The Harvester - 272. Soulmate
âSo, how are you doing nowadays?â Kara asked merrily as Rakna, who had already reverted into a therian, drank with her. Compared to the last time he had that âalcoholic competitionâ with the mother-daughter pair, he was even less affected now thanks to his new body constitution.
âItâs rather fine, I guess,â he answered the womanâs question.
âReally? I heard you exploded yourself not long ago,â she retorted with a sharp smile.
ââŠwell, put like that, it sounds bad. Which is not, by the way. Itâs just that my clone decided to do something extremely dangerous without having any idea of what kind of repercussions it would have on its original self,â the therian said unperturbedly and took a sip of his drink.
Kara raised an eyebrow. âAnd that is supposed to sound better?â
âYes.â
âHahahaha,â the vixen burst out laughing. âNever change, Rara.â
âDonât call me Rara,â he deadpanned but she nonchalantly continued.
âWe need more people like you in this world. The way you gaze at the world is fascinating.â
ââŠis that so?â Rakna wasnât sure what to make of that statement. âIs that why you were harassing me through the system messages?â
âHey, donât call it harassing. It isnât my fault that I seek entertainment when Iâm bored,â she pouted and gulped down the rest of her cup.
âRight. So, is there something this bored and fair lady here wishes to speak with me about?â
âOh my, fair lady? Donât tease an old woman like that,â she mock-blushed and Rakna sighed. Kara chuckled at his reaction and refilled her cup. She set down the bottle and resettled her expression into a calm smile. âWell, I wasnât lying when I said I just felt like entertaining myself a bit. What better way to do that than spend time with a delightful drinking companion?â
Rakna hummed without saying anything more about it.
âBut then again, I figured I could warn you a bit as well,â she said playfully. âIn the future, please refrain from making my sweetheart worry like that again. I heard of the stunt you pulled against the vampire on top of the most recent one,â she added seriously and Rakna stopped moving his hands for a short moment.
The vixen then sighed and shrugged. âAt this point, my little Kae literally needs you in order for her to continue living, you know?â
âWha-?â Rakna exclaimed at the outlandish declaration. âHow could that–â
âSpiritual foxes, you see,â Kara interrupted him. âHave the innate ability to prey on the opposite sex with charm and attraction. Nine-Tailed Foxes are not an exception. You could say weâre a bit of a mix between vampires and succubus in that regard; we have the charm and the drain.â
The therian scowled. âWhat does that have to do with anything?â
âHm, do you know what a soulmate is?â She inquired back.
ââŠâ
âHeh, of course, you do. Thereâs no need to beat around the bush; you are Kaeâs soulmate.â
âHow doâŠâ Raknaâs words died in his mouth. He sighed and rubbed his temples. âHow do you even discern that kind of thing?â
âAh, no, youâre wrong. Soulmates are not predestined. It just happens. Two soulmates donât even need to feel instantaneous attraction toward each other. Instead, itâs rather like two people are so compatible that the more time they spend together, the more their souls âmarkâ each other.â
ââŠwhy did you mention the spiritual foxesâ ability?â Rakna followed up, acknowledging what she was saying but now doubtful about why she had started the conversation as she did.
Kara smiled. âSpiritual foxes are bound to the person they love. Especially if theyâre soulmates. In this case⊠Kae may lose her will to live if you were to die.â
Silence fell in the room and Rakna broke it by clicking his tongue and pouring a shot. His fur shone for a short moment and turned red. The abrupt change startled Kara and he scoffed at her.
âI need another mindset to deal with this bullshit,â he spat.
She gaped at him for a few seconds before laughing lightly. âWell, if that makes you feel better, it would understandably be hard for anyone to resist your charm. Itâs odd, honestly,â she tilted her head and he frowned at her.
âWhat?â
âItâs even more obvious to me as a spiritual fox, but you have a constant attraction around you. Itâs as if⊠your entire existence was a pit calling out for help, seeking love in order to be closed. But I suppose, it would be more accurate to call it âdesperationâ.â
âNow, that hits a bit too close to home, so shut up,â Rakna rolled his eyes. âSo, what? Youâre saying that I have a natural ability that charms the opposite sex? Go write a romance novel already. What kind of surreal idea is that?â He paused as he saw the vixen watching him with a wide smile whilst resting her chin on her hands. ââŠwhat are you looking at me like that for?â
âOh, nothing. But what if I told you that you truly and unironically had the ability to turn anyone affectionate to you into a soulmate?â
ââŠI would say that itâs terrifying and stupid. If that was true, wouldnât youâŠ?â Rakna stopped his train of thought right then and there and his eyebrow twitched. His unease wasnât placated at all when he saw her smile widen and the smell of her emotions change dangerously. He considered her words seriously and Crystal Sight manifested itself.
