Volume 1
Chapter 2 Part
2
Dancing in the
Burning Dust, Rindo Flower 2
Translator : PolterGlast
Mt. Myokaku is only
about the height of a fairly modest mountain in terms of steepness.
However, the mountain,
with its broad, gentle slopes, was not a mountain to be taken lightly, as it is
the entrance to the Nabane Mountain Range, which stretches from southeast to
northeast of Karen, and is the gateway for defiled beasts that originated in
the mountain range to invade Karen.
In cooperation with
local residents, torches were burned around the mountain to seal out the
defiled beasts.
A special kind of
firewood containing purification incantations was set ablaze by the torches,
producing smoke that was clearly different in volume and density from that of
ordinary firewood.
The pine sap crackled
and flared, and the smell that defiled beasts hated slowly crept through the
trees along with the smoke.
The smoke was so thick
that it would be impossible for the beasts to descend from the mountain until
the torches were extinguished.
Half an hour after the
Seko Team, the advance team of the
garrison, disappeared into the forest where the darkness spread out, a loud
whistle blew through the cold night air.
"...... It's
begun."
Genji, who had set up
camp on a flat area just before the halfway up the hillside, heard the
high-pitched sound of the whistle and muttered so.
The strategy for the
mountain hunt was to follow the conventional strategy.
The outline of the
strategy was very simple.
A cliff spread out
before Genji and his team's eyes. The Seko
Team was to round up the defiled beasts from the top of the mountain and drive
them down the small cliff toward Jinchi
Team.
Naturally, there would
be no way for the small number of the Seko
Team alone to control the behavior of the defiled beasts. The Tate Team, led by Akira, would forcibly
guide the out-of-control beasts to the target point.
Then the Jinchi Team would hold back the beasts
and let Saki and Ryota use their firepower to burn them down.
Genji and Niikura were
to provide support to the Jinchi Team
in holding back the defiled beasts, and the final push was given over to Saki
and Ryota so that they could gain experience in using spirit containers to
attack the beasts.
"I hope we can
hook a large pack of defiled beasts."
Niikura said so in
anticipation.
Defiled beasts are
wild beasts that deviate from the yin-yang balance and are filled with miasma.
They may look like
boars, deer, or other wild beasts, but their mere existence is enough to spread
the miasma that corrupts their surroundings, and they have the tendency to
attack beings that possess Yang Qi, causing them to run amok.
Although defiled
beasts would attack beings possessing Yang Qi, they are actually not fools.
Despite being corrupted by miasma, these beasts' former intelligence is still
intact, or even showing a slight increase in intelligence.
Once a major mountain
hunt is carried out, the intelligence of the defiled beasts will cause them to
scatter and hide throughout the entire mountain.
If they could not hunt
the defiled beasts as they wanted in the mountain hunt, they would have to hunt
sporadically in the mountains for a few days or, at worst, a few weeks.
If this hunt were to fail
in eliminating the defiled beasts in Mt. Myokaku, at worst, they would have to
go into the Nabane Mountain Range and do a major re-hunt.
"Don't worry
about it, Niikura." assured Genji, who had taken out his portable yin-yang
meter and was measuring the concentration of miasma.
"The miasma has
spiked. That guy, Kansuke, seems to have caught a pretty big fish."
"――I'm relieved
then. ...... Speaking of concerns, there is one more. How is that child prodigy
doing?"
Upon hearing these
words, Genji's eyes darted to where Ryota might be waiting.
Due to the steep cliff
and the position of the camp, it was impossible to confirm his presence.
"He seemed to be
satisfied with his role. I don't know how he felt inside, but he didn't
complain."
Expecting Saki and
Ryota, who had just joined the team today to provide support, to coordinate
with the garrison would have been an impossible task.
Having accepted
Akira's suggestion before their departure, the two were counted on to be
completely individual firepower.
The more cooperative
one, Saki, was barely able to accept the final change of direction in the Tate Team, but Ryota, who inevitably
remained stubborn, was given the role of forcibly splitting the pack of defiled
beasts that had been fished out in two after some altercation.
If the swarm of
defiled beasts is a large-scale one, depending on the density of the miasma
that the swarm possesses, not even the power of spirits will be able to fend it
off. If this were to happen, it would be very difficult for the two new
guardians to destroy the pack.
Before that could
happen, Ryota, who is superior in terms of maximum firepower, was asked to
split the swarm, and after scraping the miasma barrier, the two of them would
destroy the split swarms with their own firepower.
Akira's proposal was
difficult to complain about because of its simplicity and clear-cut strategy.
Perhaps because of
this, Genji only made a few rough adjustments to the strategy in places, but
the strategy itself was almost entirely based on Akira's original plan.
However, Niikura was
lost in thought.
