I froze for a moment, unable to move. His lips parted slightly. Tension hung in the air as I waited for him to speak.
“…Just two more times.”
“What did you say?”
I had just finished wiping my hands, and now this?
He didn’t respond to my question. Our eyes seemed to meet, but his gaze was oddly unfocused.
“They say doing it too much can lead to erectile dysfunction…”
He completely ignored me. It was like he had decided to communicate solely with his dick.
I glared at Kessler’s cock, which was already erect again, as if ready for another round.
“Just two more times. That’s all I ask. Just remember one thing—nothing in this world comes for free.”
In any case, he had made his request perfectly clear. So I grabbed his cock, which had miraculously bounced back to full form.
Even in my prime, I never went this hard. I shut my eyes tightly.
“…Here I go.”
After quickly finishing him off two more times over the span of about forty minutes, I fled and shifted back into fox form.
The ache in my arms from when I was still human seemed to linger even now. Sleep-deprived and drained, my entire body felt limp. I crawled into the doghouse, keeping a good distance from Kessler, and laid down.
A completely absurd day had finally come to an end. And just like that, I fell asleep.
***
Kessler woke up as the morning star dipped below the horizon. He rubbed his eyes and looked around the room, now faintly lit by the dawn.
Snore….snore.
On the sofa, a baby fox was curled up, fast asleep.
As Kessler tried to get up to bring the fox over, he suddenly felt an uncomfortable sensation below his waist. His expression turned serious. It felt like someone had scratched him down there, and it stung. His underwear was hastily put on, and his cock, usually tucked neatly to the left, was now awkwardly sticking up.
Despite all the changes to his body, the fox slept peacefully, as if nothing had happened.
“What the…?”
Kessler retraced his memories from the previous night. He had been at a festival with the fox and visited a villa owned by the Ice Cream Factory. There, the baby fox performed a show.
“Follow me. We have plenty of ice cream for foxes.”
Then…… he followed the women from the factory. He tried some of the treats meant for the fox, but something must have been in them because he started feeling dizzy and experienced hallucinations.
“Heh heh.”
It was a mistake to leave the Shadow Castle and underestimate the shadows. He had fallen victim to someone’s trick.
…But were they really women? It felt like the voice had been a man’s.
What he vaguely remembered… was the sensation of a hand gripping his cock, a face hidden behind sunglasses, and that voice—those lips pursed in irritation.
…Was it a hallucination?
If it was, then the marks on his body told another story. The fact that he’d ejaculated was undeniable proof.
Kessler stood up on both feet. It was strange. The skin around his most sensitive area still stung, but his body felt incredibly light and refreshed—like a blockage that had lingered for centuries had finally been released.
Whoever dared to steal his virginity had, surprisingly, gifted him a rather pleasant climax.
If he stayed here a few more days… would he be able to receive that kind of surrogate ejaculation therapy again?
“Eat your breakfast, Baby Arctic Fox.”
Suppressing his tangled emotions, he peeled the lid off the Oasis Gold Pudding—certified safe by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety and provided by the hotel—and also cleaned the gunk from the fox’s eyes.
Watching the little fox yawn and roll over, exposing his belly in sleepy protest, helped calm Kessler’s troubled mind, even if just a little.
***
The first thing I saw when I opened my eyes was an expensive pudding dusted with gold flakes.
Next came Kessler’s face—oddly troubled, weighed down with thought.
Feeling a pang of guilt, I quickly lowered my head, only for a status notification to pop up.
[System]: The Baby Arctic Fox feels guilty.
No, just because I lowered my head doesn’t mean I’m feeling guilty.
This is awkwardness—not something so easily labeled.
Special Quest: <Hapgol Swaeshin> has arrived!
Huh? What the heck is Hapgol Swaeshin? I’ve heard of Bungol Swaeshin (breaking bones and renewing them), but not this.
[Special Quest: <Hapgol Swaeshin>
You are the most cherished and reliable fox of the Master of the Shadow Castle.
Until he returns to the Shadow Castle, stay by his side and make sure he does not make any wrong choices.]
