Volume 1
Chapter 5 Part
1
The Muddy
Stream of Hatred, Resistance is One's Determination 1
Translator : PolterGlast
When Akira stepped
into the camp of the 8th Battalion to which he belongs while it was still
bright in the evening, he was met with unexpected hustle and bustle, and a look
of bewilderment came over his face.
As far as he could
see, there were three squads of regular soldiers being sent out, aside from the
trainees led by Akira himself.
In addition, one of
those squads was supposed to be off-duty today.
At this rate, it was
conceivable that everyone belonging to the 8th Battalion could be here.
Obviously, this was
something out of the ordinary.
He looked around the
camp, puzzled, trying to find out what was going on, and noticed Kansuke, the
deputy leader, standing in the corner with a tense look on his face.
He raised his right
hand and called for Kansuke.
Noticing his gaze,
Kansuke approached Akira with a clearly relieved expression on his face.
"Aki-......a, no,
squad leader, you're finally here."
"What do you mean
by finally here? ......I come right on time as usual, aren't I?"
Akira was worried that
he was late, but the clock on the wall was pointing to the same time as usual.
"More
importantly, what's all this commotion about?"
"You can tell
just by looking at it, right? ......It's an emergency summons, and it's not
just for the 8th Battalion, the entire garrison has been mobilized."
"And the
reason?"
"I don't know. It
seems that the top brass is confused, too, for the moment. We were so occupied
with calling up the regular personnel that we didn't get around to calling up
the squad leader until later."
My bad. Akira lightly
raised his right hand with an apology and shook his head in return.
"I was planning
to take a leave today anyway. I don't mind that. ――Where's Captain Asogi?"
"He's meeting
with the messenger from headquarters."
With his thumb, he
stealthily pointed to the reception room. The door to the reception room, which
is not usually used, was lit by an electric light in the polished glass.
[What!!?]
At that moment, Asogi
Genji's voice, which could be heard even through the door, reached them with a
hint of intimidation.
[Is that the
commander-in-chief's decision!? Does he even consider how it will burden us!!?]
[I'm just a messenger.
Any complaints should be directed to the commander-in-chief later.]
[There's no way we
have time for such a procedure! Besides……]
The outrage was
short-lived, and soon his volume was dropped.
"............Sounds
like something's going wrong."
"....... I guess
so. I wonder what's going on."
At that moment, the
door to the reception room opened with a clang.
Niikura Makoto, the
vice-captain, came out looking tired, while Genji was still discussing
something inside the room.
He then looked around
at all of the people present in the camp.
"............There
is no time to waste. I'll just tell you what's going on. ――As soon as we are
done, please start getting ready."
"......Umm, what
in the world is going on?"
"No questions
asked. ――Tonight, Hyakki Yagyo will occur. It will march up the Tatehami River
and reach Karen at 22:00, five hours from now."
*Rustle*. Everyone
there tensed up.
Hyakki Yagyo is caused
by the flood of miasma. It absorbed all kinds of Kegare from the surroundings,
focusing it on a single powerful Kegare, and it became a massive torrent of
vindictiveness that attacked everyone.
It is a calamity that
may or may not occur once every 100 years, but in the past, it has destroyed
half of Karen, and it has been passed down through the generations as a term of
terror to those who live in the area.
"We can't afford
to be stingy. Each personnel will be provided with five recovery talismans and
five fire-type offensive talismans. The representatives of the squads and the
trainee squads are requested to come and report their number of personnel so
that no one will be left out."
That is almost double
the usual amount.
Everyone could
understand from Asogi Genji's and Niikura Makoto's words how dire their
situation was.
"......Where will
our Battalion be stationed at?"
One of the seasoned
personnel, although having been told that no questions would be answered,
insisted on asking about this necessary question.
"We recently had
a successful mountain hunt in Mt. Myokaku. And due to the fact that two
apprentice guardians came to support us, we also succeeded in hunting down a
Kegare that was in the process of becoming a Lord."
Niikura opened his
mouth while furrowing his brow, perhaps he felt it was necessary to answer the
question.
"Since we have
greatly reduced the number of defiled beasts on Mt. Myokaku, the number of
people who would be caught in Hyakki Yagyo coming from Nabane Mountains should
be considerably reduced. ――It seems that the headquarters highly commended this
achievement and has entrusted us with the defense of the middle section of the
Tatehami River."
It took a few moments
for Niikura's words to sink into the personnel's minds.
