Help! I changed the gender of the male protagonist in the yandere game.

Chapter 202 A Forbidden Love and a Reincarnated Daughter

The blue sea surface shimmered.

A flock of seabirds with black tips on their white wings are flying over the sea.

Flocks of seabirds made a noisy racket, and below them, three ships dragged white foam across the sea.

The sea breeze caressed his cheeks as Hyakusuke observed the situation on the sea. He was aboard a cargo ship built by the Jujo clan.

The Lianzhang Merchant Guild dispatched two merchant ships directly, and after only simple modifications, they became warships for conquering pirates.

In addition, the last of the three large ships was a smaller one that came from the territory of the Jujōji family in Suō Province. Its appearance was completely different from that of island ships; it was a Latin-style sailing ship.

This ship is small in size, but it has two masts with triangular sails. The combination of its light hull and triangular sails makes it more resistant to the ever-changing sea weather, and it also requires less manpower.

Of course, because the cargo hold is too small, its cargo capacity is also relatively poor. However, this ship is also the fastest of the three.

"It must be quite a distance from that island..."

Hyakusuke stood on the deck, squinting his left eye as he gazed at the other side of the sea, shielding his head from the intense sunlight with his hand.

He and the others set off again, boarding the ten-flowered boat, heading towards Black Shark Island.

Black Shark Island is an uninhabited island that is difficult for ordinary people to find. It is located in the southwest of the Hokuriku region and is a secluded island.

This island is half the size of Sado Island, which was controlled by Echigo, but unlike the gold-rich Sado Island, this island has no other resources.

There were hardly any people on the island. It was initially concealed by the Eight Blessings Society using magic, and even the local fishermen could hardly find the island's location.

Later, the island was occupied by pirates and became their lair, causing great harm to the surrounding fishermen and merchant ships.

Although the authorities have organized several campaigns to suppress the pirates, they are so elusive that it is almost impossible to find them.

Furthermore, compared to the pirates on Black Shark Island, the various pirate forces in the Seto Inland Sea region are a greater headache for the imperial court.

The sun was too scorching, so Hyakusuke simply withdrew his gaze. He looked at his right hand and tried to mobilize the energy of the spirits.

This power is much weaker than before after absorbing a large amount of demonic energy, and it can no longer transform into armor to completely cover the body.

He simply gathered the demonic energy in his right hand, condensing it into the shape of an arm guard and a gauntlet... However, the armor did not last long before it made cracking sounds and several cracks appeared.

Then, the gauntlets and cage-like structures that had gathered in the right hand shattered, turning into a black mist and dissipating.

"Unlike in the past, this is the best we can do now."

Baijie frowned.

Maintaining the armor on his right hand requires even more energy and stamina than before. It seems that without the blessing of the demonic energy, his strength is now much weaker than it used to be.

In the previous battles, Hyakusuke suffered heavy losses.

His seven-section spear was broken, the orb of his Demon-Slaying Gauntlet was damaged, his ninja sword was lost, and much of his original equipment was also worn out.

'...We also took some supplies from the Lotus Chamber of Commerce's warehouse, but we don't know how effective they will be...'

Having exhausted all the talismans, smoke bombs, and flashbangs he had prepared in the past, he switched to exorcism tools and equipment specially sold by the Lotus Chamber of Commerce.

The original weapons, the Seven-Section Spear and the Ninja Sword, have been replaced with a tin staff imbued with magic, and a short sword for protection.

Originally, everyone advised him not to go to Black Shark Island to rescue people, because Bai Jie had been in a coma for several days, and his complexion and condition did not look very good.

However, Hyakusuke was quite persistent, and no one could do anything about it.

"It's not that I'm deliberately showing off. If it were a regular game side quest, I wouldn't bother participating. It's just that this Abyss Spore Forest side quest is far too difficult. I'm really not comfortable letting this group get to the island alone."

Rescuing Ye Ming and his companions, who might be trapped by pirates, from Black Shark Island is no easy task. Due to a lack of relevant information and little understanding of the dangers on the island, it is almost impossible for the group to accomplish this.

"After all, I'm the only one who has information about that island... If I don't go, the others might get trapped on the island."

Especially the underground Abyss Spore Forest, that is, the underground cave, is far more dangerous than those pirates.

Recalling that troublesome underground cave, his face turned somewhat pale, or rather, as if he had a sour expression.

Perhaps because he had been unconscious for several days, Bai Jie's energy and spirit had not yet recovered. His face was pale and bloodless, giving the impression of someone who had just recovered from a serious illness.

Of the group, Hiiragi Hiruko was particularly worried about him and stayed close behind him the whole time.

"Mr. Hyakusuke, are you really alright?"

