North of Sakui Station, nestled in the city road between Mount Araki and Mount Mugen, lies Yori Village. While the original novel "Firefly of the Dark Night (Yamiyo no Hotaru)" does not directly depict this village, its name is mentioned as one of the villages devastated by the Namahage. According to the local registry, the population is just over 160 people. However, it had been completely... destroyed.
"Well, this is brutal."
"That monster killed everyone. No mercy..."
Iruka and the others, who were patrolling the vicinity, noticed the faint black smoke rising from beyond the horizon. They hurried back on their horses to confirm the village's tragic state, a little over thirty minutes ago.
"It's probably been a few days since the destruction..."
As I surveyed the scattered corpses of villagers in every direction, I murmured. The scenes were all gruesome, as if their jaws had been ripped apart, and some even had their upper bodies completely missing. It was a horrifying sight.
"But that's not all. There are signs that other monsters had feasted on them too. Looks like some leftovers were taken by those b*stards."
"Assuming it was the people from Sakui Station... that's wishful thinking. There might still be some hiding around here."
As Hikorokurō, who was also inspecting the Buddha statues, expressed his thoughts, I pointed it out while remaining vigilant of our surroundings. Beside me, Shiro, who was leading the horse with a pale face, anxiously scanned the area. She was the weakest among us and, in addition, the most appetizing prey for youkai. It was only natural for her to act this way. I took a step closer to Shiro and continued searching the village...
"That idiot Gensuke thought he'd foolishly kicked the bucket... but this might actually be fortunate in a way."
"What do you mean?"
After investigating for a while, one of the soldiers murmured under his breath. I gave him a puzzled look across the way and asked about his remark.
"It's nothing, really. Just saying that he's lucky he didn't see such a brutal scene."
"Yeah, just as he said. You probably don't know. That guy... this village was his hometown. Look, that tattered shack over there was his house."
He said so and pointed to a partially collapsed and half-burnt shack. Most likely, it was attacked while someone was cooking or something, causing a partial fire from the hearth or stove.
"I believe he mentioned that his elderly parents lived here."
"...Did you see inside?"
"Do you think it's necessary to see?"
"......"
The soldier's matter-of-fact response left me unable to argue. It was hard to believe that his elderly parents, who were likely frail, could have escaped amidst the chaos.
"..."
Hikorokurō silently surveyed the village huts. His expression clearly showed his impatience. If we continued a few more miles from here, we would reach the village where his family lived. And at this very moment, there was no guarantee that the Namahage wouldn't visit his village. It was understandable for him to feel anxious.
"Hey, look at this, you guys!!"
Just then, Iruka raised a loud voice that echoed throughout the village. We hurriedly ran toward the source of the sound.
Beyond a small hill made of frequently falling snow on the outskirts of the village, Iruka was there. As I approached her, kneeling by her side, I immediately caught sight of it.
"This... is a footprint."
Imprinted on the pure white ground, crushing the snow, were footprints with five toes, just like those of a human. The problem was that a human couldn't walk barefoot on such freezing snow, and the size of the footprints.
"About one shaku and two sun (≈ 14 inch/36cm)... no, it might even be three sun (≈ 15 inches/39cm)."
"Well, clearly not human, then."
Iruka and I both concluded that, exchanging glances, we directed our gaze toward the direction the footprints continued. The footprints stretched towards the east, extending to the horizon. In other words...
"Toward the county capital. Do you think we should go?"
"Well, who knows. But we can't rule out the possibility, right?"
"Indeed."
At the very least, there were two villages involved now. For the Namahage, who had long deviated from its usual route, there was no reason not to head toward densely populated areas. However...
(What is this unsettling feeling?)
Something was bothering me. An inexplicable sense of unease that I had been feeling since the other day. It felt like I was forgetting something, overlooking something, making a crucial mistake... D*mn it, I can't remember.
"Well, let's go after it then."
"...Yeah."
In response to Iruka's calmly proposed plan, I hesitated for a moment, but ultimately agreed with the decision. Regardless, now that we had discovered footprints resembling those of the Namahage, we couldn't just let it go.
I released a shikigami as a messenger. It would head to the representative of the surveillance team, Murasaki, informing her of the destruction of Yori Village and the discovery of footprints resembling the Namahage in the vicinity.
"What about the bodies?"
"Sorry, but we don't have time to bury them. With this cold, I don't think most of them will rot, as they'll likely freeze..."
Immediately after releasing the shikigami, Hikorokurō, who had rushed over upon hearing our conversation, asked about the treatment of the village. I answered him. Ideally, we should have taken care of the bodies to prevent them from becoming prey for stray youkai, but the situation was urgent. We didn't have the luxury of time to dig graves. As someone involved in exorcism, our priority was to quickly leave the village. If Sakui Station had been safe, we could have requested them to handle the burials.
"I see."
"Is that a problem?"
"No, I understand. It was the same at the station. We can't just leave things like this... It's a priority to keep the living safe. The footprints lead east, right?"
"Yeah."
As Hikorokurō surveyed the devastated village and posed his question, I responded briefly. Hikorokurō murmured quietly, "I see," and silently gazed at the destroyed village...
"I can't really criticize others. Honestly, I feel a bit relieved. It's... not heading north, but east, right?"
I understand the meaning behind Hikorokurō's confirmation. He was relieved that his family's village in the north would likely be spared from the attack.
"Do you think it's a self-centered thought?" Hikorokurō chuckled and asked, to which I responded curtly, "Stop with the self-deprecation. Humans are like that, aren't they?"
I mean, everyone values themselves and their loved ones. I can't say anything different in that regard. Ultimately, even I was prepared to accept that several villages might be destroyed as long as the protagonist was safe.
"What will you do? That monster don't seem to be heading towards your place, but will you go back?"
"Don't be stupid. Do you think I can just say, 'Oh, well, it doesn't seem like they'll attack my place,' and go back? I'm not that much of a scumbag. ...I don't intend to risk my life, though."
I shrugged my shoulders while smirking at Hikorokurō's click of the tongue and declaration.
"Don't worry. I don't have any intention like that either. Alright, everyone gather around! Is everyone present? We'll start the pursuit from here. Be careful, if we're noticed, we'll all die!"
With that warning, I called everyone together. Ignoring the inexplicable feeling in my heart, I focused on the immediate mission.
...Looking back, it was a mistake. I should have been more careful and taken into account the circumstances around me. I would repeatedly feel sorry for that moment, grieving for the outcome and its effects. All I could do was regret.
And at that time, I had misunderstood everything completely...
'...'
* * *
As the servants began tracking the footprints, the two soldiers who had separated from them continued towards the capital, stopping by Shinkaki Village along the way.
