Chapter 41: Arc 3 Ch. 17: The Heroine Returns

“Do you see the girl with raven-colored hair and cute robes in the back? Yeah, that’s her.”

I held Viela in my arms as we stared in through the front windows of The Roach and Rat newbie guild. Well, I was holding the fox spirit in her much smaller fox form, and she just barely fit under my cloak in front of me. Thankfully, she was every bit as fluffy as she was in her ‘human’ form…

Aside from finding the girl I was looking for sitting by herself, the good news about the situation ended there. From my vantage point outside, I could tell the guild’s dining area was more packed than ever; it looked like there was only one empty table available in the whole room. Considering what I knew from previous experiences with Alice, the direct approach could be an absolute disaster. I had teleported back to the guild with my foxy companion instead of walking through the city; for all I knew, after the tavern incident there could be ‘Wanted’ posters of us all around—or waiting for us inside. Even if it that weren’t the case, there was just no telling what kind of crazy scene could unfold. And honestly, it would just be embarrassing as hell if Alice drew the whole crowded room’s attention toward us in dramatic fashion…

At first I considered waiting until nightfall to go inside when the guild would be practically empty—just like I had done that other night—but the way Alice glanced toward the front door with a worried look struck me with a pang of heavy emotion.

And I came up with a much better idea.

It turned out that Viela did not in fact have a ‘traditional’ telepathy spell, but she had a sort of communication spell that came pretty close. Back in the mansion, she had handed me one of her spell cards inked with an unfamiliar symbol. I still wasn’t quite sure how that unique system of magic worked, but she assured me that as long as the magic stored within that particular card lasted, I could speak into it like a microphone and she could hear my voice in her mind from just about anywhere. The reverse worked, too; she could project her thoughts toward the card and her voice would come out the other end like a speaker. It was almost like a magical two-way radio linked directly to her mind.

“I always did want a ‘partner in crime’ to try out this Mind Link,” Viela ‘said’ as she looked up at me. But her fox muzzle didn’t budge; instead, her voice came out in slightly distorted, wavering tone from the card I had propped up against my ear inside my cloak’s hood.

“We’re not doing anything shady,” I replied. “It’s just a little… ‘extraction mission.’ You’ll be perfect for this, I mean it!”

I held her fox body with one arm and stroked her soft, fluffy fur with another. Ohh, this was bliss…

“Can you scratch a little behind my other ear too~?” she ‘said’ back to me with a wink.

I cleared my throat. “I-I was just testing something for the mission. Seriously! Anyways, one last thing: there’s someone else we have to watch out for. Let’s call her… uh, Futania. If you see a tall armored redhead with a ponytail, we have to bail immediately.”

The fox raised an eyebrow. “Another ‘friend’ of yours?” her voice rang out.

“Yes. No. Look, don’t worry about it. Here’s our way in!”

With my hood pulled up over my head, I followed a party of novice adventurers heading through the front door, slipping inside the guild right after them. I let out a sigh of relief at successfully avoiding the clerk Pascal’s attention; getting spotted by the same guy who would definitely recognize me could have been an early ‘game over.’ I discreetly made my way over to the one empty table in the corner of the room and sat down.

Now came the hard part.

“Okay, you know what to do,” I told Viela.

The fox jumped down out of my lap and looked back one last time.

“Are you really sure you want to do things this way?” she asked through her Mind Link connection.

“Of course!” I said, turning my head to speak closer to the spell card. “Trust me, it’ll be a lot safer for us this way!”

If it works…

The fox gave a quick shrug in response before she scampered off toward her target.

Now that I had a closer look, I could tell that Alice was absorbed in a book laid out on the table before her, the girl’s familiar rucksack leaning against her chair. To my dismay, Viela seemed more interested in taking a good look at every person she passed than advancing as quickly and stealthily as possible. Fortunately, all the noisy gathered adventurers were too caught up in their own chatting and dining to take notice of her, so I didn’t bother ‘radioing’ her a telepathic message to hurry.

The young witch in training still had her head down reading her book when the fox finally came up and sat on the floor beside her. Viela wagged her tail as if enjoying the moment she would be spotted. After a minute, Alice finally took a quick glance at her surroundings as if she could feel two pairs of eyes on her.

