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V11 Story III – Part 07

As I stepped into the entrance hall and took in the surreal scene, my brows furrowed in confusion. Gunshots continued.

Two people were crouched down behind the grand staircase—an old man, and a black-haired girl in a kimono, her arms and legs sprawled out like a doll. The old man aimed his gun. Vines intertwined from the floor to the ceiling, towering like trees.

Darting out from their hiding place, the old man fired shots from behind thick vines. Simultaneously, gunfire erupted near the door. I glimpsed the man from the branch family. The exchange of fire continued. The old man slipped back under the stairs, clicking his tongue.

“Sadashita!” he barked. “Have you lost your mind?! This is lunacy!”

“I’ve said it before, I’m perfectly sane!” the man from the branch family snapped back. “I’ll be the judge of who’s gone mad!”

I listened to their heated exchange dumbfoundedly. The old man clicked his tongue and reloaded his gun. The attaché case beside him was empty. This was his last round.

Suddenly, his gaze shifted towards me, and shock spread across his face. “What are you doing here? I see, Asato-sama…”

“No, I was brought here against my will. I haven’t done anything,” Asato replied flatly.

The old man wasn’t listening. His gaze was fixed at the entrance. I killed Mayuzumi Azaka, but he didn’t point his gun at me.

“The circumstances have changed,” he growled. “We need to leave immediately. Asato-sama, your cooperation seems meaningless now. Damn it, why can’t things go smoothly? We must leave as soon as possible.”

He never looked at me. Observing him intently, I recalled the weird things I’d experienced in the mansion.

“What the hell are you doing?!”

Why did the old man already have his gun drawn when he arrived at the dining hall?

“Listen, Odagiri Tsutomu. You killed Azaka-sama. That much is clear.”

How could he know that for sure? He didn’t even bother asking about my motive.

“But what’s this? What happened to that blood?”

Mayuzumi’s body had been brutally slashed at the neck. The old man must have regarded me as the culprit. So why ask me about the blood then? Did he not think it was Mayuzumi’s blood?

What about the card lying in front of the room? The message bore a striking resemblance to the imitation card that Mayuzumi Azaka had once prepared with the help of clan members.

And why did the fox appear so worn out? What did he mean by true freedom? Relief and anger surged within me simultaneously.

I let go of Asato and clenched my fists. “Are you—”

“Let’s do this instead.”

Before I could finish my question, the old man leaped like a bullet, grabbed my collar and shoulder in one swift motion, and hoisted me up. Instantly, I threw Aya towards Asato. I had no time to fight back. Using me as a shield, the old man charged towards the entrance.

“What—”

“Odagiri!” Asato shouted.

I could hear Aya raging. The man from the branch family watched in shock. He clutched his gun hesitantly, his aim wandering.

“How far will you go, you monsters?!”

Not monster, but monsters. He pointed his gun at the head of the Mayuzumi clan’s acting leader. The old man hurled me, sending me crashing against the man from the branch family. We both tumbled to the floor. I glanced back to find the old man aiming his gun.

The moment his lips twisted, a deafening roar shook the entire mansion. The old man’s frantic gaze darted around. I couldn’t help but chuckle. I believed help would come, but it was earlier than expected. A colossal shadow loomed outside the window, peering through the thick vines. Slowly, it circled the mansion, its giant eyes briefly visible.

I waved at the shadow, and in response, the massive figure soared into the air.

The old man staggered back. Then, the wall disintegrated with a loud boom.

“…What?”

The old man was hurled away. Sand and dust billowed, and debris rained down. Torn vines writhed like serpents. Gradually, the dust settled.

Before me lay the head of a gigantic dragon, its moist gray eyes blinking. I bowed to the majestic creature. It growled contentedly. The man from the branch family was frozen in fear.

Cautiously, I rose to my feet, stunned by the unexpected spectacle. I checked the dragon’s back, but Shirayuki was nowhere to be seen. She likely opted not to ride to maximize the dragon’s flying speed. I tenderly stroked the dragon’s head before dashing off.

Despite the searing pain in my stomach, I hobbled toward the grand staircase, which was half buried in debris. I was briefly worried, but behind the grand staircase, an eerie silence prevailed.

Seated there was the girl in the black kimono. I peered at her delicate features, resembling that of a doll.

