[Part 4/4]
(It's so depressing. It's almost like sending them to their deaths...)
The outcome of the accompanying personnel is almost predetermined. Even knowing that, there's no choice but to send them... However, not sending them is also not an option. It's hopeless. In my position, all I can do is be involved in selecting the team to be dispatched.
(Haha, it feels like tapping on the shoulders of the personnel department.)
The problem is that it's not just a job, but lives that are being taken. ...In a sense, it might be a bit late to realize that.
"We don't need to select the members to be dispatched, right?"
"No, that's not necessary. We already have instructions from above. We just have to follow them."
"Well, that's..."
An order from above that specifies individuals or units to be dispatched based solely on the number of personnel or teams is quite rare. There wasn't that much description about it in the original work, but it seemed like our head of the family put a lot of thought into it in order to succeed in that conspiracy. It's kind of touching that he even went as far as selecting the servants to avoid the Second Princess returning unscathed.
...Which is better, choosing a sacrifice here or there, I wonder?
"That's the situation. Don't mess up like you did during the last interaction."
"Yes. ...Yes?"
In response to Yun-shoku's words of emphasis, I unintentionally responded twice.
In other words, what's happening and how it's happening... well, it's something like that. It's really annoying. D*mn it!!
"......"
The time is midnight. The time was approaching the end of the day, just before midnight. Amidst the quiet slumber of many, there was a figure sitting at a desk. A woman working silently by the light of a small candle on the candlestick – Onitsuki family servant, Yun-shoku, Kaede Tomoe...
The furrowed brow that stared intently at the documents wasn't due to weak eyesight. It was because she had been illiterate by nature, struggling to read and comprehend the contents. Of course, she had improved considerably, but...
There were no enthusiasts among the servants who would willingly teach reading and writing. For exorcists who feared rebellion, educating servants meant sharpening their wits as much as possible, especially avoiding instruction in reading and writing.
Exorcists weren't all fools. Just as there had been several instances of rebellion in the past, it was a story that could be anticipated if they knew a little about the difficulty of completely controlling someone's heart or how a cunning person would puppeteer skillfully. That's why education in reading and writing was consciously neglected, particularly to avoid encouraging self-assertion.
Even a skillful actor isn't infallible. If they keep acting over and over, they'll end up hypnotizing themselves, poisoning themselves. Losing sight of their true self, they'll unknowingly become a puppet. If they can't read and write, it's difficult to retain a consciousness that would serve as their 'core', and it's tough to keep records. It takes a significantly strong mind not to succumb to this.
Recognizing this, self-taught wisdom can be useful. Learning wasn't prohibited in itself. However, assistance wouldn't be provided without some convenience.
Even those with intelligence and wisdom aren't all-powerful. By putting individuals in a state where they have to self-study with their own time and tools, one deprive them of the energy to guide others. Without some form of education, one couldn't become Yun-shoku, but in exchange, they'd lose opportunities for interaction with other servants. Promoted servants would have knowledge, but their popularity wouldn't grow. It's a scheme that's quite insidiously calculated.
In this era, the current Yun-shoku might be considered relatively exceptional in that sense. She learned the minimum necessary education for being Yun-shoku through self-study, and yet she was well-liked.
However, that had its limits too. There are limits to everything in the restricted environment. Unless he/she is an extraordinarily gifted individual, they'll hit a wall there. The reforms and improvements she aimed for, they would have been stuck without a clear path. And at some point, in the midst of the battle against the monsters, she should have died without achieving anything.
If that boy who fell here by chance hadn't been there...
"Ugh... Gorilla, the gorilla is coming...!"
"...? Is he having a nightmare?"
She turned around at the groaning sound coming from behind. The boy who was wrapped in a shabby blanket, her assistant, roommate, and the boy who saved her, was murmuring in his sleep with a solemn expression, sweat dripping down his forehead.
"Gorilla, the gorilla's using muscles for a Buster... Stop it. It's tearing. My crotch is tearing!!"
"Good grief, what is he saying..."
Perhaps because of his education, sometimes words that didn't make sense leaked out. This was especially prominent during his sleep. Perhaps it was tailored to suit him, words he wouldn't use in his daily lives. Thanks to that, it was somewhat unclear what kind of dreams he was having. To have something tearing one's crotch – could 'gorilla' be a kind of demon or something?
"Here, let me wipe off the sweat. When I look at you like this, you're still such a child..."
She wiped off the sweat dripping down his forehead with a cloth. After hanging up the mosquito net, she opened a small window to let fresh air into the room. Hopefully, this would help.
"Or..."
And then she considered another possibility. The boy had always had an oddly keen sense. Preparedness as if he knew in advance. A strong sense of vigilance. Had he sensed something this time too? But...
"However, there's nothing I can do."
Ultimately, it was difficult for Yun-shoku to voice her opinion directly. Besides, would he even give a straightforward answer if she asked for a reason? Speaking to someone who couldn't help, not only would it be meaningless, it could even be harmful.
The smart boy likely didn't talk about it because he understood that. If that's the case, wouldn't asking for the reason end up being a hindrance...?
"Haha. How powerless."
She smirked at her own position. It felt empty. She was acting like a reliable superior, a senior, but wasn't it quite absurd? Truly, truly pathetic...
"Could it be... the gorilla will drink Twin Splitting pills... and then, it will become four pink gorillas that will tear me into eight pieces...!?"
"... I wonder what kind of dreams he's really having."
At the incredibly anguished sleep-talk, Kaede Tomoe was understandably taken aback.
"Is there something troubling him, I wonder... hmm?"
Kaede Tomoe sighed as she looked at the boy tormented by nightmares and, on the edge of her field of vision, saw something by the window. And then, steeling herself, she turned around.
A bird was perched with its back to the dark night sky.
A shikigami message bird, resembling a lovebird, was perched with a letter in its beak.
"..."
She reached out her hand. She caught the letter. The lovebird released the letter from its beak, let out a small chirp to confirm its delivery, and then flew away. Kaede Tomoe gazed at the letter she held in her hand for a moment, and with resignation, she opened it.
She scanned the contents of the letter, read it, comprehended it, closed her eyes, suppressed her inner emotions, endured something...
"...Keep the window open, huh?"
She folded the letter and tucked it into her pocket. Then, she gently stroked the head of her roommate whose groaning seemed to have lessened and whispered to him.
"Mmm..."
Seeing the boy's somewhat uncomfortable expression, Kaede Tomoe smiled softly. She stood up, put on her haori, prepared herself, and then left the room. Outside the small window, the sound of crickets singing echoed...
AI Art:
Title: Young Aoi giving medicine
URL: [LINK]
Title: Kayo-chan's expression when covered in brain fluid
URL: [LINK]
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