And then it happened.

The girl jumped back in her chair when she first noticed the reddish-brown fox on the floor grinning up at her. Alice nervously looked around before staring back down at her unexpected new visitor whose big fluffy tail was happily wagging away. She appeared to lightly bite her nails as though she were anxiously trying to resist something, but temptation won out in the end.

Slowly, she reached down with her hand to give the fox a pat on the head. When she was halfway there, Alice abruptly pulled back like she was afraid of getting bitten.

Crap, her instincts were working against us!

“Okay, uh… Try tilting your head to the side,” I whispered to Viela through the card. “Just act like a cute innocent foxy would!”

“But I am a cute innocent foxy!” she protested.

Right… “Yeah, you got this,” I sighed.

The fox twitched her furry ears while tilting her head to one side. My palms grew sweaty as I realized that other adventurers had started to take notice; some of them were pointing and staring at the creature that had somehow found its way inside. Time was running out.

I held my breath as I watched Alice debating internally once more. Just as I expected, however, the infinitely curious girl simply could not resist the urge to pet an irresistibly warm and fluffy animal like the fox sitting before her. She reached down with a hand one more time. When Alice finally pat the fur on Viela’s head, her eyes sparkled with delight, and her whole face lit up with a heartwarming smile that took my breath away.

“Beryl, she’s adorable!” Viela said to me. “Can I keep her?”

“You have a good eye, but stay focused!” I whispered back. “All you have to do now is lure her outside away from the crowd, and I’ll handle the rest!”

Viela gently broke free from Alice’s petting, spinning around and temptingly flicking her bushy tail in the air. Alice bit her lip, fearful that her new ‘friend’ would be leaving so soon.

Yes, it’s working!

Alice glanced back and forth from her rucksack and book to the fox on the floor, almost out of reach. And then… it happened…

She shifted in her chair as if she were about to get up and follow. Instead, she lunged down toward Viela and snatched her up. Alice pulled her into her body, wrapping her arms around the squirming fox.

“Beryl, she’s hugging me!” Viela squeaked.

“I can see that!” I almost shouted in exasperation. “This wasn’t the plan; you have to break loose!”

Alice snuggled her head against the fluffy fox as her eyes lit up with a mischievous twinkle. Her fingers danced across Viela’s belly as she happily pet the fox’s underside up and down.

“No, not there!” Viela squealed. “That tickles! Beryl, save meee~!”

“Why do you sound like you’re having so much fun?! Don’t give in to the pleasure—resist it! Come on Viela, resist! …Ugh, this mission failed. We’ll have to try another way. Just regroup with me when you’re done playing with her…”

***

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There was no other word to describe her: a busty brunette goddess stepped into the guild. She instantly drew the attention of everyone looking her way, making jaws drop, loud conversations come to a silent halt, and adventurers tap their friends on the shoulder to get an eyeful. Even I did a double take when I caught my first glimpse of her. But if you knew where to look, you could almost see the faint shimmering of the reflected light around her ‘invisible’ fox ears and bushy tail billowing out over her shorts.

It was a simple illusion spell that required her focus to maintain and wouldn’t last forever, but Viela assured me she could pull it off without a hitch. Plus, it was more than convincing enough to fool the average person too overcome by her allure to notice anything else.

Pascal was too enchanted to speak up when he spotted her, so Viela made her way toward her target without the clerk interrupting. Her tight top was just loose enough to let her incredibly well-endowed chest give a tantalizing bounce with every step.

Okay, focus…

“Remember, you’re just asking her to help you find your lost cat,” I whispered into the spell card. “Alice should be thrilled to accept the request.”

Viela mentally hummed in response. “What kind of kitty should I tell her I ‘lost?’”

“Uh… it doesn’t matter. You only need to get her outside; I’ll take over from there.”

I was almost tempted to call off the mission by the time she reached Alice given how many adventurers were staring at her, but fortunately most of them seemed to lose interest in the moments that followed. Viela offered a soft greeting to Alice before sitting down in the chair next to her.

