CH 90.2

[Part 2/4] 

'(・`ω・´) My little sister, your sister is still eating, okay?' The self-proclaimed and pompous white spider declared, her voice filled with an air of superiority.

"Who's your little sister!?" Iruka's voice echoed through the doorway, laced with frustration and disbelief.

As I observed the scene, it was evident that the spider speaks using a mysterious method of communication. There were countless thoughts swirling in my mind, so many things I wanted to express, but I held my tongue for the moment.

Regarding this mysterious method of communication used by the white spider, where some sort of emoticon-like symbols can be recognized, Botan had analyzed it as a kind of special ability.

She said that it might be a kind of thought wave... more like telepathy, rather than curse. Maybe this spider is talking directly to other people's brains. I don't understand what that means. But anyway, if not for some special processing, it could even speak to me through a wall.

"Alright, your mealtime is over."

As I was called, I pulled the white spider clinging to my arm away from Iruka, making a '(； ･`ω･´) Hmph!!' expression.

...Not only is this spider's reasoning unclear, but her ability to recognize people is also questionable. How should I interpret this in order to identify the future parasite that will eat and kill me with '(ノ´Д｀)ノ No, Papa, I'm still not don't eating!!?' I mean, I don't remember making a brat, okay? And I have no idea why this spider somehow treat Iruka as her little sister. ...Anyway, I'll intentionally refrain from investigating how this spider perceives the others. I might step on a landmine, after all.

"All right, hold on a second. Let me put this one back in the wagon."

I gently placed the white spider inside a special cage that concealed its insides. The spider made a sound like '(. >д<) Uuugh!?', but I closed the cage anyway. Finally leaving the restroom, I informed Iruka. I didn't want to do it, but to avoid letting the spider starve, I had no choice but to bring it along for the event. I kept the spider in a wooden box at the back of the wagon, except when I occasionally let it feed on my blood. Both the box and the cage were recently obtained to limit its abilities and had protective curses to prevent theft and track its movements.

By the way, it was Gorilla-sama who obtained the new cage and box for me. I can't get either of them, which seem to be of reasonably high quality, on my own. In exchange, I regularly lent Gorilla-sama the spider, which could be considered my second heart. She told me she makes it spit out threads. Well, it may be a low-level fool, but it's still divine. The threads imbued with divine energy surely have various uses.

Now, heading towards the stable where the wagon was parked, alongside Iruka, I glanced at the commotion in front of the government office.

"...Looks like a poor gathering," I remarked, referring to the army soldiers gathered in front of the government office.

They weren't even a hundred in number, maybe around sixty or seventy.

"Yeah, I heard from Tamaki, and the reasons behind it are equally terrible," Iruka replied.

According to her, it takes time to mobilize due to the vastness of Hieda County, and there are cases where units exist only on paper and not in reality. It goes without saying that no one knows where the money to support these non-existent soldiers goes. There are also those who are too scared of the dangers of the mission to move, and come up with flimsy excuses to avoid taking action.

The mobilization and requisition of supplies by the governor of Hieda County began just two days ago, and this is the sorry state of affairs... If I didn't know any better, I'd be utterly dumbfounded. From the perspective of someone familiar with the original work, it's ironic to find it impressive that they're moving so quickly. After all, in the original work, they did not even try to move it at all at last.

Well, the bureaucratic work of Fusō-kuni is troublesome until it starts working, and once it starts working, it is even more troublesome to stop it. Fortunately, Murasaki, who is serious and inflexible, requested mobilization and conscription before the messenger arrived. This way, the county governor can justify his orders before the village gets destroyed.

"But, are they even useful?" Iruka questioned skeptically, her voice tinged with doubt. "Even if we throw a bunch of people without any spiritual power, won't they just be a flesh wall?"

I paused, considering her words, before responding, "I can't say that from the standpoint of a servant." My voice carried a hint of resignation. "But well, I'm not expecting them to be a significant fighting force." Iruka's eyebrows furrowed as she listened. "Rather," I continued, my tone shifting to a more practical note, "they are needed as guides for the evacuation."

I took a moment to explain, my voice calm and firm, correcting Iruka's interpretation. Even the exorcists were defeated when they sent dozens of personnel. So, it's simply impossible for a group of foot soldiers stationed in the countryside, without any spiritual power whatsoever, to defeat the enemy.

Besides, there's no need to fight in this event. It is not only the protagonist but also us servants and soldiers. We'll evacuate and let Namahage pass us by. In the meantime, it's enough if we can drive away the small fry who are attracted by the scent of humans. So, I didn't expect that much from them either.

"Thank goodness! Tomo—Yun-shoku, I wanted you to listen to me!"

The protagonist rushes toward me as I arrive at the government office. She looks exhausted, but as soon as she sees me, she smiles as if she found a hope. On the other hand, the expressions on the faces of those who were present at the meeting, except for hers, were obviously grim.

"This is..."

It seems that luck doesn't come around often. It looked like it was going to be a problem...

