According to the old village chief, beginning around the start of the year, young girls would occasionally disappear from the village at night.
Sometimes, even when their families escorted them, the girls would vanish the instant someone turned their head.
Everyone believed some kind of monster was responsible.
Later, a traveling Swordsman passed through the area and learned of the matter.
He told them that a Demon was behind it.
According to the Swordsman, this kind of Demon possessed limitless strength and strange powers.
It lived by eating people.
The Swordsman then volunteered to exterminate the Demon.
But only a few days later, the villagers discovered his corpse.
Now everyone in the village was terrified.
Even if they wanted to leave, there was nowhere to go.
After all, transportation in the past was nothing like modern transportation.
To reach another place from a village in such a remote region, they could only travel on foot.
And walking would take several days.
Who could guarantee they would not be eaten by the Demon?
By comparison, everyone was safer gathered together.
Though that safety was limited.
"I see..."
After hearing the village chief's story, Duanmu Huai nodded.
Then he looked toward Asagumo Ayame beside him.
"But Miss Ayame doesn't seem afraid of us."
"Could it be that you aren't worried we might be the man-eating Demon in disguise?"
"To be honest, I was a little worried at first."
Asagumo Ayame spoke with some embarrassment.
"But after the three of you appeared in the sunlight, I felt reassured."
"That's because the Swordsman told me that Demons turn to ash as soon as they appear in sunlight."
"Since the three of you can stand in the sunlight without anything unusual happening, you shouldn't be Demons."
"All right, I understand."
After hearing Asagumo Ayame's answer,