Fantasy Library.

Chapter 505 Perhaps this trip will be in vain?
Night fell quickly.

The members of the Asabu family did not gather together for dinner tonight, at least not Aize.

When Hitachi Mako came to call him for dinner, he asked her to bring some simple food to his room, and he ate a quick and easy meal.

The battle tonight is a life-or-death struggle that, to some extent, requires risking one's life. Eating too much at this time will only hinder one's actions.

So Aize stayed in the room until it was completely dark before leaving and going outside.

He held Congyu Pill in his hand, followed by Congyu. He was wearing the same casual clothes he usually wore for his morning exercise, just like when he went up the mountain alone not long ago.

However, when Aize walked out of the room and into the living room, he ran into Asatake Yoshino and Hitachi Mako.

"Mr. Aize..."

Asatake Yoshino was sitting on the tatami mat when she saw Aizawa come out, and immediately stood up.

Upon closer inspection, Yoshino Asatake was now dressed in Chihaya's shrine maiden attire, her hair styled in twin tails, and wearing a golden crown, looking solemn and dignified.

"Lord Aize."

Hitachi Mako also stood up, and her clothes had also changed drastically.

It was a traditional-style ninja outfit for women, which looked somewhat revealing, with her fair arms and legs completely exposed to the air, giving it a provocative feel.

She wore a long scarf around her neck that covered her mouth, with the ends almost reaching her ankles, and a headband on her forehead—she was completely armed.

Without a doubt, this is the outfit that Hitachi Mako would wear when preparing for battle; it is the formal attire of a ninja.

"...It seems you didn't intend for me to go up the mountain alone."

Aize could naturally see through their plans and smiled faintly.

"I'm sorry, but it's also our duty." Hitachi Mako looked a little shy and said, "It's impossible for either me or Yoshino-sama to let Lady Aize fight alone."

Aize immediately turned his gaze to Asagi Yoshino.

Asahi Yoshino stared at Aize for a moment with a complicated expression before speaking.

"At the very least, we should be able to look out for each other."

Clearly, this stubborn priestess has compromised, or rather, been persuaded by Aize and the others.

She no longer resisted excluding Aize, but allowed Aize to go up the mountain alone. Asagi Yoshino still couldn't pretend she didn't know.

That's why the two of them changed their clothes early and waited here for Aize to come out.

of course……

"Perhaps you've made a wasted trip?" Aize said calmly. "To be honest, I alone am enough to handle an opponent of that caliber."

Aize spoke these words so naturally, without appearing arrogant or conceited at all.

But this is the truest reflection of Aize's mind.

If the evil spirit is still as strong as last time, then Aize, who had Murasame in hand, could easily solo kill it last time, and it will only be easier this time.

Under these circumstances, it would be enough for him to go up the mountain alone; it would be a waste of time for Asagi Yoshino and Hitachi Mako to come along.

“I know Lord Aize is very strong, but even if you are strong, you are still human.” Hitachi Mako said seriously, “The opponent is not a beast, nor a human, nor even a living being, but a vengeful god formed from filth. No one knows if something unexpected will happen when fighting such a being.”

"Therefore, it is very necessary to have someone around to take care of you."

This is also why Yoshino Asagi and Mako Hitachi have always been together and have never been separated.

With two people present, even if something unexpected happens, they can respond promptly.

"Please rest assured, we will not hold you back." Hitachi Mako said with her head held high and her chest out, "I will also protect Lady Yoshino."

Aize didn't doubt what Hitachi Mako said.

After all, he had already fought with Hitachi Mako and knew how skilled she was, so he wasn't worried at all that Hitachi Mako's presence would cause him trouble.

“I am capable of fighting too.” Asagi Yoshino said with a tense expression, holding the hoko bell in her hand, “The problems that arose because of me must be resolved by me.”

Although she was the one who dragged Aize down last time, making her stay at home doing nothing because of that is worse than killing her.

Therefore, although she no longer unilaterally resisted Aize's involvement, Asagi Yoshino still had no intention of staying out of it; on the contrary, she became even more determined.

"Since you've all said so, I naturally have no objections."

