Chapter 84 Departure
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
The next day, I was asked to come by Himawari, the oni-woman. When I stepped up into her sitting room, she was waiting in a kimono with a camellia pattern.
Her outfit was neat, but she sat and offered me tea and sweets. It felt less like an angry summons and more like a private talk between people who already knew each other.
She must know I have been talking to the Imperial Guard and I have been in touch with Kujukuri town. She did not seem to want to scold me for that.
”Sit down?” she asked.
”Okay,” I said.
It was a short, almost formal exchange between the house owner and a man.
Himawari’s face was lit by the hearth. The charcoal was damp. The flames flickered and looked weak. Then, with lips that moved like someone blowing out a candle, she let a small red breath dance over the coal and the top of each lump glowed.
”…phew. phew,” she breathed.
Slowly a red line of heat licked the coal. The wet black coals burned bright and began to warm the room properly.
The sparks were pretty, but I worried they might leap to the tatami.
”Your lips don’t feel hot, do they?” I said, saying the dull observation I had made.
Himawari looked at me and, for a moment, her brow tightened with a small, sad look. Then she smiled a little. Her white teeth showed.
”They are not hot,” she said, and she reached into the fire with her bare hands. With the sharp tips of her nails she broke poorer pieces of coal and put them to burn.
”Did I say something strange?” she asked.
”No,” I answered. “I just thought you see me as a proper human being. You’re the first man to ask about such things. It made me happy…”
When I thought about it, she had already taken bullets on her face for me. If she could stop bullets there, touching the fire would not matter much.
The warm air smelled moldy and bad. The coal was low quality.
”You are kind to the people of our town,” she said. “You treat people of low rank like human beings.”
”You even came to see my face on the way here,” I said. “They surrounded me and it took time to get free.”
”Of course. They like you a lot. It amazes me. To be honest, I am a little speechless. They look up to you, and you let them—” She broke off, laughing softly.
It was not a small joy for me.
The people in this town are not used to men at all. Maybe because there are few men, they are very warm to me. But I could not let myself grow too close. If the war started again, most of them might die.
This town fights by making everyone into soldiers. The people I saved, and even the newborn babies, are not excepted.
I could not ask for mercy for them. If word came out that I used Kaede-san’s Psionic Power (mind power), everyone would know… maybe I could not hide it anymore.
More than that, if I asked for anything, I would give the other side more cards for negotiation. I did not want my Imperial Guard to be put at a disadvantage for any reason.
”Himawari,” I said, “you seem to care for your town people a lot. The important people in Kujukuri are more cold.”
”Our town is small, right? The noble family and the townspeople are close here. We are all poor,” she said.
She stirred ash and coal with her long nails in a slow circle.
Kujukuri felt more strict on class. For those at the top, the poor are not the same kind of human. Sympathy and empathy are not part of their thinking.
”More than that, you said you had something to talk to me about,” I said.
At last the damp was gone from the coal. A cleaner scent rose and the fire answered with bright sparks.
”Right! About the plan to advertise—how do you feel? Did you think it over?” she asked, voice bright.
”It depends on whether I will help,” I said. “I will help if you send me and Trash-san and the others safely back to their homes.”
”Good. That’s what I wanted to hear!” she cried.
Himawari, though from a noble family, showed her joy in a big way. I had never had the choice to leave those three behind. If I refused, they could have been given away for other bargains. I could not go against orders unless I traded my life.
”So, about what comes next,” she said. “This time I want you to see the middle floors of the dungeon (maze).”
”The one you mentioned before? You said you found a nice level,” I said.
”It’s a beautiful place. It’s our town’s treasure. I really want you to see it. I’ll bodyguard you and take you there,” she said.
”…That sounds fun,” I replied.
Himawari’s voice rose with excitement.
I felt guilty. She was eager and happy, but I already had secret orders. Using hidden leaks and the talks between the two town, Kujukuri had made a final decision. When I used my Psionic Power to listen, Maggot-san had said Isumi would be torn down soon. That was already decided. This town would be destroyed.
Maggot-san spoke with a cold voice that held back all anger.
’Unfortunately, negotiations between the two town have failed. But be at ease. The young master will save you with the full power of his town. We all swear never to repeat this mistake… Please, be patient…’ Maggot-san had said.
Kujukuri was not merely angry. They were furious.
