The longer you use its power or are controlled by that creature, the more your body will slowly but surely be taken over."
That's what the fox, Rin the former sword thief, said. The red-haired woman, who sometimes couldn't hide her nine tails, was just an ordinary and poor woman.
She lived in a remote area, but many swordsmen, with good or bad intentions, came there. Rin lived without a family, she could stand on her own and rely on her long arms.
Swift, nimble, and light. Rin used everything she had, even her own body. As long as it brought in money, Rin didn't care. Stealing a sword was like taking candy from a baby. It was too easy.
As she told her story, she laughed a terrible laugh. Yong felt very uncomfortable there, so much so that he had to move dozens of feet away, clutching his two swords tightly.
"This woman is terrifying," Yong said, shuddering.
"Hahaha! Yes, you're right." Rin didn't deny it at all.
Controlling one's power wouldn't be enough. The proof was that Rin's fox tails were hard to hide, especially since they were so noticeable to people.
"You must have a hard time."
"Not really. But thanks to this curse, I was able to get out of that miserable little village!"
"Oh, thank goodness?" Yong didn't know what to say because Rin's expression sometimes changed.
"Besides that, be careful, Yong."
After laughing and smiling, she now had a serious face. Her pupils constricted, and her gaze was directed at Yong to make him truly wary of something.
"If you're talking about the Demon that will one day take over my body, then I understand," Yong said, understanding.
"No, besides that." Rin shook her head.
"What?" Yong looked confused, not understanding.
"Be careful of Zhuge," Rin said, warning him.
He didn't know what was with the atmosphere that had changed so drastically. The wind was indeed cold, but the cold the young man felt was completely different from a normal night breeze.
"You must have felt that he's a bit strange."
Rin spoke honestly, and Yong also felt that her words were not wrong.
"It feels stranger to have to trust the words of a notoriously cunning fox," Yong replied as if denying it.
The subtle sarcasm made the fox flinch, then she laughed not because she found it funny, but just an empty laugh because she wasn't believed. Rin herself was aware that her words couldn't be trusted so easily.
"How mean."
In the middle of their conversation, a large man suddenly appeared and startled Yong and Rin.
"Why should Yong be wary of me?" the man, who was none other than Zhuge, asked, wrapping his arms around their shoulders.
"Leader, I—"
"Well, whatever. Anyway, I'm not interested in your... Impossible. Ah, I mean, I don't like to eavesdrop on other people's serious conversations," Zhuge said, shrugging his shoulders with one eyebrow raised.
It was clear that he had eavesdropped on some of their conversation, but Zhuge said that he didn't like to eavesdrop. His words were the complete opposite of his actions.
"Okay, I'll go now, leader. See you later, Yong." Rin said goodbye and quickly left.
Zhuge smiled, waving at Rin and saying, "See you and be careful, Rin!"
"Zhuge, my work today—"
Before he could finish his sentence, Zhuge intentionally silenced him.
"It's done. You did well, Yong," Zhuge said.
Neither Rin nor Zhuge. For the young man, they were no different at all. Maybe besides their gender, their biggest difference was their ambition from two opposite directions.
"Alright, Yong, good night. I'll go with my team. If you want to stay the night, come to the place where you were previously held," Zhuge explained before finally leaving.
Coming and then leaving immediately, this was Zhuge's usual characteristic. Just thinking about it made Yong dizzy, especially since today there were so many obstacles both within himself and around him.
"Their words were not wrong. Even if the war has ended and peace has been achieved, that doesn't mean there won't be any chaos whatsoever."
The heaviest sigh in Yong's life was like a stack of irregular blocks. Arranged neatly, and with a slight touch, they would begin to wobble and fall apart. Life is indeed unpredictable, where it will end and what the path of fate itself will be. Everything is a secret, including the demon in his body.
"If I use his power or am controlled by him, this body will slowly but surely be completely taken over by him."
While walking, Yong kept muttering, thinking about the future. His two intact legs kept walking and stepping on the fresh green grass. Accompanied by the moonlight behind the cloudy haze, the figure of the demon sometimes appeared beside Yong when reflected in the water's surface.
"Oh my gosh. Am I starting to hallucinate?" he muttered, stepping on the puddle and wiping his face.
His presence in the nameless group was beginning to be seen as a real mercenary. Even so, Yong remained determined to be a swordsman, even though he still couldn't use his skills at all.
"You idiot, you fool! A human like you wants to be a defender of justice in a time of peace? You must be insane." Someone said it, but Yong couldn't find anyone there but himself.
"Whatever you want to be—a hero, a defender of justice, or something. But once I take over here, everything you do will be for nothing."
Again, someone said it near him, but there was no one. A moment later, he realized who was speaking when he moved his foot from the puddle; there, the figure of the demon showed its teeth again. It was the demon who had been talking to Yong all this time. Not anyone else.
"You again," he said, growling in annoyance.
The light, cunning laugh sounded ridiculous, especially since it was laughing using Yong's own mouth. The feeling of disgust was no longer contained, between pleasure and anger, the two opposing emotions clashed.
"Stop it! Get out of here!" Yong shrieked.
His head felt heavy. Yong kept holding his head, hoping the pain would go away. At that time, he and the demon were talking to each other on a journey, but to where exactly?
Yong walked aimlessly, staggering. On one hand, he was confused by the situation, but he also knew that he had to calm down, but unfortunately, that was difficult to do.
An unknown girl came from behind, just watching Yong in pain. She felt sorry for him and intended to help him immediately.