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.

There were roughly two methods of exterminating those that dwelled within the earth – to resolve their attachment to the land and release them from it, or to bind them to the land and then destroy it. The former was more time-consuming, but left other people with few burdens and without any future troubles. Mourning for the history of the land was a practice that had been done in various places since ancient times. Conversely, so long as preparations for the latter method were completed, it could be executed at any time. However, things that have solidified within the earth were sometimes unyielding, and if even a slight trace of resentment was left behind, an accidental trigger could cause it to return. In order to avoid such situations, the entire land should be enclosed using ropes to try and prevent anyone who might harbor any impurities from entering. Even then, when it did not work it really was completely useless, and one would be left with the responsibility of continuing to manage an unusable piece of land for many decades.

Regardless of the method used, the one who would have mud thrown at them would still be the landowner. I had wanted to settle this peacefully if possible and looked through as many documents as I could, but there were many unclear factors surrounding the Youkai’s origin and true identity.

Its name was known to some extent, but the testimony was ambiguous regarding what kind of harm it could actually cause, as well as what circumstances resulted in its birth. There may have been a decrease in the number of complaints that stemmed from the peoples’ hatred towards their land having been taken from them. When it came to beings like the Youkai – more often than not – the more you tried to know, the less you actually understood.

My thoughts were hopelessly at a dead end, and as I stretched my body while the candle flickered, Reimu showed up with an uneasy look on her face. I had decided not to tell her anything for the time being as it was a delicate issue; Reimu acted accordingly, keeping on with her daily tasks and responsibilities, but she had always been an inquisitive person. As I thought, it had become too unbearable for her.

“Is it really okay for me to be accompanying you?”

“It had been my intention from the beginning. It’s just that there are a lot of things that I don’t understand…”

“But, hadn’t you been talking as if you knew everything?” Reimu blinked and gave me a strange look. “Don’t tell me you lied about it?”

“I intended to speak as much truth as I could. However, it is true that I had spoken in clear terms about matters that I had not been sure of. A large part of our line of work revolves around relieving anxiety, and ambiguity gives power to wicked things. Even if you lack confidence, making the statement is important. Even if you are wrong about it, you’ll simply have to prepare to deal with the consequences.”

“I see… Youkai extermination sure is troublesome. I thought that getting rid of that ‘dorotanbō’ thing was all I had to do.”

If it was Reimu, she might have been able to pull off something as straightforward as simply exterminating the Youkai, but I refrained from saying it out loud. No matter how strong she was, she was only human. If she lost even a single one of her limbs, there would likely be no saving her. Ascertaining the opponent’s true identity and using appropriate measures to deal with them was by far the best solution.

“It could also be that the Shrine Maiden’s work is what solidifies the Youkai’s existence…” After saying a vague line in order to conceal my inner thoughts, Reimu showed a strange expression, as if she did not really understand the meaning behind it. “Well, I think there’s really no need to worry so much.”

I stroked Reimu’s head as if to tell her not to worry, and Reimu’s eyes softened up as she showed a warm smile.

“Un… Sorry for asking you so many things. I felt somewhat uneasy, and there were so many things I didn’t understand from the conversation with that man from earlier.”

Seeing Reimu in such a comfortable state made my mind gradually relax, and I understood that at the very least, raising this child has been a great help to me emotionally. When she just arrived here, she disliked being touched to the point where she would panic whenever I tried to pat her head and curl up in a corner of the room. Even if she was to become the shrine maiden, I did not wish for her to become a subservient child who would always lower her gaze and shied away from compliments. Even more so because this place was a melting pot of personalities.

“I’ll show you an example. I think it’ll be of some help to you.”

“Un, I understand. I definitely won’t fail.”

I thought it was cute when Reimu tightened her mouth innocently, but it was kind of painful for me after all.

“No need to make it so hard for yourself. I have expectations of you, but I’m not so weak as to be at a loss in the face of failure.”

I placed a fist on my chest and laughed heartily, showing that there was no need for her to worry about me. Being able to display unfounded confidence was a strong point of mine back when I was a child, and even now I could pull it off well enough to reassure Reimu.

“Un, I’ll do my best then.”

