Chapter 31: Side Quest — The Secret Vow of the Immortal Lake

Page (1/3)

In the side quest “The Secret Oath of the Immortal Lake,” one of the more prominent figures in its storyline is a wandering shrine maiden named Winter Firefly.

She is a professional assassin trained by the court’s secret agency, the Shadow Cage.

Due to certain unforeseen circumstances, she escaped from the Shadow Cage and began traveling through the sixty-six provinces as a wandering shrine maiden in search of her younger sister.

The shrine maiden Winter Firefly is an extremely formidable assassin, but she is by no means a powerful exorcist. Her spiritual power is nothing exceptional, and she possesses no truly effective ability to dispel demons. She does not even have the skills of an ordinary village shrine maiden or prayer officiant.

Her abilities were never meant to deal with powerful monsters.

This woman was the product of human experimentation and bodily modification conducted by the Shadow Cage—a specially trained “exorcist killer” created to assassinate exorcists who posed a threat to the court.

After undergoing numerous physical modifications, Winter Firefly had completely lost her sense of pain, along with several of her organs. In exchange for a shortened lifespan, she gained superhuman physical abilities. Combined with an array of unpredictable assassination techniques, the result was terrifying.

Within the Shadow Cage, she had been conditioned into a personality far removed from anything ordinary. If someone incurred her grudge, she would kill without the slightest hesitation.

On the other hand, she was also the sort of person who always repaid both debts and favors.

“You are Miss Winter Firefly, aren’t you?”

Baijie had no intention of wasting time. He came straight to the point.

“Actually, even without my help, those minor characters would never have been your match… am I right?”

Halfway through his sentence, the wandering shrine maiden’s entire body tensed, and wariness appeared on her face.

“Who… exactly are you?”

“Please don’t misunderstand.”

Baijie hurriedly cut off her suspicions.

“I—I am a middle-ranking ninja of Black Princess Mountain. I certainly have no connection whatsoever with the court. Even if there were an opportunity, it would be impossible for me to infiltrate this place… Miss Winter Firefly, I helped you for my own reasons. Could you give me a chance to explain?”

He added:

“If you wish to learn some information about your younger sister, would you come with me?”

Those words moved the otherwise expressionless woman.

“Let us discuss it there.”

Baijie pointed toward a nearby lovers’ teahouse.

…

A lovers’ teahouse.

It was essentially the era’s equivalent of an inn for clandestine affairs.

In other words, it was what later generations would commonly call a brothel room—a place specifically used by adulterous couples. Still, it did have certain advantages. To ensure privacy, the rooms were built with extra-thick, reinforced walls.

Baijie was not worried that the woman would refuse to follow him.

He was certain that once he brought up information concerning her younger sister, Winter Firefly would take the bait.

“First of all, your younger sister truly is not dead.”

Baijie spoke calmly.

“All these years of wandering have not been meaningless. She is still alive somewhere in this world.”

“Is that so?”

Her lips trembled faintly.

Her younger sister was not dead.

Winter Firefly possessed no evidence of this. She had simply clung stubbornly to the belief, but even she had sometimes doubted it. If her sister had truly perished in the great fire, then everything she had done would have been meaningless.

“Thank you.”

Winter Firefly’s voice had grown somewhat hoarse.

“But how am I to confirm that this information is genuine?”

Page (2/3)

“Then I suppose there is nothing I can do.”

Baijie smiled bitterly.

“Trust is difficult. How can a single sentence convince anyone? Still, Miss Winter Firefly, would you not like to hear what I know about your sister’s whereabouts before deciding whether it is true?”

“Please, you must tell me.”

She asked with utmost seriousness.

“Your younger sister was abducted when the great fire broke out that day.”

Baijie continued, “It was the work of Reverse Fortune, one of the Eight Fortunes. As for the reason, Miss Winter Firefly, you should be able to guess at least part of it.”

Winter Firefly remained silent. Her gaze lowered as though she had fallen deep into thought.

“The Eight Fortunes Society… or rather, Reverse Fortune. They should have been destroyed by the Twelve Guardians of the Sacred Realm many years ago. Several of their leaders were killed, leaving behind only a few remnants. And that happened in the capital. They could not possibly…”

One of the court’s most powerful assets was the Twelve Guardians of the Sacred Realm, whose duty was to protect Kyoto and the imperial family. All twelve were formidable supernaturals, drawn from among exorcists, demon-slaying swordsmen, master diviners, martial champions, and other great warriors.

Among them were descendants of the Tsuchimikado clan, sword masters capable of cleaving the clouds overhead with a single stroke, and demon envoys who could command hundreds of great ogres.

The current leader of the Twelve Guardians was the head of the Bureau of Divination, Darkstrand of the Nether Realm.

He was regarded as a sorcerer of unparalleled rarity and was also known as the “Kobo Daishi of the Present Age.”

Meanwhile, six members of the Twelve Guardians were responsible for overseeing the intelligence organization known as the Shadow Cage.

