Since Totosai had said the forging would take a month, the two left for the time being. Aside from its scorching heat, Sui Mountain had nothing particularly remarkable about it, but that alone was an enormous burden for Yunai. The poor rabbit simply could not endure the temperature and had been listless ever since entering Sui Mountain, leaving Han terribly worried.
"Phew, I'm alive again." They had barely left Sui Mountain and returned to the freezing world outside before the little rabbit perked right up. Crouched on the girl's shoulder, both ears stood straight up. Han could not help laughing and gently pinched those long ears. Yes, they felt lovely.
Actually, ever since leaving Gensokyo, Yunai had stayed hidden inside a barrier of its own making, too frightened to wander around for fear that vicious monsters would skin and eat it. Indeed, plenty of monsters coveted the flesh of the White Hare of Inaba, especially their leader, Tewi Inaba, who was said to be able to take the form of an adorable little girl and was extraordinarily agile.
Come to think of it, for Yunai, an utterly ordinary member of the rabbit colony, to create such a realistic barrier in this vast forest on Honshu was something of a miracle. After all, the White Hare of Inaba possessed only good luck-well, exceptionally good luck-and no ability to create barriers beyond that.
According to the rabbit, it had gained the ability to construct barriers because it had once possessed a Jade Gem with mysterious powers. After accidentally swallowing the gem, it had acquired that ability. Even now, the rabbit remained astonished that the girl had found the weakest point in its barrier so quickly. Aside from that one spot, every other part of the barrier was extremely sturdy.
In short, the important thing was that Yunai had never been anywhere beyond the place where it had built its barrier. For an Inaba Rabbit with a fondness for playing pranks, a solitary life was terribly hard to bear. That was why it had conjured up so many rabbits to keep it company, though it was still fundamentally alone.
That was why Yunai had so obediently followed along after meeting the Dog Demon and the girl.
Since it was already certain that Yunai could not return to Gensokyo for another five years, it wanted to visit more places before going home. Provided it had a powerful monster to protect it, of course-namely, this seemingly cold but surprisingly dependable Dog Demon. At least, with Han around, this monster became very dependable. Yunai had seen through everything~
"Um, where are we going now?" Yunai asked, nestled comfortably on Han's shoulder.
Han shook her head. She did not know either.
She looked up at Sesshomaru, but all she could see was the sharply defined line of the Dog Demon's jaw.
Sesshomaru sensed the girl's gaze.
Although the girl did not particularly enjoy speaking and had a quiet, gentle disposition, she still had distinct emotions of her own.
In fact, sometimes even the Dog Demon himself struggled to reconcile this normally quiet, considerate girl with the strong, brave girl who fought monsters.
"To the Wolf Demon Tribe."
To challenge and defeat every powerful great monster and become someone who surpassed his father-that was Sesshomaru's goal.
As the true rulers of the north, the Wolf Demon Tribe could not be underestimated, even though they had gradually declined in recent years. Their former chief was said to have been a powerful White Wolf Demon. Though the current chief was weaker by comparison, he still far surpassed ordinary monsters. He was the one Sesshomaru intended to challenge this time. Sesshomaru wanted to see how powerful the ruler of the north, a region as renowned as the Western Lands, truly was.
Once Han and Yunai knew their destination, they asked no more questions. Though Yunai was timid by nature and instinctively feared wolves-the tragedy of the food chain-with a powerful monster protecting it, wolf demons no longer seemed quite so frightening.
As for Han, she had unparalleled trust in Sesshomaru, with whom she had fought side by side.
And so, following closely behind Sesshomaru, Han and the Yunai on her shoulder headed toward the wolf demons' territory.
"We're here." Sesshomaru stopped before a mountain. His sensitive nose had already picked up the scent of wolves. Their surroundings seemed unremarkable, with ordinary mountain rocks covered in woodland vegetation, but everything was indistinct, making it impossible to see the scenery on the mountain clearly. It was actually an excellent stronghold.
Han surveyed their surroundings curiously, but saw no wolf demons at all. If this was a tribe, there ought to be many wolf demons gathered together. Although she noticed nothing unusual, she still raised her guard, unsure whether they were friends or foes, and quietly reached for the bow and arrows on her back.
