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Published at 7th of September 2019 08:42:26 AM


Chapter 31

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"Shrine maiden."
"No, that's not true...I haven't done anything. Really..."
 
After the morning's shocking scene, Meido seemed to meet our eyes, yet took our luggage from our lodgings and silently loaded it onto the carriage, all as if nothing had happened. Feeling unsure as to how best to react, Root and I talked quietly to each other and decided it best to carry on as normally as we could. In other words, "leave it be."
Looking at the other two a bit warily, Root and I boarded the carriage once more and continued our journey to our destination, Mikuaru Village. Surprisingly, aside from the leaden man, the inside of the carriage was as peaceful and harmonious as it was yesterday.
It was as if nothing had happened last night. Grinning, Root and I also began to converse as usual. Actually, no. I was a little excited.
I guess I was a little excited to be returning home after so long. I gestured more wildly than usual, and let risque jokes fly. Root got angry at me while Kuriha gave me a wry smile. It was a very enjoyable journey.
After shaking along with the carriage for about half a day, a lush green forest began to stretch out before us, and our chests were filled with the fragrance of grass. In other words, we were getting closer to Mikuaru Village.
 
"No, honestly. I honestly haven't done anything. I don't even have any memory of it."
"Well, let's leave the carriage here and continue with the horses. From here on out the road is narrow and the carriage will just be a nuisance."
"Understood, Lady Fio."
 
Eventually, the man-made road gave way to a long, rough animal trail. Surprisingly, the entrance to Mikuaru Village looked like a place out of a Showa era comic book called something along the lines of "The Precipitous Cliff." Once we cleared the narrow trail, a cliff soared into view in front of us, and a sign board stood jutting out of the ground. 
"O travelers seeking our Mikuaru Village that lies atop this cliff. For us villagers, this cliff is but a pleasant slope. Those who cannot overcome this slope have no business entering our village."
Those stupid enough to take this sign as truth would then spend the next few days climbing the cliff...However, there is actually a bypath the villagers use.
 
Incidentally, at the time of this sign's creation the villagers apparently climbed the cliff to enter and exit the village. How dumb could they have been? I couldn't even climb such a cliff once.
"Don't mind the cliff. Come here."
"Understood...I see, I finally understand what you meant when you said there was a bypath. It's pretty difficult to figure out. If I had but myself to guide us, I may have gotten a little lost. I'm glad you're here with us, Fio."
"...Well, it is concealed pretty well. If somebody was able to find the entrance just by being told where it is, we would be in trouble."
・・・Should Root abnormally give up, or should he regret that the village's concealing technique is crude? But I was involved with this road's concealment, too.
Now, with the cliff in front of us, we departed from the road with myself in the lead and continued toward a small cave in a hard-to-see place. Beyond this cave is a back road made by the villagers.
 
"Huh? The tomb of life? You're kidding me. I have to take responsibility for that flat-chested girl? No way."
"...So, Mikuaru Village is in this kind of place."
 
Root, as if with deep feeling, looked over the cave. It was a bit too early to say that this was Mikuaru Village. Root seemed to have a deep fondness for Mikuaru Village. Maybe he had a personal connection to it.
"Hm, we climb here. Behind the boulder's shadow lies the way to the back of the village."
"Thank you, Fio. With this we'll be entering Mikuaru Village soon."
"Aaah...It was just a simple in and out with your member. The guilt and sin are too heavy. Give me a break, a break." 
It took 30 minutes to walk through the cave. Finally, we had reached the exit.
After this we just have to climb that giant, roughly two meter tall boulder, then go through the small tunnel in the rock wall. The tunnel is a crack big enough for even our large-sized Birdie to go through if they were to crawl on all fours.
We climbed the boulder and arrived at the tunnel at once. Now, all we had to do was take this tiny bypath.
"Alright, follow me."
I took the lead as before and entered the tunnel first.The other three followed after me.
Mikuara Village is an important place for many different tribes. It's as if a security net is wrapped around it. If nothing has changed since I lived here, there will be one or two people standing guard on the other end of this tunnel. If those guards are the hasty type, they very well could attack the moment outsiders appear.
 
It should be safe since I took the lead.
 
"Understood, Fio. All we have to do is take this ------ Th-this is okay, right?"
"Don't dilly-dally, Root. Hurry up and follow me."
"No, wait. If I haven't had a kid, there's no need to take responsibility, right?" Right. And I can push forward as an unmarried man." 
"Oh-ho, I see. Shall I go after Master Root? I ask you, Master Birdie, to keep an eye on our surroundings and then bring up the rear."
 