They made demands like these:
— Hand over my custody.
— Dismantle Isumi town.
— Destroy the clans that led the kidnapping and those who helped them.
— Take all the men from Isumi. The residents will not be allowed to have children for ten years and their land will be seized.
This was the condition if I came out without a single scratch.
They were asking the town leaders to choose. Either betray the town mayor and lose their family name but keep their life, or share the fate of the chiefs who planned it. It was less a negotiation and more a plan to cause division before the war began.
This was not something Himawari, who wanted to restore the town, could accept.
For now it was still called negotiation, but it would not end well.
’If it becomes a battle, probably only about one third of the townspeople will remain. To spare you pain, do not let yourself grow attached…’ Maggot-san had warned me.
Maggot-san and the leading members behind her had already sent me advice.
When I used Psionic Power to enter the meeting room, angry women were gathered. Even commanders from the north front had come. I remembered one older sister I used to play badminton—or rather hagoita—with. It made me feel a little nostalgic.
The leaders wanted to wipe the town’s people out. Soon, a fully armed unit of Psionic Power users would attack in hundreds. Isumi town, which managed with the number of users like a single class in school, had no way to fight them.
When their preparations were complete, they would begin the full attack. The time called “negotiation” was only a cover for their preparation.
The order for me was simple: wait quietly for the time to come. Until then, I could act as if I was guarding my Imperial Guard, or I could do nothing and just pass the time. I was only told to avoid causing trouble.
”Hey, maybe we should just…” I began, but I stopped myself at once. I could not let any plan slip from my mouth.
”What? What is it? Are you already curious about the place?” Himawari asked.
”It’s not that…”
Maybe she thought my words meant I was too excited to wait, because a smoky little smile spread across her face.
”I’ll tell you a little. In Shinano there is a place called Karuizawa, a rest town. It feels like that! …Ah, maybe you don’t know Karuizawa.”
”I know it. Well, I don’t know if it’s the same as the Karuizawa I know.”
”…What do you mean?” she asked.
Maybe this one was a hidden land full of mystery.
How could she stay like a bright, emotional girl at her core, even while she should be feeling the weight of that cruel news? Maybe it was because I was a man. Because I talked with her without hate.
I swallowed my words and asked for something else instead.
”Listen, about that dungeon trip… I don’t really want to go. Or could we wait a few days first?”
”…Why?”
”I have trauma. Something bad happened not long ago, and I’m not ready.”
I did not want to remember more than that. The dungeon (maze) was a scary place. I really did not want to go. I almost died once, and someone close to me died there too.
The truth was that staying here longer was better for the rescue plan.
”Oh, the mystery forest! Right, you were there!” she said, raising her voice.
She spoke a little about the forest in Ichihara with the small but scary horned owl. She then fell quiet. Back then, she had jumped into the burning forest looking for people to save. I remembered seeing her fight for a moment while Trash-san and C*mslut carried me as we escaped the fire. In that hell, her Psionic Power (mind power) must have been nothing to fear.
Himawari shook off the dark memory and spoke with strong confidence.
”Don’t concern yourself. This time it will be safe to visit! No scary monster will show up. And your Imperial Guard can come to guide you.”
”Trash-san and the others still aren’t well. I feel sorry for them. They need a little more rest,” I said.
If I could gain a few days, the rescue team might make it in time.
Even a weak excuse was fine. Saying I cared about the other girls’ feelings worked best. A male who cared for girls of the same sex was hard for a girl like her to refuse.
”There’s no time. Then will you come alone?” she asked.
”No. I don’t want to be away from my Imperial Guard.”
That answer did not help.
I could not go alone. I could not let myself be taken deep into strange land by myself.
”We travel as a group,” she said. “The date is set. I need you to come. This is the lowest condition of our deal.”
Himawari spoke in a way that left no path to say no. She did not want me to dislike her, but she would not bend here.
Maybe I would cry and refuse later.
”Fine. I’ll ask Trash-san and the others. Let me talk to them first.”
”Of course.”
So the matter was left like that for now. To be fair, their health really was bad. After that fight, they had only one week to heal, while this oni-woman was already walking around.
”Trash-san still has a broken arm. I wonder if Isumi town has any medical mystical object, like a thing you stick on the skin and it becomes a new body part…” I muttered.
It was a silly idea.
While I sat thinking, Himawari looked uneasy, then spoke slowly, as if poking my side.
