Yamiyo no Hotaru

Chapter 114

　Running. Escaping. Continuously fleeing. In the long duration of her escape, the young girl could taste the dull metallic flavor in her mouth.

　Lost in the labyrinth that seemed to stretch on forever, the half-youkai household member wandered aimlessly.

　Her forehead was covered in bead-like sweat, her breaths were rough and filled with anxiety, and her heart was engulfed in bottomless restlessness and despair. Naturally, she half-expected the future that awaited her.

　There was no hope for rescue. It was impossible. Even the official exorcists, who shared the bloodline of her clan, had little hope. And for someone in her position...

　The Great Youkai War had brought great calamity to Fusō-kuni. Two-thirds of the villages in the country were abandoned. Cities, farmlands, and roads were littered with countless peasant corpses. Even the imperial army and warrior squads, which were supposed to be prioritized for reinforcement, were nearly destroyed by the end of the war.

　The expert exorcists, who specialized in youkai warfare and stood at the forefront of the Great Youkai War, suffered particularly devastating losses. The families of many renowned clans had declined or become extinct, and Fusō-kuni had to create many new families to fill the void.

　Over a hundred years had passed, and the wounds of the war still hadn't healed. The exorcists' families were still suffering from chronic shortages of personnel. That's why beings like her were born.

　During the Great Youkai War, many warriors were artificially turned into half-youkai using forbidden techniques and were deployed in combat. The survivors of these warriors were still being operated under the control of the imperial court. The experience and precedent of using these warriors overlapped with the current issue of personnel shortage, leading many smaller exorcists' families to make the decision. That decision was to "employ half-youkai as household members."

　Unable to afford the luxury of being choosy, and with the number of half-youkai rising explosively after the war, these "quasi" household members of the exorcists became a rational choice to control and utilize this unstable element in society. With a bit of training and equipment, their abilities were weaker than those of official exorcists, but they surpassed ordinary soldiers and servants, making them expendable pawns. The girl fully understood her position as such an expendable being.

　Moreover, it was possible that the family she served had not even noticed her absence. Perhaps they thought she had run away in fear at the last moment. Given the trust they had in her position, it was a plausible story. After all, even the mission itself... made her anxiety deepened even further.

　"Tsk!! Get out of my way!!"

　She swung her naginata, cutting down the monsters that appeared before her. Kicking them away. Beating them to death. She pushed forward, overcoming everything in her path.

　"In a place like this... I can't die here!!"

　She didn't want to die. She had no intention of dying. She couldn't afford to die.

　Because, wasn't that right? There were still so many things she wanted to do. So many unfinished tasks. Countless regrets. Most importantly, she hadn't conveyed anything to anyone yet...!!

　"What do I want to convey...!?"

　In the midst of her agitation, a momentary doubt flashed through her mind. A brief pause, but it was fatal.

　'Ribbit!!'

　"Agh, gaah...!!?"

　Immediately after, a giant frog youkai, a Great Youkai, appeared before her. With a sound of air cutting, its extended tongue missed its mark.