Chapter 57: The Divine Shaman

While the Kurohimeshiyama clan was making a grand and boisterous mobilization, the members of the Anrakuza Sakuru and the Shizuki Party also received the intelligence.

"Big Sister, the Kurohimeshiyama clan has been invited to attend the 'Tenzin Cherry Blossom Great Ooharae Festival'..."

The speaker was a petite half-demon maiden with a single horn protruding from the center of her brow.

"I am well aware of this matter."

The red-robed woman, currently recuperating from her injuries, nodded.

"I imagine that Chunin is among them as well. As long as he possesses that gauntlet, I can track his location at any time."

"But, Big Sister... Who on earth is 'he'?"

The little half-demon girl asked hesitatingly. "Do you truly believe that person could be related to the Young Master and the Shizuki clan?"

"I am not certain either."

Anrakuza Sakuru wore a puzzled expression.

"Thinking back on it now... had it truly been the Young Master, I would have recognized him instantly. Yet, the aura emanating from that Chunin is somewhat different."

"Then could it be him?"

The single-horned girl inquired in a soft whisper. In truth, unlike Big Sister Sakuru, none of the other half-demon companions believed the Young Master could have survived, but had any of them spoken those words aloud, Big Sister certainly would have grown angry.

"No, at the very least, the 'blood' cannot be mistaken."

Anrakuza Sakuru said indifferently. "He is undoubtedly someone connected to the Shizuki family. Furthermore, quite a few members of the Shizuki clan went missing back then. I believe that tracking down this person's whereabouts should yield results."

"However, the Kurohimeshiyama clan is heading to Dewa Province this time."

The single-horned girl continued, "Dewa Province is guarded by the Tenzin Cherry Blossom. Half-demons like us—though slightly better off than full demons—will still suffer agonizing pain when approaching the purifying divine aura emitted by that cherry tree, making it extremely difficult to move about normally within its domain."

"It is fine."

Anrakuza Sakuru smiled.

"The former-former head of the family once bestowed upon me a precious orb sourced from the Dragon Palace's treasury—a Dragon Jade. As long as I swallow this dragon orb, it will suppress the demonic Qi within my body and temporarily transform me into a human."

With those words, she retrieved a luminous orb from the sash of her kimono and swallowed it.

Suddenly, a gust of wind blowing in from an unknown direction caused the red-robed woman's long hair and the hem of her kimono to flutter.

"Bang!"

A puff of white smoke exploded in mid-air. No, rather, the clothes on Anrakuza Sakuru's body began to burst apart with popping sounds, and her form was instantly enveloped in dense white smoke, leaving the single-horned girl dumbfounded.

"B-Big Sister?"

She probed tentatively, swallowing hard as she stared unblinkingly at the silhouette deep within the thick smoke.

As the smoke cleared, accompanied by a fit of coughing, Anrakuza Sakuru's voice rang out once more.

"Ranka, why are you staring at me with such a strange look?"

"B-Big Sister."

The single-horned girl widened her eyes in sheer disbelief.

"Did... did you just shrink?!"

"Ha... what?"

...

A few days later, after a long and arduous journey, the massive procession finally reached the destination of their expedition.

Kasumi Castle was the core radial-style lowland castle within Dewa Province.

It was situated amidst a cluster of rugged mountains, relying on a swift-flowing river as its natural barrier. Centered around the primary citadel keep, the secondary and tertiary baileys extended outward to form the main urban district.

Radiating outward from the vicinity of the main castle, the settlements and market towns of the castle town gradually took shape.

"Although I've seen CGs in the game, witnessing it with my own eyes is an entirely different matter."

Hyakusuke praised inwardly.

Behind the fortifications of Kasumi Castle stood the colossal Tenzin Cherry Blossom, a gigantic tree reminiscent of the Erdtree from a certain Ring-world.

Even from a distance, one could feel the wondrous aura exuding from the divine cherry—solemn, sacred, and imbued with the atmosphere of a sanctuary.

