CH 96.1

"Huh...?"

Ako Murasaki, who was performing her duties as the head of the surveillance team in the study of the provided dormitory by the Governor, felt a presence without any warning. She was perplexed first and then astonished. Impossible, could it be her imagination? What is happening?

"Th-That's absurd... No, more importantly!"

Setting aside her uneasiness for now, Murasaki first took the actions she was taught by her father and brother. That is, the visual sharing with Shiki and confirming the truth of her doubts.

Connecting her senses with the Shikigami that was hovering over the county capital, she quickly recognized the scene projected onto her retina. Her face turned pale instantly, and in the midst of her confusion, she shouted these words.

"We're under attack!! Prepare for immediate deployment!"

With her declaration, Yona (her attendant) and the other maids, holding their belongings, hurriedly rushed into the room. They tehn opened the Tang (Traditional) chest right in front of her eyes. The contents were armors.

"Miss, your clothes, if you'll excuse me."

Saying so, she untied Murasaki's attire, and the maids dressed her in the exorcism armor specially prepared for her with fluid movements.

"Please summon Tamaki-san and Shirowakamaru-san immediately! Also, report the attack of the youkai to the Governor and the commander!"

"We have brought your bath, miss!"

As she changed clothes, a tea bowl was handed to Murasaki. It was a dish called "yuzuke," with rice topped with hot water and pickles on the side.

"Hurry up and bring it here!"

Yelling those words, Murasaki quickly took hold of the tea bowl, as if grabbing it forcefully, and ate the rice hastily. She swallowed it all and then gave the empty bowl to the maid. She felt contented as her hunger was appeased.

...As a side note, it would have been lucky for her to not experience any harm in this situation, considering the chance of being poisoned by a youkai who had switched places with a maid and dying in pain, struggling to breathe while choking on pickles, or having her head cut off by a monster that suddenly appeared just as she was about to eat the rice. In a way, it was fortunate that she managed to get away safely from all of this.

"Miss MurasakiMurasaki-sama, we are under attack."

Immediately after finishing her meal, Muja from the Hidden Group rushed up behind Murasaki. It was around the time Murasaki had counted about a hundred since recognizing the enemy. Murasaki frowned slightly at this fact.

"You from the Hidden Group are rather slow to react! What on earth have you been doing!? It's negligence of duty!"

"I apologize. I skipped the ritual and conducted reconnaissance. Currently, I sense the presence of youkai demons only to the west. The distance is two ri (3,927 km/4,88 mil), and their number is not more than a thousand. However, there is an unsettling aura from the deeper parts."

In reality, not only the reconnaissance but also the whereabouts of the servants who had been secretly followed and monitored for the past few days had become untraceable after losing contact with Shiki, which was one of the reasons for the delay of the Hidden Group. However, that was not important now. The problem was the presence Muja sensed.

"...From the deeper parts?"

"I couldn't visually confirm it as the Shiki was destroyed right after sensing the presence. However, judging from the density of that youkai aura, it is likely to be at the level of a calamity youkai."

"...!?"

Murasaki and the maids, who were preparing themselves by her side, were taken aback by Muja's report. They never expected a calamity youkai to appear here!

"Murasaki-san! We have arrived!"

In the midst of their shock, Hotoya Tamaki, dressed in exorcist outfit and accompanied by her dedicated maid, barged in. Behind them, a beautiful young boy followed, with several black-clad servants standing guard.

"Eh..."

Murasaki instinctively searched for the servant with the Hannya mask, but then realized that there was no one here who could serve as a consultant. She twisted her face in shock. However, as she became aware of the puzzled gazes directed at her, she quickly gathered her thoughts, put on a show of composure, and made her declaration.

"!? You've have gathered well! You must have heard the news. We are under attack by youkai!!... Now, let's go to the government office! First, we will discuss the strategy with the governor and the commander!"

"Huh!? Aren't we going to counterattack immediately?"

Tamaki was astonished by Murasaki's statement. Murasaki, in turn, gave her a stern look.

"If we could defeat them by rushing in without thinking, we would have already eradicated the youkai long ago!"

Murasaki's words, tinged with hostility, were interpreted as a reproach by Tamaki, who was taken aback by her reaction. Disturbed, Tamaki tried to respond.

"N-No, it's not like that!"

