Volume 2 - CH 274

“Hiwa-sama……!　Is that really you, Hiwa-sama!?”

“Obaa-chan*, who is this Hiwa-sama?” (*grandma)

“It’s the Shiro Hebi-sama, ……! He is the Shiro Hebi-sama!” (White Snake)

Saying this, the old Oni approached me.

I’m sure the Oni call me White Snake but alas, my name is not Hiwa or something like that.

…… seriously?

Is this grandma for real?

Even if I don’t know her, she must be the one who knew the previous generation of the White Snake!

I was planning to come all the way back here even without this incident in the first place.

The previous White Snake.

To find out what that guy was doing.

But I am very thankful that an Oni who knows about Hiwa …… appeared here!

I can ask what I want to ask.

I can know what I wanted to know!

Maybe I can find out what the devil said!

[Houen! Translate for me!]

“Eh, ah. Yes, okay.”

I tell Houhen and manage to escape from the princess’s arms.

I’ve been stuck next to her for quite a while, but it doesn’t interfere with our conversation, so I leave her alone for now.

[Old lady, what’s your name?]

“Excuse my manner ……! My name is Hinata. ……!]

Hinata kneels down, puts down the naginata she was holding, and drops her head as she says this.

It seems that she is now mistaking me for Hiwa, but I can tell from her movements that she has been very sincere to Hiwa.

[I’m sorry, but I’m not Hiwa. My name is Ouren. When you say Hiwa, you are probably referring to the previous generation of the White Snake.]

“The previous generation ……, White Snake-sama……”

[When was the last time you met Hiwa?]

“…… I cannot recall. I remember it was when I was seventy-four years old. I recall that just now, so I may not be certain.”

[Excuse me, ……, but can you tell me how old you are now?]

“Five hundred and seventy-four years old, sir.”

[Five-]

Five hundred and seventy-four years old!

Which means that’s five hundred years ago!

There were oni older than Raiki huh …….

“Wait a moment, please! The legend of the previous White Snake is still passed down to this day, but it is not stated to be more than 500 years old! Besides, his name is ……!”

“That must be so. ……. When he hid himself, he erased his name from people’s memories. ……”

“…… By using my skill ……?”

“You are the Oni who has the blessing of Hiwa-sama, aren’t you? All the skills that Hiwa-sama has entrusted to Oni. One of these skills may be …….”

Is that even possible ……?

I don’t know at what level he would be able to make himself disappear, but I think it would be tough for him to entrust his skills to someone else.

But if he is drowning out his own name, he would make the oni forget his name as well.

If that is the case, then it is no wonder that the name of the previous White Snake is not in the current White Snake folklore.

…… First, I would like to hear the folklore of the previous White Snake.

[Raiki. Tell me the folklore of the earlier White Snake now.]

“Yes. The White Snake is believed to be the messenger of the gods by our people. The White Serpent understands words and, if put in one’s hands, can cast curses on all those close to it.”

Of course I won’t do that.

But this is the same story Tenda and the princess told me in the past.

“The White Snake-sama has no name. But there is a story that in the past, he had an armor made and spread it as the oni’s armor. In the past, Oni’s weapons were clubs and metal rods, and their protective gear was made of cloth for ease of movement. However, through the wisdom of the White Snake-sama, Oni began to create armor, and it is said that this armor remains to this day. That is …… the Black Scale Armor and Katana.

……It seems that the previous White Snake, who brought Japanese culture to the Oni of this world, had a great deal of knowledge about armory.

He taught people how to make them, didn’t he?

So he may have been a craftsman for a long time.

“When I was young, the foundation for armors was already established, and we were making various weapons and armor. The legend says that the Godly Oni Sword Dance was taught by the White Snake-sama. One of the Oni had mastered it, but he was not very good at teaching it to others, and as a suggestion from the White Snake-sama, he said that it would be better to make it into an umbrella performance for the festivals.”

“Incidentally, the predecessors of me and Uchikage were the first generation masters of the Godly Oni Dance.”

“It is said that the previous generation, White Snake-sama, is the one who laid the foundations for the development of the current Zenki-village, including the martial arts and equipment.”

This is the extent of the folklore that has been passed down through the generations.

Although there were actually more stories, only the most important ones have been lost with the passage of time.

But that is all I need to know to understand what the previous generation of the White Snake did.

…… and that White Snake had something to do with the devil.

I have no idea what it was, and I can only imagine where and how they were connected.

So, why don’t I ask the Oni who knew the previous White Snake?

I ask Hinata.

[Hinata. What kind of a man was Hiwa, the White Snake before me?]

“……I’m sorry, ……. I don’t remember much.”

[…… I see. …….]

“All I recall is the name of Hiwa-sama and the fact that he hid himself. …… I too have had my memory erased by Hiwa-sama, so I only know in fragments of memory.”

[Hinata. Did the previous White Snake use a skill called Heaven Split?]

“……! He did use it. It is the skill that the previous White Snake-sama was the best at, and it is the original of the Vanquish Maneater monster* the Godly Oni Sword Dance. ……!” (*can be translated as Rakshasha)

I have never seen the Maneater monster, so I can’t say for sure, but Uchikage looked convinced.

He noticed my gaze and hastily explained.

“I am sorry. The Vanquish Maneater of the Godly Oni Sword Dance is a kind of the profound technique used by Tenda in the Godly Oni Sword Dance. I saw it just now, and it certainly looked very similar to Ouren-sama’s Heaven Split. I am sure that what Hinata-sama is saying is not false.”

After seeing my Heaven Split, I think I understand a little bit about why the Oni’s behavior has changed.

The way it changed makes me think that Hinata was very precious to the devil.

If things were bad, he wouldn’t have spoken to me the way he did.

He would have said something more harsh and piercing.

What in the world was the relationship between the devil and Hiwa?

[What in the world did Hiwa have to do with the Devil?]

“…………”

Hinata made a pretense of thinking a little.

I don’t know if she is trying to remember or to hide something.

However, she nodded her head and looked at me.

“I’m sorry, I don’t understand.”

[I see.]

“But …… I remembered a strange word that …… I had long since forgotten.”

[What is it?]

“He said [Hinata. I don’t know how many years it will be, but ……. When that time comes, you’ll have to cooperate with the same ・・・・・・ guys as us. You understand?]”

……….. That’s totally us.