Regardless of the pros
and cons of the strategy, the burden on the guardians was quite heavy.
The duty of the
guardians, in other words, is to use their firepower, which is their forte, as
the ultimate measure to stop the enemies.
In other words, it is
no exaggeration to say that they have to use their maximum firepower against
the defiled beasts gathered by the garrison soldiers in the best possible
condition.
Akira is one of the
trainee soldiers who has been entrusted with a squad for the first time. It is
Akira's job to protect his squad, but it would be unbecoming of a garrison
member if he were to increase the burden on the guardians.
Niikura was wondering
how should he warn Akira after the day is over.
"Are you thinking
about Akira?"
Suddenly, Genji asked
him so. He couldn't help but nod his head in affirmation, unable to conceal the
fact that he had hit on the core of his concern.
"There was a
tendency for him to disrespect the guardians.
We are nobility.
Especially Rindo-sama and Kuga-sama are members of the eight families. No
matter how casually we are allowed to treat them, it would not be acceptable
for us to add more burdens on them by forgetting our original position."
"He was certainly
on guard against them, but not as much as he might have taken them casually.
――Besides, this is a good opportunity for Akira as well. It's a rare
opportunity for him to come in contact with guardians other than us, and it's
important for him to know how much firepower the difference in status
plays."
"Then again, two
spirit techniques in a row, huh? They may be guardians, but they are still
young. Is there anything they could not do?"
"That's why we're
here. ――Besides, it's merely two in a row. The lady has a tendency to belittle
herself, but in the Rindo family and in the academy, exchanges of spirit
techniques are a common occurrence in training. If the young lady is okay with
it, I'm sure that Kuga's child prodigy can vouch for her."
"Well, I suppose
so." Seeing the futility of his arguments, Niikura glanced to the rear of
the squad. There, the ten people that Genji had brought with him, apart from
the team, were silently waiting in reserve.
"How are they
faring?"
It was Genji's own
unit, deployed at his strong insistence.
They had no swords, no
shields, and no means to defend themselves at all. But if it went well, it
would revolutionize the future of military training.
"......We only
had a fairly short training time. But if the sales promotion of the foreign
merchant is correct, it should be sufficient for unit operations."
"I hope it goes
well. ――Frankly speaking, the training alone is a costly affair."
And if it doesn't
succeed, Banda's criticism of Genji would become even stronger.
That was where
Niikura's concern lay.
It is well known among
his colleagues that Banda and Genji do not get along.
Although Genji doesn't
care much about it, Banda, who has risen to power through political power,
views Genji, who is known for his ability and is even recognized by the eight
families, as an enemy.
...... There's no
point in worrying about what one doesn't have, is there?
That might be so, but
that is just how human hearts are.
Envy and jealousy are
the nature of mankind.
But perhaps this was
for the best, since Genji is not a career person either.
Genji disliked the
recent trend in the garrison to use up the garrison's skilled soldiers to make
the guardians perform more effectively.
Perhaps because of
this, Genji's attention was focused on how many members of the garrison under
his supervision would be able to depart without suffering any casualties.
The more he rose in
the ranks, the more members he would have to watch.
Niikura did not want
to see Genji's career destroyed by his own actions.
"Speaking of
which, what were you asking Akira-kun to do for you after this?"
He remembered that
Genji had spoken to Akira on his way out of the office.
The matter about
talismans was already done. So, there should be nothing to ask Akira for.
"Hm? Oh, it's not
a request. We discussed it a while ago, so I thought I'd make a serious
proposal."
"......O~h. about
that, huh? He can make talismans, so in that sense, it's the perfect
timing."
"Right? Well,
that is, if we can make it out of here alive today. ――It's time."
Suddenly, Genji raised
his face.
Niikura also noticed,
albeit rather late, that the miasma had become much thicker.
"All hands, take
position. ――They are coming!"
Everyone hurriedly
split into two groups and readied their shields and spears.
――At that moment, the
mountain rumbled with vibrations.
――――――――――――――――
――Time goes back a bit.
......Who the hell
decided on this arrangement?
Akira was muttering
his dissatisfaction inwardly, which he couldn't take out on anyone.
By the way, it was
Akira himself who made the decision.
He glared at the
darkness painting the trees in front of him, while protecting himself with a
shield made of pine sap and oil mud to protect him from the beasts.
This was not Akira's
first time hunting in the mountains. He is accustomed to acting as the leader
of the shield team, which is burdened with a heavy workload.
So, the cause of his
irritation was elsewhere.
"He~y, he~y, you
should relax your shoulders more. If you keep going like that, you'll only
cause unnecessary injuries, okay?"
Saki, who was
stationed at a section of the curved road that would be even more burdensome
than Akira's, spoke to him in an easygoing manner that made him feel no sense
of the harshness of the place to which he had been assigned.
