Suddenly, a low, indifferent voice rang out: "Lady shrine maiden, it is time to investigate the monsters."
Ming Yu stopped his sword and followed the voice with his eyes. He saw the High Priest, dressed in a black haori, had appeared at the edge of the training grounds at some point and was now watching them with an expressionless face.
Yae Sakura glanced at the panting Ming Yu, smiled apologetically, and said, "Let's call it a day for now."
Ming Yu nodded in understanding and said gratefully, "Thank you for your guidance, Miss Sakura."
They had already practiced for quite a while today, and Ming Yu could clearly feel his progress. If this continued for another four or five days, another one of his skills would probably level up.
A level 2 swordsmanship was indeed not presentable. Without a powerful weapon, he was stronger with his bare fists.
"Not at all. This is the result of your hard work, Mr. Ming. I wasn't able to teach you much," Yae Sakura said, shaking her head and refusing to take credit.
As she walked towards the High Priest, Yae Sakura added, "If you two wish to continue looking around the shrine, feel free. However, the village is not very stable at the moment, so please be careful."
Ming Yu nodded in assent. This was to avoid suspicion; he naturally wouldn't give Higokumaru any ammunition. To win over Yae Sakura, he had to wait for Higokumaru to make the first move.
The High Priest left with Yae Sakura. Before leaving, he glanced at Theresa, his eyes full of unwillingness.
*It's all because of this little girl. If I could just make her the sacrifice, I could erase Yae Sakura's last hope. At that point, Yae Sakura will belong to me!*
Ming Yu watched the direction the High Priest had left in, his mind still pondering Higokumaru's next move. But after much thought, he couldn't come up with anything. He couldn't help but sigh at how young he still was; matters of strategy were not for him.
But, in the end, this was a world that relied on strength!
After a moment of reflection, Ming Yu picked up his bamboo sword and said to the now-awake Theresa, "Principal, care for a match?"
Seeing Ming Yu's smug smile, Theresa's anger flared. This Ming Yu, knowing full well the Principal had lost her powers, was bullying the world's cutest Principal at a time like this. How shameless!
Theresa didn't answer, just puffed out her cheeks to show she was very angry, while mentally taking notes in her little black book.
Ming Yu couldn't help but laugh out loud seeing Theresa's cheeks, round as a balloon. The slight gloominess he felt just now was swept away.
*Mhm, I'll have to make a note of this in my heart: On this day, Ming Yu challenged S-rank Valkyrie Theresa, and Theresa was too scared to fight.*
…
A few days passed in a flash. Yae Sakura had to patrol the village's surroundings daily, but the Honkai Beast appearances grew more and more frequent, and the number of villagers killed and injured grew more and more severe.
Even though Ming Yu and Theresa rarely left the shrine, they could feel the increasingly heavy atmosphere in the village. Ming Yu knew in his heart that Higokumaru was getting impatient and was about to make a move.
During these few days, although the High Priest had intentionally tried to prevent Yae Sakura from interacting with the two of them, perhaps because Theresa was too similar to Kallen, Yae Sakura's favorability towards her had only increased.
Even he was getting a little worried. If this continued, would Yae Sakura directly treat Theresa as Kallen and then abandon the entire village? If that happened, what was the point of him trying to build up favorability? He might as well just go to sleep.
In the training grounds, Ming Yu was still practicing alone with a bamboo sword. Having finally gotten the time and opportunity to practice, he naturally had to cherish it.
Watching the diligent young man, Theresa felt very gratified. If Kiana were this diligent, she wouldn't have to worry so much.
"Ming Yu, the situation in the village is getting more and more tense. Have you thought of any solutions?" Theresa asked out of boredom. Having lost her powers, she could only be in charge of being cute. Things like coming up with plans could be left to others.
"Huh?" Startled by Theresa's question, Ming Yu didn't react at first. "A solution? To deal with Yae Sakura, of course, you have to go on a date with her, and while she's shy, you take her down!"
The bamboo sword in Ming Yu's hand didn't stop swinging as he continued to explain, "Doesn't Yae Sakura quite like you? And this can also awaken the hope in her heart."
Theresa thought of the scene where Yae Sakura took care of her when she was injured, and a blush immediately crept up her face, the tips of her ears turning red.
"How is that possible! I'm the world's cutest beautiful girl, and besides…" Theresa shouted, but her voice grew smaller and smaller.
*And besides, the one Yae Sakura likes is Kallen,* Theresa roared in her heart. This rotten Ming Yu, how dare he bully the Principal like this. Theresa added another entry to her little black book.
Meanwhile, in the main hall of the shrine, a heated discussion was underway, though it would be more accurate to call it an interrogation.
"Lady shrine maiden, those monsters are increasing in number. Twelve people died yesterday alone!" a villager shouted.
"Yes, Lady shrine maiden! If this continues, the village will be gone!"
"Isn't it the shrine maiden's duty to protect the village? We need an explanation!"
"Those monsters must have been brought by those outsiders! We must offer that little girl to the gods!"
"That's right! We can't let them destroy the village!"
More villagers clamored, their voices growing louder.
Watching this infuriated crowd, the High Priest sneered inwardly. *What will you do, Yae Sakura? The village or those two outsiders, which is more important?*
Hearing the villagers' accusations, Yae Sakura's expression was also grim, but she still insisted, "I have currently found no evidence linking them to the monsters. They are innocent."
The High Priest didn't care about Yae Sakura's insistence. He knew the nature of these villagers very well. Although this space was under his control, most of these villagers retained the appearance from Yae Sakura's memories. For these people, whether those two were innocent or not didn't matter, as long as the problem could be solved.
As soon as these words were spoken, the villagers erupted like a hornet's nest, shouting with even more dissatisfaction, "They are innocent, so does that mean we deserve to die!?"
"They must be connected to those monsters! We must kill them immediately!"
The villagers shouted in unison, "Ritual! Ritual!"
Faced with the villagers' pressure, Yae Sakura's mind recalled Theresa's shout of "A person's fate is decided by themselves," and her heart couldn't help but become firm.
The tragedy of Rin must not be repeated!
This time, Yae Sakura did not back down. She looked at the clamoring villagers, her eyes showing not a hint of retreat.
Seeing the determination in Yae Sakura's eyes, the High Priest cursed inwardly, *Those two damned guys!*
*What on earth did they do to Yae Sakura? I was so close to succeeding, Yae Sakura was about to give up, why did it turn out like this!*