Fantasy Library.

Chapter 480 "The Manager"

"Ok?"

The sudden sound startled Aize.

Before the sound appeared, he neither sensed the presence of any living person nor heard any approaching footsteps.

"Who?"

Aize unconsciously stood up, gripped the Murasame in his hand, and scanned his surroundings.

But after scanning the area, Aize didn't see a single person.

"Don't look around, Master."

Just as Aize was wondering if he had misheard, the voice that had been full of dissatisfaction rang out again, this time clear and pleasant.

"Up there, we are up there, look over here!"

Upon hearing this, Aize immediately raised his head and looked up at the sky above him.

Upon seeing this, Aize's eyes widened in surprise.

"Can you see me, Master!"

Above Aize's head, in the air, a figure floated lightly.

She was a petite girl, just like Koharu Kurama, with long, flowing, light green hair.

The girl was wearing a cool-looking kimono, a short skirt style, with black as the main color and a red sash around her waist. Her long, flowing hair was tied up on both sides with red and purple ropes. Overall, she was quite cute, at least as good as Koharu Kurama, and perhaps even more so.

The girl floated in mid-air, her big, bright eyes fixed on Aize. When she saw Aize looking over and her eyes widen, she immediately beamed with joy.

"Oh, so you can see me after all, Master."

Seeing the girl's beaming smile, Aize remained lost in thought for a long time.

no way.

Although the girl in front of me was cute, her light and airy appearance was enough to shatter the worldview of any modern person.

Add to that the other party's repeated phrases like "Can you see me?" and "As expected, you can see me," and any normal person would feel terrified.

"……ghost?"

Almost reflexively, Aize gripped Congyu Maru tightly, ready to slash at it.

Unexpectedly, upon hearing Aize's unconscious murmured words, the girl instead erupted in anger.

"We are not ghosts!" The girl's smiling face immediately fell, turning into anger as she shouted, "You treat Muramasa as a cursed demon sword, and you treat us as ghosts! How can you be so rude as a master?"

"No, anyone would think you're a ghost, right?" Aize couldn't help but retort. "You're floating lightly in the air, and you're asking others if they can see you. Aren't these all characteristics of a ghost?"

"N-No way! Ghosts and such... How could I possibly be such a thing?!" The girl reacted strongly, whether out of anger at being falsely accused or because she felt guilty, she immediately and vehemently refuted the claim, saying, "I am the manager of Muramasaru, the spirit residing in the sacred sword. If you want to count, I should be a sword spirit or a deity, not some ghost!"

"A sword spirit?" Aize was taken aback, then blinked and said, "So, the person who conveyed joy and happiness to me earlier was you?"

Upon hearing Aize's words, the girl herself was stunned.

"What joy and happiness?" the girl asked blankly. "Did I convey these things to you, Master?"

Aize's eyes flickered slightly, and he gripped Cong Yuwan's hand tighter and tighter.

Even now, he can still vaguely sense Cong Yuwan conveying happiness and joy to him, as if she has found a soulmate and is completely dependent on him.

Therefore, Aize believes that Congyu Maru has a spirit, possibly a kind of sword spirit.

However, this seemingly frail girl kept claiming that she was the true spirit of the sword.
Is this a lie?

"I see, I understand now." Aize said, "You must be the vengeful spirit of the demon that was killed by Murasame, and you came to seek revenge after seeing Murasame pulled out, right?"

"You think I'm easy to fool and bully?"

"Then you've really chosen the wrong opponent."

As he spoke, Aize prepared to swing his sword and slash.

But just as Aize was about to swing his sword, a sense of resistance emanated from Cong Yuwan.

He looked as if he had sensed Aize's thoughts and panicked, and quickly stopped him.

The girl, completely unaware that she had just narrowly escaped death, was so enraged by Aize's words that she gritted her teeth.

"Therefore, we are neither ghosts nor monsters! Nor are we vengeful spirits!"

The girl gritted her teeth, looking like she wanted to bite Aize, and spoke loudly.

"Listen up, Master! My name is Congyu, and I am the manager of Congyu Maru!"

