[Part 1/4]
In the past few days, the youkai had sensed the increasing commotion in the "Doku Noroi Fuka Hayashi" or the Silent Curse Deep Forest. Especially, a few days ago, the sweet and fragrant aroma had lured youkai from all over the forest, and most of them never returned alive.
As a result of this massacre, a power vacuum had emerged in the deep forest. Although "Doku Noroi Fuka Hayashi" was still vast, it was densely populated with youkai. In reality, it was a place where youkai constantly preyed on each other, a harsh and ruthless cycle of survival.
The number of youkai eliminated by Onitsuki's princess had exceeded five thousand, mostly consisting of small youkai and young youkai. However, there were also hundreds of medium youkai and several great youkai among them. With their demise, what would happen next was evident: the flow would continue.
As the "Silent Curse Deep Forest" became an empty zone rather than an unpopulated one, youkai from the surrounding crowded areas flowed in. First, low-tier youkai, defeated in fierce competition, followed by high-tier youkai trying to expand their territory in the vacant zone.
Medium youkai, who had escaped from their usual habitats, ventured into this unfamiliar territory. Along the way, they devoured several small youkai and selected their new nests.
They were in high spirits. They had not survived in the primeval forest for nothing. Even in the deepest parts of the forest, they had lived in fear, always on guard against being preyed upon. Now, they delighted in the role reversal as predators.
'...!!?'
Suddenly, they sensed a scent. Their senses, far sharper than those of humans, captured it. They instinctively ran toward it; it was almost a reflex. Even as medium youkai, they couldn't resist the temptation.
They ran and ran, killing low-tier youkai who had also been drawn by the scent along the way. They found it: a bamboo water flask.
They hadn't survived in the primeval forest for nothing. They remained vigilant, not only around the open flask but also in its vicinity, checking for traps or ambushes. It seemed there were no problems.
Slowly but surely, the youkai closed in, observing the bamboo flask. They saw what was inside, extended their tongues, and began licking. They let their saliva flow while deftly moving their long tongues like whips over the surface of the liquid inside.
Suddenly, they erupted in screams of surprise and awe. It was nectar. What an intense spiritual energy! It was like the taste of blood flowing from a great youkai they had savored decades ago, even sweeter! They couldn't believe such a magnificent thing existed in this world!
It was akin to a drug. Once they tasted it, they could never forget. They took another sip, then another, each time immersing their tongues in the divine nectar. With each taste, they were enveloped in ecstasy, sighing in bliss, growling, and stupefied, surrendering themselves to happiness.
'Roarrrr!'
Then came a roar. The first intruder had appeared—a fellow medium youkai. Its large eyeballs swiveled around, and its gaze landed on what was there. It sensed what lay ahead. The first medium youkai to arrive was infuriated, not just by the intrusion but also by the blatant violation of its right to exclusively enjoy this divine feast.
'Grrrrrrr!'
It hissed and glared at the intruder, vying for control. Neither would yield; it was unthinkable. Before they could clash, a great youkai emerged from the side, determined to snatch the nectar away. It crushed the small youkai that had tried to steal the feast, causing chaos.
Crunch, thump, thump. The great youkai, having tasted the appetizer, looked toward the main course—the bamboo flask. Its gaze shifted to the medium youkai, then back to the great youkai.
Plans had changed. The contents of the bamboo flask were meant to be a sweet treat after the meal. The great youkai, which had disrupted the proceedings, roared confidently, convinced of its victory.
Like moths to a flame, one by one, the youkai were drawn in, each seeking the contents of the bamboo flask...
"So what's inside? What's the deal with it? We already know!!"
Running through the almost uninhabited, or rather un-youkai-filled, deep forest, I muttered in a pretentious tone, not really directing my words at anyone. Well, who am I even talking to?
"It's humiliating... This is humiliating. Such, such a thing... A noble Fusou girl shouldn't do something like this... Such a disgrace... Oh, yes, this is just a bad dream. A terrible dream. Hehehe, yes. I need to wake up soon..."
Meanwhile, the princess, who continued to mumbled endlessly in a trembling voice laced with curses, was carried on my back, bound by ropes. If I look at her face, I'd probably find her highlights gone by now. She had the look of someone who'd been through something traumatic, even though she hadn't been... this was her "r*pe face." She was completely lost in her own dreamland.
Is it my fault? No, it's for the sake of survival. It can't be helped... Hisame handled the collection, and I only set it up. Well, it seems it's partly my fault, huh?
"Given the circumstances, I understand, but..."
Hisame, who ran alongside me, mumbled reluctantly. Even through her mask, it was clear she was casting a compassionate look towards Loli Gorilla-sama. There was also a hint of blame in her gaze. No, didn't you agree too?
Loli Gorilla-sama was the highest-grade treat for youkai. While her paralysis affected her ability to release her spiritual energy externally, what about internally? What accumulated inside her? If that were released, it would be delightful. Her maidenly dignity had temporarily hidden.
"Scolding can wait until after we're done with all this!"
Desperately scanning our surroundings, I, or rather, we, continued to push through the pathless thicket. There were hardly any youkai around, and even if they were present, they were sluggish or just small fry. It seemed that a large number had fallen for the diversion. Hopefully, we could safely reach the secure area like this...!
