kscans

Chapter 323 - The Seal and Onigashima

The battle with Byakko ended in victory for Hayato and his friends.

Maris’s suggestion of a cat teaser had been remarkably effective.

Regardless of hate values, Byakko would pounce on whoever was waving the teaser. The condition was that the person had to be in its line of sight, but if we could choose the target of its attacks, then its increased attack power from being angered by the taming attempts was no problem.

The beast had almost no area of effect attacks, so we simply repeated the process of skillfully rotating the tank role to receive Byakko’s blows and attacking in the openings, until we finally defeated it.

Partway through, Esha refused to use Destroy, declaring, "I cannot fire upon a monster so close to being an O-neko-sama," but this only caused a minor delay and posed no real issue.

We also cleared the secret mission some members had, "Do not let Surya get hit." There was no particular change in Surya, so we relaxed, assuming all was well.

Benitsuru informed the samurai that Byakko had been vanquished and requested that they return the folding screen to the storehouse. Afterward, she bowed her head to Hayato and the others.

"Everyone, thank you so very much! What you’ve done today will be passed down through the generations in the Eastern Country!"

"Allow me to offer my thanks as well. We were saved because of you all. We will arrange any and all conveniences for you during your stay in the Eastern Country, so please ask for anything you wish."

"Then first, I’m going to Benny-chan’s room."

Simon probably hadn’t meant it in that sense, but Lunaria spoke with a completely serious face.

This sent Benitsuru into a panic.

"Huh, whoa, wait! I’ll call you when the room is ready, so just hold on a minute! Five minutes! No, three will be enough!"

"Launching a surprise attack before the enemy’s forces are prepared is a natural course of action for a Demon Lord. I’m going to expose your secrets, so you had better be ready. It’s fine. I won’t mind if you have some embarrassing pajamas or are trying a bit too hard with your underwear."

"No, I have nothing of the sort," Benitsuru said, her expression devoid of emotion. Everyone present seemed to get the picture.

"It’s fine, I’ll keep whatever I see a secret. That’s what best friends do."

"Best friends don’t do that in the first place! Y-you scoundrel! Seize her, seize her!"

Amidst the commotion, Lunaria and Benitsuru departed together. Or rather, Lunaria dragged the protesting Benitsuru out of the room.

Everyone must have decided that they would be fine if left alone, as no one offered help or gave chase.

Simon, who had been watching, gave a wry smile.

"This will be good medicine for the Princess. She never cleans her room, no matter how many times I tell her. That aside, what will the rest of you do? I can give you a tour of the castle if you like."

His words gave Hayato an idea. He wanted to read the documents stored in the castle.

They hadn’t struggled too much with Byakko this time, but with prior knowledge, they might have defeated it more easily. And Benitsuru probably wouldn’t have been thrown out of the castle.

Besides, even if there was a large volume of books, he figured it wouldn’t take too long if all the members here read them together.

"In that case, could we have permission to read the books in the castle? If we all read them, we should be done quickly."

Hayato was halfway through his sentence when a chorus of boos erupted from everyone.

"Let’s go find Seiryu instead of doing that!" Maris declared cheerfully.

"We don’t know where it is, you know. That information might be in the documents. There could also be information on yokai."

"I’m certainly interested in that, but I’m not good with reading books, or rather I dislike it, or rather I’ll fall asleep…"

Everyone nodded in agreement with Maris’s words. Even Surya.

(Isn’t doing research part of a researcher’s job…?) Hayato thought.

She probably didn’t remember, but in the real world, Maris was a veterinarian and Surya a researcher. They were the complete opposite of Mist, who was the type to read medical texts while forgoing sleep. Hayato was a little exasperated, but he reconsidered, thinking it wasn't right to force something on everyone who had fought so hard.

Besides, the members here were more of the outdoorsy type. They probably hated the idea of holing up in a room to read books, even in a game. Although calling them outdoorsy while playing a game was a bit of a strange notion.

Hayato nodded and looked at everyone.

"Alright. In that case, I have some things I want to look up in the books, so let’s call it a day, even though it’s early."

They had arrived at the castle early, so it wasn’t even nine in the morning yet. Usually, they disbanded just before noon, but today would be an early dismissal.

However, being told this seemed to make the other members feel apologetic.

