What was this man talking about...?
The boss's completely out-of-the-blue words made Gafu furrow his brows beneath his mask. The other members, each wearing their own fox masks, murmured in confusion.
It was the custom of the Nine-Tailed Shadow Fox for each member to wear a fox mask during gatherings. The masks Gafu and his people wore were indeed imitations, but they had never once been mocked as a "Fox Mask Appreciation Society" or anything of the sort.
The man who shrugged so casually showed not a trace of menace about him, but the mask alone emanated an extraordinary aura.
The reason the gathered members didn't protest even after being ridiculed was probably because of the genuine power that mask possessed.
Within the organization, the words of a superior member were absolute. If a superior member declared them the Fox Mask Appreciation Society, then Gafu and his people would have to embrace that designation with ironclad resolve.
"Um... can I take a photo?"
The fox-masked figure pulled a flat slab from their pocket. It was one of those Treasure Weapons called a smartphone — something he'd heard about through the grapevine. Rare, expensive, and far beyond what an ordinary person could afford.
The attitude was far too casual for a boss, but whether this person truly was the boss was not for Gafu to judge.
Gafu looked to the Fox God's shrine maiden who had accompanied them for this operation.
The Fox God's shrine maidens held a special role even within the organization. Devoted to the fox deity that had inspired the organization's founding, they could use their eyes to accurately detect the pitfalls that secrecy could breed.
Having somehow managed to bring the target individual here, the shrine maiden closed her eyes.
Gafu had seen many Fox God shrine maidens before, but the one before him was clearly quite young. The shrine maiden's hesitation — when she was supposed to render immediate judgment — was unsettling even the other members who had been standing quietly at attention.
The organization's code demanded that shrine maidens be treated with the utmost care and respect. Even at the rank of seven tails, this code did not change.
But — it would be blasphemous to say it aloud, but should he have demanded a more experienced shrine maiden? Originally, he hadn't anticipated a situation like this, so it hadn't even occurred to him to bring along an elite shrine maiden. And besides, their numbers were few to begin with.
Before Gafu's eyes, as a flicker of unease passed through him, the shrine maiden opened her eyes wide.
And then, as though proclaiming something sacred, she declared: "Kneel. You are in the presence of the White Fox."
At that declaration, Gafu immediately dropped to one knee. The others did the same.
White Fox was a title. It was a name bestowed upon supreme executives, derived from the fox mask they were granted.
Once the shrine maiden had made that judgment, any suspicion about previous behavior was irrelevant. Even Gafu, who held a fairly senior position within the organization, had never come this close to a supreme executive before.
It didn't seem to be someone Gafu had met before, but he knew that there were several supreme executives who bore the title of White Fox.
Facing Gafu and his people, who had all knelt in attendance, the supreme executive let out a voice that was openly bewildered.
"What?! Why is everyone suddenly kneeling?!"
"Please forgive our previous discourtesy, Lord White Fox."
"White Fox is about this mask? Really? It's something rare enough for everyone to kneel?"
The atmosphere grew taut. The voice sounded genuinely puzzled, but that couldn't possibly be genuine.
She was angry. Without a doubt.
It was probably their sluggishness in understanding that had rubbed her the wrong way. Questioning the mask's authenticity had been a mistake. But the White Fox's attitude had been so brazenly fearless that even Gafu — who had seen the genuine article before — couldn't help but doubt.
In the organization, the incompetent were cast aside. It was common enough for someone who was well-known in the outside world to be branded incompetent within the organization.
Even the Fox God's shrine maiden, who was always so composed, seemed slightly tense.
"Well, I suppose that's rare. But this is a problem. I have no idea what's going on — I'm not part of any Fox Mask Appreciation Society, and I need to get to the Martial Emperor Festival..."
His heart ached as though someone had squeezed it in a fist.
"I don't need people who can't even figure out whether I'm the boss." The cutting irony made everyone hold their breath.
Among them, Gafu — who had the most tails — had to speak up. He frantically worked his tongue and offered: "Boss, we — the 'Fox Mask Appreciation Society' — have already made plans to infiltrate the Martial Emperor Festival as well. If it pleases you, allow us to guide you there."
