Fantasy Library.

Chapter 492 The Origin of the Evil God

Because the mountains near Suiori are not truly deep forests, even if Aize and Asagi Yoshino wanted to find a place to stay temporarily, they would not be able to easily find a cave or any kind of hut left by the forest ranger.

So, Aize simply found a sheltered spot nearby and then let the somewhat exhausted Yoshino Asagi sit down.

"How are you feeling? Still feeling unwell?"

Looking at Asagi Yoshino's pale face, Aize frowned and asked a question.

"...No, I'm much better now, thank you for your concern."

As Yoshino Asagi said this, she unconsciously hugged her arms, looking as if she was shivering from the cold.

There's no way around it. Even though it's not winter, it's still quite cold on the mountain late at night, especially when the night wind blows. For someone who's already soaked to the bone, it's definitely not as good as being drenched in the rain in winter.

Even Aize felt a little cold, let alone a delicate girl like Asagi Yoshino.

"I do know how to start a fire, but this is a mountain after all. Lighting a fire on a mountain can easily turn into a wildfire. So if you want to feel better, you'd better take off all your wet clothes."

Aize spoke these words in a calm tone as if he were an observer, but it still caused a great reaction from Yoshino Asatake.

"No, no need." Asagi Yoshino shook her head and said without hesitation, "I'm fine like this, I can just bear it."

Taking off her clothes in front of a boy she only met yesterday... How could Yoshino Asatake do that?
"Is that so?" Aize wasn't surprised and said, "Then it's up to you."

As he spoke, Aize started taking off his clothes on his own.

"What...?!" Asahi Yoshino was startled and exclaimed, "W-why are you taking off your clothes?!"

Aize simply replied nonchalantly to Asagi Yoshino's overreaction.

"As for the reason, I think I've already said it, right?" Aize said casually as he took off his shirt without hesitation. "Besides, I don't want to catch a cold tomorrow, nor do I want to have to fight with a heavy load if I encounter enemies later, so at the very least I have to wring out the water."

Wearing soaked clothes feels quite heavy. Although it's not an unbearable burden, it's best to avoid it if possible to conserve energy.

So, Aize took off his shirt, wrung it out tightly, and instantly squeezed out a large clump of water.

He wouldn't actually take off his pants in front of Yoshino Asagi, but he tried his best to wring out the moisture to reduce his burden.

Seeing this, Yoshino Asagi was a little unsure where to look, but she admired Aize's composure.

"...Aren't you scared at all?" Yoshino Asatake said unconsciously, "Even though we encountered that kind of monster."

Upon hearing this, Aize glanced at Asagi Yoshino.

"It's alright, I guess." He wasn't trying to be brave, and said truthfully, "It looks pretty scary, but it's actually not that bad. Apart from the tentacles being a bit troublesome, it's not as troublesome as a wild boar."

This is Azer's assessment of the monster known as the Haunted God.

Aside from its frightening appearance, the opponent's overall qualities, including but not limited to ferocity, bloodlust, physical toughness, and the intensity of its attacks, are not much different from those of a wild boar in a berserk state.

In other words, although it is a monster, that filthy thing called the evil god is not actually that strong.

At least, when Aize was a child, he took the real sword from Kurama Genjuro's family and went into the mountains to kill wild boars. It took him a lot of effort to cut the blade into the thick flesh and fur of the wild boar. Unlike now, he can easily cause fatal damage to his opponent with a single slash.

Of course, this does not take into account the tentacled attacks of the evil spirits and their regenerative bodies.

If both of these factors are taken into account, the evil spirit is much more troublesome than the wild boar.

Leaving aside the former, as for the latter, without Congyuumaru who possesses divine power, even if Aize were strong, he wouldn't be able to defeat the opponent.

Therefore, although the evil spirit is not very powerful, it is still quite difficult to defeat it.

However, if he had Muramasa in his hands, opponents of that caliber would be nothing to Aize.

