CH 88.3

"Miss Tamaki, please don't hold back with this matter. Exorcism is not something you can do half-heartedly. If you have any concerns or questions, please feel free to ask me or anyone else you can rely on for advice or questions."

"Mmm, yeah... That's right," Tamaki replied with a tense expression, appearing to take my warning seriously. I'm not kidding; if we're careless, we could die. Even if we're not careless, we could still die.

...After all, she's lived a good life till today, hasn't she?

"...Well, by the way, I heard about the surveillance mission this time. Will Suzune and Iruka be joining us?"

Feeling uncertain, I asked Tamaki about the story Iruka had told me as a way to change the subject.

It had already been decided that a group of five people, excluding myself, would be dispatched from the servants' group, and a member of the hidden group would be dispatched to serve as an attendant. There should also be a several temporary hires people. If Shirowakamaru, who had probably slipped in by Madam Advisor, were added to them, the number of people dispatched would be too large for this mission alone.

Considering that in the original story, there was only one attendant, one servant and one miscellaneous person, in addition to the main character, even including amateurs, three exorcists.... makes the perception that this is an excessive force even stronger. It was unusual considering that the mission was not to exterminate but to monitor the situation.

Well, it might only be a simple mission for now, but I heard that two more escorts might be added to Tamaki's entourage... and I was asking about the truth of that.

Tamaki furrowed her brow. "Would it be a nuisance?" she asked, her voice laced with concern. "And Suzune... I did say it was dangerous, but she said it was her job to be by my side."

"That's... yeah..."

Even after all this time, I was still surprised to see how obedient my playful little sister had become. She must have understood the horror of youkai at least a little after what happened to our father and the shrine. Should I say that she had made up her mind, or should I say that she lacked a sense of crisis?

"Should we leave them behind...?" Tamaki asked, peering at me. Did she think I had some discomfort with their presence? Personally, I wanted Suzune to stay...

"I understand Iruka. But I'd really like you to convince the maid to stay...."

"Yeah, I know..."

Tamaki nods hesitantly at my request. I guess she wants a close friend nearby on her first mission, and I understand her feeling. I understand it, but...

"Hey, don't worry about it. I'll ask her. I don't want Suzune to be in danger either."

Tamaki forces a smile that I can sense is hiding her true feelings.

"...please, I'm counting on you."

I wish I could do more to encourage her, but all I could do was to repeat my request again.

And of course, I am not taking it easy either. I had to think of the worst case scenario.

(In any case, I have no choice but to do it to prevent the protagonist from falling into the darkness...)

Well then, should I start preparing too...?

...

...

"So, what's up? I’m swamped with work, so I don’t have time."

Kuga Sarujirou, who had been forging a sword in the Curse Tools' workshop, asked me this question when I came to visit him without an appointment after parting with Tamaki.

"Is that sword for the new retainer?" I asked back, trying to show interest in Sarujirou's business.

After glancing at me, Sarujirou turned his gaze back to the swordsmith. "Yes, that's right," he said, his voice curt and business-like. "Although this one is just a temporary. I'm going to re-forge a sword I got from the market and put a curse on it. And it's a simple one at that."

Tamaki, the newest member of the family, uses a sword as her weapon, but preparing armaments is not so easy, huh?

As a side note, the weapons that exorcists originally handle are cursed items with multiple layers of curses, assuming battles with youkai. It is not easy to make such a thing. At least not for business like the Onitsuki family's exorcists, who use high-quality weapons as their main weapons. Naturally, it was difficult to prepare such a weapon for Tamaki, even if there was no malice.

Now, the Yun-shoku of the Curse Tools group is putting a temporary curse on the excellent swords purchased from the Tachibana Company and seems to be trying to hastily prepare dedicated armaments.

(Well, it's better than nothing since it's an excellent sword...)

After all, I was thinking that the main character was forced to use a consumable sword without any anti-youkai measures at this period of time, so I can say that still she is one of the lucky ones. I thought to myself while asking Sarujirou.

"Do you not even have a little time to talk?"

"What do you mean by that?" Sarujirou replied, his eyebrows furrowed.

