[Part 3/4]
"Miss Tamaki. Please do not be too depressed. This incident was unexpected, and any damage is not the surveillance team's fault. After all, it is just a poor farming village on the border, and the loss is not significant.”
Muja's words, being the lookout from the Hidden Group, were undoubtedly hurtful to Tamaki as they did not console her but rather wounded her deeply. What makes it worse is that even though it would have been effective when it comes to dealing with regular exorcists, it is insignificant in this case.
(Good grief, this is so bad.)
And as I was silently observing such a meeting, I sighed inwardly. Although the story was similar to the original, it seemed to have more damage and a higher likelihood of negativity because both supplies and soldiers were gathered, and the current protagonist was met with more resistance than in the original.
(Well, the problem here is that I don't know which choice the protagonist will make...)
The three choices the protagonist makes in the story, since I am not the player, I have no certainty as to what kind of action the protagonist will take in case of an emergency. Besides, I couldn't deny the possibility that she might take other choices than those in the original story because of the various deviations from the original story.
(If she takes reckless actions without my notice...that would be troublesome.)
Like always, I am not almighty and always get entangled with unforeseen circumstances. And in a case like this, there is a risk that the protagonist may be in danger... so is it better to take preemptive measures?
"Excuse me. The current activity location of Namahage is unknown, correct?"
"Huh!? E, erm... Master Shirowakamaru and I have been sending out shikigami, but we haven't been able to find it."
The one who answered my sudden question was Murasaki, and although she had no obligation to answer a servant's question like me, she kindly explained the situation to me.
"Yun-shoku? Is there something on your mind?"
"Yes. About how to search for Namahage, a little bit.”
I answer the call of the hidden member group assigned to watch over me. From this point on, my speculation is more in the fan community rather than being based on original sources, but…
"Did the Hanachouin Family, which was monitoring Namahage, only conducted surveillance without any servants? And even though Miss Murasaki and Master Shirowakamaru are searching with shikigami, they have yet to discover anything." I point out, exasperated.
Murasaki narrows her eyes at my point. "So, is the youkai hiding by staying underground, where shikigami can't find them?" She ponders thoughtfully.
"I don't understand the logic. However, it's a little suspicious that even though we have been searching intensively, we can't any traces so far." I reply, my frustration growing.
In the original story, it took a considerable amount of time to discover Namahage's whereabouts after they became untraceable. By then, several villages had been destroyed, yet no footprints could be found. The only time the youkai was discovered was when Muja, who had gone on reconnaissance while using shikigami and reported to the protagonists, was devoured to death. Even then, Namahage was not directly identified. The presence of Namahage was observed in a report from a servant who went out for additional reconnaissance.
By the way, at this point, Namahage had already passed through the capital county, which is one of the reasons why the county governor and others abandoned the villages. It is likely that they feared that the county governor and his subordinates might direct the conflict toward the capital by inadvertently leading the evacuation or letting the target escape.
...Anyway, that's beside the point. What I'm trying to say is... it's unclear whether continuing the search with shikigami alone will yield any results. In other words...
"Actually send people to search?" Murasaki asked, her voice laced with amazement.
"It is said that seeing is believing." I replied, my voice calm and collected. "Directly seeing, hearing and bringing information back is the most reliable."
Well, I can't fully trust that due to illusions or memory manipulation, can I? But it's worth trying to send someone here...that's my opinion.
"But who will go? I should remind you, my army cannot move. I have the responsibility of defending the city and guiding people to evacuate."
The commander was the first to suggest this, and it was true, but he probably didn't want to move the troops carelessly and cause any damages. The same goes for the Governor who nodded his head. He didn't seem to want to move the chess pieces that were there to protect him. Well, that's to be expected.
"I understand. After all, the original opponents of the army are bandits and rebels." My voice was clear and confident. "Not against a creature outside of human order."
"Then..."
"Wait, servant. Don't tell me..."
The commander and Murasaki, as if they understood my words, turned their gaze towards me. The remaining participants also began to notice what I was trying to say.
"Yes. I plan to directly search for Namahage."
And with that, I humbly volunteered to do so...
Not that I was particularly eager to say those words. But I volunteered for the sake of the protagonist's mental health.
Even if it's just a formality at worst, that's fine. I wanted to make the protagonist think that I made an effort for the villagers, and to stop her from doing something rash out of frustration... That was the purpose of my volunteering.
The opinions of those present were split on my volunteering. The county governor and the army commander were in favor. It was certainly to create evidence that they were not idle and were not just watching the situation, but it was rather convenient this time.
Murasaki disagreed. But then, even though I'm just a servant, I am still Yun-shoku. I don't mean to boast, but in terms of experience and presence, I can be a fighting force after the three exorcists, including Murasaki. She opposed it because she didn't want the fighting force to be dispersed.
Muja remained silent. As an observer, they couldn't express agreement or disagreement. They abstained from expressing their opinion.
The one who was most perplexed and disturbed was Tamaki. She seemed to think that because of her words, others had drawn the short straw. From her point of view, since she was the one who spoke, she should take the most risk, but that was rejected by Murasaki.
Shirowakamaru did not express his opinion. He said he would think it over and that was it. As a result, the situation was standstill.
"Well, there's no help for it. Let's adjourn for the time being. We will discuss it again during the night. Please come to your own conclusions by then."
The long discussion ended with Murasaki, who seemed unhappy, declaring it so. We could not talk about this topic alone forever. And thus, the discussion ended but Murasaki stayed behind to discuss the report to the Governor, the army leader and the county executive, warnings to the surrounding exorcists, and the security of the county capital, while the others left the room.
