The Superstitious Village

She was unsure whether her self-disclosure would affect this Stigmata space.

Therefore, all decisions need to be made carefully.

"This is herbal medicine, isn't it? Are you feeling unwell?"

She took the initiative to ask questions, trying to get closer to him.

"There are more mosquitoes, snakes, and ants in the mountains now, so I plan to make some insect repellent and sprinkle it around here."

Yae Sakura's expression turned unnatural for a moment, but it quickly disappeared, as if Kiana had just misread it.

Are there many mosquitoes here?

"These are always abundant near mountains and forests."

Yae Sakura patiently explained.

Kiana nodded thoughtfully. She didn't think she had misread it, but unfortunately, she hadn't studied herbal medicine and didn't recognize what the herb Yae Sakura had just picked.

Yae Sakura waited a while longer, but Kiana still didn't speak, so she said, "You're here to explore, right? The villagers of Yae Village at the foot of the mountain are a bit xenophobic, you'd better leave as soon as possible."

Yae Village?

The familiar place names forced her to connect this Stigmata space with the storylines of other worlds.

Are they xenophobic?

Kiana didn't reveal her true thoughts, her expression a little nervous. "But I lost my luggage and map yesterday. I'm just going to the village to replenish some supplies. It shouldn't be a problem to need a map, right?"

"... Did you lose your luggage?"

Seeing that she indeed had nothing on her, Yae Sakura that it would take her at least a whole day to travel to the outside world, and couldn't help but feel that it was a bit of a hassle.

She didn't want to involve this kind-hearted girl; once she entered the village, leaving wouldn't be so easy.

But it's already afternoon.

Having cruelly rejected Kiana, will she be able to safely spend the night in the wilderness?

After being rejected by her, will she really not come down the mountain again, and will she listen to her and leave?

"Yes, we encountered some danger yesterday, so we had no choice but to leave everything behind."

Kiana feigned disappointment and a hint of lingering fear, then looked at Yae Sakura and continued, "Don't worry, I won't take it for nothing. I have money, I..."

She pretended to reach for something, and after searching around, her expression gradually turned awkward, even more disappointed and embarrassed. "I remember now, the money seems to be in my bag, but the bag is gone too."

Yae Sakura was silent for a moment, then, thinking of her father who had been away from home for the past few days, she said, "The village is very xenophobic, and because of some customs, it will be very different from other places you've seen before. But if you have nowhere to go right now, why don't you stay at my house for the night?"

As long as Kiana doesn't wander off, and she sends the person away first thing tomorrow morning, there shouldn't be any major problems.

This place is far from big cities, and there's no electricity. The mountains are home not only to dangerous wild animals but also to man-eating monsters.

Kiana probably encountered a similar danger yesterday; it's a miracle she escaped even once.

Having just saved herself, Yae Sakura couldn't ignore the dangers she might encounter in the mountains.

Kiana exclaimed in surprise, "Is that alright?"

Yae Sakura nodded. "Of course you can, especially since you just saved me. It's just that the villagers are quite xenophobic, so you'd better not wander around the village."

This is the third time Yae Sakura has emphasized that the village at the foot of the mountain is very xenophobic.

If it were just xenophobia, Yae Sakura wouldn't need to emphasize it three times over, so the village at the foot of the mountain definitely has a big problem.

"I just need a safe place to stay. Don't worry, I definitely won't wander around. I'll leave first thing tomorrow morning."

Kiana spoke very seriously.

