Fantasy Library.

Chapter 493 "Possession by a Dog Spirit"

As mentioned before, the Asabu family holds a very special position in Hoori.

There are basically two reasons.

One is that the Asabu family used to be the rulers of this land. They were a noble family with a distinguished lineage. Even in modern times, the Asabu family is still the largest representative of this land. It is no exaggeration to say that they are a family of great prestige. Therefore, their long-accumulated reputation and deep-rooted status have been influencing the people of Suizhi, making the Asabu family exist here like local emperors.

One reason is that legends about Hoori have been passed down since ancient times. Some respected elders even know about the existence of Murasame and the secrets of the sacred sword Murasame-maru. They know that these legends are not unfounded, so they have great respect for the gods and sacred swords of Hoori, and regard the Asabu family, who have been running the Asabu family, as representatives of the gods. This has created a special status for the Asabu family in Hoori.

Even in modern times, the Asabu family still maintains deep ties with many families and even clans in Hoori. These families and clans have always respected the Asabu family as their master. For example, the Hitachi family, whose members have served as the priestess's guards for generations, and the Kurama family, to which Kurama Genjuro belongs, all have intricate connections with the Asabu family.

That's why the Asabu family is so special in Hoori, and Asabu Yoshino, a direct descendant of the Asabu family, is truly like a princess of Hoori, respected, loved, and cared for by countless people.

It is said that in Suizhi, there are still many old guys who regard the Asabu family as their benefactor and are very concerned about the succession of the Asabu family. As a result, Asabu Yoshino, the only direct descendant of the Asabu family, has been arranged to go on various blind dates since she was old enough to understand things.

Those people were afraid that the bloodline of the Asabu family would suddenly be cut off, which would be nothing short of a disaster for Suiori.

The reason why the Chaowu family, a unique clan, is so respected is certainly not because they have always relied on the family fortune accumulated by their ancestors.

One of the biggest reasons why the Asabu family is so respected is that many people know that this family has always been protecting Hoori.

"In order to prevent the filth from accumulating and causing the curse to erupt, and the evil spirit to descend from the mountain to do evil, the Chaowu family has been fighting against the evil spirit for hundreds of years."

"Including you, whenever the filth accumulates to a certain level, the Chaowu family will go up the mountain to exorcise the evil spirits that appear on the mountain and purify the filth."

"am I right?"

Although Aize didn't witness the battle between Asagi Yoshino and the Tsurugi, her attitude towards the Tsurugi suggested that she had likely had considerable interaction with him.

And since she is a shrine maiden, even without a divine sword like Murasame, she should have some means to deal with evil spirits; otherwise, Hoori wouldn't need to rely on the Asabu family for protection.

The Hitachi family has had members serving as the shrine maiden's protectors for generations. This may well be partly due to the consideration of helping the shrine maiden deal with evil spirits. Otherwise, how could Hitachi Mako have trained such high-level skills if she was just doing housework and chores?
There's absolutely no need for that, is there?
Aize then revealed his guess, causing Asagi Yoshino to bite her lip.

"...The Asabu family has indeed been fighting against the evil spirits all along. The offering dance they perform on a daily basis is also to purify the filth on this land as much as possible, which is why it has been passed down through generations."

Yoshino Asagi's voice was filled with a bitterness that was hard for outsiders to imagine.

“But...we are not as great as you imagine, Mr. Aize.”

"Fighting the evil spirits is for Hoori's sake, and also for our own."

“If we don’t do that, then we will…”

Yoshino Asatake did not continue speaking after that.

But for some reason, Aize thought of the scene he had witnessed during the Kagura dance at the Spring Festival.

At that time, Yoshino Asagi had animal ears that no one else could see for a moment.

Dog spirit possession... This is the name given to the curse associated with Hoori that has been passed down for a long time.

If this title doesn't appear randomly, then what does it represent?

Could the monster that cursed Suiori be some kind of dog demon?

The pair of animal ears that flashed briefly on Yoshino Asagi's head must have been dog ears, right?

Why would she, a direct descendant of the Asabu family, grow dog ears?

The answer isn't hard to guess.

"...Wasn't the person who used the Murasame-maru to subdue the monsters that were plaguing the world a member of the Asabu family?"

Aize asked the key question.

"……Yes."

After a moment of silence, Yoshino Asagi finally nodded.

Then, the matter becomes clear.

“It’s not just Suiori who’s cursed, but also the Asabu family who vanquished the yokai.” Aize said in a deep voice, “You can see Murasame because the Asabu family used to be users of Murasame and were closely related to the yokai that Murasame vanquished, right?”

As for Hitachi Mako, since her family has been the guards of the Asabu family for generations, she is probably related to the monsters that were defeated and Murasame, or at the very least, to the Asabu family, or at least to them by blood.

Therefore, she was able to see Murasame, just like Yoshino Asagi.

