Chapter 70

After returning to the base camp, we took a break and discussed the recent attack. For some reason, over thirty people had gathered at our base camp, but most of them, except for the key figures, were out gathering food. As a result of the discussion, the following decisions were made:

- A detailed report on the fire incident will be made.

- Detailed information about the attackers will be posted on the exposure thread.

- To prevent future attacks, an image strategy for the kitsune cubs will be implemented.

The kitsune cub at the center of the controversy is sleeping, resting on Rui's body. Rui, in turn, is sleeping with her head on my lap. The lack of tension in the scene makes me feel as if it's already someone else's problem.

"Hmm. So this small creature is the culprit of the fire?"

A tall woman, who was talking with Magi and Claude, squatted down to observe the kitsune cub. The woman, with her fiery wine-red hair tied up, has model-like long limbs and is taller than me, a high school boy. She gives off a refreshingly mature adult vibe, and there's a sense of authority or charisma about her.

"Still, the Sub-Master's family members are quite an interesting bunch."

"Sub-Master?"

In response to my puzzled question, she gave a brief introduction.

"I'm Mikazuchi, the Master of the guild [YaoYorozu]. Your sister, Sei, is one of our Sub-Masters."

"Oh, so you're from Sei's guild."

"So, how about it? Want to join our guild?"

At her words, objections came from various directions.

Magi said, "If you join, help us set up a production guild."

Taku said, "Yun, join my party!"

Miu said, "No, join us!"

Sei said, "Mikazuchi, give it one more push!"

Despite receiving such encouraging words—

"I'm sorry, but I'll have to decline. I want to play solo and take it easy."

"Is that so? That's a shame."

Mikazuchi shrugged, but her demeanor suggested that she didn't really expect a different answer. At the same time, I could hear sighs of relief from the surrounding people.

"Alright, let's stop the jokes here, Claude. What do you plan to do next? Are you going to post on the bulletin board?"

"Already done. Want to see?"

With that, Claude, who had been left in charge of calming the situation, displayed the content of the bulletin board thread for everyone to see. The newly created thread had the intriguing title, "I know the truth about yesterday's fire." Despite being posted only a few minutes ago, it was already being updated with over a hundred comments. The content, read out by a mechanical, neutral voice, included three types of reactions: the victims' resentment, the curiosity of gossipers, and the seriousness of concerned individuals.

Claude began to read the pre-written content quietly.

"The incident began yesterday afternoon. She was supposed to return home with her friends after hunting. However, their base camp was engulfed in flames, and people were running for their lives."

It was narrated in a calm, engaging manner, like reading a fairy tale. The thread received similar reactions immediately after it was posted.

"Is the White Servant real?" "I heard she's a beautiful girl, kwsk." "How did she survive the fire?" "Execute the kitsune, execute it!" "If you're protecting it, aren't you guilty too?"

The comments included harsh words and unclear intentions, and many questioned the truth of the story. To establish credibility, I obtained permission to use real names in the report. When players heard my name, the thread began to refer to me as the "White Servant" or the "Black Protector."

The most effective part was probably the presentation of witness information. The old man Totoru, whom we passed while fleeing, and the other witnesses we contacted through him, as well as the players protected by Luca and the others, appeared in the thread, causing a significant stir. Occasionally, the actual witnesses even made appearances, adding to the complexity of the farce.

"That's the conclusion of the incident. Thank you for listening."

Immediately after his statement, various opinions flew around. Most agreed that the black kitsune should be dealt with, but some argued that it was understandable this time and questioned why cursed cheat items were being created. The discussion lacked a clear direction and was all over the place.

"So, is this okay? I still have some lingering concerns."

My concern was whether the discussion had any real meaning. While the general flow of the story was understood, the anger was now directed at a target that had already retired, leaving the attackers without a clear target. In the worst case, it might just increase the number of people who would go on a rampage.

"Don't worry. The next step is to use the exposure thread for warning and image strategy."

Claude, with a sinister smile that suggested he was enjoying himself, was met with wary glances from the surrounding people. However, no one had a better plan, so they reluctantly left it to him.

"Let's start the second part, 'I know the truth about yesterday's fire. Part 2.'"

He began to recount the day's attack in the same manner. The "White Servant" was attacked by three PKs, and we drove them off. He also listed the key members who took action, including the "Witch of Calm Water" Sei, the "Silver Paladin" Miu, and the top three producers, along with the Master of the guild [YaoYorozu], Mikazuchi, and others.

"All these people gathered together."

