Chapter 41: A Stirring of the Heart

The next day, old retainer Matsudaira Inomaro of the Tsukigaro clan, having learned of Tsukigaro Yomei’s indisposition, decided to set out alone to seek the "Sword Saint" Kifune Kyounsai.

"Lady Mei, you must get some rest," the old man said, consulting with Hyakusuke.

"Let’s just take the day off today."

Hyakusuke thought this was perfect; it would give him the time he needed to handle the items he had brought back from the treasury.

"So this is the 'Fruit of Eternal Fragrance.' Honestly, it looks like a rotten orange."

In a secluded spot in the nearby woods, Hyakusuke took out the "treasures" he had pilfered from the Lake Lord Snow Yaksha-hime’s vault. The so-called Fruit of Eternal Fragrance looked just like a shriveled, withered orange, no larger than a thumb.

"...It even smells foul."

Hyakusuke felt a wave of revulsion and wanted to push it away. However, after much deliberation, he opened his mouth and swallowed the fruit.

*Crunch.*

He crushed the rotten orange with his teeth and swallowed. The fruit melted instantly upon contact, turning into a liquid substance. Hyakusuke gulped down the warm fluid as it slid down his throat.

Suddenly, his brain felt as if it had been struck by a giant hammer, and his mind went blank. In that instant of void, he lost consciousness. A second later, in a daze, he felt his skin flush bright red and begin to burn. A terrifically hot and dry surge of power erupted violently from the location of his heart.

*Boom!*

From the depths of his heart, a massive torrent of heat flooded his limbs and bones. His body felt so full of power, so bursting at the seams, that he couldn't even manage a sound.

"Ugh..."

Hyakusuke let out a low groan. Sweat beaded on his forehead as his body trembled; the veins on the backs of his hands bulged, and his palms were clenched so tightly that his muscles were strained to their limit.

After a while, he gradually calmed down and reached out to touch his chest.

"The Spirit Core... it must have formed."

Deep within the heart, a crystallization of spiritual energy—this was what was known as a "Spirit Core." In the worldview of this game, it was a second spiritual core generated within the body of the rare few powerhouses who had undergone rigorous training and survived countless life-or-death battles.

Those with the bloodline of an exorcist were natural spiritualists who could refine life energy into spiritual power from their *dantian*. In other words, the human *dantian* was the primary spiritual core; they did not inherently require a second one. However, a select few experts, having achieved such meticulous control over their spiritual energy, could gather the energy that was normally dissipated unconsciously and forge a second core elsewhere in their bodies.

In this world, spiritualists were constantly losing spiritual energy, much like body heat radiating outward. It was, effectively, a continuous drain. Yet, once a Spirit Core was awakened, that wasted energy would be collected and stored. In battle, these experts could release the Spirit Core to unleash two or three times their usual power.

"With this Spirit Core, not only can I better control my energy, but I can naturally absorb the energy that would otherwise be lost... and in times of crisis, I can unleash double the power," Hyakusuke muttered to himself.

With the Spirit Core awakened, his strength had improved. Of course, he still couldn't compare to the powerful exorcists of this world. In the context of a *tokusatsu* show, he had merely leveled up from a generic grunt to a slightly more elite foot soldier.

"But then again, sometimes grunts in those shows evolve into commanders, or even monster-of-the-week types. I wonder if I can 'evolve' that far."

Hyakusuke shook his head and checked the "Earth-Shrinking Talisman" he had acquired. It was a life-saving artifact for the early game. "Earth-Shrinking" was a high-level spatial technique; in its simplest form, it compressed distance to increase movement speed. However, in the hands of a master *onmyoji* or similar practitioner, its uses were myriad. Among the "Twelve Holy Protectors" of the Yamato Court—the twelve strongest exorcists under the Emperor—there was one who specialized in this very art. In her hands, it could instantly teleport an entire platoon of soldiers dozens of miles away, toss a fierce enemy into the high atmosphere to fall to their death, or shunt them into deep water or the heart of a volcano.