"I’m sure everyone would feel guilty letting you do that all by yourself, Master. That said, we don’t want to read, so if there’s anything else we can do, we’ll handle it. Is there anything?"

Everyone nodded emphatically at Esha’s words.

Just how much do you not want to read books, was the only thought that came to mind, but if that was the case, there was something he wanted them to do.

"In that case, could you all go to the shrine in the artisan district and draw omikuji fortunes? I want to collect every type, from Great Curse to Great Blessing."

"Ah…"

A small sound escaped from Diite when Hayato said that. But she immediately looked away.

(What’s that? Is doing that a bad idea? But she did say I should do it, right?)

He considered various possibilities but concluded that with the current members present, they could handle whatever might happen. So Hayato asked them to take care of the omikuji.

He also asked them to buy as many potions and cooking ingredients as they could. He was starting to run low on materials.

Everyone agreed and decided to split up to handle the tasks.

Esha, Cecil, Noat, along with Maris and Surya, decided to go buy materials for production items. Noat naturally threw a tantrum, but Cecil dragged her along.

Ney’s group and Rosalie’s group decided to head to the shrine.

"Alright! Rosalie! Let’s have a contest to see who draws a Great Blessing first!"

"I don’t think that’s what omikuji are for."

With that, Ney, Rosalie, and the others took their groups and left.

The remaining members were Ash’s group and Diite.

"When it comes to books, you can leave it to me-ssu yo!" Randa said, pushing up the position of her glasses with her right hand.

Ren and Suien both nodded in agreement with their arms crossed, saying, "That’s right!" and "Indeed she is."

"Randa-san, do you enjoy reading books?"

"It’s because I’m a Class Rep Character-ssu!"

"A character, huh…?"

With her braided hair and glasses, she certainly gave off the image of a book lover, but that kind of class representative probably only existed in fiction. That aside, he wondered about having a "Class Rep Character" when she was over twenty years old.

Hayato kept that thought to himself and simply said, "In that case, I’ll be counting on you."

"Alright, the rest of us will head to the shrine. Esha’s group went shopping, so it’s better if we don’t overlap. What about you, Diite?"

"I’ll go with you, Ash-kun. I’ll leave things here to Hayato-kun and Randa-kun."

From Hayato’s perspective, it looked like Diite was itching to say something but was restraining herself so as not to spoil anything.

He imagined she wanted to leave the area to avoid saying anything unnecessary.

"I understand. Alright Ash, if anything happens, contact me on voice chat."

Ash replied, "Got it," and led Ren’s group and Diite out of the room.

"Well then, Simon. Could you guide us to where the books are?"

"Umu. This way."

With Simon leading the way, Hayato and Randa headed for their destination.

The books were not inside the castle but in a separate archive building outside. He said it was not only a place to store books but also a place to read them.

It was a reasonably large archive, and while there was normally a fee for use, they would be allowed to view the books for free, as he couldn’t possibly charge Hayato and his friends.

(Still, books. If I were researching something, digital files that can be searched would be better, but I guess that’s not an option here.)

In reality, paper books were treated as valuables, and the only people who owned them personally were members of the Foundations. Or they were only available in Colony "Museum".

Then it occurred to him.

That wasn’t just the case now, but also in Ash’s era.

Hayato lowered his voice so Simon wouldn’t hear and asked Randa.

"Randa-san, you said you were good at reading books, but these aren’t digital. Are you sure you’re okay?"

"Of course I’m okay-ssu yo. Being an actress provides all sorts of opportunities, so I’ve read paper books before-ssu. I worked hard on my character building, and back when I thought this world was real, there were only paper books-ssu."

"Come to think of it, that’s right. Then I’m counting on you."

"Leave it to your big sister-ssu."

"You’re younger than me, aren’t you?"

"According to my character setting, I’m a dragon, so I’m quite old-ssu yo?"

"…Well, I suppose that might be true."

She must have paid money for character creation, just like Pat. For Hayato, his only thought was that actors went to such lengths, but Randa was always like this, to an unnatural degree.

"I kind of feel like I want to see the Randa-san who isn’t in character."

"You might regret it-ssu yo…!"

Randa said, making a mischievous face, but it wasn’t scary at all.

Her mischievous face turned slightly serious as she spoke in a normal volume. "I wanted to ask you something-ssu."

"Are you reading these books with a specific piece of information in mind, Hayato-san?"