Aize, on the other hand, seemed remarkably easy to accept.

Although he did not intend to stand idly by regarding those things on the mountain, the person closely connected with them was still Yoshino Asabu, and the Asabu family.

He had no reason to refuse their participation in the war, nor any grounds to persuade them to withdraw.

Besides, this wasn't the first time Asatake Yoshino had fought against the evil spirits, so it's unreasonable to stop her from going up the mountain just because she held them back last time.

"But are you sure you want to wear this up the mountain?"

Aize gave Asagi Yoshino and Hitachi Mako a strange look.

When Aizawa encountered Yoshino Asatake on the mountain last time, he already felt strange. Why was she wearing Chihaya and shrine maiden clothes to fight the evil spirit?
Whether you want to fight or move around in the mountains, this kind of attire would be somewhat inconvenient, right?
As for Hitachi Mako, there was nothing wrong with her ninja outfit; in fact, it looked quite light and easy to carry, and it was obvious that it wouldn't hinder her movements at all. But was it really necessary to wear that scarf that was almost dragging on the ground?
Aren't you afraid of hanging tree branches or other strange things on the mountain?
Aize couldn't understand it at all.

“This is our battle uniform.” When Hitachi Mako saw Aize looking her over, she was no longer as shy as she had been when Aize praised her for wearing her uniform that morning. Instead, she smiled smugly and said, “Whether it’s my ninja uniform or Yoshino-sama’s shrine maiden uniform, they are all purified clothing that has a protective effect against spirits.”

Therefore, the two girls had to dress up like this when they went up the mountain to exorcise evil spirits.

"I see." Aize nodded, indicating his understanding, and said, "Now that you're all ready, let's go."

""yes! ""

Yoshino Asatake and Mako Hitachi responded at the same time.

Only then did Asahi Ansei, who had been sitting to the side, stand up. "I'll wait for you to come back here," Asahi Ansei said with her usual gentle smile. "I wish you all the best."

“Of course,” Cong Yu couldn’t help but reply, putting his hands on his hips and saying, “With my master and I here, these mere evil spirits are no threat.”

Cong Yu's emotions had become somewhat heightened.

It was truly a difficult journey. Princess Asabu and the user of Murasame finally reached a truce, and things are finally back on track.

This should have happened from the very beginning, but because of Yoshino Asagi's personal wishes, it has been delayed until now.

Cong Yu is already looking forward to seeing what new changes will occur in the future.

Under the watchful eyes of Chao Wu Anqing and with Cong Yu following, Aize and the other two left the Chao Wu family and slowly made their way towards the mountains in the darkness.

…………

"rustle--"

In the pitch-black mountain forest, gusts of night wind blew, causing the trees to sway and rustle, adding to the desolate and eerie atmosphere of the deserted mountains.

Aize and his two companions then traveled up the mountain via the mountain path, eventually entering a secluded forest trail, just like last time, and continuing to venture deeper into the forest.

"Has the evil spirit not appeared yet, Master?!"

Cong Yu clung tightly to Aize's clothes, floating behind him as if she were in a haunted house, trembling with fear, as if a terrifying ghost might jump out from the surrounding bushes at any moment. Every now and then, she would let out a small scream of "Ee!" from the sound of the night wind blowing and the rustling of the trees, making Aize really not want to complain that a ghost like her was afraid of other ghosts.

"Hmm...it seems there's no sign of it coming out yet."

Aize was much calmer than Congyu, and he walked steadily on the mountain path. His leading figure made Asagi Yoshino and Hitachi Mako, who were following him, feel at ease.

This feeling was novel. After all, in the past, the two of them would go up the mountain to exorcise evil spirits on their own. The only people they could rely on were each other and themselves. How could they have ever had a broad and strong back standing in front of them, giving them a strong sense of security?

This feeling of being protected without being noticed was, undeniably, quite strange to the two vibrant and insecure young girls.

"I didn't sense any evil spirit's presence at all; it must be hiding somewhere quite deep inside, right?"

To hide her strange feelings, Hitachi Mako quickly spoke up, trying to distract herself.