"Still, this is just a talisman," Hyakusuke sighed.

Fortunately, this talisman could still assist him in short-range spatial jumps. Of course, it had a cooldown and consumed a significant amount of spiritual energy. But even so, he knew how heaven-defying this would be in the heat of battle.

"Next is the 'Dream Tapir Egg.' It needs seven days of constant feeding with blood and spiritual energy to hatch..."

Since it would take at least three days, he put the stone egg aside for now.

"And finally, this: the Mermaid’s Flesh."

Hyakusuke took out a small silver-inlaid lacquer box, the kind used for cosmetics, still sealed with a paper charm marked in cinnabar.

"Eating this grants a powerful regenerative ability... for a weakling like me, this is the best insurance. No wonder the Lake Lord called it a 'bonus'."

He peeled off the charm and opened the box. It wasn't what he had imagined—it wasn't fish meat at all. It was a wriggling, severed finger—it clearly wasn't human, tipped with a pitch-black, slightly curved nail. Upon closer inspection, blood still stained the severed edge.

"...Is it still moving?"

Hyakusuke grimaced. He poked it with his finger; the severed digit curled slightly, as if it still possessed the willpower of the creature it once belonged to.

"Well, I have no choice but to eat it."

He reached out, picked up the finger, and put it in his mouth.

...

"Wuwuwu... it hurts so much..."

Inside the ox-drawn carriage, Tsukigaro Yomei curled into a ball, tears welling in her eyes. On one hand, she felt immense shame over yesterday's events; on the other, the physical pain in her abdomen made her want to thrash about.

"It's menstrual cramps," her foster sister Ayaka sighed. "Brother, I've brewed some medicine. Drink it later, and you should feel a bit better."

"No... I don't want to drink anything bitter," Yomei shook her head.

"Don't be so stubborn," Ayaka pouted, hands on her hips. "If you don't take your medicine properly, you'll just have to keep suffering..."

"H-how much longer will it hurt?"

"Usually it eases after a day, but for some, it lasts two or three. It depends on your constitution and the cause of the cramps."

"Wuwu... why is being a woman so miserable?" Tsukigaro Yomei groaned.

"Brother, you finally understand, don't you? Being a woman isn't all it's cracked up to be. This is just your monthly cycle; if you had to give birth, you might even die." Ayaka sighed. "I don't mean to scare you, but we really need to find a way to lift this 'curse' as soon as possible."

"Y-yeah, you're right," Yomei replied weakly, her voice devoid of energy.

"Brother," Ayaka knelt down and cradled Yomei’s face in her hands. "Don't forget the responsibility you carry... you are the eldest son of the Tsukigaro family and the next clan head."

"I know that, of course," Yomei puffed out her cheeks adorably. "But ending up like this... it’s not my fault."

"I know. I don't intend to blame you for it," Ayaka sighed, looking weary. "But... what is going on between you and that fellow named Hyakusuke?"

"Eh? What do you mean?" Yomei tilted her head in confusion.

"Are you truly oblivious, or are you playing dumb?" Ayaka glared at her. "Late last night... why was Master Hyakusuke the one to bring you back? What exactly is your relationship?"

"No... that... actually—" She was caught off guard, her eyes darting around as she fell into a panic. "It's, it's nothing! We just happened to run into each other."

"You just 'happened' to meet in the middle of the night?" Ayaka’s eyes darkened. "A man and a woman alone, wandering out to the strictly forbidden lakeside in the dead of night... Brother, are you sure you weren't having a secret tryst with that man?"

"A-a tryst... no, nothing like that!" Yomei shook her head frantically.

Ayaka grew even more suspicious, sensing Yomei’s agitation.

"Brother... don't tell me you've fallen for him?"

"F-fallen for him!"

Her cheeks flushed bright red, as if she had a fever, and her eyes began to wander nervously.