"Hey, come with me for a minute."
It was at that very moment that the boy in the Suikan suit called out to me.
...
...
...
Unlike the previous world, the city lights were not present in this world, and as a result, the night sky was clear enough to see the stars. Literally, it was a starry sky.
It was past five o'clock in the evening, and because of the winter season, the sunlight had already set. It was said that since the county capital located directly above the spiritual vein, the quality of the climate should have been good, and yes, the climate was better than that of the rest of the Northern region outside spiritual vein in the middle of winter. Nevertheless, it could be said that we were lucky that the city streets were not buried by heavy snowfall.
"Master Shirowakamaru, where are we going?" I asked, my voice laced with a hint of apprehension.
"Well," he drawled, a sly smirk tugging at the corners of his lips. "It doesn't matter, just follow me." His tone was teasing, almost taunting, leaving me with a sense of unease.
And so, through the forested fields on the outskirts of the county capital, I was escorting Shirowakamaru. I had been commanded to accompany him with his luggage just half an hour ago, but it wasn't a commendable thing to travel through the forest at night without even a bonfire. Nevertheless, since it was Shirowakamaru himself who had ordered it, I had no choice but to comply. Fortunately, as mentioned earlier, since the night sky was bright, we were able to see the surroundings to some extent...
(There are surely no youkai, are there...?)
Most of the cities with spiritual veins have boundaries to ward off evil. Even this area, which isn't far from the provincial capital, seems to benefit from these boundaries, and as far as my scouting goes, I couldn't confirm the existence of any youkai.
(If Botan's shikigami were here, I would be able to be more vigilant.)
Thinking about the hummingbird shikigami that had been missing for the past few days, I recall the settings from the original work. Unlike her old man in the original scenario, she had already died before her appearance in the work.
To be more precise, it should have been about half a year since the protagonist was taken in by the Onitsuki family. Although it was called 'dying from illness,' in this world, it doesn't simply mean being sick...
"Big bro, what are you thinking about?"
"Huh?! Ouch!?"
I was pulled out of my train of thought by the voice, and at the same time, noticed the figure of a beautiful boy looking up at me. I noticed but reacted too late and unintentionally hit Shirowakamaru head-on. I fell down, pushing him down as well.
"...!?"
"Big bro, you're hurting me..." Shirowakamaru said, wincing in pain.
"P-please forgive me...!" I apologized.
As I fell, I was facing Shirowakamaru's face with a scolding tone. He looked like a little girl looking up at me from right under my nose. And then, when I understood our positions, I hurriedly backed away and apologized.
"...It's okay, no need to panic like that, Big bro." Shirowakamaru said, his voice filled with a playful tone, as he pulled his slightly disheveled clothes into the right shape.
"No. Such impoliteness is not permissible when considering each other's positions," I replied, my voice stern and serious, as I tried to regain my composure.
Shirowakamaru giggled, his playful eyes shining mischievously. He couldn't help but laugh, finding something amusing. But the joke was not easy to dismiss. First, as I said earlier, from our positions. And secondly...
(Seriously, he has too much sex appeal for a guy)
With fleeting eye contact, white skin, a delicate frame, and a slender face, he looked like a girl, especially since he'd recently started growing out his hair. Even my body reacted to him for a moment even though I had no intention to do so.
"By the way, this is..."
Trying to divert the topic to forget what had just happened, I took a look around.
Where Shirowakamaru and I had stopped, there was a shallow lake. A clear lake hidden in the forest. A lake with fresh water trickling down from a small cliff...
"Ah. As part of my training, I periodically perform 禊祓 (Misogi-harae/purification)[1]. My master said it would be best to do it here since it's the county capital of Milia."
Shirowakamaru answered my question vividly.
"Purification... ah, I see."
Shirowakamaru's words convinced me after I observed my surroundings for a moment. In Shinto, purification is meant to cleanse desires and evil thoughts. This practice exists in this world as well.
Especially in rivers and waterfalls with strong spiritual energy, it is meant to take in the spiritual energy of the earth and wash away the youkai, curses, and other negative energies that cling to one's body after encountering youkai beings.
Exorcists of the shikigami art type, in particular, placed even greater importance on this practice because their bodies were not as strong as those of the other types of exorcists. If Shirowakamaru is also an exorcist type that deals with boundaries, curses, and shikigami, it was natural that he would perform purification several times during the course of this mission.
Anyway, it seems that this area is a hidden spot. The area was small, but the spiritual energy was quite thick. It is a good place for purification. As long as one could put up with the cold.
"So, during that time, should I be vigilant around here?"
"Yeah. I'm counting on you."
Saying that, the boy took off his Suikan clothes in front of me. I hurriedly averted my gaze and turned my back. It's a ridiculous story even though we're both men, but... no, this guy's sex appeal is still ridiculous.
(Well, I guess I'm trusted to a certain extent?)
Considering his past experiences described in the story, it is not surprising that he distrusts men. Unlike in the original story, he may be protected by that young-looking old hag, but he has become more rounded, bringing a male like me as an escort.
...As I was lost in thought, I heard the sound of water behind me and I peeked. In a thin white dress and with his hair untied, Shirowakamaru got into the lake and wet his whole body with cold water while showering from under the waterfall.
[1] Misogi-harae is a purification ritual in the Shinto religion, typically involving washing the body and/or immersing oneself in a body of water such as a river or waterfall.
Please bookmark this series and rate ☆☆☆☆☆ on here!
Donate me
Support Me with USDC
(ERC20)
Support Me with XLM
(Stellar Lumens)