“There is no such thing as impossible.”

Baijie’s voice deepened.

“People lie. Suppose—just suppose—that the people who led the campaign against the Eight Fortunes Society all those years ago lied, and had never actually succeeded in destroying it. What then?”

“But several lords of the Twelve Guardians of the Sacred Realm took part in that operation.”

The former assassin frowned tightly.

Baijie narrowed his eyes helplessly at her attitude.

Winter Firefly had once been subjected to education bordering on brainwashing. She did not readily question the court’s position.

“And why do you assume that the Twelve Guardians would never lie?”

He merely answered her with a question.

Those words caused the wandering shrine maiden’s eyes to widen even further.

“You…”

She stopped halfway through.

“Who are you, exactly? If what you say is true, then how do you know all this?”

“Hmm…”

Baijie folded his arms across his chest and pretended to sigh.

“Very well. Miss Winter Firefly must have heard the title ‘Maidens of the Eternal Night.’ They are a group of shrine maidens who dwell on Mount Izutsu.”

“They are not shrine maidens who live in the mortal world. They serve at a shrine situated on the boundary between the living and the dead. Every one of them is born able to hear the voices of the dead, foretell calamities, and avert disasters. They also wield tremendous influence over the politics of the realm.”

“The higher ranks of the Bureau of Divination should have some connection with the Maidens of the Eternal Night and be able to obtain certain prophecies from them. I acquired some information through similar means… I cannot reveal anything more specific.”

He had invented a lie.

Yet, as a character within the game, Winter Firefly had virtually no chance of seeing through it.

Information concerning the Maidens of the Eternal Night was not something an ordinary person could possibly know. Winter Firefly, however, was herself an insider, and might even have some connection with those maidens…

Baijie began studying her expression.

The wandering shrine maiden fell silent once more, plainly hesitating.

After pondering for a while, however, Winter Firefly seemed to reach a decision.

Page (3/3)

“I believe you, Mr. Baijie.”

“That is good.”

Baijie let out a quiet breath of relief.

“As for your sister’s exact whereabouts… only the core members of Reverse Fortune, the Eight Fortunes Society’s inner faction, know the truth. My advice is that you go to the Province of Hoki and look for a place called Takine Temple. You may be able to uncover some clues there.”

He sighed.

“I am sorry. I made it sound as though I knew much more than I truly do. In reality, the information available to me is limited.”

“No. Simply knowing that Amu is still alive in this world is already very important to me.”

Her tone was utterly resolute.

“That is good…”

Baijie was in an excellent mood. As mentioned earlier, this woman’s nature was one of repaying every grievance and every favor. She would remember his assistance very clearly. If he earned her enmity, she would kill him without the slightest hesitation.

In the original side quest, if the protagonist handled matters poorly, Winter Firefly would kill those ronin when she left the post town.

The ronin’s accomplices would then lay the blame on the protagonist, causing him to suffer a major setback during a later incident.

That was one of the distinctive features of the game The Radiance of the Obscured Moon: sooner or later, the story would bury a land mine in the plot, and the moment someone stepped on it, it would explode.

The information about Takine Temple in the Province of Hoki was also genuine. In the original story, Winter Firefly had uncovered it through her own investigation. Now, he was merely giving her the conclusion in advance. Even if she went there, she would not actually be able to uncover any useful information about the connection.

It sounded as though she would be making a fruitless journey. Yet at this stage, allowing Winter Firefly to find her sister—or discover any clues regarding Reverse Fortune, the faction of the Eight Fortunes Society—would mean certain death for her.

As long as Winter Firefly survived, she could unlock several side quests beyond the main storyline. Moreover, her high favorability as a non-player character could prove helpful in various future events. Baijie only hoped that she would not die too soon.

He still had a use for her later.

As he was thinking this over, Winter Firefly, seated across from him on a floor cushion, made a strange movement. She began undoing her sash and removing her immaculate white robe.

Baijie froze for a moment, unable to react. Winter Firefly removed another layer of clothing, revealing the garment beneath and her bare shoulders.

Then the long hair gathered atop her head came loose.

“Wait… wait a moment. What are you doing?”

“Are we not doing it?”

The wandering shrine maiden’s voice was perfectly calm, entirely free of shyness or embarrassment.

“Doing… what?”

Baijie opened his mouth in alarm.

“I thought you brought me here because you intended to do that.”

Winter Firefly spoke with complete certainty.

“I have no money and possess nothing of value. Mr. Baijie has given me information this important, yet I have no way to repay you. It seems I can only offer my body in return.”

She bowed her head.

“Since this is my first time, I do not really understand how to please a man, but I will do my utmost…”

Before Baijie could respond, the shadow that had seeped in behind him stirred across the floor. At the same time, the invisibility talisman he kept close to his body began to grow faintly warm.

—What is this filthy bitch doing here? Kill her immediately…

—Let her rot from the inside out, then give her to the insects as a toy and let them play with her until she dies.