"Muramasa is a sword given to Hoori by the gods. It possesses divine power, but cold steel cannot store divine power. Therefore, it needs a soul that can store divine power to reside in the sword, so that the sword can possess divine power!"

"Divine power resides within us, and we reside within Muramasa. This is the relationship between us!"

"Therefore, we are both spirits residing in the divine sword and its managers, and certainly not ghosts or vengeful spirits!"

The girl, Cong Yu, spoke angrily, which made Aize suddenly realize something.

"So, you're just a spirit residing within the divine sword, not the sword's own spirit?"

That makes sense.

Murasame has his own spirit, while the girl named Murasame in front of him is an external spirit, a being that carries divine power and resides in the divine sword.

The spirit that transmits joy and happiness to oneself, and is completely integrated with oneself, is the sword spirit of the divine sword itself, not the divine spirit that carries divine power, Cong Yu.

Cong Yu is more like an envoy, a messenger of the gods and the manager of the divine sword.

However, this manager himself seems a bit unreliable...

"We are the spirit within the divine blade. As for the blade's own spirit, we don't sense its existence."

Cong Yu spoke angrily, leaving Aize speechless.

In other words, the person in charge of this divine sword was unaware that the sword possessed a spirit?

Have you never communicated with your manager?
Aize silently recited the name of the Congyu Maru in his hand.

--No!
In his mind's eye, Aize seemed to hear such a self-righteous response, which made him find it somewhat amusing.

Without dwelling on the matter any longer, Aize looked at Cong Yu.

"Then what do you mean by calling me master?"

Aize asked that question for now.

“Because you are our master.” Congyu said matter-of-factly, “You drew Congyu Maru, so you are naturally the master chosen by Congyu Maru. As the manager of Congyu Maru, I must also acknowledge you as my master.”

That's somewhat convincing.

"So, the legend of Suiori really did happen?" Aize asked curiously, "Do gods and monsters really exist in this world?"

“Yes, Master.” Congyu nodded and said, “Although we have never seen one, gods certainly exist, and the existence of Congyu Maru itself proves this.”

This girl is really unreliable. She's never seen the sword spirit of Congyu Maru, nor has she ever seen a god, yet she has the nerve to claim that she carries divine power...

"Snapped!"

As Aize was thinking this, the girl above him suddenly floated down and tapped him on the head.

"What are you doing?"

Aize was stunned. "I have a feeling that you were thinking something very rude just now, Master." Cong Yu looked at Aize with narrowed eyes and said, "Please look me in the eye."

Aize immediately and unconsciously moved away.

"Ah! Look away! Look away!" Cong Yu exclaimed, "You were thinking about something very rude, weren't you, Master!"

As she spoke, Cong Yu began to swing her little fists and pound Aize's shoulder repeatedly.

That puffed-up look was, to be honest, quite cute.

As for the damage caused by the opponent's small fist, it can only be described as almost negligible.

Aize didn't feel any pain at all; instead, he felt a comfortable sensation, like his shoulder had been massaged, which made him involuntarily utter a sound.

"Let's switch sides and massage it. This side has been holding a knife all day, so it's a bit tired."

One sentence was enough to break Cong Yu's guard on the spot.

"I'm not giving you a massage! You idiot master!"

Xiao Congyu began unleashing a barrage of punches, causing Aize to cry out involuntarily.

"Ah~~ That feels so good~~"

This shout made Cong Yu blush.

That was because I was angry.

"Owner--"

Cong Yu's cute little face instantly turned as fierce as a demon, gloomy and dark, making Aize's mouth twitch.

"Calm down, don't you look even more like a ghost or a vengeful spirit?"

Aize skillfully started dancing on the grave.

"Therefore, we are neither ghosts nor monsters! Nor are we vengeful spirits!"

Enraged, Cong Yu bared her fangs and bit down on Aize's hastily raised hand.

"Ouch! It hurts so much!"

This time, Aize finally felt pain.

This little girl's teeth are so sharp!
"I bite!"

Cong Yu seemed genuinely angry; not only did she not let go, she bit down even harder.

"Ouch! Cong Yu! Let go!"

