ch41-ch60 · 061-ch53

Chapter 53 — Shadow Mystery Tale ⑤

Sai's party continued their search northward through Kakuriyo.

Along the way, there was a stretch of rubble and ruins where no demons could be found.

The Shadow-Eater had been here.

"The Shadow-Eater is a monster that acts purely on its appetite. It cleaned this place out and used the surrounding shadows to shadow-walk to another town."

Sai's words made Hiyori and the others realize just how terrifying their current enemy was.

Pushing further, they finally spotted what looked like a town in the distance. It didn't seem to have been attacked by the Shadow-Eater yet.

Up close there were shanty-like structures, while deeper in there were what looked like buildings. There were even Edo-period-style architecture and old-fashioned wooden houses that were strangely tall. The chaotic townscape — despite being in Japan's Kakuriyo — looked like a foreign city with a stark wealth gap.

"So that's the demons' town..."

Hiyori gazed at the townscape with mixed feelings.

She enhanced her vision and looked at the demons.

Among those fighting and squabbling over things, she could see small ogres playing leisurely. They looked just like ordinary children in the present world at play.

"Right... so there are kids who just play normally too..."

She wondered if some of the demons she'd exterminated had been playing like that in their daily lives. The thought stung her heart a little.

"Indeed. Not every demon is a ruffian."

Drawn by Hiyori's murmur, Ginreibo approached.

"There are laid-back demons, and hardworking ones too."

Just like people are different, so are demons. That was all there was to it.

"Especially the ones over there — they can't even fight properly. Most of those who could fight around here were eaten by the Shadow-Eater..."

"Right... I see..."

Ginreibo had asked them to save Kakuriyo. It was a plea for help born from the fact that no one capable of fighting remained.

Mio, walking beside Hiyori, called out to Ginreibo.

"...Ginreibo-san. You explained a bit earlier, but why do Majin and demons come to the present world?"

"That depends on the individual. In my case, I simply wanted to fight people from the present world after a long time."

A remarkably simple reason.

"But if we're talking three months ago, Kinya and Rokuya seemed to have been investigating the Age of the Gods Tower — Shinjuku Tower, was it? And looking to claim it if possible."

Even to demons, Shinjuku Tower seemed appealing. Though no one here could say why.

"As for the hungry ghosts born from miasma, they occasionally drift into the present world looking for food."

"Occasionally?"

"Yes. The hungry ghosts that you exorcists usually deal with are so weak that they slip through the net of the world's barrier easily."

The hungry ghosts — they were the nameless little imps born from miasma that Ginreibo had explained at the safe area. Beings born endlessly from miasma. Magical essence — born from miasma, these weak existences could slip through the world's barrier easily. They'd then find themselves confused by the sudden skyscraper-filled cityscape, searching for food.

As beings in a world of eat-or-be-eaten, they'd eat anything they could. Animals, humans — whatever filled their stomachs was fine.

For beings like that, cutting them down was the answer.

"But there are also demons who, despite living ordinary lives, might slip through the world's barrier and end up in the present world — just as Sai-dono traveled to Lady Hexaria's world."

Even a demon living a perfectly normal life in the demon town could end up in the present world by some coincidence.

"I see..."

Hearing Ginreibo's story, Hiyori and the others looked down slightly.

"KAKAKA. What, are you planning to dull your blades against us from now on?"

A dulled blade born from sympathy was more dangerous than expected. Demons had families too. They had love. They had a desire to help someone. You couldn't swing a sword while thinking about things like that.

"Pipi!"

Set-chan got angry, as if to say "Why say something so mean!" And she tried to comfort Hiyori, but Hiyori's expression was serious.

"Sorry. But I can cut them down."

"Oh?"

"That's right. It's the same as the story Sensei told us about the goblins in the other world."

Mio agreed.

How troublesome goblins were in the other world. They'd heard that story from Sai before. Goblins kidnap and eat people to feed their families. The wombs that bear their offspring are stolen human women. Those women might feel a twisted kind of love. And the goblins protect their young by taking up arms against adventurers. No matter how much logic you threw at it, you couldn't make peace with them. That's what goblins were.

And when races are in conflict and can't get along, all that's left is to kill each other.

Hearing Mio's words, Ginreibo burst out laughing.

"KAKAKA! As expected of Sai-dono. Both Hiyori and Mio have found a fine teacher."

"Of course. He's Sensei, after all."

