Considering the messenger's words, he must know that one village has been destroyed... but it is not unusual for a village to be destroyed. The bodies have been disposed of. It's reasonable to assume that it's now the responsibility of the exorcists from the household, and perhaps the fact that we've been dealing with Namahage in a haphazard manner for over two hundred years has made it difficult for them to connect the dots. They seem to be unaware of the situation we're currently facing.
Well, it's not like it would be the best idea to tell them the truth. They might refuse to follow this mission and try to escape.
"...Ah, I know," I said, my voice tinged with hesitation, "It's not a pleasant story, but do you want to hear it?"
"Of course," he replied earnestly, his tone laced with determination. He glanced at the other soldier beside him, seeking confirmation, and added, "I'm not risking my life for some order I don't understand. Right, guys?"
"Yeah," chimed in the other soldier, his voice full of conviction, "tell us."
His companion nodded in agreement, his voice reflecting a mix of anxiety and curiosity, "Yeah, it's better than dying without a clue."
The tension in the air intensified as the last soldier stepped forward, his voice laced with urgency, "And what about that monster from earlier? If you know something, tell us now!"
Hikorokurō's words lure the other soldiers, who are wearing jingasa (a type of kasa), into asking for my explanation. Fortunately, the prohibition of disclosing information was directed at the villagers and not the soldiers. Besides, it would be difficult to hide the truth now that we've reached this point.
"Well, then..."
Therefore, I proceed to explain the current situation. I tell them about the Namahage, the fact that the opposing exorcists have lost track of it, which resulting in the destruction of one village, the county governor's failure to prepare for the village's evacuation, our mission, and...
"Wait a minute," Hikorokurō said, his voice laced with curiosity. "So, what's the situation here at this station...?"
"That's exactly what it means," I reply matter-of-factly, my words tinged with a hint of impatience.
"No way..." Hikorokurō's voice trails off, disbelief coloring his tone. "You've got to be kidding me..."
He clutches his head, his voice filled with anguish, and slumps down in despair.
The boundaries that protect the scattered stations throughout Fusō-kuni are not easily broken by small youkai or low-level medium youkai. Even if there were instances where they were breached, it certainly doesn't apply to this case. Besides, after dissecting the monsters we gathered and examining their insides, we hardly found anything resembling human flesh. In other words, those pests were not the ones responsible for turning this station into such a gruesome scene. By the way, something resembling a carrier pigeon was found in the stomach of an arm insect.
"Based on the investigation I and my friend conducted earlier, it seems that this station was attacked a few days ago. It must have been at least a week ago."
"..."
As the soldiers, including the substitute fire commander, come to understand their own situation and the state of Hieda County, silence falls upon them. I take a sip from my cup and then grab a piece of dried meat from my pocket. Steam rises from the cup, which I had been cooling on the side. I don't offer any to Iruka. She has her own portion. What? She has already finished all of hers? Don't mess with me!
"...What do you plan to do?"
After a few moments of back-and-forth, I reluctantly hand over several pieces of dried meat to Hikorokurō. He looks at me with a tense expression and asks me a question. I sit back down and gaze into the campfire for a while before answering.
"Our mission remains the same. We will continue searching for the whereabouts of Namahage and report back once we find any information. ...Of course, we will also report on the state of this station."
"Report? How do you plan to do that? You guys don't have carrier pigeons, do you? Are you going to send a messenger alone?"
My response to Hikorokurō's words is to extend my arm and show him the piece of paper placed in the palm of my hand.
"What's this? It's just a piece of paper... Whoa!"
For a moment, the soldiers stared at my palms with puzzled expressions, but then they recoiled in surprise as a pigeon shikigami emerged from my hands. They were taken aback, their knees giving way in astonishment. I couldn't help but let out a wry smile beneath my expression. What I was doing seemed like a magic trick with doves.
"Hey, is that... the shikigami I've heard about? You used it during the battle earlier, right?" Hikorokurō inquired, his voice filled with curiosity.
"Yeah, it's a simple shiki," I confirmed, my tone reflecting a hint of pride.
"Tch, you guys really are monsters, using that kind of thing," declared disdainfully, his voice laced with contempt, and I couldn't deny the truth in his words.
For exorcists, summoning simple shiki through shikigami arts is basic knowledge, but for servants, it's an advanced curse. Without a trace of spiritual power, it's literally like magic. The reaction from the rural soldiers, who rarely witness such things up close, was understandable. Well, even I had been rigorously trained by Gorilla-sama to finally master the clumsy use of simple shiki.
"When this blizzard subsides, I'll write a message and send it with this shiki. It should reach the capital in half a day."
Regular exorcists like Botan can communicate directly through the shiki and add various functionalities. Unfortunately, I'm not that skilled. At the moment, I've only mastered semi-automated movement toward a destination with shared vision and the ability to turn smoke bombs or stink bombs into self-propelled explosives. It's just a collection of tricks, but for someone who can't use any advanced curse, it's like a cheat or glitch technique.
"That's an impressive story. No need for pigeon messengers, huh?"