Chao Wu Anqing cannot see Cong Yu because he married into the Chao Wu family and does not have Chao Wu blood.

Without the bloodline of the Asagi family, he would certainly not have the power to defeat the evil spirits, which is why it was the young girl Asagi Yoshino who dealt with the evil spirits.

"What effect will that curse have on your family?"

Aize raised a question. Unfortunately, Asagi Yoshino avoided the question.

"Now you should know why I don't want you involved in my family's affairs, right?" Asagi Yoshino suppressed her emotions and said as calmly as possible, "This is not something that can be touched on because of momentary curiosity or novelty. If things go wrong, it could cost you your life."

“But I can’t stay out of this now, can I?” Aize didn’t press the issue just because Yoshino Asagi avoided his question. Instead, he spoke in a calmer tone than Yoshino Asagi: “If I’m not mistaken, in the eyes of the Tsurugi, I should be just as hateful as the people of your Asagi family, or even more deserving of being eliminated.”

Aize hadn't forgotten that in the beginning, the evil spirit had approached him on its own initiative and attacked him without saying a word.

At first, Aize thought they were monsters that would attack others indiscriminately. Now that he thought about it, even if they would attack others, since their true form was a curse, it was impossible for them to attack without targeting others.

The Asabu family is the cause of the curse. The hatred level of this family's bloodline is the highest among the evil spirits. Therefore, whenever the evil spirit encounters someone with the bloodline of the Asabu family, it will attack without saying a word.

Although Aize is not a member of the Asabu family, he is the user of Muramaru after the Asabu family, so his hatred towards the Suishin is also quite high.

If someone like him were to act recklessly outside, who knows if he might attract dangerous trouble.

Considering this, and given that Murasame is the most important sacred sword of the Hoori, Asabu family, and Kenji Shrine and cannot be easily left behind, Asabu Yasuharu and Asabu Yoshino came up with the idea of ​​letting Aizawa stay.

Even Yoshino Asatake didn't object to this, which shows that Aize can no longer be considered to be uninvolved.

That marriage agreement was probably Chao Wu Anqing's arbitrary decision, his own willful arrangement.

Asatake Yoshino naturally had her own thoughts about this situation.

“As long as Mr. Aize doesn’t go up the mountain, the filth won’t accumulate to the point where the evil spirits will descend and wreak havoc. Then you won’t be targeted, and you won’t get involved in these dangerous things.”

That's what Yoshino Asatake thought.

"Mr. Aize, you don't need to worry about anything. Just stay in the shrine and I'll figure out the rest."

Asahi Yoshino's tone became resolute at this point.

but……

"If I hadn't saved you tonight, you might have died at the hands of the evil spirit."

Aize pointed this out without holding back.

The implication is that you can't even protect yourself, so how can you protect me?
"That...that was just an accident!" Asagi Yoshino hurriedly explained, "I've dealt with Takagami many times before, so it's fine!"

“Then I have even less of a problem.” Aize said defiantly, “Just like I said, that level of opponent is nothing to me. I don’t need anyone to protect me, and I can face them on my own.”

"But that's none of your business, Mr. Aize, is it?"

"My affairs are none of your business."

"Haven't you learned your lesson yet? Worshipping gods is really dangerous!"

"Perhaps, but I really have no reason to be protected by you unilaterally."

"We're the ones who dragged you into this! So we have an obligation to protect you!"

"It was I who took the liberty of pulling out Congyu Maru; you didn't drag me into this on your own."

"You, you...!"

As she continued, Yoshino Asagi became completely anxious, stood up, went to Aizawa's side, and grabbed his arm.

"Why can't you just listen to advice?"

Upon hearing this, Aize, who had been pulled over, tried to say something, but couldn't utter a single word.

He looked at Yoshino Asagi, whose face was flushed and whose chest was heaving with anger, and his gaze was unconsciously drawn to her overly fair skin.

At this moment, Yoshino Asabu appeared in a very inappropriate manner. She had taken off her Chihaya and shrine maiden outfits, leaving only two pink undergarments, exposing large areas of her skin to the air.

Whether it was her long, slender legs, her alluring waist and hips, or even the fact that her thin undergarments couldn't conceal her magnificent cleavage, everything was displayed vividly before Aize's eyes, extremely close to him.

This almost naked appearance was just as alluring as Hitachi Mako's completely naked body in front of Aize during the day, and even more charming and tempting.

After all, the sense of holiness and purity of a clergyman that Yoshino Asatake possessed was something that Mako Hitachi lacked. Now, her appearance gave off a sense of depravity, which stirred one's emotions.

"Ahhhhhhh-!"

When Asahi Yoshino saw Aizawa staring straight at her, she finally realized her current situation and couldn't help but scream.

The cry echoed through the mountains and forests, lingering for a long time.

(End of this chapter)