Chapter 74: Target
Inside the shrine, Mei was having a pleasant conversation with Yae Sakura.
Unlike the shrine maiden with a pair of fox ears on her head and a good figure in reality, Yae Sakura at this moment is just a girl who looks about the same age as Bronya and is only slightly taller than Yae Rin.
Judging from her age, when Yae Rin's death occurred, she should have been about the same age as Bronya.
Because she has not been eroded or possessed, she does not have any inhuman fox ears on her head.
It seemed that when she went to observe Yae Rin, he returned to the shrine and met Mei, and the two had been talking for a while.
However, from the way they were talking, Sakura didn't seem to recognize Mei.
She has lived in St. Freya Academy for some time and should be quite familiar with the three girls living with Kirataka.
'In other words... there is no memory after waking up in Nagazora City?'
'In this stigma space, her memory is still stuck on the time when she was with her sister?'
Kirataka thought as he slowly walked back to Mei's side and attracted the attention of the two girls with a gentle meow.
Yae Sakura, who was talking to Mei, noticed the cat's arrival, looked down at Kirataka at her feet, and then asked the purple-haired girl in front of her:
"Sister Mei, is this your pet?"
——Considering the age difference and body size difference between the two, Yae Sakura should indeed call the samurai girl in front of her "sister."
"Ah... um, yes, this is my cat."
Mei bent down and picked up the kitten at her feet affectionately.
Yae Sakura touched Kirataka curiously and praised the soft feel.
She seemed to remember something and said to the girl in front of her:
"By the way, to be honest, Sister Mei, our village will be holding a festival soon. If you are interested, you can come and participate."
"A ritual?"
Mei asked.
"Yes, it is a ceremony to pray to the Fox God for rain. It is held every year in Yae Village. I was too young to participate before. This year is also my first time to participate. I am preparing for it."
The cherry-colored girl nodded seriously.
In the past, because she was too young, her father, the Lord God, had never allowed her to participate in it. When the ceremony was held, she would stay in other parts of the village to play with other people of her age.
This year is her first time officially participating in the ceremony, so she has been preparing everything related to the ceremony very seriously recently.
She was carefully preparing for the construction of the ceremony venue and the preparation of supplies.
Then the two girls talked for a few more words, and the girl with the cherry-colored hair said goodbye to them and hurriedly ran towards home.
......
"Speaking of festivals... it always reminds me of the summer festival."
After returning to the inn, Mei relaxed and sat on the edge of the bed.
People of all ages gathered together, participated in the parade, and enjoyed the festive atmosphere. She had participated in similar activities before.
'Well... when I was still surrounded by people and was the daughter of the ME Corp.'
"Unfortunately, the so-called sacrifices in this era are not something to enjoy,"
What is going to happen here in a few days will definitely not be easy.
"But, Kirataka, if it is true as you said, that the villagers here will kill Yae Rin during the ceremony..."
Mei said with some concern:
"Can we tell her about this in advance? I mean, let Miss Yae Sakura realize that this is just a memory fragment in the stigmata space, not the real Far East five hundred years ago..."
"Of course, there is a way to wake her up, but simply waking her up won't fundamentally solve the problem."
Kirataka said.
She forgot what happened after Rin's tragic death, perhaps as a self-preservation mechanism.
After all, the priestess still couldn't forget the tragedy that happened in the past, so she experienced this memory again in the stigmata space.
Even if she can be awakened by force this time, if this mental illness is not cured, I am afraid that one day in the future the Herrscher of Corruption will find an opportunity to pull her back into the dream.
Moreover, the Herrscher of Corruption would definitely choose the night of Rin's death to strike again and try to take over and corrode Yae Sakura's consciousness.
At that time, Yae Sakura's will must have been the weakest, and it would have been the best time to take action.
Now, its real body is probably still hiding somewhere in this stigmata space, waiting for the opportunity.
Therefore, if he wants to stop it, he still has to wait for the ceremony to arrive.
…
The sun has set and night is gradually falling.
In this era when electricity had not yet been invented, the setting of the sun basically marked the end of the day.
The villagers packed up and went home early to rest for the night.
Mei had already washed up and lay down on the tatami to rest.
Kirataka just slept on her pillow, curled up in a ball.
The girl's breathing became steady, but after a while, her eyes suddenly opened.
A pair of scarlet eyes looked at Kirataka in front of her with a curious look.
Then she simply stretched out her hands, grabbed the kitten, and placed it in front of her.
"You are here as expected..."
Kirataka was not surprised by this.
After all, Sister Lei Lu is essentially the stigmata consciousness, so it is not difficult for her to enter this stigmata space.
If the consciousness encounters any harm in the Stigmata Space, the physical body in reality will also be synchronously fed back. Worried about the safety of Mei and Kirataka, she will indeed follow in.
"Of course, to prevent anything from happening to that coward and you."
She said as a matter of course.
Then, Sister Lei Lu asked again:
"When the ceremony begins, what are you going to do? Do you want my help?"
With her power as a complete Herrscher of Thunder, it would be quite easy for her to deal with Higokumaru who had not yet fully taken control of the host's body.
"It may not be difficult to defeat it, but relying solely on violence will not completely subdue it."
Kirataka shook his head.
Otherwise, the Fire Moths of the previous civilization would have completed the creation of the Twelfth Divine Key long ago. How could it be possible that it had been sealed for 50,000 years but still not been completed?
"and..."
Kirataka continued:
"If you take action, that guy will definitely be scared away."
The difference in strength is obvious. When the fox faces an unbeatable opponent, it will definitely choose to run away and hide. In that case, it will be even more impossible to solve Yae Sakura's problem.
"Also... I have another guess."
Kirataka expressed his inner thoughts.
"The target of that Herrscher may not necessarily be Sakura."
Obviously, if the Herrscher of Corruption wanted to snatch a perfect body to descend upon, it would be much easier for her to get a perfect body than Yae Sakura, a girl from five hundred years ago...
He and Mei are the better choices.
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