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I’m A Villager, So What? – Chapter 36 – part 10

「More precisely, it wasn’t demons, but a horde of Oni Shō. Well… depending on the case… there might have even been the Oni King among them.」

「…A horde of Ogre Generals… led by an Ogre King?」

Speaking of Ogre Kings, in terms of adventurer ranking , they would be equivalent to B+ to A-.
Even a local lord alone would face the risk of being completely wiped out in a decisive battle, and it’s safe to say that they are beyond the scope of normal military operations.
They are creatures of such extreme danger that requesting reinforcements from the capital would be necessary.

At that moment, an unpleasant premonition dampened my back.

Once, there was an outbreak of Goblin Kings, led by a Goblin Emperor, which swept across the world.
A Goblin became a Goblin King.
A Goblin King became the Goblin Emperor.
And the Goblin Emperors became the Ultimate Goblin.

Due to sudden individual mutations, the evolution of the entire race is triggered in a single generation, causing a significant disruption in the world’s power balance.
The name of that phenomenon flashed through my mind.

「No way… a Great Calamity? But… I haven’t heard any stories of such a thing happening in the East.」

「I don’t know. But on that day, at that time… the sturdy men who were supposed to protect the village were… instantly swallowed by the horde of Oni Shō.」

It’s said that the eastern shrine maidens are powerless except when they are inhabited by the gods.
And it takes quite some time for the divine descent to occur.
If that’s the case, they would normally need a group of men to protect her, and when it comes to the decisive battle with the calamity, they would need a group to buy time for the divine descent.

Naturally, that group would consist of seasoned warriors who could withstand the calamity to some extent, and the village shouldn’t be completely destroyed by ordinary monsters.
So, Saegusa’s words are probably true.

By the way… I asked Saegusa.

「If it was just a horde of Ogre Generals, couldn’t you have managed it on your own? Well, even if there was an Ogre King… you probably could have dealt with it somehow.」

「 … 」

「And why… Do you say that there might have been an Ogre King? Of course, you were at the forefront of the battle, right?」

With a sad and indescribable smile, Saegusa shrugged her shoulders.

「…I see. Actions speak louder than words… right?」

With just those words, Saegusa loosened her white robe and exposed her chest.

Giant breasts, wrapped in milky-white skin, swayed as if spilling over, and in my flustered state, I blurted out.

「Hey, Saegusa?! Why did you untie your obi and expose your chest… Hey!?」

Not only that, Saegusa completely exposed her upper body by loosening her white robe, and the situation turned into a literal strip show.

「I’m telling you… Hey! Saegusa?!」

That was dangerous. But even at the last minute… I couldn’t see anything pink in the center of her marshmallow-like breasts.
Her chest was wrapped in bandages, and surprisingly, there wasn’t much exposure.

Then, I noticed the bandage wrapped around Saegusa’s left shoulder.

「If you see this, you’ll understand everything. This is why I’m here in the first place. And… why I’ve become a useless loser, quite literally.」

Saegusa untied the bandage, and as I saw what emerged from it, I was speechless.

「I see… So that’s the case.」

The resurrection delay of the calamity called Yamata no Orochi, the clash between the Eastern Hero and Saegusa’s clan… And the shadow of a Great Calamity.

I’m already busy enough with Cordelia’s protection… This is really no time for human quarrels… What a bunch of idiots…

I sighed deeply. There were about ten centimeters of purple spots drawn on Saegusa’s shoulder.

「…If you showing it as proof instead of just talking about it means you fully understand what it is, right?」

With a solemn expression, Saegusa nodded.

「For an eldest daughter, it’s the worst possible state.」

I nodded in agreement.

「The spots drawn on your left shoulder. Those are cursed sigils that nullify all body enhancement techniques, strengthening skills, and enhancing items, right?」

「Yes… that’s correct.」

Sighing again, I continued.

「Hey, Saegusa?」

「What is it?」

「Most likely, there are signs of bodily disfigurement… either on your skin, fingertips, or limbs… somewhere, right?」

Upon hearing those words, Saegusa froze completely.
Well, of course. That was something that others couldn’t know… Well, I know it because I have the cheat-level information called the Dragon King’s Library.

「How… do you know?」

With a wry smile, I said,

「Well, I wonder how? Anyway… it doesn’t matter. Just show me.」

A sarashi was wrapped around her navel as well.
Saegusa untied the sarashi, and I frowned as I checked its condition.

「…This is terrible.」

「The skin is peeling off and it’s filled with pus.」

In simple terms, due to the impurity caused by the curse, Saegusa is currently unable to accept the gods.
And that curse, it takes several years or even decades of meticulous preparations beforehand to inflict—the preparation for example, stealing her hair.
Alternatively, they could forcibly administer something that involves spiritual causality orally.

Or perhaps, over a long period of time—they had all the key points of magical significance in the north, south, east and west of her bedroom taken away, and then subject her to curses over a daunting amount of time.

—That’s my estimation of this situation.

But to be contaminated to such an extent… The Saegusa clan may have been excellent guardians against calamities, but their interpersonal defenses were far too fragile.

「So, who is the culprit?」

「…I don’t know.」

Ah… I looked up at the sky.
It’s easy to figure it out if you consider the people who are hostile to the Saegusa family.

To begin with, the Saegusa family is one of the most harmless groups in the eastern lands… just a group of guardians without personal desires or costs.
If someone were to hold a grudge against them, it would only be someone who harbors an inferiority complex towards the combat power they possess.

The Eastern Hero is supposed to be born into a lineage that is the founder of Onmyodo, and they see the Saegusa clan, who holds the highest position in Shintoism, as their rival.

—And as far as I can see, this meticulous and peculiar technique… it belongs to an Onmyodo.

And if that’s the case, then the culprit can only be from there.
With a solemn expression, Saegusa made a serious statement.

「The shrine where the Saegusa Clan use is a shrine that worships the sun god.」

「I know.」

「…My role is to protect everyone in the village during times of war… A War Miko.」

「I know.」

「Our village was surrounded by demon generals. All the men have gone out to fight. And I… tried to stand on the battlefield as a War Miko for the first time.」

「…」

「They all… they all… scattered away. They scattered away to buy me time for the gods to descend upon me… They believed in me, hoping that I could harness the power of the gods…」

I looked at Saegusa’s shoulder.
And… I couldn’t help but have an indescribable expression.

「—At the crucial moment, the gods didn’t descend upon me.」

Well, of course, it’s impossible to activate a type of sacred enhancement magic… while you are under powerful curses.