Chapter 493 "Dog Spirit Possession"
As mentioned before, the Asatake family has a very special position in Hoori.
There are basically two reasons.
One is that the Asatake family used to be the managers of this land and were nobles with a distinguished family background. Even in modern times, the Asatake family is still the biggest representative of this land. It is no exaggeration to say that they are descendants of a famous family. Therefore, the reputation and deep-rooted status accumulated over a long period of time have been influencing the people of Hoori, making the Asatake family exist here like a local emperor.
One is that the legend of Hoori has been circulating since ancient times. Some respected elders even know the existence of Musame and the magical secrets of Musamemaru's sacred sword. They know that these legends are not false, so they respect the Kenmi Shrine that has been enshrining the god of Hoori and the sacred sword. They also regard the Asatake family, which has been running the Kenmi Shrine, as the representative of the gods, which has led to the Asatake family's special status in Hoori.
Until modern times, the Asamuse family still had deep ties with many families and even households in the Hoori clan, and these families or households have always respected the Asamuse family as the leader. For example, the Hitachi family, whose generations have had people serving as guards of the shrine maiden, and the Kurama family where Kurama Genjuro is from, all have close ties with the Asamuse family.
Therefore, the Asatake family is so special among Hoori, and Asatake Yoshino, the direct descendant of the Asatake family, is truly like a princess of Hoori, respected, loved and cared for by countless people.
It is said that among Hoori, there are still many old guys who have always regarded the Asatake family as the object of their loyalty and are very concerned about the inheritance of the Asatake family. For this reason, Asatake Yoshino, the only direct descendant of the Asatake family, has been arranged to go on various blind dates since he was old enough to understand.
Those people were afraid that the bloodline of the Asahi family would suddenly be cut off, which would be a disaster for Hoori.
The reason why the Chaowu family is so respected is certainly not because they have been relying on the family fortune accumulated by their ancestors.
One of the biggest reasons why the Asatake family is so respected is that many people know that this family has actually been protecting Hoori all along.
"In order to prevent the accumulation of filth and the outbreak of the curse, the evil spirit came down the mountain to do evil. The Chaowu family has been fighting against the evil spirit for hundreds of years."
"Whenever the filth, including you, accumulates to a certain level, the people of the Chaowu family will go up the mountain to exorcise the evil spirits that appear on the mountain and purify the filth."
"Am I right?"
Although Aize did not see the scene of the battle between Asatake Yoshino and Suishen, from her attitude towards Suishen, she knew that she must have dealt with him many times.
And she is a shrine maiden. Even if she does not have a divine sword like Que Yumaru, she should have some means to deal with the evil god. Otherwise, Hoori would not need to rely on the Chaomu family for protection.
The Hitachi family has had people serving as the shrine maidens' guards for generations, and this may have been done with the intention of helping the shrine maidens deal with the evil spirits. Otherwise, if she just did housework, how could Hitachi Mako have trained herself to such high skills?
There's no need for that, right?
Aize then expressed his guess, causing Asatake Yoshino to bite her lip.
"…The Chaowu family has indeed been fighting against the evil spirits all the time. The dance of offering that they perform on a daily basis is also passed down to purify the filth on this land as much as possible."
There was a bitterness in Yoshino Asatake's voice that was hard for outsiders to imagine.
"But I...we are not as great as you think, Mr. Aize."
"Fighting against the evil god is for both Hoori and ourselves."
"If we don't do that, we will..."
Yoshino Asatake did not continue speaking.
But Aize inexplicably thought of the scene he had seen at the Kagura dance at the Spring Festival.
At that time, for a moment, Yoshino Asatake had animal ears growing on her head that no one else could see.
Dog spirit possession... This is the name of the curse related to Hoori that has been circulating for a long time.
If this name does not appear randomly, what does it represent?
Could the monster that cursed Hoori be some kind of dog demon?
The pair of animal ears that flashed by on Yoshino Asatake's head should be dog ears, right?
Why would she, a direct descendant of the Chaowu family, grow dog ears?
The answer is actually not difficult to guess.
"… Was the person who used the Souma Maru to defeat the monster that was causing trouble in the world a member of the Chaowu family?"
Aize asked the key question.
"……Yes."
Asatake Yoshino was silent for a while, and finally nodded.
Then, the matter becomes clear.
"It's not just Hoori who is cursed, but also the Chaowu family who conquered the monster." Aize said in a deep voice: "You can see Cong Yu because the Chaowu family was once the user of Cong Yu Wan and is closely related to the monster conquered by Cong Yu Wan, right?"
As for Hitachi Mako, since her family has been the guards of the Asatake family for generations, it may be related to the monster that was conquered and Cong Yumaru. At the very least, it must be related to the Asatake family, and it is a blood relationship.