Because it was nearing the time of blossoming, the soft green glow characteristic of the divine tree gently enveloped the sky above Kasumi Castle, forming a grand barrier that blanketed the entire region.

Those with formidable spiritual power would perceive the tree's luminescence mingling with the sunlight; the mystical, towering tree pierced the heavens, resembling a cosmic pillar holding up the sky.

"According to the Chronicles of Jinmu, to the west of the Tonchi River stood a great tree of unfathomable height... Its shadow in the morning sun reached as far as Awaji Island, and in the setting sun, it crossed Mount Takayasu."

Old Matsumaru murmured to himself: "Had I not laid eyes upon this Tenzin Cherry Blossom, I surely would have dismissed it as ancient hyperbole. Now it seems it was merely this old man's ignorance."

"I have never witnessed such a powerful barrier."

Saizo exclaimed in profound shock.

"Just how mighty is this Tenzin Cherry Blossom? I cannot imagine any demon capable of breaching the barrier generated and expanded by the divine cherry."

"A Demon King or a formidable Demon General might be able to attempt a breakthrough."

Old Matsumaru offered a bitter smile.

"However, even if one wished to force their way through the barrier, it would consume an immense amount of power and potentially injure the very source of their demonic might... Surely no grand demon is foolish enough to clash head-on with a power bordering on the miraculous."

"Indeed..."

Saizo remarked with the wide-eyed wonder of a country bumpkin. "Then, if this divine cherry could be relocated elsewhere, or propagated through sowing, cutting, grafting, or division and transplanted to different regions, wouldn't that create natural barriers to fend off demons and monsters everywhere?"

He was struck by a sudden flash of inspiration and proposed the idea.

"For instance, the capital, which must dispatch guards every single year—if they had a divine cherry like this, even if it wouldn't mean total peace of mind, it would still save more than half the effort."

"Hahahaha...!"

Old Matsumaru burst into laughter. "Your idea is brilliant, but such a thing was attempted long ago. Alas, this divine cherry is truly unique; despite people employing various methods in the past, no one has ever been able to replicate a second Tenzin Cherry Blossom."

"I see."

Saizo rubbed the tip of his nose with a wry smile.

"It seems clever minds had already tried what even a fool like me could think up."

"Ho~~ Is Brother Saizo not far cleverer than he lets on?"

Chuckling teasingly, the old man clapped Saizo on the shoulder.

Wearing a self-deprecating expression, Saizo shook his head as well.

The two exchanged glances and laughed together.

This witty and humorous Chunin had hit it off with the old man from the moment they met; their personalities suited each other's tastes, and they had grown quite familiar over the past few days.

Hyakusuke did not share their lighthearted mood; he was acutely aware that the closer they got to Kasumi Castle, the greater the risks would become.

Based on his understanding of the game, interfering in this primary main quest line entailed considerable peril.

Should they fail to achieve their objective, an outbreak at the Ruins of the Root Realm—namely, the nest of the foul spirits—would contaminate the surrounding lands. When that happened, aside from powerful high-tier exterminators like Katsura who might escape with their lives, small fries like himself would undoubtedly face a grim fate of nine deaths for every one survival.

"It seems... I must take action in advance to prevent the worst-case scenario of the 'Divine Cherry's Collapse'..."

...

Soyo, the Lord of Kasumi Castle, accompanied by his personal attendants, arrived at the forest behind the Tenzin Cherry Shrine. Strictly speaking, this was a grove established at the foot of the colossal tree, situated far behind the castle keep and the main shrine grounds.

The divine cherry tree did not devour the vitality of the surrounding vegetation; beneath its sun-blocking canopy, the trees and underbrush of the region flourished without hindrance.

The radiance emanating from the entire body of the giant tree bestowed vibrant vitality upon the flora even in the absence of sunlight. It was capable of creating a barrier to protect the city while simultaneously nurturing life, possessing a natural, boundless beauty.

