CH 402

All kinds of spooky voices filled the desolate and ruined Kiyosu Castle at night like always, but these voices weren’t necessarily from demons and actually originated from the pains suffered by the hunger, chaos and despair inflicted residents of the city that made them moan out in barely audible heart-rending whispers.



A group of samurai passed by the main street at a distance no further than 100 m from Lily’s and Oda’s backs while they made for the west side of Kiyosu Castle.



This group, consisting of Ashikaga Kiyoshi and four of his samurai attendants, had just left the castle tower of Kiyosu Castle and were planning to exit the city after their meeting with Shiba Yoshishige.



Kiyoshi only intended to investigate Owari in casual clothes and wasn’t expecting to discover Kiyosu Castle under the control of humans with the city lord still being Shiba Yoshishige, the guardian of Owari, so he went to meet him immediately.



The high-spirited Kiyoshi was dressed in blue samurai robes and an Eboshi hat with two katanas at his waist as he walked through the street.



“It’s quite surprising that Kiyosu Castle was still under the protection of Lord Shiba and the surviving people. Let’s mobilize the Ashikaga army once we return and ally with Lord Shiba to retrieve the land of Owari from the hands of the monsters and demon samurai,” Kiyoshi stated excitedly.



“That Lord Shiba doesn’t look that reliable to me, my lord,” said one of the tall samurai beside Kiyoshi.



“I also felt that Lord Shiba really isn’t a tough and accomplished leader suitable for these chaotic times, but I’m confident that he’ll ally with us against the monsters as fellow humans in such times,” Kiyoshi stated.



“You’re right, my lord. Shiba has no choice but to ally with us unless he plans to ally with the demons,” said the samurai, the other samurai nodding after him successively1.



“It’s possible that there’s a lot of samurai clans still protecting their lands in the Endless Wastelands that the East has lost contact with. We might even have a chance at ruling the whole realm if our Ashikaga clan allies with them and recovers this vast land gradually!”



“How wise you are, my lord!” The samurai praised him.



Kiyoshi’s ego heightened a little as he voiced out his magnificent aspirations, “The moment I become an indomitable hero who supports the Heian Empire is when I propose to Miss Kagami!”



“You’re a master of the brush and the sword and a holder of high aspirations, my lord. Only a man like you can win the affection of Miss Kagami!”



“You think so too, don’t you, Takashi Atsushi?!” There wasn’t much distinction in ranks between Kiyoshi and his followers, so he pushed Takashi Atsushi playfully as if they were brothers and the rest of them chuckled in unison.



A tall and lean, white turbaned samurai dressed in a long, red-patterned white coat and dark blue inner armor whose face was hidden under white cloths on both sides blocked Ashikaga and his men’s path by standing in front of them.



Ashikaga’s group raised their vigilance after coming to a stop as they had never seen a samurai dressed in such an attire in the East. The man blocking their path also looked quite somber and powerful as he stood in front of them.



Ashikaga greeted the man humbly, “I am Ashikaga Kiyoshi. I wonder what you are called, sir, and why you’ve blocked my path.”



The white turbaned and masked samurai replied in a deep voice, “I know you are the young lord of the Ashikaga clan. I am Kiuchidera Tesshin from the West. I’ve come to request your help for a certain matter this time.”



The archaic pronoun character used by men in the Heian period, Maro (麿)2, was written on the back of the long coat worn by the tall and lanky samurai, exuded an ancient and transcendent aura.



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“So it was Lord Kiuchidera Tesshin. It’s a pleasure to meet you, but I wonder what help you need from me?” Even though Kiyoshi felt that the man in front of him was quite unusual, his personality made him treat even such a mysterious person with courtesy.



The Ashikaga samurai behind Kiyoshi also looked at the man vigilantly as just the fact that he had come from the West was enough to displease them.



“Lord Kiyoshi, you’re acquainted with a woman named Kagami Lily, right?” The white-masked Tesshin asked.



Although Kiyoshi acted with courtesy initially, his expression turned solemn the moment he heard Lily’s name. He felt a little hostile towards this mysterious man from the West as he had asked about her in such a tone.



“I do know her, Lord Kiuchidera, but I wonder why you wish to inquire about her?” Kiyoshi asked warily.



“I shan’t hide it from you. According to the information we’ve obtained, this Kagami Lily is within Kiyosu Castle at the moment. I can help you find her whereabouts anytime you wish to see her.”



“What?!” Kiyoshi checked his surroundings. Kiyosu Castle wasn’t that huge, so even he felt stunned that Lily happened to be in it at this moment.



However, the tone this man used felt quite dangerous to Kiyoshi. Therefore, he continued questioning him, “I’m afraid you haven’t come to meet me, who’s a complete stranger to you, in order to just inform me about Miss Kagami’s location now, have you, Lord Kiuchidera?”



“You’re a really wise man, Lord Ashikaga. It’s not much. I just need you to mix this concoction into her tea or wine when you reminisce with her.”



Kiyoshi’s directed a sharp gaze at the concoction, “What’s your aim? Are you trying to murder Miss Kagami?”



Kiyoshi’s formidable spirit power began to seep out from his body and his hand shifted to the hilt of his katana. The samurai following him also dispersed a bit farther and waited to move anytime at Kiyoshi’s command.



Even the modest and tolerant Kiyoshi felt anger well up inside him when faced with someone who wished to harm Lily.



