Chapter 575 – Somei Yoshino (14)

The figure trudging out of the cave was none other than Haku, Saku’s older sister, who had forsaken the Yoshino name.

“Sister?”

She regarded Haku with eyes half filled with surprise, half with trepidation.

Haku, with an air of nonchalance, tossed and caught a scroll she held in her hand. Flanking her were two elite followers of the Flower. The situation was far from favorable.

“Has my little sister arrived?”

Haku’s voice was tender.

“Why… why are you here, sister? What on earth…”

Saku stammered, panic seizing her. Her multicolored eyes, dark with apprehension, flickered.

“Blood?”

The first thing that caught Saku’s gaze was the stark, gruesome bloodstain smeared across the white robe of a spirit mage. The blood of their family, unattended, stained Haku’s garments.

A heartbeat echoed.

Baffled momentarily, Saku rapidly pieced together the situation. As a terrifying realization brushed her mind, a hot flush surged to the tips of her hair, unbearable until she asked about the events that transpired outside.

“Sister… our parents. What about them?”
“Huh?”
“I mean, what happened to our father and mother?”
“Oh, Saku. We’ve reunited after three years, must we really discuss such people?”

The two men at her side unsheathed their weapons, their menacing auras palpable. Saku clenched her teeth. Either way, it was impossible to gauge the true capability of such formidable adversaries.

More overwhelming was the type of magic emanating from them – the Flower’s magic. The distinct, nauseating odor of this magic stung Saku’s nostrils, causing her to furrow her brows.

“Answer me! How did you get here?”

In response to Saku’s furious demand, a rabbit spirit sprung from her body. The covering of rabbit fur subsided.

Her composure shattered. Saku’s physical reaction preempted her mental processing of Haku’s subsequent response.

“I killed them. All of them.”

She had murdered their family.

A brilliant pink aura, Saku’s magical power, engulfed the surrounding area. A tail gently swayed as it emerged from her pubic bone.

【 Spiritualization 】

This was a technique passed down through generations of the Yoshino family. As Saku’s hair flared out wildly, her magic, upon contact with the spirit, metamorphosed into a unique form.

A vibrant, softer pink energy went rampant.

A form most familiar to spirits, softer than any other form, and an easy target for exploiting weaknesses. Saku lunged forward, thrusting out her split fingernails.

A bright flash!

Her nails, gleaming with a firm yellow light, were quickly extended towards Haku’s throat.

The cunning movement of a fox attempting to rip through her neck. As the mercenary on Haku’s right swung his sword in response to Saku’s action, her body bounced off his blade.

She let out a cry!

Saku, having been struck, retreated and assumed a quadruped stance. The mercenary smirked at her.

“It’s inconsequential, isn’t it?”
“Remain vigilant, even though he’s a nincompoop, he’s my sibling. If you wish to avoid meeting your end, never show any vulnerability.”
“Yes, I understand.”

In the Forest Keeper selection, no resolution was achieved.
Haku, looking at Saku, placed the scroll in her bosom.

Somei Yoshino. Upon validating the identity of the scroll, Saku voiced her indignation towards Haku with increased intensity.

“Why, why…. Why did you do that!”

Haku responded to her sister’s cries with an icy smirk, retrieving a broken fox mask from her bosom and placing it on her forehead.

“All of this has been instigated by our lineage. You wouldn’t comprehend. Your mind is always an ephemeral flower garden.”
“…Sister.”

The magic enveloping Saku’s body surged uncontrollably, entangling her legs. The color of the magic was a delicate sakura hue.
Haku, observing this, opened her mouth.

“Such a beautiful hue, Saku. I have always coveted it.”

The magic of a soft pink characteristic manifests as a yearning for ‘connection’ and ‘relationships’.
Whether that takes the form of love, friendship, or a morbid desire for someone didn’t matter.

Some say that those who wield the pink magic are of two kinds – either psychopathic or excessively pure.

In this respect, Saku was the latter, while Haku belonged to the former category.
A woman who, having been betrayed by every conceivable relationship, had grown to loathe them.
Because she was wounded, she yearned for these connections even more, using this as fuel to set her own body ablaze.

– Huralulu.

Magic of a similar scale to Saku’s emanated from Haku.

“The vision of the Yoshino lineage. I tried to find and utilize this scroll, yet nothing transpired. That damned old coot. Does this place even hold power?”
“Is that what’s important?”
“Indeed, for when I return, I will have to wag my tail for Flower.”
“There must have been other ways… Why. Why!! Why!!”
“Kukuku.”

Haku’s eyes narrowed into a long, ominous slit as she laughed. With an expression fraught with insanity, she bared her fangs.

“Until I became like this, you damned grinning insect.”

Haku lifted her robe and exposed her arm.
After dispelling the faint magic on her arm, the cruel marks that marred her body were revealed.
Slave imprints, engraved and erased repeatedly. It was a power orchestrated by the World Tree to exert absolute control over some individuals.

“I don’t believe you’re at fault either, Saku. But, fucking hell, no matter how much I ponder, my gut wrenches in disgust. Every time I see those eyes of yours that know nothing. Day and night, my stomach churned until I thought I was going mad.”
“……What.”
“Do you understand what happened to me?”

Upon exposing her lower abdomen, numerous scars of violence were visible.

“I was tricked and sold by your father for having lower potential than you. Some offering… If I hadn’t managed to escape, I would’ve lived as a plaything until now and succumbed.”

Haku’s voice grew increasingly louder, her eyes bloodshot and spittle flying from her mouth as if her frustration had exploded.

“Why is it always fucking me, huh? Why me? After a few lustful engagements, a child is born, so why was it me?”

Saku’s vigor began to ebb away gradually.

“Lies. All lies-“

To call this a lie, even when seeing it.

