"When it comes to him, I find it impossible to feel optimistic about the conclusion of this mission. It is imperative that we acquire insurance, don't you agree?"
Onitsuki's second princess, sitting with her elbows on the armrest of her lavish room, declared while fanning herself with a folding fan. She sneered with composure, arrogance, and a proud expression.
"Nevertheless, I don't have many options to choose from. There's also the method of splitting apart my soul like the last time... but well, he doesn't seem to like such means very much."
Then, the second princess let out a sigh. Even though Aoi kept it hidden that it would shorten her own life, she remembered that he wasn't happy about the weight it put on her.
It was a big problem. Aoi believed that everything related to him should be the most important. She didn't mind sacrificing her own lifespan, but she couldn't do anything that would upset him while he was aware. In other words, she couldn't use that method in front of him anymore...
"Well, this kind of selfishness is rather cute. ...But more importantly, the crucial issue is how to help him without making him uncomfortable. That's the problem."
Unfortunately, even though she possessed three main shiki, they were neither invincible nor all-powerful compared to the countless other divine beings.
Soten (the dragon one), originally a sacred beast with divine status, didn't hold such a high position. It was only capable of fighting a fallen divine spider on equal terms. Furthermore, that idiot had previously tried to harm him, so she couldn't trust it.
Chouei (the invisible one), although smarter than Soten, excelled in espionage rather than direct combat. Its combat abilities were probably among the lower ranks among the great youkai. It would be best to assume that it would be defeated if it couldn't eliminate its enemy in the initial surprise attack.
As for the last shiki she controlled... Unfortunately, it was not suitable for the current task. She couldn't use it. It was a dead end.
In that case, she should support her beloved person from a different perspective. Fortunately, she had the tools and trust necessary for that... barely.
"Hehehe, there's no helping it this time. He's probably planning to handle everything by himself once again. Even though it's ignorant and selfish... but as a good wife, it's my duty to dutifully respond to my husband's requests. I don't mind at all."
Releasing her hand from the armrest, she leaned forward, straightened her posture, and gave a wry smile. Then, she took it out. Specifically, she made a gesture as if pulling it closer with the folding fan in her hand. Simultaneously, a small cabinet flew into the room from the back, and she easily undid the padlock securing the coiled chain by simply covering it with her hand, creating a clicking sound.
By the way, this padlock doesn't have a key to begin with. This talisman, disguised as a regular padlock, can only be unlocked by Aoi's spiritual power. In reality, the moment something is inserted into the keyhole, malicious spirits and demons sealed within the lock are released and attack, turning it into a dangerous trap.
"Hehehehe..."
While all this was happening, she raised the folding fan with a cold sneer, causing the lid of the small cabinet to pop open. Inside the silk cloth, another sealed talisman floated in the air, gracefully drifting towards Aoi and gently landing in her outstretched palm with a soft thud. She unwrapped the silk cloth, revealing a brilliant green glow that resembled young grass.
It was an emerald (jade block), emitting an enormous amount of spiritual energy and a youkai aura. It was about the size of her head and now revealed before her.
"Obtained by crystallizing the overflowing spiritual energy from the ley lines beneath the Nomoto District over several decades... I believe that spider was nurturing it, planning to cause a spiritual depletion explosion, right?"
As she caressed its surface, Aoi recalled the origin of the jade block with a mocking tone.
After the extermination of the kappa and Tsuchigumo in the Nomoto County... The crystallized jade collected after its conclusion was divided into many pieces. Half was given to the imperial court, and the rest was distributed as compensation to the exorcist families who participated in the campaign. The one in Aoi's hand was Onitsuki family's share, and even more so, it belonged to her.
The jade placed in Aoi's hand possessed a rarity that could probably buy a castle with just that single mass. In fact, the moment the sealed spiritual energy and youkai aura were released, they caused the surrounding objects to tremble. If allowed to exert its power for half a moment longer, it would easily turn them into Tsukumogami.
"Annoying. Be silent."
With a chilling tone, she uttered those words, and the noisy tsukumogami immediately fell silent out of fear.
