Female Swordsman Training Dojo

Chapter 306: The Shrine Maiden's Frustration

Harunobu entered the shrine maiden's hut, shutting out the dawn light from the horizon. A wad of paper figures rushed over, caught the two wooden boxes Harunobu dropped, and wobbled toward the shrine maiden.

Looking sleepy, like a shrine maiden who had just woken up, she yawned and, unusually, directly expressed her emotions: "I'm telling you, coming to find a single woman at this hour is very impolite."

Harunobu nodded slightly: "I'm sorry, but it's something very important."

"What, someone's been targeting your wife—no, are you serious?" The shrine maiden shook her head, picked up the teacup the paper effigy had brought to the table, and took a sip of strong tea. "Alright, what do you want me to do? Let me make it clear beforehand, I'm not going to cast any spells for you."

Harunobu also took a sip of tea, and then began to recount all the events that had happened before.

The priestess grew increasingly serious as she listened, finally reaching out to open the two wooden boxes. She picked up a stack of paper figures and brushed them against the demon sword inside. The paper figures, which had remained pristine white even after running wildly across the floor and table, were instantly stained mostly black.

The shrine maiden casually flicked her wrist, turning the paper figures white again, and then looked at Harunobu: "What do you want me to do?"

Harunobu didn't waste any time and asked directly, "Can you help me find the fox demon who sells swords?"

Chapter 330

The shrine maiden closed her eyes, stretched out her hands, and placed them on the two demon swords. The moment her fair, jade-like fingers touched the swords, her fingertips were instantly stained with a thick black. Harunobu nervously gripped the Asauchi sword beside him, just in case.

However, the black glint remained stuck at the shrine maiden's fingertips, unable to advance an inch. Clearly, to the shrine maiden, this demonic sword was just a minor problem.

Harunobu breathed a sigh of relief.

At this moment, the shrine maiden opened her eyes: "It's a good thing you didn't leave them behind, Harunobu. These two knives are tainted with filth. If a normal person carries them for a long time, they will easily get sick and may even become mutated."

Harunobu gripped the hilt of his sword tightly: "So, I have another reason to kill that guy."

The shrine maiden took a sip of tea, and the blackness on her fingertips completely disappeared. Then she extended her hand to Harunobu: "Although I don't want to bother you at this time, the reward can't be less, and this time it will be 100,000 yen."

Upon hearing this familiar price quote, Harunobu countered, "Is this the same person that Shiranui Ran was looking for before?"

The priestess shook her head: "I don't know, but there's something unclean interfering in both. Maybe it really is one person."

Great, it's confirmed that it's Yakumo Kurenai. Harunobu plans to call Shiranui Ran soon to get reinforcements so they can go and crush Yakumo Kurenai.

But before that, he needed to find a way to get 100,000 yen. He couldn't come up with 100,000 yen in cash right now. He also couldn't possibly ask the shrine maiden to give him such a large sum of money on credit; that would be far too disrespectful.

But he really couldn't produce one... After hesitating for a moment, Harunobu opened the system panel and took out the second Asauchi he had drawn earlier. The Asauchi's sudden appearance did not surprise the shrine maiden; her gaze was simply fixed on the Asauchi itself with a slightly solemn expression.

"Can I use this to pay off the debt?"

The shrine maiden nodded: "Of course, and more than enough—how about this, I'll help you deal with these two demon swords later. Their power might be reduced a bit, but there won't be any more side effects."

Harunobu nodded in agreement and pushed the second asagi in front of the shrine maiden.

The shrine maiden took a deep breath, and a large number of paper figures emerged from all corners, bringing with them a glittering Kagura bell, a windless gohei (a type of talisman), and piles of talismans, almost completely surrounding the shrine maiden.

The shrine maiden picked up a gohei in one hand and a Kagura bell in the other, and earnestly said to Harunobu, "Harunobu, unless I say it's done, don't move no matter what happens, and definitely don't draw your sword."

Harunobu nodded seriously, put Asauchi aside, and picked up the teacup with both hands.

The shrine maiden lowered her eyes and slowly raised her right hand, holding the Kagura bell in front of her head and gently shaking it. The clear sound of the bell suddenly rang out, and Harunobu felt his mind calm down, all his previous anxiety and anger subsiding.

"The sky has cliffs, the sea has no end. The sun rises in the east, then disappears into the cliffs..."

A murmured chant, obscure and difficult to pronounce yet possessing a strange rhythm, emanated from the priestess's mouth. The Kagura bell swayed rhythmically, sometimes fast, sometimes slow, producing a clear, ringing sound. The white gohei (a type of magical weapon) danced gracefully in the air, occasionally brushing swiftly across the two demon swords, creating plumes of black smoke that dissipated in vain as it chased after the gohei.

