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Chapter 175


Thinking back, even Nayame could tell there was something weird with me for a moment .


So, following Ouka’s advice, I used ‘Presence Block’ to hide all signs of my nature .


“Well then, let’s go to the capital . ”


Having disguised both my face and my true nature, I went into the cave with Ouka .


The sound of our footsteps echoed inside as we walked .


Inside the cave, the field of vision grew darker as you go further in, but aside from that there was nothing else worth mentioning .


Ouka and I silently proceeded further in, and arrived at a point where the road stopped and there was no clear path from that point onwards .


“It’s a dead end…”


“No, it’s not . ”


My words came out as a whisper as I stared at the wall that was right in front of us .


But then, Ouka continued to walk towards the wall without hesitation, placed her hand on it… And then her hand went through the wall as if being sucked in .


“This is the way out . ”


Ouka started going through the wall slowly and steadily, almost as if to show me how it’s done, and then disappeared completely into it .


I was a bit surprised at first, but then remembered the first time I arrived at Ouka’s shrine .


This was exactly how it was the first time I went there .


Just like Ouka, I pushed my hand against the wall and it went right through it .


What was I waiting for?


I was being driven by a strange sense of curiosity in this unimaginable scenery .


I didn’t feel anything when I touched that wall . On the other side, once the rest of my body had gone through, I found that such a gorgeous world… was not there at all, but instead more of the same cave we were in .


The atmosphere was so similar that for a moment I did not know if I had gone through the wall at all, but Ouka was there to bring me back to reality .


“Here we are, Yato-sama . ”


Half disoriented, after hearing Ouka’s voice, I went down to where she was .


Once there, a light suddenly began to shine in front of us, letting us know that we were close to our destination .


Ouka and I exited the cave, and an “oh” escaped from my mouth as I saw what was there .


“Is that…?”


“Yes . ”


Ouka and I nodded at each other, and looked at what loomed ahead .


A perfect-looking Japanese castle .


It had an appearance that even an amateur would understand, complete with typical roof tiles and white-lacquered walls .


Though it was still a bit far off in the distance, its sheer presence made it feel like it was closer than it really was .


“Black Princess is waiting for you at the castle’s tower . ”


Ouka pointed at the topmost part of the castle as she explained that .


That’s where we were going .


Teleporting there would have been easy enough, but there’s a reason why we were going through the main entrance .


My eyes had been fixed on the castle for a while, but looking down I could see that there were several small houses around it .


I wanted to see what the town looked like .


Since the place we were going is known as a capital, I expected it to be quite prosperous .


“Let’s finish this quickly so we can return to Karen-sama . ”


“That’s right . ”


Of course, spending too much time sightseeing wouldn’t do at all .


Ouka and I went down the cliff and headed to the castle town .


―――――――――――――――


Traditionally, people are set on their idea of youkai and regard them as “frightening things” .


But that might be just people nowadays taking the prejudice of the people from the olden days for granted .


“… Amazing . ”



That word just came out of my mouth, almost as a whisper .


I couldn’t see a single “frightening thing” or anything like that .


It almost felt as if we had been taken back to the Edo period .


On the way to the castle, several passing youkai had caught my attention .


There was nothing to worry about . If I had looked way too different than a regular human, I would have attracted the attention of anyone who passed by .


Rather than just one-eyed youkai or half-beasts, even youkai shaped as things that are not normally alive such as darumas and umbrellas moved around everywhere, and had conversations with each other .


But there was nothing wrong about that sight .


Instead, far from “frightening”, these youkai were overflow with radiance .


“It’s quite lively around here . ”


“It seems this is the last land of the youkai . For that reason, all of the youkai that have been scattered around far away from these lands have gathered here . ”


“So they just needed to gather here?”


“There is a reason, and that is that there is not just one race of youkai . ”


Ouka starts speaking while facing somewhere else .


“Youkai feed on various things depending on their race . Grass, fruit, meat, spirits, and so on . There are infinite variations depending on each race of youkai, and there are cases where some of them can’t procure food for themselves and become extinct . That’s why Black Princess, in cooperation with five other youkai, decided to provide for everyone one way or another . ”


That’s why they gathered in the capital .


They support each other by cooperating and compensating what their neighbor lacks .


It feels almost like a human society .


That’s the vague impression I got from Ouka’s explanation .


“We’re here . ”


Ouka stopped walking, and I soon followed suit .


Before I knew it, we were already in front of the castle .


Having it right in front of my face, I could feel its immense presence .


I took a deep breath as I my eyes moved towards the top of the castle .


“We’re here to see Her Highness, Black Princess . ”


“Well met . ”


“Please, do come in . ”


Ouka announced us both before the black-winged gatekeepers that stood at each side of the castle gates .


“Let’s go, Yato-sama . ”


“Ah, sure . ”


I was just standing there in awe, but Ouka’s voice prompted me to catch up to here with a small trot .


“Speaking of which, what kind of youkai is Black Princess?”


I was curious, so I asked Ouka . But apparently it wasn’t a question that could be answered easily .


Ouka was at a loss for words, which may or may not have been befitting of her .


“What can I say? … She’s very, very big . ”


“Huh? What? Like a giant?”


In my head, I could only imagine some sort of giant youkai . Ouka’s next answer took some time, too .


For some reason, she was slightly blushing, and replied with nothing more than “you’ll understand when you look at her . ”


Ouka’s answer ended up getting me even more confused than I already was .


―――――――――――――――


Bonus


【Struggling】


At the shrine


“Waaah!”


“Wait!”


“…”


“Here, here!”


“Ahahaha!”


“… Can’t I even show it to at least one of these cubs?”


I was still struggling .






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