Yamiyo no Hotaru

Chapter 19

..it goes back in time.

In the orphanage, where no noise, no dust, and no scorching fire can leak out through the boundary... two people were facing each other just outside the doorway.

"Is this the famous Princess Aoi of the Kizuki family of the renowned Northern Region, known for her beauty and talent? It's my pleasure to meet you for the first time."

"Oh my, oh my, thank you for your kind compliments. It is a great honor for me to meet the second in command of the prestigious Onmyo Dormitory and the renowned Matsushige Family's head of profound knowledge."

One of them is dressed in luxurious clothes which do not suit the chaotic atmosphere of the outer city, fanning her fan, and the other is surrounded by a crowd of monster foxes whose movements are restricted by binding technique, and they take a glance at each other. Then they smile.

Without any knowledge, they might have appeared to be standing there calmly, unconcernedly, but in fact, they were radiating their spiritual power to each other and were on the utmost alert for the other. This meant that they were ready to use their techniques at any time, and the exorcists were ready to fight.

"So, what brings you here to the outskirts of the capital? If you are here to see the city, there must be some sights that will interest you more than others. May I show you some of them?"

"Thank you for your kindness. But I'm not one of those simple folk. I've seen far better pleasures than those that can be seen at any time."

A giggle, a chuckle similar to a bird's chirp, and a fan spread out, seemingly at ease... but the old man ahead noticed a hint of impatience in her appearance.

"Oh, then you should enjoy the pleasures of the city without having to go to such a dirty, unromantic place. Or is there some reason why you must hurry here even if it means soiling your dress with dust?"

"...just take care of yourself, old geezer."

It was a small murmur, and at the same time, the air around her grew heavier and clearer. The foxes, all of them motionless from the binding technique, shuddered without uttering a sound. At the same moment, a big bear with horns, which had been hiding in concealment, appeared in front of the old man as if to protect him. Though, the bear was quite shriveled up.

(Well, well... at her age, she has such a murderous temper...)

Though he did not show it on his face, the old man was deeply astonished inwardly. A little girl, who is at most a little over ten years old, could direct such a huge amount of spiritual power to the same person as an invisible killing intent!

(It is true that exorcists are often involved in family quarrels, but... the people of the northern region are still scary.)

Although there are some exceptions, it is said that most of the exorcists who reside in the western and southern regions are relatively weak.

This is partly because the areas have already been cleared and developed, and because of the lack of strong youkai, the exorcists have become mundane, engaging in activities other than their main occupation, but the main reason goes back to the time of the Great War.

At that time, the development of agriculture and industry had already progressed, and the youkai invaded these lands with a large army to damage the productive capacity of the human side, and as a result of fierce battles with the local exorcists, many of the ancient members family were cut off, or, if they survived, they were all at the end of their line. The talent of exorcism is a generational trait. Considering that the talent of exorcism grows stronger with the passing of generations, it is only natural that the family in the western and southern regions of the country would be weakened by the loss of so many promising exorcists.