Chapter 73.2

Chapter 73.2

On the other hand, the other lady was dressed in a young lady outfit that was in some ways the opposite of Kayo. In a word, it is similar to the costume of a mountain ascetic. Her outfit, suitable for mountain climbing, was unadorned, but it harmonized well with her straightforward, androgynous appearance.

"Oh, Tomobe-san! What do you think of this outfit? Is it cute?"

Kayo seems to have noticed my eyes on her, and asks me a question in a mischievous way. While asking me, she spins around and shows me. Well, it's a cute trick.

"...Yes. It suits you well."

"That's a very bland comment. It makes me pout a little."

Kayo's replied, half-jokingly. There was no real anger visible in her reaction.

"Look, my lady. You know how important it is for a woman to have some charm. With such an unattractive outfit, you'd fail the test."

"But, I'm showing the guest around the village. Besides, I need to be able to move easily in case of danger, right?"

And after a quick glance at Kayo, Kehiko pokes his young lady on the shoulder and points out that she is not like a lady. It was a genuine reaction. It was the tone of one who does not consider any of his choices to be wrong.

"Don't you think so, Suzune?"

The main character then asks the maid to agree with her.

"I think so. Certainly, it would be better to have clothing that's easy to move in, just in case something unexpected happens. ...Though I'd like Miss to have a sense of her position and the danger she's in in the first place."

The black-haired maid glances at her lord with a wary stare and then speaks stinging words to her.

(This person is...)

When I hear this name, I feel a shock and a dull pain in my stomach, comparable to the pain I felt when I met the main character in the hot spring. Even if I had not met the main character first, I would have vomited as well. Well, I knew her name, her existence, more or less.

Suzune was the exclusive maid of the main character who lived in this village, a girl who was more than a friend and just barely less than a lover, and when the village was attacked, she tried to escape with the main character and failed, and when the main character found out, she was raped by a gang of vulgar youkai and slaughtered as a meal right in front of him.

What's worse, in the novel version, her tragic backstory is further explored in a bonus story. Her hometown suffered from a bad harvest and tax collection, causing her family to starve to death. She wandered as a homeless person until she was picked up by the young main character, who she had a crush on. Their hearts finally connected after a chance encounters at a Hotaruya pond, only to be brought back to the harsh reality of being attacked by youkai... At least let her die in her dreams.

Anyway, Suzune was recognized as the first sacrifice to let players and readers know how cruel this world is by dying tragically in such a tutorial. It was considered to be...

(But wait, something feels off?)

I couldn't help but think that to myself.

"What's wrong? Why are you staring at me like that? It's disgusting."

As if noticing my gaze, the maid spits out.

"Suzune, that's rude!!"

"How is it rude? I mean..."

After saying that much, she turns silent with a shocked expression on her face. Kayo and my subordinate are suspicious of Suzune's attitude. Kehiko, on the other hand, cowered his shoulders with a wry smile. I don't think he knows that his lord was seen taking a bath in the hot spring. Anyway, Suzune glares at me again with a reproachful look.

"Ahem! Well then, shall we go now? My lady, could you lead the way?"

"Oh, sure! Got it. Suzune, you're going to join us, right?

Kehiko changes the subject, and the main character hurriedly remembers her role and takes the lead. Suzune, who could not disobey her lord daughter's order, also accompanied her while keeping an eye on this side.

"I'm sorry. She's not a bad girl, but..."

"No, that reaction is natural. Actually, I'm more surprised by her nonchalant attitude."

Kehiko whispered to me, trying to defend the person in question, but it was clearly misguided. Indeed, Suzune's reaction is more normal. The main character and her family who easily forgive me are the exceptions. However...

(I didn't expect her personality to be so different...)

I was surprised to see that the weak-willed, timid, and not very assertive maid of the main character in the original story had become so strong-willed. I suspected her to be a stranger with the same name... but she was the very person I knew, with her dark hair and that face, though her eyes were indeed bad.

(Is she like Gorilla-sama? No, it's more like...)

Her personality reminds me of a family member I will never see again. The spoiled, selfish, and rough youngest sibling, but certainly a dear family member to me. Seeing the servant girl who reminds me of her, I find it difficult to direct my hostility toward her.

