The Fox Hole

Chapter 54: Welcome Adventurers

– Haru –

I glanced down at Enri as we stood atop the village wall, my eyes shifting between her and the group approaching in the distance. "So, tell me more about these Blue Roses," I said, curiosity piqued.

Enri's face lit up with excitement. "They're one of the most famous adventurer teams in the world! All of their members are women, and they have a reputation for only taking on righteous jobs. They don't do anything shady—just hunting down dangerous monsters and taking out bad guys."

I raised an eyebrow. So they're basically a fantasy world's version of superheroes? "Is that so?"

She nodded enthusiastically. "They've got a huge following!"

I hummed in thought, my gaze returning to the approaching figures. "Then why would such a famous group be acting as bodyguards for your friend? That kind of protection has got to cost a fortune."

Enri furrowed her brows, clearly thinking the same thing. "That… I don't actually know. Nfirea is talented, but hiring the Blue Roses seems a little extreme."

I reached over and ruffled her hair. "Don't overthink it. We'll find out soon enough."

Still, my instincts told me something was up. Either Nfirea was loaded beyond belief, or there was more going on than just a routine supply run. Considering the kid was wearing commoner clothes when we spotted him in the distance, it was obviously the latter.

Turning my attention to the village lookout, I raised my voice. "Go ahead and open the gates."

The villager nodded, shouting down the command before moving to help crank the massive wooden doors open.

Before Enri could react, I scooped her up in another princess carry and leapt down from the 20-foot wall, landing effortlessly in the dirt below.

Enri let out another adorable shriek, clinging to my shoulders. "Haru! You have got to stop doing that!"

I chuckled, tightening my grip just enough to keep her from slipping. "Why? It's fun messing with you."

Her cheeks puffed out in a pout.

– Lakyus –

Was this tiny village always surrounded by such an imposing wall?" Gagaran asked out loud as they approached, her voice carrying easily over the sounds of the rolling cart.

Nfirea, who was sitting beside her, shook his head vehemently. "Carne was just a peaceful farming and scavenging village. I don't even think they had any real weapons."

"Obviously, a lot has changed since the kingdom sold off this territory," Lakyus pointed out, watching the towering wooden walls loom closer. "Honestly, in hindsight, it was a smart move. It got the kingdom out of massive debt, and now that the people here aren't overtaxed into starvation, they actually seem to be thriving." She gestured toward the fields, which looked far more prosperous than they had any right to be. Although these fields didn't technically belong to the Kingdom anymore.

That wasn't the point though. It was starting to look this nice in other places too.

Of course, some greedy nobles and that idiot first prince had to go and ruin it all. All because it turned out the person who now owned this land wasn't human—though they all knew that was just an excuse.

Evil Eye suddenly stiffened beside her as the village's massive wooden gates creaked open.

Lakyus turned to her. "What's wrong?"

Before she could answer, Tina and Tia started snickering. "She's just too short! Tall walls are her nemesis!"

"I can fly, you idiots!" Evil Eye snapped, folding her arms over her chest. "That's not what's wrong!" Her masked gaze was locked on the two figures standing just beyond the gates.

Although, realistically, everyone was only looking at one of them.

Lakyus's breath caught as her eyes landed on the man waiting for them. He was strikingly handsome, but what made her muscles tense were the obviously non-human traits. His ears were just a little too sharp, his eyes glowed faintly in the dim light, and a pair of sleek, furred tails swayed lazily behind him. Beastman? No… she had never seen one that looked so human before.

Evil Eye's voice dropped to a rare whisper of genuine unease. "Do not pick a fight. No matter what. If you do… we all die."

Tina and Tia immediately stopped giggling. Gagaran shifted, her usual bravado tempered by caution. "Why?"

Evil Eye hesitated before answering, her tone more serious than Lakyus had ever heard it. "That fox man is more powerful than any dragon I've ever seen."

Lakyus stiffened. Evil Eye had met a dragon before? More than one? That was something she would have to ask her about later. Right now, she had more pressing concerns—namely, their escort mission and their secret diplomatic mission for the princess.

The group of four adventurers stepped through the village gates, the massive doors shutting behind them with a loud, almost ominous bang.

"Sorry about that," the handsome blonde fox-man said as he approached, a teenage girl walking beside him.

"Nfi!" Enri's voice rang out as she dashed forward, wrapping the nervous alchemist into a tight hug. "It's so good to see you again!"

Nfirea immediately stiffened, his face turning bright red as he sputtered incoherently.

Lakyus watched with mild amusement. This must be "Enri-chan"—the girl Nfirea hadn't stopped rambling about during the entire trip here. It was painfully obvious how much he was into her.