"Yeah, like I said earlier, I want to look up information on Seiryu if there is any. And also about yokai and Onigashima. I’d like to research the Wind God and Thunder God if possible, but that can wait for another day."

"Got it-ssu. Then we’ll focus our search on the first three things-ssu yo."

"Thanks."

There was no way to search the books, so they would have to read them one by one, but somehow Randa seemed reliable. He was impressed, thinking this must be the effect of her character building.

Perhaps having overheard their conversation, Simon muttered, "Onigashima, huh."

"Simon, do you know much about Onigashima?"

"No, I know almost nothing. I knew the Ten Holy Demonic Swords members were investigating it, but I never heard what was there. It’s supposed to be an island inhabited only by oni… I doubt the ones in prison would answer if I asked, so maybe I should look into it as well."

"Alright, then the three of us will investigate-ssu yo. It would be great if we find out there’s treasure on Onigashima-ssu."

"I can’t imagine the Ten Holy Demonic Swords members would be moved by monetary treasure. Besides, their leader didn’t end up going there in the end, so there might not be anything of great value, you know?"

"Well, we’ll investigate that too-ssu. Oh, is that it-ssu?"

"Umu, that’s it. Quite something, isn’t it?"

Hayato looked in the direction Randa was pointing and saw a large building. It looked like a storehouse from the outside, but it was an archive where one could also read inside.

The thought of the vast number of books inside made him feel discouraged before he even started reading.

(This might take a few days…)

"Let’s go. There’s someone who manages the books, so I think we can narrow down what we need to read to some extent."

Simon said this, then smiled and lightly patted Hayato on the back.

"So don’t make such a troubled face."

"Ah, was it showing on my face?"

"I don’t think there’s anyone whose emotions are as easy to read as yours."

Simon headed towards the archive, laughing as he spoke.

"Am I really that easy to read?"

"I’ll just say I’m surprised you even have to ask-ssu."

"It’s that bad…?"

Feeling slightly shocked, Hayato followed Simon with Randa and stepped into the archive.

The inside of the archive had a peculiar smell.

It wasn't a musty smell, but the scent of ink and paper. Hayato had never smelled it in the real world, but he had learned about it from Ney when he went to the library in the Royal Capital long ago.

(Come to think of it, only people from the Foundation or close to them would know the smell of ink and paper.)

He hadn't paid it much mind back then, but thinking about it now, Ney wasn't very good at hiding things. In any case, that was all in the past, so Hayato looked around the archive again.

As was to be expected, the books were not printed but all old-fashioned and handwritten. There were even some that looked like scrolls, and his impression was that it was surprisingly elaborate.

Simon brought over the person who managed the books here. He was a slender man in his thirties, wearing a kimono.

Hayato told the man what information he wanted, and the man replied, "I will bring you some books that seem relevant," before walking towards the back of the storehouse.

Although a pinpoint search was impossible, if they could narrow down the books to some extent, this analog method wasn't so bad, Hayato thought as he waited for the man.

After waiting for a while, the male curator returned with several books.

There were some books that made him wonder if they were really necessary, but for now, Hayato and the others decided to split up and start reading.

Hayato’s group spent about two hours reading through the books.

Randa was in charge of the yokai, and it was decided that she would share the information with Maris and Surya later.

Simon had been researching matters related to Onigashima and had discovered a few things.

"There’s an oni sealed on Onigashima?"

"Umu. The oni’s name is Shuten Doji."

Hayato thought that a rather famous oni had appeared. However, he also thought that no matter how famous the oni was, the current members could defeat any opponent, so he decided to go to Onigashima.

When he said this out loud, Simon shook his head.

"There is a concerning passage. It seems that when Shuten Doji last appeared, it was a battle on the scale of a thousand people that continued for a week."

"So it’s treated as a long-term raid boss. In that case, it’s unlikely we can win with just our current members."

Long-term raid bosses are meant to be defeated over several days. In the past, there were events where bosses were defeated over several days.

According to the rules at that time, there was a set time frame for fighting, and the raid boss’s HP would not recover even after a day passed. There was also a system where members who had participated in the battle at least once would receive spoils of war when the boss was defeated, even if they were not present at the time. However, the rarity of the spoils of war would change depending on their contribution to the battle.

As he was recalling this, Simon shook his head again.

"It's not a matter of winning or losing. It's sealed in the first place. The method to undo the seal wasn't written down."

