Chapter 36: You're Gloria Cottonfluff, right? (3)
Fantasia is the name of the foxes' capital.
It's a city built on a mountain, with the noble foxes living closest to the spire. Cottonfluffs have their houses alight on the peak of the mountain, proudly having their heads the highest. Thus, the hierarchy and one's status have always been clear to the naked eye, as the richest admire the sky and the poverty-stricken lick the soil.
Beelzebub, Gloria, and Candice were on their way to the lowest part of Fantasia.
From afar, the whole mountain seemed as though cloaked in a maze. That was because the foxes disliked two or more flat buildings and instead constructed long and branching out houses which were always connected. In between the houses, foxes had their gardens, training zones, and more.
A lot of houses were hooked up by exquisite wooden bridges, but those were mainly reserved for servants and guests entering the highest households.
In such a complicated world, the thoroughfare going across the mountain was the saving grace for all players and other visitors. It drew a clean and stoop line toward the royal spire of Cottonfluffs.
Even though it was a broad day, the main road shone bright, as it was lit up by various lanterns seemingly inspired by the Eastern culture of Earth.
Well, for many players, the sliding doors alone were enough to call the foxes eastern inspired…
Gloria heavily took in the vista of the capital… the thoroughfare crowded by players, foxes, and other residents struck her the most as she only had horrible memories of this particular route below. She often used it to leave her home, and in most cases, it was her escape from the scornful eyes of her kin.
The last time she rushed down that path was when she had finally been banished by her father.
"What do you want me to see?" Gloria asked the player whose back stopped only when she needed time to collect her feelings and thoughts.
Beelzebub turned around and beckoned her to follow him. "As I said, you'll see that you're no different than other fox women."
Glaring at the man, Gloria clenched her fists and dug her nails into her palm. "Look at me!"
Heeding her words, David met his eyes with hers, then ran his hues from her head to toe.
He wholly absorbed Gloria's appearance, which could be described in two words: brazenly beautiful.
Gloria was a tall, voluptuous, and attractive woman.
She had long and straight white hair draping her back and ass. Two tall fox ears of the same color stuck out of her head, pointing toward the skies. Those ears were pretty cute, drawing out a drastic contrast between her face, which was picturesque yet sharply contorted by turmoil increasing in her heart.
Although a frail light shone in her red eyes, her twisted expression showcased Gloria's sharpness and boldness, her maddened hues trying to catch up with her personality, which no one would be able to see on any other fox woman.
She seemingly could never become as sharp and seductive a fox woman as other females of her kin. Her boldness was solely for the sake of raw strength.
And down below was where people could see how different she was from other foxes.
Wearing a self-made crop top, Gloria revealed her powerful physique to the world. Lean muscles rolled down her arms, and her six-pack had turned many fox men jealous and ashamed.
But Gloria also took a lot from the founder of Cottonfluffs, for her chest was bountiful and heavy, turning her top taut. Her breasts threatened to rip apart her cloth, and some of her soft flesh had already spilled out…
Though Beelzebub couldn't see her legs, he didn't need Gloria to undress to confirm his thoughts. Her long legs were also reinforced by well-trained muscles.
But what was more terrifying was her aura, which Gloria seemed to activate to intimidate David and show him how different she was from others.
It was as though the soul of a monstrous fox spirit was circled around her, heightening her presence and turning it into a deadly sword. That was the main cause that had turned others away from Gloria.
She was like a monster in the fox skin, wanting blood and nothing more. Moreover, it had never grown to its full potential, for the environment Gloria had spent her life in was against her true self.
And only equals could see her cute and womanly side instead of a freak. Alas, those who could had their reasoning dwarfed by the standards of their world.
"I defeated my father in a brute force contest, shaming him before my family… I am unlike my mother and sisters, who are tender and beautiful, looking out of this world in our race's famous robes. Everyone admires them! They wield magic to perfection and can enchant even a part of the world… meanwhile, I can only destroy it with my hands. Father no longer wants to speak with me… mother had our servants tell me that only after getting rid of those muscles can I return home… sisters turned me into a scapegoat and even called me a fake once…." Gloria spoke through gritting teeth, sounding exasperated. "How am I the same?! How am I like them?!"
