[Part 2/4]
"Mmm, delicious."
"That's great to hear from you guys."
Even if they're exorcists, they probably eat pretty well normally, so it was clear they were just being polite.
"..."
Are they tired from hiking? At first, we were chatting during dinner, but gradually it turned into a quiet task. Fatigue hit us all at once, and sleepiness started creeping in. The more I tried to fight it, the sleepier I beca.
"Mmm, mmm..."
The sound of chopsticks rolling out of my fingers echoed. Nobody said anything, just stared at with sleepy eyes. I felt my eyelids getting heavy, like they were filled with sand. Everything around was starting to blur.
I gave in and slumped down onto the ground. A soft sigh escaped my lips. The crackling fire outside our little glowing world seed to get louder, as if sothing wanted in. In the darkness, countless glowing eyes appeared.
...Ah, right, there's a special kind of tree called a spirit tree that can trap mischievous creatures called youkai using sleeping potions. This modified youkai species has beco a kind of youkai tree and found a sort of symbiotic relationship with other youkai.
The ingredients that evaporate with moisture from the leaves induce drowsiness in people. Beasts that are exhausted from being lost and confused can't resist this magic. The prey falls into a deep sleep... and the youkai, immune to the effects, feast on the defenseless prey, splattering blood everywhere.
The carnivorous plant youkai monster, which grows by sucking the blood of prey killed by other youkai, has claid more pitiful victims. This ti, we with spiritual power, two of them soft-looking female flesh, are among the casualties. The youkai play with them rcilessly, eating and violating them, as their screams of agony echo in a grueso banquet.
The youkai, drooling with anticipation, can't wait any longer. Without any signal, they all pounce at once...!
"...So, in a novel, that's how it would be described, huh?"
'''GUOOO!!?'''
What I saw when I woke up from my fake sleep was the youkais' screams as they were diced into cubes by invisible blade threads.
*
To be honest, we all had a hunch and a prediction right from the start when we entered the forest. The mountain forest area we were investigating wasn't small, but it wasn't vast either. It was clear that sothing was amiss, as it would take centuries for a great youkai to be able to lead and control dozens of lower-level youkai monsters.
Perhaps due to their lineage as a family of dicine practitioners, the two guides had noticed the oddity in the forest's trees. They subtly signaled to , and we went to fall into the trap together. We pretended to be caught in the trap, added a stimulant to our food to stay awake, and pretended to sleep to lure them in. We set up a counter-trap.
"Wow, the sharpness is amazing! So this is the famous blade thread of the spider youkai monster?"
I admired the sight of the youkais, so sliced into thin strips and others struggling as the threads cut deep into their flesh. The girl's light-hearted attitude towards the gory scene was truly that of a seasoned exorcist.
While gathering firewood, I handed over gloves and passed around the blade threads of the giant spider (from before). I carefully laid out the sharp, thin threads like wire traps while collecting the firewood. The result was the grueso scene before us.
"The backup has arrived."
Hana points it out. At the sa ti, she swings an invisible weapon. We smash the approaching youkai that slip through the spider silk traps. I do the sa, and so does Kaya. We take them out with our spear and bow.
'Yow!!?'
The screams of a big youkai who got hit by an arrow echoed through the forest. The surviving youkais, unable to take it anymore, flee back into the darkness. Silence fills the area...
"I think we took down about 20... mostly small youkai, huh?"
There were a few interdiate-level youkai too, but they were in the back, so we didn't finish them off... we were trying not to.
"Kaya, how's it going?"
"All good! Look, this!"
Kaya shows a compass. It's a curse-tool shaped like a compass. A typical detection curse-tool. The arrowhead and needle made from the sa spirit stone attract each other. It shows the way. The path is open.
"Are you all set? ...Then, let's get to work."
* * *
The 'Mayowashi God' used to be a commonly used artificial roadside deity in exorcist households, along with the 'Sodemogi-sama.' Well, I should say it used to be.