"You say so, but even Kayo-san here, who is younger than me, is working for her family. And she lives alone. Even I..."

Tamaki then turns her eyes to Kayo. Kayo smiles at her with a business smile.

"Hehehe, I'm certainly struggling, but with the support of everyone around me, I'm managing somehow."

"No, no, you're doing great. You're much more impressive than me. I envy you..."

Tamaki looks at the girl who is a few years younger than her with deep envy. To her, Kayo advises.

"There's no need to rush. Even if you try hard without clear goals, you will end up with nothing. You just need to find a clear goal first and take steady actions to achieve it."

"A clear goal, huh? What's your clear goal, Kayo-san?"

"Hehehe, unfortunately, that's a trade secret. The price for buying information will have to be negotiated, you know?"

Kayo smiled cheerfully with her hand over her mouth. It was a very gentle and comfortable way of handling the situation. Just in this one moment of conversation, I could see how well she usually runs her mouth.

"Muu... you're so mean. Oh, speaking of which... Ah, could it be that?"

The main character looks a little dissatisfied with Kayo's answer, but in the next moment, she compares it with the map and finds it.

"That's it."

I recognized it in the mountain forest colored with autumn leaves. It was thicker and stronger than any other tree in the forest and was definitely one of the key points of the boundary.

According to an old legend, the Sakaki tree (the Shinto religion's Sacred Flowering Evergreen) separates the boundary between man and god. Perhaps, by applying this legend, they are trying to cut off the land where people live against youkai, the things that are not of this world.

"At any rate, it's not a normal tree, is it..."

The Sakaki tree is not very resistant to cold. There is no possibility for it to grow naturally in the northern region. So, it is easy to imagine that this huge tree... is obviously not normal. Well, whatever it is, something has to be done.

"Chidori (the servant), keep an eye on the perimeter. ...And excuse me, Miss Tamaki. I'd like to check the status of the key point here. Is that all right?"

"Ah... y-yeah. Please do."

Although I already knew it, I obtained permission once again before going to the Sakaki tree. I can't let anything happen to the key point of the boundary and make it my responsibility. At least, it would be possible in another village or city.

"This place is... The shimenawa (used in Japanese Shinto rituals to denote a sacred space or object) is a little bit damaged, but overall there doesn't seem to be much of a problem. Well, I'm an amateur, so I can't make a judgment."

The tree is firmly and strongly rooted, and there is no evidence of decay in the trunk, branches, or roots. The shimenawa was probably replaced hundreds of years ago, but the person who did the work before I seemed to have done it diligently, and there is nothing to complain about, at least from my point of view.

(But that might not be the case for other areas.)

In the original story, the village was overrun even though it was supposed to have had a strong boundary. There are several possibilities, but the most plausible one is that a part of the key of the boundary had been neutralized without being noticed.

It was quite possible. According to what I heard, the last inspection was about half a century ago. If the previous inspector did a poor job and did not notice the breakdown of the boundary... the residents of this village might not be aware of the danger posed by youkai. Even the guards probably wouldn't have deep knowledge of the boundary. If that is the case, then...!

(Well, it is only one of the possibilities. And even if the prediction is true, I don't have the expertise to be held responsible for it...)

I'm just a servant, who is not an expert, and whose knowledge is only a rote one. So I can't be blamed for that kind of responsibility.

(By the way, that demon went somewhere, but if my speculation is correct, she will enter through the broken key point.)

At least if she appeared in this village, she must know where it is. Well, I can't risk asking her where it is. That demon is too much of a pain in the ass to ask for help from others, even though she's always trying to ingratiate herself into other people's affairs. Considering the eccentricity of the demon, I can't even ask Botan who is accompanying her. I just hope Botan won't be killed by her angry mood.

...In any case, I had to investigate the key points one by one first. I judged that there was nothing wrong with Sakaki's condition and suggested that we go to the next key point.

By noon, a total of eight key points are investigated, and all of them are confirmed to be free from any serious problems.

"Let's take a break around here, shall we?

Kehiko suggested before heading for the ninth key point.

"Huh? Already? There's still at least one more..."

"It'll be tough for the trading company girls. Right, Yun-shoku?"

The south native turns to me. I agreed, having finished investigating the eighth key point.