This is the translation for the prologue of this Light Novel, which can be bought here.

Note: I don’t own this Light Novel, but the translation is my own and helped by my friend.

The former head of the house, referred to by the other residents as ‘retired master’, was supposed to be a gluttonous old man who could not be worn down by the passage of time. At least, he was like that the last time I had met him, but now that energy had completely withered away, and it was as if a dead tree was lying on that bed. His breathing was short and irregular, and the atmosphere felt suffocating – likely due to the fact that the room was completely closed off. Sliding open the fusuma1 and letting in light and fresh air alone would help the situation a great deal, but hisbody and mind would not hold out if he continued to stay in such a place.

“Did I not give an order to not let anyone inside?” Despite that, the low voice that was squeezed out was still powerful, and caused me to flinch slightly. “And the girl behind the shrine maiden, does she not have a reputation for being an abandoned child?”

The former head first glared intently at Reimu, before both his granddaughter or myself. Reimu, who had never been exposed to the malice of an arrogant old man, was completely overwhelmed by fear and hid behind me. Even without looking, I could physically feel her trembling and shaking. I wanted to comfort her, but doing something like that that may cause him to believe that I had thoughtlessly brought along a little girl who could not endure in the presence of fear, which may cause him to instantly harden his attitude towards me.

I whispered to her, telling her to endure it; Reimu continued to cling to me for a while before her shivering abruptly stopped, and she moved to stand beside me. The old man’s gaze bore into her once more, but this time she shot back with a firm gaze of her own, causing the tight atmosphere to loosen greatly.

“So you didn’t bring her along for show or on a whim, I see…”

“This child is still just an apprentice, but possesses greater power than me. By next Spring, she will surely be capable of standing on her own, and succeed me as the next generation of the Hakurei.”

“It would appear so. Although I have declined, it is rare to see a child who is able to return an adult’s glare with their own at that kind of age. It seems she has been brought up well.”

The former head said as he jerked his chin. It seemed to be a signal that we were allowed inside the room. I thanked the person who guided me here, and after closing the fusuma, it became so dark that I could not see a thing even though it was still daytime.

“Could you please light up the room? There are matches beside the bed.”

After lighting the lantern accordingly, the room began to gradually brighten up. The former head’s skin was pale as wax, as if he were a ghost.

“Dorotabō, was it… The name of the Youkai that is tormenting my house…”

“It is but the name of a Youkai that I believe resembles it the most. I only know that whatever it is, it has a strong attachment to this house. It is full of malice, and seems to be doing its best to bring harm to the people around you, moreso than you yourself. Perhaps it understands that doing so would bring you greater suffering.”

As I explained things in a way that could not be understood by Reimu, the former head’s face turned grim.

“I want to know the reason. Could you tell me about anything that comes to mind, or allow me permission to look through the past documents?”

The former head showed slight signs of hesitation, but that only lasted for a short moment before he nodded weakly.

“How much have you heard from my son?”

“That this mansion and its vast land had been taken over from the arrogant original owner, who only had his personal interests in mind.”

“That means he told you the official version of the events.” As I had suspected, there were more to the circumstances behind what transpired. The former head slowly raised his body as he mumbled, sitting cross-legged on top of the futon. As his full appearance came into view, his haggardness finally became clear. “In truth, it wasn’t as simple as just ‘taking over’; to say we usurped them would not be far off. Although this may sound like an excuse, it was entirely out of our hands. If someone had not taken action, everyone in the area would have starved to death. You could say I had some luck in the sense that I prospered from it, but I had not necessarily considered my current position to be a good thing. I feared karmic retribution.”

I nodded while remaining silent, prompting him to continue without saying anything. Even if I interrupted him for every little detail, a tactiturn old man like him would conversely end up say fewer words. I should let him speak as much as he wanted to, then gather the information I needed.

“Reimu, you should also listen to what he’s saying, and think about it to the best of your ability. If you have any questions, feel free to speak up.”

I quietly instructed, and although she showed a guilty look due to her reluctance towards interrupting a conversation between adults, she eventually gave a small nod. Upon seeing that gesture, the former head continued his story.