"Boss...? Oh, I see. I appreciate the offer, but I came here with my companions."
Gafu hadn't known, but it seemed the boss had a separate party with them.
Whether the boss had deployed an elite squad in case Gafu's plan failed, or whether there was a separate plan that called for a supreme executive to accompany them — either way, if things continued as they were, Gafu and his people could very well face purge.
He spoke in a strangled voice: "We will be waiting on site. Should you have any need, please do not hesitate to call upon us."
Whether they had survived by the thinnest thread of skin, the boss fell into a confused silence, then nodded as though there were nothing to be done about it.
"Oh, right. Can I take a photo for the record? It's rare to see this many fox masks all gathered together."
§ The Fox God's shrine maiden, Sola Zolo, was on her first job and desperately maintaining a poker face that threatened to crack with tension.
Born into a distinguished lineage of clergy, Sola had naturally been raised from childhood to become a shrine maiden. She had undergone rigorous training as well.
But opportunities to judge the authenticity of fox masks were few and far between. There were even members of her family who had completed their duties without ever seeing one.
The boss of the Nine-Tailed Shadow Fox — chosen by the god and granted its relic — was the one whom Sola and her kind were bound to serve.
Standing before such a person was an immense honor, but for Sola, who was still a newly appointed shrine maiden, it was a crushing burden.
The reason her judgment had been delayed was that she understood how weighty her judgment truly was. The organization's members never doubted a shrine maiden's word. That was precisely why, in the name of the deity she served, she absolutely could not afford to err in her authentication.
The mask worn by the young man standing beside her was unquestionably genuine. Sola's eyes — honed through her role as a priestess — were a type of Mystic Eyes. They could perceive far more than ordinary eyes.
There was absolutely no way she could mistake the White Fox mask, and even without her Mystic Eyes, the pressure radiating from that mask was extraordinary.
Yet, in stark contrast, the young man wearing the mask gave off no sense of power whatsoever. He was still happily taking photos, but the force emanating from him was — unbelievably, pitifully weak.
No matter how hard she strained her eyes, she couldn't read a thing. By a wide margin, he was the weakest she had ever encountered. A random civilian off the street would be stronger. What an incredible concealment ability.
Sola's job was to serve. She sealed her trembling hands behind the poker face she had honed through training, and declared in a solemn tone: "The White Fox demands the sacrifice of a dragon."
"A dragon...?!"
Gafu — the highest-ranking member present aside from the White Fox — muttered in shock. His eyes searched Sola's for the true intent behind those words, but she had no idea what the real meaning was.
Even a dragon — the most powerful of magical beasts — was not difficult to hunt if the organization mobilized its full strength. But that was only if one lived nearby.
Powerful magical beasts typically inhabited places atop Ley Lines — otherworldly regions where Mana Material had accumulated. They would never be found near a town.
But Gafu, even upon receiving this unreasonable demand, uttered not a word of complaint, asked no reason, and simply turned around.
"Is there a dragon habitat nearby?"
Everyone shook their heads. Her heart froze, and her poker face nearly crumbled.
This was bad... Sola had brought the White Fox here by promising to provide a dragon. At the time, she'd been in a rush and hadn't considered what would happen if she couldn't deliver, but any kind of penalty would not be surprising.
Among the shrine maidens of past generations, there were some who had been killed for displeasing the White Fox. As Sola clenched her fists tight, the White Fox spoke in a flustered tone: "Ah, well, it can't be helped. If you can't get a dragon, those chocolate and ice cream things from the food stalls will do."
"Go buy them right now! Get as many as you can!"
In the dim darkness, upon receiving Gafu's order, several fox-masked figures who had been standing nearby took off running.
Was it really okay to attract this much attention, given that they were supposed to be a secret organization?
Before Sola, who had frozen up in a kind of escapist trance over the consequences of her blunder, Gafu produced a large bag and offered it to the White Fox, who was standing there stunned.
"Oh, right, Boss. This is the Treasure Weapon we discussed. Please accept it."