Gradually, Qingxin suddenly felt sleepy. Normally, with his current constitution, he could go two or three days without sleep and still be full of energy, but now his eyelids were drooping...

Could it be that the shrine maiden was planning to renege on her debt by drugging him and running away with her sword? Harunobu thought groggily, his head resting on the table, just as he was about to drift off to sleep, when suddenly a thunderous explosion rang out in front of him.

Harunobu instantly straightened up and looked toward the source of the sound—the Kagura bell in the shrine maiden's hand.

The Kagura Bell, which was originally golden and exquisite, resembling a magical tree of seven treasures, is now reduced to a small handle, with all the other branches and bells gone, as if it had been blown away.

Harunobu wanted to ask what was going on, but remembering the shrine maiden's previous request, he kept quiet. His sleepiness naturally vanished, and he could only continue watching the shrine maiden calmly perform her spell.

Without the Kagura bell, the shrine maiden seemed unaffected, even maintaining the "Focus" aura above her head. She continued chanting the obscure and difficult incantation, but without the accompaniment of the Kagura bell, her voice was noticeably thinner, lacking its original mystery and ethereal quality.

The speed at which the gohei was swung increased significantly, and the amount of black mist it stirred up also increased, almost hitting the gohei itself several times. Harunobu watched the pure white flying in the air with even more tension than when he himself was cutting people down.

The shrine maiden remained perfectly calm, but after nearly being touched by the black mist once again, she suddenly deviated completely from her previous rhythm and pattern, forcefully slamming the gohei down. It even created a whooshing sound.

The two demon swords were struck simultaneously, and the swirling black mist, as if pierced by a venomous snake, instantly went limp and dissipated. The priestess exhaled a breath of stale air and turned her gaze to Harunobu, as if to say something.

However, before her voice could be heard, another loud bang suddenly erupted.

The gohei's connecting rod snapped, and the head half flew directly towards the shrine maiden's face. Harunobu swiftly reached out and grabbed the half. Then, a jet-black light instantly traveled from his palm to his elbow.

"Hiss..." Harunobu couldn't help but gasp. The feeling of being invaded by that strange black mist was truly unbearable. It was as if another cold, hard, and slightly smaller hand had been inserted into his arm and replaced it. Even though he could still control his arm freely, it didn't feel like his own hand.

As for the pain, numbness, and itching sensations that are similar to those experienced during amputation, they are actually tolerable.

Seeing the expression above the shrine maiden's head change from "surprise" to "gratitude," Harunobu grinned and waved his black hand at her: "Shrine maiden, this should be curable, right?"

He didn't ask the witch about the divination results, since the outcome seemed obvious.

The priestess pursed her lips tightly, trying to maintain a calm tone: "Okay, this time it's free. Also, you can take back your payment."

Harunobu looked at the broken gohei, the Kagura bell that had burst into pieces, the talismans that had turned to ashes at some point, and even the black paper figures scattered on the ground.

Then he shook his head: "Never mind, I already have one anyway, so consider this one as... well, a membership subscription. Remember to give me a discount next time."

The shrine maiden glanced down at the asagi placed in front of her, her lips twisted slightly, and then she reached out and took the asagi to her side: "Fine, you won't use it anyway—put your hand here."

So she's a tsundere after all.

The author says:

Author's Note: Tomorrow is my birthday, so I'll guarantee at least one extra chapter, but the exact number depends on how much I can write. I've been getting hooked lately, spending all my writing time replying to messages. Sigh, that's men for you. Finally, please vote!

Chapter 307: The God of Filth

Harunobu sighed and placed the black hand on the cleared table. The shrine maiden picked up the only remaining handle of the Kagura bell and used the broken edge to cut open her palm. To Harunobu's astonishment, she smeared his arm with her blood.

A soft, stiff hand awkwardly stroked Harunobu's arm. It was unclear whether this was due to pain in her hand or something else. Harunobu's lips moved slightly, but looking at the focused shrine maiden, she ultimately said nothing.

Soon, as the shrine maiden's blood stained Harunobu's arm, the blackness faded completely, returning it to its original whiteness. The strange sensation, as if he were manipulating a prosthetic limb, also vanished entirely.

Harunobu flexed his right hand again, and after confirming that there was no problem, he smiled at the shrine maiden: "Thanks, it's all right now."

"Hmm." The shrine maiden withdrew her hand, picked up a talisman, and wiped her palm with it. The bloodstains and wounds immediately disappeared, leaving only her fair skin.