I went to signal "come here," only to find a strangely flustered Root being pushed into the tunnel by Meido. I wonder what happened?
"Root, what's wrong?" 
"N-nothing. Everything's alright so just hurry on ahead."
Though I was interested in Root's slight evasiveness, I decided to continue onward through the tunnel.
After a little distance was put between us, Root started to shuffle after me.
Why is he staying that far behi-Huh?!
 
"Root, you bastard. My underwear! You're looking at my underwear!?"
 
What was this? It was stupid.
 
"S-sorry. But, but I couldn't help it! If I hadn't gone in next, you or Kuriha would have had to follow after a man."
"Shut up. A failure! This is the failure of my life!"
I accidentally fell on the ground. I really need to hurry up and fix my habit of doing stupid things like this every so often.
Alas -----.
 
If Kuriha took the lead I would've been able to see some underwear myself!
"...What?"
"It was the perfect chance to legally ogle Meido’s butt as she crawled. Dammit!"
"Hey, Fio. Stop. Wait, get that sad face of yours up off the ground. Keeping yourself in that position just makes your underwear more visible."
"Hmm? Look all you want at my underwear. I won't charge anything. Dammit. Don’t lose it now."
"Aahhh...What's the harm in one round? You won’t need to take responsibility. Dammit. You’re losing it."
 
I regretted making the dumb decision to look behind me. Teasing Root, who was acting strangely innocent, I shuffled out of the tunnel.
I’m not trying to act like some perverted hero who stares at underwear. I especially wouldn’t care if somebody saw me completely naked.
 
 
 
A rocky stretch greeted us upon leaving the tunnel. This rocky stretch covered the village, and was used like a castle wall.  This small village, surrounded by rocks on top of a plateau in the middle of the forest, was my hometown, Mikuaru Village.
Having finally returned to my home after all these years, I quickly looked across the bypath’s surrounding area. Where is today's guard?
...Oops. Guess they actually are here. A young girl in rough-cut clothing sitting on the rocky stretch. Yeah. I remember that face.
The very familiar girl closed the book in her hand with a thud, and stared in our direction. I gave her a big wave.
"Long time no see, Meru!! Did your tits get bigger?"
"Do me a favor and head back from where you came, you big pervert."
Yeah, the sharp tongue as always. The one standing guard over the entrance was my beloved little sister Meru. She approached us with her unpleasant-looking almond-shaped eyes, and with a pony tail hanging down to the waist of her small body.
 
"...Four of you, eh? Seeing as you've brought her with you, it's pretty clear that you're guests not enemies. Alright, first state your name, your gender, your reason for coming here, and finally what your relationship is with that nympho. I'll judge whether or not you can come into our village."
"...There didn't used to be any judging, Meru. It's fine. Just hurry up and go tell the village."
"Quiet, you human-shaped piece of garbage. Answer the questions. All of you."
Meru really hadn't changed. Sure she had gotten more beautiful and mature, and her breasts looked like they had grown a bit, but on the inside she was exactly the same. The last time I saw Meru she had to be, what, about ten years old? I guess it's good she finally learned the word "justice."
"What did you do to her, Fio? She seems to hate you as much as a caterpillar."
"Don't be stupid. Meru and I are all lovey-dovey. Right, Meru?"
"Don't say such horrible things, pervert. It gives me goosebumps. Now, hurry up and say your names!"
This girl who was strangely acting rough towards me was my younger sister by two years. Well, half-sister to be more exact.
Meru's and my father was an unmatched old man with multiple wives. That being said, I had no desire to call the village chief “dad.”
 
 
In Mikuaru Village, it was the custom to consider the entire village, not individual couples, as family. So, these villagers treated each other as brothers and sisters, and the village chief  was the head of the family, so to speak.
That’s why I even call the woman who gave birth to me my older sister. That’s just what women in that position are called.
"...Umm. I'm Root, I’m male, and I came here to ask about the shrine maiden of the shooting star."
"The shrine maiden of the shooting star? Strange. If that's the case why not just ask Fio?"
"Me?  I've pretty much forgotten all about that. Haha----"
 
"I don't remember anything...I'm not lying when I say I forgot. There's no facts that I did anything."
Letting my guard down for a moment was fatal.
A fist drilled into me so fast that I couldn’t follow it with my eyes. This technique was undoubtedly called a corkscrew blow in a previous life.
A dull thud rang out across the rock field. Crouching in silence, I opened my eyes and gripped my stomach where I got hit.
"Hm, I get it now. You were brought here by this piece of junk, huh?"
"Y-yes.  We heard that the shrine maiden of the shooting star is missing. Our goal is to find where she is."
"...Hmm, I see. And you thought the shrine maiden was female?"
"Yes?
My stomach is killing me. I'm breaking out in a cold sweat. That Meru. She overdid it like always. I can't focus enough to use recovery magic.
"The previous shrine maiden of the shooting star, and the one before that, were both men. The position is only called that now because the very first one was a woman. The person in the village with the strongest magic ability is chosen, and they inherit the ability to control shooting stars. That first maiden’s blood flows through the village, you see."
"I-is that so? I see, well, so the current shrine maiden is a man?"
"...No, the current maiden is female. Hey, Fio? Do you remember your tenth birthday?"
Meru is saying something.
What? If you want to talk, don't suddenly try to gut me. I heard that Meru had become a warrior, but this isn't the physical attack power of a girl two years younger than me.
Now, what was I saying?
 
