Plan X. Fulfill the Boss's orders.
Members of a secretive organization didn't need heads capable of thinking. Thinking was done by the executives, who issued instructions. All that was permitted of the rank and file was to carry them out faithfully.
Even upper-level members close to being executives, like Gafu, were no different.
They were allowed to have doubts. They were allowed to confirm those doubts. However—only so long as they didn't upset the executives' mood.
Gafu, once feared as the Thief King, excelled at planning and commanding operations. That was precisely how he'd risen to the position of one of the Seven Fangs.
Members of the Nine-Tailed Shadow Fox could blend in anywhere. For foxes, illegal secret societies and criminal organizations weren't necessarily cooperative partners.
Preparations proceeded silently. The Fox had abundant personnel and resources, with few organizations capable of resisting them—but time was scarce.
The entire city was on edge. Participants in the Martial Emperor Festival, and the numerous organizations targeting it. Once they raised suspicion, the Boss's orders would be impossible to fulfill.
And the Boss's orders weren't the only things to be accomplished. Gafu and his group also had the large-scale operation that should have been carried out from the start—Plan A.
Comrades near Gafu, reviewing the list they'd received from the Boss, groaned.
"But... some of these are organizations we have cooperative relationships with. Others were organizations we were supposed to use in our own plan."
"Can't be helped."
"The plan needs to change. Major changes. At this rate, Plan A's success is in jeopardy."
His comrades' anguished expressions were understandable.
The operation Gafu and his group were supposed to execute this time was built on meticulous calculations.
The Fox was a massive organization, but their available personnel wasn't unlimited. Manipulating external illegal organizations like extensions of their own hands—that was the Fox's way.
Reports on the organizations they'd planned to use had been submitted in advance. There was no way the Boss didn't know about them... yet the Boss was now ordering them to be swiftly crushed.
"In times like this, being thorough about secrecy really is a problem."
At his comrade's words, Gafu gave a small shrug.
The Fox had become such a massive organization precisely because of its thorough secrecy.
Nobody knew the Boss's whereabouts, and information exchange required elaborate codes and procedures. Even if a member was captured, there was no way the trail would reach the organization's core.
But that also meant there was no means of quickly verifying things when unexpected situations arose.
The greatest concern was imposters. A Fox member—no, someone impersonating an executive as high-ranking as Gafu himself—seemed far-fetched, but the possibility wasn't zero.
That was what the codes were for. And for emergencies, there was the Fox God's priestess.
Gafu glanced toward the young Fox God's priestess standing elegantly nearby. The priestess seemed to sense the meaning behind his gaze, frowned, and declared flatly: "Are you doubting Lady White Fox? There is no mistake."
"...Doubting is my job."
"We serve the god and were granted special eyes as a reward for our devotion. We absolutely cannot misjudge. Besides, if it weren't Lady White Fox, why would she wear that kind of mask in public?"
A calm voice. And she was right. Fox masks weren't the kind of thing you wore casually. Even Gafu and his people only wore them during meetings or missions, and even that wasn't obligatory.
The Boss's words in front of Gafu had been quite unusual, but bosses tended to be that way—transcendent, detached.
The organization used the Fox God priestess's eyes to verify masks. The priestess was a sacred, inviolable existence to the organization, and her eyes could see through any disguise. It was absolutely impossible for her to mistake the mask—a relic of the god she served—for a counterfeit.
Gafu didn't believe in gods, but if it became known that he'd disregarded the priestess, even a Thief King holding one of the Seven Fangs couldn't avoid ruin.
Regardless, the plan wasn't changing. He couldn't verify right away, but there was a scheduled regular contact before Plan A's execution. He could probe then.
Keep it simple. The organizations could be crushed. It would just add a bit more work.
The only thing he had to avoid right now was failing Plan X, which the Boss had ordered.
As Gafu concentrated his mind and scrutinized the operation, one of the subordinates he'd stationed near the Boss came rushing in.
A man wearing a jet-black fox mask—an extremely skilled operative who had mastered the "Shinobi" skill, a special scout class.
Clad in a Treasure Weapon with the power of perception obstruction, this man was perfectly suited for the Boss's errands. Losing a talented scout to information gathering hurt, but Gafu's other subordinates could handle that—the Boss's mood took priority.
The man stood before Gafu and spoke in a cold voice devoid of emotion.
"Gafu Shenfelder. The Boss requests your presence."
§ Moving like a shadow. The Thief King, Gafu Shenfelder, was a master of covert operations.
He had once led a large-scale band of thieves who made their living from stealing.
He'd broken into banks, infiltrated art galleries, and even once snatched a Treasure Weapon from the innermost depths of a Treasure Hall without fighting a single Phantom. After his abilities were recognized and he joined the organization, he'd continued to contribute through theft operations. His combat ability wasn't low either, but his growth orientation with Mana Material leaned entirely toward the former.