Therefore, Aize made such an assessment.

of course……

"Before entering the mountains, I had prepared myself mentally to some extent, knowing that I would encounter some incredible things here, so although I was surprised, I wasn't afraid," Aize said calmly. "If it weren't for this unexpected incident, I should have been able to get down the mountain smoothly, right?"

Upon hearing this, Asahi Yoshino immediately lowered her head.

This is because of guilt.

"I'm sorry, I've dragged you into this."

Asahi Yoshino's expression turned dejected.

She came to save Aize, but ended up dragging him into this dangerous situation instead. This is really hard to justify.

Originally, Yoshino Asagi wanted to hold Aize accountable for going up the mountain without permission, but now that things had turned out this way, she felt too embarrassed to say anything more.

Fortunately, Aize didn't blame her at all.

“It’s my fault that you went up the mountain at this time without thinking. I’m partly to blame.” Seeing that Asahi Yoshino was looking down in dejection, Aize said, “Since things have already turned out this way, there’s no point in arguing about who’s responsible. Let’s think about what to do next.”

That being said, Aize and Asagi Yoshino's current situation isn't too serious.

Do you know this area? Do you know the way down the mountain?

Let's ask Aize for now.

“This is near the river, right?” Asatake Yoshino grew up in Hoori and often went up the mountain because of the shaman. So she quickly composed herself and said, “We must have been swept downstream. Although this area is relatively remote, it is closer to the foot of the mountain than where we were just now, so it should be easy to find a way down the mountain.”

"The only problem is that we don't know if there are any evil spirits around here."

"If there are evil spirits appearing, it's not good to act rashly."

Asatake Yoshino's expression was serious and earnest, with a hint of worry in it.

“The only thing that can pose a threat to us is probably the evil spirit you mentioned.” Aize nodded and said, “There might be some nocturnal beasts around here, but even without Murasame, I can handle opponents of that level.”

Azer could easily chase away a wolf with just a random tree branch, so there's really no need to be afraid of wild animals in the mountains.

"It doesn't matter if we can't move around freely, Cong Yu should be able to find us soon," Aize said. "By then, even if we encounter those monsters, we'll be able to get down the mountain safely."

Cong Yu can sense Aize's location and should be able to find him soon.

Once Congyu arrives, Congyu Maru should return to Aize's hands.

With the Rain Pill, Aize can deal with the evil spirit.

"Let's rest for now and wait for Cong Yu to come before we go down the mountain."

Aize quickly made a judgment and decision. "Okay..."

Asahi Yoshino did not oppose Aize's policy, but her voice grew softer and softer, and the sound of her teeth chattering could be faintly heard, clearly indicating that she was extremely cold.

"You should take off your clothes and wring them out first." Aize looked at Asagi Yoshino and frowned more and more deeply. "Otherwise, you'll collapse before Murasame even gets here."

"Or do you want to wait until the evil spirit arrives, and then drag yourself out to fight it while soaking wet?"

"Don't ask me to save you again later."

As he spoke, Aize turned his back, leaving Asagi Yoshino with his strong back.

Asagi Yoshino initially wanted to continue refusing, but when she thought about how she might be a burden to the other party again, and how she was indeed freezing in her wet clothes, she hesitated.

After a while, Chao Wufang whispered something.

"Then, you can't turn around, okay?"

Asahi Yoshino's somewhat hesitant remarks made Aize purse his lips.

"Even if it's only temporary, and only in name, I'm still your fiancé. I even did CPR to save you just now, so what's there to worry about?"

Upon hearing this, Asahi Yoshino was immediately taken aback.

"You...you just gave me CPR?!"

Clearly, Yoshino Asatake has no memory of this.

(I not only gave you CPR, but I also did chest compressions...)
Aize wanted to say that, but considering the possibility that this woman might cause a huge commotion, he decided to avoid trouble and simply uttered a single sentence.

Don't worry about such trivial matters.

This did not deter Yoshino Asatake; instead, it made her even more agitated.

"How could this be a small matter?! That was my... my first kiss...!"