"Actually, I have a lead regarding the seal."

"And that is?"

"I found out from reading the documents that the Four Divine Beasts are sealing something. It seems the seal is broken if you defeat all of them within a certain period. It wasn’t written what seal would be broken, though."

"That is… almost certainly the seal on Shuten Doji."

"Right? And as for Seiryu, it seems the shrine has something to do with it."

"The shrine? Which means…"

"Actually, a certain source told me it would be best to collect all types of omikuji. The books also mentioned something similar. Something about one’s luck being tested to meet Seiryu."

Hayato was convinced that this was likely the condition for summoning Seiryu.

Diite had said she wanted to liven up the Eastern Country. She probably wanted them to showcase that such things exist in the Eastern Country.

In that case, Hayato resolved to defeat Seiryu and break the seal on Shuten Doji for Diite’s sake.

Just as he had that thought, Lunaria and Benitsuru entered the archive.

"Everyone was gone when I got back to the room, I was on the verge of tears. Report properly when you go out. Reporting, contacting, and consulting are important."

"I was the one who cried when you barged into my room, you know!"

Despite what they were saying, both of them looked energetic.

Lunaria had a good time to begin with, and Benitsuru, though she disliked it, probably found the experience fresh and new.

Hayato explained that they were in the archive and that everyone else was at the shrine, and the two of them nodded.

"I, as the Demon Lord, will beat up some blue dragon. And that oni on the island, too. I cannot forgive someone for doing something as Demon Lord-like as sealing things away."

"The way I’m handling my sword right now is dangerous! I feel like I can cut anything! This is seriously awesome!"

"That’s reassuring. Then let’s go right away."

Hayato and the others decided to head to the shrine in the artisan district.

When they arrived at the shrine, for some reason, everyone had troubled looks on their faces.

It was probably not his imagination that they looked slightly relieved when Hayato’s group arrived.

"Ash, did something happen?"

"No, we’ve been drawing omikuji for nearly two hours, but we can’t complete the set at all. We were just starting to get bored."

"Sorry for asking you to do that."

"How about your end?"

"We’ve finished our research. For that, we need to complete the omikuji set."

After explaining the situation to everyone present, they all decided to draw omikuji again.

There was a restriction that you could only draw an omikuji once every five minutes, and each time it cost 300 G. It was quite an expense. And all that was left were the Curse and Great Curse fortunes. It seemed everyone’s enthusiasm had vanished within the first thirty minutes.

Feeling bad for asking them to do this, Hayato decided to draw an omikuji himself.

The shrine maiden inside the office asked, "Which number would you like?"

Upon asking for details, it seemed the system was that you say a three-digit number, and the shrine maiden would bring an omikuji from the box with that number.

Wondering why he couldn't draw it himself, Hayato gave a random three-digit number.

The shrine maiden seemed to be in a good mood, likely because the omikuji were selling well. When she saw the fortune, she looked at Hayato with a beaming smile.

Then, for some reason, she vigorously shook the purification wand in her right hand back and forth with a gasa gasa sound.

"Congratulations! It’s a Curse!"

"I’m not happy about that."

Cheers erupted from those around him. It was the type they were aiming for, but to think he would be the one to draw it… Hayato looked off into the distance for a moment.

Next, Benitsuru announced her number.

The shrine maiden looked slightly surprised to see Benitsuru, but she drew the omikuji for the specified number.

"Too bad… it’s a Great Blessing."

"Getting a ‘too bad’ for drawing a Great Blessing is totally hilarious."

From beside Benitsuru, who was clutching her stomach and laughing, Lunaria stood before the shrine maiden with a smug face.

"The main attraction has arrived. As the Demon Lord, I will draw the greatest fortune. Something like a Super Ultra Great Blessing."

He was about to ignore Lunaria, who clearly misunderstood the whole thing, but just in case, Hayato looked at the shrine maiden.

The shrine maiden silently shook her head from side to side. In other words, there was no such thing.

"Which number would you like?"

At the shrine maiden’s question, Lunaria was slightly startled and then hid behind Benitsuru’s back. Her fear of strangers must have kicked in.

Lunaria peeked out from behind Benitsuru and looked at the shrine maiden as she spoke.

"Then 666. It’s the number of a Demon Lord. It’s an unlucky number, so much so that it’s even used in Esha-chan’s gun’s name."