* * *

The situation was rapidly and dramatically changing. It was no longer something that could be mechanically or bureaucratically handled as before. The three exorcists dispatched by Onitsuki, namely Ako Murasaki, Hotoya Tamaki, and Shirowakamaru, reached a consensus. Reluctantly, the County Governor of Hieda and the leader of the stationed army also acknowledged it. They had no choice but to acknowledge it. The situation was beyond their control.

The problem lay ahead.

"Are you going to abandon... like that!?" Tamaki exclaimed in the room. She was in disbelief, her words choked. In contrast, the surrounding people looked at her coldly and indifferently. No, to be precise, only Murasaki, who stood at the forefront, appeared calm but it was evident that she was shaken.

"Even if you say that..." the County Governor was perplexed by Tamaki's resistance. He glanced briefly at Murasaki, the person in charge of the surveillance team dispatched by the Onitsuki family, a position of responsibility. Of course, it was not something Murasaki desired... but she also had no other choice.

"T-this is...! It sounds terrible to abandon them! But choose your words carefully! You're saying it's only a temporary measure, right!? It's the result of a calm and analytical assessment to prevent further sacrifices...!!? Murasaki reprimands Tamaki who bites her, though she is upset. In fact, what Murasaki said was also true in one aspect.

Two days ago, a report came in from a patrolling army soldier that the village had been devastated. And half a day ago, it was discovered through a hasty messenger sent to the Hanachouin family, who were supposed to take over the surveillance, that the whereabouts of Namahage were unknown. Based on the current situation, Murasaki held a meeting with the county governor to discuss countermeasures.

With the whereabouts of Namahage unknown, Murasaki and the County Governor agreed that the surveillance team from the Onitsuki family should not move from the county capital.

The population of Hieda County, as far as the imperial court knows in the family register, is about 6,000. Even if we include the unregistered homeless, beggars, migrant workers, and slaves, there wouldn't be more than 7,000 people. There are three cities (towns) and forty-two villages, including the county capital. There might be hidden areas and hidden villages, but these are not taken into account here.

Given that Namahage is not known where it roams, it was out of the question for Murasaki and us to move from the county capitals. The population of the county capital is nearly 2,000, one third of the total population of the county. If it were to be attacked, the county would essentially collapse. For his own self-preservation, the county governor requested that we stay here.

Murasaki, too, wanted to prevent the worst-case scenario of the capitals being attacked. She was also worried about Tamaki and Shirowakamaru, who were inexperienced, going to the villages where they might encounter Namahage. So, she understood the governor's reasons and agreed with him. As the leader of the monitoring team, it was her duty to bring them back safely.

However, Tamaki strongly disagreed. She thought that reinforcing the defense of the capitals meant abandoning the villagers in other areas.

"We came here to evacuate the villagers from the youkai, didn't we? And now you want to cowardly hide away!?" Tamaki's voice was filled with frustration and anger. To her, Murasaki's suggestion felt like a betrayal.

"Mind your words, amateur!! I won't tolerate such remarks repeatedly!!?" Murasaki retorted sharply, her voice laced with irritation. Murasaki's outburst was testing her patience.

But Tamaki wasn't deterred. She shifted her focus to Shirowakamaru, her tone challenging. "And what about you, Shirowakamaru? Aren't you also from a rural background? How can you support such a policy that leaves the villagers to die!?" Her voice carried a mix of accusation and disbelief.

Realizing that arguing with Murasaki would be futile, Tamaki turned to Shirowakamaru, hoping for a different perspective. Unlike Murasaki, who was born into the world of exorcists, Tamaki had heard rumors about Shirowakamaru's rural origins. She believed that Shirowakamaru, coming from a rural area, would understand the importance of not abandoning the villagers.

"Isn't it sometimes necessary to sacrifice the smaller for the greater good? It's not an unusually strange judgment, I think." Shirowakamaru's calm and composed tone silenced Tamaki, leaving her momentarily speechless.

"What do you say...?" Tamaki pressed, her voice now tinged with curiosity and a hint of urgency.

"There are no important bases or people, are there? There are only a hundred or so poor farmers in the cold villages. Even if a few of them collapse, it won't be a significant loss." Shirowakamaru's voice was matter-of-fact, delivering his cold and ruthless logic. He had inherited this approach from his mentor, Madame Kochou. It involved prioritizing and making tough decisions to protect what truly mattered, even if it meant sacrificing the least important elements. His words held a sense of practicality and detachment, drawing a clear line between priorities.

"No way, that's cruel..."

"Cruel? Please don't speak in your half-asleep state. This is not a game. I don't want you saying sweet things and putting everyone in danger, alright?"

The boy spat out his words, saying if she wanted to play with fire, she should do it alone. He even took a jab at the County Governor, who seemed relieved by his remark, saying, "County Governor, I hope you devote yourself to your own duties." Or was it a threat...? Anyway, it seemed like he was already calculating the aftermath of this turmoil and the benefits to be gained from it. Truly, he was just an apprentice of a woman who acted much younger than her age.

"That's..."

Then, Tamaki looks at the army leader with a ray of hope. However, the army leader simply averted his gaze. Thus, Tamaki's face contorts in despair.