Volume 1
Side Story 1
On a Devastating
Night, Swirling Miasma and Wailing Serpent
Translator : PolterGlast
A vast marshland
called Kutsunagahara extends to the south of Karen.
Tatehami River runs
through it, and because it is a marshland, there are many swamps that cannot be
seen at first glance.
The 11th Battalion,
which was assigned to patrol this area and exterminate the defiled beasts, was
ordered to conduct a large-scale patrol, which is not normally possible, and on
the evening of that day, all personnel of the battalion were exploring this
vast marshland.
It is summer. The
croaking of frogs and buzzing insects was so loud that it made one's ears ring.
The 11th's members
were scattered and penetrated deep into such a summer marshland, rustling
through the tall weeds.
――Why, such sudden
things to do ..................
Sakuji, one of the
trainee soldiers assigned to the end of the 11th Battalion, was stuck in his Battalion's
formation, stifling his inner dissatisfaction.
His dissatisfaction
was understandable.
It was noon when he
was told that he had been assigned to a large-scale patrol, and preparations
were made at a rapid pace so that he would be ready in time for the patrol that
began in the evening.
Sakaji was off duty
today, and was just about to relax and enjoy his day off when he was dragged
into this situation, so his frustration was more severe than the others.
However, it was not
just him alone that was unlucky. He had heard that all the garrisons belonging
to Karen were forced to mobilize as a whole, and thus he was barely able to
endure it.
"――Sakuji, are
you dissatisfied?"
However, it seems that
the dissatisfaction that he thought he was only harboring inwardly was noticed
by the captain.
"Yes. Ah, n-no.
That's not it."
He unintentionally
answered honestly and made up for it in a panic, but it was probably too late.
The captain did not
say anything in particular, but only smiled bitterly at him.
It is likely that all personnel
felt the same way in regard to Sakuji's dissatisfaction and they exchanged
stifled chuckles.
"Well, I don't
know how you might feel, but just bear with it for today. The reason for this
whole mobilization was because an oracle had been passed down from Kihoin that
the Hyakki Yagyo would take place. As since it is an oracle, the Hyakki Yagyo
will surely happen. There is no way that anyone can take a leisurely vacation
in the face of a large-scale invasion by the defiled beasts, is there?"
"――Yes. But is it
really going to happen though? I'm a newcomer who joined half a year ago, but
recently the concentration of miasma has been very low and calm. I honestly
can't believe that a flood of miasma could occur, even if it is an
oracle."
Sakuji's knowledge was
no different from that of a farm boy.
He thought that
oracles were just a fancy show for the high priests, and regarded them as a
kind of shady street performance similar to divination and prediction.
However, the captain,
who was in front of the formation, denied it with a laugh.
"You may not
believe it, but an oracle is absolute. When an oracle is given, it is bound to
happen. Keep in mind, Hyakki Yagyo will happen soon."
"......Even if it
does happen, it won't be in Kutsunagahara. As I recall, according to the
oracle, Hyakki Yagyo will march up the Tatehami River to attack us, right?
Doesn't that mean the area downstream of Kutsunagahara is safe then?"
"What are you
saying, Sakuji? Don't you know the origin of the name Kutsunagahara?"
Sakuji was a little
impatient when his question turned back on himself.
The seniors around him
looked at him with a mixture of amazement and dismay, and Sakuji realized that
he had asked a very naive question that he did not really understand.
"...... I'm
sorry, I didn't even know the origin of the name."
"A~a, that's
alright. This is more the fault of our predecessors."
The vice captain, who
was walking in the middle of the formation, laughed and nodded his head in
agreement.
"I think that's
true. Normally, it's nothing to be concerned about after all. Even for us,
we've only heard about it as a typical summer ghost story since we first
enlisted."
The captain then
turned his attention back to Sakuji.
"It's a good
occasion, just keep this in the back of your mind. ――There has always been only
one Hyakki Yagyo that marches up the Tatehami River since ancient times, and
that is the Hyakki Yagyo that is mainly associated with the Kutsunagahara monsters."
It is a well-known ghost
story in this area that has been around for nearly 500 years, but it is
actually a historical fact. The captain began to tell the story with this
preface.
Shumon Province was
the only province where trade with other countries was permitted, and while trade
brought affluence, there was also a lot of factional strife to divide up the
affluence.
Although things were
somewhat settled now, until recently it was a common occurrence to see which
families were attached to which factions, or which families sank and which rose
to the surface.
Naturally, even the
high-ranking nobility could not remain indifferent to these trends, and they
tended to become more violent.
In such a situation,
one of the noble families fell from the highest position they had stood for to
the bottom of the barrel.
――If one is not
a member of a noble family, one is not worthy of being called a human being.
The family was so
prosperous that they proclaimed so. But after losing a single political battle,
they lost everything, and the whole family was driven out of Karen.
――According to
subsequent rumors, the family tried to start a civil war.