"Please don’t call it unlucky. Even though it is unlucky."

Esha’s gun, the Beelzebub 666 EC Custom. There was no doubt it was an ominous gun with a skull mark on it, but one shouldn’t say it out loud.

Right now, Esha was not here, and neither were Cecil or Maris’s group, so Hayato presumed they were still in the middle of shopping.

The shrine maiden drew the omikuji for the number Lunaria had said. Seeing it, the shrine maiden’s eyes widened. Furthermore, she shook the purification wand she was holding as hard as she could. Even more violently than for Hayato.

"C-congratulations! It’s a Great Curse!"

An even louder cheer erupted than when Hayato drew his Curse.

The person in question, Lunaria, had a very displeased look on her face, but perhaps buoyed by the excitement around her, her expression gradually shifted to a smug one.

"Hmph, a Great Curse suits a Demon Lord well. But what does it mean by ‘You should calm down a little’?"

"Maybe it’s advice. Mine says ‘Disaster is coming.’ It’s not advice or anything…"

It might be a warning to prepare for something, but it was too vague to be useful advice.

"Then, for our first customer of the day to complete the set, we will present a hanging scroll!"

The shrine maiden said this as she handed a long, thin box to Lunaria.

(This is less like omikuji and more like a lottery.)

Lunaria tilted her head in confusion but opened the box and took out the hanging scroll. She then unrolled it so everyone could see the contents.

As they all peered at it, they saw a picture of a dragon. It was not a Western-style dragon, but an Eastern-style one with a long, slender body.

Everyone had a vague sense of what it was, but Hayato asked the shrine maiden.

"What is the name of this dragon?"

"That is Seiryu. We have many hanging scrolls, and it has been passed down for generations at this shrine to be given to a person with good luck. By the way, this is the first time one has been given out."

"I figured as much. But, you have many of them…?"

Putting that aside, Hayato presumed this hanging scroll was the item to summon Seiryu.

All that was left was to figure out the summoning method, but that had not been written in the books he read.

Just as he was thinking he should read the books again, Lunaria said, "Ah."

"What’s wrong?"

"This picture is incomplete. The eyes have not been drawn in."

Looking closely, it was true that the dragon’s eyes had not been drawn.

(Wait? Is that…)

Hayato felt like he had heard those words somewhere before.

"It cannot be helped. I shall draw them."

"Huh…? That’s it! Wait a second!"

"No one can stop the Demon Lord. Rosalie-chan, please hold Hayato-san back."

Rosalie had a troubled look on her face, but she seemed to obey Lunaria’s order. She and the other Black Rose members surrounded Hayato to prevent him from getting close to Lunaria.

"Wait! Lunaria-san! It’s not good to draw it!"

Hayato pleaded, but blocked by the members of Black Rose, he couldn’t stop Lunaria.

While Ash and the others were contemplating what to do, Lunaria placed the hanging scroll on the ground and took out a bottle of ink.

Why did she have such a thing? To play pranks on the faces of people who fell asleep before her. It was fortunate that there had been no victims yet, but one could say that the first victim would be the picture of Seiryu.

Lunaria smoothly opened the ink bottle, then took out a brush, dabbed it with a bit of ink, and drew in Seiryu’s eyes.

It was surprisingly well done, but this was not the time to be saying that.

"Yes. Now it looks cool. I’ll add my signature, too."

The moment Lunaria said that, the drawn eyes of Seiryu glowed and shot a beam of light into the sky.

While everyone was stunned, black rain clouds billowed out from the point of light, spreading across the sky, and rain began to fall. Furthermore, the sound of thunder echoed.

From within the spreading clouds, as expected, Seiryu appeared. It roared upon seeing Lunaria, and lightning struck the surrounding area.

Several people took damage, but Lunaria was not hit. After staring blankly for a moment, Lunaria stored her brush and ink in her item bag and slowly drew Arondight.

"Hmph, to pick a fight with the Demon Lord is truly laughable. And to repay my kindness in drawing your eyes with hostility… you are in need of a little punishment."

(Ah, just as I thought… A back-to-back battle, and Esha’s group isn’t here. Are we going to be okay…)

And so, the battle with Seiryu began.

A little before Hayato and his friends were doing this in the Eastern Country, a clan meeting of the major clans was about to begin in the Royal Capital.