A lot of thoughts ran in Beelzebub's mind on that day.
A part of him wanted to ask what still kept this woman here… the world was open to her, and she could move on, yet she always returned here. That part recalled well how his mother had abandoned him when he came of age and how others used him while wearing a mask of friends and girlfriend.
Cottonfluffs never wore any masks, did they? So why…
"Will you give me a chance to show you, then? We haven't even entered the thoroughfare yet." Beelzebub spoke softer than he usually did, which made him sound as though he was saddened.
In the end, he held back that part of himself. Having experience of living outside without any home and meeting various kinds of people taught David how to speak and deal with people. It was always better to approach people with kindness without any prejudice.
It was always best to be cynical… people never approached others for no reason.
Blindly trusting in someone… is a sin.
Unbeknownst to Beelzebub's thoughts, Gloria bit her lips and nodded, feeling bad for shouting her real feelings at the person she met not too long ago. She couldn't understand why she had done it, either… was it because the man extended his hand toward her?
"I will stay silent." The white fox whispered.
Beelzebub shook his head. "Candice would love to hear about the dinner you ate today. Are you a cook?"
"I'm self-learned… from what the system and players told me, I am pretty good at it. To build a healthy and powerful body, you must have a proper diet! That's the key! Cooking is also fun." Gloria turned merrier and spoke about her hobby.
Candice chimed in with her munching sounds. "Eating is more fun! You know! Mmm!"
These two started a talk and slowly learned about their differences.
In that good mood, Gloria didn't even notice when they had entered Fantasia and stepped on its main road.
People had their eyes on them from the start.
Beelzebub was Beelzebub, the demonic alchemist.
Candice was a unique titan of sixteen feet tall, wearing a cute long dress with donuts.
Gloria was already infamous in her tribe…
Players and residents alike made way for them.
But some were less perceptive and ended up bumping into Candice's tall and tough frame. She hit them like a truck and sent them flying!
"What insane bastard attacks in the middle of the city?! It's you, isn't it? You fat bitch!" One of the players rose to his feet, patted his clothes, and straight insulted Candice.
A moment later, however, the rest of his friends lurched from the ground and caught him from behind, covering his lips to not utter any more words.
They ended up dropping flat on the ground again.
And that group of players then shifted their eyes to the man perched in front of the titan and freak fox, standing in his emerald robes fluttering gently alongside the breeze. His appearance somehow seemed grand and ominous, and one of the players even imagined a green mist shrouding him!
[Beelzebub Lv. 383 HP: Hidden MP: Hidden Guild: None]
David turned his dark abyss eyes to them and faintly curved his lips up. "On behalf of my teammate, I'd like to apologize to you. Hope your equipment hasn't suffered any losses."
"I-It's fine! I actually tripped and blamed your teammate for it! I am so sorry! I should find a cure for this hot-headed self of me!" The player and his friends stood up and bowed, then apologized to both Beelzebub and Candice.
And then they scurried away.
A few minutes later, the players found a restaurant to sit and drink something cold…
"You insulted Beelzebub! You fucking idiot!"
"I didn't notice him!"
"He's been recently hanging out with a fat and big woman! You should've known that!"
"Shit… I hope he won't put us or our guild on a blacklist… No one can match the stuff he sells when he opens his monthly store… I don't want to suffer the same fate as Lamia Familia…."
Lamia Familia was a guild that… Beelzebub made clear he detested.
And all powerhouses that wanted to flatter the demonic alchemist also announced their stance toward them.
Respected in many alchemist circles and even being the first player to win the annual alchemist contest in The Imperial Empire, The Rainbow Hydra Cauldron Contest, only two years after the arrival of the first players, various high-level craftsmen and NPCs had also banned Lamia Familia from doing alchemy business in their lands.
Beelzebub was a name everyone expected to see at the top for an eternity.
"If our guild is forbidden to buy from Beelzebub, you better delete your character and create a new one with a mask on…."
"Shit! Shit! Shit!"
"Maybe don't even play the game…"
"…"