"...Now, let's return to the topic, shall we? I'm not feeling very optimistic at this moment, but it's true that there are problems with me and my main shikis when it comes to assisting him. Well, I won't complain since it's my own lack of power, isn't it?"
Pausing briefly, Aoi smiled and gazed straight ahead. With a playful demeanor, as if juggling a jade mass like a ball, she said.
"I'm going to give this to him. There are many ways to use it, and I've made all the necessary preparations for that. ...The only problem is that carrying such an item carelessly can be dangerous."
There are plenty of greedy and thoughtless people in the world. Aoi knows that everyone, except for him, has a heart like his. That's why she fell for him in the first place.
"I'll place this inside 'Chouei's' belly for surveillance and I'll seal it tightly in a box. ...After all, that one still a youkai, and if left as it is, it might devour the jade."
Aoi glanced at a corner of the room and declared. No matter how clever or loyal they may be, they are not worthy of trust. If even humans are not trustworthy, then youkai with even lower reasoning are even more so.
"And this is the key to unlock the seal of the box. You should keep it. He is wise so he will understand why I want you near in case of real trouble. Give him this key when the time comes. Never give the key to anyone else. It's cursed."
Aoi, with a sadistic smile, then threatened, "Also, not only the person receiving the key, but you also have something at stake, you know?" The young girl, who had been warned, trembled and instinctively pressed down her fox ears.
"Hehehe, don't worry. As long as you do as I say, nothing bad will happen, okay?"
Chuckling at the reaction of the white servant before her, Aoi covered her mouth with the folding fan and laughed cheerfully. Then, after enjoying her laughter for a while, she smiled seductively and caressed the white servant's cheek. Gently stroking it, she whispered.
"Because I said so, alright? As long as you have that key, you must not leave his side no matter what happens. It's an important insurance to help him. ...Do you understand?"
In response to the alluring yet eerie voice whispered in her ear, the white servant before her nodded slightly. And...
* * *
"I did as you commanded, Princess, but... Are you sure this is the right thing to do?"
Recalling the scene at Onitsuki's mansion, the white fox servant let out a small sigh of concern.
The half-youkai girl, a non-combatant, had been waiting in a tent at the mountaintop, beyond two mountains from the forest where the servants were engaged in battle. Several boundaries were set up around her to protect her, and salt was scattered to repel youkai. Moreover, it was likely that the invisible shiki was also seated somewhere nearby.
"Tomobe-san... Are you really okay?"
Sitting on a rock right next to the tent, the white fox girl murmured softly.
The servant had noticed it during the quarrel with the army soldiers, in the midst of a strategy meeting. After answering the servant's questions as instructed beforehand, she handed over the key she had carried in her pocket.
And when the servant leaped out of the tent and shouted in anger, the saliva-covered wooden box was thrown onto the snowy field from nowhere, revealing its contents. Shiro still remembered the servant's grumbling at that moment.
'This isn't a game...!!'
He angrily said harsh words, leaving Shiro speechless. In reality, from the perspective of being in a position where she was forced to hide the existence of a trump card until he noticed, it would be understandable to feel outraged.
However, it also meant that her master held him in high regard and trusted him. Yet, Shiro couldn't help but acknowledge that it was still a twisted form of affection.
"I know it's not my place to say this, considering I'm carrying that burden, but..."
And once again, she let out a small sigh. When she thought about her own origins, just being alive at this moment was nothing short of miraculous. Her powerless existence, which could even become a bomb, was undoubtedly allowed due to the unexpected tolerance of her pink-haired master. And as long as that was the case, Shiro had no choice but to accept and fulfill every request and demand of her master.
"Kekeke, quite a meek attitude you have there, little fox. Not suitable for the little sister of that wicked and unjust Black Fox, aren't ya?"
"Eek!!?"
While muttering to herself, Shiro suddenly jumped up and screamed as the sticky words whispered in her ear. And she distanced herself. The blue demon who had been squatting next to her in a rough manner had appeared out of nowhere.
The Four Disasters, who had once built a pile of wreckage in the capital, laughing loudly.
"W-Wha... Why are...you?"
