[Part 1/4]
Tengu. A group of youkai written and expressed as "天の狗 (Ten no Koma)." Among the numerous classified Mōryō demons, they are treated as a first-class threat in Fusō-kuni alongside "暴虐なる鬼 (Cruel Demon/Oni)," "狡猾なる妖狐 (Cunning Fox)," and "増殖せし河童 (Multiplying Kappa)." Simultaneously, in Fusō-kuni, this group of youkai receives exceptionally unusual treatment.
More precisely, only a specific tribe of the many Tengu is excluded from active suppression in Fusō-kuni.
Fusō-kuni Center region, Mt. Anma. A steep mountain range that seems to encompass an entire district and a deep forests. Even in the Center region, it is an area with exceptionally high-quality spiritual veins. The Tengu tribe based there, despite being in the Center region, continues to survive. Despite all the monsters that once infested the Center region being completely defeated....
The records show that a few small expeditions were sent in the past, but they were all badly driven out and never returned. Fusō-kuni declared this sacred mountain as a forbidden area and put up fences around it, keeping watch over anyone who entered or tried to leave.
...Officially.
"Because this place has been untouched for a long time. There are spiritual trees, spiritual iron, spiritual herbs, and many valuable things, so there are many sneaky thieves and hired merchants who try to get in."
"The peasants are the same. The third and fourth sons who have nothing to eat think that there is such a fertile land spreading out. Why do they have to go to the cold villages in the northern region?"
A fence made of hundreds of miles of spiritual trees was erected, and a squad of the army patrolled along it, chatting casually. Two veteran soldiers told stories to a new recruit who had just been conscripted.
The forbidden territories are said to turn people into fodder for monsters with just one step. However, this Mt. Anma forbidden area is different. While there are some youkai inside, they are all of low rank, and even the strongest are only mid-level. With fences, attached talismans, and a boundary, they can be easily kept at bay. There's no need for direct confrontation. They pose no real threat.
But, to overlook such a place, with minimal danger and abundant benefits, would be, in a way, an act of moral corruption. Despite the imperial decree, many reach out to this forbidden land. Surprisingly, the imperial court, despite issuing orders, seems to turn a blind eye to these matters, including wealthy merchants, exorcists' families, landlords, and even officials... The court doesn't punish or give advice to people sent by important people. When the higher-ups have this attitude, it affects those below them.
The patrol of the forbidden territory is formal to the extreme, and it doesn't even fulfill half of its duties. Even if they find illegal harvesters in the forbidden territory, they never capture them. At most, they use interrogation as an excuse, confiscate a portion of the spoils, and then release them. In fact, due to the accumulation of established facts, several pioneer villages have been established just inside the boundary of the forbidden territory.
In reality, where they patrol, several plumes of white smoke are rising. Considering the time, it's probably the morning meal being cooked. The smoke reaching here even makes one's stomach growl. It's was open cooking smoke from the illegal pioneer village...
"I'm hungry..."
This was the impression of a soldier in his sixth year of assignment, blatantly violating imperial orders against the smoke. The village existed before he was assigned here. He doesn't care about the fact that its existence is now considered illegal.
"Should we have a meal at the next hut? The village is conveniently close. It would be nice if they shared some freshly cooked rice. Let's pool our money."
There are rules for guarding Mt. Anma's forbidden land. Along the fence, there are huts serving as lookouts every 1,000 steps. Teams of two or three people patrol from one hut to another. They start at a hut, rest there while the previous group moves to the next hut, and then continue to the next hut when the next group arrives.
Yusuke, Juugorou, and Nobuyasu were lucky to be near the pioneer village as they approached the time for the morning meal during their patrol of Mt. Anma's forbidden territory. The meals provided for the patrols were mainly convenient, portable rations, making the hot rice particularly enticing.
"Nobuyasu, go get the food, will ya?"
"Huh? Me?"
While patrolling, Yusuke handed Nobuyasu the money he had collected. The newcomer complains about being treated like a lackey.
"Annoying. It's natural for the young ones to move. We're already getting old, you know?"
"Yeah. Besides, if you're young, you might get a little extra. Hehehe. You're from near the capital, right? You might catch the eye of the village girls?"
"Even if you provoke me, I won't be fooled. That's why my marriage...!? Senpai, there's something there!"
Complaining to the two senior members moving forward, Nobuyasu, upon noticing a gaze, turns the matchlock he was carrying on his back to the correct position and braces himself. Almost simultaneously, the two seniors acknowledge it and each takes up a spear and matchlock, assuming a challenging expression.
Separated by a fence, about three or four hundred steps away perhaps? From within the forest, they cautiously watched them, as if on surveillance. Squinting, the soldier stared back at them.
Dressed like mountain ascetics, wearing wooden clogs and draped in a coat, three vague figures stand, one holding a shakujou staff, another two with a sword at their waist, wearing a half-noh mask, standing against the trunk of a large tree.
