"Get your hands off me—!"
Natsu thrashed violently against the ground, twisting her body as she tried to break free from the crushing weight pinning her stomach-first into the dirt.
It didn't work.
A large, muscular man with a scar running across his cheek held both her wrists behind her back with one hand while pressing a knee firmly against her spine. The sheer weight behind it made even breathing difficult.
"Hold still, dammit!" the man growled.
Natsu grit her teeth and shoved against the ground again.
It changed nothing.
Riverbank sand pressed against her cheek as panic clawed through her chest.
"Are you sure this is our target, Broderick?" the scarred man asked, glancing toward the bald man standing nearby. "This one's clearly a girl. And she's not wearing a slave collar."
The bald man — Broderick — crossed his arms calmly.
"Ron's mana search skill said so," he replied, glancing at a hooded man behind him.
The hooded man named Ron nodded.
"This girl's descriptions also match what our client's had described." Broderick continued. "White hair. White tail. Feminine face."
Natsu's pupils shrank.
They are…
She recognized them immediately.
The bandits.
The same group that attacked her owner's caravan about two weeks ago. The same people who slaughtered her late owner — Geoffrey — along with every single one of his bodyguards.
Back then, amidst the screams and bloodshed, she had overheard Broderick shouting orders.
"Kill anyone who gets in the way and capture the white-haired fox-kin alive."
At the time, she hadn't understood why. She was just another slave — another filthy beast-kin in human eyes. Yet somehow, they had specifically been searching for her, even willing to kill anyone just to capture her.
And now, they had found her.
How…?
After escaping the massacre, she had deliberately fled toward the Supreme Dragon Valley — which happened to be nearby at the time — a place so dangerous that sane people avoided it entirely.
That was the point, nobody should've followed her here. Yet these bastards somehow managed to track her all the way into the territory of the strongest dragons.
Broderick crouched in front of her with a small smile, then looked at the scarred man.
"Ron said the mana signature from the white fur we collected at the caravan led us right to her," he said casually. "So yes. It's definitely her."
Natsu's stomach twisted.
They tracked me… from my fur?
Broderick leaned closer.
"You're Miyuki Natsukawa, right?" he asked. "One of Geoffrey's slaves."
Natsu's eyes widened slightly.
…How does he know my name?!
She stayed silent, and kept glaring.
Broderick sighed dramatically. "Not very talkative, huh?"
"Ugh—!" Natsu grunted in pain.
The scarred man suddenly forced her arms higher behind her back.
"I think I get it now," Broderick said suddenly, standing upright.
The scarred man frowned. "Get what?"
Broderick grinned. "Our client, and we are all have been fooled by this fox."
"…What?"
He gestured toward Natsu.
"Think about it, Garl. The 'fox-boy' our client described…" His grin widened. "…is actually a girl."
Silence followed as Garl processed that.
Then his eyes slowly widened.
"…No way."
"Yes."
"A shape-shifting fox-kin…" Garl muttered. "…A Nine-Tailed Fox?"
Broderick laughed softly.
"Looks like our employer thought he was chasing after a cute fox boy for his twisted hobby." His eyes gleamed greedily. "Turns out this job's far more profitable than expected."
Garl let out a low whistle.
"Forget the original payment," he said. "Do you know how much nobles would pay for a genuine Nine-Tailed Fox?"
Natsu's blood ran cold.
"Or the luxury brothels," another man muttered nearby. "especially with that face—"
"Shut up," Broderick interrupted sharply. "Don't damage the merchandise."
Natsu's nails dug into the dirt.
Curse my fate…
Just when I thought I was finally free…
Only five minutes earlier, she had simply been washing her face by the river.
That was all.
The moment she sensed another presence behind her and tried to react, Garl had already grabbed her.
And worst of all — she hadn't sensed him approaching at all.
Why?!
Even now, she couldn't feel any mana from him. Which meant either a stealth-related skill… or an artifact.
Either way, it had caught her completely off guard.
"Can you stop struggling already?" Garl growled, tightening his hold again. "You're making this harder than it needs to be."
Natsu ignored him and continued fighting desperately.
I refuse.
I refuse to go back to being a slave!
She would not willingly submit again.
Broderick sighed in annoyance before reaching into a leather pouch at his waist.