Walking along a winding footpath, the elderly lord was somewhat out of breath. Though he had lived to the age of ninety and enjoyed longevity, his back was already hunched, and his mobility impaired to the point where he required a cane for support.

"There is no need to go to such trouble, Lord Soyo. If you wish to see Lady Hiyuko, a mere message would suffice."

An elderly shrine maiden dressed in ceremonial vestments offered a wry smile.

"No, no, this old man came here precisely to pay my respects to Lady Mahora as well."

Accompanied by his attendants, Lord Soyo smiled.

"For the coming period, we must borrow Lady Hiyuko's presence from Lady Mahora. After all, she is the protagonist of this divine purification."

"Indeed."

The elderly shrine maiden nodded.

"Though young in years, Hiyuko truly bears a heavy responsibility."

Suddenly, she came to a halt.

"Lord Soyo, we have arrived."

"Ah."

The old man nodded. The two young attendants by his side also curiously surveyed their surroundings, and before long, the pair beheld a bizarre and wondrous sight.

In the clearing within the forest behind the shrine, numerous small birds fluttered through the air.

A young maiden sat upon a rock in the clearing, attired in the highest-ranking miko vestments of the Tenzin Cherry Shrine. Her eyes were bright and expressive, and spread across her knees draped in a scarlet hakama skirt lay an open book—currently the most popular romance novel of the day, titled *The Love Suicides at Sonezaki*, penned by a dramatist named Chikamatsu Monzaemon and adapted into a novel due to the widespread theatrical popularity of the story.

The attendants widened their eyes in astonishment. A squirrel perched upon the maiden's shoulder, while several butterflies danced gracefully around her in circles.

The birds chirped merrily, wheeling overhead in a flock comprising dusky thrushes, tits, and warblers. Among them mingled a Eurasian sparrowhawk; yet rather than brawling, they circled gracefully in the sky, emitting crisp, melodious chirps.

Lying lazily at the miko's feet was a cat, beside which stood two weasels standing upright on their hind legs, squeaking chirpily at the maiden as if conversing with her.

Had they not witnessed it with their own eyes, the attendants would have found it hard to believe the scene before them was real; it felt too much like a scene straight out of a fairy tale picture book, entirely devoid of any sense of reality.

*'Though... I had heard that successive Grand Miko have always been beloved by animals, witnessing this scene firsthand remains beyond imagination.'*

*'It is not a matter of exercising control through sorcery or issuing commands to the beasts; Lady Hiyuko is not a "summoner," yet she can accomplish such a feat?'*

"Is that so?"

The maiden had turned to the final few pages. Reading the conclusion, she let out a soft, melancholic sigh: "In the end, the fates of Tokubei and Ohatsu did not change either~~ Still, to clasp hands and journey together into the netherworld for a double suicide is perhaps a form of happiness in itself."

"Lady Hiyuko."

The elderly lord chuckled.

"This is hardly the time for reading."

He raised his cane and tapped it lightly against the ground.

At once, the small birds spotted the old man and his attendants, taking flight toward the high canopy. The squirrel on her shoulder startled and bounded away, the two weasels scampered off in another direction, and even the cat arched its back and meandered lazily away.

"Oh my... I heard them~~ Have guests arrived?"

The maiden sighed softly and gently closed the book.

"Indeed."

The old man smiled. "It seems the animals of the vicinity have already carried the news over... The visitors are distinguished guests of the Kurohimeshiyama family, and we hope Lady Hiyuko might grace them with her presence."

"I understand."

Without a word of complaint, the maiden rose slowly from her seat and left the book upon the rock.

*What does love truly feel like... To be willing to cast aside their lives and embrace a joint death in the springs of the underworld just to remain together—can emotions truly burn so fiercely as to disregard life itself?*

She could not comprehend it.

After all, she was the Grand Miko of the highest rank at the Tenzin Cherry Shrine, serving as the divine priestess who acted as the "spokesperson" for Lady Mahora.

She had never known romance, nor did she possess a lover.

...However, the maiden thought to herself, if it were me, would I be able to do such a thing?