If it touched on the fact that Purple Spider was afraid to use the cannon, it would be a severe blow to his face. When Black Bear disclosed this, it visibly upset Purple Spider as Inari sat beside him listening.

    "Well, you know by now that the Black Bear bandit gang has more strength than the Purple Spider gang. Just admit it and hand over the woman already, let's avoid any bloodshed."

    Black Bear, confident in his superior strength when he saw that Purple Spider was at a disadvantage, added another threat, further upsetting Purple Spider. It wasn’t that he was afraid to confront the Black Bear gang; it was just that even if he won, his gang would likely suffer significant losses.

    “If it would put you in danger, Brother Spider, you could send me to Black Bear instead. Although he seems a bit frightening, I don't want to see unnecessary bloodshed and war.”

    Inari, who had been avoiding eye contact with Purple Spider, wiped the sweat from his forehead with the sleeve of her long dress. Finally, he looked straight into her eyes, which caused Purple Spider to pause for a moment.

    “Hehe, it’s quite unbelievable that a woman we forced to bring along would willingly let herself be taken again to save us.”

    Suddenly, the leader of the Purple Spider bandits chuckled slowly. He hadn't expected that this beautiful woman would consent to go with someone she was clearly frightened of, for their sake. This made him make up his mind. Purple Spider turned towards the screen displaying Black Bear and shouted loudly:

    “It’s time for us, the Purple Spider bandits, to declare to the world that we are stronger than the Black Bear bandits. Everyone, enjoy this meal. Tomorrow, we will demolish the Bear’s den.”

    “That sounds more like something I would say, you Purple Spiders. We, the Black Bear bandits, no longer want to be disadvantaged by those weaker than us. I, Black Bear, the leader of the Black Bear gang, officially declare war at the location between the Spider’s Tower and the Black Bear’s Cave, tomorrow at noon. Prepare your necks for the slaughter.”

    Black Bear declared the war formally before making a throat-cutting gesture across his neck, and his image disappeared from the screen.

    The declaration of war meant that both groups would face death in the battle, and they wouldn’t respawn until the war ended, which would only be when one of the gang leaders died. The losing gang would be disbanded immediately, and those who died in the battle would lose half of their accumulated experience points and some of their weapons or armor to the victors.

    “Would it be good, Brother Spider? It would be easier to hand me over to the Black Bear gang to avoid this war.”

    Inari asked Purple Spider, her voice full of concern, her beautiful eyebrows furrowed together.

    “Don’t worry, Inari. I, Brother Spider, won’t let you fall into the hands of that savage Black Bear, no matter what it costs.”

    Purple Spider looked deeply into Inari’s concerned eyes, promising himself that he would protect this beautiful woman at all costs.

    “Hey, let’s get ready, everyone. When the sun is in the middle of the sky, we go bear hunting.”

    Purple Spider The Purple Spider spoke in a loud voice to boost the morale of his men. Then everyone started eating this big meal together. And after that big meal was finished,

    “Come with me to my room, little Inari.”

    Purple Spider led Inari to the top of the tower. His room occupied the entire top floor of the tower. The room was decorated luxuriously, but it seemed that there were only ordinary items and no weapons. Inari could easily guess that Purple Spider's weapons must be in the armory behind the iron door.

    “Could you show me the Gamma Mörser cannon, Brother Spider? I’ve never seen a weapon like that before.”

    Inari showed interest in the expensive-looking furniture in Purple Spider's room, especially the unusually large four-poster bed draped with purple curtains trimmed in gold. She looked around the room for the cannon she had seen outside the castle but then realized that something that size couldn't possibly be housed in the room.

    "Please, right this way, little Inari. Even people in the Purple Spider gang haven't seen it up close. You're the first one."

    Purple Spider, feeling embarrassed after Black Bear revealed that the cannon had never been fired once, wanted to redeem himself by showing Inari that his cannon was formidable and always ready to be used.

    Purple Spider picked up a red book and placed it in the middle of a table. Part of the ceiling then slowly slid down to form a small spiral staircase. He beckoned Inari to follow him, which she did without hesitation. Looking up, Inari saw the night sky scattered with tiny stars.

    When she reached the top of the stairs, she found herself on an open platform where a very large cannon was placed. From below, it didn't seem so large, but up close, it was truly massive.

    "Wow, it looks even more formidable up close, this big cannon."

    Inari walked around the cannon. It was a mobile artillery piece, but it was currently pinned to the top of the tower. Its height must have been more than double Inari's. Inari thought about the many people it would take to fire it, from those aiming horizontally and vertically to those loading the ammunition, and it looked like the ammunition wouldn't be easy to find either. Curious, she turned to ask Purple Spider, who was joyfully watching her wide-eyed, about the cannon.

    "Where can we even find ammunition for this? Cannonballs this size are probably not for sale."

    "Don't worry, little Inari. We already have one round ready in the chamber, and we can make more using the high-level ammunition manual. The dew will start to fall soon, let's head back."

