Chapter 94.4

Chapter 94.4

[Part 4/4]

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

"Well, it carries more weight when nearby stations are destroyed." L1tLagoon witnessed the first publication of this chapter on Ñøv€l--B1n.

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.

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...

Fan art:

'Am I a host?' from 100th ch anniversary : here

There's also Illustration with a Pikmin reference in response to the previous Yukari-chan review. It seems to have been uploaded to Nico Nico Douga as well titled here