"Yes," the fox-masked shrine maiden, Hanachirusato, nodded lightly.
"…Since you're unwilling to say more, that's fine. Just tell me—what do you need help with?"
The explanation given by the shrine maiden was vague, leaving Yae Miko unable to gather much information. For now, she couldn't deduce Hanachirusato's true identity.
Nolan also couldn't explain how he knew who Hanachirusato was, so he held back for now, waiting for the right opportunity.
"Within this fox-shaped statue lies a 'seal item'. It can be extracted using Electro energy. After retrieving it, I would like you all to investigate the barrier in Konda Village."
Hanachirusato spoke in a calm, steady tone.
"The barrier in Konda Village… I do recall there being one beneath it. That barrier protects the roots of the Sacred Sakura Tree. Has something gone wrong with it?" Yae Miko crossed her arms, puzzled.
"As the chief priestess of the Grand Narukami Shrine, you should know that the Sacred Sakura possesses the power to purify ley line contamination. However, over time, the roots that channel that corruption get blocked by filth."
"It's during such times that purification is necessary."
So said Hanachirusato, still wearing the white fox mask.
"Oh? Has it already reached that point..." Yae Miko was, of course, well aware of the Sacred Sakura's role. But recently, preoccupied with Ei's issues and the looming shadow over Inazuma's future, she had neglected these matters.
"Now that you mention it... being so knowledgeable about this, your identity can't be simple. As far as I know, no shrine maiden outside of the Narukami line should know about this kind of thing."
A new question formed in Yae Miko's mind. Hanachirusato felt more and more familiar to her, as if she were someone she had once known. Yet she looked like just an ordinary shrine maiden. Aside from the mask, there was nothing particularly special.
Was it just her imagination?
"Huh? Hanachirusato is someone Lady Guuji knows?" Yoimiya blinked, surprised by Yae Miko's words as she turned to look at the masked shrine maiden.
Nolan felt this was the perfect moment—a chance to nudge Hanachirusato into revealing her true identity.
So he said:
"Miss Hanachirusato, I've encountered the Abyss and its dark power before. The aura you give off… it's somewhat similar to that feeling."
He wasn't lying. In his perception, Hanachirusato, though physically present, lacked the vital essence of the living.
According to the original story, Hanachirusato was formed from the lingering thoughts and memories of Kitsune Saiguu, fused with the taint of the Abyss.
And memories, or lingering thoughts, are not quite the same as a soul—they're more akin to obsession or will.
At the time, Kitsune Saiguu was on the verge of being devoured by the Abyss, and the fragment of will she managed to preserve by pleading with it was not strong enough to maintain a body on its own.
So, as expected, Hanachirusato's current form was likely made of condensed filth from the Abyss, giving her a physical body.
Her continued existence was sustained by that filth—likely the same filth polluting the Sacred Sakura.
That's why, in the game's story, after the Traveler successfully purified the Sacred Sakura's roots, Hanachirusato lost the taint that sustained her consciousness and faded away.
With no energy left to hold on to, her lingering thoughts and memories naturally dissipated.
"I see… So you could tell," Hanachirusato seemed a little surprised.
Though she was only formed of the Sacred Sakura's taint, she had inherited all of Lady Saiguu's memories. That alone allowed her to hide her identity fairly well.
Yet to think she had been seen through by a seemingly ordinary young adventurer.
Since that was the case, she thought for a moment and decided that there was no point in hiding anymore. If they kept doubting her, it would only hinder the purification efforts.
She no longer concealed the truth and slowly began to reveal her origin:
"Several centuries ago, Inazuma faced a calamity. A dark power ran rampant across the land, and Narukami Island was devastated.
"A noble named Kitsune Saiguu sacrificed herself to protect the people of Narukami Island. I was born from the memories and lingering will she left behind, shaped into filth."
Born from memories and lingering thoughts of Kitsune Saiguu, but made of filth? Then technically, Hanachirusato wasn't Kitsune Saiguu herself?
Nolan was a little surprised. It seemed that even with the game's story as reference, his interpretation hadn't been entirely accurate.
