The fox’s defiant eyes widened.

　　“Well? Do you like it?”

　　The name echoed through him. Rahn…

　　A voice he had almost forgotten surfaced in his memory.

　　“There will be a human who calls your name…”

　　Rahn.

　　It was the name his dead mother, the Celestial Fox, had engraved directly into his soul.

　　And now Celia had given him that same name.

　　“When you meet the human who calls your name, don’t let them go,” his mother had told him. “That person will see you for what you truly are.”

　　“What if they only guess my name by chance?”

　　“Your soul will tell you whether it was chance or not.”

　　“Rahn. Well? Do you like it?” Celia held his gaze as she asked.

　　Rahn could not bring himself to deny it, nor could he say that he hated the name.

　　It was the name of his soul, sinking deep into his heart and reverberating through his entire being.

　　“Looks like you do.”

　　Who was she, exactly? Something had been strange from the beginning.

　　How had a mere holy knight sensed the power of a sacred beast flowing through a demon’s blood and taken him in?

　　She was neither a priestess of the Eastern Continent nor the Saint of the Western Continent.

　　So how?

　　“I thought it suited you. I don’t think this name could belong to anyone else.”

　　It was mere coincidence. It had to be.

　　Rahn narrowed his eyes, stubbornly rejecting the possibility.

　　To Celia, however, he looked like nothing more than a sulking kitten with his muzzle set in a stubborn line.

　　Why is he sulking?

　　She coaxed him and held out a piece of sweet potato that had fully cooled.

　　Rahn whipped his head away.

　　Then his nostrils flared.

　　Celia bit the inside of her cheek to keep from laughing. She dabbed some mashed sweet potato onto her fingertip and slipped it into his mouth before he could react.

　　The fox jolted.

　　Crazy human!

　　He might still be a cub, but Rahn was a demon. One hard bite and her finger would be gone.

　　He silently cursed her complete lack of caution, only to find himself licking her finger before he realized it.

　　He licked eagerly as sweetness spread across his tongue.

　　Soon another bit of mashed sweet potato appeared on her fingertip and slipped straight into his mouth.

　　Rahn grumbled around the food, pretending reluctance as he licked her finger again.

　　Celia finally burst out laughing.

　　“How can you be this adorable?”

　　Her expression softened completely as she murmured to him, showering his head and muzzle with kisses.

　　“Why are you so cute?”

　　Rahn snorted and noisily chewed the sweet potato.

　　What is she even talking about?

　　Celia nearly forgot the sweet potato altogether, overcome by the urge to kiss that tiny muzzle again.

　　She had never imagined she could become this fond of a fox.

　　It was as though the dam holding back all the affection within her had finally burst, pouring everything over him at once.

　　He was so lovable, so beautiful, so precious that she hardly knew what to do with herself.

　　With his silver fur, holding him felt like cradling a living piece of silver.

　　And those eyes were a brilliant gold, like diamonds glinting within a golden chalice.

　　He might as well have been a living treasure of gold and silver.

　　The thought of eventually letting him go already made her heart ache.

　　But she had to send him away.

　　What if he was hurt because of her?

　　What if something like that happened again?

　　Celia forced herself to smile.

　　Protecting herself was already all she could manage.

　　She pushed her fears aside.

　　For now, she would lavish him with all the affection she could, so that she would have no lingering regrets when the time came to part.

　　“You’re so cute. So pretty. So adorable.”

　　Celia rubbed her cheek against his fur and murmured blissfully.

　　Having finished the sweet potato, Rahn began to squirm.

　　He had spent nearly twenty years in captivity, suffering abuse at human hands.

　　If he gave in this easily now, he felt as though he would never forgive himself.

　　So Rahn rejected Celia out of pure stubbornness.

　　It was already getting harder to push her away.

　　He liked hearing her call his name.

　　And he couldn’t accept any of it.

　　She couldn’t be allowed into his heart this easily.

　　She just couldn’t.

　　“Didn’t you like it?”

　　Disappointment softened Celia’s voice.

　　Rahn only struggled harder.

　　Looking hurt, she placed him back inside the cage and latched the iron door.

　　It was still a cage, but Celia had lined the inside with a blanket of fine, soft fabric, making it surprisingly comfortable.

　　Rahn retreated into a corner and curled up tightly.

　　“Good night, Rahn.”

　　She set the cage down beside her bed.

　　“If you have a nightmare, I’ll wake you. So don’t worry.”

　　Rahn ignored her.

　　But Celia was a holy knight who always kept her word.

　　Throughout the night, whenever a nightmare seized him, she woke him and patted his back until he fell asleep again, over and over.

　　“Shh. It’s all right. No one’s going to hurt you. Good boy…”

　　Her voice was soft as a lullaby, her touch so gentle that all his attempts to reject her seemed meaningless.

* * *

　　Celia was deep in thought as she made her way toward the garrison.

　　What was wrong with him?

　　Rahn had seemed to be opening up to her, but lately he had begun acting strangely, lashing out with an aggression that felt almost deliberate.