Why was she inside the boundary? Shiro was about to ask, but she immediately realized that it was a meaningless question. It would be easy for a demon of this caliber to accomplish such a thing.
"Hihihi, don't be so scared. But, well, you're just a hungry little brat, aren't ya? It's amusing. And why are you pretending to be innocent? Are you wearing the skin of a cat, no, a fox?"
"What!? Skin? No, it's not acting...!"
Her master has been telling her about this horrifying demon in the past. But while trembling in the presence of her dense youkai aura, Shiro still resisted against the words of the blue demon. It was too unwelcome an evaluation for her.
She understood her past sins. She could never claim to be pure and innocent anymore. However, it was too much to say that she was wearing a disguise and acting. It was as if she was deceiving her master and that servant who had saved her life!
"P-Please, stop! I-I won't do such a thing! I have no intention of doing that! Please don't speak of others in such a way!"
While her eyes were moistened, Shiro desperately argued back. She couldn't accept that. She didn't want to be told that she was deceitfully deceiving the people she cared about with malice. So she argued back, even though she knew it was incredibly dangerous and reckless to do so against a calamity youkai. Even if it was an act driven by emotions, her anger surpassed her fear.
"Oh..."
"Eek!!?"
But then, Shiro suddenly felt an intense wave of death surrounding her, and it was so overwhelming that she fell down immediately. She was so scared that she even had a small accident.
'...!!'
"Oops, calm down, will ya? It's dangerous, you know?"
Immediately after, the blue demon casually tilted her head and made a motion as if grabbing something, then threw it away. A few moments later, several trees a hundred paces away snapped and collapsed.
"What's the big deal? I ain't gonna kill ya. You've been doing a pretty good job for him, didn't ya? Right, little fox?"
The demon sneered at the object she had thrown and then sought agreement from Shiro beside her. However, Shiro's legs trembled, her breathing became labored, and her mind went blank under the overwhelming aura of death directed at her. She was in no state to give a proper response. And upon seeing hiro in that state, the demon raised her hand...
Immediately after, a powerful light illuminated the demon from behind.
"Huh...!?"
"Oh, did it work?"
Shiro was dumbfounded by the intense light that illuminated her surroundings, while the demon grinned gleefully and laughed.
"To-To...mobe-san!!? N-No way!? Are you still...!?"
After a brief pause, Shiro shouted. She shouted in agitation, confusion, and let out a scream, her face turning pale. The light was too unexpected for her. More precisely, the use of the jade in this situation was unexpected.
According to the prearranged plan, the two calamity youkai were supposed to collide, and then the remaining one would be thrust into a critical state with the shikigami, while the servants retreated to a safe area. And that safe area was precisely the tent where Shiro was waiting. However, when she looked around, there was still no one to be seen...
"What? What's going on!? To-To...mobe-san!? I'm looking for him now...!?"
"Oops, hey there! Take a chill pill, will ya? Acting all independent and adventurous in the mountains can often end up in another accident, you know?"
As Shiro tried to rush out in a panic but immediately fell due to her legs lacking strength, the demon grabbed the collar of her clothing and supported her. While supporting her, she offered advice.
"But...!"
"No need to fret! That wasn't the glow of an explosion. If it were a "Spirit Exhaustion Detonation," trust me, the light would've been way grubbier"
The demon declared as if she had witnessed it herself. However, Shiro couldn't be convinced by those words.
"Then! What was that light...!?"
"Actually, it's the opposite. That light you saw wasn't an explosion at all. It was actually a suction! ...Looks like our fearless princess has picked up a few tricks and surprises along the way."
Presumably, the second princess of Onitsuki feared that if used in its original purpose, it might result in a mutual self-destruction with the servant. That light was not the release of the Jade's accumulated spiritual energy.
Instead, it was the opposite. It was a light that absorbed the surrounding spiritual energy, including youkai and divine energy.
"Well, he had stockpiled some spiritual energy beforehand. Kekeke, well, that's how things played out. Even in the most dire situation, he should be perfectly fine,"
"Is that... really true?"
"For real. I'm dead serious."
"I-I see..."