    Purple Spider reassured her, trying to save face before inviting her back to his room. Upon their return, he gestured towards the large bed in the center of the room. His eyes were as if he had been waiting for this moment for a long time, to finally admire this flower.

    "Uh... Brother Spider, could you give me some time to adjust to this? I know that no matter what, I can't escape.”

    Inari said with a tremulous voice, her beautiful golden eyes pleading in a way that the young man found irresistible. He realized it was better to let this beautiful woman adjust slowly, knowing that if he pushed her, he might only have her body and not her heart forever. So today, he decided to step back for the sake of his future.

    "Okay, little Inari. Since I have to prepare for the war tomorrow anyway, I'll sleep in the guest room tonight."

    Purple Spider acted like a gentleman, even he himself was surprised why he was giving in to this beautiful woman so much. But whatever, from tomorrow on, he would have plenty of time to admire her to the fullest. He hurried to the door before he changed his mind.

    "Good night."

    Purple Spider who had opened the door looked back at the beautiful woman one last time. Inari offered a faint smile in return and replied.

    "You too."

    As soon as the door closed, Inari's smile faded, and she stuck her tongue out at Purple Spider's back. She then contacted Möbius and Gumiho through their telepathy to discuss the impending war between the Purple Spider and Black Bear gangs tomorrow and the intriguing items in Purple Spider's tower, especially the giant cannon and the weapons stored in his armory.

    At the same time in the Erisé Village,

    "Möbius, Mother has contacted us."

    Gumiho, who was in her human form, spoke up upon hearing her mother's voice through telepathy. She and Möbius were in the town hall, along with Picasso and other villagers capable of fighting, gathered to plan Inari's rescue. They were in a room Picasso had specially provided for them, while the other villagers were preparing weapons and power-boosting potions in the larger hall.

    (How are you doing, Inari? Are you tired? Did they treat you poorly?)

    Möbius's voice was full of concern, which pleased the fox mother that he cared for her before his own plans.

    (Not really, Möbius, tomorrow at noon, the two bandit groups will wage war about 2 kilometers north of Purple Spider's base. It sounds like Purple Spider might take almost all his men to fight. There are a lot of interesting things here. You should see for yourself tomorrow.)

    Inari, with her superior sensory abilities, listened in after Purple Spider had left the room. She pulled out her charming golden fox ears and enhanced their hearing with magic, catching the plans Purple Spider had for the next day.

    As the young man learned of Purple Spider's plans, it was his turn to arrange his and Gumiho's part of the plan. Möbius walked from the room to the large hall where Picasso and other villagers were gathered, and Picasso greeted him immediately, noting the faint dark circles under Möbius's eyes from mock crying.

    "Hey Möbius, how are you? Have you calmed down?"

    "I'm managing. What's our situation here?"

    Möbius asked Picasso while scanning the hall, surprised by the greater number of villagers ready to fight than he had expected, each preparing their own weapons.

    "We have about 50 volunteer villagers ready to fight with the bandits, averaging level 25, mostly long-range fighters."

    Picasso, initially thinking only about 20 people would be combat-ready, was pleasantly surprised to learn that there were many more capable men he didn't know.

    "And what about the declaration of war between the village and the bandit groups?"

    Möbius, who thought that a force of about 50 people should be able to defend themselves in the future, but they would have to develop their levels a little more. If this were the case, there would be no need to worry about this village that much.

    "Both bandit groups had declared war on us long ago, probably so long they might have forgotten about it."

    The elder replied. Since the bandit groups had to officially declare war before they could attack, of course, they would never think that the villagers would stand up to fight like this.

    "Then I think we should use a plan to distract Purple Spider and then ambush Black Bear."

    Möbius suggested to everyone in the village about their strategy for the following day, aligning it with his earlier plan. As everyone paused their preparations to listen to Möbius, the young man continued explaining once he saw everyone was ready.

    "Here's the plan: Miho and I will sneak into the base of the Purple Spider to rescue Inari, while all the villagers lie in ambush around the area where the two bandit groups will clash. Once Purple Spider realizes that Inari has been taken back, he will lose heart to continue the battle, allowing the Black Bear group to likely defeat the Purple Spider group. But Black Bear will probably be weakened from the battle with Purple Spider, and then the villagers of Erisé can attack this weakened force. However, the plan can still change according to the situation on the ground."

    Möbius explained the plan in detail, which all the villagers agreed upon. However, Picasso spotted a gap in the plan and objected.

    "And who will deal with Black Bear, sir? The leader of that bandit group is genuinely formidable. Even if they are weakened, we still might not be able to handle him."

    Picasso knew well the capabilities of Black Bear and Purple Spider, both of whom had survived encounters with the Shield and Sword Federation every time.

    "I have a way, sir, no worries. But no matter what, I ask that the villagers avoid direct confrontations with the leaders of the Black Bear and Purple Spider groups."

