The women I set free are obsessed with me

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"Huh? Reaper? What's that nonsense about, nya? If you don't have fish, just go away."

"Eek! G-Grim Reaper?! Don't ever mention that word in front of me again, black-haired foreigner!"

"Saw… Death… Huge scythe. Got cut and my s-soul floated up… Meow."

The cat person fainted, foaming at the mouth. I'd lost count of how many times I had seen this reaction.

Some said they had never seen a Reaper.

Some panicked at the mere mention of the word.

Others fainted outright.

Deciding I wouldn't get any more useful information by asking further, I sighed and left the alley.

Seira informed me of the situation indifferently.

"Though the cat people claim to have been attacked by a Grim Reaper, aside from psychological shock, it's safe to say there was almost no actual damage."

"I see…"

"It's good news that there was no damage, yet you seem rather conflicted. Did I miss something?"

"It's nothing. I'm just tired."

I brushed it off with Seira, but I had one piece of information she didn't.

All the contracts have been severed.

Every soul contract I had made with the cat people were broken. They were no longer my slaves, and since I couldn't liberate them, I couldn't gain any points.

All the fish I had invested up until now had been reduced to mere volunteer work, filling their bellies.

The loss was painful, especially when I was already short on points, but it wasn't something to risk my life over. I wasn't at a stage where I desperately needed money yet.

It was a huge relief that my connection with Rin wasn't severed. I had learned from my first slave contract that once liberated, you couldn't make a contract again.

The real problem lay elsewhere.

[Fully Liberate the Main Slaves. Progress: 1/5]

The sole quest bestowed upon me when I transmigrated into the TOS world. The number that should have been 2 after liberating Mirabelle and Alfia had changed to 1.

This shouldn't be happening.

Of all things, this was the one constant that should never change.

Why the hell did the number decrease?

I couldn't dismiss it as a mere error. I shouldn't think of it in game terms. In other words, something must have happened to one of the two people I had liberated.

Mirabelle.

Or Alfia.

All signs point to Mirabelle.

Mirabelle's Reaper appearing to remove the slaves' shackles and the number of liberated people decreasing happened on the same day. I didn't believe in such coincidences.

Something must have happened on Mirabelle's end.

What could the problem be?

As a witch, Mirabelle could wield all sorts of magic. By now, she must be able to cast even more spells than when she was with me.

Could she have somehow forged a new contract?

…

Does that even make sense?

What person in their right mind would willingly become a slave again? I was so confused that I kept spouting nonsense.

First off, it obviously wasn't a new contract.

Then, the next possibility I could think of…

…

I drew a blank.

What should I do?

Should I go and check on Mirabelle's condition?

But I had no way to find her, and if I went and she tried to exact revenge…

Ugh, my head was a mess.

I couldn't think straight.

Tug tug.

Just then, someone pulled at my hand. Looking down, I saw Rin gazing up at me. Though she walked on all fours when fleeing, she could walk on two legs.

…Right.

I shouldn't let these variables shake me.

What mattered right now was Rin. There was no point in fretting over something I didn't fully understand. I had to deal with Rin first, then worry about the details later.

Think positively.

Didn't Rin and I grow closer thanks to the Reaper's appearance? Thanks to that, I could move on to the next stage.

"Rin, we have somewhere to go."

***[The Fox Who Brings Misfortune]

It might seem redundant to explain, but Rin was a gumiho—the nine-tailed fox from legends.

She was subtly different in that she didn't eat human livers or desire to become human.

The conditions for Rin's complete liberation were as follows:

Overcome the trials born of her innate misfortune, and raise her into a proper gumiho. The final step was to liberate her from said misfortune.

The first step to accomplishing this was her core growth.

"Rin, defeat the slime."

How to raise Rin:

Since she was classified as both a beastkin and yokai, Rin could absorb the power of monsters she defeated. Their energy would increase her spiritual power which served as the source of her strength.

As her spiritual power increased, she would become stronger and grow.

In essence, Rin's growth depended entirely on hunting. That was precisely why I brought her to this swamp, the natural habitat of slimes.

"Kyaaang?"

But Rin just stared blankly at me when faced with the slime. Her expression said, why should I? Though her affection for me had increased, she wouldn't unconditionally obey orders.

But don't worry.

"Pork for every ten slime."

"…"

"…Beef."

"Kyun!"

Rin only reacted after I offered a reward. Her fox ears perked up like an exclamation mark.

She knew the allure of beef, huh? I'd spoiled her with such luxurious foods that her palate now rivaled that of a noble.

Placing her hands on the ground, she dropped into a hunting stance.

Well, as long as she listened to me, that was what truly mattered. If you show such enthusiasm, I'll respond in kind.

I thrust my arm forward energetically.

"Go, Rin! Quick Attack!"

"Kyaang!"

"Crunch!"

"Kyun!"

"Wind Scar!"1

"Kyaang!"

Together with Rin, we unleashed havoc upon the swamp.

We tore through the mire, ripping apart and crushing the cores of every slime in our path. The energy from each fallen monster flowed into Rin, who seemed surprised at the sensation of absorbing it for the first time.

