Chapter 113.5

Chapter 113.5

[Part 5/5]

"There are still some youkai inside. This one (bear) is injured, but it's still a great youkai. It will be useful when it comes to dealing with the master of this room. You can use it up if necessary."

"Isn't that a bit cruel?"

Despite the tearful presence of the bear right next to her, Botan seemed to regard her summoned shikigami as mere pawns. I wonder if the world of spirits and shikigami is just as cutthroat as the world of servants?

"It's annoying. Your wounds will throb, won't they? Now, please go quickly. You understand, right, grandfather?"

Botan addressed her grandfather's shikigami, who landed on my head, almost as if she was emphasizing her words. The hummingbird remained silent and only chirped once.

In the distance, the cries of youkai echoed. We had no time or choice to spare.

"Let's go, Miss Tamaki."

'(`∇ ́) A picnic?'Witness the debut of this chapter, unveiled through Ñôv€l--B1n.

I urged Tamaki to go ahead. Yeah, the spider really doesn't understand anything.

"Botan-san..."

"...Hurry and go. Time... is limited."

Botan warned Tamaki, who hesitated to leave the spot. She looked at me, and I understood her intention. I grabbed Tamaki's shoulder, encouraging her.

"Miss Tamaki, please go quickly..."

"...Okay. And, Botan-san!"

Tamaki reluctantly nodded at my request and turned to Botan to say something.

"Botan-san, um... I'm sorry for complaining earlier. I shouted at you even though you're badly injured..."

"...Is that all you want to say? Then please go quickly."

"Uh..."

Botan dismissed Tamaki's apology without showing any emotions. Tamaki seemed taken aback by the response. However, I, who had some involvement with Botan, understood. At least, her current words showed no malice towards Tamaki.

"Botan-san, I'll be waiting, okay? Make sure to catch up, okay?"

"You don't need to tell me that. I have no intention of dying in a place like this."

"Yeah... I'll wait."

"...Let's go."

'(≧∀≦)ノ See you later!'

With that, Tamaki seemed to gather her resolve. With a heavy heart, we left her behind and ran down the dark corridor with the injured bear at the front. At this point, we had no time to worry about her.

What awaited us at the end of our dark journey was beyond anyone's knowledge...

"I'll be waiting, you say? You really are naive, aren't you?" "Yeah, she's sweet like honey-dipped sugar. An optimistic little girl. Not that I dislike it."

Botan glanced at the dark void where her companions disappeared and muttered to herself. She frowned at the cheerful voice coming from behind. When she turned around, she saw a blue demon (oni) sitting cross-legged.

"Surprisingly high praise, huh?"

"You can either become bait or use this to continue. It's a branching point in the story. The readers would like you to think carefully and make a judgment."

"People like you are so meddlesome..."

"Hahaha, either way, your life is already a dead end, isn't it?"

Botan complained with annoyance and incredulity, and the demon responded with a joke. She thought that's what the demon meant when it said that.

"...Well then. I guess that's it."

As if saying what needed to be said, the demon stood up. Then she turned and left.

"I guess it's time for me to see the main hero's story. Well, if we have another chance to meet, I hope we get along!"

With a smirk, the demon held her hat brim and disappeared in an instant. Botan couldn't tell if she turned into mist, vanished into the darkness, moved at high speed, or simply hid. The only thing she could say for sure was that the demon no longer cared about what happened to her.

"All of them are so self-centered..."

Muttering softly with a mix of frustration, disbelief, and sighs, Botan looked down at the small vial. The medicine prepared by her grandfather was a mixture of about twenty different ingredients, including demon (akuma) blood and rare materials, carefully and meticulously concocted.

"..."

If she drank this, there was a fairly high chance she would escape the fate of imminent death. However...

"It's just too unsightly."

Yes, even with a good chance of survival, it was not a guarantee. If her body couldn't endure it, she would meet a miserable end. Even if her body could withstand it and she survived, the price would be high. Even in the best-case scenario, the sight would be ugly, foolish, and might be nothing more than delaying the inevitable.

For exorcists, it would be a death that goes against their values in a sense. For Botan, who held exorcist-like values, it was the same. That's why she had received this medicine and kept it in her pocket without drinking it for months.

...Or maybe, it was just another way of postponing a decision.

"I really am a fool, after all."

Botan mocked herself as she looked at the vial. Laughing at herself. Why was she hesitating here? If she had just slammed the vial to the ground right away, the ingredients were just ingredients. If she had done that once, there would have been no opportunity to concoct it again. There was no need for her to waver and make a fool of herself at this critical moment.

It was the same with the matagama. She didn't say it out loud, but Botan, who was so short-sighted, had also carried the magatama with her during this journey in the Northern region. And without realizing it, she lost it during the chaos in 'Mayoiga.' Yet, she still accepted the magatama from that servant, boasting without refusing it... She was truly indecisive and a half-hearted person. She despised her own foolishness from the bottom of her heart.

"...Here they come."

Eerie voices leaked from the darkness. When she glanced into the distance, she saw hideous creatures gathering, taking advantage of the oni's disappearance.

A mass of flesh crawling on all fours, numerous floating faces, beasts with eyeless faces grinding their teeth with a screeching sound, and a swarm of human-faced rats... Indescribably grotesque beings slowly, but surely, approached Botan. Laughing scornfully, they drew closer bit by bit.

"...You guys are really disgusting. I definitely don't want to be one of them."

Botan grabbed the vial, swung it back, and stopped. She froze. Her hand and fist trembled, shaking.

"Ah, I really am a coward without courage or decisiveness. I..."

In the darkness, amidst the creatures' cries, a trembling voice mixed with sobbing sounded. It was close to self-derision.

After a moment, the sound of glass shattering echoed through the passage...

Fanart:

Title: Why do you all look like friends or something? (confused)

URL: https://www.pixiv.net/artworks/103231352