Another opening ambush?
Uesugi Tetsu had already pushed a section of his blade out with his fingertip when he froze, realizing that what had grabbed the bottom of his ankle was actually a...
A tiny snow-white fox?
Actually, calling it snow-white all over was not quite accurate. Since it rained so often in Edo Castle, walking just a few steps was enough to get covered in mud, and the little fox was no exception.
It was only thirty or forty centimeters long, and black mud clung to its originally snow-white, fluffy fur.
But the fox did not seem to care. It merely swayed its five short, slender white tails, raised its sapphire-like eyes, and stared at Uesugi Tetsu.
Wait, five tails?
The wariness Uesugi Tetsu had just lowered rose again. According to legend, a Three-tailed Fox with three tails could already be called a demon.
Wouldn't a Five-tailed Fox have to be a Great Demon?
After staring intently at the little Five-tailed Fox's head for a moment, Uesugi Tetsu was astonished to discover that it was actually classified as "Sporadic."
What was going on?
"Eek, eek-eek."
Uesugi Tetsu felt his trouser leg being tugged again. The Five-tailed Fox squeaked, clearly wanting him to follow it.
What would their destination be?
—A trap concealing murderous intent? Or a treasure trove hiding some relic from the past?
Interesting.
Whatever the case, Uesugi Tetsu's curiosity had been piqued. As an outsider who did not fear death, there was no reason for him to be afraid of a mere mysterious local fox.
"Lead the way."
Uesugi Tetsu jerked his chin toward the fox.
"Eek-eek!"
The Five-tailed Fox seemed to understand human speech. After receiving Uesugi Tetsu's answer, it cried out excitedly and trotted along the muddy road, leaving a string of clear, plum-blossom-shaped pawprints behind.
Uesugi Tetsu looked down at the ground.
Although the line of footprints was fairly conspicuous, the intelligent demons in Edo Castle should be few and far between. Overall, there probably would not be any major problems.
Perhaps afraid that Uesugi Tetsu would fall behind, the Five-tailed Fox turned around after walking a few steps and gave two soft squeaks.
"Don't rush, don't rush."
Uesugi Tetsu started walking, erasing all the fox's footprints beneath his own steps.
As they continued on with the Five-tailed Fox leading the way, Uesugi Tetsu was surprised to find that they encountered almost none of the many minor monsters wandering around Edo Castle.
Even when they did spot one, the Five-tailed Fox seemed able to predict it in advance and easily led him around it.
Previously, he had basically been hacked to death by a wandering ronin and sent back to the mortal world in less than ten minutes.
After stopping at another corner, Uesugi Tetsu crouched down and asked softly, adding an honorific, "Brother Fox, can you sense the movements of these demons?"
"Eek-eek."
The Five-tailed Fox nodded proudly, confirming his guess.
This ability was far too powerful.
Uesugi Tetsu's eyes burned with excitement. If he could tame this Five-tailed Fox, wouldn't exploring the map become as easy as having a wallhack?
"Eek."
As if it had sensed Uesugi Tetsu's thoughts, the Five-tailed Fox solemnly shook its head at him before continuing forward.
How was this fox so intelligent?
Uesugi Tetsu secretly shook his head. If the other party cooperated, he could still try asking his overworked online friends whether there was a way to tame a Shikigami.
But if it refused to cooperate... Uesugi Tetsu still respected other people's wishes, especially when the other party was a friendly Great Demon that might be hiding its true strength.
He would first honestly follow it and see what the fox was up to.
After walking quietly for a short while, Uesugi Tetsu saw the Five-tailed Fox stop before a torii that was half-buried in the earth and rise onto its hind legs.
It seemed to be saying, "This is the place."
Uesugi Tetsu looked inside and saw that not only had all the vermilion paint fallen from the torii, but the narrow path leading to the shrine was also covered in dark, sticky moss. The trees on both sides grew unchecked, twisted and winding, making the place look gloomy and terrifying.
The entire shrine looked desolate and dilapidated from the outside, as if no one had visited in a very long time.
Why did this feel like a boss room?
"Going up?"
The Five-tailed Fox nodded, squeaked twice, and led the way up the steps.
Uesugi Tetsu had no choice but to follow. He rested a hand on his sword hilt, keeping a wary eye on his surroundings and preparing to draw at any moment.
Yet this gloomy, sinister path proved exceptionally smooth. Apart from the ground being a little slippery, no accidents occurred.
