Ming Yu also stood next to Theresa, backing her up. If it weren't for the wrong time and place, he would have wanted to give her a thumbs-up and applaud.
Faced with Theresa's sternness, the villagers showed no fear, all glaring at her angrily.
"She dares to slander the gods!" a villager exclaimed, as if seeing something shocking.
Another villager also shouted, "Look at her white hair, she must be a demoness!"
The crowd of villagers looked at Theresa, their eyes filled with greed. There was only one thought in their minds: offer this outsider to the gods!
A young man had an idea, found a stone from somewhere, and threw it hard at Theresa.
Seeing the stone, Ming Yu reacted quickly, punching it. The fist, glowing with a faint golden light, hit the stone, immediately shattering it into pieces. The scattered fragments cut the faces of several villagers, and the flowing blood calmed them down a bit.
If the Lady Shrine Maiden wasn't on their side, they probably wouldn't be able to deal with this outsider. Thinking of this, the greed in their eyes faded slightly.
After shattering the stone, Ming Yu didn't bother with the young man who threw it, but instead stared at the Head Priest. If he remembered correctly, Higokumaru had transformed into this man.
The Head Priest, or rather Higokumaru, stared back at Ming Yu without yielding, his eyes filled with mockery.
At this moment, Ming Yu seemed to be able to hear Higokumaru's thoughts: "Do you think you can stop me just because you're a little stronger than before? Dream on. Yae Sakura belongs to me, and that little girl's body is mine too. Soon, even you won't be able to escape, hahaha~"
Ming Yu was not intimidated and immediately retorted, "Then you just wait and see. You don't get to decide the outcome!"
The scene suddenly became somewhat quiet. Yae Sakura straightened her shrine maiden's uniform, stood up, and said, "Everyone, please go back for now. I will consider the matter of the ritual, and I will also give everyone an explanation for the monsters."
With the meeting interrupted, the Head Priest had no intention of continuing. He stood up and said, "Then I will ask the Lady Shrine Maiden to consider it carefully."
Seeing that the Head Priest had also agreed to leave, the crowd of villagers stood up one after another and departed.
When he reached the doorway, the Head Priest suddenly turned back and looked at Yae Sakura, saying, "Lady Shrine Maiden, do not forget. Your duty is to protect this village!"
In Yae Sakura's eyes, the Head Priest suddenly turned into herself with fox ears. The mocking gaze seemed to remind her of how Yae Village was destroyed back then.
"Sakura!" Seeing that Yae Sakura was in a daze, Ming Yu quickly shouted to stop her, "Are you alright?"
Coming back to her senses, Yae Sakura saw Ming Yu's worried expression, and her heart warmed. She said, "I'm fine. It's just that you two need to be careful. The village is not safe either."
Hearing the implication in Yae Sakura's words, Ming Yu nodded and said, "I know."
Even Ming Yu, who was not particularly perceptive, could feel the malice and greed of the villagers. If it weren't for the difference in strength, they would have swarmed them long ago.
Of course, Ming Yu could equip Theresa with Judah and use brute force to break the situation. But this would not eliminate the resentment in the Stigmata and would be of no help to Yae Sakura. Only by waiting for Higokumaru to show her true colors first could Ming Yu counter her moves and find a way to solve the problem completely.
At night, after dinner, Yae Village fell into darkness very early. After all, in this era, there were no entertainment activities at night, and candles were not cheap, so the villagers all went to bed very early.
The moon was bright and the stars were few. All was quiet, with only the sound of the night watchman's clapper coming from far away. But the shrine was some distance from the village, so even this sound was not very clear. Instead, the chirping of insects was endless.
For safety reasons, Ming Yu and Theresa naturally slept in the same room. Ming Yu didn't want to wake up and find that the Principal had been captured and offered as a sacrifice.
At this special time, Theresa also knew what was important and didn't make a fuss. If even Ming Yu could feel the villagers' malice, she naturally could too. And without her power, she was just an ordinary little girl, powerless to protect herself against the wolf-like villagers.
Remembering Yae Rin's words, Ming Yu had not slept very deeply, remaining in a half-asleep state. Feeling that it was late, Ming Yu scrambled up and nudged Theresa, who was sleeping soundly beside him.
Perhaps because the lamps in the shrine were never extinguished, the dim light shone through the paper-covered shoji screen into the room, allowing Ming Yu to vaguely see Theresa's sleeping face.
Her long silver hair was draped to one side. Her small face still had a bit of baby fat, and her fair skin showed no trace of age, as if she were really just a twelve-year-old child.
Looking at Theresa's serene sleeping face, her nostrils twitching slightly, and her chest rising and falling rhythmically with her even breathing, she must be having a good dream.
A playful impulse arose in Ming Yu. He stretched out two fingers and gently pinched the Principal's small nose. It was smooth to the touch. She's completely a child, Ming Yu couldn't help but think.
After a short while, Theresa let out a soft moan and slowly opened her eyes, seeing Ming Yu's smiling face close by. In the dim light, Ming Yu's black eyes shone with an inexplicable light, with a hint more danger than usual.
Theresa's heart tightened, and she couldn't help but retreat a few steps, crying out in a low voice, "Ying ying ying~, you despicable Ming Yu, have you finally decided you can't hold back and are going to make a move on the world's cutest Principal?"
Several black lines instantly appeared on Ming Yu's forehead. 'Ying ying ying'? Do you think you're Yae Sakura? For that matter, even Yae Sakura wouldn't 'ying ying ying' like that.
He extended his index and middle fingers and tapped Theresa on the forehead, saying helplessly, "Principal, stop being a drama queen. It's time to go find Yae Rin."
Theresa rubbed her forehead and said with a troubled expression, "Why don't you go by yourself? I'll just wait here for you to come back. You're so capable, the Principal trusts that you can definitely complete this mission."
As expected, going to find a ghost in the middle of the night was still too much for the Principal.
How could Ming Yu, who had already guessed that Theresa would try to get out of it, let her have her way? With a slight smile, Ming Yu sighed and said, "Eh! I guess that's the only way. But those villagers might rush in at any time. In that case, I'll have to ask you, the S-rank Valkyrie Principal, to help deal with them. After all, I'm just an ordinary student. How could I possibly be their opponent?"
Hearing Ming Yu mention those villagers, Theresa's expression finally changed. After comparing the options in her mind, she said hesitantly, "Alright, I'll let the Principal take you with me."
Seeing Theresa's compromise, Ming Yu smiled to himself. You're still far from being my match!
After getting dressed, Ming Yu led Theresa out of the shrine on tiptoe. Although there were lamps lit everywhere in the shrine, there weren't many guards, as Yae Village didn't have enough manpower. As long as they were careful not to wake the sleeping people, they didn't have to worry about being discovered.
Under the moonlight, the two of them slowly walked to the cherry blossom tree. In front of the tombstone, a pink-haired figure slowly emerged.
Seeing Ming Yu and Theresa arrive as promised, Yae Rin smiled slightly. Without wasting any time, she began to softly speak of the promise of the sakura under the moonlight.