Chapter 44: Removing the Filth

"Desire, huh..." Kikyō looked at the oiran before her, understanding yet not quite grasping it.

Yae Sakura, however, understood well enough. Humans sought strength for their desires, moving forward...

But those same desires could also plunge them into an abyss from which there was no return.

"I can break the curse on you," she said, "but in doing so, you might lose everything you have now. Are you willing?"

The oiran had become a courtesan not just through her own efforts, but because of another reason: a curse left on her by a monster.

It was a curse that increased charm and allure. But the oiran girl was ordinary; this curse came from an evil spirit. Slowly, it would corrupt her. At first, it made her more beautiful, but in the end, it would turn her into a repulsive monster.

"I'm willing..." The oiran girl lifted her head and quickly nodded.

"Stand up and talk!" Kikyō raised her hands...

"Yes, Lady Miko..."

"If possible, tell us about the monster who cursed you and where we can find it. I doubt you'd want it coming back again, right?"

Since the oiran girl was topless, standing up revealed everything. Yae Sakura unconsciously shifted her gaze away.

As a high-class courtesan, she couldn't just give her body away. Besides, most people couldn't afford it anyway. Plus, with that filthy thing on her back, she didn't dare sell herself sexually. So now this courtesan girl was still a virgin.

"Yes," the courtesan girl said quickly when asked about the monster. "That creature is at Jōkan-ji Temple in the southwest!"

Being a courtesan wasn't as glamorous as you might think. No matter how high-class they were, all they really were for some men was a tool.

When their hair started turning white, if no one had bought their freedom by then, they'd be thrown aside.

Old courtesans could only become servants or be abandoned unless someone redeemed them first. There was no exception.

But buying a courtesan's freedom cost a fortune. How many people could even come up with that much money? Most courtesans ended up sad and old.

There was no way to buy a courtesan cheaply, not even after they got old... The brothel owners wouldn't sell them off for less, let alone toss them out.

By then, the brothel owners had made enough money. Why would they care what happened to the old courtesans?

In the southwest part of the red-light district stood a temple called Jōkan-ji. Many former courtesans were buried there.

Once a courtesan lost her appeal, she was no different from any other prostitute. They all found their final resting place at Jōkan-ji, and no one cared to ask too many questions.

"The purification ritual will be painful. I hope you can endure it."

Kikyō set up a soundproof barrier in the Oiran's room and drew a purification circle on the floor.

"I can handle it. I don't want to turn into a monster." The Oiran girl's eyes showed her determination.

"That's good. Take off all your clothes and stand in the center of the circle."

"Understood."

There were no men around, so the Oiran girl didn't hesitate. She took off her remaining clothes and stood naked in the center of the circle.

"Circle... Activate!"

As Kikyō watched the Oiran girl enter the circle, she formed a hand seal. Instantly, beams of light enclosed the Oiran girl.

"Purify the filth, cleanse the disaster, subdue all demons! Let it be done swiftly by this command!"

A burst of powerful white spiritual energy appeared during the ceremony, but thanks to Kikyō's barrier, the light remained contained.

Suddenly, the Oiran girl floated up into the air, lying horizontally.

"The filth is being extracted..."

It was as if two giant, invisible hands had reached into the body of the courtesan girl...

"Ah..."

A painful scream burst from her lips, startling Yae Sakura.

"It hurts, but hang on," Kikyō urged hastily. "Don't pass out or it'll all be wasted..."

The courtesan girl gritted her teeth. "I... can do this... Ah... It's so painful..."

"Good!"

At that moment, Kikyō continued forming her seal. Above the Oiran girl, a massive white pentagram appeared, pressing down directly on her.

This was... the Hiragana-Kikyō Seal!

Kikyō's name itself came from this very seal.

"Ah..."

The screams continued, but the filth on her back was slowly disappearing...

After an unknown amount of time, finally... the filth on the Oiran girl's back was completely gone.

Kikyō ended the ritual, sat down, and began recovering her spiritual energy, which had been significantly depleted this time.

"You okay?" Yae Sakura asked with concern.

"I'm fine. It'll come back soon." Kikyō shook her head, then looked at the Oiran girl lying on the ground again.

"How do you feel now?"

"Thank you, Lady Miko. I feel... much lighter," the Oiran girl said as she struggled to get up. Now, she no longer possessed her previous special charm.

Though still beautiful, she wasn't as captivating as before. It seemed that after removing the filth and breaking the curse, its effects were gone too.

"Without your demonic powers, your charm has faded... You'll likely be abandoned soon. Do you have any plans for what to do next?"

Yae Sakura supported Kikyō as they watched the young Oiran girl sitting across from them on the ground. They could imagine her fate if she lost that alluring power and stayed here.

"Please save me!" The girl shuddered at the thought of losing her allure. She looked desperately at Yae Sakura for help.

"What do you want to do in the future?" Yae Sakura didn't answer right away and stopped Kikyō from speaking.

"I... I don't know. All I can do is serve tea, dance, sing traditional songs, and play classical music..."

The girl had enjoyed the life of an Oiran, but after experiencing such filth, she no longer cared about luxury or endless parties.

"Not bad, you have some skills... Kikyō, why don't you stay here and take care of her? How about it, Miss Courtesan?" After thinking for a moment, Yae Sakura decided having a former courtesan as a servant wouldn't be so bad.

But due to her own special reasons, Yae could only offer Tsuki a position as Kikyō's servant.

"How can I accept that..." Kikyō immediately refused. "Being a servant... if it were for two priestesses, I might consider it..."

The sudden change from being at the top as an oiran to becoming a mere servant was hard to adjust to...

"Oh right, I don't even know your name yet," Yae said.

"I'm... Tsuki," the girl replied after a moment of silence.

"Tsuki..."

In ancient times, not everyone had family names. Only warriors, nobles, or those with higher social status passed down their names through generations.

It wasn't uncommon for women to have single-character names back then.

"Well then, Tsuki, you'll come along with us for now! We'll figure out what to do next."

"Yes!"