Was it because they had crossed the torii and entered the shrine's boundary...?
After climbing the long approach, Uesugi Tetsu finally saw the shrine itself—the worship hall—as well as the stone carvings of divine messengers standing on either side of it.
Uesugi Tetsu narrowed his eyes at one of the Three-tailed Fox stone carvings and asked, "Brother Fox, is this you?"
Legend said that a Three-tailed Fox could only cultivate one additional tail every hundred years. Didn't that mean the one before him had spent at least two hundred years alone in this shrine?
"Eek!"
The Five-tailed Fox raised its head proudly.
It trotted lightly inside and soon returned to Uesugi Tetsu carrying a blank, pale-red ema in its mouth.
"This is for me?"
"Eek."
Uesugi Tetsu crouched down and accepted the ordinary-looking ema. "You mean you want me to take this ema away and give it to someone?"
The Five-tailed Fox nodded emphatically.
[Shrine Ema] [Quality: None] [Effect: None] [--An ordinary ema. Perhaps giving it to the shrine Miko will produce a miraculous effect.]
This cryptic description did not even say which shrine or which Miko... It was another vague, directionless quest.
But to raise his favorability with the Five-tailed Fox, Uesugi Tetsu did not mind accepting it.
"All right." Uesugi Tetsu put the ema into his storage backpack and nodded at the silent fox. "I'll take care of it. But I can't guarantee when it will be completed."
"Eek-eek!"
The Five-tailed Fox cried out in delight, then bit Uesugi Tetsu's trouser leg again and gestured for him to follow it inside.
Uesugi Tetsu readily complied. After entering the worship hall with the Five-tailed Fox, he saw the cold-white robe being enshrined in the center of the hall.
The robe was finely made and decorated with deep-red cherry blossoms. Most importantly, it was free of stains and dust, standing in stark contrast to the terrible surroundings.
The Five-tailed Fox leaped onto a nearby offering stand and squeaked at him twice.
Uesugi Tetsu froze slightly. Testing the idea incredulously, he asked, "Are you saying this robe is for me?"
"Eek~"
The Five-tailed Fox nudged the robe toward him.
Uesugi Tetsu had not expected such a stroke of luck. The moment he reached out and touched the robe, then saw its attributes, he thought that this trip had been worth it.
[Priest's Robe] [Quality: Superior] [Effect: Slightly increases spell power and casting speed] [--The Priest's Robe of an unknown shrine. The insignia and magical formations on it have been worn smooth by time, making it impossible to tell where or when it came from.]
Laughing Brahma probably could not fight while wearing this cumbersome robe, but this was an investment in the future. Once he drew a spellcaster-type demon, it could put it on immediately.
This was a trade both human and fox were very satisfied with.
After taking the robe, Uesugi Tetsu walked with the Five-tailed Fox to the torii of the Abandoned Shrine.
He walked a few more steps outward but no longer heard the light footsteps following behind him.
Uesugi Tetsu understood and turned back. "Are you going to keep guarding this shrine?"
"Eek." The Five-tailed Fox nodded.
Uesugi Tetsu tried to persuade it. "No one will come to this shrine anymore. Wouldn't you like to follow me and see the outside world?"
The Five-tailed Fox silently shook its head. Under Uesugi Tetsu's gaze, it turned around and walked step by step into the quiet darkness.
—Now that it had seen off its kind guest, it was time to return.
Uesugi Tetsu gazed at its small back and thought of the spotless Priest's Robe.
Perhaps the Five-tailed Fox carefully maintained it every day, hoping that when the priest returned, he could put on the robe immediately, repair the shrine, and restore order.
But even now, the priest who was meant to wear the robe had not returned, and it knew that perhaps it would never see that person again.
That was why the Five-tailed Fox had given the robe, which had remained as good as new over the years, to him.
After sighing over it for a while, Uesugi Tetsu left Everworld. If he slept any longer, Ririko would notice that something was wrong.
—The Five-tailed Fox turned around and saw that the Brahma who had taken the Priest's Robe had already disappeared.
It nodded in satisfaction, then leaped to the offering stand in the center of the worship hall in just a few steps. That was where it was warmest, cleanest, and most spacious.
The little fox curled up and fell into a deep sleep.
The damp wind of Edo Castle blew into the empty shrine as usual, but the Five-tailed Fox did not awaken from its dreams again.
Because from then on, it would never again have to worry about how to care for the robe.
Before you continue