'Roarrr!?'
"Ugh, this is bad!"
As we rushed through the undergrowth, we came upon a small cliff, and I executed a three-step landing right on the back of a boar youkai that happened to be there. Looking back, I saw the boar youkai. Probably a medium youkai, if not for the small fry. There must have been quite a bit of attraction to the diversion. I had no choice but to be a straightforward brute. I hastily twisted my body and when I was about to be crushed, a rumbling sound came from behind as well, like the earth shaking. The boar youkai had apparently crashed into a tree or something.
"What are you doing!?"
"Sorry, but there's no other way! Don't expect servant's detection abilities in this situation!!"
I heard a roar, and I turned to see the boar youkai that had slammed into the tree trunk. It was making an effort to forcefully extract its embedded tusks. The sound of fibrous tearing was clearly audible.
'Buooh!? Guoh!? Buoooh!!'
With a threatening roar, the trunk collapsed. It snapped and fell, bringing down the surrounding trees in a cloud of dust.
"Kyah!?"
"Hisame!!?"
One of the fallen trees remained perched on the edge of the cliff, and it tumbled down toward where Hisame had been. Her figure disappeared from view, concealed by the shadow of the cliff and the fallen giant tree.
"Are you alright!? Hisame, are you okay!?"
"I'm fine! But, Senpai..."
Hisame's voice was drowned out, and there was no time to listen. The boar youkai was closing in from behind.
"What... damn it!?"
Is this guy just a single-celled organism with no options but to move forward? I had thought I could evade by jumping sideways, but fallen trees blocked my path.
"It's gonna rock!"
"Kyah!!?"
I swiftly adjusted Loli Gorilla-sama on my back and started running. The boar was still charging from behind. I leaped into a dense thicket, where I couldn't see an inch ahead. Delayed behind me, there was a resounding sound of branches being forcefully broken, thump, thump.
"We're going to be caught up to!"
"I know!"
That's why this thicket was perfect. It blocked its view, and with good timing, I could veer to the side. The boar would lose sight of us... but then, a sharp, unexpected pain pierced through me.
"Ouch!!?"
I felt like my entire body was being shredded. The cause became clear immediately. It was leaves. Leaves! They were sharp as saw blades, commonly known as serrated leaves... or more precisely, a sharper version of it.
"A 'Sabishiso (Shisho leaf)' thicket!? Of all times, why now!?"
I shouted about the true nature of the leaves behind me. 'Sabishiso,' a name I remembered. It was an item from the game.
According to the flavor text, this should have been a type of spiritual herb thriving within the spiritual veins of this area. Along with the spiritual energy in the soil, it incorporated tiny metal particles and was coated with sharp metallic material on the surface.
It was a kind of ore vein, and aside from being used for pharmaceutical purposes, it had the unique feature that, when thrown into a smelting furnace together, it could produce low-grade spirit iron. Considering the peculiarities and significance of this forbidden land, it was not surprising at all that these spiritual herbs were growing abundantly.
The problem was encountering these dangerous spiritual herbs at precisely this moment.
"Ugh, d*mn it...!?"
It didn't mean that anything touched by them would be cut to pieces. It probably wasn't sharper than a cutter knife. The issue was that even though it wouldn't cut through my clothing completely, it still caused pain, and even through the clothing, it wasn't entirely safe. Moreover, the boar was closing in from behind. You damn beast! Is this boar invulnerable with its fur!?
"Servant...!?"
"Princess, get low! You might get injured!"
I warned Loli gorilla-sama, shouting. In perfect condition, it wouldn't be a problem, but with her currently paralyzed state, even the slightest blade could cause harm. I called out to her to hide her head and hands. I used my own body as a shield, confirmed that... and then sprinted forward!
"Ouch, ouch, ouch...!!!?"
Rustle, rustle, rustle. My skin was being superficially cut. Even though I had strengthened my body with spiritual energy, it still hurt. The sound of something unpleasant, like scraping, echoed endlessly. You beast! Well, as long as I can protect my blood vessels and neck, that's fine!
"Are you in your right mind...!?"
"If there were any other options...!!?"
In response to Loli Gorilla-sama's warning from my back, I casually rebutted. But immediately after, I felt something unusual around my ankle. I looked down. There was something biting me. A huge flytrap-like entity clamped onto my ankle. A massive flytrap... Oh, this was a bad scenario.
"Princess, don't let go under any circumstances..."
I warned Loli Gorilla-sama. A moment later, my body was being dragged. I thought I heard the boar's screams. Or I thought I heard the cries of a young child.
"Guah!!?"
Suddenly, something hit my head, and my consciousness blacked out.
"Servant... servant...!!?"
How long had my consciousness been fading away? Words resounded in my head like a throbbing ache. My head hurt. I felt nauseous. Everything became hazy.
"What...? Ahh, ugh...!!?"
With the sensation of waking up, excruciating pain assaulted me, and I regained full consciousness. I looked at my leg, then understood the source of the pain.
"Fly... trap!!?"
What I saw was a green presence that had clamped tightly around my left shin. It was like a carnivorous plant, resembling a flytrap.
Please bookmark this series and rate ☆☆☆☆☆ on here!
Donate me
Support Me with USDC
(ERC20)
Support Me with XLM
(Stellar Lumens)