    Möbius smiled at all the villagers, pointing out what to avoid because he didn't want any of them to come to harm, given that they were just at level 25. Picasso nodded in agreement with Möbius's thoughts. Even though he had only met the young man that day, there was something about him that made everyone trust him.

    "Then let's all rest for today, and at noon tomorrow, we will set out."

    Picasso spoke before everyone dispersed to rest. Meanwhile, Möbius excused himself to sleep in the hotel because Gumiho complained about the hardness of the town hall's beds.

    Inside the hotel room,

    (Möbius, I'm really worried about Mother.)

    Gumiho, now in her fox form, lay frowning on the large bed, concerned for her mother.

    (Don't worry, Miho. Tomorrow, we'll rescue Inari, and I believe with her cunning, she'll manage to survive.)

    Möbius, seizing the opportunity while Inari was absent, spoke ill of her. He then moved closer to Gumiho, who was visibly distressed, and hugged her in her large fox form.

    Suddenly,

    Pop!

    Out of nowhere, Gumiho transformed back into a human, leaving no longer a large fox in his arms but a young woman who turned to meet his gaze at close range. This caused Möbius to immediately let go and step back.

    "Oops..."

    Because of the limited width on the bed, he only managed to step back a little before falling off the bed and lying on the floor. Soon, a sweet voice chimed in,

    (Möbius, I was the one who told Miho to transform. That's what you get for gossiping about others.)

    It was Inari's voice, now ringing in the small swelling on Möbius's head.

    (Hehe, you still haven’t slept yet, right, Inari?)

    Möbius, caught gossiping about the fox mother for real, quickly changed the subject to deflect his guilt, realizing that the only safe place to talk about the two women might be in his own mind.

    (No, they're still discussing the plan, but it seems like tomorrow almost all of Purple Spider's group will be gone, leaving only two guards at the entrance.)

    Inari, still using her fox ears to eavesdrop on Purple Spider's plans, sat listening to the meeting, which wasn't too chaotic since mostly it was just Spider talking.

    (Purple Spider's war plan isn't bad at all, Möbius. I will tell you about it in a moment...)

    Then Inari detailed Purple Spider's battle plan to Möbius. Even though she only heard the voices, she could piece together the story quite easily. Möbius, listening quietly, was glad he hadn't decided to confront Purple Spider directly. Besides the level and equipment advantage, Purple Spider also used a strategy that Möbius agreed with for handling numerically superior forces.

    (If it goes like this, Purple Spider might narrowly win the war. He really is skilled at planning.)

    (Mother, did they take advantage of you in any way?)

    Gumiho, deeply concerned for her mother, asked Inari while the young man was pondering how to counter Purple Spider's plans.

    (Just a few handshakes, don't worry. Once Möbius comes and hugs me a few times, I'll be comforted.)

    Möbius, who was lost in his thoughts, startled when he heard what Inari had said.

    (You don't need to hug, Inari. Maybe just shaking hands would be enough, right?)

    Möbius blushed immediately, imagining himself embracing the voluptuous woman like Inari.

    (Then why did Möbius hug Gumiho earlier?)

    The young man flinched again as the mother fox spoke as if she had truly seen with her own eyes what he and Gumiho had done just now, making the young man who was actually guilty feel hot all over.

    (Well... that was... that was just an accident.)

    (Why, Möbius? Don't you want to hug me or mother?)

    Gumiho, feeling good about the hugs, though a hug from her mother and Möbius felt... different but pleasant.

    (It's not that I don't want to hug. Inari and Gumiho are very huggable.)

    Möbius got teased by both fox girls, his face turning as red as a ripe ivy gourd with embarrassment.

    (So, are we hugging or not?)

    Even though Inari's sentence demanded an answer, her voice was bright and seemingly joyful.

    (Uh... ah... Well, let's just go to sleep for now. We have a tough fight tomorrow.)

    Möbius quickly ended the conversation before he got further cornered and seized the opportunity to lie down before either Inari could protest.

    (Hehe, that's why we like you, Möbius. Look how cute he is, teasing this young man is so much fun.)

    Inari laughed cheerfully at Möbius's adorableness, who, when he couldn't fight anymore, would either change the subject or run away like this.

    (But I wasn't teasing Möbius. I really do want to hug him.)

    Gumiho, in her beautiful human form, said, interjecting between the two's conversation, then pretending she was about to truly hug Möbius, who was already lying down. Knowing her daughter's habits well, that she often does exactly what she says, whether seriously or jokingly, Inari immediately stopped her daughter.

    (Wait, Miho, let's do as Möbius says tonight. Goodnight to both of you. Miho, whatever you do, wait for me and don’t forget to share Möbius with me.)

    (…)

    Möbius was speechless at Gumiho's innocence and Inari's cunning, and he couldn't even define what his role was exactly—owner, friend, partner, toy, or treat. But from what had happened, it seemed more likely the latter two.