Chapter 9: Chapter 9 – Painful Lies

My savior pulled forth a thin bottle filled with an ominous looking red liquid. I immediately made the connection between this and the health-potions in the games I used to play, but now that I saw one for the first time, it didn’t at all look like a good idea to drink it. Rather than herbs being mixed together, this looked like chemical waste!

Instead of at least explaining to me what he was planning to do or soothe me with some fake promises, the man just chose to ignore my skeptical stares. He pulled out the cork that had sealed the thin bottle with a somewhat loud pop before kneeling down right next to my head.

With utmost care put in each of his movements, he lifted up my head just enough for him to be able to pour the potion into my mouth. There was no way for me to defend against this attack of his.

I had barely tasted the first drops of the liquid when I felt something change deep inside of my body. The potion tasted like vomit, no, even worse than that! It tasted as if somebody had builded sewage on a dumpster fire! I couldn’t even describe its flavors without using foul language!

Naturally, I tried to fight back using all my strength, hoping that he would stop pouring this mixture of filth and poison right into my mouth. Sadly, my body was currently far too weak for me to even dream of resisting him.

It was only when the potion began working and a fiery heat accompanied by what felt like waves of tiny lightning bolts assaulted my body, that I could finally push away the bottle - or at least I had thought so.

The hand of the man was inhumanly strong, it didn’t even allow for me to move it even for as much as an inch. If I hadn’t known it was still him that these inhuman arms belonged to, I could have sworn I was fighting with a metal statue instead!

While I was still struggling against him using all of my little strength, something in the stranger’s face changed. He stared at me stupefied.

“How can you be so weak?”
“I’m not weak!” I protested. “It is you who is too strong! Are you even human?! What is your body made of?!”
“So you really understand me...” He muttered, his voice carrying pity and regret.
“So what?!”
“There are only two kinds of Beastkin that speak Aurenti.” He took a deep breath before continuing. “That makes you either a slave... or a spy.”
“I’m not a slave!”
“You are.” He decided within a split-second. “You can’t fight with that weakened body of yours. And we found you here, in the midst of nowhere, with nothing to protect you...”
“I can explain!”
He didn’t even let me try to come up with an excuse. “What did you do to anger your master so much that he tossed you away like this?”
“I HAVE NO MASTER! I NEVER HAD ONE!” I felt tears gathering in my eyes. “Why don’t you believe me?!”
“So tell me the truth, then.”

I immediately went silent. There was no way to tell him what happened to me, no way for me to even describe what happened to my body, my old world, the old me. I was stranded here in a world, half animal, half woman, and had to find an excuse that didn't leave me looking like a lunatic? Naturally there was no good answer here.

“I- I don’t know,” I finally said, albeit reluctantly.
“You don’t know?”
“I don’t remember...”
“You lost your memory?”
I couldn’t help but gulp. “Yes ...”
He looked at me in disbelief, before letting out a long sigh.  “If that is your story, then so be it...” He averted his gaze. “Don’t worry, I will find you somebody who takes better care of you.”
“...”

The man raised up and turned away from me without losing a single more word nor making sure that I really was ok. He walked towards the campfire I had fled from only minutes ago where he picked up his cloak and the blankets. After tossing both of the bundles towards the baffled me, he crawled into one of the three rather shabby looking, brown tents. He didn’t even turn back once.

“Did I hurt his feelings or something?”
「You lied to him!」
“Of course I did. I can’t just tell him some random goddess transported me into this world without given a flying fuck about what would happen to me!”
「When did that happen?! I totally care about you, Rika!」
“So much that I want to give up...”

Now that he had fled into his tent, I found myself left behind all alone. The perverts were nowhere to be seen and the trio of grandpas, too, had returned into the ruins to do whatever they had come here for. It was the perfect moment to escape and yet I felt unable to.

“Where would I even be able to go? I don’t even have anything to wear.”
「I can give you something! A beautiful dress! And underwear!」
“Why should I even trust you?”
「I will give you a quest! You like those, don’t you?!」
“A quest...”

She didn’t wait for me to say yes to her silly idea. I already saw a far too familiar screen forming in front of me. It was green like all the others before and white letters were born into it one by one. I couldn’t help but gulp.

 

⊱————-　❈　————-⊰

 

I sat there for what felt an eternity, only staring at the three single lines of text that awaited me on the quest screen. There were far too few words to leave any any room for interpretation. The vixen had made her wish more than clear.

“Why is this happening to me...”

