Reincarnated as a Son of the Sword Saint and the Sage

"Now that the wolves had taken most of the taiga, we were forced to march southward and settle ourselves on the very cold tundra, a place where there were too few monsters to hunt."

That's right, the foxes have been driven out of their former territory, slash, hunting grounds. The location of the biome must be near the south pole, so the temperature there is terribly harsh.

The colder the region, the fewer beings are able to survive that level of chill. Thus, there is a lesser source of food for the foxes, who are forced to leave there.

"And even if we go to the warmer parts, we cannot defend ourselves from the organized assault of the intellectual races, such as the werepeople of the north, the winged people of the east, the monster confederation of the west, and the mighty reptilians of the center."

Wait, wait, wait! Please slow down a bit! Are you saying that there are those kinds of races on that continent aside from humans?! I haven't conducted research on the races of that continent yet!

But I don't mind being spoiled, actually. And, I just realized that there are things that I have no awareness of.

Those races sound strong and dangerous. I have prior knowledge that there are human nations on that continent that are constantly waging war against each other. I am focusing on humans, so the other races have not been studied yet.

I assumed that the werepeople were something like werewolves and kind. For the winged people, maybe harpies or angels?

The monster confederation is probably the union of monster-like intellectuals. The reptilians? What are they, lizard folk? Well, we will know the answer if we explore further later.

"We suffered a lot from the atrocities of the wolves and have been wandering around a dangerous place, trying to find a way to survive. Our number was greatly reduced, and it will keep decreasing as we stay at that place."

After hearing her explanation and learning a certain point about their situation, a feeling called sympathy has grown and keeps swirling in my heart. Now I feel guilty if I deprive their hopes away from them.

"I now understand your situation. I might be able to permit your request."

"Thank you for your understanding, Mr. Raphael."

"But I cannot let this go unpaid. Is there anything else you and your people can offer."

We are going back to this topic again, but I hope she has made her decision.

"We will swear our allegiance to you if you accept my people to live here! I promise this as the queen of the foxes!"

Gah?!  She ultimately resolved to lower her queenly pride and prostrate herself in front of me for real! It was too unexpected and sudden; I actually broke my composure. But there is a thing I want to make clear.

"How can you assure me that they really swear their loyalty to me?"

"That won't be a problem, Mr. Raphael. My people are loyal to me and do whatever I tell them to. In the case that one doesn't listen to me or you at all, I would have them taste the stick. Don't worry about me; the strongest one in my people was a nine-tailed fox or around a thousand Levels, less than half of mine."

"If you say so..."

You really don't have to exert brute force, you know? But I am not done with the questions yet.

"Then how can you assure me that you won't betray me?"

I just met her this afternoon, and she's still a stranger to me. Plus, she's a fox, so she might be cunning and mischievous like what her kind sometimes represents.

"Well then, if my people can offer you their allegiance," she said, then paused for a while. "In my case, I will swear you my fidelity."

"…What...?"

What does she mean by her fidelity? If it's what I think, did she really mean it? Is this why she changed her form?

"Wait. Are you really going that far? As far as offering yourself?"

"If it's for the survival of my people, I can offer my whole self to you."

"..."

She really wanted to offer her body to me! In her human form, not her true furry appearance. Now, things are going to turn out in my favor.

"Don't you like it, Mr. Raphael?" She asked.

"Your offer is not bad and kind of tempting, to be honest." I honestly replied. "But the question is, are you really certain of what you have decided?"

"I am very certain, Mr. Raphael. It would be a pleasure for me to offer myself to someone like you."

That's what she said, but I cannot get into the conclusion for now. There are several things I need to reconsider before I accept her request.

Well, she is indeed beautiful and desirous in her human form. She is as shapely as Mother and undoubtedly caring to her child. She is basically a great mother figure, both physically and personally, if I ask.

Plus, those eyes on her are telling me that I am their only hope and that they are truly relying on me to achieve their survival.

"All right. You and your people are now allowed to stay here.

"Thank you very much, Mr. Raphael!"

"Kyuu!"

The fox MILF rejoiced and embraced her daughter tightly, celebrating the approval of their lifesaving request.

I approved her wishes for some reasons. One of those was that, I wanted this vast place to be resided.  It would be boring if I only saw my selves every time I visited this place.

Another reason was that the fox lady possessed a great, unique skill that I wanted to have. In order to get my hands on it, I need to do a horizontal dance with her, who just swore fidelity to me.

"I don't want to disturb your celebration, but there is a problem that I need to take care of." I spoke, then turned my body and faced east.

"Seems like a big problem. Let me help you with that."

"Thank you, madam. That's a big help; I don't even think about facing it alone. Have you sensed it too?"

"Yes, I have."

Several kilometers from our location, a very powerful entity is currently flying fast. The apex predator of this forest, the Ancient Dragon of Darkness, is unexpectedly coming our way.