Help! I changed the gender of the male protagonist in the yandere game.

Chapter 57: Divine Witch
Just as the Kurohimeyama clan was taking action in a big way, Fukuza Sakiru and the Suzuki party also received the information.

"Sister, the Kurohimeyama clan has been invited to participate in the 'Tenjinzakura Purification Festival'..."

The speaker was a petite half-demon girl with a single horn growing between her eyebrows.

"I know this very well."

The woman in red who was recuperating from her injuries nodded.

"I think that Chunin should be among them. As long as the gauntlet is on him, I can always lock onto his position."

"But, big sister... who is 'he'?"

The half-demon girl stammered, "Do you really think that person is related to the Young Master and the Ziyue Clan?"

"I am not sure as well."

Fukuza Sakiru looked confused.

"On second thought… if it had truly been the young master, I would have recognized it instantly. However, the aura of that chuunin was different."

"That should be it, right?"

The horned girl asked quietly. Unlike her eldest sister, Sakiru, none of the other half-demon companions believed the young master could survive. But if they spoke of this, her eldest sister would surely be furious.

"No, at least 'blood' can't be wrong."

Fukuza Sakiru said calmly, "He must be someone connected to the Suzuki family. Moreover, many members of the Suzuki clan disappeared back then. I think tracking down this person's whereabouts should yield some results."

"However, the Kurohimeyama clan is heading to Dewa Province this time."

The unicorn girl continued, "Dewa Country is protected by the Tenjin cherry tree. Although half-demons like us are slightly better off than monsters, being close to the pure aura emanating from that cherry tree will cause us extreme pain, making it difficult for us to move normally inside."

"It's ok."

Fukuza Sakiru smiled.

"The previous master of the family once gave me a precious pearl. This pearl is from

"The Dragon Jade from the Dragon Palace's treasury. If I swallow this dragon ball, I will be able to suppress the demonic energy within my body and temporarily transform myself into a human."

After she finished speaking, she took out a precious pearl from the belt of her kimono and swallowed it.

Suddenly, a breeze blew in from somewhere, causing the long hair and the hem of the kimono of the woman in red to flutter in the wind.

"boom!"

A cloud of white smoke exploded in the air. No, it should be said that the clothes on Furuza Sakiru's body exploded with a bang. Her body was also covered by a large amount of white smoke. The unicorn girl was also dumbfounded.

"S-Sister?"

She asked tentatively, swallowed, and stared at the silhouette deep in the smoke.

The smoke cleared, and accompanied by the sound of "cough cough cough", the voice of Fukuza Sakiri was heard again.

"Lan Hua, why are you looking at me so strangely?"

"Big sister."

The girl with the horn widened her eyes with an expression of disbelief on her face.

"H-Have you shrunk?"

“H…ah?”

……

A few days later, after a long journey, the huge team finally arrived at their destination.

Kasumigao Castle is the most central square castle in Dewa Province.

It is also located in a place surrounded by steep mountains, relying on a turbulent river as a barrier. With the Honmaru Castle as the center, the Ninomaru and Sannomaru expanding outward form the main urban area.

Afterwards, it radiated outward from near the main city, gradually forming the settlements and town squares of the "castle town".

"Although I've seen CGs in games, that's different from seeing it with your own eyes."

Baijie praised secretly.

Behind the city walls of Kasumi Castle, you can see the huge Tenjinzakura, which reminds people of the giant tree called the "Golden Tree" in a certain magic circle.

Even from a distance, one can feel the wonderful aura emanating from the sacred cherry blossoms...solemn, sacred, and full of a sanctuary-like atmosphere.

Because it was nearing the time of flowering, the unique green light of the sacred tree softly enveloped the sky of the City of Mist, forming a large barrier covering the entire area.

People with strong spiritual power will find that the light of the tree and the sunlight are mixed together, and the mysterious tree reaches straight into the sky, like a pillar supporting the heaven and the earth.

"According to the Rentokuki, west of the Usune River, there is a huge tree of incredible height... In the morning sun, its shadow reaches as far as Awaji Island, and in the evening sun, it reaches over Mount Takaan."

Old man Matsudaira Inomaro muttered, "If I hadn't seen this Tenjin cherry tree, I would have thought it was just nonsense from the ancients. Now it seems that I am just an old man who is surprised by what I have never seen before."

"I've never seen such a powerful barrier before?"

Saizou was also shocked.

"Just how powerful is this divine cherry blossom? I can't imagine any monster being able to break through the barrier created by the divine cherry blossom."

"The Demon King or a powerful Demon General should be able to try to break through."

Old man Matsudaira smiled bitterly.

"However, even if one wanted to force their way into the barrier, it would consume a tremendous amount of energy and might even damage the source of their demonic power... There shouldn't be any powerful demonic monsters foolish enough to confront such a near-miraculous power head-on."

"Indeed..."

Cai Zang sighed, as if he had never seen the world before, and said, "Then, if this sacred cherry tree could be moved to another place, or sown, cut, grafted, divided, and transplanted to different regions, wouldn't it be able to form a natural barrier to ward off demons from all over the world?"

He suddenly had an idea and came up with it.

"For example, in the capital, we have to send people to garrison there every year. If we had a sacred cherry tree like this, we wouldn't be able to rest easy, but at least we could save a lot of effort."

"Ha ha ha ha…!"

