Fantasy Library.

Chapter 531 Hope for Lifting the Curse

When Aize saw Cong Yu's expression turn so serious, he knew that something must have happened.

Not to mention Aize, even Yoshino Asatake, who was still in a state of not daring to see anyone, noticed this.

But Cong Yu didn't say it directly; instead, she said something else.

"It's the evil spirit that our master captured. You'll see if you come with us."

With that, Cong Yu led Aize and Asagi Yoshino to the shrine.

Then, the two discovered that the evil spirit that had been surrounded by the rope had disappeared at some point, leaving only Asabu Yasuharu and Komagawa Mizuha standing inside, discussing something.

Both of them looked like they hadn't slept all night, their eyes were full of fatigue, and there were faint dark circles under their eyes.

Even so, the two were still having a heated discussion, prompting everyone to come forward.

"Dad!" Yoshino Asagi spoke first, her voice trembling with unease. "What happened? Where's the vengeful spirit?"

Aize also looked around, especially inside the injection rope, but found no trace of the evil spirit, which made him frown slightly.

Asatake Yasuharu and Komagawa Mizuha looked at Aizawa and Asatake Yoshino who had rushed over, exchanged glances, and then simultaneously showed serious expressions.

"Lord Aize, Lady Yoshino." Komagawa Mitsue stepped forward, extended her hand to the two of them, and said, "Please take a look at this."

Aize and Asahi Yoshino immediately looked in the direction of the sound.

There, in Komagawa Mizuyo's palm, lay a stone.

The stone was small and incomplete, looking like a fragment of something. It was white and transparent, with a misty substance flowing inside.

"咚咚-"

In that instant, Aize's heart suddenly started beating faster.

This feeling was exactly the same as when he was summoned by Congyu Maru.

The difference is that when Congyu Maru called out to Aize, Aize reacted much more strongly, but at this moment, the reaction is much weaker, so weak that it might be mistaken for an illusion.

Furthermore, when Congyu Maru called out to Aize, Aize's response was always present, but at this moment, he only reacted for a fleeting moment before his heartbeat calmed down.

"This is……?"

Aize clutched his chest, his brow furrowed.

"what is this?"

Asahi Yoshino seemed to feel nothing at all, and looked puzzled.

“Ai-kun, Yoshino,” Asahi Ansei spoke, saying in a deep voice to the two of them, “This fragment fell out of the body of the evil spirit.”

"What?" Aize and Asagi Yoshino were both stunned, and asked in astonishment, "It fell out of the body of the evil spirit?"

Asahi Yasuharu and Mitsuyo Komagawa nodded simultaneously.

"The thing is like this..."

Seeing this, Cong Yu explained the situation to the two of them.

According to Cong Yu, she stayed here all night, infusing divine power into the Lianzhu rope to maintain the bondage of the evil spirit, and quietly observing Asabu Ansei and Komagawa Mitsuyo's research on the evil spirit.

Under these circumstances, the vengeful spirit was initially quite energetic, constantly ramming against the rope in an attempt to break free. This left Asahi Yasuharu and Komagawa Mitsuha unsure how to study each other, and they could only maintain their distance for the time being, observing and recording.

But as the night passed and dawn broke, the evil spirit within the rope suddenly stopped moving and quickly dissolved, turning into a wisp of black smoke and disappearing without a trace.

Immediately, the strange fragment fell from the spot where the evil spirit had disappeared and was discovered by Cong Yu and the others.

That is to say...

"Is this something that was swallowed by the evil spirit?"

Asahi Yoshino asked in confusion.

“No.” Komagawa Mitsui immediately shook her head, denying the claim, and said, “According to the records that have been left over, the evil spirits are clearly not living beings. Their bodies are formed from filth and they do not possess any biological characteristics. They do not consume anything.”

"Moreover, we can see very clearly that after the evil spirit disappeared, this fragment was originally black." Asahi Yasuharu echoed Komagawa Mizuyo's words, saying, "But after the evil spirit completely disappeared, this fragment turned white."

This is enough to show that this is not an ordinary piece of debris.

"I suspect that this fragment is probably the core of the evil spirit, the vessel of the curse."

