I suppose Violet is either the eldest among them... or perhaps simply their leader. "Ehhhh?!" The little golden-haired girl snapped her attention away from the battle raging outside and turned sharply toward me. "Unbelievable! Am I truly looking at the Levina? Leviathan of Envy?!" She was certainly excited. "Yes, that is me," I replied with a nod. "By your tone, are you perhaps a fan of mine?" "I am, I am!" she exclaimed with a hop. "Haha-ue has told me tales of your Methods—blackmail, seduction, extortion, and lies. There is nothing too low for you, and you stoop right down into the dirt to seize control ove—" All right, she was clearly insulting me, but the glimmer in her eyes suggested quite the opposite. What on earth is that she-fox teaching these children? "You know," she began to blush, "I aspire to be like you—dominating and always getting what I want, even if I have to force it!" "That is a good thing, I assure you." I turned her head toward me so she would pay attention. "Life will rarely hand you what you want. You will have to take it by force... but remember, everything in moderation, all right?" "Hai!" she chirped brightly. What an adorable child. ...Everything in moderation, I said, yet here I am planning a genocide behind Master Raven’s back. I spoke with the rest of the children while Goldie ran over to Valhugr and began stepping on him. Oddly enough, he seemed to enjoy it. There were eight kitsunes in total, and within only a few minutes of being in their presence, their personalities had become as clear as day to me. The red one, dressed in a short kimono, had a tendency to be dishonest about her intentions, and she seemed to enjoy having attention drawn to her. It was obvious she would perform poorly in any kind of assassination work. Still, she was undeniably a lovely child. The blue one, hiding timidly behind her brother, appeared quiet and fragile—though anyone who lived in the Shadow Realm was anything but fragile in truth. She even pleaded with Violet to stop the ongoing battle. "Violence is wrong, Onee-sama! Unless they are the enemy, we shouldn’t fight!" she cried from the safety of her brother’s back. Adorable. She, now, would work splendidly as an assassin. The boy whose back she clung to had silver hair and eyes so pale that one might assume he was blind. In reality, he could see more than most. He possessed abilities such as future sight, prediction, and appraisal. "She’s right, Onee-sama. This fighting is meaningless," he said in an even, emotionless tone. "All I can see is death and defeat, so continuing is nothing more than torment." Then he turned to me. "Does Levina-sama wish to torment the men?" "Certainly, yes. That is the point." "Are... they the enemy?" At once, Blue’s eyes went cold and dark. "Then we should end the fighting immediately! I hate fighting!" she declared, her demeanor shifting instantly back to that of the delicate girl she had been moments ago. The green-haired girl had greeted me politely earlier, but now she had joined the Torment faction, effectively turning the tables on Vilskapa’s attempts at flattery. "You are simply stating the obvious, my good man," she interrupted sharply. "My sister is always cute and adorable. Why don’t you say something that might actually mean something?" "Ah, yes, uhm... Y-your hair smells like div—" "How unsightly, to smell a young maiden’s hair from that distance. Are you perhaps one of those... pedophiles?" Before Vilskapa could finish explaining, Red had already started beating him. "I can’t believe you were a perverted human!" she shouted, slamming him into the ground with an invisible hand. The white-haired girl stood beside me in an eerie, almost unsettling silence. "Don’t you want to play with them too?" I asked. "That is unnecessary, Levina-sama," she replied, her voice cool and soothing. "My existence is to bring comfort and warmth to everyone I meet. If I cannot do so, I would rather remain neutral than cause harm... Of course, this does not apply to the enemy." Who was this "enemy" they always spoke of? About twenty-five minutes must have passed since the dwarves descended into hell, so I decided to grant them respite. Goldie had bound the beaten men with blue fire cords, dragging them behind me as we made our way toward the Queen’s throne. The structure loomed ahead, a magnificent centerpiece among nine grand buildings. Though each one bore its own intricate design, this was the largest and most imposing. We crossed a sweeping garden where a clear pond reflected the orange light of sunset and countless statues of foxes bowed toward the path, their stone muzzles frozen in reverence. Before we reached the main entrance, a colossal statue—forty feet high—rose before us, depicting a wolf in regal defiance. There was no mistaking it. This was Master Raven. Violet pushed open the towering doors, their weight causing a deep, resonant groan, and we stepped inside. The bound men were released, and the children departed after offering their mother polite greetings. Within the grand hall, another golden statue stood—this one portraying Master Raven’s human form. Beside him, rendered in equally fine detail, was Tamayō’s human likeness. Together, they appeared almost as if they had been immortalized as a married pair. We advanced toward the luxurious throne at the far end. Mimicking Violet, I sat cross-legged upon the richly woven rug before it. "Haha-ue, I have received the visitors," Violet said with an elegant bow. "That’s good of you... Uh... Uhm..." "You haven’t named me yet," Violet corrected her with a faint smile. "Ah, of course. I need to convince the Lord to do the honors." "Bold of you to scheme in my presence like that," I teased. "Bold of you to walk into my domain with filth," she countered, her gaze shifting toward the men behind me. Tamayō rested upon her wide throne in her grand, dark fox form, the sigil of nine pointed tails marking her forehead. She reclined lazily, but her presence filled the chamber. My eyes wandered to her tails, searching, and then I found it—