As she absorbed more energy, she grew accustomed to it. Soon enough, she was hunting slimes on her own, no longer needing my orders.

It must be instinct.

Rin had already taken down thirty slimes before I knew it.

Maybe we should head back.

Even if we wanted to hunt more, we'd cleared out all the nearby slimes. Without being able to use magic, we had to rely on Rin's sense of smell, but slimes were odorless.

It wasn't like this was our only chance, so there was no need to struggle searching the forest.

"Let's head back."

"Kyun."

I was about to turn away when Rin barked, staring at something. A rabbit was nibbling on some grass.

However, it was quite large, with enormous teeth and a horn protruding from its head.

This wasn't an ordinary rabbit, but a horned rabbit—a demonic beast.

They were highly aggressive, and their horns had devastating piercing power. People commonly underestimated them because they were rabbits and ended up skewered.

Of course, Rin could easily hunt it. Her base stats were on a different level.

"Let's go back. There's no need to catch it."

Nevertheless, I decided to ignore it. Rin's current hunting method was still primitive, relying solely on her body. If we caught that thing, blood would splatter everywhere, leaving me to clean up the mess.

I'm scared of blood.

What I failed to consider was that with each monster Rin slayed, her primal hunting instincts were gradually awakening.

Rin, who had always been the prey before, had now tasted the exhilaration of being the predator. In her eyes currently, horned rabbit = meat = toy.

Thwack!

"Ah, wait─"

I didn't have time to stop her.

Rin shot out like a bullet.

The horned rabbit peacefully nibbling on grass, suddenly whipped its head towards her, but it was already too late. Rin swung her arm in an arc, her claws sharply extended.

Slash.

The moment her claws touched the horned rabbit's flesh, they cut through as smoothly as a breeze, meeting no resistance.

Now caught in her grasp, the horned rabbit didn't even have time to scream, let alone act like a rabbit.

It was now just a lump of meat.

Soon after, Rin returned to my side and looked down at it. She then turned her head up towards me, wagging her tail. It meant, I did well, right? Praise me!

Should I praise her, or scold her for running off on her own?

After some deliberation, I patted her head.

Rin raised her chin, placing her hands on her hips. Her triumphant expression made me chuckle.

Looks like I'll have to buy new clothes after all.

The pure white dress was now splattered with blood. In a way, it looked like an art piece, like paint splashed on a sketchbook. It surprisingly suited Rin, being a fox.

But I had no intention of letting her walk around in blood-stained clothes. They were impossible to wash out.

I made a mental note to purchase several identical outfits when we shopped for clothes this time.

***

"Kyaaaang!"

"Shh, stay still. If you run around the house like that, Seira will kick us out."

In the bathroom of Seira's house.

I was busy washing Rin, creating bubbles with soap.

From slime goop to blood. All sorts of things were stuck to her tail. I was so embarrassed when people kept staring at us on the way here.

No matter how subtly I tried to create distance, Rin stuck to my side like a ghost. While I appreciated her loyalty, right now I wished she could pretend we were strangers.

I completely understood the feelings of parents who had to accompany their daughters wearing princess dresses.

"Kiiing…."

Rin whined, clearly hating the bath. I wanted to finish quickly too, but it wasn't going as smoothly as I'd hoped.

The slime fluids had hardened like gum, sticking firmly to her tail fur.

"Ugh, it won't come off. Maybe hot water will loosen it? Or maybe I'll just cut it off…"

"Kiing?!"

"Huh?"

Rin jumped up in surprise, ricocheting off the bathroom walls and sending water and soap bubbles flying in every direction.

Even in this confined space, she showcased her escape skills. But her feet already slippery with soap betrayed her, and she ended up slipping and falling into the bathtub with a splash.

"Kiiing!"

Soaked from head to toe, Rin leapt up again. She burst through the door, running into the living room.

"Wait a minute. Dry off first!"

My words fell on deaf ears. Just as the naked Rin was zooming around turning the house into complete chaos, the door opened.

"I'm back. They were selling skewers at the market. Not for me, of course, but for… Miss Rin…?"

"Ah."

Our eyes met. Then her eyes widened.

Thud.

She dropped the bag on the floor. Dozens of skewers spilled out, and her tail, which had been swaying slightly from side to side, gradually slowed until it stopped completely.

"Kiing, Kiing…!"

Rin clung to Seira, pointing at me with her finger while whimpering pitifully. Seira glanced down at Rin, then looked back at me.

It looked like I was about to take all the blame.

I racked my brain, trying to find the perfect way to get out of this situation.

"She started it. It's all her fault."

***

"You need to soak it in hot, soapy water to dissolve it, then slowly comb it out to avoid damaging the tail."

"Kyun."

"That man is a wicked slave trader. You never know what strange things he might do. Miss Rin, you're a young lady, so you should learn to do this yourself."

"Haha, what do you take me for? Where else could you find such a kind slave trader…"

"Arms against your ears, stand up straight."

"Yes, ma'am."

My trump card had been utterly useless.

I was on my knees, being punished.