Now, she should say whatever is nice to her. Once she arrives at the shrine, she will begin investigating the situation regarding Yae Sakura.

~~~~~

27

Chapter Twenty-Seven: The Superstitious Village

Yae Sakura believed her completely.

I led her down the mountain, and in half an hour we reached the foot of the mountain.

The first thing you see is a shrine.

The village is a few hundred meters away from the shrine, so as long as you are careful not to run away from the shrine, you don't need to worry about being discovered. This is because, apart from the rituals performed, the villagers don't usually come to this shrine to worship.

Even if she came to the shrine for something, it was when her father was at the shrine that she came looking for him.

The path up the mountain leads directly to her small courtyard.

Yae Sakura didn't introduce the shrine or the surrounding area to her; instead, she took her directly to her place.

She lives on the edge of the shrine.

It was a small courtyard with a blooming cherry blossom tree inside, and a well in another corner.

Yae Sakura took out her key and opened the door.

"This is my home, where I live. If you don't mind, you can stay here tonight. I'm sorry, due to the special circumstances in the village, I can't arrange a better room for you."

A very ordinary little courtyard.

It's clear that this place seems to be inhabited only by Yae Sakura.

"You've been talking about this village, but I think you're a very good person."

Upon arriving at Yae Sakura's house, Kiana began probing her. "Are the people of Yae Village different from you? You seem to dislike them."

Hate?

Did you act like you disliked the villagers?

Yae Sakura was taken aback, but did not answer. Instead, she opened the door and led her into her room.

She didn't want the girl to know what had happened, but the girl who had just saved her must be a bold and curious person.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have come here alone.

They were attacked yesterday, and they're still so carefree today.

"The villagers are very superstitious."

After entering the room, Yae Sakura didn't stop. Instead, she checked the kettle and, finding there was still water inside, poured Kiana a cup.

"Superstitious?"

Kiana was somewhat puzzled. Although it looked similar, this was not Honkai Impact 3rd, but Izumo on the Honkai: Star Rail.

The shrine here.

Aren't they offering swords and knives?

Mei's family shrine enshrines Narukami, Yae Village enshrines Frost Blade. So, the main deity of the shrine should be Frost God, right?

Both are shrines that enshrine Edict Blade.

Kiana thought they were all the same.

Is superstition about the Frost God xenophobic? The Frost God is shaped like swords and blades; shouldn't superstition be about martial spirit?

"Yes, superstition."

Yae Sakura sat down opposite her, looking at her curious gaze, and thought to herself that she was indeed a bold and curious person.

Will she really stay put?

Will they really obey?

Kiana was somewhat doubtful.

"It would be dangerous to be exposed to the villagers, so I hope you don't leave the shrine, and preferably not even leave this courtyard."

Kiana nodded obediently, patting her chest and saying, "Don't worry, I definitely won't do anything reckless or cause you any trouble."

I only act recklessly with a purpose.

It's absolutely impossible not to investigate.

"I'm glad you understand."

Yae Sakura temporarily believed her words, preoccupied with other matters. She was somewhat absent-minded, but worried that leaving Kiana alone here would bore her and cause her to leave.

There are still two hours until sunset, and she doesn't want anything to happen within those two hours.

Kiana chatted with her for a few more minutes, and out of the corner of her eye, she caught a glimpse of a doll on the bookshelf in her room.

She looked curious.

Was that doll custom-made?

Doll?

Yae Sakura turned around and looked back, remaining silent as she gazed at the doll, her eyes growing increasingly profound.

"It's very delicate, and it looks a lot like you. Is it what you looked like when you were a child?"

"... It's my sister."

Yae Sakura's tone remained the same as when they were talking about other things; it didn't change at all when they started talking about her younger sister.

But if the tone doesn't change, that's abnormal. When a normal person talks about their favorite younger sister, their tone will definitely be emotional.

It's absolutely impossible to act like a stranger.

There was no fluctuation.

Kiana looked surprised and asked curiously, "Your sister? So you have a sister? Is she at the shrine too?"

Yae Sakura really does have a younger sister.

But despite knowing Yae Sakura for so long, neither she nor Sirin had ever mentioned the existence of that child.

So...

Kiana had a guess about the child's fate, and Yae Sakura confirmed her guess.

The voice sounded somewhat weak and airy.

"No, she's gone. She had been in poor health since childhood, and her condition worsened last year, which unfortunately led to her passing."

Did he really die of illness?

Kiana felt that Yae Sakura's reaction was not like that, and both Honkai 2 and Honkai Impact 3rd indicated that her sister did not have a good ending.

Whether it's Honkai 2, the Previous Era Honkai Impact 3rd era, or even the era of Kallen Honkai Impact 3rd, Yae Sakura's sister never had a happy ending.

This is probably not surprising.

Just like Bronya and Seele, they can never escape their connection to the orphanage.

"Sorry, I don't know..."

"It doesn't matter."

Yae Sakura shook her head, stood up, and said in a gentle voice, "This is not a topic that cannot be discussed."

"I apologize for the poor hospitality. I should stay here with you, but the herbs we just picked need to be processed as soon as possible..."

With an apologetic look on her face, she said, "The herbs are very important to me, and I need to take care of them, but I won't go far; they're in the workshop next door."

Kiana readily stood up. "Do you need my help?"

"I can do it myself."

Yae Sakura refused, saying, "You are a guest; I can handle these things myself."

After arranging things for Kiana here, she took the herbs she had just picked from the mountain and went to the workshop on the other side.

Kiana looked somewhat wistful after she left. Yae Sakura sister had passed away last year, so the herbs she received weren't for her sister.

That's not quite right either.

Reflecting on Yae Sakura's reaction, she realized that Yae Sakura had picked might not necessarily be something that could cure diseases and save lives.

Her skills were far inferior to when we first met.

The priority of testing whether Yae Sakura was the same Yae Sakura she knew had been lowered, and she suddenly became curious about what the Yae Sakura in the Stigmata world wanted to do.