As soon as they
understood the meaning, the murmurs mixed with protests rose even higher.
If it were just to
defend a part of the middle section of the Tatehami River, it would still be
fine.
However, the entire
middle section of the Tatehami River is quite wide, and it should be impossible
to defend the entire area with only the 8th Battalion alone.
If they were to listen
to Niikura's words as they were, it would sound as if the headquarters wanted
the 8th Battalion to defend the entire middle section of Tatehami River by
itself.
"...... Umm, it
sounded as if we, the 8th Battalion, alone would be assigned to the defense of
the entire middle section."
Someone in the squad
voiced a courageous question.
The question was
tinged with wishful thinking, such as "it can't be true, right?" but
Niikura's reply was blunt and merciless.
"You are correct.
Roughly speaking, the 4th and higher battalions were assigned to the upper
stream of the river, while the 9th and 10th battalions were assigned to the
lower stream. The rest, I'm told, were instructed to take on the responsibility
of clearing the perimeter caught during Hyakki Yagyo."
"No way! That's
absurd, no matter how many times we hear it!!"
"We are fully
aware of the unreasonableness. However, at the very least, it is an appropriate
formation for the purpose of defending Karen."
Without changing his
expression, Niikura dismissed the protests raised by the squad leaders, which
were quite reasonable.
"However, Captain
Asogi fully understands that the burden on the 8th battalion is tremendous.
That's why, currently, he is negotiating with the commander to have the troops
assigned to the upper stream to be moved a little bit lower."
The clamor of the
personnel grew louder and louder, with no sign of abating.
Niikura's words, which
sounded like consolation, did not help in the slightest.
In Akira's generation,
telephones had been invented but had only just begun to be widely used, and
even in garrison headquarters, the coverage rate was barely adequate, with only
a few service lines running it.
Of course, there was
no telephone connection to the 8th Battalion, so it was necessary for Genji to
go to headquarters in order to speak to the commander-in-chief.
With only five hours
to go before the Hyakki Yagyo arrived, it was obvious, even to Akira and the
others, that there was no way he could leisurely go to headquarters.
On the other hand, it
was also only natural that the personnel complained since their Life and death
were at stake.
"――There is no
time to spare. We will notify you of the deployment details later.
Everyone, please get
ready."
Niikura said so
without changing his expression.
"......What a
mess this has turned out to be."
Walking
shoulder-to-shoulder with Akira, Kansuke mumbled something in a whisper.
".......Yeah~.
Hyakki Yagyo, huh? Of all things, why should it happen at our time?"
"You can say that
again. ――How are we going to split up the teams?"
"There may not be
a lot of Kegare coming down from Mt. Myokaku, but that doesn't mean there
aren't any. Then, either way, we will need to guard the mountain. We will
divide the team into two groups, new recruits and experienced personnel, based
on three years of enlistment. The experienced group will be in charge of the
Tatehami River defense as shield-bearers, while the new recruits will be
guarding the foothills of Myokaku Mountain. In any case, if the new recruits
were to get attacked by the Hyakki Yagyo, they would end up being crushed. It
is better to let them stand guard at Mt. Myokaku than to let them drag us down.
――Sorry, but I'll leave it to you to decide how to divide the assignments. In
return, I'd like you to lead the new recruits."
Akira implicitly told
Kansuke, who had known him for a long time, to go to a safer place.
As soon as he
understood the intention, Kansuke's expression became tense.
"Leader......."
"Yesterday,
――I've received the [Shrine Parishioner Lottery]."
Akira simply said so
without moving his eyes from the front and without slowing down the pace of his
steps, because he was afraid that Kansuke would see his face.
Kansuke gulped.
Become a Shrine
Parishioner. It is the dream of all the trainee soldiers in the garrison, and
the greatest motivation for joining the garrison and weighing their own lives
at a low price.
It has been three
years since Akira enlisted in the garrison, and he supposedly still needs three
years left until his duty comes to an end.
"How come?"
"Because I could
make recovery talismans. The captain and the others also wanted to have some
extra talismans, and the timing was right, I guess."
Akira, who was able to
create talismans, was one of the most fortunate among the trainee soldiers.
Perhaps for this
reason, he was envied quite a bit by the others.
Although Kansuke had
never had anything to do with it, he knew that Akira had been openly resented
quite a bit.
Nevertheless, Akira
was working hard.
Disregarding his
ability to make talismans, he had made a name for himself in three years, to
the extent that he was selected as the leader of the squad in charge of the
trainee soldiers.