-So, your mind is a flower garden.

Haku’s words from before penetrated the denying Saku.

“If it was true, why didn’t you speak? Through conversation…”
“Would that it were through conversation. Why do wars break out, and why do people perish, dear child?”
“…even family…”
“It was a family to you, not me.”

A memory sparkled in Haku’s embrace. Saku, her hands trembling, her face still twisted in anger and regret. Haku, observing her, clicked her tongue vehemently.

“It’s far too late now.”

Bowing her head, Haku advanced a step towards Saku. Haku’s blade targets Saku, who lifts her head hesitantly. Saku’s eyes still streamed with a lethal intent.

“Ha.”

Haku, filled with energy, lets out a hollow laugh. Saku rises and gathers herself.

Even if those words were true, not all of Haku’s actions become justified. She has wrecked the selection process of the forest guardians, causing many fatalities. She has now even infiltrated the ceremony for the survival of the nation.

“Truly.”

Even though she could use a few more mouths. Just as Haku had said, there was no turning back.

They looked at each other consciously. Saku from below, Haku from above. The actions of the two, who had already come a long way, occurred simultaneously.

-Papabat!

Saku’s nails and Haku’s memory aimed for each other’s throats.

* * * * * * * * * * *

The moment the test of Spirit Transmutation was nearly over.

-Boom!

A sensation was felt from quite a distance.

The first owner of the magical power felt was Saku, the other one was unknown. It appeared that the arcane powers of several others were also intertwined.

As I was closing my eyes to sense the presence, Venice, who was wiping her sweat, tugged at my cheek.

“What’s going on? Why are you zoning out?”
“No… Who’s fighting?”

I thought it could be a monster, but what I sensed was a type of power that local monsters couldn’t wield.

“Perhaps the intruder who came here and Saku clashed.”
“Saku…? Ah, yes. She’s a good girl.”
“Do you know her?”

Venice nodded, her tongue clicking in a bitter tone.

“She often visited our village since she was little. She grew up playing with nymphs. I’ve seen her like that for many years.”
“Do you remember her?”
“Somewhat… She was an unusual child whom I hadn’t seen in decades.”

Venice said so and started telling me about the Saku she had known.

The occasional pillaging of the Yoshino family that happened in the village.

They would seize the various treasures of the nymphs, or abscond with all things of value from the ‘outside.’ It was said that on days of pillage, the lamentations never ceased to ring throughout the Nymph Village.

– “Ahhhhhhhh! Everything has been plundered….”

The wails of the nymphs echoed naturally in my mind. While the reality must have been even more harrowing than the memory, the demeanor of the nymphs lent itself to such vivid recall.

“Saku provided aid to the village. I don’t know if it was due to her youth, but it seems she began to vaguely sense the happenings here from that time onwards.”
“Did Saku halt the plundering?”
“I’m not sure if she did something specific, but the pillaging lessened as she grew older. Given that it didn’t cease entirely, it seems likely the family members continued in secret.”
“Is that so?”

My previous belief, that Saku had participated in the dungeon raiding, was refuted.

‘Why would she do such a thing?’

Did the already-struggling economy necessitate halting the pillaging? If it were up to me, I would never have ceased.

“… Oh? How can you entertain such thoughts when the victim is right before you?”

Venice, having discerned my thoughts, laughed sardonically. I retorted.

“And how would you have acted in her place?”
“Well, it may be a bit of a stretch, but I suppose I would have done the same. However, that girl possesses an inherent goodness that is beautifully ordered.”
“You appear to have observed quite a lot.”
“I was merely watching.”
“So, you don’t worry that she might be led astray?”

I asked Venice, pointing my chin towards the location of the fierce battle. Saku, who had entered this dungeon before me, exhibited an unusual disposition. But knowing Venice as I do…

“I’m not interested.”

Yes. That was the response I anticipated. Her tone suggested she was utterly indifferent to whether Saku lived or died.

“The reason I remember is because it was a relatively recent occurrence… and you’re my only friend.”
“Is that so?”
“Ah, but… this makes the conversation take a different turn.”

Venice, suddenly altering the course of our conversation, scratched her forehead in deep thought. Glancing at me, she burst into a self-satisfied chuckle.

“What’s so amusing?”
“You said one could gain strength by copulating with a female.”

Indeed, I did.

“Then isn’t it a shame to lose a potential female partner here?”

A startling revelation. Upon hearing that Saku was in danger, she managed to concoct a concern from nothing.

Upon hearing Venice’s words, I turned to look at her in disbelief. Venice continued to chuckle, poking me in the waist with a smug expression.

“Why? You were going to do it anyway, right?”

She nudged me with her elbow. It felt strange, and yet somehow pleasant, knowing she could read me so well.

“And… it’s about time we tested your strength.”

Venice pressed herself against my chest, signaling for me to transform into a spirit. With a dubious expression, I adjusted the magic within my body to accommodate her.

Aligning the undulations of my magic with Venice’s, I was careful to not incite any discomfort in her.

“Here. Do this.”

Venice extended her fist towards me, a silent request for a sign of camaraderie. I gently reciprocated, my own fist meeting hers in the middle.

This act, a bond vital for the process of elementalization, served as a trigger. The moment the physical forms of the human and the elemental were connected, Venice’s form vanished from my sight.

– Whoooooosh!

The spiritual energy augmented, causing my senses to expand exponentially. I was now in my elemental form, a flawless state that allowed me to witness the entirety of the universe and employ magic without the slightest loss of power. It was somewhat unstable, requiring focus, but the power I now wielded far surpassed that of Eleanor and Lucy.

I pondered upon the sensation of introducing magi into this equation. Although I couldn’t utilize it in its current unstructured state, I felt that with a bit more manipulation, I would soon grow accustomed to it.