”I always wondered,” she said.
”Yes?”
”You have no talent for renaming your Imperial Guard, do you? I mean, pet names. Women are not toys.”
”None of your business.”
Her tone was careful, like she had wanted to say this for a long time.
”Did you give those names when you were very young…?” she asked, giving me a soft look like I was a child who had made a mistake. Her gaze felt rude.
It was not my taste. But if I said that, it would insult the girls’ own sense of self, so I stayed quiet. I did not want to explain how the names came to be.
Himawari may have had her own plans, but she also seemed to want to talk with me more.
I let her words slide and drank my tea, now a bit cool.
”Anyway, the departure is in two days at noon. Until then, you can walk around the town as you like. If you need things for the trip, tell the others. But keep the date,” she said.
”Okay, the day after tomorrow. I promise.”
With that, she ended our tea time. As a noble, she could arrange anything a man needed for a short stay.
I bowed out and went to explore Isumi town again. It was good to learn the roads and buildings. It might help me later.
So, two days, she had said.
* * *
Three days later.
Of course, I broke the promise.
The departure to the dungeon was delayed by one day because of my selfish act. Himawari and the town officials were furious. But I wanted to return safely to Kujukuri, even if the chance was only one percent.
I had gone back to Shigerou’s house. On the day itself, I cried and refused to go to the dungeon, and they took care of me for the night. The shame I showed in front of Himawari was so bad I could not tell even my Imperial Guards about it. I only said I needed new underwear.
The war had already begun again. Under Kujukuri’s fierce attack, Isumi’s defence was broken. They held on only because of a mystical object that confused outsiders. People not invited to this town could not find it easily.
But they could not hold long.
During this time, the number of people in Isumi town kept going down. Those not fighting stayed calm on the outside, but I saw hurt people being carried, and some families loaded their property onto carts.
”Society is always so noisy,” Shigerou said. “But as long as you are in this house, the plans of those women mean nothing. Forcing a boy who hates the idea to go on a trip is shameful.”
He welcomed me like a friendly uncle when I arrived without warning and drove off the women who came to fetch me. He truly sheltered me, just as he promised. He did not care about the details. He simply showed the gentle care of a kind lady of the house.
”But I cannot go against my lady any longer,” he said. “I am sorry. I can only keep you here for this long.”
No matter how strong a man’s will was, we belonged to the women. In the end, both he and I would have to obey. Even if his heart wished to help, he could not stand against Himawari, who was backed by a powerful person of the town.
”It’s fine. One day of hiding helped a lot,” I said.
He seemed relieved, like he had expected me to blame him.
”Please, both of you… no more…” someone said.
How many times had this happened now? Down the hall, another group of women who seemed to be Imperial Guard came to call for me. I could not fight it anymore. If I did, it would put Trash-san and the others in danger.
”Do not come in without permission! We are saying our goodbyes!” Shigerou shouted, lifting his brows in anger.
”We apologize, but the time—”
”I said I understand! He will go soon. Wait outside!”
He let out a sharp huff.
Then he faced me again with warm support.
”I did a warding for your road last night. I tied a charm to your bags. You will be safe.”
He had prayed for my trip. I thanked him and answered the call.
Shigerou smiled at my thanks.
”When spring comes, the sun will warm these fields again. If you go down the street road at noon, you can see whales. Come have tea again when the sea wind brings the scent of the oobako flowers.”
”I will. Thank you for everything.”
I wished I could come again with a gift next time.
”Next time I’ll show you the shiomaneki pulling the tide at the beach,” he said.
He was simply a good man. Even if, as Trash-san said, meeting him was part of the town’s plan to make a good impression on me, he himself had no bad will.
He saw me off at the gate. Shiomaneki-san, with her clear yellow glossy hair, bowed deeply beside him.
I wished Shigerou would not change his mind and sell her hair.
* * *
”You’re late! What were you doing!?”
Away from the house, I found Himawari waiting with her Psionic Power (mind power) users and town officials. Some had strange skin colors, and some had more eyes than normal. They would not meet my gaze.
They must have fought through the night, with no time to fix their looks. They were completely angry.
”You smell like blood,” I said.
”It’s your fault. Because the plan changed, more of our people died. Ah, enough! Just come!”
Himawari yelled at me, then turned on her heel and marched off with her group.
