Deadline Is Raining in the Status Window - Chapter 9

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Fox barked at Gerth as if challenging him, then let out a soft whine toward me that seemed apologetic. Hmm… that’s interesting. It was the same with Titi, but I could somehow sense what she was saying through intuition. Could it be because of my Taming skill? The description did mention it works well on animals.
Watching Gerth converse so naturally with Fox, he seemed to possess a skill superior to Taming. I wondered if someone like Cat Daddy could communicate with animals after five hundred years too.
“It’s fine.”
“Woof?”
“See? Evan has good comprehension.”
“She only touched my body.”
“Exactly. She only touched your body.”
“Woof!”
Her stamina and speed had improved noticeably since I first met her, so it was natural she’d be curious. She must have wondered whether I’d trained my body or acquired some related skill.
“You haven’t gained muscle. Is it a skill?”
“Yes.”
“A natural miner. I’m impressed.”
“I’ve been fishing lately too.”
“I see.”
When I nodded, Gerth nodded as well, and Fox’s pupils trembled as if an earthquake had struck them.
“But there’s only a little ore ahead. If you go further, you won’t be able to handle it.”
“It’s fine. I’m only mining today, and I won’t come back after this.”
“…What?”
This time, not just Fox but Gerth’s pupils dilated sharply. The man said “I see” in a dejected tone, then trudged away muttering that he needed to feed the children.
“Woof! Bark bark! Bark!”
Fox then grabbed Gerth’s pant leg with her teeth and pulled, barking insistently. There seemed to be deeper meaning in her cries, because Gerth’s expression shifted to one of realization as he asked me a question.
“Then where should I go to see you?”
“Oh, you want to visit?”
“Yes.”
We’d grown quite close, and it would be a shame not to meet again just because I wouldn’t be mining ore. I pulled out a map from my basket and pointed to a secluded area slightly west of Ilam Town.
“There’s a large hazelnut tree there, and two houses. The one with the green roof is my home.”
“Understood. I’ll visit you properly soon.”
“Great. My mother’s borscht is delicious, so make sure you try it.”
I couldn’t cook, but my mother was truly exceptional at it. After I finished boasting about Mother, Gerth promised to visit in three days. I agreed, and notified Mother that a friend would be coming in four days.
Mother was overjoyed, saying this was the first time I’d brought a friend home.