“Are you all right, Mayu-san?”

She didn’t answer. She was probably asleep. But her perfectly-shaped eyebrows furrowed slightly.

Mayuzumi was sleeping softly. It was the first time I had seen her in a kimono.

Taking a seat in front of her, I took the sleeve of her kimono to check its material. The black fabric was rough against my touch. What appeared to be silver powder turned out to be fine ashes.

My breath caught at the realization. This fabric was made with the same material as the bandage wrapped around my hand—the ashes and blood of the deceased.

A shiver ran down my spine. Most of the Mayuzumi clan’s bodies were deemed unrecoverable, so where did they obtain such material? How many lives were sacrificed to create this garment?

Undoubtedly, it was a measure to block out the scarlet woman from Mayuzumi—a plan devised from the outset. I let out a deep sigh.

That body I saw belonged to the supposed heir to the clan. The clan probably planned Mayuzumi Azaka’s staged murder shortly after the decision to visit the island. Their aim: to protect Mayuzumi by compelling Kotori, the scarlet woman’s messenger, to witness that Odagiri Tsutomu had killed her.

It was a stupid scheme. The woman would be able to discern if the soul drifting into the spirit world was the real one or not—which was likely why they killed the next Azaka. They chose a soul that was as close to demon as possible, wagering on the scarlet woman’s ignorance, or her acceptance of the offering anyway. But their plan failed.

After killing the girl and setting up the card, they tried to summon me. But I had already left my room by then, beckoned by Kotori, and ended up killing her.

Clueless about their plot, I headed to the dining room by chance, where I stumbled upon Mayuzumi’s body as planned. However, chaos ensued with the rampage of the red flowers following Kotori’s death.

The unforeseen circumstances forced the old man to abandon the plan, taking Mayuzumi and opting to flee the mansion. But he ended up fighting the man from the branch family. They must’ve had a falling out.

And then, the liberated fox sat alone in the dining room, choosing to stay in the mansion. The reason for his unprecedented weariness finally became clear, along with the reason why the corpse bore Mayuzumi Azaka’s likeness.

And what true freedom meant for him.

“Asato, did you strike a deal with the old man?”

“I don’t know if you could call it a deal. I simply informed him of what you’re thinking.”

“Never mind the specifics. Did you transform that girl into Mayuzumi Azaka?”

Asato, capable of fulfilling human desires, could restore broken limbs to their original state. Changing human appearance would be child’s play for him.

He shrugged, offering a thin smile. “It’s impossible to replicate a demon. I only changed her appearance. The scarlet woman doesn’t always keep watch of my abilities. They wagered she wouldn’t notice the change. They were treading on thin ice, and even if the ice shattered, the only casualty would be the girl. In return, I obtained the right to live as I please, untethered by the Mayuzumi clan.”

I clenched my fist. The clan chose to release the fox back into the wild once more. What had they done to the fox before that? The fox’s twisted character stemmed from the clan’s obsession with Mayuzumi Azaka. The idea of twisting him even more was sickening. Humans who use animals are worse than animals.

Suppressing my fury, I lifted Mayuzumi up. She was still asleep. Though the surrounding vines showed no immediate change, we needed to leave as soon as possible. I took the parasol from Asato and placed it on Mayuzumi’s chest.

I turned to leave, then froze. A gun was leveled at Mayuzumi’s forehead. The man had managed to sneak up behind me.

“What are you doing?” I asked.

“I want you to let me kill her. Keeping Mayuzumi Azaka alive poses unforeseeable dangers.”

It was Sadashita, the representative of the branch family. Blood dripped from his forehead. Casting wary glances at Asato and me, he exhaled sharply.

“I hate to admit it, but I can’t bring myself to kill Mayuzumi Azaka out of innate fear. But if she’s unconscious, I could manage. This is our only chance. Leave her and get out of here!” Sadashita implored with a heavy heart. “You get it, right? You’ve seen the horror! We can’t have any more casualties.”

Gazing at Sadashita’s face, I mulled over Asato’s proposition. He had urged me to kill Mayuzumi to prevent further deaths. Mayuzumi herself said something similar.

“If you seek peace, you have the right to end my life as well.”

“As a representative of the branch family, I seek the well-being of our people. The Mayuzumi clan no longer needs gods!”