[Part 1/5]
"Injured parties, head to the tent on the right!!"
"What about the people late in escaping!? Has the retrieval been completed!?"
"Damn, the rear group brought along a bunch of monsters!! A few of you, follow me! Let's quickly eliminate them!!"
"Guardians, don't let your guard down! Protect even if it costs your life!!"
The boundary line between the forbidden land "Anma Mountain" and the human realm. The camp of the diplomatic mission and the surveillance team was in the midst of turmoil and chaos.
It was only natural. A group heading into the mountains had returned scattered like a brood of baby spiders, breaking the control. Moreover, the diplomatic mission representative had been kidnapped and was under attack by a group of youkai.
The remaining group at the camp and the subsequent withdrawal were tasked with the retrieval of the diplomatic mission, escorting the remaining guards from the Tengu's clutches, and driving away the miscellaneous youkai that were coming to attack.
"The actual losses are not that great. But the situation is chaotic."
Shirowakamaru, who had finished setting up temporary reinforced boundarys and spells around the campsite, murmured as she surveyed the commotion. The chaos resulting from the ambush on the narrow mountain road and the abduction of the representative. However, the damage did not seem significant in terms of quantity.
As far as reported, there was one death among the exorcists, two missing, and around five or six injuries. In total, the casualties may not exceed thirty. The majority of them were non-combatants, such as laborers and those without fighting experience. Unaccustomed to battle, they were the first to break formation and flee, inevitably getting picked off as they separated from the group. It's common sense that those who stray from the herd are targeted first.
However, to Shirowakamaru, the fate of nearly ninety percent of the casualties was none of her concern. The issue lay with... him.
"Shirowakamaru-sama, I think it would be difficult for the first princess to conduct the command."
Mikage, the squad leader, who had pushed through the Hitogama to come before Shirowakamaru. Without surprise, Shirowakamaru nodded calmly, as if it were expected.
The person who is said to be the representative of the Onitsuki family's contingent is currently unable to fight due to the battle with Tengu, and is unable to fulfill her duties as representative. It is said that the rope, which is one of Tengu's curse tools, sucks out the spiritual power it touches and becomes proportionally more powerful.
The rope wrapped around Onitsuki Hina's entire body is getting bigger and bigger, and now it is like a rope. She is unable to move, and it is so strong that not even a sword can cut it. Due to this characteristic, her own supernatural powers, spiritual arts, and physical enhancement are also sealed. Trying to untie her is helpless, as her knot is so tight that even exorcists can lose their strength with just a touch.
In addition, she has suffered considerable strain from the effects of her fall from a height. Her bones are broken and her internal organs appear to be damaged. It is no exaggeration to say that she is seriously injured. If she could activate her supernatural powers, it might be easy to regenerate her... but currently she can't even give her instructions and can only spit out her curses.
"Please leave the First Princess in her bed as she is. Absolutely maintain complete bed rest and ignore any requests to deviate from that. ...There is no other choice but to wait until the amount of spiritual power consumed by the rope leads to its self-destruction."
Shirowakamaru's judgment was correct. The cursed rope, which was woven with high-quality materials, would undoubtedly require a significant amount of effort to neutralize, and the current envoy did not have the manpower, time, or materials for that task. The only thing they could do was to continue draining Hina's spiritual power, saturating and depleting the rope's ability to absorb spiritual energy. And during that time, they had to prevent Hina from pushing herself to the point of death... It was the only option.
...That's how it is. Moreover, she has already received instructions from the master.
"Understood."
"Hmm. By the way, what happened to the Household Member Coordinator servant?"
Nodding in response to Mikage's affirmation, the former boy who had been promoted to temporary representative of the dispatched team asked the squad leader of the witnessing servant about the whereabouts of the Household Member Coordinator servant.
Regarding the missing members of the Onitsuki family contingent, Shirowakamaru asks about the people he cares about...
"I have identified the following groups that have evacuated, but unfortunately some of them should be considered prisoners of war and unable to escape."
Mikage did look right before retreating with his men. Watching his own boss being captured. He had neither the time nor the means to respond. The only thing they could do was carry out the half-dead Hina, who was deprived of spiritual power and weak. And that alone was enough work for a servant.
"...Really"
She didn't yell at him for being incompetent. Thanks in part to her teacher's education, was able to separate emotion and reason here. Still, her anger is intense, but even if she says it, it won't help and it's like spitting at the heavens. She is also afraid of the reaction of her crush if he find out.
(Big Bro...that's right. There's no point in making a fuss here, right?)
And above all, doing so was just a waste of time and energy.
In fact, her master had already given her instructions regarding this. Wait, now is the time for patience. She's dissatisfied, but it be helped. But for now, she must endure retaliation against those who harmed her loved ones. It is nothing more than a beast that goes on a rampage without any judgement.