Somehow, this was even more nerve-wracking to observe than the previous attempt. The Mind Link card didn’t let me listen in on their conversation, so I had no way of knowing what exactly was being said. However, it didn’t take long for me to notice that something seemed to be… off.

Alice’s reaction at her sudden visitor was initially surprise, then casually anxious and finally comfortably at ease in the time they chatted. At first I thought Viela was taking an overly calm approach with her ‘lost cat request’ for the other girl, but as the minutes passed, I got the impression the fox was talking about some other idea she had come up with. Her body language became more intimate as she slowly shifted closer to Alice, staring deeply into her eyes, the latter becoming more anxious again as if trying to carefully discuss something personal.

When I was about to ‘radio’ Viela to ask what was going on, I watched her lean closer and whisper something in Alice’s ear. A moment later, Alice’s cheeks went beet red as she stammered out a response.

“What a sweet girl,” Viela said to me. “She’s saving her ‘first’ for someone special.”

“What did you just…! No, bad foxy! That was not the plan!”

“But you said it didn’t matter what kind of ‘kitty’ it was!”

Oh my God, this can’t be real! How was this happening?!

I shifted the card in my hood further away so she wouldn’t hear me think aloud. “Back to the drawing board… Maybe next time I’ll have her try the fox route again. Yeah, as long as she keeps her distance, Alice won’t be able to do anything but follow! That’s perfect!”

“Sounds like you’re having fun,” Zack said.

“Shit!”

I startled back at the sudden intrusion. Leaning against the wooden wall behind me was that all too familiar guard with his shaggy mess of auburn hair. Of all the damn people who could have showed up now…!

“Seriously dude, you can’t keep sneaking up on me like that!” I said. “I’m in the middle of something right now!”

“What can I say?” he shrugged. “A little bird told me that a ‘suspicious individual’ in here was up to no good.”

He gestured with a subtle thumb to the clerk standing near the entryway. The unremarkably average man blushed when he realized who I was, scratching his head while guiltily turning away.

Pascal, you traitor! You sold me out!

I frantically glanced back at Alice’s table. Now Viela was pointing at her book like she was trying to have a study session with her. Just what was going on here? What was she thinking?!

Actually… what was I thinking?

I let out a heavy sigh. “Since you’re here, are the city guards out looking for me or something? After, you know…”

Zack shook his head, chuckling. “Somehow I just knew it was you involved back there. Wish I could’ve seen that go down last night! As far as I know, you are pretty much in the clear; word on the street is that the Church has their hands full already and the matter is being taken care of ‘privately.’”

I didn’t really like the way that last part sounded, but that seemed good enough for us now. “Alright. Look, can you distract the guild master for a minute if she shows up? I’ve got to do something. And try not to enjoy the show too much.”

I didn’t wait for him to answer. I got up out of my chair and headed straight for Alice and Viela, the pair still absorbed in their ‘studying.’ This was not how I expected to reunite with her…

When I was finally standing beside her, I cleared my throat to get her attention. Her indigo eyes went wide the moment she recognized me.

“Hey Alice, sorry about all this. I can explain wha—hrrk!”

Alice knocked the wind out of me when she suddenly shot up and tackled me with a hug, almost knocking me to the floor as well until I steadied myself with a hand on the table. She buried her head in my shoulder with a breathless sigh of relief.

“Hey, it’s alright,” I said.

“Beryl, I was so worried!” she cried.

“What? Why?”

“Y-You promised you would come back!”

“But… I did?”

“But… But yesterday I was waiting, and then I… I thought…”

Alice buried her head a bit deeper, hugging me tighter and tighter like she never wanted to let me go. My new top and undershirt did little to protect my breasts from getting dangerously squished in her overly snug embrace. Even worse, we now had every pair of eyes in the room watching us. The once noisy room of chatting adventurers grew awkwardly quiet before the crowd erupted into scattered clapping and cheers toward us.

Ugh, this was exactly what I didn’t want to happen here! I could almost die on the spot! It would be easy to teleport away with Alice and be out of here, but just this once…

I gently put my arms around her, finally returning her embrace.

“I told you I would come back.”

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