"Ah, my tenth birthday? Aah, it was a pretty grand party, wasn't it? Even for my birthday parties, that one was really something."
"Hmph!"
"Ow!" 
Meru's second blow bent my body into a U shape and had me eating dirt once more. Tears started to slowly form in my eyes.
...What was that all about!? You were always sharp tongued, Meru, but I don't remember you being this violent. What? Is today just a bad day? I seriously feel like I'm going to throw up.
"Hey, Fio. Is there anybody else in this village who can use magic better than you?"
"Don't be stupid. Even amongst all the crooks in Mikuaru, I’m the best healing magic user!”
"Oh. And that was confirmed at the inheritance ceremony on your tenth birthday, right?"
"...Inheritance ceremony?"
 
 Hmm. Now that you mention it, maybe that did happen? It's hazy, but my memory seems to be coming back.
 
 
 
---------------------Ah.
 
 
"What exactly are you saying, Lady Meru? On behest of the royal palace, I would ask that you let us into the village so we can begin our search for the maiden at once."
"Kuriha. It's alright. I don't think we need to worry. Ah-ha. I see, I see. I didn't even consider that possibility."
"Master Root? What exactly do you mean...?"
Oh no. I remembered. That's right. That's what happened.
 
 
 
 
 
"Um, sorry, everyone. I think the current shrine maiden is...I'm pretty sure it's me."
"Fiooooo! Sit down right there, you big idiot! How, how could you forget something so important?!"
The second shot of the day. I took the full brunt of this man dressed in woman's clothing's fist, and was harshly scolded on the spot.
...I see. Meru is mad, too.
"You see...Shooting star magic isn't something you practice and master over many years. It's something you're quickly taught in two or three days. Just because I learned it years ago doesn’t mean I should be able to remember it now."
"Normally, people remember, you hack. You were taught thoroughly, right? About the importance of the shrine maiden of the shooting star."
"And our old man taught class while wearing the maiden’s robes. Your brain must have refused to remember it."
"...No, it was just for the inheritance ceremony. It's not like he was wearing it because he liked it ----"
"Our shitty old man was in really high spirits."
"Well, yeah, I sympathize with that."
Meru's cold gaze turned slightly sympathetic. I was a proper person. I may have made a huge mistake this time, but the village chief really was an eccentric, and strange things would always go wrong based on his intentions. I have no idea why anybody would be attracted to that.
A particular custom of Mikuaru Village is that strong people are attractive. The village chief established Mikuaru’s huge lead over other villages through his war abilities. If he were to fight our Birdie, or even Birdie and Mamia, he'd be able to do more than just hold his own.  If it were ARoot and Taiman, well, they’d have a bad time but, if they were to use his weakness, maybe they could win.
It's so strange to me, no matter how I think about it, that in this village some big lump of muscle with a bushy beard and hair would be considered attractive.
 
"....The royal palace, the royal palace received a message saying that the shrine maiden of the shooting star was missing."
"Ah. Two weeks ago, when ARoot and I ran away from the magic army, we were missing for about two days. Maybe that’s it? Somebody in the village must have heard about it, got worried, and hurried to contact the royal palace to request a search for me."
"What a silly story, really. Were these past two days nothing but a complete fool's errand?"
Root’s face was incredibly tired. I really did everybody wrong this time. I have to think of a way to make it up to them.
"...Looks like my little dummy made a mistake. Would you all like to go and meet the village chief? You came all this way, and after such a long distance today, he'll probably let you stay here."
"Yes, you're right. Please. Meru, was it?  After you."
 
"Yeah, and I also need to show my face to sister Fioyu. And I guess we did find the shrine maiden of the shooting star. That means our job is done! Congratulations, congratulations!"
"I'm sorry but I must inform you that I will not be giving you the bounty."
"What?!"
How can he be so cruel?!
"...Did you think you would receive the bounty? I'm also refusing any reward for this request. There's no way I could accept it under these circumstances."
"...Money. Like consolation money? Is there a way to get some? Yeah, if you don't get married..."
That was that. This request was over before we knew it. I prepared for thunder to rain down upon me. and headed back to where I came from.
Boy am I depressed.





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