Volume 4, Chapter 84 – Shimizu And Demon Residence

Volume 4, Chapter 84 - Shimizu And Demon Residence

Translator: LazyButAmbitious

When Shimizu woke up again, she found herself lying in a dim thatched hut. A faint light shone through the broken roof, illuminating dots of soot and flying insects. Shimizu felt a bit dazed as she scanned her surroundings. The furnishings in the room differed from what she was used to.

The roof was high but relatively simple, supported by crude wooden pillars that were tacked with hanging shells, feathers, animal skins, and other peculiar decorations— looking rather primitive.

There weren’t any people from the Heian Dynasty who decorate their homes like this.

She shook off the haze clouding her mind and checked her body first. To her relief, her clothes were still intact and there were no signs of any foul actions.

Shimizu looked down and saw that she was lying on a shabby bamboo mat. There were also some bottles and jars in the corner of the room.

“This doesn’t look like an ordinary house. Where am I? Is it a nest for demons?”

No sooner than she said those words, a green humanoid tree frog wearing grey cloth walked in.

“You’re awake, woman.”

“Demon!” Shimizu leaped up and reflexively reached her hand towards her waist. She didn’t know when, but she seemed to have lost her short sword. Since she was without a weapon, she adopted a martial arts fighting stance.

“Woman, what are you planning? I kindly dragged you back from the forest, but you want to hit me?” The tree frog leaned against the door in fright.

“What are you?” Shimizu asked warily.

“You’re asking me? I don’t know what we are. Why did you come here?” The tree frog asked back, his fat white chin bulging between his words.

“I...” Shimizu’s thoughts drifted. She followed the enlightenment inscribed in the ancient tomb, activated its mechanism, and entered the water gate to seek her own path. As for what awaited her on the other side, she was completely unaware.

“I was guided by the ancient will,” Shimizu said with somewhat empty eyes.

“Hey, you’re not the first girl who came here looking all confused. It’s not a secret here. Just admit that you came looking for the unusual ancient jade, isn’t that right?” The tree frog croaked and sat cross-legged.

Shimizu was startled. She re-assessed the tree frog. He was dressed in a plain grey cloth embroidered with two ancient patterns near the chest area. Overall, he didn’t seem very impressive.

“You know about the ancient jade?”

“Although we are demons, we are not the enemies of you female samurai. Our Tsukutsu clan has existed for generations, dedicated to specifically receiving you female samurai. If you want to know when it all started, then we’ll have to refer to my grandfather’s grandfather’s grandfather’s grandfather...”

“Okay, where exactly is this place?” Shimizu interrupted. Expplôre uptodate stories at no/vel//bin(.)com

“Ribbit, why are you such a rude woman? I dragged you into the village from the forest. There are many nefarious demons who want to nab female samurai, but I found you first— consider it your good luck! Forget it, if our clan didn’t rely on you female samurai for a living, I wouldn’t even bother with you.” The frog snarked.

“What do you mean?” Shimizu raised her alert.

“Woman, you don’t have to be surprised, okay? Since you are here, you should put away your arrogance, otherwise, I won’t tell you the secret of this place. Let’s see how you’ll fare when you’re trapped here.” The tree frog puffed his chin.

“Hmph!” Shimizu’s figure faded into an afterimage, instantly appearing behind the tree frog. She leaned down and locked his fat neck with her arm, “Answer my questions, or else don’t blame me for being impolite!”

Two hours remained before the agreed-upon duel between Lily and Tamurakonoe.

“Look, Sakanoue no Tamurakonoe! He’s coming out!” The surrounding samurai immediately focused their attention on the tall man.

Tamurakonoe was garbed in pure white robes, looking nonchalant. Without trying, his handsome face was enough to garner screams from many women.

He looked at the lake from afar, his fluttering long hair kept in place by his hairpin. The lake was now as tranquil and clear as the surface of a mirror, and all the spectators who should have come had already arrived. However, the other protagonist of their decisive battle, Kagami Lily, had yet to arrive.

There were still two hours left so Tamurakonoe wasn’t anxious.

He came to the place where the duel was scheduled to take place— a long empty shore paralleling the blue lake. All the spectators stood under the towering pine trees, leaving enough space for the battle.

Tamurakonoe went to one side of the long beach, hugged his long sword to his chest, and sat down cross-legged to meditate. He closed his eyes in a regal manner, relaxing his mind.

“Wow, Lord Tamurakonoe is so handsome! So cool!”

“He’s facing a battle to the death, yet he’s not nervous at all!”

“What life and death battle? Blah blah blah! My Tamurakonoe will not lose to that bearded brute from the East!

“Your Tamurakonoe? Are you not ashamed?!”

No one knew when it started, but the image of the genius samurai of Eastern land was rumored to be a dark, savage, and bearded man with little graceful qualities. Among the many other versions, most people seemed to believe the current version as it fitted their impression of Eastern samurai the most.

In the crowd, there were two girls who acted slightly differently from the others. They were fair and petite with quiet expressions. They were dressed in elegant red and white miko outfits. Unlike the other women who practically screamed for Tamurakonoe’s attention, they remained composed.

“Sister Koko, why haven’t the Eastern samurai come yet?” One of the cute, oval-faced girls asked. She had brown twin-tails, and when she asked her question, her innocent eyes shimmered.

“Little Kyori, just watch quietly. This is a contest of strength between two great geniuses of the East and West. There will be a lot of insights worth learning.” The other girl was taller but stood less than 1.6 meters. Her black hair sported a ponytail, and her outfit was plain and more modest.

However, two hours soon passed.

The genius samurai of Eastern land still didn’t arrive.

Three hours, four hours...

Many people grew impatient and even began to complain.

“I say, will that bearded man really come?”

“He’s not reneging on the challenge because he’s afraid of Lord Tamurakone, right?”

“Could he have gotten lost in Lake Biwa or was eaten by a big fish?”

“Why isn’t he here yet?!”

“It’s already past noon; it’s so hot!”

The spectating crowd began to stir in commotion, but Lake Biwa was still as calm as a mirror. There were no signs hailing the arrival of the Eastern land samurai.