A ten-year-old child's mummy is the perfect material, and its appearance, summoned through rituals and offerings, resembles a monk holding a kasa hat and a shakujo (Buddhist staff). It's a dried-up mummy dressed like a monk. It has the power to guide consciousness and mislead directions, preventing intruders from entering the area it protects.
It was designated as a forbidden technique, and new production was banned about a hundred and 50 years ago. However, like the 'Mayoiga' commonly used in the Northern region, existing items are allowed to remain intact, so there are definitely exorcist households still operating them as part of their defense chanisms. I've even heard of cases where they were sold off when a household fell into decline, bought by wealthy rchants or nobles. No one would imdiately question it just by looking at it.
...Right. If it's an antique from over a hundred and 50 years ago.
'...'
The artificial god with empty eye sockets sees the youkai fleeing through the forest. The attack was clearly a failure, so it imdiately ordered the giant monkeys waiting behind to crush the retreating youkai.
It wasn't out of anger, but rather a calculated decision by the artificial god's logic circuits. They were definitely being tracked. The artificial god's power to mislead was rendered useless. It instructed the monkeys to prepare for battle.
"Too slow!"
The giant monkey's head was severed by the bound spider silk. The artificial god, with its empty eye sockets, stared in shock as the body of the giant monkey collapsed.
Wearing my Tengu feather cloak, I used one of my many flight-enhancing powers to soar through the air. In a mont, I landed behind the monkey and the artificial god. With a flick of the Teguruma's thread, I easily disposed the waiting great youkai.
'...!!'
The 'Mayowashi God' realized the situation and tried to counterattack. It raised the shakujo (Buddhist staff) in its hand, a curse-tool that glowed a pale blue...
"Before that, I'll finish you off!"
Its view spun as a carefree female voice rang out. I witnessed a mummy-like creature collapsing, its body only from the waist down. A single arrow pierced its chest, causing its upper body to explode and scatter. The cleanly severed head rolled like a Mari ball and stopped. A foot stepped on it.
"Hmm?"
The artificial god's consciousness faded with a squishy sound as the woman's voice trailed off...
"Is this... the 'Mayowashi God'?"
Looking up at the sky, I could see that it was still bright, and the scattered remains were clearly visible. It seed that the night within the barrier was an illusion. It wasn't just my imagination that the sunset seed early.
"From what I can see, it's relatively new. Probably... not more than a hundred years old."
I tie it up with the Teguruma's thread and observed the remains of the gatekeeper shiki, stating the facts. This ans that this one was illegally manufactured. Furthermore, it seed to have emotions and even a basic decision-making ability. In other words...
"An improved forbidden product... using youkai to serve as a gatekeeper shiki. And a relay station, huh?"
Facing forward. There was a relay station. It must have been abandoned for quite so ti, yet it was built beautifully like a brand-new relay station.
"Just so you know, it's not like our house is so secret lab or research facility, okay?"
Kaya said this as if she could read my feelings. Defending her own ho.
"I'm not doubting that. It's probably where so outlaw exorcists used to hang out, right?"
If it was their house, I didn't think they'd allow to investigate my claim. At the very least, they'd buy so ti to cover up the evidence. Either way, the truth would co out soon enough.
"Look for the ground. There should be a hidden door or sothing."
A relay station? No way, I'm not going in there. It's clearly a trap. Anyone facing off against a sly youkai would know that the boldly standing structure is a bait. In fact, the two guides followed my instructions without a single question.
...The mont all 3 of us made the sa judgnt, I realized I was pretty much an exorcist too.
"...? Did you find sothing?"
Hana, crawling along the ground, noticed sothing off. She knelt down and started using her dagger (tantō) to clear the ground. Removing clumps of dirt and sand, and then it appeared. A buried, handle-less iron underground door...
"...What should we do?"
"Let's go ahead."
"Oh, I knew it."
Hana's offbeat response to my confirmation. It seed like turning back wasn't an option for them. Well, I guess that makes sense from their perspective...
"Let's send a shiki to scout. I'll open the door. Hana, you'll deploy the shiki, and Kaya, keep watch around us."
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