Before he could get a word out, Enri pulled back and returned to the fox-man standing beside her—the very same man who had Evil Eye looking like she wanted to disappear. Lakyus had never seen their tiny but powerful magic caster scared of anything before.

Enri turned back to them, her face lighting up with excitement. "Welcome to Carne Village! It's an honor to meet Blue Rose!" She then turned back to Nfirea with a warm smile. "And welcome to you too, Nfi! If you're here for alchemy ingredients, we've got plenty stocked up."

Nfirea nodded, but he still looked too nervous to say anything coherent.

Gagaran barked a laugh and clapped him hard on the back. "Come on, man, spit it out! She's not gonna bite!"

Meanwhile, Tina and Tia stood slightly behind Lakyus, their eyes locked warily on the fox-man as she stepped forward to formally introduce herself.

With a composed nod, Lakyus offered a slight curtsey despite being an adventurer. Given his well-tailored clothing and confident stance, it was obvious this was no ordinary beastman—he had the air of someone from a well-off background. Was he the one who had bought the land and bailed the kingdom out of its debts?

The fox-man smirked as he returned her gesture with a small but graceful bow. "Nice to meet you all as well. I'm Haru of the Yokai Faction. Welcome to my territory." His slitted eyes swept over the group. "Is there a reason one of the kingdom's most famous adventuring teams is out here besides guarding Enri-chan's friend?"

– Haru –

I could see the nervous tension in the adventurers sitting at my bar. They were trying to hide it, but their stiff shoulders and wary glances gave them away. The small one, Evil Eye, was the most on edge, practically glued to her seat. Her masked face was locked onto me like she expected me to lunge across the counter and rip her throat out.

A vampire, obviously. And obviously trying to hide it. I wondered if her team knew.

I stood behind the counter with Enri beside me, while our guests took their seats on the barstools. Gagaran, the largest of the group, glanced around The Fox Hole. "This is a pretty cozy place you got here," she said, nodding in approval.

"Thanks," I replied with a grin. "I wanted it to be a place where all people and races could feel at home and enjoy a good meal." I let my tails sway lazily behind me as I leaned against the counter. "Just know that I don't tolerate any fighting in my restaurant." The four adventurers gulped in unison, their nervous energy spiking for a moment before I eased them with a grin. "Now, what do you all want to eat?"

Lakyus, the leader, tilted her head slightly. "Wait, are you a chef or something?"

I gave her a blank stare. "I'm literally standing behind the counter of my own restaurant. What do you think?"

Before she could respond, Evil Eye suddenly blurted out, "Why? Why would someone as powerful as you be cooking?"

I shrugged. "What does being powerful have to do with anything? I like cooking, so I opened a restaurant. Simple as that."

Tina and Tia, the twin ninja girls, suddenly burst into laughter. They elbowed Evil Eye playfully. "Our tiny magic caster got us all nervous for nothing!" Tina snickered.

"Yeah, so much for 'he's more powerful than any dragon I've ever seen,'" Tia added, still giggling.

Evil Eye, still masked, said nothing, but I could practically feel her pouting through the cloth.

Lakyus cleared her throat, her posture relaxing slightly. "Alright, fair enough. So, Haru, why set up a restaurant in Carne Village of all places? And could you make me some pasta?"

"I want some meat!" Gagaran added enthusiastically.

"Soba for us!" Tina and Tia chimed in together.

"I'll have nothing," Evil Eye muttered, clearly because of her vampiric nature.

I smirked and winked at her. "I'll make you something special. You'll like it."

She stiffened slightly but didn't argue.

As I turned to the kitchen, my tails moved behind me, opening the fridge and grabbing ingredients while my hands flicked on the stoves. Oil sizzled in one pan while butter melted in another. I moved seamlessly through the motions, preparing five different meals at once. Multitasking in the kitchen was second nature to me.

As I cooked, I answered Lakyus's question. "Carne Village is the best place for my restaurant. How else would I have met my adorable little sous chef, Enri-chan?" I chuckled.

Enri, standing beside me, turned bright red.

That's when Nfirea, her alchemist friend, suddenly stiffened. "You're going to be a chef, Enri-chan!?" he blurted out, his eyes flickering toward me—was that jealousy?

That was definitely jealousy.

Enri was still blushing when she responded, "Right now, I'm just a waitress, but I'm taking cooking lessons from Haru. I hope to help more in the kitchen in the future."

"You go, girl!" Gagaran chuckled.

I kept moving, chopping, frying, boiling—all at once, effortlessly handling multiple dishes.

Evil Eye, still watching me closely, finally asked bluntly, "Are you the owner of this entire territory? And are you the one who bailed out the kingdom?"

I didn't even pause. "Yeah, I own the land, but someone else actually bought everything in my name. Doesn't really matter, though, in the grand scheme of things."

