The road west (I)

No matter how lovely the cherry blossoms on the branches looked, spring nights were still quite cold. Only while soaking comfortably in a wild hot spring could one feel warmth slowly seeping into flesh and bone.

"Han, the fish is ready." Some distance away, Miya spoke calmly with his back to the hot spring. Though his voice was quiet, it carried clearly through the still night.

"Yes, I'll be right there," Han answered hurriedly.

This time, the Spellcaster was preparing dinner. With neither a village nor an inn anywhere nearby, they could only make do with a night in the forest. Even though he already knew she was not entirely human, Han still behaved like an ordinary human around him, whether she was eating, resting, or enjoying a leisurely soak in a hot spring. She liked the warmth.

"Who's there?!" Han had only just put on her white underrobe when she sensed a faint demonic aura approaching. She pulled the robe tight across her chest and swiftly picked up the bow and arrows beside her with her other hand, scanning the area ahead warily.

The demonic aura approached her from the north, while Miya stood guard to the south. Even if she wanted to call for help, it would probably be too late. She would have to rely on herself after all. The girl tightened her grip on the longbow and drew a deep breath, the rough bowstring scraping her fingertips. Drawn taut against the bow, the slender string traced a beautiful crescent, imbued with the Miko's pure spiritual power.

Han waited quietly. Her stillness now was preparation for ambushing the enemy about to appear.

In the pitch-black night, the sound of vegetation being pushed aside was unusually clear. Somewhere in the dark forest, an unknown animal seemed to be making its way through the grass.

Suddenly, a sika deer covered in wounds burst out of the woods. Its hide clung tightly to its bones, making it look pitifully frail. But Han dared not lower her guard. Nature offered far too many examples of the strong feigning weakness, or the weak overcoming the strong.

When the deer, somewhat larger than an ordinary sika deer, reached the clearing before the hot spring, the bright moonlight allowed Han to see the small child on its back clearly. The child's face was filled with terror, and she kept looking behind her.

Han's heart softened at once, and the taut bowstring gradually slackened.

"Please! Save my child!" The sika deer bent her forelegs and dropped to her knees, speaking in a human voice.

The Spellcaster in the distance had also sensed the demonic aura and hurried over. "Han, are you all right?"

"Ah, yes." Han realized she still had not put on her scarlet hakama. "Wait..."

The moonlight was perfectly clear, yet to Miya, everything in the night seemed to blur. All he could see was the girl's flushed face and snow-white calves-the underrobe was quite long-and the world seemed to turn in slow motion.

"Sorry, sorry..." Miya was still dazed, but he apologized reflexively, his body frozen in place.

"Master Spellcaster!" Han cried in embarrassment, wrapping her arms around herself.

Only then did Miya turn away in a daze.

The rustle of clothing came from behind him, and an image of snowy cheeks stained crimson rose unbidden in his mind.

"Um..." Miya swallowed, his voice trembling.

A moment later, the girl's clear voice came from behind him. "You can turn around now," she said. "It's all right, Master Spellcaster."

Miya turned back. Looking at the girl's composed expression, he found his heart still pounding.

"Are you all right?" Han gently asked the large sika deer, who had already taken human form. The child who had been lying on her back was now held tightly in her arms.

"Yes. Please, please." Lan's lips trembled as she stared blankly at the Miko before her, as though she would flee again at the slightest unexpected movement. Had she not been utterly exhausted, she would never have placed her hopes in a human Miko. Now, she could only pray for the slightest chance that this Miko possessed a kind heart.

"Yes, I'm here." Han crouched to meet the deeply anxious woman's eyes and took her hands in her own. She could feel the monster's distrust, and the trembling of her hands between her palms. The Miko's clear eyes held the other woman's gaze. Beneath that calm gaze, the deer monster gradually relaxed.

The deer monster withdrew her hands and embraced her only child, bowing her head gently. Clear tears fell onto the child's face. Holding her precious child's comforting weight in her arms, she finally began to speak calmly.

She and her husband, another sika deer, had grown up in these mountain woods, become monsters, and fallen in love. They were frail deer monsters who cautiously avoided humans. Fortunately, the humans here revered deer as divine messengers, and even when they occasionally caught sight of them, they did not hurt them. Thus, the two had been able to live cautiously but peacefully in these woods.

Yet at some point, a centipede monster had appeared and begun attacking humans, and villagers gradually started dying. The centipede monster had actually formed from the resentment of centipedes, which people hunted far and wide for use as medicinal ingredients. Their resentment had gathered to create such a creature. (From Japanese artist Toriyama Sekien's The Illustrated Night Parade of a Hundred Demons.) But the people believed the mountain monsters were responsible, so they invited monks from a nearby temple to perform rites and kill them.

She and her husband had also feared the centipede monster and had even made a point of avoiding it. But it kept attacking them, attempting to increase its demonic power by devouring them. Evading its attacks had already exhausted them, let alone the villagers watching for an opportunity to strike. At last, surrounded by the monks' combined assault, she and her husband had been overwhelmed. Her husband had fought desperately to carve a bloody path for her, allowing her to escape with their child, while he himself had died protecting them.

Lan's expression was numb, two trails of tears running down her face. The child nestled in her arms and thoughtfully wiped her tears away.

Soft sobs echoed through the deathly silence of the night.

"Han, please help them," Yunai pleaded, tears welling in those glossy black eyes as well.

