𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟐𝟔𝟖
Before setting out in search of Yoo Ha-on and Sophia, we had to consider where we should go to find them.
“Merchants and Daehwa-rym taoists have made such an effort but couldn’t find them. If we just wandered around randomly, we might end up with the same result.”
Shin Pyo-eul’s point was valid.
If it were something that could be found by moving around normally, we would have already achieved results.
That was why we first needed to set a clear destination.
“Donors, I have a clue about that.”
Ho-chung, who despite his young age possessed excellent five senses, suggested a possibility to us.
“If they haven’t been able to find any trace despite sending out people, shouldn’t we suspect a place they can’t confirm?”
“A place they can’t confirm. . . .”
As he said that, Ho-chung continued, deep in thought.
“The land of ghosts ruled by the yokai group called Satou-pai, and the dwelling of the secretive bloodline, the Hawon clan. It wouldn’t be strange if our collaborators couldn’t get any information from those two places.”
“Are you saying those two places are suspicious?”
“At least, as far as I know, those are the only places in this vicinity that can’t be explored rashly.”
Ho-chung’s words made sense.
In particular, I had also wanted to make contact with Satou-pai since they were mentioned in detail in the setting book.
“Then we should choose one of the two first.”
As I said that, everyone present turned their gazes towards me.
The decision-making authority had tacitly been passed on to me, the leader of the group.
“It’s not easy to make a rash judgment.”
“. . .Or, junior. How about splitting up the group?”
We had certainly delayed for quite some time.
It was good to prioritize safety, but I also had the feeling that if we made a mistake, we might miss an irreversible moment.
I frowned for a moment, then asked Ho-chung, who was standing next to me, a favor I had been thinking about all along.
“Ho-chung-nim, can you help us?”
“Of course, I would like to be of assistance to the Donors, but I’ve been feeling something lately, and I’d like to focus on my training for now. If I achieve the results I expect, I’ll be able to be of great help to the Donors later.”
He said that much, so I couldn’t push him any further. In the end, we had to resolve things among ourselves.
After much deliberation, I finally made a decision and opened my mouth.
“We’ll split up. Senior and I will go to the land of ghosts, and the rest of you will head to the Hawon clan’s territory and gather information.”
“Oppa, will you two be okay?”
“I’ve gathered some information about Satou-pai on my own. However, I don’t know anything about the Hawon clan, so I’m more worried about that side.”
“If that’s the case, it can’t be helped. . . . . . .”
After finishing my words, I summoned a specially made shikigami from my shadow.
Swish.
Poof!
“This is. . . . . . .”
It was a tiny bird the size of a fingertip. However, it had taken a lot of effort to make.
“If there’s a crisis, this guy will send a signal.”
“Signal?”
“Yeah. I’ve set it up so that if it disappears or senses a crisis, it will transmit its location to me.”
Even if we knew that, it wasn’t like we could do anything about it right away, but at least we could rush towards them as quickly as possible.
I looked at the bird’s tail feathers, which were tucked into Han Seo-ah’s arms, and we finally dispersed and headed towards our respective destinations.
🔷🔷🔷🔷🔷🔷
“. . .Junior, are we there yet?”
“Please be patient a little longer. We’ve traveled a considerable distance, so we must be getting close.”
This time, with Ho-chung’s help, I had received the exact location of the land of ghosts, so I used the help of Black Bird and Black Yin to move through the air.
We took breaks and stopped in cities along the way to relieve our fatigue as much as possible, but Arietta seemed to get motion sickness from flying, and she had been deathly ill for several days.
“I’m sure I said that yesterday too. . . . . . .”
“It’s really this time. The city we stopped in yesterday was the last stopover, after all.”
The land of ghosts was quite a distance away from Jinyeon Mountain, so even though we had flown all day, it took a whole eight hours.
However, the end of the journey was finally approaching.
As I searched for the strange energy I could feel in the distance, I looked at Arietta, who was drooping.
“I think we’ve arrived. Can you feel it?”
“. . .Yes. It’s a very strange energy.”
Rather than the energy of an exorcist or a yokai, it was the place itself that was giving off such a strange feeling.
It was obvious, even without thinking too hard about it, that the unidentified valley was the land of ghosts.
Thud.
“Let’s walk from here on. We don’t know what kind of beings will come out.”
“. . .Good news to hear.”
Unlike me, who had used Black Bird to carefully descend to the ground, Arietta jumped down to the ground from over 20 meters up without any hesitation.
Even before, she had possessed physical abilities that surpassed those of humans, but now that half a year had passed since she had fallen into the shamanic world, it seemed she had reached an even higher level.
“Are you okay? It’s okay if we rest for a bit before moving on.”
“It’s fine. I’m okay once I’m on the ground.”
In any case, since it was the dwelling of yokai, there was no telling when or where a battle might break out.