“It happened about fifty years ago. There was an unusual phenomenon whereby flowers would not stop blooming; because of that, the crops would not bear fruit, thus resulting in a year where we could not harvest anything at all. The village was full of grim faces, and discussions kept piling up every day about how we should distribute the food stored in the warehouses of the wealthy families. In order to survive the winter, and in order to allow for farm work to be done next year. We consulted a sage who lived outside of the village, as well as a person who possessed Youkai powers he had introduced us to, but the situation did not improve at all.”

Even the wealthy could not afford to live in luxury, but even then, fools who fail to understand the situation they are in would appear. The former owner of this mansion was one such person – he not only stubbornly refused to lower his standard of living and buying women with his wealth, but also hired thugs to squeeze out even the slightest of savings from the farmers. The influential people in the village criticised him in secret, but he lent no ear to their words, and even went as far as to target and silence such people. Everyone came to a consensus that someone needed to eliminate him. The reason I decided to take on that role was because a woman I was close with came running to me, her eyes swollen from crying. She had been sold to him by her parents, in exchange for being provided with food until the famine ended. This particular deal was an exception as the man had been aiming for her since a long time ago.

After listening to her story, I had decided in a rage that that man should be put to death, and after taking numerous deep breaths to calm myself down, I confirmed that my feelings did not change. Then, I asked the girl for her cooperation and put my plan into action. Though as I say that, it really wasn’t anything special. He liked to conduct ‘night visits’, and as he was only alone during those times, I asked her to act as if she had made up her mind and consented to it. I stood on watch every night, and on the third night, while he was walking down the street, I smacked him with a hoe. He tried to get off the road and escape, but it was easy to catch up to someone who did nothing but engage in debauchery, and I kept hitting him until he stopped breathing. After I had confirmed his death, I mutilated his limbs and butchered his cut-up face with my hoe. It looked as if a Youkai with terrifying strength had torn him apart or tried to eat him.

The former head mimicked how he swung the hoe. Even though his movements were lacking in that vivid color, he did so with a demon-like smile on his face, such that I began to imagine how such a scene would have looked like if it had occured in the land I resided in. I could not help but clench my fists and teeth in horror.

“The next day, the mangled corpse was discovered in the fields. The inhabitants of the mansion claimed that a premeditated murder had taken place, but everyone averted their eyes and did not attempt to support their case, and thus the head of the Hieda family at the time declared that it was the work of a Youkai. Because this was said by a family that had spent their lives documenting Youkai, the villagers found themselves unable to express their own opinions, and the inhabitants of the mansion were charged with the crime of not speaking out against the owner’s tyranny. The management rights to their land and properties were handed to me, who had been accepted as one of the branch families.”

I was shocked by his representation as a branch family, but it was certainly a convincing argument. No matter how much of a tyrant it was that he had eliminated, it was still impossible for a mere peasant to suddenly become a landowner. Because the beings that view power as everything known as ‘Youkai’ ran rampant, even in a climate where lineage was not considered to be that important, it was not completely ignored. In fact, there have been families that have survived for a long time purely due to their lineage.

“Of course, there was a reason why the discussion could progress so smoothly. That same evening, I brought his severed right arm to the Hieda house. In exchange for official documents declaring it to be the work of a Youkai and conveniently giving me the same position as that man, I promised not to not change any policies as a result of this crisis, and to hand over all of the thugs to them. It was kind of a gamble, but the head of the Hieda family at that time was a resolute and reasonable woman. She was afraid that if she foolishly continued to overlook such outragerous deeds, the tight-knit bonds of the villagers could become unraveled. After receiving the right arm, she even lent me a corner of her mansion to wash off the smell of blood.”

I believed that there was no such thing as a house without quarrels or conflicts, but I always thought that the Hieda family was the sole exception. As it was known throughout history to be a family that gave birth to holy maidens, it was said that they must not accumulate any sins, and as a result they were often entrusted with handing out the final verdict when seeking fair judgement. However, he spoke about it in a solemn manner, which led me to believe that he was not lying. Supposing that she had thought about the village as a whole, the Hiedas had once again exercised their influence in matters beyond their own house. It was a great shock to me, who had lived in the village since I was a child. As Reimu was an outsider, she did not understand the meaning behind that, so she was able to listen to the story more calmly compared to me.