I finished cooking and placed the plates in front of the adventurers. The scent of seared meat, rich spices, and fresh herbs filled the air, and the girls were practically salivating at the sight of the food. Without hesitation, they all started digging in—except for Evil Eye, who stared at her plate of blood sausages with obvious confusion.

My ears twitched as I picked up the faint sound of her sniffing beneath her mask. After a moment of hesitation, she lifted the fabric just enough to bring her fork to her mouth and took a cautious bite.

The instant the flavor hit her tongue, she let out an adorable little squeal, her body tensing with delight before she quickly started devouring her meal—still careful not to reveal too much of her face.

That was when the others froze, forks suspended midair, eyes locked onto their tiny magic caster in utter disbelief.

"Evil Eye… is actually eating?" Gagaran said, her voice dripping with shock.

"I always thought she was anorexic or something," Tia muttered. "She never eats."

"That's mean," Lakyus chided, though her expression suggested she didn't entirely disagree.

Gagaran smirked as she watched Evil Eye devour another bite. "Looks like you and me have a lot in common, short stuff—because I love me some sausage too."

I coughed.

Enri, standing next to me, went bright red, while poor Nfirea started choking on his macaroni—the one Enri had made especially for her "friend."

Yeah... The poor kid had no idea how deep in the friendzone he was. Hard-core.

I wasn't blind—I knew Enri had a crush on me. But I wasn't about to reciprocate her feelings. If she still felt the same way when she was older, well… We'd see at that point.

A small note materialized out of thin air and floated down onto the counter.

I sighed as I picked it up and read the two simple words written on it:

"She will…"

Evil Eye finished her last bite of blood sausage and glanced up. "Where did that come from? I think I sensed a trace of space magic."

I rolled my eyes. "Just a random tsundere goddess sending me a message. Happens from time to time."

All four adventurers gaped at me in obvious confusion. I didn't elaborate. Their confusion was too amusing to me!

Once everyone had finished eating, Enri decided to take Nfirea out of the village to show him where they kept all the supplies. That left me alone with our guests.

I offered them some tea while we got down to the real reason they were here. It was obvious that the most famous adventurers in the kingdom wouldn't waste their time simply guarding one guy on a trip across the country to visit a small village.

"We've done more boring jobs," Lakyus shrugged, but then she sighed and admitted, "But you're right."

They finally told me they were here on the request of the kingdom's princess.

"She's a good girl," Gagaran added, stretching her arms over her head. "She doesn't want any fighting."

"She doesn't want the kingdom destroyed in a war we might not win," Lakyus clarified.

I snorted. "There is a zero percent chance the kingdom will win. Hell, I could probably destroy the kingdom myself, and I'm not even close to as powerful as my buddy Ainz."

The girls flinched at that.

Evil Eye, who had been quiet for a while, finally spoke up. "Why are you friends with an undead? And where did this Ainz Ooal Gown even come from?"

Lakyus folded her arms. "He just randomly showed up in the capital one day and declared that the Katze Plains and the surrounding lands were his. He wasn't alone either—he had a whole group of monsters with him."

I nodded. "Ainz can be a bit… blunt, but he's a good guy. And let's be honest—neither the kingdom nor the empire actually owns the plains. They fight over it every year, and thousands die. Now that Ainz has claimed it, at least that pointless bloodshed can stop."

Of course, that was just me being an optimist. I knew damn well that wasn't how things worked. Medieval humans were notoriously stupid and greedy—at least, their nobility was. Or maybe I had just watched too many period dramas…? 

Lakyus sighed. "The problem is, Prince Barbro isn't going to back down. They've already gathered an army of 100,000 ready to fight."

Yep. That lined up with our intelligence. I had already heard whispers of their mobilization.

"A fight like this will be devastating for all sides," Lakyus continued before looking at me seriously. "Is there any possibility that Ainz or you could go to the royal capital to try and talk things out?"

I frowned at that, my tails stiffening behind me.

"No," I said bluntly. "There's nothing to work out. My land was purchased fairly, so there's nothing to discuss. The kingdom isn't getting it back. Furthermore," I continued, "I don't want to kill any of the serf soldiers that will be forced to attack us. I've even tried hiring mages who specialize in non-lethal spells to minimize casualties—but that's as far as I'm willing to go."

I leaned against the counter as I explained to them that we yokai weren't a particularly greedy race. We didn't go out of our way to claim territory, but we would always defend what we had vehemently.

Evil Eye tilted her head slightly. "What exactly is a yokai?"

"Is that some type of beastman?" Lakyus asked.

I snorted, shaking my head. "Hell no. I've heard about this world's so-called beast people, and I have to say, they're disgusting. Barbaric even."