But goblins and demons were different. While she'd cut down the low-class hungry ghosts born from miasma, there were also demons you could talk to. Even if you couldn't befriend all demons, some of them — like the tengu laughing in front of her — maybe you could.

Hiyori thought about such things.

◇

Sai and the others continued their search.

In the midst of this, Hexaria, walking beside Sai, spoke to him.

"Hey, you. Shinjuku Tower is close now."

Looking closely, they could see something like a strange tower to the west.

They'd come quite close to Shinjuku Tower without realizing it.

"What is that..."

What stood before them was presumably Shinjuku Tower. It sat in the middle of a sprawling plain. Though it looked like Shinjuku Tower, it was slightly transparent, hazy as if covered in mist. Getting close enough to enter seemed impossible.

"That's a Kakuriyo-specific phenomenon. It's said to be the shadow of the present world."

The crow tengu Ginreibo answered Mio's question.

In Kakuriyo, some shrines and temples appeared as shadows in the spirit world. It was said that a powerful presence could hold enough influence to reach into Kakuriyo. They were all places for enshrining gods and buddhas — but Shinjuku Tower was different. Despite not being an altar for any deity, it cast a shadow in Kakuriyo nonetheless. This was said to be why Kinya and Rokuya had gone to the present world to investigate it.

"I see. So this is how it looks from Kakuriyo."

Sai was moved by the sight. It was a view you'd never see living an ordinary life in the present world.

"Hmm. This area alone feels like a sanctuary."

Hexaria, beside Sai, murmured.

"Pipi."

Set-chan seemed cheerful too.

Indeed, even from Sai's perspective, this area felt rich with mana and held a clean atmosphere. Despite being in Kakuriyo, only here felt thin in magical essence. Though Kakuriyo was a demon world, this place alone had become a kind of sanctuary.

But as she looked more closely, she seemed to notice something.

"...Hey. You lot. Look at that."

The place Hexaria pointed at was just an ordinary field.

"I don't see anything..."

"Fool. Look closely at the shadows."

"...!"

Their enemy was called the "Shadow-Eating Demon King." A calamity that traveled from shadow to shadow, devouring shadows and consuming existences.

"The shadows are warped. That's proof the Shadow-Eater has been eating this tower."

Mio had a question upon hearing that.

"Wait a moment. The Shadow-Eating Demon King... does it eat even the shadows of buildings?"

"Normally, no. But if something holds power just by existing, that's another story. Regardless, the fact remains that the Shadow-Eater recognized it as a delicacy and took a bite."

In the past, the Shadow-Eater Sai had fought never ate buildings or dungeons. But was this one different? ...Or perhaps Shinjuku Tower was just that special.

"But with a sanctuary this strong, a mere Shadow-Eater shouldn't be able to get close. It managed one bite... no — the sanctuary formed as a defense after being gnawed at."

"Given the Shadow-Eating Demon King's nature, it rests once it's full. It may have gnawed at this place and then retreated somewhere."

It sleeps a little when full, then starts eating again. It repeats this cycle, growing larger and more powerful, eventually becoming a "Demon King."

"Saria, is the Shadow-Eater's presence still to the north?"

"No, the magical signature faded a while ago. It likely won't move for a while yet."

Hexaria's detection ability was far greater than Sai's. If even that detection ability was showing nothing, it was probably sleeping now.

Sai, who had fought the Shadow-Eating Demon King before, broke into a cold sweat.

The Shadow-Eating Demon King stole shadows and turned their existence into power. If it had devoured all of Shinjuku Tower...

"I can't imagine it would have eaten the whole thing..."

But that was what made the Shadow-Eater terrifying — it would consume nonetheless.

But there was a question. Shinjuku Tower had defensive functions, and in the present world, it had exercised that power thoroughly. It had consistently driven away anyone trying to investigate it from the outside. Hexaria had proposed the possibility that "the sanctuary formed hurriedly as a defense after the Shadow-Eater took a bite."

The timing was oddly slow. If it were in the present world, it would have created a sanctuary before being eaten. He sensed a subtle discrepancy.

Unable to read the intent, Sai stared at the tower.

But right now, the priority was the Shadow-Eater, not Shinjuku Tower.

"We'll intercept the Shadow-Eating Demon King here!"

Just as Sai shouted that —

"It's awake! It's close!"

The Shadow-Eating Demon King registered on Hexaria's detection.

In the distance, a horde of demons could be seen fleeing. They ran with single-minded desperation, paying no attention to Sai's group.

The life-or-death battle with the Shadow-Eater was about to begin.

================

Thank you for reading.