[Part 2/7]
Glancing at the nearby young girls for confirmation, their ages hovering suspiciously around ten below or probably not exceeding fifteen. Some lowered their heads, others averted their gazes, and perhaps a few trembled in fear, shedding tears. Hit the mark; it was the correct answer.
"The instigator is you, isn't it? Honestly, it's quite exasperating. Have you never seen a young youkai before? You're pushing your luck."
I said a few words to the older girl who seemed to have been born into a former noble family, who seemed to be shrinking down. Even those who embarked on this reckless adventure are said to be exclusively from the Center region. Unlike the surrounding lands, where even the minor youkai in the mountains and forests have mostly been exterminated, it's not uncommon for those in the Center region to live their entire lives without encountering a youkai.
"S-sorry... I didn't mean to..."
In a voice almost on the verge of disappearing, a girl named Kudzu murmured. It was an apology. The reason for her soft voice seemed more out of fear than reluctance. Several companions embraced her, gathered around, looking up at me with anxiety.
...It seems this girl unexpectedly has some popularity.
"If it's an apology, you should say it to your master, not me. I'm just here for the job. That's it!"
"Huh? Kyah!!?"
"Hyah!?"
For now, I take a leap and launch an attack. With a spear in hand, I swiftly cut down several youkai jumping at me from the darkness. They were just young youkai, not much of a threat. The sudden scream might have been a reaction to the unexpected attack, but it seemed more connected to their monstrous appearance. All of them were insect youkai, twitching and moving their legs even while lying on the ground. I promptly cleaned the bodily fluid off the spear.
"This, this..."
"When prey gathers, even fierce beasts come together. Rather, how have you all managed to stay safe until now? ...Hey."
Everyone quickly looks up at me in response to my call filled with killing intent. They embrace each other, frightened, and pay attention. That was exactly my intention. It was necessary to make them listen seriously for their own sake.
"Absolutely do not separate. Hold hands with each other. Be quiet. There aren't many formidable enemies, but I can't guarantee everyone's safe return alone. ...Understood?"
I give a stern and thorough warning. Their head nod in agreement, and their faces pale with seriousness. I can't entirely rely on last-minute panic, but... well, I want to believe that it's more effective than saying nothing.
Even if they're idiots, the other party is a child. They may be a bunch of idiots, but they're not necessarily villains.
"Well then, let's go. ... What's wrong?"
Trying to advance in the darkness at the forefront, I was grabbed by the sleeve and turned around. The youngest girl among those collected looks up at me anxiously. While looking up, she pulls on my sleeve several times and moves her mouth.
"Um, um... hey. What's your name?"
A clumsy question, huh? While the people around her panicked and tried to stop her, they realized too late. Well, I hadn't introduced myself to these girls at all.
(Well, that's certainly a problem.)
I acknowledged that it was extremely rude not to introduce myself, and recognizing the necessity for it, I answered the girl's question.
"Consider me a household member, treated as a servant. The name is Tomobe. Call me whatever you like. ...Well, it's a short time, but I'll be counting on you."
In a brief statement, I introduced my alias.
Anyway, the hallway was damp and musty, and coming out from the roof, the floor beneath my feet, the adjacent shouji paper door, and the earthen wall, modified youkai emerge. According to exorcist standards, they are all insignificant small fry. If the training is high, servants could handle them alone. In reality, I mechanically sweep them away with my spear as I set up an ambush. While sweeping, I go through the depths of the corridor in silence.
"Surprisingly, there are quite a few."
From the perspective of those who came last time, they probably abandoned the idea of sealing the entrance because they could sweep later with the strength of the seal. Or perhaps securing medicines and books in the basement took priority. They may not be unscrupulous dealers, but... I wish they had worked a bit more diligently.
"Don't move there!!"
"Huh...!?"
I warn the last brat at the rear because I sense a presence. I throw a kunai, and passing by her cheek just barely, it crushes the skull of the youkai approaching from behind. Attacking from weak ones is a youkai tradition.
"..."