Yunai was very well behaved and almost never asked for anything, simply nestling quietly on Han's shoulder. Good sunshine brought happiness, as did tasty white radishes and sweet, clear stream water. When happy, Yunai would nuzzle her gently and seek a little affection.

"All right," Han answered softly. Even without that request, she would have done the same.

"Don't be afraid," Yunai told Lan and her daughter, flicking those long ears. To these two monsters, no one was more trustworthy than this rabbit monster. That was also why Lan had not fled immediately upon first seeing the Miko, exhausted though she was.

"Thank you," Lan said humbly and gratefully, holding her child.

Miya had long since recovered his composure. Having heard Lan and her daughter's sorrowful story, he too was deeply moved. He exchanged a glance with Han, and they nodded to each other, already resolved to shelter the mother and child.

Suddenly, firelight and voices emerged from the dark forest, and Lan, who had only just calmed down, shuddered all over again.

The hatred and fear born of her husband's death made her tremble uncontrollably.

Villagers in coarse cloth clothing led the way with torches, followed by monks who chanted scriptures without pause.

"Who are you?" a villager asked cautiously upon seeing the Miko and the Spellcaster standing before the monsters.

"The people who will catch your monster for you." Miya smiled faintly.

"You two?" a villager said disdainfully. Naturally, they trusted the monks who had always protected them more than this Miko and Spellcaster of unknown ability. "If you want to catch monsters, just hand over the ones behind you." The villagers spoke rudely, chiming in here and there.

"Do you," Han asked displeased, "really believe these two killed those villagers?"

Intimidated by her presence, the villagers grew somewhat fearful, but someone murmured, "Didn't they?"

"Do you think so too, venerable master?" Han addressed the monk leading the group at the rear directly.

"Well..." It was probably the first time the monk had encountered a Miko with such a sharp, commanding presence, and he fell silent for a moment.

"Can you not tell that they carry none of the bloody aura left by harming humans?" Han took a step forward.

"Well..." The monk hesitated again. "...They are monsters, after all..."

Han was utterly furious! These monks might well have known that Lan, her husband, and their child had never harmed anyone. After all, monsters who hurt humans would naturally carry a bloody aura. The monks had merely seen that they were monsters and decided to wipe them out indiscriminately.

"Han." Miya tugged at her hand. His heartbeat quickened, but he forced himself to remain composed as he signaled for her to calm down.

"Hmph. ╭(╯^╰)╮" Han huffed quietly, but she knew that her anger would accomplish nothing. She therefore left the negotiations with the villagers and monks to the Spellcaster, who had far more experience traveling.

Under the Spellcaster's enigmatic smile, the villagers and monks finally compromised. In truth, they only backed down after he displayed a little of his skill to cow them, then promised to eliminate the monster truly responsible.

Once the negotiations were over, Miya's first request was that they take them to find Lan's husband's body. Whatever else happened, that was the last comfort left to Lan and her child. Even among monsters, not all devoured the bodies of their own kind to strengthen themselves. Many were actually no different from humans, possessing the same emotions, sometimes even more fervent and pure.

Yet when they reached the cliff where Lan's family had been surrounded, her husband's body had vanished. The villagers looked at one another, confirming that none of them had moved the enormous deer's corpse, and a chill crept over everyone.

Han confirmed with Lan that this was indeed the place where her husband had died. A strong smell of blood, still carrying lingering warmth, hung in the surroundings. Upon discovering that not even her husband's body remained, Lan had reached the brink of collapse. Had her young daughter not silently comforted her in her arms, she might have gone mad at once-even the gentlest monster would lose all reason in a frenzy and become extremely difficult to deal with.

Han gently stroked the little girl's head. Seeing the child look up at her with such trusting affection softened her heart further and strengthened her resolve to find the girl's father and uncover the true villain.

"This is..." Miya noticed a black piece of shed carapace nearby. He crouched to pick it up and handed it to Han. "Doesn't it look like the shell left behind when a centipede molts?" Though the creature was a monster, one formed from centipedes' resentment would likely retain their habits. But if this truly was its shed shell, the centipede would certainly be even stronger after molting.

"Yes. The demonic aura is heavy, and revolting." Han nodded grimly. It was most likely that centipede monster.

"Master Spellcaster, could this be...?" The leader of the villagers cautiously approached to ask. During their conversation earlier, the Spellcaster had explained that the centipede monster was the true culprit. But if one piece of shed shell was this big, how enormous must the monster itself be? The villagers, who had caught centipedes to make medicine for generations, stared at the carapace half a person's size held up by the Spellcaster, their hearts pounding with fear.

"Yes, I'm afraid this is it." Miya nodded as well. "What do you think, venerable masters?" He turned to ask the monks.

"Alas, this monster is probably the culprit." The monks quietly invoked the Buddha's name and answered helplessly.

Though they had confirmed the centipede monster's existence, the night was already late, making its hiding place difficult to find. After discussing it, everyone decided to resume the search tomorrow and return to the village to rest for now. The villagers warmly invited the Spellcaster and Miko, who had demonstrated their knowledge of monsters, back to the village, and even apologized to Lan and her daughter. Though the mother and child still harbored many grievances against the villagers, the Spellcaster persuaded them to acknowledge that the centipede monster lurking in the nighttime forest was the greater threat. After some thought, they gritted their teeth and followed the others back to the village.

Yet how could a mere apology soothe the resentment in the hearts of two souls who had lost a husband and a father?