The moment Natsu saw what he pulled out, her heart nearly stopped.
A slave collar.
"…No," she whispered.
Broderick sliced his thumb open with a knife and let several drops of blood fall onto the red crystal embedded at the front of the collar.
The crystal began glowing faintly.
"No…!" Natsu struggled harder, panic flooding her voice. "Get away from me!"
Broderick ignored her completely and leaned down. "Hold her still."
Garl pressed down harder.
Natsu tried to twist away — but Broderick had already snapped the collar shut around her neck before she could escape.
The moment it locked into place, her breathing stopped briefly.
"No—!"
"Last step," Broderick said calmly.
Garl pulled out a knife and lightly grazed Natsu's finger. A tiny bead of blood formed at the blade's tip.
Then he pressed it against the crystal.
The glow intensified.
Instantly — pain exploded through her entire body.
"Agh—!!"
Every muscle locked violently — it felt like fire tearing directly through her veins. Natsu's face slammed into the dirt as her body trembled uncontrollably.
"There we go," Broderick said with satisfaction.
Natsu tried to move.
Tried to claw the collar off.
But her body no longer obeyed properly.
The familiar feeling of helplessness returned like a nightmare she thought she had escaped forever.
"Stand up," Broderick ordered.
Natsu gritted her teeth and resisted.
—Agony immediately surged through her body.
"Argh—!!"
"Don't resist," Broderick said calmly. "You know it's useless."
Glint of tears blurred her vision from the pain.
"…Stand."
This time, her body obeyed against her will. She stood trembling as despair clawed through her chest.
No…
Not again…
"Good," Broderick nodded. "Now listen carefully."
His expression hardened.
"We're leaving this cursed valley immediately before we attract the dragon's attention."
The surrounding men visibly agreed with that plan. Nobody wanted to stay here any longer than necessary.
After tying Natsu's hands behind, Broderick pointed at her. "And don't even think about trying to run."
She lowered her head silently. Not because she accepted it, but because she knew exactly what the collar would do if she resisted.
The group began moving deeper into the forest. Several armed men walked ahead while others guarded the flanks.
Natsu walked at the very back, with Broderick and Garl remaining beside her like wardens escorting a prisoner.
Which, technically—
She was again.
Sunlight filtered through the foliage overhead, warm against her skin.
But right now, it felt strangely… cruel.
With every step away from the base — the place where she had spent the last several days blissfully alongside Nathan — Natsu felt her chest tighten more and more.
Because there was only one thing she could think about now.
Nathan…
• × • × • × •
Several hours later, Nathan returned from his rock-gathering expedition.
"…Alright," he muttered while climbing the slope toward the base. "I think that should be enough adventur—"
He paused.
Because he didn't see her.
"Natsu?"
No response.
He frowned slightly.
Usually, she would either be waiting nearby, sleeping under the shade, or sitting on the wall while watching the forest.
But now, she was nowhere to be found.
"Natsu?"
Still nothing.
A bad feeling settled into his stomach instantly.
He began searching around the perimeter.
He found nothing. Not a single sign of her.
Nathan's expression darkened.
"…Natsu!" His voice echoed through the forest. "Where are you?!"
Silence answered him, as cold unease crawled up his spine. He immediately climbed down from the wall and moved toward the riverbank.
Then he saw them.
Boot prints — several of them, along with clear signs of struggle.
Dragged dirt.
Crushed grass.
Torn fabric.
Deep impressions in the mud.
"…That's not a good sign."
Not good at all.
His heartbeat quickened.
Goddammit…
He carefully followed the tracks leading deeper into the forest. At first, they were easy to spot. Too many people had passed through here to hide them properly.
But eventually the ground hardened into packed earth and stone.
The footprints vanished.
"…Damn it."
Nathan scanned the area frantically, but he found no more obvious clues.
Then something glinted under the sunlight.
"…What's that?"
He crouched and picked it up.
It was a single 4.6mm round.
His eyes widened instantly.
"Natsu…"
He looked farther ahead and spotted another glint.
Then another.
One bullet every few meters, leading deeper into the forest.
Nathan clenched the bullet tightly in his hand.
This wasn't random, it was deliberate. A clear message only he could understand.
His expression hardened immediately.
"…Alright, Natsu." the air around him seemed to grow colder. "Wait for me."