[Part 3/4]
"Miss TamakiTamaki-dono. Please do not be too depressed. This incident was unexpected, and any damage is not the surveillance team's fault. After all, it is just a poor farming village on the border, and the loss is not significant.”
Muja's words, being the lookout from the Hidden Group, were undoubtedly hurtful to Tamaki as they did not console her but rather wounded her deeply. What makes it worse is that even though it would have been effective when it cos to dealing with regular exorcists, it is insignificant in this case.
(Good grief, this is so bad.)
And as I was silently observing such a eting, I sighed inwardly. Although the story was similar to the original, it seed to have more damage and a higher likelihood of negativity because both supplies and soldiers were gathered, and the current protagonist was t with more resistance than in the original.
(Well, the problem here is that I don't know which choice the protagonist will make...)
The three choices the protagonist makes in the story, since I am not the player, I have no certainty as to what kind of action the protagonist will take in case of an ergency. Besides, I couldn't deny the possibility that she might take other choices than those in the original story because of the various deviations from the original story.
(If she takes reckless actions without my notice...that would be troubleso.)
Like always, I am not almighty and always get entangled with unforeseen circumstances. And in a case like this, there is a risk that the protagonist may be in danger... so is it better to take preemptive asures?
"Excuse . The current activity location of Namahage is unknown, correct?"
"Huh!? E, erm... Master ShirowakamaruShirowakamaru-dono and I have been sending out shikigami, but we haven't been able to find it."
The one who answered my sudden question was Murasaki, and although she had no obligation to answer a servant's question like , she kindly explained the situation to .
"Yun-shoku? Is there sothing on your mind?"
"Yes. About how to search for Namahage, a little bit.”
I answer the call of the hidden mber group assigned to watch over . From this point on, my speculation is more in the fan community rather than being based on original sources, but…
"Did the Hanachouin Family, which was monitoring Namahage, only conducted surveillance without any servants? And even though Miss MurasakiMurasaki-sama and Master ShirowakamaruShirowakamaru-dono are searching with shikigami, they have yet to discover anything." I point out, exasperated.
Murasaki narrows her eyes at my point. "So, is the youkai hiding by staying underground, where shikigami can't find them?" She ponders thoughtfully.
"I don't understand the logic. However, it's a little suspicious that even though we have been searching intensively, we can't any traces so far." I reply, my frustration growing.
In the original story, it took a considerable amount of ti to discover Namahage's whereabouts after they beca untraceable. By then, several villages had been destroyed, yet no footprints could be found. The only ti the youkai was discovered was when Muja, who had gone on reconnaissance while using shikigami and reported to the protagonists, was devoured to death. Even then, Namahage was not directly identified. The presence of Namahage was observed in a report from a servant who went out for additional reconnaissance.
By the way, at this point, Namahage had already passed through the capital county, which is one of the reasons why the county governor and others abandoned the villages. It is likely that they feared that the county governor and his subordinates might direct the conflict toward the capital by inadvertently leading the evacuation or letting the target escape.
...Anyway, that's beside the point. What I'm trying to say is... it's unclear whether continuing the search with shikigami alone will yield any results. In other words...
"Actually send people to search?" Murasaki asked, her voice laced with amazent.
"It is said that seeing is believing." I replied, my voice calm and collected. "Directly seeing, hearing and bringing information back is the most reliable."
Well, I can't fully trust that due to illusions or mory manipulation, can I? But it's worth trying to send soone here...that's my opinion.
"But who will go? I should remind you, my army cannot move. I have the responsibility of defending the city and guiding people to evacuate."
The commander was the first to suggest this, and it was true, but he probably didn't want to move the troops carelessly and cause any damages. The sa goes for the Governor who nodded his head. He didn't seem to want to move the chess pieces that were there to protect him. Well, that's to be expected.
"I understand. After all, the original opponents of the army are bandits and rebels." My voice was clear and confident. "Not against a creature outside of human order."
"Then..."
"Wait, servant. Don't tell ..."
The commander and Murasaki, as if they understood my words, turned their gaze towards . The remaining participants also began to notice what I was trying to say.
"Yes. I plan to directly search for Namahage."
And with that, I humbly volunteered to do so...
* * *
Not that I was particularly eager to say those words. But I volunteered for the sake of the protagonist's ntal health.
Even if it's just a formality at worst, that's fine. I wanted to make the protagonist think that I made an effort for the villagers, and to stop her from doing sothing rash out of frustration... That was the purpose of my volunteering.
The opinions of those present were split on my volunteering. The county governor and the army commander were in favor. It was certainly to create evidence that they were not idle and were not just watching the situation, but it was rather convenient this ti.
Murasaki disagreed. But then, even though I'm just a servant, I am still Yun-shoku. I don't an to boast, but in terms of experience and presence, I can be a fighting force after the three exorcists, including Murasaki. She opposed it because she didn't want the fighting force to be dispersed.
Muja remained silent. As an observer, they couldn't express agreent or disagreent. They abstained from expressing their opinion.
The one who was most perplexed and disturbed was Tamaki. She seed to think that because of her words, others had drawn the short straw. From her point of view, since she was the one who spoke, she should take the most risk, but that was rejected by Murasaki.
Shirowakamaru did not express his opinion. He said he would think it over and that was it. As a result, the situation was standstill.
"Well, there's no help for it. Let's adjourn for the ti being. We will discuss it again during the night. Please co to your own conclusions by then."
