Great Sage 23 – The Depths of the Eye

May 11, 2022Zathael

As we break through the barrier on the second floor, I plan our formation.

“Haruka will attack first then I’ll follow her and provide support. Maya-chan and Yuikuu can…..”
“How about you entrust the rear guard to me”

Given Yuikuu’s strength, it would be inefficient to have Maya-chan between us and there’s no reason to guard the back but it seems he has something in mind.

And in that case it’s probably best to leave it to him.

I give him a nod,
“Master please watch! I’ve devised a whole lot of new ultimate techniques so look forward to them”
Haruka opens her western style hand fan and smiles.

Going up the fire escape and through the emergency exit we’re greeted with three girls in shine maiden clothes loitering in the dim hallway. Their eyes are unfocused and they’re carrying things like katanas, khakkharas, and gavels.1

Behind them is a tall skinny man with a pale face wearing white clothing.

“I guess the guys from Kashizu and the demon army are all useless. What’s this, the filthy cat that should have been disposed of is here….. what a dilemma”

As you would expect from his appearance, an unpleasant smile crosses his face.
The man waves his hand and the shrine maiden girls attack Haruka.

“I’m going to save you all so hold on”
Haruka dodges their attacks with the agility of a cat and releases confetti from her fan.

“Such childish tricks are useless”

The man waves his hand once more and the confetti begins to flutter.

“Oh shiki, dance even more nobly”2
At Haruka’s call, the confetti is tinged with flames and begin to accelerate.

The name was too long so I forgot it but…..
This is the flame something or rather dance that Haruka has been practicing recently!

“Dammit, what’s going on!”
The thin man screams.
Perhaps because he was panicking and his control wavered,

“Haruka, there’s threads attached to their napes”
The man’s spell can be clearly seen.

“Thanks Master!”
Haruka cuts the threads with her fan and the girls lose their strength and fall to the ground.

“This is the end”
Yuikuu clicks his tongue as Haruka carelessly rushes in,

“Nyoi extend”
I thrust Nyoi at the man.

“Urk!”
With the sound oh a frog being trampled, the man falls over abruptly.

“Master…..”
Haruka walks up and kicks the man but he can only roll around in pain.

“I was planning to pretend to get caught then land a critical [Burning Butterfly Super Stream Attack] to beat the life out of him”
I have something to say about the length of that name but,

“My bad, I just wanted to give you some light support but….. I didn’t expect him to be this weak”

I apologise earnestly to Haruka.

“More importantly the girls!”
Maya-chan rushes up to the girls who collapsed.
As expected, I detect the same spell on the shrine maiden girls as Haruka and the oni girl.

“Don’t worry”
I walk up to them,
“I don’t suppose you intend to feel up their breasts one by one!”

“It’s the third time already, I understand the process to remove it now”
I deploy a magic circle around the three girls and the self destruct spell disappears.

With a sour look, Maya-chan glares at me.
To which, as if waiting for it, Yuikuu looks into her eyes.

“This is definitely the Shimogami’s [Curse]. That old man Ashiya’s specialty to be exact”

Maya-chan tilts her head.

“Is there a way to remove it”
I can’t see the Shimogami [Curse] that Yuikuu is talking about.

Up until now I’ve felt a vague sense of danger but…..
When I noticed it, I immediately understood the magic there.

“It seems to have progressed quite far. Halfhearted measures will only have the opposite effect, but its not like we can ignore it either….. it’s probably taking advantage of your feelings towards your mother. That old man’s curses slowly change the direction of a persons emotions. That’s how he slowly crushes his opponents. You should know yourself young lady, you’ve been using your eyes for the sake of your mother haven’t you”

“So it’s progressed that far”
There’s definitely something off with my search magic.

“Would it be possible for me to absorb the hatred welling in there then”
If that’s the case then we need to hurry.

“If you’re asking then it’s definitely possible but your soul may be destroyed in doing so”
Yuikuu shows concern for me but, if it’ll work, there’s no need to hesitate.

“Don’t worry about it. My soul is already broken”
Compared to my soul being damaged further, I don’t want Kanako-chan or Maya-chan who’s protecting her to come to harm.

I walk closer to Maya-chan who’s begun to shiver.
“Kanako-chan’s eyes are objects that absorb the hatred of mankind, this is what I confirmed from my investigation earlier”

“Mom isn’t evil. She’s not a calamity or anything”

“Not knowing what would happen if that hatred exceeded a fixed amount, I noticed that Maya-chan has been taking it in herself in order to not cause Kanako-chan any suffering. But to think it had progressed this far…..”

I’m angry at my own carelessness.

“I won’t forgive you if you lay a hand on mom”

Maya-chan’s sanity must be at its limits.
Peering into her mind, I can see countless tears.

As I thought, her violent actions were a way to vent her emotions.
Her excessive reaction to sexual content is also the result of taking in the [Desires] of those surrounding Kanako-chan.

The jealousy, envy, and sorrow lurking in the depths of her eye swirled together.

“I must have been hard up until now, I’m sorry for making you wait. Do not fear, I’ll definitely protect Maya-chan and Kanako-chan”

“Mom, Mom…..”

From her teary eyes, I take in all the hatred and Maya-chan loses her strength and falls over.

“Is Maya-chan okay”

I’m still not familiar with the magic of this world so I’m not certain this was the right choice.
Just in case I consult Yuikuu,

“The young lady will be fine now but….. as I thought, I’m worried about you”


Yuikuu mutters quietly as he looks to me with a pained gaze.

Translator’s Notes:
1: Khakkhara are staffs traditionally carried by Buddhist monks.
2: Shiki being short for shikigami.