Aize felt as if she were being bitten by a vicious dog that wouldn't let go. The dog swung her around violently, causing the weightless girl to be tossed up and down with it, just like a scene from a comedy anime.

Aize's attention was diverted only when two footsteps approached.

What are you making a racket here all by yourself for?

The person who spoke was naturally Aize's strict and stern grandfather.

"Grandpa."

Aize looked at Kurama Genjuro and the people who came with him.

That must be the head priest of Kenshin Shrine. He was wearing the priest's robes and was much younger than Kurama Genjuro, probably around forty years old. He had a very kind face and gave people a gentle and approachable feeling.

However, the other person was scrutinizing him with a pair of squinty eyes, which made Aize stop what he was doing.

"This is the head priest of Kenji Shrine."

Kurama Genjuro introduced the other party to Aize.

"Hello, Mr. Genjuro's grandson." The other person greeted Aize kindly, saying, "I am the priest of Kenji Shrine, Asabu Yasuharu."

"Lord God." Aize nodded to the other party as a greeting.

"Just call me An Qing." Chao Wu An Qing was completely unpretentious and smiled warmly, "I'm so sorry to have kept you waiting here for so long."

“Aze, Mr. Anqing wants to talk to you about the sacred sword.” Kurama Genjuro said to Aze earnestly, “The sacred sword… Muramaru is a sacred sword enshrined in Kenshin Shrine, which is the object of worship for Mr. Anqing, who is the head priest.”

"Since you have drawn the Divine Blade, it proves that you have gained the Divine Blade's approval."

"Mr. An Qing has something to ask of you, so please listen."

Kurama Genjuro spoke to Aize in a consultative tone, without any intention of coercion.

Aize also knew that, despite Kurama Genjuro's tough-guy demeanor, although the old man was stubborn in some ways, he would never really force anyone to do anything.

When Aize first demonstrated his powerful swordsmanship, Kurama Genjuro urged him to practice swordsmanship by giving instructions, rather than forcing him to do so.

Kurama Rentaro's grandson is a case in point. When he was young, he and Aizawa received instruction from Kurama Genjuro and practiced kendo for a period of time. However, it is said that he no longer touches bamboo swords at all now, and Kurama Genjuro has not said anything about it.

Now, Grandpa is still discussing this matter with Aize in a consultative manner, so Aize naturally won't disrespect his grandfather.

"Please speak, Mr. An Qing."

Aize ignored Cong Yu, who was hanging from his arm, and started talking to Chao Wuanqing.

He had already discovered that neither Kurama Genjuro nor Asabu Yasuharu, the head priest of Kensuke Shrine, could see Murasame.

Cong Yu seemed to know about this as well, so she ignored the two of them from beginning to end, still angrily biting Aize's arm, but the force was much looser, making Aize feel as if he was being bitten by a cub.

Chao Wu Anqing did not get to the point directly, but instead said this.

"Before that, let me introduce you to my daughter."

Chao Wuanqing called out to the outside.

"Yoshino, come in."

After he finished speaking, a brief silence fell over the shrine.

After a short while, a person slowly walked in from outside.

Exquisite features, snow-white hair, a magnificent and elegant shrine maiden's outfit, and a tense expression...

Without a doubt, it was the shrine maiden who had previously performed the Kagura dance in front of the shrine, captivating countless people.

As soon as the witch entered, her gaze immediately fell on Aize.

Those eyes, as beautiful as jewels, held a deep and complex mix of emotions.

Aize couldn't discern the emotions within them, as they were far too complex, and the person seemed to be trying their best to control them so that others wouldn't notice, causing the delicate, pretty face she had seen once before to tighten even further.

"...I am Yoshino Asatake. Nice to meet you. Please take care of me."

The young girl, Yoshino Asagi, bowed respectfully to Aize.

But her gaze shifted to Aize's hands.

In Aize's right hand, he was holding Congyu Maru.

Cong Yu was hanging from Aize's left hand.

Seeing this, Yoshino Asagi's expression became even more complicated.

Then, she cast a sharp look at Aize.

That gaze seemed both resistant and resolute.

(End of this chapter)