Due to the coat (Haori), the half-noh mask, and especially being shaded by the forest, their faces remain entirely unseen. However, their impolite gaze is certainly felt. Their backs are unusually large...
"Senpai, is that..."
"Yeah. Damn Tengu."
"Unusual. For them to come down this close..."
Facing them, the three soldiers don't take their eyes off the residents of the forbidden territory as they talk.
"Calm down, rookie. Don't shoot. Didn't I teach you the regulations?"
"Understand. It's the '3D,' right?
Don't withdraw unless the other side withdraws, don't initiate unless the other side initiates, don't pursue if the other side flees... these are the first words taught to the soldiers assigned to guard this forbidden land. From superiors, hammered into them over and over again, to the point of nauseating frustration.
"It'd be nice if they went right away... you know, staring at each other for a long time? Haha, ridiculous."
With a spear raised and body lowered, Juugorou declares. His manner of speaking makes it clear that he finds the situation distasteful. Judging from his gestures, he has experienced this several times. And, indeed, it was a long and boring time.
"Well, the hot meal will have to wait. Damn Tengu. Learn to read the atmosphere."
Unlike Juugorou, Yusuke speaks more aggressively, complaining and clicking his tongue. There are hardly any among the soldiers in this forbidden land who harbor favorable feelings towards the Tengu. No, the same goes for the entire Fusō-kuni.
The Center region, once a prosperous land, remains infested with monsters. The idea of eliminating youkai is a widely accepted norm, especially since the successful development of this land could save many lives. Lately, skirmishes with pioneer groups and poachers have become more frequent.
Sending exorcists to eradicate these creatures would be a straightforward solution, but not just Yuusuke, it's a sentiment shared by many in Fusou-kuni. However, Yuusuke's personal motivation comes from the tragic incident where one of his younger brothers, seeking a better life, migrated to a village in the Northern region only to be killed by youkai.
"Well, calm down. While it's true we want to deal with the youkai, it's not like we're going to engage in direct combat with them. ...I'd like to spend the rest of my days here, just like this until retirement."
As the eldest, Juugorou, who had been in charge of guarding the city in the East region until last year, reassures Yosuke. Even after the conscription period, this man, who stayed in the army for a livelihood, has experienced battles with thieves and small youkai several times. To him, the work in this area seems easy, and he seems to hope that he can continue without any trouble.
"You're a carefree guy. Nobuyasu, don't become a salary thief like this..."
Yosuke's words of warning to his junior are, however, interrupted midway. It is because a roaring sound and howls overwhelmed them.
In the pioneering village, dust is swirling.
"What the...!?"
"What happened!!?"
The soldiers are shaken. They simultaneously turn their gaze to the pioneering village two hundred steps ahead. And they witness it. A huge shadow. The figure of a monster. A youkai. Moreover...
"Is it a great youkai!? No way!!?"
Yusuke shouts. He is astonished. He gazes in awe at the being he witnessed. A great youkai resembling a beast... at least, that's how it appeared to Yosuke.
In fact, it was a medium youkai that was very close to a great youkai, but that was not a big problem. The important thing was that a high-level youkai that was not a Tengu had appeared in this center region, this forbidden land, and was attacking the pioneer village.
"Senpai!?"
"Calm down!? Yusuke! Fire the flare!"
"Shit, I got it!"
Yusuke, who was stunned by Juugorou's call, quickly took action. He pushed a jet tube, a flare, into the muzzle of his matchlock gun and fired it into the sky. The explosive that was shot high into the sky burst and scattered red smoke in the blue sky. The red color meant a youkai attack, a request for reinforcements. A rescue signal to the garrison in the rear.
However, no one could guarantee how much time it would take for enough forces to be dispatched, and whether it would be in time for the crisis in front of them.
"Damn, what's going on..."
"Senpai, the Tengu are..."
"What!?"
Yusuke directed his gaze towards the forest upon his junior's call. There was no trace, nothing there. Nothing... It was a sudden occurrence, seemingly unrelated to the happenings in the pioneer village. No, rather...
"Those guys couldn't have incited this, could they!?"
The thought wasn't merely a fantasy. Unlike the surrounding areas, the Center region was notably safe from youkai. It was the result of a relentless eradication campaign spanning over a millennium. Even wandering through the forest, encountering young youkai was rare. The exorcists' homes sealed within the Center region were almost mocked as being jobless.
Moreover, the pioneer village beyond the fence was under attack. And the most rational explanation is youkai nurtured within the forbidden grounds of Mt. Anma, beyond the reach of the court, were assaulting the village.
"Who they are doesn't matter! What matters is what to do!"
"What to do... What does that mean!?"
Nobuyasu reacts with confusion and agitation to Juugorou's words. Yusuke has a bitter expression on his face.
"Are you saying we should abandon the villagers?"
They are a corps that is organized for human-to-human combat rather than youkai-to-human combat, but they have received the minimum education for dealing with youkai. That includes how to judge when the youkai they face are too much for their current strength.
"It might be a good idea to do surveillance here. We can't get rid of that thing by ourselves!"
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