Akira knew that it was
sincere advice, but the tone of voice from someone he didn't want to be
involved with and who didn't seem to fit the situation made Akira's nerves
stir.
However, the other
party is a member of a noble family, the daughter of the Rindo family, one of
the eight families. Even though Akira was formerly a member of one of the eight
families as well, he had been banished from his family because he was an
abomination without a spirit, and the difference in their positions made it
easy for her to erase even his life.
Thinking that even
silence would be dangerous for him, he reluctantly opened his mouth.
"...... You may
not understand this since you're a guardian, but we are merely trainee
soldiers. Even to kill a medium-sized defiled beast we would be risking our
lives. This time it is a mountain hunt. A moment of carelessness can directly
lead to the downfall of our life, so I believe that if we are always vigilant,
we have a better chance of surviving."
"But you are at
least a medium-ranked spirit user, aren't you? A person who possesses enough
spiritual power to write a talisman must have a spirit rank higher than that of
a medium-ranked spirit, right?"
――What a nonsense...
He involuntarily
gritted his teeth.
The eyes of the entire
shield team were focused on Akira. It is a well-known fact that Akira can write
talismans, but even so, medium-level spirit users are rare, even among the
garrison. Envious glances were strongly directed at him since the beginning of
his enlistment.
Although they did not
take fatal actions such as investigating or prying into it, Akira, who had a
high chance of survival in a garrison with only low-level spirit users, was
always the target of envy.
It may have nothing to
do with Saki, but it took a lot of effort for Akira to blend in with the
garrison members.
In the first place, he
wanted to say out loud that what Saki said was out of line.
Although for some
reason he could write talisman, Akira had no spirit within him. If anything,
Akira was more envious of those who had low-ranked spirits in them.
――What will you do to
rekindle the relationship you had from the start of your enlistment if it were
soured!?
He tapped on the edge
of the shield and returned the members' gazes to the darkness spreading through
the trees.
While looking away
from the members who hurriedly returned their gazes, he said a few sentences to
convince Saki.
"Even if I am a
medium-ranked spirit user, the other members of the team are only low-ranked
spirit users. In mountain hunt, where even a single disturbance can decimate
everything, it is more important than anything else to maintain a solid footing.
And to ensure the safety of Ojousama, we must seek the utmost in
concentration."
"Hmm~. Is that
how it is?"
"Yes. I would
appreciate your understanding."
He ends the
conversation with a courtesy that could have been taken as being condescending.
However, perhaps it
was her personality to care little about manners, she merely nodded her head
without making any comment on Akira's attitude.
With no more topics to
talk about, an awkward silence fell upon them.
...... Though Akira
had no idea about it, and remained committed to maintaining the tension.
"Hey~" Saki
opened her mouth again, perhaps unable to bear the silence any longer.
"What's the majority of the defiled beasts on this mountain?"
Nevertheless, it was
not a joke, so he had little resistance in responding.
"...The majority
of them are boars. There are some deer as well, but they seem to live higher up
in the southern ridge and have never been fished out in large numbers."
"Boars, huh....
It's quite troublesome."
"What do you
mean?"
"They are powerful
defiled beasts on their own, but they work in packs. On top of that, it is
prone to be born a Lord among them. They often appear in my family's
territory."
Lord refers to a
defiled beast that possesses more miasma than an individual can possess.
They possess stronger
bodies and intelligence than the normal ones, and the miasma overflowing from
their bodies is dense enough to offset even spiritual power.
Such beings are at the
core of the herd and run rampant. It takes more than ordinary strength to destroy
this surge of violence, even for a guardian.
"Have you seen
Lord before?"
"Yes, I have. The
miasma was corrupting the mountains and fields, and the defiled beasts were
devouring the troops. It was difficult for us, as new guardians, to stop them.
...... have you ever seen one?"
"Fortunately, I
have never seen it. ――I've heard stories about them, but are they that
powerful? It seems difficult to stop them by ourselves."
"Un. My advice,
if you see it, run. There's no shame in surviving except if you're a
guardian."
"Except for the
guardians?"
"Of course. It is
guardian's duty to cleanse the Divine Pillars of any danger and die for the
protection of the country. For this reason, we are given a high-ranking spirit,
and we are given the rank of a guardian by the Divine Pillars in the [Shrine
Parishioner Lottery]. You were told so in the [Shrine Parishioner Lottery],
remember? [chihaya furu, kami yo no
nagare ni, tsuite, nanjirega honkai, togen to negau]*1"
The resolve of a
guardian of the same age was something new to Akira, since he had never been
taught that by anyone before.
"Yes, it
was."
But all he could do
was to respond in that way. He had nothing but bad memories of [Shrine
Parishioner Lottery]. The white lottery paper, which he had redrawn while his
heart was crushed, came vividly back to his mind.
