CH 94.4

"That servant made a detour once... The Shinkaki folks must be panicking."

"Well, it carries more weight when nearby stations are destroyed."

Mounted on their horses and remaining vigilant of their surroundings, Gosuke and Yahachiro engaged in casual conversation. They sipped from their gourds, drinking the sake inside to ward off the freezing cold of the Northern region's winter.

They didn't feel any guilt or regret about parting ways with their comrades. It wasn't part of their mission, especially considering that searching for a calamity youkai was akin to a suicidal act without careful consideration.

Gosuke hailed from Nagumo village, while Yahachiro was from Higashikawa village. Fortunately, their families and homes wouldn't be in the path of the approaching Namahage. So, they had no reason to accompany the others. Hikorokurō and the rest understood this and didn't condemn them. Besides, it was even unreasonable.

That's why the two of them continued calmly, without neglecting their vigilance of the surroundings, towards Shinkaki Village and then the county capital. They traversed the snowy landscape, their conversation the only sound echoing in the vast expanse of white.

And so... in an instant, Gosuke's horse's head exploded, without any warning.

"What...!?"

Gosuke, with the horse's brain matter and blood splattered on his face, didn't understand what had happened. Almost instinctively, he panicked and pulled the reins, but the horse no longer had the cognitive ability to register that command. The decapitated horse convulsed, its body spasming in response to signals from the severed head, and toppled over in a ridiculous posture. Naturally, Gosuke was thrown off the horse and landed on the ground.

"D*mn it!?"

Yahachiro immediately started his horse into action. His act of fleeing and leaving his comrade behind wasn't necessarily a result of him being despicable or cowardly.

His comrade's horse had been killed. It was evident that the enemy had come to deprive them of their means of escape, and rescuing Gosuke and surviving together would be extremely difficult. So, Yahachiro's choice to escape alone and report was not a wrong decision... at least if it succeeded.

Immediately after, a shadow loomed over him. He looked up at the sky and a dark shadow approached, as if blocking the sunlight. It closed in rapidly.

"No way...!?"

Discarding his gourd, Yahachiro pulled out his sword from his waist in a half-desperate manner, ready to strike even a single blow.

However, in the next moment, Yahachiro and his horse were crushed underfoot.

"You beast!? Did I draw the short straw!?" (Note : Don't Draw the Short Straw)

Gosuke crawled out from under the convulsing horse and acknowledged the fate of his fleeing comrade. As he writhed and struggled, he swiftly loaded an arrow into his crossbow, wound the spring, and took aim from behind the fallen horse. His target was the head. With determination, he pulled the trigger.

Almost silently, the mechanized arrow was released. It cut through the air, accompanied by the sound of its approach. It was absorbed into what seemed to be the head of the distant shadow... and the shadow disappeared.

"Huh!?"

Where did it go? For a moment, Gosuke pondered that, but he quickly understood everything. The shadow hadn't hidden somewhere. It had leaped towards him, passed through, and abruptly stopped behind him. As he turned around, he witnessed the snow being blown away in a flurry. The explosion-like sound that followed late was caused by the compression of air due to the high-speed movement. And Gosuke witnessed the full appearance of his assailant.

Before his eyes stood a grotesque creature that crudely imitated the form of a human. Its abnormally large head was deeply wrinkled all over and blackened. It had a massive nose, disheveled white hair scattered haphazardly, and thin eyelids stretched like lines across its face. Peering through the gaps were a pair of yellow eyes shining with a youkai-like gleam. Thick lips held a row of yellowed sharp fangs.

Dumbfounded, shocked, and horrified, the soldier stared up at the monstrous creature, unconsciously holding his breath.

On the other side, the monster sneered. Its wrinkled face twisted, as if its mouth could tear apart. Its eyes also squinted, mocking.

"Ah..."

With a squelching sound of bones and flesh being torn apart, Gosuke's consciousness was gone forever. And with a thump, the snow-covered ground was stained red by a mass of flesh. The hideous creature pounced on it, devouring him greedily.

"Oh well, here we go again. Always feasting on everything that comes your way," a figure that had been there all along sighed deeply in exasperation. How many times had it been? It attacked not only travelers and merchants, but indiscriminately devoured officials and soldiers. Initially, it had hidden its true nature from public, but now it had reached the point of ultimate despair. After causing such havoc, there was no longer any use in pretending.

"Well, well, you sure enjoy your meal without knowing the hardships I go through. It would have been better if I had a prettier companion. Of all things—"

The figure suddenly stopped speaking, not because he stopped talking, but because he physically lost his vocal cords. Incautiously approaching, the figure had been struck by a wild swing of 'its' arm, causing the figure's upper body to scatter and collapse. ...Soon, the flesh turned into black mist and swiftly reassembled, returning to their original form.