The two sat facing each other in silence for a while.

"that……"

Chapter 331

"Qingxin..."

The two who had spoken at the same time fell silent again.

Then Harunobu spoke again, breaking the silence: "Um, priestess. I'm planning to upgrade my disciples' equipment again soon. Can you get some demon swords? Preferably discounted ones."

Qingxin wasn't just making conversation; he genuinely intended to. This was because one of the three main quests updated previously was: [Main Quest: Fully Armed].

[Mission Description: As the number one dojo in the world, besides having impeccable facilities, the personal equipment of our disciples cannot be neglected. Please equip all disciples with R-rank or higher swords and defensive gear as soon as possible.]

[Task Reward: 1000 Study Points]

[Challenge Rewards: Equipping all disciples with SR-level equipment grants 1 chance to draw an item from the in-game store (guaranteed SR); equipping all disciples with SSR-level equipment grants 1 chance to draw an item from the in-game store (guaranteed SSR)]

This is a task that is both easy and difficult to complete. If you only want the basic task rewards, you can actually submit it now—a sword of the "Famous Sword" rank is already considered R-rank.

With the defensive artifacts already equipped, the mission requirements have been met.

However, if you want to get the challenge rewards, you need to equip SR-level gear, which means you need a demon sword. Because according to the system's judgment method, a sword without extraordinary power, no matter how strong, will probably only be R-level.

If purchased at market price, even the most ordinary demon sword would cost at least three thousand yen. Even considering only the disciples currently on the roster, that would require thirty thousand yen in working capital. This doesn't even include defensive magical artifacts, since magical artifacts also have different levels, and not everyone at the Azure Sky Pavilion can max out theirs.

Even if we only consider ten people, the total would be at least sixty or seventy thousand yen. It might not be as much as the 100,000 yen Asauchi, but it's definitely not a small amount. If the shrine maiden hadn't seemed so eager to "compensate," Harunobu wouldn't have even brought it up.

But now that he'd already said it, Harunobu was starting to look forward to a response.

The shrine maiden blinked, her long eyelashes trembling slightly, as if she were feeling excited: "Well, I can probably produce three right now, but they're all pretty average. I can help you deal with these two—don't worry, it won't cause any problems."

"Then we're still short two more." Harunobu stroked his chin. "But this should be enough. We'll go to the Inari Shrine to get some more later."

Ten or twenty thousand Qingxin can still be taken out now.

The shrine maiden picked up her teacup, using the cooled tea to soothe her restless heart, and then asked, "Harunobu, have you ever heard of the God of Calamity?"

Harunobu pondered for a moment and replied, "I've heard of it. I remember some say that all evil spirits that cause trouble are called 'Makutsu-gami,' while others say they are a third-party force that is opposite to the Amatsu-gami of Takamagahara and the Kunitsu-gami of Ashihara no Nakatsukuni. But I don't know which one is correct."

These were all things that Harunobu had learned from various myths and novels; he wasn't confident that he knew more than proper clergy.

The priestess was not surprised, and simply nodded: "Neither of them is wrong. In reality, the 'God of Calamity' refers to a god who has been devoured by filth. A god who has been tainted by filth, lost himself, and is left with only instinct and mad obsession is a true God of Calamity. He is also known as the God of Filth."

"Then, the person you're looking for seems to have a rather close connection with a certain god of filth. When I went there, before I could even see where she was, I was entangled by the filth released by that god of filth."

"As you can see, all my ritual implements were damaged, and I was ultimately unable to complete the divination."

The priestess puffed out her cheeks, looking quite indignant. For her to be so emotionally agitated, it was clear she was genuinely resentful.

However, this outward display of emotion only lasted for a moment before the priestess quickly regained her composure: "In short, I was unable to confirm the location of the person you are looking for. However, I did see some of her physical characteristics—a mature woman, black hair, fox ears, and holding a gold-inlaid jade pipe in her hand."

"Black hair?" Harunobu was puzzled. He thought it must have been Yakumo Kurenai who did it, but Yakumo Kurenai has red hair.

The shrine maiden nodded affirmatively: "Black hair is a manifestation of filth. Just like your arm just now, anything tainted by filth turns black, so she might be entirely black."

Holy crap!

Harunobu was suddenly excited, because if he really was a black man, he might be easy to find. After all, even in the 20th century, there weren't many black men in Tokyo. Even if there were, they were mostly concentrated in places frequented by Westerners, serving as something that those in the know would understand.

