Mob Yandere

Chapter 194-1

Chapter 194-1

[Part 1/4]

In many cases, the exorcist families build their yashiki estate directly above the essence of the Spiritual Vein they oversee.

This is natural, as the Spiritual Vein, which brings blessings to the land, also grants benefits to youkai, sometimes causing them to go berserk and become a bomb.

Not yielding the best seats to monsters and securing the most dangerous places is the duty of the exorcist families tasked with guarding and managing the Spiritual Vein.

Of course, there are exceptions due to geographical reasons, and it is not legally stipulated.

Moreover, the core of the Spiritual Vein is not necessarily unchanging.

Moving the core of the Spiritual Vein is a big job, but it is not impossible.

It costs a lot of money for little meaning and carries risks.

Even without legal regulations, there are no curious people who would attempt it.

That is all there is to it.

A few years ago, during the Kappa incident that troubled the Northern region, a cunning spider youkai changed part of the flow of the Spiritual Vein and was said to have pocketed its benefits... After that incident, the Omnyouji Bureau recommended that exorcist families patrol the branches of the Spiritual Vein, but that is all.

...Now, an unofficial or true Juuyaku main family, known only to a few, even among their own kin.

The cave they dug out beneath the mountainous area near their territory is a byproduct of such curious endeavors.

The space excavated to relocate the center of the Spiritual Vein was expanded, and if one had the structural diagram, they would overlay it with an ant nest.

Numerous rooms and the corridors connecting them.

Even after using hundreds of drug-brainwashed mole youkai and insect youkai, it still took over 30 years.

Thus, the completed place, along with the 'ranch' erased from the map, could truly be called the core of the Juuyaku family.

The internal space reinforced by Barrier Magic against the curse would withstand even the wrath of dragons from the sky.

Thanks to specially cultivated spiritual herbs, the preparations for filtering, purification, and ventilation against poison gas attacks are perfect.

With countless traps set, it was indeed a fortress.

It was far too much for a mere small exorcist family.

One reason the Juuyaku family, despite being in the blessed Center region, did not indulge in extravagance was not only their simple and sturdy family style but also the fact that money was poured into relocating the Spiritual Vein and fortress construction.

"Hmm, he has fallen... Truly a bold move. It should be praised."

...Inside the fortress, there was an especially large basement.

A greenhouse built with heat-retaining processing.

Or a botanical garden.

And a space that served as both a pharmacy and an office.

This was the response of Juuyaku Ichishen, who received a report inside a small hut built amidst the lush greenery.

Stopping the work of preparing medicinal herbs collected in the greenhouse, he calmly looked down at the two blood relatives kneeling.

"Did the conception go well?"

"Including that confirmation, I seek permission to go to the abyss. I want to carry out the retrieval of the young man's body."

"That is not allowed. That place is not somewhere you should go, especially in the current state."

Perhaps due to fatigue, Ichishen calmly rejected the offer from Hana, who looked somewhat haggard.

For its original purpose, or even for some minor tasks, the head had no intention of sending these two to the place where he had fallen.

The abyss, or hell.

In any case, that place is certainly not somewhere 'humans' should step into.

...And that is precisely why he must have fallen himself.

Hoping that his pursuers would not come, or would be delayed.

Truly, it is admirable.

Ichishen praised the remarkable resolve.

That spirit, that judgment, is indeed a pity.

"I will take charge of this matter. You may withdraw."

"Um... when you say withdraw, what should we do?"

It was Kaya who asked the lord's words.

She hesitated, smiling upward with a nervous look, and Ichishen understood the meaning of her question.

"It is as I said. You will not be given additional tasks. Prepare and cultivate your spirit for when the need arises. Understood?"

"Nyaha... understood..."

Kaya responded, more bewildered yet relieved by the sharpened order.

The fact that the lord did not hastily assign them their next "role" meant that he felt the need to keep them as good as new.

Is that promise still ongoing...?

Feeling further denied by the head's judgment, it made her feel like her existence was being rejected.

"I won't complain about the lord's judgment. It's true I was once manipulated, right?"

"That's... hmmm!"

Kaya could only groan at Hana's sharp point.

They lived because of the mistakes in the prison, thanks to he being the Household Member Coordinator.

If he had been dealt with properly, he wouldn't be able to cause such a ruckus.

They were pitifully overlooked....

"We just have to follow the lives given to us... Are you okay?"

Hana observed Kaya as a whole, feeling concerned for her.

The two were drugged and restrained due to the actions of the Household Member Coordinator, taking some recklessness to escape.

No, they had anticipated being drugged to some extent.

When offering poison to the enemy, it's a rule to prepare the antidote in their own stomachs.

However, that rope... was a mistake upon reevaluation.

Even when they fought, that Tengu's rope went unverified.

One would never expect it to be hidden that way.

Thanks to that, they had no room to choose means to escape from the restraints.

Particularly for Kaya, due to the nature of her factor, the burden was greater than Hana's.

And her excited behavior raised both caution and worry.

Kaya was momentarily taken aback by Hana's words and then burst out laughing.

"Nyaha? Nyahahaha!! It's all good, good! Don't worry! This is nothing at all! Look, we're talking just fine, right?"

"..."

Kaya held her arms to her mouth, making a teasing smile as if to blow away Hana's worries.

Hana watched Kaya's silly antics with half-closed eyes, then shook her head with a little sigh of exasperation.

"...Indeed, it seems you're still okay? When you 'snapped', your expression changes a lot."

In reality, when Kaya 'snapped', the situation is far from lighthearted.

It would be impossible to even act like it's a joke.

Her emotions are completely shattered.

It was dangerous just to be in her line of sight.

Once, she had carelessly gotten in the way and faced dire consequences.

She had to be peeled away numerous times to return to normal.

"That's how it is♪..."

"...What's wrong? You suddenly went silent."

Kaya, happily dancing down the last step of the staircase, suddenly goes silent and stops.

Seeing her change so quickly, Hana acts natural while carefully asking.

It doesn't seem like it was just impulsive, but...

"...Ah, yeah. Don't be so wary. It's not like something's going to happen suddenly. ...It's not that kind of thing, you know."

"Not that kind, huh?"

Kaya, with a hesitant expression, strokes her tongue.

Hana, with a bitter smile from thinking back, continues.

"When you made me take the medicine, it mixed quite a bit between his stuff and mine. Look. I got bitten, right?"

Kaya nonchalantly showed her tongue with such a light remark.

A painful mark etched on the alluring tongue.

A dark red, swollen hole.

It's easy to imagine a considerable amount of blood spilled before it stopped flowing.

Even if it was an emergency, the man seemed quite ruthless in his bite.

"...So?"

"That person's saliva felt really tasty. I didn't notice it at the time because of that... But think about it. My mouth is this injured, right? There's the taste of blood, it's painful, and I thought I'd be pretty excited to the point of really falling apart, you know? When I think back, it's like I was sobered up instead."

"Sobered up?"

"I don't mean it in a bad way, okay? It wasn't disillusionment or anything; my mind was just calm... I just think that maybe it acted like a sedative when I look back at it."