"Well, we'll see. What about you guys? Unfortunately, it seems the station you were aiming for is now empty."
Glancing at the devastated interior of the station, where only the blizzard could be barely kept at bay, I ask.
"Well, this was supposed to be the final rendezvous point. Ideally, we'd return to the capital, but... not in this blizzard."
"Hey, hey, Hikorokurō. Seriously? We're staying in a place like this?"
"Among the corpses of monsters? Are you kidding me?"
In response to the substitute fire commander's words, the other soldiers, who were more like colleagues to him, began to voice their complaints one after another.
"Well, there's no other choice. Or what? Are we to push on in this blizzard? I won't stop you if you want to die! Come on, get out of here!"
Hikorokurō declared, pointing to the fierce blizzard outside, leaving the remaining soldiers unable to utter any more words. They, too, were born and raised in the same Northern region as Hieda County. It seemed like they understood that going outside in this never-ending blizzard would be tantamount to suicide.
"...I'll set up a simple protective boundary against evil. It might be effective against young youkai or small ones, but it wouldn't anything to Namahage. I'll also set up guards. Here, Iruka and I will take turns, and you six can rotate in pairs, three shifts. Any problems?"
"No problems... I'd like to say that, but what about that brat? Isn't it beyond our numbers?"
"What!?"
Suddenly, Hikorokurō brought up the topic, causing Shiro, who had been sipping from a teacup, to be dumbfounded, followed by a look of fear. She cowered, hiding behind me as if using me as a shield. After glimpsing her reaction, I turned to the substitute fire commander again and spoke.
"Don't scare her too much. Does it even make sense to assign night watch duty to a brat?"
"A brat, huh? You can't trust a monster's appearance."
Hikorokurō gave Shiro a suspicious glare, but quickly lost interest and returned his gaze to the campfire in front of him. He poured another cup of sencha tea from the pot simmering over the fire. For a while, everyone remained silent, surrounding the campfire.
"Well, then... Is our conversation over? In that case, I'll excuse myself for a bit."
Iruka was the first to break the silence, as expected. She stood up lazily, having been sitting cross-legged on the floor.
"Where are you going?" I inquire, curiosity lacing my voice.
"You think dried meat and tea are enough to satisfy me?" Iruka scoffs, her tone tinged with disdain. "There must be a storehouse around here, right? I'm going to grab some food as a makeshift meal. I mean, we're going to burn everything down in the end anyway."
The station was already in a dilapidated state. As part of disposing of the monsters' corpses, the plan was to burn down the building when we left. Since it would be burned anyway, there wouldn't be any problem with taking supplies... That was Iruka's argument.
"I don't mind, but don't linger too long. We've mostly cleaned up, but there might still be some youkai lurking around. Don't forget your weapons."
"If possible, see if you can find some sake or cigarettes too. It's so cold, especially sake sounds good."
Hikorokurō placed an order in response to my words. In fact, the remaining soldiers also followed suit. Perhaps they didn't want to move away from the campfire. Shrugging her shoulders, Iruka walked towards the storehouse.
After some time, the sound of footsteps gradually faded away, and a tranquil silence enveloped the surroundings once more...
"Tomobe-san..." a voice echoed beside me. It was Shiro.
"For now, wrap yourself in a blanket and get some sleep," I replied, my words filled with a gentle insistence. "We don't know when or where we'll be able to sleep."
"But I also have some work to do..." Shiro interjected, her voice tinged with a touch of determination.
"Don't push yourself too hard," I cautioned, my tone brimming with paternal worry. "A brat like you shouldn't be overexerting. ...You also look exhausted from this blizzard." Pausing, I carefully observed her, my voice morphing into a comforting murmur. "I mean, your eyes seem tired."
Shiro's eyes clearly showed signs of sleepiness. It must have been a relief for her to have the campfire and tea. It seemed like the tension had snapped.
"The body doesn't lie. You shouldn't force yourself. Here, take this mat."
Apologizing, I handed Shiro a cheap sleeping mat I had taken out from the supplies. It was a single-person mat, meant for camping.
"Yes... I'm sorry."
Shiro nodded slightly, her fox ears and tail drooping. She spread the mat beside me, wrapped herself in warm clothing like a makeshift blanket, and curled up before lying down.
"Tomobe-san."
"What is it?"
"Thank you for helping me earlier when I was attacked."
"...Just go to sleep."
"...Okay."
After that, Shiro fell silent. Before long, I could hear her soft sighs and the sound of her breathing turning into light snores.
"..."
I sipped my tea, trying to ward off the growing fatigue and drowsiness that I myself was beginning to feel. Then, I looked out of the partially destroyed window of the station. The blizzard made it nearly impossible to see anything outside the station... It was frustrating, like having a bitter pill stuck in my throat. An indescribable sensation of discomfort.
"D*mn it."
I muttered under my breath, barely audible to anyone. Something, something was bothering me. An inexplicable sense of unease. But I didn't know what it was. I couldn't explain it, couldn't say anything about it to anyone, and that only made me more frustrated.
And because of that, all I could do was sit there alone, consumed by restlessness...