If she was taken aback by the golden crosses, she didnât show it. Instead, she allowed herself to be inspected without any sort of resistance. Rakna didnât look at her status; no, he pushed his newest skill to a far higher degree and stared at her soul. He peered into the concept she had just explained to him and after a few seconds, incomprehensible characters appeared in his vision that only he could understand.
At that moment, he instinctively knew what it was. One more legacy from the Sage. âThe Original Language,â he thought, his mind reading Kara as if she was an open book. When he finally reached what he was looking for, it struck him right back.
He was pulled out of his trance and his sight returned to normal. His crimson eyes widened from what he had just seen and also because Kara had moved from her seat and was hovering her head right in front of his.
âWhat an overbearing vision. As expected of you. So? Did you see it?â She asked flippantly.
ââŠyou canât be fucking seriousâŠâ
âOh yes I am,â she retorted impishly and got even closer, forcing him to back away a bit. âSo, how about a hug to start things? Iâm sure thatâs a nice first base.â
ââŠwoman, you cannot fool my instincts. I can tell that you wonât stop at a hug.â
âOh, really? I suppose I have to go on the offensive then,â she flashed a smirk that promised a world of⊠whatever it was, and as Rakna was about to make a perfectly noble tactical retreat, a spiral of blue flames appeared in the shop and Kaelith walked out of it.
She froze on the spot when she saw the position of the two in the room. Everyone was silent for a while until crimson embers began to flare around Kaelithâs tails and hair. âMomâŠâ She said with a dangerous smile, enunciating every letter of the word. âWhat are you doing?â
Kara straightened herself and giggled. âNothing much. Iâm simply getting to know our soulmate a little better, thatâs it,â she uttered sultrily and Kaelith twitched.
At the same time, Rakna felt another presence teleporting close to him. He noticed that it was one of his Imperial Guard members using their privilege to transfer to him. He eyed the sphere of light on the table and it faded away to reveal the feline figure of Higure.
âHm? It worked. Where is this? The shop?â She said out loud and then looked around. Her eyes fell on the pair of vixens glaring daggers at each other before turning toward Rakna. âCat fight?â
âSpeak for yourself, horny catâŠâ Rakna mumbled and lifted his drink to his lips.
âHehehe,â the lioness suddenly had a devious idea, âBut, Devourer, you promised that I would be the first to mate with you, didnât you?â
Rakna choked on the wine and started coughing. The two fox women instantly zeroed on the small feline that had appeared in the room out of nowhere. The tension went through the roof.
Higure grinned widely, Kara giggled softly, and Kaelith smiled dangerously.
As for the therian, he looked the other way and quietly cleaned the spilled alcohol. â[…Neglect My Reality, Enkata,]â he whispered as if nothing was wrong and his body turned into shadows. He promptly ran away from the shop through the gap under the doors, waiting for the storm to pass.
* * *
Meanwhile, the clone waiting inside a private room after Elora went to fetch a certain item, looked up with an odd expression. He was receiving strange feedback from his original self.
âWhat is he doingâŠ?â
âLord Obsidian,â Elora opened the door and entered with a small casket in her hands. âI have it. As I mentioned before, for anyone with a territory and high nobility, the Pavilion gives it for free. You and His Majesty are both eligible without a question. Please tell your pupil that he has the right to collect it if he wants.â
âMhm. You donât need to worry about that. Iâm collecting this one for Raknaâs territory,â the clone said as he retrieved the small box. Since he didnât have a storage ring with him, he stored it by using a creative application of his nano-mites, creating an empty space inside his body to secure it. âI donât really have a territory,â he added to his prior statement and she nodded slowly.
âUnderstood. Um, should we head to the offices? I have contacted the staff already. There should be someone waiting for you.â
âAll right. Lead the way,â he said and followed her out of the room. âBy the way, may I know who this person is? Considering it is me, I do not think the Pavilion will send just anyone.â
âWell,â Elora smiled wryly and scratched her cheek. âWhen I called them, they told me that they would be notifying the President. They havenât told me who it would beâŠâ
âWhen you say President, you mean the Pavilionâs?â
âUm, yes?â
Rakna mused. âThen I guess it will be him whom I meet.â
âWhat?! You mean the President is going to come personally!?â The young woman was losing it at this point. She didnât think she could keep her sanity after meeting so many high-standing figures in such a short time span.
âWell, from experience, fate has a tendency to make fun of me. So, there are high chances for it to be true,â the wolf added and Elora started whimpering cutely whilst holding her head.
â{It is you who makes fun of fate, honestly,}â Fray commented.
âShush.â
AhraManyu
By the way, treat the multiple romance in this novel as me learning how to walk. Well, not that bad, but this kind of harem is a first for me. Soooo… experimentation time!