As we carefully made our way, the huge valley we had seen from the air finally appeared before us.
“This is the land of ghosts. . . . . . .”
Before we knew it, we had passed what could be called the entrance to the valley and had traveled quite a distance into it, but strangely enough, we couldn’t find any other living beings.
After about 5 minutes of this, I became convinced and opened my mouth.
“I think we’ve been caught in some kind of trick.”
It wasn’t a barrier technique. If it had been, I would have realized it right away.
It was a subtly different feeling. If I had to put it into words, I would say that this was a sorcery, not a spell.
“Are you saying we have to get past this to get to the real land of ghosts?”
“I think that’s probably the case.”
“Then leave it to me, junior.”
Whooosh.
Swish.
Arietta, who was a little distance away from me, focused an enormous amount of energy into her right hand, her two eyes turning even redder.
At the same time, as the sorcery she had been building up was completed, Arietta breathed into it and sent it flying forward.
“Blood Blossom.”
Screech─!
A crimson flower bud, as if made of blood, soon opened its petals and fluttered in the air.
And soon after, as the red petals disappeared into the atmosphere, a distorting sound began to be heard.
Crack!
Craackle─!
Craaaash─!
“. . .That’s a lot of energy. I almost couldn’t break it.”
As expected, someone had been playing tricks on us, and as we broke the sorcery, the true form of the land of ghosts was revealed before us.
Truly a huge valley.
As we entered it, the first things that caught our eyes were broken weapons and armor, and tattered old flags.
In addition to that, animal bones and liquor bottles made by humans were scattered all over the place, making it a truly strange sight.
“. . .Junior, what’s all this?”
“It might be the belongings of the humans who attacked this place in the past.”
As if the valley itself were a long passageway, we could find traces of them one after another.
And at the end of it, surprisingly, several crude houses made to look like human ones were set up.
“Junior, there’s a staircase here too.”
“I knew that to some extent, but it seems the way they live is. . . . . . .”
Very similar to humans.
Of course, that was to be expected. According to the original setting book, the Satou-pai of the land of ghosts were a group of special yokai who did not antagonize humans and wanted to live as part of the world.
However, since it looked no different from a human settlement on the outside, I couldn’t help but be surprised.
“You guys! Stop right there!”
As we were about to go up the stairs towards the settlement, a group of yokai that appeared nearby blocked our way.
From the horned oni to the bizarre-looking beings I had never seen before.
I tensed up, thinking that they might attack at any moment, but they spoke to us in a more intelligent manner than I had expected.
“What is this, humans? The phantom mist cast by Hwaren-nim should have been spread out. . . . . . . Well, whatever. Go back quietly before you get hurt.”
The sight of the oni waving his hand as if he were annoyed was truly strange for a yokai.
“Are you really not hostile to humans?”
“We just don’t get involved. Don’t tell me you guys are priests who came looking to exorcise us or something? It’s been a while since I’ve seen that.”
Perhaps they had had such experiences before, but the other party began to stare at us with shining eyes.
“The woman. . . . . . . . .seems pretty strong. Why don’t you fight this Uchi-nim?”
The oni who called himself Uchi lifted the iron bat he was carrying on his shoulder with an unwavering attitude.
However, since we had no reason to clash if we could communicate, we shook our heads.
“We’re traveling the world looking for our scattered group. By any chance, has a rather strange human come here?”
“Humans do come here from time to time, but this is an off-limits area to begin with. We can’t let you in without the permission of the bosses.”
Uchi gave us a straightforward answer, but I could feel something slightly off about his attitude.
That’s why I sighed and opened my mouth.
“I’m sorry, but we need to search this place. By force if necessary.”
“Kukuku! You have a lot of confidence for a human. Go ahead and try!”
Behind Uchi, who had completely entered a battle stance, I suddenly felt a sharp demonic energy that made my skin crawl.
Uchi, who had also felt it, turned his head in a hurry, flustered.
“W-What’s this, little boss! Why?”
“Is there any reason why I shouldn’t come out?”
“You can clearly see that it’s a lost cause, so there’s no need for you to do that!”
“Haah, Uchi. They’re not your opponents. Are you trying to invite death by rushing in?”
“Are you saying that they’re that strong?”
A black-haired girl wearing an unidentified wooden mask appeared before us.
She was dressed in luxurious-looking traditional clothes that suited her well, and she had an air about her like a princess from a fairy tale.
“. . .Huh?”
Arietta tilted her head with a subtle expression as she looked at her, and I also let out a chuckle.
The real reason I had been interested in Satou-pai in the setting book.
It was all because of her.
“It’s been a long time.”
“. . .Do you know me?”
“I think so. At least more than you think.”
Echinacea Lianqi.
She, who had been a part of Satou-pai in her youth, was now standing before us.
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