"I will fulfill
my own duty. So you must fulfill yours. Do not betray your spirit―――"
He cut off the words
he had been weaving and let his gaze float in the air.
However, the relaxed
air that Saki was wearing became tense in an instant.
There was no need to
ask her what was wrong.
――The slight breeze that
had been blowing until then had stopped.
――There was an
indescribable stench mixed with the stagnant air.
――No, it was not a
stench. The air itself has begun to rot.
――The corruption was
directly hitting them in the nose.
The miasma drifted
through the air, corrupting the atmosphere.
It was clear that
there was something releasing the miasma ahead of them.
There was no time to
hesitate. Akira readjusted his shield and shouted a warning to everyone.
"All hands on
alert! They are coming!!"
At the same time as
Akira's cry, the call whistle blown by the Seko
team echoed sharply through the darkness.
Then, two short sounds
with a distinctive intonation reached Akira's ears.
"The targets are
boars! Be careful not to get hit by them!!"
It would still be
several minutes before they reached this place.
And yet, the presence
that shook the ground and shook the atmosphere told them that their opponents
must be quite a large pack.
"...... Is it a
Lord?"
"Probably not. If
that thing is here, we're not gonna survive this."
"That's a relief.
All personnel, shield at the ready! We'll push in two steps as soon as we make
contact!"
All team members held
their shields in the same direction in a single, measured movement.
"――No, just one
step." "Ha?"
"一One step is enough. But make sure to push them
forward."
Whatever her
intentions, Saki made a change in Akira's instructions.
One step was too
shallow to change the course of the pack, and there would definitely be lost
catches, but Saki unwaveringly turned her gaze in Akira's direction.
There was no time to
argue with her. He gave up pursuing and readjusted his shield.
"一One step, right!?" He confirmed with a scream.
Because they would be in contact with the enemies in less than a minute.
"Yeah, don't ever
take the second step."
After saying so, she
distanced herself from Akira and the others as she walked to check the number
of steps.
There was nothing more
to say. In addition, it was a command given by a guardian, and Akira had no
choice but to comply with it.
"All of you, did
you hear that? One step, be sure to push them!"
"""Yes！！！"""
A heartbeat after the
team members' responded, a great number of defiled boar came rushing out from
the depths of the forest, accompanied by miasma.
The boars' fur was
coated with a rancid, viscous fluid, and their eyes were bloodshot. The boars
were so foul looking that one could not immediately tell they were boars unless
told.
――Engage.
*Bam!* The sound of
collisions against living creatures reverberated through the shield,
accompanied by the stench of rotting beasts.
There was no way they
could take the rushing power of boars, a defiled beast, head-on. At best, Akira
and the others could only push the defiled beasts from the sides with their
shields and steer them out of their path.
Even so, the enormous
pressure of the pack's rush was simultaneously transmitted, and their bodies
screamed in an attempt to resist.
"Shield team,
push the~~~m!"
"""O
~o~o~"""
Creatures that travel
in packs tend to follow the leader of the pack.
In other words, if
they could steer the course of that one individual, the packs following it
would also steer in the same direction.
In order to steer the
course of a large pack, which may reach a hundred, it would be necessary for
the shield team members to simultaneously push the leader's face to the side
under the same breath, starting with those who came in contact with it.
Something rough and
hard proceeded to scrape the surface of the shields.
Dense miasma rushed
along with it.
The only reason why
Akira and the others were barely safe in the midst of the miasma, which
corrupts living things while they are still alive, was because they were
pushing the defiled boar through the shield.
The oak plywood was
being scraped away, but even so, as soon as they felt the defiled boar slammed
into the shields, they pushed forward as hard as they could.
Ignoring the screams
of their bodies, they pushed with all their might.
What would normally
have required two steps was reduced to one. For that amount, they pushed the
shield forward with all their might.
"Oneeee~~!"
""Seee~~iii!"""
"――Tsubame Kiba."
Saki's not-so-loud
voice reached Akira's ear.
―――Roar!
A moment after pushing
through the requested one step with all their might, a torrent of scarlet color
filled Akira and his team's field of vision along with the sound of an
explosion.
*1 Follow
the flow of the divine world, and hope to accomplish your true purpose.
――――――――――――――――
TIPS: Regarding Defiled
Beasts.
Defiled (Kegare) beast is a term used to describe
wild beasts that have been corrupted and transformed by miasma.
Essentially, their
appearance may not be so different from the original ones, but they are clad in
miasma which makes them more ferocious and aggressive to their surroundings.
If any creature comes
into contact with these defiled beasts and becomes infected with the miasma,
it, too, will be transformed into a defiled beast.
They spread their
infection by forming swarms in the mountains and in places where they cannot be
seen, making them easy targets as well as extremely difficult to exterminate.