"Well, you're quick on your feet, and that's really troublesome," the figure sighed in exasperation as their body effortlessly revived. However, the figure also looked dissatisfied as they glanced at the creature, tilting its head and growling. It continued to grumble discontentedly, but after a while, it grew tired of its own annoyance and resumed feasting on its captured prey.

It voraciously devoured the meat, bones, and even the armor, cracking and grinding everything with its large, thick, and yellowed teeth. It ate in a manner that lacked any sense of manners, so filthy that one might think a beast was more refined. The figure couldn't bear to watch and instinctively shook his head.

"Gluttony, overeating, and indulgence in one," the figure murmured, their gaze briefly flickering towards the monstrous creature's wrinkled, thick arm. Then, the figure noticed a very faint cut there, a sword wound inflicted by the soldier from the fleeing troop, who had exchanged his own life to harm the creature in any way possible. In a sense, it was an act of heroism. Unfortunately, in this case, it was futile or even a misstep.

"On top of that, this one has family affair. I don't want to marry into it. Can't support them all."

Foam gushed out from the creature's carved wound, and in quick succession, two insect-like young youkai appeared. They had a slimy coating, as if they had just hatched from eggs, emitting strange and incomprehensible squealing sounds. The creature that gave birth to them seemed indifferent to both the act of giving birth and the fact that the wound had been sealed. Observing the scene, the figure... Kamui shook his head once again.

"Hmm, you guys still have time before your turn. Just stay put for a while," Kamui said as he submerged the freshly hatched monsters, who were slowly approaching with squeals and chirps, into the darkness.

"Now then... Hey, how about wrapping up the meal soon and moving on? We still have a long way to go to our destination. I don't want any delays," Kamui called out to the creature that continued to feast on human flesh without any change. At the same time, a parrot perched on his head cry in imitation. Kamui clicked his tongue involuntarily.

"Hey, at least land on my shoulder. My head becomes heavy. How many times do I have to tell you?" he scolded the youkai entrusted to him by his superior for delivering messages, but the parrot continued to mimic him as if it were its job. Although this parrot youkai, raised by Youbo (youkai mother) specifically for this purpose, should have had enough intelligence to understand human language to some extent... Perhaps the materials used weren't good enough?

'...'

While this was going on, the creature finally finished its meal, and it stood up. Seizing the opportunity, Kamui also released a shikigami as a distraction. The shikigami, soaked in a potion made from the concentrated blood of a certain servant, took the form of a crow and flew towards the capital. In response, the creature smiled widely and began to sprint, appearing ecstatic. To calamity youkai like it, the blood of that servant, infused with that mother's factor, was nothing short of a feast.

"Hmm, the influence of Youbo (youkai mother) is evident. The reaction is excellent."

'Boy! Boy! My sweet boy! I won't let you go! I want to eat you!'

"Okay, okay. Yes, yes" Kamui responded, growing weary of hearing the same lines over and over again.

'BrotherOnii-chan! BrotherOnii-chan!'

"Huh? Do you perceive me as your big brother?"

Startled by the sudden intense flapping of wings and the release of a new word, Kamui questioned with a heavy breath. While it could be interpreted that way, unfortunately, the parrot responded with its usual string of incomprehensible words, as if mocking Kamui's inquiry.

"Damn it, you've gone back to your bird-brained self. I can't stand this. I can't even have a decent conversation to pass the time..."

Kamui shrugged his shoulders in a mocking manner, but his own words reminded him of something, causing him to gaze towards the northern direction. Then he narrowed his eyes.

"...But to think that guy was involved in all of this. Well, well, the world is indeed small. Perhaps it's inevitable considering the vastness of this industry?"

Regardless, Kamui's tasks remained unchanged. In fact, it was quite convenient.

As a high-ranking member of the Youkai Salvation organization and a researcher, Kamui's superior had assigned this mission to him. And the tricks that the wolf would be up to, unbeknownst to him, were in line with his boss's expectations. Now, when will he realize, and how will the subject of Kamui's research react when everything is exposed to the light of day... Kamui found his superior's character repulsive.

...However, it was true that he could thoroughly enjoy it.

"Or perhaps this encounter is just a personal preference of that person? If that's the case, it's chilling. Scary, scary."

Indeed, it seemed plausible, and Kamui laughed. Laughing, yet unable to find any humor. The echoing mockery in the snowy field... Before long, Kamui's figure disappeared, and even the laughter that served as the only evidence of his presence gradually faded into the distant horizon...

What remained were only two red stains on the white plain...