The priestess asked with concern.

"If it really doesn't work out, then we shouldn't go to the island anymore. Let others handle the rescue."

"No, I might be able to help."

Bai Jie was very persistent.

"I'd rather come to the island too."

“That’s true, but the sea is still too rough,” Hiiragi Hiruko looked at him with unease and whispered, “Mr. Hyakusuke, you don’t look well. You’ve only been awake for a short time, and you’re already going to participate in this expedition. Isn’t it a bit too much to do this?”

"No, I'm fine."

Having said that, Hyakusuke also realized that his physical strength was severely depleted after just waking up.

"...After all, I heard he was unconscious for a while. A normal person would still be bedridden, but I was able to move freely, all thanks to the kindness of the mermaid flesh."

Now that Omaru has merged with his body, Hyakusuke woke up and examined his body, discovering a strange mark on his heart—a pattern-like rune, black in color, that emits a hazy phosphorescence in the dark.

"This must be a mark left behind by the ghostly energy, right?"

However, Bai Jie cannot use his full demonic energy right now, as that would cause his body to be eroded and undergo an irreversible transformation, turning him into a "demon" by this power.

"That's no joke. Ghosts and gods are completely alienated from the body, turning into non-human aliens from head to toe."

Princess Yukiyasha warned him.

The human spirit and will find it difficult to withstand such a transformation.

One of the characteristics of ghosts and spirits is that their life can be almost eternal.

However, that is the continuation of the physical body; so-called immortality is a painful thing for most humans.

Because only the physical body can continue to survive, after hundreds or thousands of years.

Compared to the physical body, the soul is more likely to reach its limit due to exhaustion.

Humans are creatures that, at most, live to be a little over a hundred years old before dying of old age.

Hundreds or thousands of years from now, what awaits humanity with immortal life is a gradually depleted soul, a dead end devoid of the will to live.

"Ultimately, the spirit will die a step earlier."

Princess Yukiyasha sighed.

At this point, the extreme case is that they transform into raging demons and gods, no longer bound by reason, like raging monsters;

Or, after their spirit is exhausted, they gradually become like a walking corpse.

"Of course, a very small number of immortals can overcome this and maintain their spiritual vitality by enjoying human emotions and happiness... Otherwise, they become completely inhuman, which is a change at the level of soul and mind, where the old self dies and a new self is gradually born from the body."

Yukiyasha-hime stated that the progenitor of vampires and their emperor, the Ancestral Dragon, were such beings, whose self had been completely transformed.

"More than half of vampires are walking corpses, merely maintaining the bodies that humans used to have. True Ancestor-level vampires, on the other hand, are monsters who have overcome the depletion of their soul and spirit, giving birth to a new self and adapting to their monster identity."

She also pointed out that Hiiragi Hiruko's ability to maintain her current state is purely due to the blood of the living god within her body, which allows her to maintain a balance with the soul and body of the true progenitor.

"After all, her ancestors were descendants of gods, and the divinity in her soul allows her to adapt to this change. But even for her, it's hard to say whether she can retain her current humanity after living for a thousand years..."

For those who have lived for over a thousand years, their past selves are like their childhood, or rather, the remnants of their previous lives. Their spirits have long since been alienated and transformed into another kind of life.

That was the reconstruction completed after the soul was exhausted, becoming another self.

Princess Yukiyasha explains it in a more intuitive way.

"Isn't there this term 'Cyberman' in the future... supposedly a concept created by Western novelists, that allows people to edit their own consciousness and upload it to a machine," she pointed out.

"But is this uploaded consciousness truly the original self? What the machine inherits may not be the soul, but merely a memory from the past... The spiritual reconstruction of an immortal has no relation to the original self. Yesterday's me has completely faded into silence, died, and rebirth is actually another existence..."

At this point, the lake owner also sighed.

Her words sent chills down Hyakusuke's spine; the first thing he thought of was that pitch-black alien.

"Could that thing be...?"

"more or less."

Princess Yukiyasha frowned.

"'generate'."

She uttered that word.

It is said that women, due to extreme jealousy, can transform into ghosts. This process of a person turning into an evil ghost is called "generation".

The "Hannya" masks in ancient Noh plays, which are masks of the vengeful spirit type, represent the various stages of this appearance.

Now, recalling those words, Hyakusuke feels a deep-seated fear.

'If my physical body were taken over by a dark alien, my current personality would probably be altered and turned into something else, wouldn't it?'

The self disappears, is taken away.

If something were to replace him from within his body, and that dark alien succeeded, that would be his fate.

He shook his head, ceasing his thoughts on the matter, and smiled at Hiiragi Hiruko, saying, "It's nothing... this level is nothing to me—"

"is it?"