"So… you're filth itself? Then aren't you asking us to clean up... yourself?" Yoimiya asked, visibly stunned.
"Filth is a blight upon the world. Since I was born of that noble lady's will, I naturally must fulfill her final duty," Hanachirusato replied calmly behind her mask.
No wonder she felt so familiar—she really was connected to Lady Kitsune Saiguu. Yae Miko's eyes lit with realization.
"But just like Yoimiya said… if you were born of the Sacred Sakura's filth, wouldn't purifying it mean you'll disappear as well?" Nolan asked, looking at her.
"Disappearance is not true death. As long as I live on in your memories, I can still endure," Hanachirusato replied.
Influenced by Saiguu's memories, Hanachirusato's only desire was to cleanse the corruption. Whether she would vanish or not was irrelevant to her.
However, drawing on Saiguu's memories, she did understand that humans had emotions. So she had tried to avoid directly stating that her own disappearance would come as a result of the purification.
When Nolan had played the original story, Hanachirusato's fading had left him with deep regret. Even if she wasn't truly Kitsune Saiguu, he still wished to avoid that tragic ending.
But he couldn't state that too directly. So he came up with a reason and said:
"Hmm… Kitsune Saiguu was Raiden Shogun's companion. Her memories are extremely valuable. For them to just vanish like that would be a great loss. I have a way to preserve your existence even after purifying the Sacred Sakura's roots. Would you be willing to stay?"
"...But my existence is solely for purifying the Sacred Sakura's filth. Once that's done, I have no reason to continue. The memories of the departed should return to where they belong."
Hanachirusato shook her head gently.
She did not fear vanishing. As something born of filth, she believed she had no right to continue existing.
When she realized that Nolan, swayed by human emotions, was trying to find a reason for her to remain in the world, she rejected him without hesitation.
This body was born of corruption, and its only rightful fate in this world was to disappear.
"..."
Nolan hadn't expected to be rejected so quickly, and he was briefly at a loss for words. Then he quickly followed up:
"But if you're asking us to do something, shouldn't you offer some kind of reward? You possess the memories of Lady Kitsune Saiguu—surely you know the arts and spells she once used.
"It would be a shame if they disappeared along with you. You could write them down and give them to us as a reward, as a way to pass on her legacy. What do you think?"
Hanachirusato went silent for a moment. In truth, aside from Lady Saiguu's memories, she had nothing else of value to offer.
She glanced over at Yae Miko and pondered. This shrine priestess was Lady Saiguu's junior—entrusting some of her unique legacy to her wouldn't be a bad idea.
After a brief pause, Hanachirusato slowly nodded.
"In that case, I have no objections. Before I vanish, I will leave you with some of Lady Kitsune Saiguu's teachings."
"Good. Then let's head straight to the corrupted area. As for the seal item, we don't need to retrieve it—I have a simpler method for cleansing the filth."
Nolan nodded.
As long as she had the will to remain, that was enough. With his abilities, so long as she hadn't completely disappeared, there was almost nothing he couldn't bring back.
As for how to deal with the filth—naturally, that was where Lumine would come in!
The corruption on the Sacred Sakura was left behind by the Abyss. It was similar in nature to the forbidden knowledge that polluted the Irminsul, as well as the Withering and the black mud.
And Lumine had mastered the purest form of Abyssal power. Cleansing this kind of filth should be well within her ability.
In fact, even the affinity skill he gained from Shenhe—Devine Maiden's Purity—might have the effect of purifying filth.
However, since he had never used it on something like the Sacred Sakura, he wasn't sure whether it would work. The skill's description only said it could bestow the Devine Maiden's Purity state to a "target."
It didn't say the target had to be human, so Nolan felt confident it could be used on the Sacred Sakura.
That's why he was so sure of himself.
"Very well, let's give it a try." Hanachirusato nodded gently. After waiting this long, it wouldn't take much more time to go with Nolan and the others to try.
Yae Miko, seeing that Nolan had successfully persuaded Hanachirusato, finally let out a small sigh of relief. After all, Hanachirusato held the memories of Lady Kitsune Saiguu.
