Huohuo

While this foxian girl may seem fragile and weak, she is actually a judge-in-training of the Ten-Lords Commission, responsible for capturing evil.

The judges sealed a heliobus named "Tail" onto her tail, making her a "Cursed One" with a tendency to attract evil beings.

Despite trembling at the sight of evil spirits, she is always entrusted with the arduous task of eradicating their presence.

She is well aware of her incompetence but lacks the courage to resign, so she forces herself to press on despite her fear.

When Huohuo awakes at the Ten-Lords Commission, she finds herself confronted not with novelty, but with an atmosphere that sends shivers down her spine.

Sensing her unease, a white-haired judge addresses her with gentleness.

"Tell me, little girl, how did you come across that fire?"

"...It was along the roadside and about to extinguish, so I... I wished to help it."

"So you put that fire on your tail? Why did you do that?"

"I... I don't know... It happened before I realized it... I'm so sorry."

"You don't need to apologize, kind-hearted girl. However, you'll be under our custody from now onwards."

"Th—Thank you, Madam."

"Call me Hanya."

"Ah, thank you, Madam Hanya. I... my name is Huohuo."

The thoughts of the judge named Hanya wanders back to a few days ago.

The Ten-Lords Commission received a distress call, and she took on the task of locating the foxian girl who was about to be consumed by a heliobus. At the moment, Hanya couldn't repel the heliobus by force without causing harm to Huohuo, who was still a little girl. As a result, she had to seal the heliobus onto the girl's tail. Fortunately, the heliobus decided to start the possession from her tail, giving Hanya a chance to save her life.

"...Was my decision right or wrong?"

Hanya mutters to herself.

While the heliobus is short-tempered and arrogant, he is not impossible to communicate with. He could not tolerate Huohuo's sobbing and wailing and didn't quite understand how foxians socialize — for example, he didn't understand why the girl would be ostracized by her classmates due to "her tail being on fire."

"You! Tear off that talisman!"

"No! Madam Hanya said the talisman must not be removed under any circumstances..."

"Did you hear them? How dare they mock me!? I've never been humiliated like this before!"

"No... they're not mocking you... but me..."

"Then you go teach them a lesson yourself. If you can't avenge me for this insult, then don't talk to me anymore."

"B—But... I'm scared..."

"Alright, fine. You know what? Just take a deep breath, make your mind go blank, and don't think about anything. I'll handle this problem for you."

"B—But... Madam Hanya said... the talisman must not be removed..."

"Don't worry. Just do what I say."

...When she regained consciousness, the legend of "the possessed demoness" was already circulating.

After that, Huohuo went and found out a lot about the heliobus' past. Eons ago, a heliobus named Ignamar was defeated by a Luofu general and fragmented into numerous shards, then sealed in the Creation Furnace. This particular shard escaped, and he represents the arrogant side of Ignamar and wouldn't condescend to possessing anything, living as a vagabond for centuries... until Huohuo chanced upon him in his utter exhaustion.

"Then I'll call you 'Tail' to avoid unwanted attention..."

The heliobus said nothing, his silence being a sign of acquiescence.

When Huohuo was taken in by the Ten-Lords Commission, the judges initially wanted to ensure that Tail wouldn't cause any trouble.

Gradually, as she familiarized herself with her duties as a spiritfarer, she became acquainted with the various evil spirits documented by the Commission.

"Madam Xueyi! H—How about the talismans I prepared last time?"

"They were great. Very effective against Astral Spirits."

"Ha—Haha... Glad to know that. I was worried if it would work well."

"Why didn't you try them yourself?"

"N—N—No... I'm too scared..."

"You know, Huohuo? Most of those 'evil spirits' are actually extraterrestrial creatures or malevolent sentient beings that exist in various forms."

"I know what they are, but I'm still so afraid, Madam Xueyi. Maybe I'm not really cut out for this job..."

"...Well, only you know the answer to that."

Huohuo is not okay with her timidity. She struggled to muster the courage needed to confront the evil spirits.

She stayed up late watching horror-comedy films in an attempt to strengthen her nerves, but all she got were dark circles. She invested in the latest scientific exorcism tools to enhance her abilities, but it only left her with empty pockets. Tail sneered at the futility of her efforts, finding ways to make sarcastic remarks and mock her.

"To be honest, Tail is the scariest of all..."

However, in Xueyi's eyes, Huohuo has long ceased to fear Tail.

Initially, Tail was no different from any other heliobi, intending to devour Huohuo and take possession of her name and identity, stealing all of her desires and emotions.

Later, Tail found pleasure in witnessing Huohuo's frustrations in her failures. "Anyway, I'm not in a hurry to devour her at all. She can't escape me after all."

"Tail, Tail! Help... Help me!"

"It's none of my concern. What did you say back then...? Oh, you've got to 'stand on your own feet.' Now this is the perfect chance, isn't it?"

"No! I'll stand on my feet next time! Please help me!"

"A reminder, once you die, I'll be free. But... well, I always finish what I start. I won't leave until I devour you."

"You're a judge of the Ten-Lords Commission, but you've neglected your duty and allowed those monsters to wreak havoc on the Xianzhou. What a disgrace... Hey! What do you think you're doing, small fry!? I'm the only one who can scold her!"

"Roaaaarr!"

"You want to get physical, huh? Good, you asked for it!"

Since being possessed by Tail, Huohuo has become highly sought-after by evil spirits, like moths to a flame.

Huohuo always blames Tail for her ominous title as the "cursed one," and Tail finds having a host like Huohuo can be frustrating at times. However, years have passed, and Tail hasn't harmed Huohuo in the slightest. Although Tail never fails to help her after witnessing enough frustration, he denies any notion of friendship.

"Issued by the Ten Lords, Huohuo the spiritfarer has performed extraordinarily during her tenure and has proven to be reliable for crucial tasks. She is hereby promoted to the position of 'Judge.'"

The Ten-Lords Commission decreed her promotion, and thus begun Huohuo's new tenure as a trainee judge.