Therefore, she was able to see Cong Yu just like Asatake Yoshino.
Chao Wu Anqing couldn't see Cong Yu because he married into the Chao Wu family and did not have the Chao Wu family's blood.
Without the blood of the Asatake family, he certainly does not have the power to defeat the evil god, so the one who deals with the evil god is the young girl Asatake Yoshino.
"What effect will the curse have on your family?"
Aize raised the question.
Unfortunately, Asatake Yoshino avoided this question.
"Now, you should know why I don't want you to get involved in my family's affairs, right?" Asatake Yoshino suppressed her emotions and said as calmly as possible: "This is not something that can be touched upon just because of momentary curiosity or novelty. If you are not careful, you may lose your life."
"But I can't stay out of this now, right?" Aize didn't get entangled with Asatake Yoshino because she avoided his questions. Instead, he said in a calmer tone than Asatake Yoshino: "If I'm not mistaken, in the eyes of the God of Sui, I should be as hateful as the people of your Asatake family, and even more in need of eradication."
Aize did not forget that at the beginning, the evil spirit approached him on its own initiative and attacked him without saying a word.
At first, Aize thought they were monsters that would attack others indiscriminately. Now think about it, even if they would attack others, since their bodies are cursed, it is impossible for them to be untargeted.
The Chaowu family is the reason for the curse. The bloodline of this family has the highest hatred value in front of the Sushen, so when the Sushen meets someone with the bloodline of the Chaowu family, he will attack without saying a word.
Although Aize is not a member of the Chaowu family, he is the user of Cong Yu Wan after the Chaowu family, so his hatred value on the side of Sui Shen is also not low.
If he were to act casually outside like this, there's no telling if he would encounter any danger.
Taking this into consideration, and the fact that Sorasemumaru is the most important sacred sword to Hoori, the Asatake family and the Kenji Shrine and cannot leave easily, Asatake Yasuharu and Asatake Yoshino came up with the idea of letting Aize stay.
Even Asatake Yoshino had no objection to this, which shows that Aize can no longer be considered to be staying out of the matter.
That engagement should have been decided by Chao Wu Anqing and was his own capricious arrangement.
Naturally, Asatake Yoshino would have some thoughts about this situation.
"As long as Mr. Aize doesn't go up the mountain, the filth won't accumulate to the point where the evil spirit will come down the mountain to cause trouble. Then you won't be targeted, let alone involved in these dangerous things."
That's what Yoshino Asatake thought.
"Mr. Aize, don't worry about anything. Just stay in the shrine honestly. I will find a way to solve the rest."
When Asatake Yoshino said this, her tone became firm.
But……
"If I hadn't saved you tonight, you might have died at the hands of the evil spirit."
Aize pointed this out mercilessly.
The implication is, if you can't even protect yourself, how can you protect me?
"That, that was just an accident!" Asatake Yoshinori hastily explained, "I have dealt with the gods many times before, so it's no problem!"
"Then I have no problem at all." Aize said unwillingly, "Like I just said, opponents of that level are nothing to me. I don't need anyone to protect me. I can face them on my own."
"But that has nothing to do with you, Mr. Aize, right?"
"My business has nothing to do with you."
"Don't you know how to learn from your mistakes? Worshiping gods is really dangerous!"
"Maybe, but I really don't have any reason to be protected by you unilaterally."
"We are the ones who got you involved! So we have an obligation to protect you!"
"I pulled Cong Yu Wan out on my own. You didn't take the initiative to involve me."
“You, you…!”
When she said this, Asatake Yoshino became completely anxious. She stood up, walked to Aize and grabbed his arm.
"Why can't you just listen to the advice?"
Hearing this, Aize, who was dragged over, wanted to say something, but he couldn't say anything.
He looked at Asatake Yoshino, whose face was flushed red and whose chest was heaving with anger, and his eyes were unconsciously drawn to her overly fair skin.
At this moment, Asatake Yoshino looked very inappropriate. She had taken off her Chihaya and shrine maiden costumes, leaving only two peach-colored undergarments on her body, one above and one below, exposing large areas of her skin to the air.
Whether it was the slender thighs, the curvaceous waist and hips, or even the magnificent cleavage that could not be covered by the thin undergarment, they were all displayed in front of Aize, very close to him.
This look can almost be called naked, but in terms of temptation, it is not inferior to the delicate body of Hitachi Mako, which was completely naked in front of Aize during the day. It is even more charming and attractive than that.
After all, Yoshino Asatake has the holiness and purity of a priest that Mako Hitachi does not have. Now that she looks like this, she gives people a sense of decadence, which makes people feel excited.
“Aaaaaaa——!”
When Yoshinori Asatake saw Aize staring at her, she finally realized her current situation and couldn't help but scream.
The cry continued to echo in the mountains and forests for a long time.
(End of this chapter)
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