"Mm, if Miss Kanna is with you, there shouldn't be any problems. Still, be careful once you enter the mountain."
Ryoma solemnly cautioned the three who were about to head into the mountain.
"I understand."
A faint smile tugged at Kanna's lips as she gently nodded to Ryoma.
Fujimaru Ritsuka looked serious as well.
The strength at his side was lacking now. It was hard to say how much of Miss Nobunaga's fighting ability remained, and perhaps his greatest means of protecting himself was the simplified Divine Authority Seal that Miss Lawrence had left on him in advance.
He loaded it first, then held it in his hand.
"Then, I wish you a safe journey. Please give my regards to Lady Himiko and Lady Iyo."
Ryoma gave a slight bow and stepped aside.
Beyond the mountain gate, the path was pitch-black. The woods on either side carried a cold, sinister shade of black, while only the road in the middle, paved with bluish-gray clay slabs, stood out in a different color.
"This forest looks like something could leap out at any moment. It wouldn't happen to be the Day-Hiding Demon, would it?"
Fujimaru Ritsuka scratched the back of his head, recalling the most famous legend of Black River Mountain—the tale of Sakumura Anno subduing the great yokai, the Day-Hiding Demon.
The Day-Hiding Demon.
Could the thing waiting for him within that storm be the Day-Hiding Demon?
Then... Mr. Sakumura Anno?
Tap.
Stepping onto the mountain path, Fujimaru Ritsuka began his ascent.
"Why did you do this?"
Amid the torrential rain came a voice filled with resentment.
"What you represent, the symbol you embody—the things you left behind in your history—why would you allow yourself to make such a choice?"
It was a questioning voice, a question born of disbelief.
Faced