“Hehehe,” Tesshin chuckled darkly, “You needn’t get so infuriated, Lord Ashikaga. This isn’t poison and rather something that’s quite beneficial to you.”



“Just what exactly is it?”



“It’s an elixir from the West. Haven’t you always admired that woman? You just need to administer this elixir to her after inviting her for a chat and it’ll leave her in a confused state, even making her throw herself into your arms willingly. Isn’t this quite a nice development for you?”



“How dare you!” Kiyoshi thundered, “My feelings for Miss Kagami are sincere. I cannot let you insult a noble woman like Miss Kagami with your vulgar methods! Although we have no enmity between us, I cannot let you leave simply after you’ve said such things, Lord Kiuchidera!3”



Kiyoshi signaled his followers with his eyes and they stepped forth to surround the man.



“Hmph! You really don’t know what’s best for you. Don’t you blame me for my rudeness now that you’ve trampled on my kind and sincere intentions, Lord Ashikaga,” Tesshin stated icily.



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A group of tall, white-coated samurai emerged from the shadows of the alley’s corner, and all of them had a massive Maro (麿) character written on their backs in red.



The group that encircled Kiyoshi and his men consisted of eight white-coated samurai.



The expressions of Kiyoshi’s group turned grim when they saw this, making Kiyoshi call out to his companions, “Be careful, everyone, they are a bunch with unusual strength.”



“Hehehehehehehe!” A bell-like laughter of a girl echoed through the dark alley suddenly at this moment.



This laughter made even Kiyoshi’s heart quiver and caused him to check his surroundings tensely.



…



Lily was overcome by unease at Kiyosu Castle’s west gate around the same time, but she didn’t mind it that much since she was unfamiliar with Kiyosu Castle and was unaware of what exactly transpired inside it.



“It’s almost time for the monster to arrive, Lady Lyn-hime,” said Oda.



“Mhm…” Lily nodded, “Just follow the same process as always.4”



“Understood.”



The samurai waited at the gate just like that while Lily stood at the gate side with her head lowered.



A powerful eldritch aura rushed forth while carrying a dense black mist along with it soon after.



“It’s here!” Lily raised her attention to the maximum and focused on the monster in front.



A 3 m tall and ugly donkey-headed monster with a long and girthy neck as well as a piggish body emerged out from the surging black mist, its neck and protruding pot belly filled with rough wrinkles.



Its two legs were tiny in comparison to its body while its arms were slightly long and slender.



“Woman… woman…” the donkey-like monster shrouded in black mist stopped in front of the gate, “Give me a woman…”



“Give me a woman or else I’ll kill all the people in this city!”



The monster raised his neck up high and issued a long howl, causing the wooden city wall to shake because of the resulting wind and spooking the samurai and the soldiers at the same time.



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Oda looked at this donkey monster with caution and fear as he waved his hand, hinting the guards to disperse and reveal a tall, lean, and gorgeous, red-dressed girl.



The long, black hair, as well as beautiful looks that were close to perfection and brimming with femininity, caused the donkey monster’s eyes to open wide and lick its moist nose with its massive tongue as it salivated unceasingly.



“W-W-What a pretty woman! I never imagined this Kiyosu Castle had such a stunner. Good. Good. I’m quite satisfied with the women you’ve found for me! Why haven’t you come over to my side yet, darling?!” The pot-bellied donkey monster got closer with an unsteady gait impatiently.



Oda and the other samurai witnessed all this transpire quite nervously.



Lily, however, remained calm, and walked towards the monster with her bountiful chest silently without a hint of coquettishness or fear.



Lily noticed a bunch of hair locks hanging from the belt constraining the monster’s pot-belly when she got closer and immediately realized that they belonged to different people.



It seemed that this ugly and wicked monster had tied the hair of all the women that he had harmed around his waist to show them off.



An unpleasant stench assailed Lily’s nose when the monster arrived in front of Lily, saliva dripping down towards Lily’s head as it opened its mouth wide. Lily, however, dodged the saliva with unnoticeable movements.



“Huh?” The donkey monster was taken aback by this, but blinded by lust, the monster just didn’t care about it and lowered its long neck towards Lily’s chest in an attempt to lick it with its flag-sized tongue.



“You have such a sweet scent, pretty woman. Let me have a taste now!”



Lily’s eyes turned cold and Crescent Moon manifested in her hands instantly.



“What?!” The monster was shocked by the killing intent coming off from the tachi.



“Clang!”



A crimson sword light flashed by and bisected the monster’s long and thick tongue into two!



“Argh!!!” The monster howled in pain while holding its severed tongue, causing blood to splash in all directions.



The black mist surged higher and the raging monster bit at Lily with its massive buck-toothed mouth. Lily, however, didn’t meet it with her blade and instead moved tens of meters away with elusive movements. A massive white hound pounced out towards the fallen donkey monster from her blade in the next moment and began tearing at it crazily!



“Arrggghhhh!!!” The donkey monster wailed in pain as flesh and blood flew out in all directions, its howls echoing through the darkness of the night. The demon hound’s attacks turned vicious by the second and its attacks even seemed to assimilate the grudges of the girls killed by the monster, empowering each of its attacks successively.



Lily watched the monster struggle under the demon hound’s attacks while howling with a calm and collected gaze.



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The donkey monster finally breathed out its last breath after putting up a dozen or so minutes of struggle.