The long discussion ended with Murasaki, who seed unhappy, declaring it so. We could not talk about this topic alone forever. And thus, the discussion ended but Murasaki stayed behind to discuss the report to the Governor, the army leader and the county executive, warnings to the surrounding exorcists, and the security of the county capital, while the others left the room.
"Hey, co with for a minute."
It was at that very mont that the boy in the Suikan suit called out to .
...
...
...
Unlike the previous world, the city lights were not present in this world, and as a result, the night sky was clear enough to see the stars. Literally, it was a starry sky.
It was past five o'clock in the evening, and because of the winter season, the sunlight had already set. It was said that since the county capital located directly above the spiritual vein, the quality of the climate should have been good, and yes, the climate was better than that of the rest of the Northern region outside spiritual vein in the middle of winter. Nevertheless, it could be said that we were lucky that the city streets were not buried by heavy snowfall.
"Master ShirowakamaruShirowakamaru-dono, where are we going?" I asked, my voice laced with a hint of apprehension.
"Well," he drawled, a sly smirk tugging at the corners of his lips. "It doesn't matter, just follow ." His tone was teasing, almost taunting, leaving with a sense of unease.
And so, through the forested fields on the outskirts of the county capital, I was escorting Shirowakamaru. I had been commanded to accompany him with his luggage just half an hour ago, but it wasn't a comndable thing to travel through the forest at night without even a bonfire. Nevertheless, since it was Shirowakamaru himself who had ordered it, I had no choice but to comply. Fortunately, as ntioned earlier, since the night sky was bright, we were able to see the surroundings to so extent...
(There are surely no youkai, are there...?)
Most of the cities with spiritual veins have boundaries to ward off evil. Even this area, which isn't far from the provincial capital, seems to benefit from these boundaries, and as far as my scouting goes, I couldn't confirm the existence of any youkai.
(If Botan's shikigami were here, I would be able to be more vigilant.)
Thinking about the hummingbird shikigami that had been missing for the past few days, I recall the settings from the original work. Unlike her old man in the original scenario, she had already died before her appearance in the work.
To be more precise, it should have been about half a year since the protagonist was taken in by the Onitsuki family. Although it was called 'dying from illness,' in this world, it doesn't simply an being sick...
"Big broAniki, what are you thinking about?"
"Huh?! Ouch!?"
I was pulled out of my train of thought by the voice, and at the sa ti, noticed the figure of a beautiful boy looking up at . I noticed but reacted too late and unintentionally hit Shirowakamaru head-on. I fell down, pushing him down as well.
"...!?"
"Big broAniki, you're hurting ..." Shirowakamaru said, wincing in pain.
"P-please forgive ...!" I apologized.
As I fell, I was facing Shirowakamaru's face with a scolding tone. He looked like a little girl looking up at from right under my nose. And then, when I understood our positions, I hurriedly backed away and apologized.
"...It's okay, no need to panic like that, Big broAniki." Shirowakamaru said, his voice filled with a playful tone, as he pulled his slightly disheveled clothes into the right shape.
"No. Such impoliteness is not permissible when considering each other's positions," I replied, my voice stern and serious, as I tried to regain my composure.
Shirowakamaru giggled, his playful eyes shining mischievously. He couldn't help but laugh, finding sothing amusing. But the joke was not easy to dismiss. First, as I said earlier, from our positions. And secondly...
(Seriously, he has too much sex appeal for a guy)
With fleeting eye contact, white skin, a delicate fra, and a slender face, he looked like a girl, especially since he'd recently started growing out his hair. Even my body reacted to him for a mont even though I had no intention to do so.
"By the way, this is..."
Trying to divert the topic to forget what had just happened, I took a look around.
Where Shirowakamaru and I had stopped, there was a shallow lake. A clear lake hidden in the forest. A lake with fresh water trickling down from a small cliff...
"Ah. As part of my training, I periodically perform 禊祓 (Misogi-harae/purification)[1]. My master said it would be best to do it here since it's the county capital of Milia."
Shirowakamaru answered my question vividly.
"Purification... ah, I see."
Shirowakamaru's words convinced after I observed my surroundings for a mont. In Shinto, purification is ant to cleanse desires and evil thoughts. This practice exists in this world as well.
Especially in rivers and waterfalls with strong spiritual energy, it is ant to take in the spiritual energy of the earth and wash away the youkai, curses, and other negative energies that cling to one's body after encountering youkai beings.
Exorcists of the shikigami art type, in particular, placed even greater importance on this practice because their bodies were not as strong as those of the other types of exorcists. If Shirowakamaru is also an exorcist type that deals with boundaries, curses, and shikigami, it was natural that he would perform purification several tis during the course of this mission.
Anyway, it seems that this area is a hidden spot. The area was small, but the spiritual energy was quite thick. It is a good place for purification. As long as one could put up with the cold.
"So, during that ti, should I be vigilant around here?"
"Yeah. I'm counting on you."
Saying that, the boy took off his Suikan clothes in front of . I hurriedly averted my gaze and turned my back. It's a ridiculous story even though we're both n, but... no, this guy's sex appeal is still ridiculous.
(Well, I guess I'm trusted to a certain extent?)
Considering his past experiences described in the story, it is not surprising that he distrusts n. Unlike in the original story, he may be protected by that young-looking old hag, but he has beco more rounded, bringing a male like as an escort.
...As I was lost in thought, I heard the sound of water behind and I peeked. In a thin white dress and with his hair untied, Shirowakamaru got into the lake and wet his whole body with cold water while showering from under the waterfall.
[1] Misogi-harae is a purification ritual in the Shinto religion, typically involving washing the body and/or imrsing oneself in a body of water such as a river or waterfall.
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