I blinked blankly at the message. What kind of “wrong choices” would Kessler even make?
The wording itself was unsettling, especially after what happened yesterday…
“This barely even counts as a quest.”
I glanced over at Kessler’s back like I was studying it. There didn’t seem to be anything unusual. Could he really not remember what happened yesterday?
“Is it good?”
Our eyes met as he turned around. Feeling oddly guilty, I quickly began scarfing down the pudding.
“Your taste is getting more refined too. You’re doing well.”
Was it just me, or did his voice sound a little subdued?
“Let’s leave early.”
Kessler packed the carrier with Oasis Gold Pudding until it was full.
With one hand carrying the bag and the other shoved into his pocket, he strode up the stone steps to the train platform, taking two at a time.
Then he looked down at the little fox still sitting at the bottom.
“Can you make it up?”
Each step was taller than I was. But this wasn’t a big deal. My belly fat occasionally caught on the edges of the steps, but I kept hopping up with little jumps.
When I finally reached the last step, he scooped me up into a tight hug.
“Yeah. This is how you overcome a crisis in life. There’s no obstacle that can’t be conquered.”
Nyang.
He gave my butt a soft pat, saying I’d done well.
The trip was over. On the return train, we both stared out the window. Kessler looked unsettled. Honestly, so did I.
Originally, we had planned to stay one more day. Tonight, I was going to reveal my human transformation to him.
Since he had shed several layers of his shadow and was in a weakened state, even if he sensed killing intent like before, I should still be able to survive. We’d built up enough rapport by now that I figured I could persuade him somehow.
But after everything that happened, all those plans had crumbled. Once we returned, I’d be an open target for Jung Da-hoon—whether as human Yeo Woo-rim or as the Baby Fox.
…
If I was going to die at the hands of that murderer Jung Da-hoon anyway, I had intended to go out by rousing my gambler’s instinct.
But after the handjob incident, my courage had completely deflated.
Once we got back to Shadow Castle, I’d have to stick close to Kessler or Snake Rim as a fox. That way, even Jung Da-hoon wouldn’t be able to touch me.
Just as I was mentally reviewing Plan B—
[System]: !!! The Master of the Shadow Castle suddenly feels an urge to return to the Oasis Hotel.
‘Huh? Why the hell?’
The alert popped up out of nowhere. I stretched out my neck and stared at Kessler with laser focus.
[System]: !!! The Master of the Shadow Castle is currently in a state of confusion. He wants to reassess whether what he experienced there was truly good or bad.
So that’s why the quest showed up. Panicked, ears twitching and unsure of what to do, I settled directly in front of his face.
Kessler looked at me with empty eyes. I had to stop him before he changed his mind.
Nyang! Nyangnyang! Nyangnyangnyangnyang!
I barked fervently, mouth wide open. The skeleton in the seat next to us, who had been dozing off, jerked awake from the sheer volume.
Please, pull yourself together!
“What’s wrong, Baby Arctic Fox?”
He fiddled with my ears.
Nyangnyang! Nyang!
Then he stared at me intently… And gave me a kiss—right on the nose. From the dazed look in his eyes, he clearly still wasn’t fully conscious.
Nyangnyang! Nyang!
“You’re so noisy. What the hell are you even complaining about?”
It wasn’t until my third yowl that Kessler finally straightened his posture.
[The Master of the Shadow Castle lets go of his distracting thoughts.
—You have successfully jolted the Master of the Shadow Castle back to his senses.
—The special quest is now complete.
—The Master of the Shadow Castle’s trust in you has increased.]
Kessler reached out toward me.
With both hands, he cupped my snout like it was a hamburger and shoved it fully into his mouth.
Chomp.
My precious breathing organ was now trapped inside a moist cavern, and my paws flailed from the suffocating pressure.
I tried to squirm away, but he had already clutched me tightly.
“Just kidding.”
Finally, he laid me down on the table, drenched in saliva. Then, resting his cheek gently against my chubby belly, he closed his eyes.