Old man Matsudaira laughed: "Your idea is good, but this has been tried before. Unfortunately, this sacred cherry tree is unique. People have tried various methods in the past, but have never been able to create a second sacred cherry tree." "I see."

Cai Zang scratched the tip of his nose and gave a wry smile.

"Even a fool like me can come up with this idea. It seems that other smart people have already tried it."

"Yo~~ Isn't this even smarter than I thought, Brother Saizo?"

Old man Matsudaira patted his shoulder while laughing and teasing.

Saizou showed a self-deprecating expression and shook his head.

He and the old man looked at each other and smiled together.

This humorous Chunin hit it off with the old man immediately. Their personalities were to each other's liking, and they had become familiar with each other over the past few days.

Baijie was not in such a good mood. He knew that the closer he got to the City of Kasumi, the greater the risk.

Based on his understanding of the game, getting involved in the main storyline this time would involve taking considerable risks.

If the goal is not achieved, the outbreak of the Root Country ruins, that is, the lair of the evil spirits, will pollute the surrounding area. At that time, except for powerful high-level exorcists like Ge Hua who can escape, a small person like myself will definitely be in danger of death.

"It seems... I must act in advance to prevent the worst possible outcome of 'Divine Cherry Collapse' from happening..."

……

Accompanied by his attendants, Sufang, the lord of Kasumi Castle, arrived at the forest behind the Shinzakura Taisha Shrine. Technically, this was a forest built at the foot of a giant tree, located far behind the castle and the main shrine.

The sacred cherry tree does not devour the vitality of the surrounding plants. Its canopy that blocks out the sun makes it difficult for trees and weeds to grow in the area.

The light radiated from this giant tree will make the grass and trees flourish even in the absence of sunlight. It can create a barrier to protect the city, and it can also nurture vitality, possessing a natural and vigorous beauty.

Walking on a narrow path, the city lord was a little out of breath. He was already ninety years old. Although he had lived a long life, his back was hunched and he had difficulty moving, so he needed a cane to support himself.

"Why bother with so much trouble, Lord City Lord? If you want to see Lord Zhouzi, just say hello."

An older woman dressed as a shrine maiden smiled wryly.

"No, no, no, I came here to say hello to Mahora-sama."

Accompanied by his attendants, the city lord Su Fang smiled.

"For the next period of time, I'll be borrowing Miss Hiruko from Mahora-sama. She's the main character in this divine purification ceremony."

"Yes."

The elderly miko nodded.

"Although she's young, Zhuzi does have a heavy responsibility."

Suddenly, she stopped.

"Lord Sufang, we have arrived."

"Oh."

The old man nodded, and the two young attendants beside him looked around curiously. Soon, the two young men saw a strange scene.

In the forest behind the shrine, there is an artificial clearing with many birds flying in the sky.

A young girl was sitting on a stone in the open space. She was dressed in the costume of the highest-ranking shrine maiden of Kamizakura Taisha Shrine. Her eyes were bright and beautiful, and a book was spread out on her knees wrapped in a scarlet skirt. This was the most popular romance novel at the time - the title was "Sonezaki Love Death", and the author was a playwright named "Chikamatsu Monzaemon". Because the story was widely popular as a drama, it was also adapted into a novel.

The attendants stared with wide eyes. A squirrel was sitting on the girl's shoulder, and several butterflies were dancing around her.

Birds chirped and danced above her head, a mixed flock of thrushes, tits, and willow warblers, with a sparrowhawk among them. They did not fight but circled in the air, making crisp calls.

There was also a lazy cat lying at the feet of the witch, and next to the cat were two weasels standing upright, squeaking at the girl, as if they were talking to her.

If the attendants had not seen it with their own eyes, they would have found it hard to believe that the scene before them was real. It was too much like a scene from a fairy tale picture book and had no sense of reality at all.

"Although... I've heard that great shamans throughout history have been loved by animals, seeing this with my own eyes is still hard to imagine."

"This isn't a magical control, it's not giving orders to animals, and Lady Hiruko isn't a 'servant,' yet she's able to do this?"

"is it?"

The girl had just turned the last few pages. As she read the ending, she sighed softly, "In the end, Tokubei and Achu's ending didn't change. But perhaps, dying together in the underworld is also a kind of happiness."

"Hiruko-sama."

The old city lord laughed: "Now is not the time to read."

He raised his cane and tapped the ground.

Suddenly, the birds discovered the old man and his attendant and flew high into the sky. The squirrel on his shoulder jumped away in fright. The two weasels ran in another direction. Even the cat hunched its body and slowly staggered away.

"I see... I heard it~~Are there any guests coming?"

The witch sighed and slowly closed the book.

"Yes."

The old man smiled and said, "It seems the nearby animals have passed on the news... The other party is a distinguished guest of the Kurohime family. I hope Master Hiruko will show up for a while."

"I understand."

The witch did not complain. She slowly stood up and placed the book on the stone.

"What does it feel like to be in love... Tokubei and Achu are willing to die together just to be together. Is that love really so intense that they would even risk their lives?"

She couldn't understand.

After all, she is the highest-ranking grand shaman of Kamizakura Taisha Shrine, and the shaman who serves as Lord Mahora's "spokesperson."

She has never been in a relationship and rarely has contact with men.

...But, the girl thought, if it were me, could I do it?

(End of this chapter)