bookbashuk Page 82
Page 82
Hiiragi Shinsuke.
The sculptor of the stone statue was highly skilled; the figure, face, and repentant expression were all depicted with remarkable realism. The only thing that evoked a sense of regret or chilling dread was...
Those eyes.
The eyes were depicted so well that they looked like they were looking at you from any angle. If you couldn't tell they were made of stone, you would doubt that they were real human eyes, filled with endless terror and pain.
It looked like a corpse with its eyes open, as if it had suffered endless torment before its death.
It's as if it's saying, 'This is the consequence of betraying the people of Inazuma.'
"Sir, what should we do with this stone statue?"
Kujo Sara did not answer immediately, but instead looked at a stone step in the harbor.
The only way to transport goods from the ship to the port was a triangular stone staircase with two steps of considerable depth, which allowed people to push the goods instead of carrying them up.
It's a very convenient little setup.
However, for some reason, Kujo Sara always felt as if the stone steps were watching her.
"grown ups?"
Kujo Sara finally came to her senses and glanced at the stone steps again. Although the feeling of being spied on had disappeared, she still felt that something was not right.
Were there these stone steps there before?
"I can't remember, it seems like I didn't, but it also seems like I did."
The port soldier shook his head, then asked, "What should we do with this statue of Lord Hiiragi?"
Kujo Sara was about to say, "Let's smash it," but before she could finish speaking, she heard footsteps approaching.
"Just leave him there."
Kujo Sara turned her head and saw a woman dressed as a shrine maiden at Narukami Shrine walking towards her.
"This is Lord Yae no Kami's intention."
Although Kujo Sara was puzzled, seeing that the other party had no intention of explaining, she said, "Since it is Lord Yae no Kami's wish, then let's leave it here."
"Let's go to the Hiiragi family's house."
When Kujo Sara arrived at the Hiiragi residence, she found that there were hardly any guards around the house.
Only a few hundred meters away, there were a few scattered soldiers guarding the area.
"what happened?"
Kujo Sara frowned in displeasure. What if someone sneaks in and destroys the crime scene?
"Sir, you'll understand once you go inside."
The accompanying soldier smiled wryly, his expression still showing fear: "But you'd better be prepared."
Kujo Sara scoffed at it.
Can a murder case be as brutal as a bloody battlefield shootout?
But when she entered the Hiiragi family home and saw what was in the square, she couldn't help but feel her pupils shrink, her scalp tingle, and a wave of nausea wash over her.
The Hiiragi family, along with all the affiliated families of the Hiiragi family, and everyone she knew were in that square.
The ground was covered with mummified corpses, densely packed like a clump of corpses.
What's most terrifying is the dozens of sharp, upright stone spikes on which all the high-ranking officials who were tasked with the investigation were impaled. What's both frightening and incomprehensible is that they are all still alive!
"And, there's this too."
Kujo Sara numbly lowered her head and saw a line of words carved on the ground in front of the hellish forest of corpses.
"Don't rush, it'll be your turn soon."
Chapter 8 Kujo Sora/Eight-fold Divine Son (4K)
Even though he was used to life and death.
Kujo Sara, accustomed to seeing dismembered limbs, disemboweled bodies, and screams of agony on the bloody battlefield.
I couldn't help but feel a chill run down my spine from the horrifying sight before me.
Those survivors, wedged between the stone pillars and enduring so many days of storms and scorching sun, gazed at her with pleading, low groans and whimpers, as if begging her to grant them release.
And the stone characters carved on the ground...
It was a cry that was countless times more miserable than the most extreme agonizing screams and wails, and words that were more terrifying than any image.
"My lady, this..."
"Lord Yae no Kami said, 'Don't you already know who did it?'"
Kujo Kaura remained silent.
True.
The new "Emperor" of Liyue just arrived in Liyue a while ago.
The first night of the storm that lasted for several days before leaving port was the day when the magistrate of Kansei (the emperor's personal guard) made a grand welcome for the new emperor.
Furthermore, the other party is currently missing.
The bodies and 'living people' of all the mid- to high-ranking investigators, except for Shinsuke Hiiragi, are here. Judging from the stone statue, Shinsuke Hiiragi probably isn't in much better shape either. So, it's not hard to guess the identity of the culprit.
But it's precisely because of suspicion towards the other party.
Kujo Sara felt increasingly terrified.
How could that man possibly have done this?!
In her memory, the other party was a man who was "kind" to the extreme.
He was a true "good person" who would hardly kill anyone, even on a bloody battlefield, and would only capture the enemy.
This extremely kind-hearted "good person," through her formidable strength, astonishing command and strategic planning in battle, and cooperation with Coral Palace Heart Sea, managed to suppress the Heavenly Commander, whose overall strength far surpassed that of the Sea Island Resistance Army, making them unable to raise their heads.