Whoosh! With a rush of air, an arrow flew straight toward the two of them.
Sesshomaru casually caught the arrow and snapped it in two with a slight squeeze.
As soon as Han reacted, she nocked an arrow and fired without hesitation at their hidden attacker. Meanwhile, Yunai curled into an even smaller ball on her shoulder, clutching the girl's clothes.
"Who are you?!" A white wolf demon dodged the arrow and sprang out of the bushes where he had been hiding, holding a cocked crossbow. He warily studied the strange pairing of a monster and a miko before him. He was certain this monster was no shikigami serving the miko. The monster was far too powerful. A single cold sweep of his gaze was enough to coat the wolf demon's back in sweat.
"Sesshomaru of the Western Lands has come to challenge Lei, chief of the Wolf Demon Tribe." Though his opponent stood on higher ground, Sesshomaru still held the upper hand through sheer presence.
"The chief isn't accepting any challenges. Leave." Still wary, the wolf demon urged the two to go.
"Has the ruler of the north become too afraid even to show his face?" Sesshomaru mocked.
"That's not true! The chief, he... he..." The wolf demon was eager to defend him, but seemed to have something he could not say, growing increasingly uneasy.
"Zhu Feng, bring them in." An aged voice drifted out.
"Yes." The wolf demon named Zhu Feng reluctantly jumped down from his perch and stood before them. "Follow me."
Han carefully studied this seemingly ill-tempered monster. He had brown hair and green eyes, wore leather armor over his upper body and fur around his waist, and had a brown tail behind him that swished with its owner's displeasure.
Did all wolf demons look like this? He looked human too, but he was different from Sesshomaru.
The girl silently pondered this.
The two followed the wolf demon up the mountain without speaking, silently passing through numerous winding paths. As their bodies passed through an invisible, waterlike barrier, the view suddenly opened up. The lush green forest was gone, replaced by ground that was either bare or covered in green grass, along with jutting mountain rocks. Many wolf demons in human form sat on the ground, with several in their original wolf forms beside them. At a glance, there seemed to be no proper houses, only caves of varying sizes in the mountainside, which apparently served as the wolf demons' homes.
"Elder, they're here." The wolf demon named Zhu Feng respectfully knelt on one knee before the largest cave. The young wolf demon was reluctant to let them enter the Wolf Demon Tribe's territory, but he still respected the one who had given the order and showed no resentment toward him.
"Good. You may leave." It was the same aged voice they had heard earlier.
"Yes." The wolf demon named Zhu Feng withdrew as instructed, casting a warning glance at the pair before leaving.
Han did not understand the hostility in the wolf demon's eyes, but this was no time to ask questions. She simply paid closer attention to their surroundings.
"You are Sesshomaru?" An enormous white wolf slowly emerged from the cave and stood before them.
The white wolf was clearly advanced in years. One paw was missing a toe, one ear was notched, and his body was covered in traces of past battles. Now, however, he truly seemed old.
Han silently watched the wolf demon before her, saying nothing.
This was not a situation in which she could speak.
"Yes," Sesshomaru answered succinctly. "I have come to visit the Wolf Demon Tribe after a long absence, and I wish to challenge your chief."
"Alas." The wolf demon sighed. "Our chief has been ill for a long time. I'm afraid he cannot accept your challenge."
As though he had only just noticed the girl beside the Dog Demon, the elderly wolf demon suddenly grew stern and demanded, "The girl beside you is a human miko, isn't she? Why have you brought an enemy of monsters with you?"
"I..." Han frowned slightly, at a loss. She did not fear the wolf demon, but neither did she want to cause trouble for Sesshomaru.
"And what of it?" Sesshomaru calmly interrupted the girl's unfinished words, as though the ancient enmity between miko and monsters meant nothing to him.
"Hmph! Are you a disgrace to monsters? Associating with a human!" The elderly wolf demon immediately grew agitated, baring his snowy-white fangs as though he wanted to charge forward and tear the girl before him to pieces.
Sensing the wolf demon's intense hostility, Han immediately took a fighting stance. The rabbit on her shoulder also went from trembling at having entered a wolves' den to arching its body in defiance. Sesshomaru stepped in front of her as well, adopting a wholly protective stance.
A fight was poised to erupt.
Before you continue