"Just come with me! It seems that even calamity youkai have mingled among the group. It would be foolish to charge head-on without a plan! If you don't want to die, follow my orders!"

"Eh!? W-Wait!"

With those words, Murasaki quickly headed towards the government office, followed by the composed actions of Shirowakamaru. Tamaki had no choice but to follow, her heart filled with anxiety and impatience...

...While worrying about the safety of the people living on the outskirts of the capital.

"Seriously...!? What is the meaning of this lack of tension!?"

Meanwhile, Murasaki, leading Tamaki and the others towards the government office, was also filled with anxiety and perplexity. And her doubts only grew larger as they progressed on their way.

It was evident at first glance. There was no tension and no sense of urgency. Despite the messengers already spreading the news of the youkai attack everywhere, the officials and soldiers were all in a state of panic and confusion. Murasaki couldn't help but click her tongue at their slow reaction. If those below were like this, there was little hope for a better response from those above.

And indeed, when Murasaki and the others reached the government office, they found the county governor and the commander looking lost and bewildered. Almost simultaneously, they also noticed Murasaki's presence and hurriedly approached her.

"Miss MurasakiMurasaki-dono, what on earth is happening? Why this sudden summons..."

"Have you not heard the reports!? It's youkai! A horde of youkai is approaching here! From a location just moments away!"

In a half-angry tone, Murasaki explained, but the county governor and the commander looked at each other and became even more agitated.

"Why...? Why is such a thing happening?"

"That's right! It's strange! Didn't Murasaki-dono assured us that the area was fully guarded? Then why are they so close? What on earth is going on!?"

"Wha...!? T-that's...?"

Frustrated and annoyed, Murasaki chewed on the bitter truth in response to their perplexity and accusations.

If it were suspicions about Namahage, who was suspected of infiltrating the surveillance, she could understand to some extent. However, when it came to the swarm of miscellaneous youkai, it should have been possible to detect them early through aerial surveillance by Shiki from a certain distance. Murasaki had been providing persistent updates and urging for a resolution to the county governor and others who demanded daily reports. And yet, this situation unfolded. Murasaki felt a pit in her stomach, as if it were her own responsibility.

"Can we set aside the questioning of responsibility for now? Or are you planning to engage in pointless conversation here and wait for the monsters to overrun this office?"

The conversation with the county governor didn't prolong, thanks to Shirowakamaru's cold remark. The county governor twisted his face in annoyance at those words, while the commander, though flustered, accepted the reality presented by Shirowakamaru and looked at Murasaki, seeking advice.

"Miss MurasakiMurasaki-dono, what should we do from here? Please give us your guidance."

"...!? Ah, um... Gather the troops! Gather the soldiers!! Right now! Meet them at the gates of the capital and counter their advance!"

After a momentary hesitation, Ako Murasaki, who was asked for advice, put on a brave face and issued instructions, remembering her duty as an exorcist.

* * *

The subsequent actions were, at the very least, not sluggish. The residents of the capital were instructed to gather urgently in the center of the city. The mobilized troops were redirected to assist in the evacuation of the people and defend the castle walls. The gates were firmly closed and reinforced. Those fleeing from the outskirts to the capital were directed to a separate gate or aided in climbing the castle walls by ropes.

However...

"We lack military strength...!!"

As preparations for the imminent battle continued, Murasaki, standing on the terrace of the two-story gate tower at the western gate, involuntarily uttered words filled with bitterness.

There were barely a hundred soldiers stationed in the capital. By using officials and laborers for the evacuation of the people, they managed to minimize the number of troops required, but the absolute numbers were simply insufficient. A few days ago, woodcutters and hunters were conscripted under the imperial military law, and now even sturdy men residing in the capital were forcibly mobilized, but the former was barely useful and the latter...who knew how effective they would be. Even with all these efforts, they still fell short of reaching a force of five hundred. It was impossible to deploy all of them to the western castle walls alone. They were severely understaffed and lacked military strength.

(If the county governor hadn't acted on his own...!)

To add to the situation, the county governor dispatched some soldiers to stations and villages throughout the county without consulting Murasaki, which only added to the disaster. What's worse is that none of the soldiers have returned, and even those who responded to the call haven't arrived yet.

...Or perhaps both sides are inside the monsters' bellies.