Hiiragi Hiruko sighed.

"Is it because it involves Yue Jialuo Yeming that you're so persistent? You... even though you mentioned seven years before, do you still care about that person?"

"Seven, seven years..."

Hyakusuke was speechless; Hiiragi Hiruko knew about this.

“I know about this… I’m sorry, I overheard your conversation earlier.”

She apologized quietly.

"That's not the case, Miss Hiruko."

Baijie shook his head.

“Ayaka and a few others are also my companions, and I can’t just leave them alone.”

"I see... It seems I misunderstood."

Her smile concealed sadness as she gazed wistfully at Hyakusuke's profile.

"Although Mr. Hyakusuke has always insisted on this, and you have helped others many times, and I have also been taken care of by you... I am really afraid that Mr. Hyakusuke will be hurt again. You always act recklessly without thinking... If one day you can no longer come back to my side, I probably will find it hard to accept."

She opened up.

"is it?"

Bai Jie didn't think too much about it. He said calmly, "...I myself don't care that much. One can't always be so pessimistic in life."

He sighed.

Having experienced too many life-or-death crises, to be honest, I no longer have the same drive to struggle for survival as before. No, to be precise, I've become numb.

Bai Jie sometimes feels very tired. He has been desperately trying to survive, but when will this kind of life end?

“Miss Hiruko, I am very grateful for your concern for me, but for me, even if I were to die now, rather than being remembered and saddened forever, I would prefer that everyone keep smiling... I mean those who will be saddened by my departure.”

Because Hyakusuke's words were based on a perspective close to the deceased, they were accompanied by a deep sorrow that seeped into Hiiragi Hiruko's heart.

"Mr. Hyakusuke, is that really what you think?"

The girl's eyes gradually revealed an expression of loneliness and sadness.

"I don't like it when you say things like that. Even if it's just a hypothetical situation, please don't casually bring up death. In reality, that hypothetical situation won't come true."

A shadow fell over the priestess's eyes.

"Because, if Mr. Hyakusuke dies... I will definitely follow him immediately, I definitely will—"

Hiiragi Hiruko was filled with melancholy, her emotions becoming very heavy.
"Wait a moment."

Bai Jie hadn't expected her to be so serious.

—Is this what they call valuing women more than men?
Does this mean that if I die, Hiiragi Hiruko plans to commit suicide with me?
I felt a certain pressure for no apparent reason.

He quickly interrupted Hiiragi Hiruko.

"Miss Zhouzi, please don't misunderstand, there's no such thing... I have no intention of committing suicide."

"Well, I know."

Her smile seemed somewhat forced.

Suddenly, someone coughed softly beside them.

"Ahem... I'm sorry to bother you two."

The ten-fold earth Maihana, along with her attendant Tanuki Mame no Susumu, appeared at an inopportune time. In fact, even she herself felt that her appearance was inappropriate.

She had no intention of eavesdropping; she originally planned to find an opportunity to confront them directly, but the content of their conversation became increasingly heavy.

'I had a feeling before... do these two seem to have this kind of relationship?'

"Hey, Miss, you didn't just find out about this now? What those two were doing in the cabin... well, it was clearly a romantic relationship."

"Is that so? Ms. Hiiragi Hiruko said it was a misunderstanding; I really thought it was just a misunderstanding."

The blonde girl and the tanuki communicated telepathically.

'Also... it seems Mr. Hyakusuke's identity isn't quite right. He mentioned he's a Chunin from the Kurohimeyama family, and as for Ms. Hiiragi Hiruko, she's both a high-ranking priestess and very likely has noble blood. Their relationship just feels a bit...'

'Taboo.'

'Yes, yes, yes...that's exactly what I meant.'

She replied to her servant in her heart.

"Oh dear... how should I put it? It seems that such things do happen among humans, where men and women of vastly different social standing fall in love. And this High Priest is quite serious about this matter. You must have heard what I just said, young lady."

Tanuki Bean has a deep understanding of human society.

In short, it's a forbidden love between these two, and their entanglement is quite deep.

Maika Tojo has always harbored a one-sided love for Yoake; she has little experience in romance.

Moreover, the education she received from childhood had no concept of this aspect whatsoever.

Hyakusuke's interaction with Hiiragi Hiiragi was her first experience with this kind of thing, which filled her with a sense of novelty.

'So, this kind of relationship exists... It's completely different from what I knew.'

A feeling of novelty, excitement, and anticipation welled up in her heart.

However, Totsuji Maika was still able to maintain appearances. She cleared her throat and said, "Gentlemen, we're almost at Black Shark Island."

(End of this chapter)