"Desire..." Looking at the courtesan before her, Kikyo understood, and yet somehow she didn't.
Yae Sakura, however, understood. People grew stronger and kept moving forward for the sake of their desires...
But desires could also lead them into an abyss from which there was no return.
"I can remove the curse on you, but you may lose everything you have now. Are you willing?" The reason this woman had become a courtesan was not just her own hard work. There was another cause: the demonic curse a monster had placed on her.
It was a curse that increased her charm and allure. But the courtesan was only an ordinary human, and the curse came from an evil spirit. It would slowly transform her. What began by making her more beautiful would eventually turn her into a disgusting monster.
"I'm willing..." The courtesan looked up and nodded quickly.
"Get up and speak."
"Yes, priestess..."
"If you can, tell us where the monster that cursed you is. I'm sure you don't want it coming after you again, do you?"
The courtesan was bare from the waist up, so if she stood, everything would be exposed. Yae Sakura instinctively looked away.
As a courtesan, she couldn't just give herself to anyone, and ordinary people couldn't afford her anyway. On top of that, she was afraid to sell her body with the corrupted taint on her back. So the courtesan was still a virgin.
"Yes, that monster is at Jingxian Temple, to the southwest!" the courtesan hurriedly said.
A courtesan's life wasn't as wonderful as people imagined. No matter how highly ranked she was, she was still just a tool for certain people.
Once her hair began to gray, if no one came to buy her freedom, she would be abandoned.
When a courtesan grew old, she could only be cast aside and reduced to menial work. Unless someone bought her freedom beforehand, there were no exceptions.
But the price of a courtesan's freedom was astronomical. How many people could afford it? So most courtesans faced a miserable old age.
There was no chance of buying her freedom at a low price. Even when a courtesan grew old... they would rather throw her away than sell her cheaply.
By then, the owner of the brothel had already made enough money. What did they care what happened to the courtesan?
To the southwest of the pleasure district stood a temple called Jingxian Temple.
Many courtesans were buried there together.
And an out-of-favor courtesan was no different from any other courtesan. She would sleep there at Jingxian Temple, and no one wanted to ask too many questions.
"The ritual to purge the taint will be painful. I hope you can endure it."
Kikyo set up a soundproof barrier in the courtesan's room and drew a purification ritual on the floor.
"I can endure it. I don't want to become a monster." The courtesan's gaze was resolute.
"Good. Take off all your clothes and stand in the center of the ritual."
"Yes."
There were no men around, and the courtesan didn't mind in the least. She simply took off the rest of her clothes.
She stood naked in the center of the ritual.
"Formation... rise!"
As the courtesan stepped into the center of the ritual, Kikyo formed a hand seal. Several beams of light immediately trapped the courtesan.
"Purge the taint, cleanse calamity, subdue all demons—by the power of the heavens, obey!"
A powerful white light filled the ritual, but Kikyo's barrier kept it from escaping.
Just then, the courtesan suddenly rose into the air, floating horizontally.
"Purge the taint..."
Two enormous, transparent hands seemed to appear in the air and reached straight into the courtesan's body...
"Ah..."
A scream of pain escaped the courtesan's lips, startling Yae Sakura.
"It will hurt, but please hold on. Don't lose consciousness, or all of this will be for nothing..."
Kikyo quickly reminded her.
"I... I can do it... Ah... it hurts..." The courtesan gritted her teeth.
"Good!"
Just then, Kikyo continued forming hand seals. A huge white pentagram appeared above the courtesan and pressed down on her.
This was... the Seimei Kikyo Seal!
Kikyo's name had been inspired by this very seal.
"Ah..."
The screams continued, but the taint on her back was slowly disappearing...
After who knew how long, the taint on the courtesan's back had finally been purged completely.
Kikyo ended the ritual and sat down to recover her spiritual power. She had used up quite a lot this time.
"Are you all right?" Yae Sakura asked with concern.
"I'm fine. I'll recover soon." Kikyo shook her head, then looked toward the courtesan lying on the ground.
"How do you feel?"
"Thank you, priestess. I feel... much lighter." The courtesan struggled to her feet. But the special allure she'd had before was gone.
She was still beautiful, but not as beautiful as before. The curse's effects had probably vanished along with the taint.
"Now that you've lost the curse and your allure has faded... you may be abandoned. Have you thought about what you'll do?"
Supporting Kikyo, Yae Sakura looked at the courtesan sitting across from them. She could imagine what would happen if the girl stayed there without that seductive charm.
"Please save me, priestess!" Hearing this, the girl thought of that fate and shuddered. She hurriedly looked to Yae Sakura for help.
"What do you want to do from now on?" Yae Sakura didn't agree right away. She also stopped Kikyo from speaking.
"I... I don't know. I only know the tea ceremony, dance, poetry, and court music..."
The girl had already experienced a courtesan's life, and although she had been quite enamored with it, the taint had made her stop caring about that life of luxury and endless indulgence.
"That's good. You have plenty of skills... Kikyo, why not keep her as your maid? And, Miss Courtesan, would you be willing?" Yae Sakura thought it over. Having a courtesan as a maid would be quite nice.
But because of her own particular circumstances, she could only have the girl serve Kikyo.
"How can that be..."
Kikyo immediately refused.
"A maid... If it's for the two of you, priestesses, I'm willing..."
Going from being a courtesan at the very top to a maid was hard to get used to...
"By the way, I still don't know your name," Yae Sakura asked.
"My name is... Luna." The girl hesitated before answering.
"Luna..."
In ancient times, not everyone had a surname. Only samurai, nobles, people whose fathers had surnames, and those of somewhat higher standing had one.
It wasn't unusual for women in ancient times to have a one-character name.
"Then, Luna, come with us for now! We'll figure out what to do afterward."
"Yes!"