But the family was so
resented that there were few who would join them in the civil war, and they
were reportedly pecked to death and their accumulated wealth drained from them.
The man who was the
head of the family was hunted down so hard that he escaped, falling and
tumbling all by himself.
This world is not so
kind as to allow a man of the nobility who has lost everything and has nothing
to live for to live comfortably.
There was no way for a
man who only knew how to live as a member of the nobility to survive on the
land, and he was left with no choice but to die in disgrace somewhere soon
after.
In the end, the man
who was the head of the family wandered into the Depths of Kutsunagahara on his
way to escape, and died there, cursing everything in the world.
To that extent, it is
just one of those commonly told tales of misfortune.
Unless one is a member
of Sannomiya and Shi-in, the fate of any noble family is bound to have its ups
and downs.
The noble family was
defeated and sank so low that they could not rise to the surface.
That is all there is
to it.
――It was supposed to end
with just that.
Something unusual happened
right after that.
A powerful monster
emerged from Kutsunagahara and began to march up the Tatehami River, crying out
its resentment against Karen.
The threat was
immeasurable, and it was said that during the first Hyakki Yagyo, it took one
day and night to completely exterminate the monster, and half of Karen was
reduced to ashes.
The name of the Kegare
varies depending on its core.
A defiled beast is a
wild beast that is mutated by the miasma.
And thus, what emerges
from the negative emotions that have been burned into the land is what we call
monsters.
Rage, hatred, despair.
The very history of the core itself becomes a disaster that takes on physical
form and attacks the cause.
The degree of its
strength varies depending on its background, but it surely is powerful.
And most troublesome
of all, since it is history itself that they are dealing with, it is virtually
impossible to completely destroy them.
Even if the monsters
are destroyed, if enough miasma builds up in the land that served as the core,
they will reemerge and spread misfortune once again.
The interval between
the incarnation of the Kutsunagahara monsters is about 100 years, and it is not
surprising that it should have recurred by now.
Using reeds and other
grasses as footholds on the muddy, bumpy ground characteristic of wetlands,
they forcibly moved onward.
The walking speed was
slow, and the fatigue of endless vigilance continued to get on everyone's
nerves.
The small
conversations in the midst of such a situation provided some respite for them.
"Sakuji. You've
been with us for six months, haven't you? How many of those Kegare have you
seen so far?"
In response to the
vice captain's words, Sakuji searched his memory.
However, it was only a
memory of about six months. The answer came quickly.
"……Most of them
are small insects. The big ones were a giant centipede and a monster frog that
I saw only once."
Indeed. The vice captain
nodded and looked into Sakuji's eyes.
"The ones you
mentioned are almost all of the Kegare you'll encounter in Kutsunagahara.
But don't you think
it's strange? When it comes to swamp and marsh monsters, there are more famous
ones, aren't there?"
"Eh?"
The answer came to
Sakuharu's mind like a revelation after he was about to ask the question back.
It certainly is
strange.
There are giant
centipedes and monster frogs. Then there must be a bigger monster that feeds on
them.
There is only one
monster that comes to mind immediately.
"All troops,
halt!!"
As he was about to say
it, the captain gave a sharp signal to stop.
Everyone gathered
around the captain and quickly checked their surroundings.
"――What's
wrong?"
"It got us, it's
so quiet."
The captain replied so
to the vice captain's short question.
Quiet? The answer
raised questions in everyone's minds.
They couldn't see
anything around us, and there was no presence of anything.
The ringing in their
ears, like a tidal wave, showed no sign of abating and was rather annoying.
After thinking about
it, everyone finally understood what the captain meant by quiet.
It was indeed quiet.
The sounds of insects
and frogs that they had heard earlier had vanished from their surroundings
before they knew it.
Due to the more direct
ringing in their ears, as if the atmospheric pressure was changing, they did
not notice that those sounds had disappeared.
"All hands, be on
alert!"
It might be too late
now, but everyone braced themselves according to the captain's command.
――They are in the middle
of enemy territory.
"Where are we
now?"
"It's too dark to
be certain, but from the time we've been walking, I'd say we're just before the
inner periphery of the Depths."
"Right. I think
so too."
Looking around.
Normally, the
moonlight would have given them a good view of the surroundings, but it was as
dark as if ink had been dripped on the ground.
"Vice Captain,
check the yin-yang meter."
"――It's strange.
The miasma level is rather low."
The captain's eyebrows
furrowed at the vice captain's reply.
It is indeed strange.
The term "depths"
refers to a place where the miasma is concentrated.
Even in normal times,
the concentration of miasma tends to increase the moment one is in the
periphery of the area.
On top of that, there
is something abnormal going on: their vision is being blocked.
In such situations,
low concentration of the miasma is something beyond comprehension.
Retreat. This word
came to mind as an option.
However, the captain
shook his head and immediately dismissed it.
"Sakuji, get the
flares ready. ――But don't light them until I give you the signal."
"Captain, what
about we retreat-......."
"Too late. It has
already spotted us."