Komagawa Mitsui revealed her guess.

"A cursed...host?"

Aize and Asagi Yoshino couldn't help but look at the fragment at the same time.

Meanwhile, Mizuha Komagawa's voice kept ringing in their ears.

"The curse of the Asabu family originated from the resentment of the eldest son."

"Because of his personal resentment towards the Asabu family, the eldest son killed the dog god in the mountains and used the dog god's soul as a sacrifice to activate this curse."

"In other words, the root of the curse is the power of resentment."

The Komagawa family was once a family of Onmyoji (yin-yang masters). Although they have now switched to being doctors, they have not abandoned the knowledge left by their ancestors. That is why they were able to give so much advice when the Asabu family turned to working in the priesthood, and became the Asabu family's personal curse countermeasures master.

Centuries of research, along with knowledge from even earlier times, allowed Komagawa Mitsuyo to quickly organize the situation and draw some conclusions.

She was just talking about these things with Chao Wu Anqing.

"According to historical records, when a curse is cast by harnessing the power of resentment, the power of resentment must be placed on some kind of vessel."

"This substitution is the core of the curse."

"Now, this core fragment has appeared inside the body of the evil god, and it is suspected to be the core of the evil god. If there are no surprises, the evil god was created from here."

"Perhaps due to some accident, or perhaps due to the backlash of a powerful curse, the original hyōdai shattered and became fragments like these. When the filth within the hoori accumulates to a certain degree, the fragments of the hyōdai can use the power of the filth to create an individual called a vengeful spirit, which then harms the object of the curse—the Asabu family and their associates."

Mizuyo Komagawa's words plunged everyone into an indescribable silence.

Especially Yoshino Asagi, who was clenching her hands in front of her chest with a complicated expression.

no way.

"So, the source of the ongoing battles between the Asabu family and us is this so-called Hyōdai?" Aize narrowed his eyes and went straight to the point. "And the Asabu family hasn't noticed this all this time?"

“That’s right.” Asagi Ansei nodded, sighing as she spoke, “Because the evil spirits only appear at night, and specifically in the pitch-black mountains, the priestesses of the Asagi family throughout the generations may not have noticed the existence of this fragment when they exorcised the evil spirits.” “Such a small fragment, even if it appeared on a large battlefield, especially in the complex terrain of the mountains, would likely be overlooked during the day, let alone at night when it’s pitch black.”

At this point, Chao Wu Anqing gave a wry smile.

The Asabu family has been battling the evil spirits for hundreds of years, and it is only now that they have discovered something so important. It is truly a cruel twist of fate.

If Akiho had discovered the existence of the heirloom earlier, perhaps she wouldn't have...

As Asahi Ansei was thinking this with some sadness, Asahi Yoshino had already spoken.

"So, if we find all the fragments of the vessel and restore it to its original state, will we be able to remove the curse?"

Asahi Yoshino said this with a mix of nervousness and apprehension.

The curse of the Asabu family was far too heavy for a girl who was only a high school sophomore.

For hundreds of years, countless members of the Chaowu family have died because of this curse. If she cannot remove the curse, she will surely die young as well.

The priestesses of the Asabu family throughout history all died a few years after giving birth, and she would probably be in the same situation.

But if the curse could be removed, then they could be freed.

Not only will she be freed, but the ancestors of the Chaowu family and the future of the family will also be freed.

Thinking of this, Asahi Yoshino couldn't help but look at Aize.

Although she had only known this boy for two months, their relationship had already made a breakthrough, which changed Asatake Yoshino's mindset, who was originally hesitant to even make friends.

Two months ago, she would never have believed that she would transform from a girl into a young woman in just two months, and not in a natural way, but as a result of impulsive actions on both sides.

Regardless, she had already tasted the bitterness of it all, and she was truly reluctant to return to being all alone.

She just had reservations; she didn't really not want to live a normal life.

She wanted to make lots and lots of friends like everyone else, and even more so, she wanted to have a sweet romance like the heroines in the shoujo manga that Moko lent her.

Before, she wouldn't have dared to hope for these things, but now... perhaps there is hope!
Komagawa Mitsuiyo clearly shared the same view.