"...Alright. I've mostly cleaned up around here. Let's go."
The girl, still dazed by the realization that she was about to be devoured, I called out to her. Finally, she began to move, persuaded by her companions. In the darkness, the footsteps echoed softly...
(I can't tell them to hide...)
Children without training couldn't hide their footsteps, their breath, or even erase their presence. Except for my spiritual power, the girl was nearly useless. It was nothing short of a miracle that none of them had been consumed before they regrouped.
Therefore, resigned, I deliberately exposed my spiritual power as bait. The problem was that even then, there were many monsters prioritizing the children as prey...
"..."
"What's wrong? Do you need something?"
While opening the shouji paper door repeatedly, turning corners in the hallway, the noble's daughter leading the group ahead tugging at my sleeve. When I looked back and asked, she too glanced back at her companions behind her. It seemed the call was from the second person.
"Um... is this path safe? Even though the thread was cut... Is there an exit?"
Whispers tinged with fatigue and anxiety. The remaining group looks at me as if in agreement. It seems they have speculated that I am aimlessly wandering this dungeon. Judging by their fatigue, it seems like they've taken a break.
"The exit, huh. Rest assured about that point. We may not be able to return to the entrance, but I've got a rough idea about the exit. It's the Rooster and the Snake."
"The Rooster and the Snake...?"
The brats tilt their heads in confusion at my words. It appears they haven't understood what I've been seeing as I progressed this far.
"That is... wait, quietly."
Sensing a presence, I signal them to be silent and listen intently. Be wary of the evil spirits lurking in the darkness...
"..."
Silence. Silence. Silence... Is something coming from over there?
"One, two, three... Five, six. And..."
I glance briefly behind. It's about the Eight over here. Seems like we've been caught in-between. Distracting from the front to strike from behind? If it were just me, it would be manageable, but...
"Huh? What's wro——!?"
'Sleeve (sode), long slee——'
On the way of contemplation, I turned around in response to my grabbed sleeve and immediately tore it apart. The opponent was torn apart before they could finish speaking.
The one grabbing the sleeve was not a mere brat. It wasn't even a person. It was a laughing Jizo. A Sodemogi Jizo.
"Scatter, you brat!?"
'Sleeve, a sleeve, a large sleeve... Slee——Igii!'
My spear, maximally reinforced from the face, pierced the head while it was devouring the torn sleeve. It even blew away into the darkness without a trace.
"What was that just now...!?"
"It's the Sodemogi-sama!!"
In response to the astonished brat's cry, I replied. 'Sodemogi-sama,' a youkai with a spiritual personality, has the nature of a conceptual attack connected to sleeves.
Once, if you don't offer your sleeve in response to the inquiry, it will topple the opponent. Twice, if you don't bring your sleeve close, it will make the opponent convulse, and for the third time, it will make the opponent faint. Thanks to its easy production in rituals with a Jizo and a sacrifice, it is cultivated as an artificial roadside god in every exorcist's household.
...By the way, although there's a restriction that once they've targeted someone, they can't target them again, they had a target to protect, so they engaged in a search and destroy. They're ultimately artificially cultivated with a specialized skill, similar to Tsukumogami, so there's no worry of curses. It's an instant kill.
However...
"As expected, the spearhead broke...!!"
I clicked my tongue as I looked at the completely broken tip of the spear. It was made of stone material, partly because it was a Jizo, and it was hard. Even a high-quality spear seemed to have a hard time.
"Let's run!!"
"Huh!? Kyaa...!!?"
I firmly grabbed the arm of the leading brat and make them ran in front of me. She ran through, dragging the others behind.
"Here, take this!!"
I threw the spear while running. It pierced through a monkey that appeared from the other side of the corridor, as if carefully timed, and fixed it to the wall. While passing by, I cut the neck with a kunai to stop it.
I took care of the most troublesome leader. The rest were small fry. I kicked, punched, stabbed with kunai, then pulled them out and threw them. They were approaching the brats, ignoring me.
"In the end, it's a frontal breakthrough!!"
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