　　No matter how many times she tried to teach him not to, nothing changed.

　　Was he really getting any better?

　　Celia reminded herself not to rush him.

　　The wounds in his heart were clearly deep. A day or two of kindness wouldn’t make them disappear.

　　All she could do was wait and meet each of Rahn’s outbursts with the same patience.

　　He needed time.

　　The more immediate problem was the growing number of scratches covering her body.

　　Recently, the knights had begun giving her increasingly suspicious looks. Celia’s demeanor was cold enough that none of them dared ask outright, but their confusion was obvious.

　　“Captain!”

　　The moment she stepped out of the captain’s quarters, a tall man spotted her and hurried over.

　　Celia’s eyes widened slightly.

　　Eric?

　　“Sir Eric. What brings you all the way here?”

　　Eric’s eyes narrowed as he looked her over.

　　Red scratches marked her neck, cheeks, and the backs of her hands.

　　Oblivious to the deep crease forming between his brows, Celia spoke as calmly as ever.

　　“I asked you a question. What brings you here?”

　　“Captain.”

　　“Yes?”

　　“Has something been going on lately?”

　　At last, the question came.

　　Caught off guard, Celia fell silent.

　　Though startled inwardly, she looked as cold as though he had just asked something outrageously presumptuous.

　　Naturally, Eric tensed.

　　Celia slowly raised her pale jade gaze to his.

　　Eric swallowed and hurried to explain himself like a guilty man caught red-handed.

　　“You keep coming back injured. Everyone in the order is worried.”

　　“You came all the way here just to tell me that?”

　　She only meant that there was no need for everyone to worry so much.

　　Eric heard something entirely different.

　　You came all the way to my quarters for something that trivial?

　　If Schulla had been nearby, she probably would have remarked that Celia looked ready to eat him alive.

　　“There’s no need to concern yourself.”

　　The curt answer nearly made Eric give up.

　　He planted his feet and forced himself to continue.

　　“But you have scratches on your face too. There are more of them than yesterday.”

　　Celia said nothing.

　　“Why don’t you go to the infirmary?”

　　When she remained as motionless as a statue, desperation crept into Eric’s voice.

　　“You’re already working yourself too hard with monsters running rampant across the Empire.”

　　“I told you not to worry about it.”

　　“Come on, Captain. Please?”

　　Eric quickly flicked a look toward two large knights lingering nearby.

　　Biliato and Rauner approached with obvious reluctance, swallowing nervously as they watched Celia.

　　The pair looked as though they desperately wanted to abandon the whole plan, but Eric was glaring at them.

　　“Are we not all vessels for the holy power bestowed upon us by Sola?” Eric began smoothly. “They say the body of every ordained priest is a sacred temple. All the more so for you, Captain.”

　　“That was a long preamble.”

　　“Did you perhaps have a fight with Sister Schulla?”

　　Biliato and Rauner stared at Eric with wide eyes.

　　Their faces plainly asked whether he had completely lost his mind.

　　But Celia was the kind of person who would only take care of herself if someone pushed her this far.

　　None of them knew where she kept getting these injuries. They had never seen her wounded in battle, so it seemed to be something personal.

　　And whatever it was, it didn’t look good.

　　Is she keeping some kind of wild animal…?

　　Celia was a strong and capable captain, yet there was something strangely precarious about her that kept drawing their attention.

　　Whatever the reason, they couldn’t simply pretend not to notice.

　　The hierarchy within an order of holy knights was less rigid than in an ordinary knightly order. The only being they truly revered was Sola, god of the Western Continent.

　　That was precisely why Eric could pester Celia this much.

　　“It’s been more than a week since you last saw a healing priest.”

　　Celia still showed no intention of moving.

　　Sister Schulla made her uncomfortable.

　　Celia had never shared a secret with anyone before. She had always endured every hardship alone.

　　But after the nine-tailed fox entered her life, she had shared a secret with Schulla for the first time.

　　Firsts always left her uncomfortable and awkward.

　　What am I supposed to say when I see her? Should I pretend nothing happened?

　　Schulla was in charge of the infirmary. If the captain went in for treatment, the healing priestess assigned to her would inevitably be Schulla.

　　Just thinking about it made Celia feel trapped.

　　Eric, however, gave her no more time.

　　“Biliato. Rauner.”

　　The two knights trembled as they took hold of Celia by each arm. They intended to drag her to the infirmary by force.

　　“Forgive us, Captain.”

　　“W-We’re only doing this because we’re worried! You know that, right?”

　　They had clearly expected her to get angry.

　　Instead, Celia stood between them without resisting, like a waxwork.

　　Eric found her far more compliant than expected, but he hurried them along nonetheless.

　　Perhaps he urged them on too hastily.

　　Rauner, pale with nerves, missed his footing.

　　“Whoa!”

　　Celia reacted at once, catching him before he fell.

　　“Are you all right, Sir Rauner?”

　　“Y-Yes! Yes, Captain! I’m fi—”

　　Rauner answered in a panic, then realized just how close he was to Celia.

　　He sucked in a startled breath.