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Hubert, a white fox demi-human serving as the Serpent King’s deputy at Beast King’s Tower, had been overwhelmed with work these past few days. So consumed was he that when adventurers stormed the tower, he could barely manage a half-hearted imitation of his father before hastily shoving them back out the door.
His father had taken an interest in a human woman. This was an earth-shattering development, the sort of thing that would make the Serpent King’s Tower Officials shriek in disbelief—and in my 120 years as deputy, I’d never witnessed anything like it.
I was only two hundred and twenty years old, so perhaps I simply lacked the perspective, but I suspected this might be the first time in my father’s five hundred years of existence.
The mere fact that my father had mentioned a woman was astounding enough, but the woman herself proved to be remarkably peculiar.
A rural girl with her hair braided into two plaits had strode boldly into Water King’s Territory and mined mana stones, ignoring threats from magical cats, tigers, and even a three-headed serpent monster spewing venom—she simply went about her work, striking stones with complete indifference.
My father was naturally compassionate and gentle, the sort who showed kindness even to lesser beasts and cared for them—or as the Dragon King would say, a hopeless fool of the highest order. Weaker magical creatures often went hungry, unable to hunt humans, so he frequently provided them with food.
It was while delivering such provisions that he encountered a woman named Evan Laef. She showed no intimidation whatsoever at the sight of the Serpent King’s dignified presence, observed him cautiously for a few days, exchanged names, and even shared lunch with him. Most remarkably, she understood his speech.
This was an event significant enough to make even my narrow fox eyes widen. Understanding my father’s fragmented, abbreviated speech was extraordinarily difficult. For the first decade of my life, I genuinely believed he was angry every single day—his manner of speaking was that incomprehensible.
At first, I didn’t believe it. I thought perhaps my father had misinterpreted the trembling village girl’s actions. If Evan Laef valued her life, she would surely avoid further contact with him.
Indeed, for some time my father had eagerly visited to feed the young creatures while seeing the woman, but now he grew despondent, saying Evan Laef hadn’t come to mine mana stones for days. Perhaps she’d found another vein. I should have told him about a location with higher-quality mana stones.
Watching my father pace the tower’s peak all day, sighing heavily, I broke into a cold sweat. He looked exactly like someone lovesick.
At this point, I had no choice but to capture the fleeing woman and bring her to Beast King’s Tower. After all, my father hadn’t held another’s hand in five hundred years. This might be his first and only chance. Once I brought her here, I’d find a way to make him care for her. There was no other option.
And so the white fox demi-human set out with his father to capture Evan Laef, both of them trotting along. Though I had business to attend to, I was delighted to be going out with my father after so long. Swinging my tail happily and walking hand-in-hand with him, I sensed someone nearby and quickly shifted into animal form to observe the situation.
My father was right—Evan Laef was truly an unusual woman. She conversed with him as an equal, completely unafraid, and her physical abilities and overwhelming presence seemed impossible for an ordinary human.
The aura radiating from her body was downright eerie. I could sense it with a beast’s instinct. This was clearly the combat power of someone possessing three ultra-rare skills. The magical aura she subtly emanated suggested she was already a mage, or at least a budding one.
She claims to be seventeen? Don’t lie. Even a seasoned veteran wouldn’t emit such an ominous aura. That’s precisely why she could ignore prowling beasts and venomous snakes targeting her throat, mining mana stones with such audacity.
I had a premonition. My father’s eye was accurate. He truly deserves my respect. This woman, Evan Laef, was worthy of becoming the mother of millions of magical beasts. At merely seventeen, she was already this formidable—how powerful would she become as she matured?
The white fox demi-human with slitted eyes couldn’t suppress his laughter. I’m finally getting a mother. For decades now, the Dragon King had mocked me, asking if my father was impotent.
But then this infuriating father decided to give up entirely when Evan Laef declared she wouldn’t come mine anymore. I confronted him, demanding if he’d lost his mind, insisting that persistent pursuit was the proper approach for a woman you’d set your sights on.
Through my tearful efforts, Gerth managed to advance to the point of visiting Evan Laef’s house.
“Father! This outfit! Please wear this when you visit!”
“That’s ceremonial attire for ten thousand demons.”
“You’re not that much older than her, Father! You should look as young and handsome as possible!”
Evan Laef hadn’t yet reached adulthood by human standards, and while her appearance was shabby, examining her features carefully revealed she was extraordinarily beautiful. Once her freckles faded with age, her face would truly blossom. Surely suitors would line up from villages beyond.
“Do you understand? Father, you’ve obtained an untouched lottery ticket! You must build affection now and kidnap her the moment she comes of age!”
“Kidnap? I respect Evan’s will.”
“If you don’t kidnap her! Who would marry into this remote wilderness reeking of beast musk?”
“!”
You think of our home that way? The Serpent King Gerth, startled, opened his eyes wide and blinked his nictitating membranes repeatedly. Since my father rarely showed expression, I realized my words had been harsh and, feeling genuinely sorry, clamped my mouth shut and shook my head.
“I see. Beast musk.”
“Y-you’ll grow accustomed to it, Father.”
As I offered this unconvincing excuse, Gerth narrowed his eyes. We were both astonished. For me, this was the first time I’d seen my father display such expressive features, and for Gerth, he was discovering for the first time that his son was such a talkative creature.
“In any case, prepare a gift. It should be something expensive.”
“Why go to such lengths?”
“Have you forgotten? Evan Laef’s mother lives in that house, does she not?”
“!”
That was true. While I could converse freely with Evan Laef, merely imagining a conversation with her mother filled me with discomfort.
What sort of person was Evan Laef’s mother? Having raised such a child, would she possess a similar temperament? Yet the thought crossed my mind that if two such humans existed in this world, it would be catastrophic.
“I’ll bring something expensive.”
“Yes, I’ll prepare something expensive.”
I wished Evan’s mother weren’t such a frightening person. The Serpent King Gerth offered a prayer to the unborn king of ten thousand horses.
Meanwhile, Hubert roused the Spider Woman from her deep slumber, shaking her awake to demand she weave an exceptionally sturdy, durable fabric. The prospective mother’s everyday clothes were rather shabby, and given how formidably strong she was, he thought she’d appreciate a gift of armor material befitting her power.

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The day Gerth planned to visit was unfortunately battered by a typhoon. With such poor weather, surely even my friend would reconsider. Mother said as much, but I shook my head. Gerth follows through. When he says he’ll visit, he visits on the appointed day. We’d only known each other for two months, yet I felt certain of this.
And for good reason—Gerth was stubbornly earnest to the point of foolishness, a pushover of the highest order. Wasn’t he the one who’d frantically tried to dissuade me from dying, even pulling out his own nails in desperation, despite having seen my face only a handful of times?

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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