“At least we can be sure that this will be an opportunity to break the status quo.” Komagawa Mitsui nodded heavily and said, “As long as the Hyōdai is restored to its original state, we can find a way to eliminate the resentment within it.”

Cong Yu also spoke from the side.

"As long as the tokens are collected and a solemn sacrifice is performed to purify the impurities and soothe the soul of the dog god, the resentment that is the source of the curse will disappear."

At that time, the curse will naturally break down on its own.

"------!"

At this moment, both Yoshino Asagi and Yasuharu Asagi showed signs of trying their best to suppress their emotions.

Their expressions, as if they were desperately trying to control themselves and not burst into tears of joy, made it clear how heavy an impact this curse had been on their lives.

Asahi Yoshino goes without saying; she herself is the object of the curse, and the existence of the curse is closely related to her life and future.

The same applies to Asahi Ansei. His wife had already left him early due to the curse. If the curse cannot be lifted, his daughter and even his future granddaughter will die because of it. Perhaps the one who feels powerless to do anything about it is the one who suffers the most.

If the curse can truly be lifted, then those who are redeemed will not only be members of the Asabu family, but also those with whom they have formed various bonds.

Seeing this, Aize reached out and gently put his hand on Yoshino Asagi's shoulder.

Asagi Yoshino immediately nestled into his arms, burying her face in his hands, seemingly unwilling to let anyone see her expression at that moment.

However, Yoshino Asagi had no idea how much of an impact her subconscious action had on those around her.

Asahi Ansei, whose emotions had been fluctuating wildly, was stunned, while Mitsuyo Komagawa was even more surprised and taken aback.

Only Cong Yu wore a relieved smile, as if she had seen something reassuring, something dazzling, to the point that she closed one eye.

Aize then patted Asagi Yoshino's back gently while addressing the crowd.

"Then the most important thing to do now is to exorcise the evil spirits and find these previously overlooked fragments, right?"

Aize's words temporarily pulled everyone out of their shock.

“Perhaps we don’t need to exorcise the evil spirit to recover the fragments directly.” Komagawa Mitsuha carefully examined Aize and Asabu Yoshino and said, “The fragments of the Hyoudai must be scattered in the mountains. Only when the filth of the Hoori accumulates to a certain extent will the evil spirit be born from it.”

"And before the evil spirits were born, they would not change their positions."

If that's the case, why bother fighting to the death with the evil spirit? Why not just find the fragments and collect them before the evil spirit appears?
"But the mountain is so big and the area is so vast, how easy is it to find such small fragments within it?"

Asahi Ansei turned his gaze to the fragment in Komagawa Mitsuyo's hand and said this with some worry.

Aze was suddenly struck by a thought, recalling how he felt when he first saw the fragment of the phallus.

“Perhaps I have a way to find some.” Aize pondered for a moment, then said, “When I saw this fragment, I had some strange feelings, and perhaps I can use these feelings to find some fragments in the mountains.”

Just like when Muramasa called out to him in this shrine, if Yoshiro were also calling out to him, why would he have to worry about not finding them?

"Really? Master!" Cong Yu asked hurriedly, "You can really sense the location of the fragments?"

Asahi Yoshino also lifted her head from his embrace and couldn't help but look at Aize.

Upon seeing Yoshino Asagi's hopeful face, Aize, who was about to say "it's not that easy," immediately changed his mind.

"There shouldn't be any problems." Aize smiled and said, "Anyway, we'll know once we try."

He was already preparing to ask the school for leave to go up the mountain and look for it.

"Then I'll give this to you for now." Komagawa Mitsui handed the fragment in her hand to Aize, saying, "It might be of some help."

Aize nodded and accepted the fragment.

Holding the transparent, crystal-like shard, Aize sensed something different, however faint it was.

Others might not notice anything at all, or even if they could, their reaction would be very faint, but Aize could clearly detect this reaction.

"It seems that my unique talent for perfectly controlling all kinds of tools can also be useful in this area."

Aize gripped the transparent shard tightly.

"Give it a try."

(End of this chapter)