The captain of this battalion
is not a guardian, but he has been a garrison officer for a long time and is a
veteran.
His self-confidence in
having survived until now, and the intuition that has sustained him through it
all, is extremely sharp and precise.
Therefore, he could
not underestimate an opponent who used a form of concealment that could fool
his own intuition.
"All hands,
prepare your talisman!"
He pinched one of the
offensive-type talismans, which he had received in larger quantities than usual
for this large-scale patrol, out of his pocket so that he could activate it at
any moment.
"Don't attack.
Don't provoke it."
"Captain, what do
we do now?"
"Vice Captain,
try bringing the yin-yang meter closer to the ground."
"――The readings,
they're spiking!"
".......Thought
so. Who would have ever guessed? The main source of miasma is
underground."
The yin-yang meter
readings were so high that they should probably have been high enough to
corrode everything in the surrounding area.
Still, the reason no
one felt any discomfort was because the flow of the miasma was running through
the ground.
With such an
abnormality, there was no doubt that the Kutsunagahara monster had incarnated.
"All personnel,
retreat while maintaining your formation. The moment it shows itself, we will
strike it directly in the nose using our talismans."
"""Yes,
sir!!"""
"Sakuji. The
moment we hit the target, turn around and run away.
When the perimeter
opens up, launch the flares and run without thinking about what will happen
next."
"Yes, yes!!"
*Whoosh, whoosh,
whoosh*. Mixed in with the increasingly loud ringing in the ears is the sound
of something huge looming through the grasses.
The sound came from
all around.
Numerous blue-white
demon fires rose up from the surroundings.
And, in front of the
formation, there are two bright demon fires. They rose up in a flickering,
flickering manner.
――All goes according to
the legend,
Illuminated by the
faint light of the demon fires, a huge body clad in white scales slowly crossed
the Battalion's perimeter.
――Its eyes are like
demon lanterns,
Its breath, mingled
with a foul-smelling miasma, is exhaled through the gaps between its poisonous
fangs.
――The master of
poisonous flames wearing a white, clouded, fiendish face.
Eyes made of glowing
demon fire, staring at them from the darkness.
――The only one,
"Release the
talismans!!!"
A group of fireballs
released from the offensive-type talismans slammed into the nose of the monster
that had just appeared.
―――Hisssss!!
It was a powerful
attack from the battalion's point of view, but there was no way the monster
would be defeated by such an attack.
The tiny creatures'
pitiful resistance was met with an unrestrained sneer from the unscathed
creature.
"Sakuji,
run~!!"
However, the captain
was aware of this.
He shouted so while
preparing the next talismans.
Even before the words
reached him, Sakuji had already started running toward the back of the
formation.
"Second shot,
be-............"
―――Hiss! Shaaaa~!!
The monster did not
show any leniency to receive the second blow.
It merely scoffed at
people's futile resistance and spat poisonous flames containing high
concentrations of miasma at the battalion.
Bathed in the intense
miasma that ate away at even their bones, the battalion personnel melted into
the poisonous flames and vanished before they had time to release their
talismans again.
"Haah~, haah~!
A~a, damn it, damn it~!!"
Barely escaping the
flames, Sakuji took a flare from his pocket as he ran.
Rather than thinking
about it, he wanted to move his hands and feet to get as far away from the
scene as quickly as possible.
He opened the lid of
the lighting tube and rubbed the red phosphorus applied in place of a
conductor.
Raising the mouth of
the tube high above, a red beacon shot up shortly after.
A color that signified
an emergency of the highest order. With this, the garrison scattered all over
Kutsunagahara should have been informed of the emergence of the monster.
――Boooom!!
All that was left was
to escape. That was what Sakuji thought, but a shock and a blast of flames
licked at his back.
The monster appeared
out of the darkness behind him, as he crawled forward on the ground.
"A, a,
a~......!!"
As Sakuji struggled
with fear and pain, he finally looked up behind him, the face of the monster,
which should not have an expression on its face, looked down at him from far
above, and sneered at him with a tinge of cruelty.
"A, a~a ......,
s-, serpent!!"
With these words
uttered unintentionally, Sakuji also melted down in the poisonous flames that
were spat at him.
―――Hiss! Hisss!!!
In the form of a
snake, or rather, a giant serpent, the monster sneered with the joy of its
incarnation into this world.
――The king of evil and
corruption.
The monster cried out
in a dreadful voice.
Following the hatred
that brought it into this world, it is now engulfing this world in a whirlpool
of resentment while being blessed solely by the glow of reddish-black miasma.
In Kutsunagahara, Orochi with its white scales and
gleaming eyes of demon fire, was incarnated with vindictiveness.
――――――――――――――――
TIPS: About the
depths.
A miasma swamp where
high concentrations of miasma are constantly accumulating.
The concentration of
the miasma is so high that no defiled beasts can survive there.
It is a habitat zone
for demons and a place where apparitions occur.
It is actually not
that rare and is often found in between mountainous areas.
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