Volume 4, Chapter 8 – Midnight Salvation

Having decided to stay at the Minaguchi-ya, we sat by the hearth, chatting with the landlady over tea.

“Ah, I see. So you girls came all this way looking for your friends. That must have been quite a struggle. I’m sorry, though; none of the guests staying here fit that description.”

“I see…”

“Hardly anyone stays overnight here, you see.

Unless something like this happens, everyone just spends the night at the next stop, Kusane Juku.

Besides, the weather has been stable lately.”

True enough; that had been our original plan as well.

If we hadn’t been hit by this unseasonable heavy snowfall, we likely wouldn’t have stayed in this village.

“Someone around here might have seen them, but if you’re looking for your friends, I think you’ll find them faster if you search in Kusane.”

“I understand. Thank you very much.”

“By the way, dear, is that outfit… are you a cleric from the West?”

“I don’t belong to any specific organization, but I’m something of an apprentice. I can use Holy Attribute Magic and Healing Magic reasonably well. Is there something you’re troubled by?”

“No, no, it’s not exactly a ‘trouble.’ It’s just that, if you’re willing, I’d like you to go to a place nearby called Otae Fuchi and pray for her soul.”

“Huh?”

What on earth was she talking about? It wasn’t as if Purification Magic or Funeral Magic were required, so why go out of her way to ask a cleric to offer a prayer?

“Otae Fuchi is a pool located a bit downstream from here. Long ago, a young woman from this inn named Otae threw herself into that pool. Ever since then, people walking the road at night have heard the sound of a young woman sobbing. Well, it’s just sobbing; she doesn’t actually do anything to anyone. But even when monks chant sutras, she won’t attain Buddhahood. It’s just so pitiful.”

Wait, is this a case of someone being completely stuck?

wasn’t that the “someone-who-wants-attention” from last night?

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I glanced at Chris-san, and as expected, she looked pale.

“I heard the sobbing last night as well. I can do it. I’ll help her pass on.”

After all, the Sakimori Tenmangu Shrine asked me to help those they couldn’t reach!

“Oh, thank you. It’ll be late if you go now, so could you do it tomorrow?”

“Yes. Of course.”

When I answered, the landlady said, “I’m counting on you,” and returned to her work.

◇ ◇ ◇

And then that night, I woke up in the middle of the night once again.

To my left, Chris-san seemed to be fast asleep.

However, to my right, Lu-chan had a crease between her brows, unlike last night.

It seemed that, unlike last night, she wasn’t dreaming of eating delicious ramen.

No, looking at this expression, she might be having a nightmare where the food tastes bad.

“Muuu… it has no taste…”

Oh, I was right.

At this rate, if there were a “Queen of Guessing Lu-chan’s Dreams” championship, I might actually be able to win.

As for the grand prize… hmm, maybe the right to feed Lu-chan for one whole year?

Yeah, that’s a contest where no one but me would enter.

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Then what would be good?

I was rambling through these silly thoughts, but I just couldn’t get back to sleep.

Since it didn’t seem like I’d fall asleep just lying there, I slowly sat up.

It was then.

I heard that sobbing from last night again.

Sob, sob, sob, sob…

Hmm, I could just purify this entire area in one go, but I figured I’d try to hear the circumstances first.

“Is that you, Otae-san?”

Whether she reacted to my voice or not, the sobbing stopped abruptly.

After a short while, the sobbing started again.

“Hmm, over that way.”

I changed into my “Saint Cosplay Set,” opened the shoji screen, and stepped out onto the veranda.

Standing there was a faintly translucent woman dressed in a red-and-white Miko outfit, wearing a triangular hood on her head.

She was enveloped in a very slight black haze, and of course, she had no feet.

Right, no matter how you look at it, she’s a ghost.

As for this black haze, maybe it’s because a lot of time has passed since she became a ghost, and she’s on the verge of turning into an evil spirit, or perhaps her resentment is leaking out?

But what was with this mismatched clothing?

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Based on my experience and things I’ve heard from various people, it’s normal for a person to remain a ghost in the clothes they were wearing when they died.

In other words, if this woman died by throwing herself into the pool, it means she threw herself in while wearing a Miko outfit and a triangular hood.

Would someone really jump into a pool dressed like that?

Furthermore, could a regular village girl even wear a Miko outfit in the first place?

Something is off here.

“What is it that you desire?”

Sob, sob, sob, sob…

She just kept sobbing and wouldn’t speak. She must have experienced something truly heartbreaking.

——Dark Magic, restore this woman’s sanity so she can speak.

Though barely visible, a small amount of Dark Mana was absorbed into the ghost. This was the same magic I had used on Angelica-san.

“A… a… he’s not here. He’s not here…”

She was able to speak, but what did she mean by “he’s not here”?

Since she still seemed delirious, I cast Calming Magic before asking my questions.

“Who are you? And who is this ‘he’ you’re talking about?”

“Eh? I… I’m Hinatsuru. Um, ‘he’ is Yashichi-sama…”

Thank goodness. It seems Calming Magic works on ghosts too.

Wait, she’s not Otae-san, she’s Hinatsuru-san!? She’s a completely different person!

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“What do you mean by Yashichi-sama not being here?”

“Yashichi-sama said he was going to Miyako. He promised he would serve Suikyou-sama and make me happy, but… uuuugh…”

“He didn’t come back?”

Hinatsuru-san seemed to give a small nod. Apparently, she had thrown herself into the pool out of despair because the lover who left for Miyako never returned.

“He’s not here. Yashichi-sama is gone. I heard that if I threw myself into Otae Fuchi, I could meet Yashichi-sama. Oh, Yashichi-sama…”

Hmm, it seems some suspicious superstition is rampant around here.

But what to do? Hinatsuru-san doesn’t seem to know anything more, so it might be best to send her off.

“I don’t know if you’ll be able to meet Yashichi-san, but I can send you to the Gods. What would you like to do?”

“…Yashichi-sama…”

However, Hinatsuru-san did not answer my question.

It seems my magic had worn off. I wanted to hear a bit more, so I tried casting the same magic again, but it had no effect.

I don’t know if my Skill Level is too low, if this kind of magic only works once, or if I need to wait a while, but regardless, it didn’t work.

Hmm, it would be a problem if I just left her here and she became an evil spirit. She might mistake someone who looks like Yashichi-san for him and possess them.

Alright, I’ll send her off after all.

“Hinatsuru-san. Please sleep in peace. Funeral Rite.”

As Hinatsuru-san was enveloped in light and ascended, I felt as though she was, perhaps, smiling.