Chapter 43 "Finally found you."...
000's idea was good, but reality was cruel.
Sheyun Mountain is so, so far away from here, it's simply not something that a good-for-nothing like Azhi can walk there on foot. If she were to rely on herself alone, it would seem like she'd be waiting forever.
Not to mention the series of physically demanding tasks on the mountain.
000: […………]
It was also due to a moment of carelessness.
Fortunately, Azhi hadn't gone far when she met a farmer heading towards Sheyun Mountain. She asked him, quite embarrassed, if she could hitch a ride.
It wasn't a troublesome matter, and although it was a bit strange, Azhi looked gentle and weak, not like someone who could do bad things, so the farmer agreed.
Along the way, Azhi chatted with him for a while.
The farmer said that Sheyun Mountain is a very ancient mountain with a beautiful environment. The people at the foot of the mountain live a happy and peaceful life. The mountain is protected by the mountain god.
Azhi overheard some stories related to her destination, such as how, hundreds of years ago, an exceptional swordsman and his wife lived in seclusion here, and they often helped the surrounding residents, and so on...
As the story spread, it evolved into the idea that the mountain god would descend from the mountain to help the residents, which is quite fantastical.
Having not been in such a peaceful environment for so long, and with the storyteller's slow and kind voice, Azhi fell asleep halfway through the story.
The oxcart was carrying hay, and Azhi sat at the back, leaning against it; it was soft and quite comfortable.
After receiving no response to his inquiries, Murakami realized that Aori must be asleep.
The kimono worn by the woman who sought his help was incredibly valuable; its patterns and material were clearly precious, something an ordinary person might never be able to afford in their entire life.
Could it be that she was being bullied at her husband's house, so she wanted to sneak back home? However, it's also possible that she had a fight with her husband and was throwing a tantrum.
Although Azhi didn't mention this, some clues about her being married could be gleaned from her clothing and appearance.
Having lived most of his life, Murakami Rin, as a kind-hearted man in the village, had seen too many similar incidents. However, this time he felt that the latter guess was more reliable, because A-Zhi did not exude any sad or upset aura after being wronged.
A girl like that, probably no one would have the heart to argue with her, nor would anyone have the heart to let her suffer. She would probably be spoiled both before and after marriage.
Thinking this way, Murashita Rin felt that Azhi had just returned to her home in Sheyun Mountain when they had already sent someone to pick her up.
Considering that Azhi was sleeping, he slowed down a bit. When he had traveled two-thirds of the way, an unexpected event occurred.
Murashita Hayashi, a diligent and kind farmer, seemed to have encountered a supernatural event. In broad daylight, he saw several swordsmen suddenly appear in front of him, blocking his road.
They wore uniform black clothing underneath, with various styles of haori (traditional Japanese kimonos) draped over them, and swords at their waists. They looked travel-worn, but their eyes were all resolute, indicating that they were no ordinary people.
He rubbed his eyes, making sure he wasn't hallucinating, and had to stop the oxcart to ask what had happened: "You..."
Contrary to Murakami's expectations of ferocity, they scanned the area, and then the flesh-haired swordsman, whose face showed obvious urgency, stepped forward and politely replied, "Excuse me, we're here to find someone."
They all seemed to be very upright people with an impressive aura. It was obvious that they must have been raised in some powerful family. Thinking of A-Zhi who had hitched a ride, Murakami immediately understood who they were looking for.
He immediately assumed they were servants of the Azhi family, sent by the head of the household to find his wife, and couldn't help but marvel at how quickly they had arrived.
********
Without wasting any more time, they walked to the back of the car and immediately saw a girl huddled up in a haystack, her arms wrapped around her knees.
The girl's hair was slightly disheveled. She hugged her knees and leaned against the hay. Her snow-white knees were bent, and with her breath, the strands of hair that brushed against her cheeks were blown up and down.
The side of her face, resting on her knees, was pressed into a bulge, still retaining some baby fat as before, which hadn't diminished because of this experience, and there weren't any major problems visible to the naked eye.
An indescribable ecstasy exploded in my heart.
—It's Azhi. She's doing well. She hasn't suffered any serious emotional trauma, nor does she look haggard. She doesn't seem to have suffered too much.
This was just a rough assessment. The next second, Giyu Tomioka and Sabito's gazes were drawn to Aori's wrist, which was wrapped in gauze. This was something that shouldn't be on her.
Her eyes were closed, and her face was expressionless, but the sight of her wrist, wrapped in gauze and obscuring the extent of her injury, made the girl huddled in the haystack seem rather pitiful.
Sabito and Giyu Tomioka first tracked down Kokushibo's temporary hideout. The commotion caused by the demons was huge; a rough estimate suggested that almost a hundred demons had rushed there at the same time.