"...Thank you for your hard work. For now, please continue guarding the camp."
"Yes, sir!"
After seeing the squad leader leave, Shirowakamaru pushed through the noisy crowd and headed there. The stench of men's sweat makes her goosebumps rise when it hits her shoulder, but she can bear it.
And she finally arrives at the tent.
"...That's so carefree. Are you playing at a time like this?"
Shirowakamaru asked with a hint of sarcasm as she heard the faint and ephemeral sound of the koto that vibrated in her eardrums as she stepped inside the tent. The girl who was playing her koto in the corner of the curtain reacted to her voice and turned around. Her eyes are cloudy, yet pure and do not reflect the light, and she directs them directly at the former boy.
"Shirowakamaru-sama, is it...?"
"You couldn't tell by the voice?"
"...I apologize. I couldn't clearly hear the sounds outside."
Shirowakamaru, seeing the blind girl bowing her head, twisted her expression in discomfort. She didn't like her. Nothing about this woman's existence pleased hr.
"Do you know that Big Bro has gone missing?"
"...I have heard about it a while ago."
Mari answered the questioning inquiry with deference. Shirowakamaru was irritated by her actions once again.
"Playing music gracefully amidst the situation outside... What a truly privileged position, isn't it?"
"My brother went out to help, and I, unfortunately, am a hindrance in everything I do... I tried to distract myself from feeling unsettled... I apologize if it made you uncomfortable. It was truly an inappropriate behavior."
Mari seemed genuinely distressed and sincerely admitted her fault. Her unadorned and unpretentious demeanor was truly pitiful, foolish, and miserable, and above all...
"Disgusting... Don't try to flatter me. You're not a prostitute."
Shirowakamaru internally spits out vulgar words. Whether consciously or unconsciously, everything about this woman - her voice, her words, her gestures, her demeanor, her actions, her expressions - confuses men. It disgusts women. And it is precisely because this young girl, who understands the desires and ugliness of both men and women, that it can be understood even more vividly. It has happened.
Therefore, despite the past gratitude towards the girl in front of her, a feeling of disgust wells up from within...
(Why? Why are you acting like that?)
This woman is like an empty vessel. A hollow doll. Is her self-esteem so weak? To constantly belittle herself and accept every dirty desire of a man - the desire for conquest, dominance, protection - in a fragile and fleeting manner. It was unsettling for Shirowakamaru at this moment, witnessing the powerless behavior of a female who only seeks to flatter and beg for forgiveness.
(Convenient. An overly convenient female. If it's not an act, then it's grotesque...)
Regardless of age or gender, people are always human to the core. They cannot escape the shackles of flesh. Even the holiest of saints cannot be completely selfless. Even he, whom Shirowakamaru thinks about, knows this when looking deep into her own eyes.
There is no escape from desire itself. What matters is how they exist. He is different from the ordinary masses. He understands desire and still strives to be righteous. He treats her with righteousness and has saved her. The former naive boy who has been manipulated by desire knows how difficult it is.
Herself and her teacher who love him feel the same way. There is possessiveness. There is a desire for control. The desires of the flesh overflow. But acting selfishly is unacceptable. So, they restrain and suppress those selfish desires, and they dedicate themselves to him out of love. Recognizing their own selfishness and then abandoning and offering it... By guiding his desires, they can prove deep love.
The woman in question... What about her? Does she have any sense of self? It's not about compensation or an equal exchange. Does she not consider accepting, cherishing, dedicating, losing, and abandoning as natural?
Altruism... No, that's too idealistic. Her behavior is not a reflection of human nature. It's as if there's nothing there. No attachment. Too pure.
Yes. It's like something inhuman is pretending to be human.
"I want to strip it away."
"...?"
Shirowakamaru muttered under her breath. The woman before her tilted her head, apparently not understanding. Even that innocent gesture unsettled Shirowakamaru. She wanted to slap her cheek at the innocence that disrupted a man's heart.
She really wanted to confirm that it wasn't an act. She wanted to torment, degrade, humiliate, and defile her thoroughly. She wanted to make her cry, scream, wail, and plead.
Yes. There's no way to affirm this woman. Is there really such a pure and innocent woman? It's a transparent deception. If she were to accept such a woman... what does that make her own sullied self?
"Don't play around..."
"Shirowakamaru, sama...?"
She mutters again, and Shirowakamaru ignores it. Ignoring it, she slowly approaches Mari.
If this person is from Onitsuki, or if she is the daughter of Tachibana, Shirowakamaru's feelings may have changed. They live in different worlds. Their social status is different. They are different from her, who has no value to offer other than this body. Therefore, she was able to honestly acknowledge that they are beneath her. She were able to draw a line.
But to think that a questionable female like her, who may not even be able to dedicate her body, is being cherished by him...
(Is it jealousy? Even if it is...!!)
"Eek!? W-What is it!?"
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