“I’m looking forward to it. But make sure to look after yourself, alright?”

Reimu did not appear to have heard the latter half, and raised both hands up in joy. I thought that it was still a little dangerous for her, but said nothing out of respect for Reimu’s positive attitude.

—

The next morning, we went to the mansion the man and his family lived in. The area was so far to the south that one could see the outermost boundaries of the village, and in the distance was a growing forest where various kinds of Youkai lived. When I was young, it was something that I and many other children were told repeatedly; that one should never head into the deep, dense southern forest beyond the boundaries. It was a Youkai forest, and the entrance to death. I had always been doubtful of it in my younger days, and had gone in and out of the forest’s shallower regions many times, but not once had I felt any presence greater than those of wild beasts. Perhaps I would have encountered something if I had gone deeper into the forest, but I occasionally glimpsed the figures of adults cutting down trees for firewood or woodworking, so it might be possible that there were in fact no Youkai in that forest. That being said, it may not have been a warning from the adults, but instead simply a measure put in place to prevent children from getting lost within the forest.

There were also other such warnings, like how one must not go out walking in the night when there was a strong smell of water due to rain or fog, or that one must not shed blood in a rice field, and there were also many other customs that were not found in the village. Before I had gone to sleep, I secretly thought to myself that such customs might have some sort of connection to the Youkai that had invited her out into the rice field.

“What’s wrong? You’re showing a grim face. Did you feel something?”

“No, I just felt a wave of nostalgia since I used to play a lot around here. I used to hang out with the daughter of this mansion a long time ago.”

Rather than playing house or otedama, we often went on adventures instead. That being said, this was back when I was six or seven, and although I call it an ‘adventure’, we were merely checking out places that we could go to, but despite being two years younger than me, that daughter was far more energetic than me, and would get scolded every two, three days because of it.. We would run along the path between the rice fields, competed to ascend the hill that served as a remnant of the land’s reclamation – though I always ended up winning since I was older, and she would burst into tears saying it was unfair.

We became estranged after the incident with Terakoya and later the dojo, but whenever we met each other, we would always chat until late into the night. Although she had never once stopped by the shrine even after I became the shrine maiden, she would cheer me on whenever she could. She told me that, whenever I was going through a tough time, that it was okay to come to her to vent her frustrations whenever I felt like it. Though I did not really like to grumble about things, not to mention that I would find it rather awkward considering the other party was two years younger than me. After Reimu came to this place, I did not have the time to focus my attention on other people, but considering how close we were, perhaps it was good that I could find a reason to come and visit her.

“Now, let’s go.” To be lost in thought when the mansion was right in front of me, it could not be helped. I called out to the servants from the general entrance next to the large wooden gate and explained my identity to them. Shortly after, the doors opened in a hurry and a man who looked to be in his prime appeared, a worn-out look on his face. He lacked the cheerfulness and friendliness I had seen back when he let the daughter inside after she had been too engrossed with playing outside and returned home late, and was letting out a sigh even now.

“What happened?”

I had a few guesses in mind, but the man was staring at me with hopeful eyes.

“Last night, the young miss, um… had a terrible outburst.” Surely, that meant that she had tried to go outside again. “The master, with the help of the servants, locked the young miss inside one of the warehouses. The retired master seemed very insistent on knowing what they were doing to his granddaughter, but the master whispered something into his ear. After that, he became completely dejected and shut himself in his room. With his emotions being unstable on top of his deteriorating health, I have made arrangements so no one could disturb him.”

That person was supposed to be able to tell me the information that I needed to know, and also held the authority to make certain documents public domain, so I found things to be a little troublesome. Speaking so firmly about the culprit’s identity in order to try and relieve their anxiety may have ended up backfiring on me.

“For Kiku-chan to have come here after all, things must be looking bad…”

“Today, I came here as the Hakurei shrine maiden, Reimu. The situation seems like it’ll be a race against time, so I must ask that you allow me to see the master.”

“A-Ah… I understand. I’ll convey the message to the other mansion residents immediately.”