However, he quickly calmed down. According to the testimony, the merchant selling the demon sword was far from being black-clad; he hadn't even shown his ears or tail. He clearly possessed magic that allowed him to disguise his appearance, making it extremely difficult to catch him based on such physical characteristics alone.

"And even if you do find her, don't rush to deal with her by yourself." The shrine maiden spoke again, carefully instructing Harunobu. "One or two arms are fine, but if her head or heart is contaminated... I have no way to deal with it right now. In fact, I don't think anyone in all of Tokyo can handle it."

"I understand," Harunobu agreed; he wasn't entirely a reckless brute. However, the priestess's words raised a new question: "If that criminal truly possessed corrupting powers, why did he use a demon sword instead of directly corrupting my wife?"

The shrine maiden shook her head: "Because filth is not a power that is easy to use. Putting aside the god of filth, ordinary humans and monsters cannot manipulate it at will. And once the power of filth is exposed, all the spellcasters in Tokyo will probably unite and try every means to eliminate it. There is nothing that spellcasters fear and loathe more than filth that can devour magic power. Especially when there is a suspected god of filth appearing."

"Is it possible that she used magic to conceal her physical characteristics?" Qingxin asked again.

“I don’t know, it depends on that person’s mental state. To be honest, most unclean gods and their ‘followers’ are no different from madmen, even more brainless than ordinary monsters. But the one just now… was beyond my imagination.”

The mess around them made the priestess's words very convincing, and Harunobu could only shake his head regretfully and get up: "Let's stop here then, I'll come back to pick up the demon sword I ordered later."

"Hmm." The shrine maiden responded softly, and after watching Harunobu leave, she slowly picked up the asauchi that she had placed beside her. The asauchi, which could only harm souls and whose other properties were no different from an ordinary sword, was slowly drawn out by her, and the silvery blade was plunged into the moonlight.

"This time, I really owe them a huge favor..."

The priestess murmured, sheathing the asauchi. This sword was truly peculiar, almost unlike anything from this world. And for her, it represented hope—a very, very strong hope.

Chapter 308: Day Two of the Main Competition

After leaving Ame-no-Mikoto Shrine, Harunobu encountered no further incidents. This surprised him somewhat, considering the shrine maiden had fought the "merchant" for three hundred rounds through divination; the other party should have sensed something was amiss... Did he think this had nothing to do with a samurai?

Or perhaps they felt that since they hadn't been exposed, there was no need to add anything unnecessary?

Oh well, it's not long anyway, I might as well not sleep.

Thinking this, Harunobu simply sat down in the living room with his sword, watching the dawn gradually break and spill into the Aozora Pavilion. The night passed uneventfully.

The disciples he had sent to catch up on sleep all woke up exceptionally early today, and one after another, they came to keep him company. However, despite waking up early, their spirits were not affected. After all, the [dormitory] had a calming effect, ensuring reliable sleep quality.

"Teacher, come wash up."

Hirako came over carrying toiletries, and Haruno nodded.

Chapter 332

He put the water bottle aside. Then, as he reached for the toothbrush and water glass, two hands snatched them away first.

Harunobu paused, looking at Sanada Maya and Hashimizu Yuri, who were each holding a toothbrush and a water cup respectively. The two stood in front of him, their expressions a mixture of trepidation and anticipation. Their small feet, which hadn't yet been put on socks, were tense, their ten rounded toes curled together.

Harunobu sighed and then opened his arms.

Then the disciples swarmed forward, quickly stripped Harunobu naked, and dressed him in new clothes. Meanwhile, Sanada Maya and Hashimizu Yuri awkwardly brushed Harunobu's teeth—to be honest, it didn't feel very pleasant.

The toothbrush was practically turning into a toothpick, and it was specifically designed to poke at the oral mucosa; an ordinary person would probably have developed mouth ulcers from that. But since it was his wife's good intention, and Harunobu wasn't an ordinary person, it didn't bother him.

After a long while, once Harunobu had changed her clothes, Sanada Maya finally took the toothbrush out of Harunobu's mouth, stood on tiptoe, and kissed Harunobu's cheek. White toothpaste foam clung to the corner of her mouth, drawing angry glances from the others who saw her as a subservient woman.

Qingxin patted the two idiots on the waist: "Alright, focus on the competition."

Yuri, who was a step too slow to kiss him, pouted and put the water glass back in its place. Ren Kinoshita and Hiroshi Chiba walked past them, picked up towels, and began to wash Haruno's face as he sat down.

Hirako sternly surveyed the surroundings, suppressing the restless others who wanted to be "punished." The two unlucky children didn't dare to sneak away in front of so many people again; it was too dangerous and could easily lead to them being banned from future silver parties.