Even though he was later transformed from a "hero" into a "wanted criminal".
During the period when he was wanted, he almost never killed a single person, whether it was the soldiers chasing him by Inazuma or the Fools.
He hates dead people.
"The evil consequences caused by the greed and selfishness of those in power should not be imposed on these innocent ordinary soldiers."
"They have families, and their families are waiting for them to come home."
This is what the other party told her personally when she asked him after the war.
She still can't forget his smile from that time.
Or, to put it more bluntly, he is the kind of good person who wants not only himself to live, but also everyone else to live well. He is a good person who truly understands the feelings of others.
They take all the blame upon themselves, while giving all the credit and kindness to others.
Now, you tell her that such a kind and good person, who was kind to the extreme, actually created such a "hell"?
A cold wind carrying a fishy smell blew by.
Kujo Sara barely managed to come to her senses. Looking at the "hell" before her, she realized that she shouldn't be dwelling on questions like, "Did Lin Jiu'an really do this?" and "How did Lin Jiu'an become like this?"
The question she should be grappling with is whether the strength to silently eliminate a ruthless killer is truly something she can handle.
Kujo Sara looked at the shrine maiden beside her, wanting to seek Yae no Kami's help.
However, the priestess shook her head as if she had expected this.
"Lady Yae no Kami said she won't help."
······
A small fishing village, familiar houses.
Lin Jiu'an sat on the old bench, gazing blankly at the sea outside the window.
The waves, carried by an unknown wind, crashed against the shore in waves.
Someone must have come in; the old wooden door creaked and groaned, and the wooden floorboards groaned as if they were about to collapse under the weight of the weight.
"You guys go out first."
"Yes."
Kagami Kayo and the Mirror Maiden left the wooden house, leaving behind only a shrine maiden who had just entered.
She was dressed in a white shrine maiden outfit with red accents.
She is a large-breasted shrine maiden with pink hair and what appears to be fox ears or a headdress similar to Keqing's cat ears.
The chief priest of Narukami Taisha Shrine.
Son of the Eightfold God.
Yae no Miko looked at the man who was still facing away from her, gazing at the sea.
A sudden headache.
However, seeing the steaming hot fried tofu, which looked like it had just come out of the pot, I didn't know whether to breathe a sigh of relief or feel even more troubled.
The skin is golden brown and warm.
It looks like the delicious fried tofu that Lin Jiu'an made for her in her previous life.
When the pink figure appeared beside him, Lin Jiu'an turned his gaze away from the waves that were rhythmically lapping against the shore and looked at the woman who was already sitting next to him on the bench.
It's just that it's 'turning its back' to itself.
"Thank you, little one, for knowing I was coming..."
Yae no Miko smiled and was about to pick up the fried tofu, but before her hand was even halfway out, Lin Jiu'an suddenly said.
"That's not how you eat it."
Yae no Miko's hand froze in mid-air.
Then she saw Lin Jiu'an pick up the plate of fried tofu and casually throw it on the ground. The porcelain plate shattered with a 'crack,' and the steaming fried tofu fell to the ground, covered with the unwashed dust from the old floor.
"You should eat it like this."
Yae no Miko's smile froze.
Lin Jiu'an looked at the Eightfold Divine Child and urged with a smile, "Why aren't you eating?"
"Isn't this your favorite food?"
"Or do you want me to feed you?"
As Lin Jiu'an was about to bend down and pick up the fried tofu to feed her, Yae no Miko's tone was somewhat mournful.
"Surely things haven't gotten this bad between us?"
"Between us?"
Lin Jiu'an looked at her curiously: "What's the relationship between us?"
Yae no Miko wanted to say something, but seeing Lin Jiu'an's ambiguous smile, Yae no Miko gradually fell silent.
Yes, she already knew.
Since Lin Jiu'an asked her for help in his previous life, but she was not there when he was in Daoqi.
After the massacre of the scattered soldiers and the imperial examination took place.
She knew then that their relationship no longer existed, and that the other person had probably remembered her from that moment on.
"I didn't know things would turn out the way they did."
Yae no Miko simply stopped pretending.
mainly.
Lin Jiu'an gave her a strong feeling that if she was pretending and dawdling instead of getting to the point, he would kill her. Pretending would only make the conversation more difficult.
"When I went to Liyue, I had two reasons: to restore diplomatic relations with Liyue and to catch up with Ganyu, whom I hadn't seen in a long time."
"One of them also wanted to help you."
"Since you don't want to leave, and since you want to ask Ayaka Kamisato why."
"Then I thought, at least I should find Ying. With her help, we can at least find Ayaka and clear up the misunderstanding."