“You killed a human, gramps?” And she was able to bluntly ask a question that no adult would dare to ask. “Isn’t that a bad thing, and something that you should be arrested for?”

“That’s right. However, I believed that it was much worse for one to not provide anything to the starving masses in order to maintain their own luxurious lifestyle. Killing one person that monopolizes all the food would save dozens of people, and that’s why I did it. Of course, I did not think that I would be forgiven for doing so, and I planned to live the rest of my life in penance. For that reason, I endured the famine that lasted countless years together with them, and did all I could to ensure that the people living on my land would not suffer from poverty. My son, too, is willing to inherit my will. That’s why I was relieved and thought that I would be able to die in peace, but then this incident happened.”

I nodded in agreement. Precisely because he had lived there, he was well aware of their hardships. The man in front of my eyes was no doubt a noble person, but even so he was a murderer; it might not be an exaggeration to say that the current incident came about as a result of that wrongdoing.

“If murder was such a bad thing, then I should have been the only one cursed. That was why I thought that my accumulated malice was slowly killing me, by gradually weakening my body. That the time of judgement had come for me.”

I unknowingly gazed at the former head’s body. When I first met him, I thought that he looked way too haggard just from the shock from hearing of his granddaughter’s condition, but it seems that rather than his granddaughter, he was the first victim of the Youkai.

“It is not humans who judge the sins of the living, but Yāma2.”

“Until yesterday, I would have laughed at those words. However, I was not told that my granddaughter would be dragged into this. Therefore I felt that the Youkai’s judgement was not right. That’s why I am airing my shame in front of this innocent young girl. In the countries to the far west, they seem to call it a ‘confession’.”

Regardless of time or place, there will be times where people want to feel better by having someone else listen to the crimes they have committed. Otheriwse, there might have been just a few more things that would have remained hidden in the dark.

“With everything I’ve told you so far, I hope that you will be able to resolve this issue. Do you have any plans?”

“Possibly…”

As I listened to the former head’s words, one thought surfaced in my mind. “There is no doubt that this incident originated from what you did. However, I believe that the reason behind it is not related to any past resentment.”

“So, you’re trying to say…?” The former head’s eyes glimmered, as if to say that he would not forgive any nonsense. However, it also means that he had acknowledged me as an expert, and not just some woman. Suppressing any thoughts that would make my blood run cold, I tightened my lips. “Please, continue.”

“If the reason was merely vengeanace, the deceased would have tried to curse the entire house. However, nothing had happened until now. It wanted to be remembered, and to be viewed as a threatening existence. Until now you had been fulfilling your role, but your children and grandchildren have grown up healthily without any worries, and you intended to take everything with you to the grave when you died; that is to say, the being that was threatening you was afraid that you, the subject of its worship, would disappear. That was why it laid its hands on your family, in order to ensure that it would continue to be feared, and I believe that it tried to make women give birth to its children so that it could imprint that fear onto your family’s descendants.”

When I approached it from that angle, I felt like I had the answer as to why everything had happened only now. It seemed that the old man, too, felt that I had hit the mark; I could tell from the fact that his gaze had softened slightly.

“If that is the case, then what can we possibly do to appease this being?”

“Properly capture the man you killed by making him into a clear object of worship. If you build a small shrine and revere it, that should be enough to satisfy its vanity. With enough time, it could even become a god that protects your family.”

The former head gave me a look of pure incredulity, but he did not say that it was a tall tale or anything along those lines.

“Since ancient times, there have been many examples of tatari or curses transforming into guardians.” If one had read up on Japanse mythology or religious texts, they would find that such stories were really commonplace. “It was primarily used as a convenient method to hide terrible secrets, but it also carried the meaning of repenting for one’s sins over countless years. Perhaps, sins are not something that one can keep hidden within themselves and atone for alone.”

The thoughts of humans are at times endless, and can relentlessly endure the passage of time.