Gafu had been selected for this mission because seizing the "Key of the Earth" was critical.
Even if his comrades were captured, Gafu could flee with it. He had that kind of potential.
He brought the Fox God's priestess and headed to the Boss's location. He was led to the back of an upscale inn where nobles and other important figures were lodged.
Though it didn't face the main street, there were still people around. In such a place, the Boss stood with effortless composure.
A brazen bearing unbefitting of a secret organization. Crossing his arms without a care for the countless gazes directed at him—truly fitting for one who transcended the ordinary.
Gafu could never pull that off. He wouldn't even want to.
The Boss, wearing a white fox mask, spoke with admiration.
"You really do come when called. How diligent."
"I'm honored by your praise, Boss."
The Boss's—the superior's orders took absolute priority. Even the Fox God's priestess, who had been composed around Gafu, now seemed somewhat tense.
But what caught Gafu's attention was the woman behind the Boss.
Reddish-brown armor with distinctive coloring. A single sword at her hip. The Mana Material radiating from her matched Gafu's in quantity, but its growth orientation was clearly different—leaning toward combat.
Strong. If she was a Hunter, she was definitely a titled one.
Over her face was a deep crimson fox mask. Through the openings at the lower eyelids, flame-like glowing eyes peered out.
"Boss... who is that person?"
"Ah, I thought I'd have her help with that thing you took. You're short-handed, right? So I called her. This Tsuneko here is quite the fighter, despite appearances. She's got plenty of subordinates too."
Tsun... eko? Despite appearances? She doesn't look like an ordinary person at all...
Before the bewildered Gafu, the armored woman took one step forward and spoke in a quiet voice: "I am Tsuneko! Per the Boss's orders, I will join the battle, but you hold no authority over us. I wish to be treated as nothing more than a collaborator."
Despite her calm tone, her words brimmed with tremendous intensity.
This is... the Boss's direct-action unit I've heard about... Gafu thought with a soft grunt, and then realized.
These people... could they be that Lantern Knight Order?
The Lantern Knight Order.
A large-scale Party unified by reddish-brown equipment. A bona fide combat group that traveled from place to place hunting powerful Monsters and wanted bounties.
Their leader was a swordsman—a samurai who could face a thousand alone—Touka Kongoin. They were the true enemies who had destroyed numerous Fox subsidiary organizations.
And—they were one of the groups that was supposed to be eliminated in this Plan A.
She was wearing a fox mask, but her physical features matched those gathered from prior investigations.
"………………"
"Oh? Not to your liking?"
When Gafu involuntarily fell speechless, the Boss addressed him in a casual voice.
The Lantern Knight Order were mercenaries who moved for money, but they understood profit and loss. Even if offered a fortune, they wouldn't side with a criminal organization. They knew which way was more efficient and safer.
But now this strange woman calling herself Tsuneko stood with arms crossed, wearing a fox mask.
"…………No, not at all. I'm grateful for the consideration."
He had no idea what was going on anymore. As Gafu managed to speak, feeling as though he'd been bewitched by a fox, the Boss happily clapped his hands together for some reason.
§ § § The Fox Mask Appreciation Society people left with Touka. I let out a long, deep stretch, feeling a weight lift from my shoulders.
"Well now, that went well... that went really well..."
It was a perfect scheme that wiped away all my worries at once. It was all thanks to Citry, who'd been contributing to the Lantern Knight Order.
I should thank her later.
This way, we could take down at least some of those criminal organizations. Criminal organizations sprang up like bamboo shoots after rain regardless of size, so eradicating them entirely was impossible—but doing something was better than nothing.
As I loosened up my body, the recruitment girl who'd come with the Fox Mask Appreciation Society addressed me in a solemn tone.
"Lord White Fox. A magnificent strategy."
"...Why are you still here?"
"There is no duty higher than serving at your side."
How earnest. The Fox Mask Appreciation Society... what kind of organization was this? It seemed awfully formal.
But this was a problem. If I brought a girl like this back, what would Citry and the others say?
Trying to figure out where exactly she stood—she was the only one not wearing a fox mask, so her expression was visible—she seemed somewhat nervous.
Hmm...
"Um..."
"...I am Sora Zolo, a Fox God priestess. Please call me Sora."
The priestess who introduced herself as Sora said with a slightly deflated expression.
A Fox God priestess... I'd never heard of it, but maybe she was a well-known figure in that world.
I felt a little embarrassed, but I should confirm something I'd been curious about for a while.
I gave a small cough and, braving the shame, asked what I'd always wanted to know.
"Sora, I've been wondering for a while... is this mask really that rare?"
"...………Huh?"