"...The
Peach of the Immortal Realm
, do you know about it?"
At my question, the one-eyed monster furrowed his brow deeply. His usual flippant tone disappeared, replaced by a cautious, measured voice as if choosing his words carefully.
"...Boy, I figured you were sharp, but you even know about
that
? Was that your real reason for coming to the Gatekeeper?"
"No. I came to have a sword forged. I only learned about the peach later."
"Hmm. I see. So, it's not about immortality for yourself, then?"
"I mean, I don't want to die, but it's not for me. It's for the blonde girl from earlier—Nina. I just want her to be healthy again."
The monster clasped his hands and closed his eye, seemingly lost in thought.
"For that young lady, huh? Judging by her inability to use magic, I'd wager she's stricken by fear—a result of some dreadful encounter with demons that left her too terrified to use her powers."
"...You can tell that just by looking?"
"It's not uncommon among apprentice exorcists. They get scarred after being attacked by demons and end up too afraid to cast magic. But listen, boy. Everyone has their own battles. Overcoming them is part of being human."
I had no rebuttal.
What he said was true. People endure trials and tribulations, great and small, and come out stronger for it. It was an undeniable part of life.
But Nina... Nina had been dragged into this through no fault of her own. She hadn't done anything wrong. A demon had targeted her, killed her father before her very eyes, and left her with deep, lingering trauma. She was suffering so much, and it wasn't fair.
Could I really tell her to endure it and move on? Wasn't that cruel?
If the peach could heal her heart and take away her pain, wasn't that a better solution?
That's what I believed.
"Still," the one-eyed monster said, "I owe you a debt. You saved this realm, and I can't just leave it at that. The balance of my heart demands I repay you somehow. So if you truly want the Peach of the Immortal Realm, I'll do whatever I can to help—"
But before he could finish, the portal connecting us to the real world vanished with a faint hiss.
"Wait! What happened?"
"Huh? What do you mean?" the monster asked, cutting himself off mid-sentence.
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"The portal! It's gone!"
"...What? That shouldn't be possible..."
The monster scratched his cheek awkwardly as if trying to process the situation. Then he spread his hands and began weaving
Silveit
threads again, attempting to reopen the way back.
"Let's leave the peach discussion for later. I'll reconnect the portal now."
"What are you saying?" I asked, still struggling to follow his train of thought.
"Listen closely, boy. Only the Master of the Realm has the authority to open the paths between the Immortal Realm and the real world. By the same token, only the Master can seal them off."
"Wait, stop. Who is this Master?"
"You know who it is. You're smart enough to figure it out!"
Before I could respond, a loud crash echoed through the valley.
Reflexively, I turned toward the source of the noise and saw a nearby rock face shatter under a massive impact. Among the debris, a single figure shot toward us like a bullet.
"The Master... has turned into an
Oni Blight
. And when I rang that bell earlier, I summoned them here! This is a disaster!"
I quickly activated my inherited treasure, resonating it with
Silveit
to enhance my body. I leapt to the side, dragging the monster with me just as a
Silveit
thread shot past us, slicing through the air where we'd stood.
The thread, missing its mark, floated in the air like a serpent. Dust settled, revealing the figure that had emerged from the impact.
They were dressed in pure white
kariginu
, a style similar to the exorcist robes I'd worn for Shichi-Go-San ceremonies. The design, however, was older—much like the garments Harunaga had worn during his rituals.
The one-eyed monster stared at the figure, his voice trembling as he spoke.
"That's the Master of the Immortal Realm—the one who created this world, subdued me, and lived for centuries as a peerless exorcist!"
Creating an entire world... that wasn't something just anyone could do. Only someone of the Seventh Rank—or possibly higher—had that kind of power.
"...Just to confirm," I asked, "what rank is the Master?"
"Undisputedly
First Rank
," he replied.
A chill ran down my spine.
Harunaga had told me that in Japan's old system, the ranks were referred to as甲 (First),乙 (Second),丙 (Third), and so on. The
Oni Blight
we'd just defeated was a Third Rank entity. Harunaga himself had been a Second Rank.
And First Rank was above even that.
"...Seventh Rank..." I murmured.
My heart pounded uncontrollably.