“So when I commit a crime, the one who receives punishment will not always be me… Is it trying to convery that worship can also be used as a way to counteract a being whose origin has been forgotten…?”

The former head took a deep breath. Even now, his body looked like it was about to turn into a corpse at any time, but one could also see that it had regained some complexion.

“Still, I had wanted to hide this from my children. I suppose you could call this ‘karmic retribution’ as well…”

With that, his harsh skepticism had vanished; filled with determination, the former head asked me a question.

“I shall do all I can to amicably put an end to what I have created. What else can I do?”

“I need to know the place where you killed that man, the exact location. We’ll seal it there, and lay the foundations for the shrine.” Of course, I already had a rough idea of where that location was – likely the same place where they lured that girl to. “After that, it would be nice if you happen to have an item that can be worshipped as a symbol of the deceased… if possible, something that they had been wearing.”

“We cremated the corpse since it was in that kind of state, and all of his belongings were disposed off…” Curling his lips, the former head’s face distorted into a bitter expression. “I see… so that’s how it is.”

“Did you happen to have another idea?”

“I mentioned earlier that to obtain my current position, I had negotiated with the head of the Hieda family. At the end of her rule, that head said something to me. That I might eventually come to retrieve the arm I had given to her.”

In other words, the head at that time might have foreseen that such a thing happening since decades ago. Even if she had not been a holy maiden, it was undeniable that she possessed exceptional insight and discerning ability.

“I understand. I shall immediately make preparations for that trip, as well as for the sealing process.”

“I’ll leave everything regarding this matter in your hands. Feel free to make use of anything within this mansion.” The former head rang a bell, causing a young man – who seemed to be one of the servants – to quickly appear. He whispered a few short lines to the man, who quickly nodded in response and leave swift as a shadow. “With that, my order should be passed around the mansion quickly. This is about all I can do to help.”

“I thank you for your cooperation.” And with that, I left the room with Reimu, who had began to doze off from the long story. “I believe that the next time we meet, will be to report on our successful results.”

The former head gave a single nod, and entered a state of meditation while remaining in his cross-legged position. The reason why he did not lie down might be because he saw a need to think over everything that had happened up to now.

As we walked down the corridor, Reimu tugged on the hem of my hakama.

“Um, I’m sorry I didn’t manage to catch the last bit of that conversation.”

“It’s fine. If I was your age, I would have been busy snoring away.” After I said that, Reimu burst out in laughter before taking a small breath. “That aside, I have an important task for you. It’s important enough that our request this time cannot be resolved without it.”

This would no doubt put some pressure on her, but I thought that it would be good to show that I had confidence in her.

“There’s something I want you to get from the Hieda’s, do you understand what I’m talking about?”

“A person’s… arm?” After nodding in response, Reimu gradually connected the dots. “The arm of the man the old man killed, right?”

“That’s right. Though it’s probably been stripped to the bone or mummified… I believe it should be in a state where it’s been dehydrated for long-term storage. I want you to explain to them the story you’ve just heard, and bring the arm back here. I planned on going myself, but I must make preparations for the sealing.”

It was one of the Hakurei’s exorcism techniques to cordon off the land with shimenawa3 , gradually narrowing down to the source and converging the cause and effect into one point before suppressing it, but it required great concentration so as to not let the slightest crack form in the enclosure. Reimu understood the difficulty behind that, and that alone compelled her to listen obediently.

The cause has been unraveled, so all there was left to do was to suppress the effect.

Considering how far we’ve gotten, it would be nice if I was able to show Reimu a good result; I muttered those words in my heart as I clenched my fist in secret.

1. Fusuma are japanese sliding panels that act as room dividers and doors. The main difference between fusuma and shoji is that fusuma is completely opaque, while shoji is made from a thin waxed paper material that lets light through.

2. Yāma is the third of the six heavenly worlds, so the sentence goes a bit like “It is not humans who judge the sins of the living, but the law of the Heavens.”

3. Shimenawa are a kind of sacred straw rope, used to cordon off consecrated areas or as a talisman to ward off evil.

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