The immediate reaction was, "Who is this 'White Servant'?" and "Was it really necessary to go this far against the attackers? That's childish." At this point, the opinion that the kitsune should be dealt with was in the minority, and it was almost there.

"Yun, can we use this for the image strategy?"

"Sure, I have no choice."

Although I had been briefed beforehand, I was still uneasy. Using this for image strategy was highly undesirable. However, I had children to protect.

Claude, acknowledging my resolve, nodded. The tension in the room dissipated.

"I have the person's consent. These are photos taken during the attack."

The screenshots of me were then displayed. Why did Taku, Miu, and Sei appear at the right moment? In reality, they had been watching the situation before we were restrained, and they acted to secure evidence and protect us, as Taku had explained.

The reactions were—

"What the... Binding a beautiful girl behind her back, that's outrageous!" "I need to go to my tent." "Hey, what are you planning to do?" "This... I can't even sympathize." "Look at his left hand!"

"Perverts are the enemies of maidens! They should be eliminated!" "...I ran into my friends in the tent. Awkward..." "Phew..." "I can't... These perverts..." "Call me a pervert gentleman (sternly)" "I will..." "We will..." "Pervert gentleman!"

The thread then took a bizarre turn, and the situation, instead of calming down, escalated in a different direction. During this time, I was terrified by phenomena I didn't understand, while those who did understand were smiling wryly.

"So, let's wrap this up. I want to expose these attackers and impose sanctions. Here's what I propose:

- Do not provide them with any items.

- Avoid interacting with them as much as possible and do not support them.

"I want to do this. Producers, please cooperate. Those who can fight, please ignore them."

"Approved" "Approved" "Approved" "Approved" "Approved" "Approved" "Approved" "Approved" "Approved" "Approved" "Approved" "Approved"

The same content continued to flow, and even those who had initially called for the kitsune's execution were now in agreement, providing a sense of relief. However, Claude dropped a bomb at the end.

"Finally, one last push. The key to image strategy is the final impression."

The last screenshot of me was displayed. Honestly, it was embarrassing. It wasn't what I had in mind. It was a screenshot from the afternoon, showing five young animals sleeping on my lap and Rui. I could see myself stroking them with a gentle, peaceful expression. For a moment, I didn't even recognize myself. The people around me sighed in amazement at the perfect composition.

The thread's reaction was—

"Fluffy" "Wow, so fluffy" "No way, I can't hurt such a happy fluffy scene" "Oh, right, the attackers tried to harm these five" "They tried to destroy a fluffy paradise, unforgivable" "Hey, I want to touch the kitsune's tail" "That puppy is so fluffy" "The cat's tail is swaying" "The bird is still a ball of fluff" "I want to comb the horse's mane, it looks so smooth" "You know... I can only see you as a nursery teacher" "Hey, I see you as a nursery teacher too!" "What... Are you a genius? 'Nursery Teacher of Young Animals'" "If we anthropomorphize the young animals, it would be even more..."

The thread was a chaotic mess. New threads with titles like "Yun, you're a real nursery teacher" were created, and I was filled with an indescribable fear.

"Um, good job as always."

"I feel like I sacrificed something important to protect something else..."

"Don't be down, Yun! Something good will happen!"

"Y-Yeah, big sister!"

Somehow, I was being encouraged by my sisters, and the young animals, including Rui, gathered around me, looking worried. I shouldn't worry them. Thinking that, my head cleared. Maybe I'm a simple person.

"Phew. I hope this brings everything to a close. Let's prepare dinner, who wants to help?"

After that, dinner was even more lively than the previous day. Thirty people ate and ate. They devoured all the civilized food we hadn't had in three days, including the not-so-great udon, and the additional food we made kept disappearing. The food gatherers had collected a balanced variety, and with my relatively high cooking skill, we decided to take this opportunity to obtain the cooking skill. Under my guidance, dinner was prepared.

The ingredients included vegetables from the southeastern fields, meat from the northern grazing areas, and fish from the southern lake and the river that runs north to south. Through the human wave tactic, we discovered a unique mob, the Sauce Spider, which lives underground and drops a set of magical sauces, including a certain dog brand sauce, dark and light soy sauce, cooking wine, mirin, Worcestershire sauce, and miso. The variety of sauces expanded our cooking options, leading to new dishes like okonomiyaki, fish and vegetable chan-chan-yaki, pork loin marinated in a mixture of miso and mirin, and simmered fish seasoned with soy sauce, mirin, and sugar, which were popular among the alcohol-loving adults over twenty.