I smirk mischievously. "Well, I was going to treat you to something nice, but I guess you're too busy."

"Don't worry." Sarujirou's expression relaxed. "I just got some free time."

"That's great."

I chuckled at his half-expected reply and poured the contents of the bottle into the glass cup I had just taken out. The deep red liquid stained the transparent cup bright red... but I couldn't drink it in the daytime, so I poured some white water from my jug into my cup.

"Still, you're supposed to bring the snacks too... Well, whatever, I will endure it with the dried fish," Sarujirou groaned, his disappointment palpable and took out some hidden snacks from the cupboard.

We then toasted with booze and hot water. After drinking them, Sarujirou asks me, "And, the other day, you made quite a show of it, didn't you? People even came to see me here."

The sources of equipment, including claymores scattered around the village. So, it was only natural that Onitsuki's men should come to question the curse-tool master.

"What did you tell them?"

"I told them I was just following orders... since I was ordered to do so by the shikigami just before."

It was probably Hina. She's very good at making up stories, I thought to myself as I grabbed some dried fish from the bowl in front of me, my stomach grumbling.

"...Then, what's their reaction?" I asked, eager to learn more.

"They left without saying a word. It seems like there was no surveillance either," Sarujirou said, his voice trailing off.

"That's good to hear."

I thought from the bottom of my heart. At that time, I acted without thinking about the consequences, but it was only natural that there was some punishment for Sarujirou. I couldn't let my guard down, but for now, it was a relief that it was only a groundless fear.

"…I won't ask for the reason, but we crossed a dangerous bridge, okay? If it weren't for Princess Hina, we'd have been beheaded by now. What a stupid thing to do, huh?"

"......"

While pouring me another glass, Sarujirou stated. I did not confirm his words so as not to deny what had ostensibly happened, but neither did I refute them. Silence speaks louder than words sometimes.

"Seriously, you are stubborn with a lousy attitude, aren't you? ...Don't be reckless, okay?"

Sighing at my attitude, he throws some dried fish into his mouth and swallows it with grape wine. After swallowing, he looks at me and says, "That's right. I had some weapons that I was planning to sell to you." He pointed with his hand. "That one. Take it with you while you're here."

I quickly looked in the direction where he pointed. Two weapons hanging on the wall of the workshop come into view.

"The spear is yours. You always break it with such flamboyance, right? I had it ready even if you didn't ask for it. I specially ordered it through the trading company and embedded a curse seal. It shouldn't be fragile anymore."

Sarujirou's explanation is both sarcastic and ironic. Unfortunately, I couldn't deny it and could only force a smile. That's the fact of the matter, it's inevitable.

"I have to write down the expenses in the account book later... What about the other one?"

"It's for the new wolf-girl recruit, Iruka," Sarujiro explained in a matter-of-fact tone.

The other one's for the new wolf girl. I see, but...

"An axe...no, it's a battle-axe, huh?" I asked, my voice filled with curiosity.

Sarujiro nodded and gestured toward the weapon. It was a big, single-edged battle-axe, with a lump of iron embedded on the opposite side of the blade, making it like a hammer. It gave the impression of a practical lump with a rough texture and no decoration.

"Do you have any questions?" Sarujiro asked, his tone indicating that he was ready to move on.

"No, it's just different from what I imagined. I've seen her use a sword, but I've never seen anything like a battle-axe before."

In the capital and in the village, she always used a sword.

"Don't worry. I asked her myself. She can use a sword, but she doesn't specialize in it. She prefers something with different characteristics than her master," Sarujiro continued, his tone becoming more reassuring.

"So that's why it's a battle-axe."

"Ultimately, these types of weapons are easier to use than swords or spears as long as you have the arm strength. If you're half-youkai, stamina won't be an issue," Sarujiro concluded, his voice confident and knowledgeable.

A battle-axe is ultimately a deadly weapon swung to beat someone to death. I didn't choose it because I was worried about its timing, maneuverability, and weight, but with an Iruka those problems would hardly be an issue. Given that, this choice seemed like a good one.

"Thank you very much." I bow my head.

"Don't thank me, it's my job," Sarujirou replied dryly. "So, what do you want?"