 

『Quest 1/1: Make up with ???

Objective: Apologize!
Rewards: Beginners Equipment』

 

「It is something to wear!」 She promised in a joyful voice, clearly failing to see how unjust her actions were. 「A beautiful dress! The most beautiful there is!」
“...”
「It will protect you from the cold, too!」
“So you want me to wag my tail and say sorry!?”
「I never said you have to wag-」 She hesitated for about a split-second. 「It would look soo cute~! You are the best!」

The quest screen disappeared, only to reappear within a second. Its contents, however, had significantly changed. Once again, I felt my fingers piercing into the flesh of my hands as I tried to suppress my rage.

 

 『Quest 1/1: Make up with ??? in a cute manner.

You are reading story A Fox’s System at novel35.com

Objective: Say sorry while sitting on the ground, showing the back of one hand and using both ‘Wagging tail’ and ‘Slightly teary eyes’
Rewards: Beginners Equipment, Blessed Edition.』



“... not doing this.”
「But Rika~」
“No! I will never-”

A number of voices forced my attention away from the screen. They belonged to young men, which, judging by how unlikely it was to find anybody else roaming these ruins, could only belong to the perverts that had attacked me before. They were returning to the camp.

I couldn’t see them as they were hidden somewhere in the forest or ruins surrounding the camp, but I knew they were already staring at me. I could almost feel their eyes burning on my far too unprotected skin.

“Those bastards...”
「You should totally wear the dress. It will help you defend yourself from their lewd gazes!」
“Damn it...”
「I have even blessed them! You will be far stronger wearing them! I promise!」

I felt something die inside of me as I let myself sink to the ground. The vixen had won, there was no chance for me to avoid accepting this pathetic excuse of a quest.

“Damn it...” I cursed again, for nobody but the vixen to hear.

Tears gathered in my eyes as I prepared myself to lose this last bit of my dignity. There had been too much going on today. Not only had I lost my life and my body, but the goddess was also trying her best to ruin even this new life of mine!

A part of me had already given up on fighting back, it knew that I needed the help of the goddess especially with how weak this body she had given me was, but I just couldn’t follow her commands. I was unable to.

Sure, I sat on the ground just like she had wanted me to and there were real tears filling my eyes, but I had obviously never owned a dog tail. It took me several long minutes to learn how to control it at least slightly. Before I had seen it follow my every emotion, it had waved when I had grown way too enthusiastic doing those tutorial gymnastics, had quivered when I was attacked by the cold and had become far wider when goosebumps conquered my body.

“Screw this! Am I a dog or what?!”
「You are a fox, dummy~!」 A cheeky voice commented without being questioned. 「And a cute one at that.」
“... let’s just get it over with, ok?”

Squatting on the ground, I lifted my pa- hand and, together with my still teary eyes and a lively wagging tail, swallowed dozens of curses before apologizing to the goddess.

“I’m sorry. It won’t happen again.” My monotone voice announced.
「Do you really mean it? It doesn’t really sound honest.」
“I’m sooo sorry~” I imitated her annoying voice. “I am totally sorry, you know? I am not doing it again! Never!”
「Soo cuute~」

I could almost see her smile grow wider and wider as she silently celebrated her false victory. She had savoured it for a few long moments when she finally had enough of looking at my misery. With a content laugh she let a new screen pop up in front of my eyes and finally freed me from my curse.



『Quest completed: Make up with ??? in a cute manner.

Rewards: Beginner Equipment, Blessed Edition』

 

I hadn’t even finished reading the quest text when a white mist started gathering in front of me. It began swirling around, faster and faster, before slowly changing into what looked like a pale-green colored gift – it even came decorated with a red ribbon!

I immediately reached out for the package, but before I could even open it, a new screen flashed in front of my eyes.



『Title gained: A Good Girl

Description: Performed each of the commands ‘Beg’ ‘Shake Hand’ and ‘Sit’ at least once.
Effects: Protected by ??? (Passive; Permanent; Can not be switched off)』

 

“WHO SHAKED HANDS WITH YOU!?!”
「It was close enough!」 Her bright voice decided. 「It was the best! My little Rika looked so cute!」
“Please just stop-”
「You should start dressing now,」 she reminded me, 「they are still watching you.」

Hearing her words, I slowly turned around. The young men were still hidden somewhere in front of me, to my sides or in my back. There was no way for me to tell. I only knew about their leader who was still in his tent, minding his own business. It was now or never.

“Let’s see what she got for me...”

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