So don't worry
about it, just run away to a safe place. Akira implicitly
told him so. After letting out a shaky exhale and adjusting his breathing, he
opened his mouth, trying to keep his tone flat.
"――You see, I was
jealous of you. You already know this, right? You're pretty lucky, you know. I
was forced to leave my hometown all by myself. There were only a few Kegare
back in my hometown, so the garrison was always overcrowded. The empty spots
there were reserved for the nobility, and when I finally made it here to Karen
on foot, the garrison's trainee soldiers were treated as if they were
disposable."
I know.
Akira nodded inwardly.
Until yesterday, he
did not even try to understand, but now that he has become a shrine
parishioner, he understands.
No matter how he put
it, Akira was blessed.
He had no trouble
reading and writing, he could make talismans, and even though he was treated
badly in his hometown, he was taught the basics of swordsmanship.
Other than the
downside of not having a spirit in his body, he was far better off than the
rest of the trainee soldiers.
"――I've no
intention of dying until the end of my duty. That's why, I will gladly take up
on your offer to go to a safer place."
Akira was slightly
relieved to hear Kansuke's sarcastic words.
He smiled and
muttered, "Do that."
It's kind of like a
last will and testament. With this sentiment, Akira proceeded to speak in a
light-hearted manner.
"Just to let you
know, I don't intend to die, either. Besides, we're just meat shields for those
nobility guys. The headquarters' intention might be to reduce the number of
Kegare and at the same time reduce Captain Asogi's military strength. They
don't actually expect much from us, you know."
"Is it true that
Captain Asogi and the commander-in-chief are on bad terms?"
"It was just a
rumor, but considering the current situation, it may have been true. Being
involved in the higher-ups' personal affairs like this sure is
troublesome."
Recalling the sludgy,
dark feeling in the pit of his stomach that he should have completely discarded
yesterday, Akira naturally speeds up his steps.
"I'm going to get
the talismans for our squad members. Kansuke, go brief them on the situation
and sort out the teams."
"Understood.
Please return as soon as possible. ――I can't keep them under control all by
myself."
"Yeah."
They're running out of
time. And they knew what they had to do.
Turning their backs to
each other, the two men split up into their respective duties.
――――――――――――――――
Saki, who accompanied
Rindo Kozaburo to the 1st Battalion, heard about the situation and then went to
the 8th Battalion's campsite on the same day.
When Saki showed up at
the 8th Battalion's camp after receiving an emergency summons, she was a little
pressured to move closer to the wall due to the hustle and bustle of the
personnel inside the camp.
Regardless of her own
status, Saki is only a temporary member of the 8th Battalion.
She decided that
keeping a low profile was the best she could do under the current
circumstances.
And after Niikura
showed up and informed them of the current situation, the commotion turned into
a shouting match that was unbefitting of a garrison with a reputation for
excellence.
She knew how they
felt. Although she did not say it out loud, Saki secretly agreed with them in
her heart.
Even though she was a
daughter of a noble family accustomed to stormy situations, this was her first
experience involving Hyakki Yagyo.
Although Rindo
Kozaburo, who was asked to cooperate as a member of the eight families, showed
a calmness that was typical of the head of a noble family, Saki, on the other
hand, could not conceal her inner nervousness.
"Yo, Saki."
Kuga Ryota, who was
also near the wall, approached her in a casual manner as usual.
"Kuga-kun, do you
understand our current situation?"
Although they have
only recently teamed up, Saki and Ryota have known each other for a long time
since they first met, perhaps because they share the same family background and
age.
Perhaps because of
this, Saki is one of the people who are familiar with Ryota's personality
quirks.
Although Ryota's
ability is undeniable as he is called a child prodigy, he may be a bit
complacent about his strength and has a habit of underestimating the threat of
Kegare and the situation.
Saki sensed from the
tone of his voice that this habit was coming to the surface, thus making her
voice a little sharp.
"Of course? I've
heard the summary at the headquarters of the 1st battalion, that the monster of
Kutsunagahara has incarnated for the first time in a hundred years. Good grief,
these bunch of pussies are all clamoring over a slightly bigger horde of
defiled beasts. In short, all it takes is just find the strongest Kegare among
them and we can have all the fun hunting the Lord we desire, right?"
As I thought. Ryota's words
strengthened the sense of crisis Saki had harbored.
If this were to be
left unchecked, he could stir up the whole situation by his arbitrary actions
with his impatience for success.