In a way, she could be considered half of Saiguu herself. Emotionally speaking, Yae Miko didn't want Hanachirusato to just disappear either.
[Yae Miko Has Developed Good Feelings Towards You, Obtained 320 Affection Points. Current Affection Level: Lv. 8 (600/800)]
Seeing the prompt on the character panel, Nolan had a good idea why she warmed up to him.
From the game's storyline, it was clear that Kitsune Saiguu had cared for Yae Miko deeply when she was young. Being able to save Hanachirusato, who held her memories, naturally earned him some affection.
Come to think of it… if he could truly bring back Kitsune Saiguu herself, he might gain even more affection from her.
But to resurrect someone who had already passed away… unless Saiguu, like Guizhong or Rukkhadevata, had left behind a portion of her consciousness—
Otherwise, even he couldn't bring someone back out of thin air.
Kitsune Saiguu was a companion of the Raiden Shogun. She may not have been on the same level as the Archons, but leaving behind a fragment of consciousness should've been possible.
The real question was: did she? And if she did, where was it? That would be key.
And since Hanachirusato had her memories, perhaps she knew whether Saiguu had left something behind.
After all, Kitsune Saiguu had fought alongside Raiden Shogun against countless demons—there was a good chance she'd encountered beings too difficult to kill and had to seal them instead.
In that case, maybe like Guizhong, she had left a part of her mind behind as a guardian.
If so, Nolan might just have a way to bring her back... His thoughts raced.
While he was mulling things over, Hanachirusato had already revealed the precise location of the Sacred Sakura's—what she called the Thunder Sakura's—root system.
Yae Miko also knew the place. With a soft clap of her hands, she released her youkai power, causing the space around them to ripple like water.
In the next moment, everyone vanished from the spot—leaving only the fox-shaped stone statue standing quietly in place.
The space shifted. Nolan blinked and found himself in a dim underground area.
He recalled that back when he and Lumine and Paimon had traveled from Ritou to Inazuma City, they'd passed by Konda Village and met Yoimiya.
Together, they had explored the underground space beneath the village to fight monsters. But back then, they had gone in the direction of Inazuma City.
They hadn't discovered this area—otherwise, he might have had a chance to meet Hanachirusato even then.
"Everyone, look ahead. That's the root system of the Thunder Sakura." Hanachirusato turned her fox mask toward the front and spoke to the group.
Nolan looked in the direction she indicated and saw a faint purple barrier illuminating the entire underground space.
It was the only source of light down here.
"According to the original method, we would need to first unlock the barrier and then set up the Grand Cleansing Ritual to purify the filth. But now… that depends on you."
Hanachirusato turned her masked face toward Nolan.
"Naturally. I'm not someone who boasts without backing it up. Just give me a moment," Nolan said with a confident smile on his aesthetically pleasing face.
Using the remote communication ability of "Interstellar Travel," he contacted Lumine, who was currently in Sumeru, and asked her to come over if she had a moment.
The reason he didn't immediately use Devine Maiden's Purity was that if it worked, it would probably cleanse all the filth in one go.
But he wanted to try bringing Lumine first. If she could control and assimilate the Abyssal corruption, she might even be able to take over the role of maintaining Hanachirusato's existence in place of the Sacred Sakura's filth.
If not, then he'd have to bring Hanachirusato into the Wonderland Space.
However, he normally never allowed negative or tainted energy into the Wonderland. And filth was certainly such a force.
Though Hanachirusato wouldn't intentionally harm anyone, the nature of her energy could still affect others passively.
So caution was the better path.
Of course, there was one more option—use Devine Maiden's Purity on Hanachirusato directly, cleanse all the corruption from her body, and preserve only her consciousness. Then he could bring her into the Sanctuary Space.
That should allow him to save her perfectly. The only downside was that she would lose her physical form, and might end up in the dormant state like Havria once was.
If that were the case, it could take a long time for her to recover full awareness. So he'd need to ask Hanachirusato what she thought of the idea first.
Also, he still hadn't asked her whether Kitsune Saiguu had left behind any fragment of consciousness.
He couldn't let her fade away so soon...
(End of Chapter)
Author's Note:
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