This was the edge of a mountain range. Though it was only the edge, the trees here were still exceptionally lush. To people of this era, places like this usually had ferocious beasts or even yokai lurking about, so ordinary people would not travel through them.
However, if one wanted to reach Musashi Main City without passing through here, they would have to take a long detour. If they did not want to go around, they could only risk taking this narrow path and hope no ferocious beasts or yokai appeared.
The sky here was gloomy. Though it was clearly morning, it felt as if night were about to fall. Torrential rain poured down, battering the leaves and stirring the forest from its stillness.
At that moment, a little girl under ten years old was running through the downpour in panic, glancing behind her from time to time. Something terrifying was chasing her.
The little girl was not human, for she had a pair of adorable fox ears. At the same time... she did not quite seem like a yokai either.
She was very cute, the makings of a great beauty. It was easy to tell that she would be exceptionally beautiful when she grew up. Even as she fled for her life through the rain in such a bedraggled state, no one would find her ugly.
As the figure behind her drew closer and closer, the little fox girl cried out in terror. Though she knew there could not possibly be anyone here, much less anyone—human or yokai—who could save her, she still instinctively called for help.
Then, a fist-sized stone flew from behind and struck the little fox girl's right leg directly, sending her tumbling to the ground.
With her right leg injured, the little fox girl could