"Hyakki Yagyo is
not just a horde of defiled beasts, it is a myriad of defiled beasts being
drawn together by an apparition. Have you ever hunted the Lord, Kuga-kun?"
"Many times. It
was a piece of cake."
"What about
apparitions?"
"More than a
handful of them."
As one might expect
from a prodigy, his abilities are far above those of his peers.
However, as Saki
feared, he took Hyakki Yagyo too lightly.
"Then you should
have understood, right? If a swarm of those things invades Karen, it will
definitely take more than just the 8th Battalion to hold them off, and if we
don't coordinate well, even we, guardians, could lose our lives."
"As I said, I've
hunted those things a few times before. There will be no problem."
There is a
problem. Saki retorted with an inward sigh.
But the biggest
problem is that the person in question is not willing to understand the issue.
"――Ojou is right,
don't underestimate Hyakki Yagyo."
Just as she was about
to open her mouth to try to persuade him, a stern voice came from behind her.
Before she knew it,
Genji was standing behind her.
"Uncle!"
Instead of replying,
Genji patted Saki on the head and then turned his stern gaze on Ryota.
"Kuga-boy. You
say you have hunted apparitions before. What kind of apparitions have you
hunted?"
"......Mad Bear
and Hannya Kitsune."
As expected, he has no
choice but to yield slightly to the authority of Genji, the captain of the
garrison. Although he was a bit intimidated and lost his momentum, he still
managed to answer firmly.
"Ho~o, it's a
well-known, middle-ranked apparition in Kuga's territory. If you
single-handedly defeated them, that's certainly impressive."
"…………………………"
At one point, Genji
commended Ryota by praising him.
However, Saki did not
miss it when Ryota secretly clenched his fist.
I see, so it was
actually not about how many apparitions he had hunted, but how many people
helped him when he hunted them.
Saki realized that
Genji had implicitly told Ryota not to be proud of himself for not having
hunted a medium-sized monster on his own.
"The strength of
an apparition changes drastically depending on the core history behind it. The
Mad Bear and the Hannya Kitsune both originated from a single creature, didn't
they?"
"......Yes."
"According to the
records about them. Their core was surely the Lord of the Mountain, who used to
live there. There are some apparitions that have the mountain lord as their
core, and they are certainly more powerful than the ordinary defiled beasts in
the wild, but to put it bluntly, that's all they are. Especially since they
were creatures that had the habit of not grouping up. The real threatening ones
are those who have humans as their core."
"Uncle, what is
so threatening about humans as their core?"
Saki was not well
informed on these matters, as well.
Her pure curiosity
turned into a question.
"If humans become
their core, they will have intelligence. It is fundamentally different from the
intelligence of a monkey. They are able to form groups, formulate tactics, and
even manipulate magic. Moreover, they have an inexhaustible supply of miasma,
so their physical strength knows no bounds. ――The Kutsunagahara apparition that
we are about to deal with is also one of the most troublesome, with humans as
its core."
Saki noticed that the
squad leaders were beginning to gather in groups, one after another.
As if to remind them
of something, Genji raised his voice to convey his point.
"Listen. Don't
waste a single step trying to be a hero. The moment you step out of the
formation, you are nothing more than a pebble for them to kick away. And stay
away from the Tatehami River. The apparitions will march through the riverbed,
so as long as you don't provoke them, they should head upstream without a
second glance."
"""Yes,
sir!"""
"He surveyed his
men, who were all shouting in unison, with satisfaction. Our job is only to
eliminate the defiled beasts who have strayed from the Hyakki Yagyo. Don't
think about anything else. If you do that, it shouldn't be too difficult a
task. ――Kuga-boy, do you understand?"
"......Understood."
The fact that he
looked somewhat dissatisfied was a concern for Saki.
However, seeing Ryota
nodding reluctantly because of his character of not being able to show off to
his superiors, she also put down her pursuit of him for the moment.
She secretly lowered
her eyes to express her gratitude to Genji for his assistance in persuading
him.
――And when Genji nodded
back in return,
"Signal flare,
confirmed!!"
A report from one of
the personnel on the watchtower came through the communication channel.
"Color and
order!?"
"Emergency, 11th
Battalion, in contact!!"
"It's about 4
hours until we reach the middle stream. .......It's just as the oracle said.
――All hands, when you're done preparing, eat the rice balls from the kitchen
and get into position!"
"""Yes,
sir!"""
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