One woman pulled me along so I could walk beside Himawari.
She was now a full black oni. For a moment I thought a strange shadow was talking. That meant she had died at least three times—red, blue, and now black. I did not know how the color returned, but I remembered she was a red oni when she dragged the bodies of the Kujukuri people. In this new battle, she had died over and over.
They had begun to learn how to fight her.
”I’m sorry. But the dungeon (maze) is scary. I don’t even want to advertise your town if it means going there.”
I hurried with small steps like a scared puppy following its owner.
”And men need time to prepare before a trip. I need my usual makeup, my best tea set, and clothes for each day—”
”…Argh! You will like it once we go. Just come!”
I spoke nonsense, but this was the price for saving three lives.
Himawari let out a long, tired sigh.
”I guess it can’t be helped. My plan to make you like Shigerou-taichi-sama failed. I never thought he would support you so much when you cried like that.”
Yesterday I had thrown a tantrum like a three-year-old. Until now, I had acted with some reason, so Himawari was shocked when I cried and refused like a child.
She forced down her anger. She was used to men’s selfishness because of her status.
Still… meeting Shigerou had been arranged by her, then.
”He was a good man. When I’m older, I want to drink with him,” I said.
”Well… yes. He is a great person. Our town’s pride, maybe the best since we began,” she said.
”He’s not coming today?”
”He has no interest in the dungeon. And his house and mine don’t get along.”
She spoke honestly to me. She would not give the same answer to any other girl. Noble family fights meant nothing to me anyway.
Because of my delay, Isumi town had lost more blood. But the rescue team still had not arrived.
Just then, a light shone beyond the mountains. A tall white pillar rose between two peaks, and a huge fire pillar burst far away. A circle of light many tens of meters wide fell from the sky. It cut the clouds and shone from above to the ground. Trees on the mountain burned where the light touched.
”Tch. They crushed the fake town,” Himawari said.
”W-what is that?”
”Kujukuri’s science weapon. It gathers sunlight from the sky and burns the land. They use it again and again from a place we cannot reach… cowards!”
I stared at the sky where the light had come from. I saw a strange mystical object floating high—like an artificial satellite. It looked slightly blue, so it was not in space, but it was very high.
”D… die!!” Himawari shouted.
Heat brushed my cheek. A straight line of blue fire shot from her black mouth into the sky. The heat was so strong I could not keep my eyes open.
The flame reached the hills, but lost power and faded. It would not reach the mystical object, even if it stretched three times farther.
”Too hot! Don’t breathe fire so close to me!”
”Uu… more of our people…”
”Calm down. You can’t destroy it!”
I pushed her back in a panic. Sparks were falling on me, burning hot.
Himawari glared at the object in the sky with hatred. Heat still warped the air around her mouth.
”I didn’t know they had a weapon like that.”
”It’s cloudy today, so this is nothing. When it’s sunny, they fire again and again. Everyone was burned to death by that.”
Her voice trembled with anger.
I never knew such a mystical object existed. I had barely seen any ground fighting, so I had no idea how Kujukuri Town fought.
To be honest, it terrified me. There were no planes or anti-air guns here, yet that thing could kill living people from above. Ordinary townsfolk drafted into war probably died like insects, without understanding anything. I would never go to the battlefield. Never.
The heat faded into the snow around us. Once she regained some calm, Himawari apologized for burning me and then vented again.
”Before, we had a girl who could fly, so we could fight back a little. Now they do whatever they want. The fields we made together, the tea house on the pass—burned. I’ll never forgive the one controlling that thing!”
”It’s frightening. If that ever came above our heads…”
”It will never reach the town. Because you are here.”
She said only that, then fell silent.
The flying girl she mentioned was likely the Psionic Power user that Kaede-san and Kiri-san shot down and killed. She wasn’t blaming me—she simply stopped there.
A burnt smell drifted over the mountains. The battle between the two town was happening right now, and its smoke and noise crept closer.
Where were Trash-san and Flatty-chan? Anxiety dug into me. I wanted to reunite with them now. Would that promise be kept?
”Sorry for scaring you,” Himawari said gently. “But I won’t let anyone hurt you.”
Maybe she felt my fear. She tried to comfort me. Her care for me clashed with the fact that she had kidnapped me.
We walked again. The destination was still ahead, and the dread on my back made me walk faster.