After watching the man running off to pass along the message, I looked up at the mansion. In Gensokyo, tiled roofing was mainstream, and a thatched roof like the one this mansion had was quite rare. Perhaps because of its rarity, it had always been a favourite place of mine, and when I first laid eyes upon the beautiful garden and the lined warehouses, I honestly thought it was amazing. But now, everything felt somewhat solemn, and gave off a persisting sense of discomfort.

“This place, I don’t like it. It feels like I’m being watched.”

Reimu pulled on my sleeves, her eyebrows furrowing. It was likely that Reimu, who possessed greater spiritual power than me, was more sensitive to the presence of the mansion’s inhabitants. To stay too long might be dangerous.

“Oh, you’ve arrived!” The client looked even more haggard compared to yesterday, and there were red marks on his cheeks, as if they had been scratched by fingernails.

“As you had told me, I had been careful not to let my daughter outside, but she began to act violently as if she had become a different person. With strength one would not expect from a girl like her, she managed to suppress three or four people including myself, and um… we were able to confine her within one of the warehouses.”

I had wanted to meet with and talk to his father, but it seemed like I would have to drive away whatever was possessing the girl first. Reimu and I were guided to the front of the aforementioned warehouse, and I could hear the sound of something inside violently slamming itself into the door. After numerous more strikes, the door was loudly opened. The large wooden bar broke apart, and behind the door – which had its hinges half-torn off and was making creaking noises – was a girl who wore a red-patterned kimono… no, it merely looked like that because the white fabric was stained with blood. Her face was as fierce as one of those oni from the picture scrolls, and drool was flowing down her mouth. There were no signs of her formerly chubby face, and the dark circles under her eyes were a clear sign of emaciation. Her left arm was bent in the wrong direction due to repeated and intense abuse of her body, yet despite that she was charging towards us at full speed. At first I thought she was aiming for me, but her target turned out to be Reimu. It was possible that she might have been informed by a vengeful outsider, that a child who would be easy to take hostage had come to this place.

However, even if she possessed immense physical strength, she would not be able to outspeed a human who was charging straight at her. I stood in front of Reimu, dodged the punch from her unbroken arm and slammed my palm into her solar plexus as we passed each other. She collapsed with a dull voice, but even then she still desperately tried to move her unmoving body forward.

“I’m sorry, that must have hurt a lot…” After sticking an evil-repelling talisman onto her abdomen, she let out a high-pitched scream, and white smoke began to rise from all over her body. Shortly after, a large amount of mud flowed out from between her crotch, giving off a fishy smell as it soaked the ground.

Watching that scene unfold, the father unconsciously let out a subdued groan. But deep down inside, I felt like letting out a sigh of relief instead. It was because the mud flowed out without taking on a clear form. “Her arm is broken, and there are injuries in many other places. We have to treat her quickly.”

“I understand. But, who should I call…”

“Who else but a doctor?! Now’s not the time to be caring about your reputation!”

I raised my voice, causing Reimu – who had been standing close by – to violently shudder. Realizing that my emotions were running high, I began to take large, deep breaths. I had to be careful not to show my quick temper.

“When there is life, there is hope.” I gently touched the girl’s hollow cheeks. Her body was left terribly cold from the possession. “Spread out a thick futon that would be used in winter and cover her body with it to warm her up. Also, have nourishing food that will be effective for her weak body ready to be provided at any time… Please, do your best. The only people who can take on this role are her parents, after all.”

As a child, and as the Hakurei shrine maiden, even if I could protect myself from the supernatural, I could not heal those affected by it even after a long period of time. Fortunately, he was not such a horrible parent as to stubbornly cling onto his reputation, and once he had made up his mind he promptly followed through with it. He was indecisive, yet at the same time an excellent person who would not blame others for his own choices. That was why my younger self had looked up to him just a little.

“This looks like it’ll be a race against time. Now that things have come to this… I don’t think I could bring myself to threaten someone who is lying down on a bed.” I thought that there was no other choice but to force the information out of the girl’s grandfather – who had secluded himself – using the incident with his granddaughter as leverage.

“I believe there is a need for me to ask for the full story.”

He hesitated a little, before finally nodding in assent. Having not been able to avoid that terrible incident, perhaps he thought that he should at the very least try to redeem himself here. Negotiations were swiftly carried out.

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