Everyone who noticed the commotion felt that the ghost must be plotting something in secret here. What was even more alarming was that the talisman they had obtained from their lord to find A-Zhi also pointed to this ominous place.
However, they were too late again.
You can imagine how big the fire must have been.
The original hut was reduced to ruins, all the wooden parts turned to ash, leaving only the charred walls and a small piece of cloth remaining amidst the ashes.
The color and pattern of the fabric were very familiar. With just one glance, Giyu Tomioka and Sabito recognized it as the clothes that Aori was wearing when she was kidnapped.
Seeing this scene was like falling into an icy abyss. At that moment, all the psychological expectations they had made beforehand were shattered into pieces, and the huge blow made them tremble slightly.
Logically speaking, they shouldn't have shown such strong emotional fluctuations, having witnessed so much death. Death is the most common thing the Demon Slayer Corps has seen. However, Ori shouldn't have had to suffer like this...
It's hard to imagine what she's been through.
Did she watch helplessly as she was engulfed by the flames, with no chance of escape? Did she regret meeting them, who were powerless to protect her from the clutches of evil, and close her eyes in pain and regret...?
Every minute and every second, Giyu Tomioka and Sabito were undergoing internal questioning.
Why couldn't they have arrived sooner to rescue her from the demons, or why couldn't Aori have left the Tokitoya earlier, when she was clearly no longer fit to stay there?
She's so afraid of pain, how could she do it like this...?
The Pillars of the Demon Slayer Corps, who stood tall and unyielding, revealed an unprecedented sadness in front of their subordinates. Their usually calm and composed aura wavered, but everyone could understand.
The Hidden Ones had already begun sorting through the information left behind at the scene. One Hidden One, who was particularly skilled at handling the aftermath of a fire, squatted down, rubbed some ash in his hands, and then brought it to his nose to smell it.
He exclaimed with delight, "Mr. Tomioka, Mr. Sabito, there's no sign of any human organization here, so Miss Aori is not dead!"
The next second, something added credibility to this judgment: the talisman that had led them to this hut slowly rose into the air and flew away into the distance...
There is still room for maneuver.
As dawn broke, some people stayed behind to continue the investigation, while others followed the "water column" to continue searching for A-Zhi's whereabouts.
"…………"
The girl was oblivious, still immersed in her dream, as the afterglow of the setting sun bathed her in a soft light.
"Thank goodness, thank goodness you're alright." With a sigh, Sakoto emphasized the first two words, his breathing becoming more rapid, as if all the fatigue of the past few days had been swept away.
He bent down slightly, wanting to touch the girl with extreme pity, to confirm that this hard-won reunion was not a lie.
Anyone who sees this scene would be moved to sigh.
【…………】000 narrowed its electronic eyes, sensing something was amiss. It tapped the sleeping girl and slowly spoke, 【A-Zhi, wake up, someone's here to pick you up!】
[Who's here?]
Azhi was a bit nervous. Unlike before, she wasn't confused for a while after waking up. She didn't quite hear what 000 said before she woke up.
My first thought was that Kokushibo had kept his word and come back to find her, which was a bit scary.
However, what came into view was Giyu Tomioka and Sabito, who appeared suddenly as if by magic, which was truly unexpected.
Upon seeing them, Azhi's first reaction was joy. A bright smile bloomed on her beautiful face, her dark eyes crinkling into crescents as she stretched out her arms, trying to stand up.
The result, naturally, was that he couldn't stand up.
Ah Zhi slept for quite a long time. Her legs were so sluggish from the pressure of her forehead that the blood circulation was restricted. When she stood up, her legs felt like noodles, so weak that she couldn't muster any strength.
She almost rolled off the cart like a ball, with other people standing next to her. Azhi thought she was about to make a huge fool of herself in front of everyone.
However, something even more unexpected happened.
Azhi was embraced by the usually reserved black-haired swordsman. His voice trembled, and the thousand words churning in his eyes converged into one sentence: "I've finally found you."
"…………"
After figuring things out, Murashita, who had been standing by without getting involved, sensed something was amiss. He felt that these people weren't behaving like servants.
He didn't get a clear look at how A-Zhi, who was being blocked, behaved, but he saw how the black-haired swordsman and the flesh-haired swordsman rushed forward as if vying for the lead, and then the black-haired swordsman took the lead and hugged the lady.
—Was that a little too much?
Murakami, who had lived a simple and honest life for most of his life, stared in astonishment at the scene before him. His kind face cracked, and a jumble of strange thoughts piled up in his mind.
It turns out that it wasn't just a drama of the wife and husband having a fight; there was also a hidden subplot that the wife was having an affair with her own subordinate.
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Author's Note: A Gathering!
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