Here is another free chapter for you to enjoy.
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"It's comfortable staying here." At the gate, Miroku, wearing a bamboo hat and clutching a magic staff, gazed at the endless stream of people coming and going before him. He slowly closed his eyes and took a deep breath. A look of pure contentment gradually spread across his exhausted face, as if even his fatigue had been washed away by the lively air of the city.
Turning his head, he glanced at Miyatsu, who had already bought a roast chicken from a street vendor and was holding it proudly in his hands. He let out a helpless sigh.
"I haven't been back for a few weeks, and it's become even more prosperous than before!"
"Of course it has," Miyatsu replied casually. "Every time I leave and come back, this place always feels like it's become something entirely different."
He tore off a chicken leg and took a fierce bite. Oil immediately smeared the corner of his mouth, yet his face instantly lit up with a deeply satisfied expression.
During this period, the city had begun to develop rapidly under Sebastian's management, quickly rising to become the most prosperous city in the kingdom. Not only was commerce thriving every day, but it had also become the safest place in the entire realm. Everyone knew that this city was no longer the poor mountain village it once was.
Along with its growth, they had also gained far greater freedom. No longer just guards, they had officially become Sebastian's disciples, which meant they could accept commissions and venture out to handle various tasks as they pleased.
"This commission was really strange." After taking a sip of the fine wine she had just bought from a tavern on the corner, Miyatsu let out a quiet hiccup. Then she lightly kicked Miroku's leg, who had been staring absent-mindedly at the girls on the street.
They had been away for a whole month, tasked with investigating a small coastal fishing village where children had vanished without a trace. Naturally, such a terrifying incident caused widespread unrest.
As Sebastian's disciples, they were bound to complete such an important mission. Over the past few years, unless especially formidable monsters appeared, Sebastian personally intervened to resolve the most critical threats. Most other demon-related affairs were handled by Miyatsu, Miroku, along with Kikyō and Tsubaki.
"Do you think that legend is really true?" Miyatsu's question broke the silence after her kick. Miroku turned to her with a blank look, only then recalling their earlier discussion.
To probe the disappearance of so many boys and girls, they had scoured the entire coastline until their legs nearly gave out. Though no concrete clues had emerged, one legend persisted about the Island.
"Who knows?" Miyatsu replied. "No matter how realistic it sounds, it's still just a legend in the end."
As they headed toward Sebastian's home, a faint sense of loneliness settled over them when the topic resurfaced. Several months of investigation had yielded little progress, leaving them feeling as if they had accomplished nothing.
"Enough talk. Let's go back and report to Sensei."
Soon, the sky darkened gradually. On this moonless night, the stars shone especially brightly. Inside a quiet room, Kikyō knelt by the window bed. Her hands moved swiftly, stitching fine lines into the fabric. In a short time, a neat cuff with precise stitches was finished.
Kaede lay on the bed behind her, swinging her little feet. Watching Kikyō sew carefully, she asked curiously, "Is Sister making autumn clothes for Brother Sebastian?"
"Wait a moment, Kaede. I'll talk to you after I finish this." Kikyō nodded softly, resuming her work without pause.
During this period, Kikyō often made clothes at home after returning from demon exorcisms. Through consistent practice, she had shed her earlier clumsiness, no longer pricking her fingers, and now crafted garments that were both skillful and exquisite.
"Hmph! Sister doesn't like Kaede anymore! You never talk to me now, and every time you return, you only make clothes!" Seeing Kikyō ignore her, Kaede puffed out her cheeks in a cute, pufferfish-like pout. Her face looked pitiful, as if she had suffered some great injustice.
Imitating an adult tone, she sighed, "Oh, sister, you're going to marry Brother Sebastian anyway. Kaede is already worthless in your eyes!"
"Kaede, what nonsense are you talking about?" Kikyō's face instantly flushed a bright red, blooming like a cherry blossom in spring.
"Look! Sister's been caught again! You can't lie, your blush says everything!"
"See if I don't beat you!" Kikyō suddenly stood, setting aside the clothes. She grabbed a pillow from the bed and threw it at Kaede, who was teasing her.
Provoked, the peaceful sewing session quickly turned into a lively pillow fight between the two sisters.
"Sebastian is truly remarkable." Deep inside a shadowed temple, a demon carefully read a record of Sebastian's deeds, line by line. Beneath his feet lay the corpse of a headless monk, a dagger still covered in bright red blood.
Gazing at the damp paper, he licked his blood-stained lips. The content had been forcibly written by the monk beneath his feet before death.
"Has Sebastian really spent all his time just studying and researching?" Outside the main hall, another demon casually swung a long blade, chopping off the head of a kneeling small monk. He kicked the rolling head aside without a second glance.
Turning to the one still studying the paper inside, a trace of disdain flickered across his face. To him, Sebastian's pursuits were a waste of time. Though they claimed to be heading to the G.D.I. base to plunder, they would only take what they needed and leave immediately; there was no chance they'd encounter Sebastian.
"He doesn't even care about us," sneered the evil ghost. "As a demon extermination master, he probably only sees powerful monsters."
The old demon entered from outside, carrying a pile of monk heads. Casually splitting open one, he scooped a handful of steaming white liquid and swallowed greedily, then let out a satisfied sigh.
Among the three, he was the weakest, probably the least powerful. But the old demon never underestimated him. He knew well that, despite lacking raw strength, the spider demon was the most cunning and scheming. When confrontations couldn't be decided, even the old demon valued his counsel.
"Idiot." Hearing this, the spider demon shook his head slowly, wiping blood from his dagger with the paper in his hand.