"Yes, yes, we're still in a relatively outer area. Perhaps we'll encounter the evil spirits if we venture a little deeper?"

Asatake Yoshino seemed to have the same idea as Hitachi Mako, and also stammered out her words.

Unaware of this, Aize asked with some curiosity.

"How long did it usually take you to encounter a vengeful spirit? Or... were there times when you never encountered one at all?"

Although this forest isn't particularly large, it's still a mountain, and the chances of encountering a malevolent spirit here are definitely not 100%.

Rather, it would be more accurate to say that finding a malevolent spirit in such a remote mountain area would be extremely difficult, according to common sense.

However, Aize had successfully encountered one last time, and Asagi Yoshino also encountered her second evil spirit. The two of them didn't need to search much before these filthy beings came to them on their own and they met them unexpectedly.

Could it be that... evil spirits would travel great distances to find you every time?

Just as Aize was having this thought, Hitachi Mako confirmed it.

“Once the evil spirit appears, it will actively seek out the Asabu family. No matter how far away they are, they will eventually appear in front of Lady Yoshino. There is no need to specifically search for them,” Hitachi Mako said. “After all, the curse was created specifically for the Asabu family, and the evil spirit’s target is also the Asabu family’s bloodline. Others are rarely attacked by the evil spirit.”

"And what about me?" Aize raised an eyebrow and asked, "Why would the God of Evil seek me out?"

Aize hadn't forgotten that the first time he encountered the evil spirit on the mountain, it had taken the initiative to appear and attack him without hesitation.

"Mr. Aize's words must be because he became the user of Murasame, right?" Yoshino Asatake said in a low voice, "Muramasame is a sacred sword used to slay demons, and the first person to use it was the ancestor of the Asatake family."

What Yoshino Asagi wanted to say was that perhaps it was because of this connection that Aize, like her, was actively attacked by the evil spirit.

"So, we just need to wander around here, and the target will appear sooner or later, right?" Aize nodded knowingly and said, "That's good, it saves us the trouble of searching."

"Lord Aize, please rest assured." Hitachi Mako patted her chest and promised, "We have been up the mountain many times and exorcised the evil spirits many times. We are familiar with the aura of the evil spirits and the signs before they appear. Once they are about to appear, we will be able to detect them immediately."

"That's good." Aize smiled, then suddenly asked, "I almost forgot to ask, what methods did you use to exorcise the evil spirit, Hitachi?"

Attacks from the mortal realm are ineffective against evil spirits; only items imbued with divine power can harm them.

Therefore, Aize was able to use Murasame to kill the evil spirit, and Asatake Yoshino used Hoko Rin. So what did Hitachi Mako use?
“No, I do not have a reliable means to exorcise evil spirits and purify impurities.” Hitachi Mako shook her head and explained, “Only Muramasa, who is a sacred sword, and the sacred artifacts passed down through generations of Kensuke Shrine can exorcise evil spirits and purify impurities.”

"And I am not qualified to use it, regardless of which side it is on."

"Therefore, I cannot exorcise the evil spirit. I can only assist Lady Yoshino so that she can use the divine artifact to deliver the final blow to the evil spirit."

This is why, although Hitachi Mako is quite skilled, she has always been positioned as a support rather than a main damage dealer when dealing with evil spirits.

The main damage dealer has always been Yoshino Asagi, which is why Mako Hitachi couldn't leave her protected person behind and go up the mountain alone to handle things.

If she has the means to exorcise evil spirits, then as a guard, she shouldn't let Yoshino Asatake go up the mountain, but rather let Yoshino stay at home and be protected, right?

Of course, whether Asahi Yoshino is willing to do this is another matter entirely.

“In the past, Lady Yoshino had to charge into battle all by herself, but now that Lady Aizawa is here, I feel much more at ease,” Hitachi Mako said with a smile. “This way, I can focus more on protecting her…”

Before Hitachi Mako could finish speaking, she was stopped by Aize's sudden halt.

"Mr. Aize...?"

Before Asatake Yoshino could react, she called out softly.

Aize did not respond, his gaze fixed on the bushes ahead.

"rustle……"

There, the rustling of the bushes began without any warning.

(End of this chapter)