”How do you think this war will end?” she asked suddenly.
”You mean… if you can win?”
”Yes. The outcome is almost set. Even I can’t protect everyone if they attack from every direction.”
She watched for my reaction from the corner of her eye.
I chose my words carefully.
”They’re attacking because you kidnapped me, right?”
”Yes. I’m sick of it. They’re coming at us with everything they have this time.”
”Then why not return me?”
We were far past negotiation. They would never let me choose how to die. There would only be a public execution. Maybe if I was lucky, I would get time to write a death poem.
Still, I made a suggestion that could reduce the casualties.
”Send me back with the mastermind’s severed head. Yours. They might forgive you—maybe.”
”They already know I revive, so it’s pointless. And saying it like it’s easy—self-death hurts a lot!”
I had forgotten, since she snapped her neck so often, but she truly hated it. I had said something cruel. It was too late for her to fake death now.
”I won’t give you up. You’re the hope of our town. We worked for decades to get this chance. We can’t throw it away.”
She stared at the battlefield beyond the mountains, her face tight.
Even if I were returned, Himawari would be executed. The maids and attendants who stayed with me these days would be killed too. All collaborators—entire families—would be purged. Maybe one tiny child from an old noble line would survive locked away forever, but the bloodline would end.
”But I don’t think you can win. The difference in Psionic Power users and weapons is too big.”
”You’re right. And as you think that, I’m sure the Kujukuri side thinks the same as they attack.”
She didn’t deny reality. Her expression was troubled.
”But we haven’t lost yet. We have our own ideas and justice. I won’t die. I won’t give up. So stay close and don’t worry.”
She must have had some plan. A solo guerrilla fight would not save the town. It wasn’t about one fighter—it was a clash of whole towns. Numbers decided the outcome.
”I know you won’t die easily. But how can you escape a situation like this…”
She didn’t answer. She only listened.
Looking closely, she dragged one leg, and one horn was cracked. Black blood dotted the path behind her.
No matter how strong she was, she was still only one Psionic Power user of a small town. She wouldn’t overturn a war alone again. Next, they would rain tear-gas that shut down her senses, then send a team built to restrain her. Kujukuri Town wasn’t small enough for one strong fighter to decide the war.
”By the way… about your body’s colors,” I said as we hurried.
I wondered if someone like her could truly die.
”What about it? Is it strange? Does it look bad to you?”
”No, I’m just curious about the system.”
She actually explained it easily. There was a reason she returned from white to normal—resurrection had limited lives. If she killed enough monsters or rested long enough, one color would revert to the previous one.
She started at red. Each death changed her to blue, green, black, then white. She didn’t know how far it could go. As the colors advanced, she could use all breaths from the earlier stages, and her Psionic fists and skin became harder. It was an absurd power. And she was still inexperienced—how strong would she become in the end?
The only flaw was her inhuman appearance. And for her, being feared by men was the one thing she could not bear.
* * *
The center of the town neared collapse. Women dressed like nobles shouted orders, leading townsfolk around. Supplies and injured people were carried everywhere. The smell of burning hung in the air, and everyone rushed past one another. The town had become like a refugee camp in a war zone in just a few days. If it were only the townsfolk, they would have panicked.
We joined the flow of refugees.
Notes:
• Himawari – Young oni/aberration-type psionic; town leader/face; asks for promotion help; apologizes for killings; sets 2‑day deadline.
• Kaede – A female psionic explorer known as Necksplitter, is a veteran assassin and messenger of Lord Ichimatsu. Her appearance is both young and old, with gray hair streaked through black and vibrant, unlined skin. She is graceful yet carries the fatigue of a long life in war, resembling an old hunting dog. Her psionic ability is mysterious and potentially dangerous.
• Psionic Power – Mental energy concept in Chapter 35’s lecture. Trash-san teaches it to strengthen the protagonist’s mind after dungeon ordeals.
• Shigerou – A middle-aged man from the Katsuraura family; talkative, clueless about the war, enjoys a comfortable life.
• Shiomaneki – Shigerou’s Imperial Guard; has a beautiful, moon-like appearance and the psionic power to make the tide recede (Tide Caller).
• Kiri – A female sniper and member of Kaede-san’s team, white-haired with sleepy eyes, wielding a disguised sniper rifle, known for her quick hands and slow speech, often joking in dire situations.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
Thanks for reading.
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