As she spoke, Asahi Yoshino's pale face suddenly turned red.

“That was just an emergency measure, it doesn’t count.” Aize didn’t turn around and said rather impatiently, “Besides, you were ice cold at that time, like a corpse. Kissing you in that state is no different from kissing a piece of frozen pork. So stop worrying about that kind of thing.”

This was also Aize's true feeling, so he didn't feel ashamed or embarrassed at all.

"Frozen pork..."

Asatake Yoshino seemed to have suffered a huge blow, and started muttering to herself.

"Are you going to take your clothes off or not?" Aize asked bluntly. "If you don't, I'm turning back."

"...I'll take it off."

Although Yoshino Asagi strongly disagreed with Aize's words and actions, the chilly feeling on her body was really unpleasant, making her feel like her body temperature was rapidly decreasing.

So, Yoshino Asagi glanced at Aizawa, who had his back to her, and looking at his strong back, blushed and awkwardly took off her Chihaya and shrine maiden clothes.

"Hurry up!" Aize urged. "There are a lot of mosquitoes on the mountain, and maybe snakes too. It's best not to stay naked for too long."

"I-I know," Yoshino Asatake muttered softly, but her hands and feet moved much faster.

The air suddenly became quiet, making the atmosphere between Aize and Asagi Yoshino even colder.

Just as Asahi Yoshino was silently taking off her baggy pants and wringing them out, Aizawa suddenly spoke up.

"So that's what you've been trying so hard to hide?" Aize said abruptly. "The cursed, ominous place, the reason why rumors about Suiori spread like that, is because of this?"

Asahi Yoshino's movements froze, and her expression became uncertain.

"Even now, you still don't want to say anything?" Aize didn't get a response from behind, but he didn't care. He said, "Fine, even if you don't say anything, I already have a general idea of ​​what happened."

Asatake Yoshino unconsciously tightened her grip on the wet clothes.

"...Do you really understand?"

Asahi Yoshino whispered these words.

"More or less," Aize said calmly. "Since Murasame is the real divine sword, and the legends about it are true, then the legends circulating in Hoori are probably true too, right?"

"The gods bestowed the Murasame upon Hoori, helping her repel the invaders who were bewitched by the demons and to vanquish the demons who spread their misinformation... If this legend is true, then it is not difficult to understand what the so-called evil spirits are."

"It could be a curse left by the monster before it died, or it could be the vengeful spirit of the monster after it died."

There are only two possibilities.

Upon hearing Aize's words, Asahi Yoshino remained silent.

“Since it’s called the cursed and ominous place, it should be the former, right?” Aize continued, saying leisurely, “Although the monster that plagued Suizhi was defeated by Murasame, it left a curse in Suizhi to take revenge on the people of this land. That should be the situation.”

“But there’s a problem.”

"If such a thing exists, why has Suizhi remained unharmed until now?"

"Does the curse only appear on mountains? And only at night does it transform into that monster to harm others?"

Aize's question did not receive an immediate answer from Yoshino Asatake.

Just when Aize thought that Yoshino Asatake would remain silent and continue to refuse his involvement in these matters, Yoshino Asatake's voice came softly.

“In the past, the evil spirits also left the mountain and went to Suizhi Village to wantonly harm others, causing great disasters.” Asatake Yoshino said in a very suppressed tone, “However, that only happened after the filth had accumulated to a certain level.”

“In the beginning, the evil spirits were not powerful. Just as you said, they only appeared on the mountain and only took shape at night.”

"But if no one eliminates them, the number of evil spirits will increase, and they will absorb the filth accumulated on the land of Suizhi, becoming more and more powerful."

"At that time, the evil spirit will descend from the mountain and wreak havoc in Suizhi. This is something that actually happened in Suizhi's history."

Upon hearing this, Aize immediately understood.

"So, the reason why Suizhi has been able to live in peace is because you exorcised the evil spirits before the filth accumulated, right?"

Aize said this.

"Your Chaowu family has always been protecting this land, hasn't that right?"

(End of this chapter)