Evil Eye narrowed her red eyes behind her mask. "This world?"

I grinned and spread my arms dramatically. "That's right. Welcome to The Fox Hole, a restaurant that connects to numerous other worlds and dimensions!"

Evil Eye suddenly stood up, her chair scraping against the floor as she pointed at me. "Are you a player!?" she shouted, her voice filled with shock.

The other girls looked at her in confusion. "Player?" Tina and Tia exchanged glances, clearly lost.

I sputtered. "…While it's technically true that I do have a harem, I wouldn't consider myself a player. I don't like guys who treat women like that..." I trailed off.

At least I didn't think I did...

"Not that kind of player!" Evil Eye snapped, her embarrassment evident even through her mask. "I mean players—powerful beings from other worlds who always come here to attack or take over! That's what you're doing, isn't it?"

I blinked. "That's kind of a weird way to put it, but I guess by that definition, I would be a player...?" I rubbed my chin in thought. "Ainz too, I guess…" Honestly, where did that strange definition even come from?

"We have to leave!" Evil Eye suddenly declared to her team.

They all looked at her, startled by the abrupt shift in her demeanor. "Why?" Lakyus asked, brows furrowed in concern.

"The dragons and the players are ancient enemies who always go to war with each other!" Evil Eye explained, her voice urgent. "I don't want to be anywhere near when a fight of that magnitude goes down."

Dragons again!? I thought to myself with my tails twitching behind me. Why did every new world seem to have dragons that wanted to kill me or my friends? I wanted to ask more, but Evil Eye had already strong-armed her team out of the restaurant, practically dragging them with her.

I wasn't about to stop them if they wanted to go, but I could always ask Yasaka to send some yokai spies after them later, to gather more information.

Still, one thought lingered in my mind… I wondered what the dragons of this world tasted like?

Also, I supposed I should give Ainz a heads-up—if the guy wasn't still busy with his two insatiable monster girlfriends… They couldn't still be going could they. It had been over 24 hours.

– Lakyus –

As they left the village like their asses were on fire, Gagaran huffed and crossed her arms. "Are we just leaving the kid behind?"

Lakyus shot a look at Evil Eye, who was marching ahead at a pace far faster than normal. "Slow down. I need to know if you're serious about everything you said back there."

Tina and Tia exchanged glances, nodding in agreement. "Yeah, not like you to get this paranoid," Tina added.

"Of course I am!" Evil Eye snapped, whirling around to face them. "None of you understand how terrifying players are! The Eight Greed Kings, the Six Great Heroes—they were all players!"

Lakyus sucked in a breath. She hadn't even known other worlds besides their own existed, and now she was hearing that the most powerful beings in history had all come from different ones.

Still… "Haru didn't seem all that bad," she muttered, a faint blush creeping onto her cheeks. "He was nice… and, well, very handsome."

"Evil Boss has a crush!" Tina sang.

"It's the end of days!" Tia joined in with a grin.

Lakyus pouted at them. "That's not—! Ugh, shut up!"

"Doesn't matter if he's nice or not," Evil Eye interrupted, her tone grim. "His undead friend Ainz definitely isn't. And the dragons of this world have sworn to kill all players on sight. No exceptions."

Gagaran let out a low whistle. "That's a little harsh. But you also said Haru was stronger than any dragon you've ever met." She tilted her head. "And he said his buddy Ainz was even stronger?"

Evil Eye stiffened. Lakyus felt her stomach drop, a small gulp escaping her lips. "And our kingdom is sending armies after these two? Are we insane?"

"We're boned," Tina declared.

"Mega boned," Tia added for emphasis.

Lakyus shook her head, regaining some composure. "We need to go back and report all of this to the princess. Evil Eye, teleport us back to the capital."

Evil Eye sighed. "That much magic at once is going to drain me."

"I know," Lakyus said, resting a hand on her shoulder. "But this is an emergency. Sort of."

Honestly, she still didn't think a guy like Haru could be evil, but if anyone could make sense of this, it was her good friend, Princess Renner. The girl was a genius, after all.

"What about the kid?" Gagaran asked again, jerking a thumb back toward the village.

Lakyus shrugged. "I'm sure Nfirea will be fine."

"Our mission was technically only to guard him to the village, not on the way back," Tia pointed out.

With that, Evil Eye cast her spell, and the group disappeared in a flash of magic, leaving Carne Village behind.

XXX

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Here is the list of Current Advanced Chapters:

The Fallen Gamer ch 319-323

Thunder and Black Wings 11

The Blood Queen 36

The Fox Hole 59

The Titan 27

The Fox Hole 58

The Blood Queen 35

The Fox Hole 57

Thunder and Black Wings 10

The Fox Hole 56

The Blood Queen 34

The Fox Hole 55