I suppose the atmosphere was more solemn until just now.
However, it seems we’ve ruined it with the purple lightning we unleashed.
“The flow of the spiritual veins has changed! What in the world is happening?”
“It’s an enemy attack!! Can’t you see?! What are the guards doing?”
“Hurry and restore the ritual! It’s still possible to recover!”
Most of them are in a frenzy.
It seems that, unlike other places, the people here possess reason, so I’m able to get some information through their conversations.
Even so, perhaps because we caused such a commotion, all the information I’m getting is about how to deal with the situation.
Information about what they were actually doing is scarce.
In times like these, there are usually people who conveniently tell you what you need to know, but it doesn’t seem to be the case this time.
“I guess there’s no other choice. For now, I’ll follow Mother’s instructions.”
I suppose I should proceed with my own plan.
Our mission, given by Mother and me, was to disrupt the place until Kirie-san gathered personnel and stormed in.
Mother was fully prepared to suppress them with just the two of us, but unfortunately, I’m not the type to eagerly do work that doesn’t need to be done.
If I can minimize the effort, that’s for the best.
Still, there are things that must be done, so…
“Situation! Nngh!?”
First, one person.
From one shadow to another.
Compared to that place in the dungeon infested with highly sensitive monsters, even in this somewhat open area, with cover and their attention distracted, it’s surprisingly easy to sneak around.
The surveillance network that would normally be on high alert seems to be in disarray due to the previous bombardment.
On top of that, this is deep in a forest; mechanical surveillance is minimal.
I was also wary of Japanese ancient fantasy techniques like Onmyodo and sorcery, which I had feared, but most of them were neutralized by our first strike.
This is probably why it’s so noisy here, but thanks to that, we’ve been able to infiltrate and abduct people.
“…Still, why do these secret rituals always involve such bizarre outfits?”
In manga, secret organizations seem to be characterized by either black suits or outlandish attire, and this place is no exception.
I’m targeting people with physiques similar to Mother and me. I found someone with a similar build to mine and, from the shadows, leaped out and dragged him into the cover before anyone could see him.
Then, I calmly pressed his mouth to stop him from panicking from the sudden event, knocked him out, stripped him of his clothes, gagged him, and bound his limbs. There, he was complete.
I covered him with a nearby cloth, but he looked like a man who shouldn’t be left exposed in the winter forest, even with a bonfire nearby.
The clothes he was holding felt like a thick outer garment, close to a yukata.
It’s an outfit with ethnic coloring that I wouldn’t want to wear as casual clothing, something a cosplayer might wear.
Strange animals were depicted on its surface.
Shedding a wry smile, thinking our usual attire might be similar, I looked at another item I had picked up.
“This… is a cow?”
Then, a mask with a red painting of what looked like a cow on a white background.
Beneath it was an old man, the kind you’d see anywhere.
Thinking back, everyone was wearing masks with animal paintings.
At first, I thought they were just to hide their faces, but…
“Damn it! What are the辰 guys doing?!”
“How should I know! More importantly, where are the 猪 guys?! They should be moving at a time like this!!”
“Forget them, what about the 蛇 guys!! Surveillance is their job, isn’t it?!”
It seems I was wrong.
Sensing someone approaching, I instinctively hid and eavesdropped.
It seems the masks have roles associated with them.
From what I can gather, the 辰 are in charge of guarding, the 猪 have similar roles, and the 蛇 are spies.
If that’s the case, all the zodiac animals will appear, and this cow mask must have a role too.
If I’m going to infiltrate, it would be more convenient to use that meaning to my advantage.
“Still, they’re colorful masks.”
Looking closely at the people who gave me that information, I saw patterns like a monkey and a sheep, and was that a bird?
They’re all yellow, but are those patterns necessary colors for rituals?
“…Investigate, huh?”
I need to investigate that aspect as well, but frankly, gathering that information now is troublesome; it requires effort and time.
But, it’s also a situation where it’s necessary.
Well then.
“For now, I’ll drag in anyone with a different mask if I find them.”
That’s all there is to it.
As I continued to sneak around, I thought it would have been more convenient if Mother had come with me.
“Ah, there’s a 蛇.”
All the buildings here are tent-like.
They are arranged around a plaza, with a radius of less than fifty meters.
In the center, there’s some sort of platform, and I can vaguely see something underneath it from a distance.
I want to get to the center, but that’s why I need the costume.
I returned to the forest for a moment and spotted a figure seemingly investigating something.
“Guh!?”
“You shouldn’t, brother. When you move, you must do so as a pair. That’s why you end up being subdued like this. If there’s a next time, take note.”
His movements were utterly amateurish.
He moved without thinking he’d be targeted.
Just looking for something randomly.
He was practically a duck with a leash.
In that case, my movements would be simple.
With a momentary distraction, I’d toss a small pebble into the bushes on the opposite side, drawing his gaze, creating an undefended back.
Then, I’d attack from behind, cover his mouth, drag him into the darkness, knock him out, and remove his mask. A young man, perhaps in his twenties, appeared.
The previous man, the trio I heard talking, their age groups were scattered; what was their connection? Nevertheless, there was no point in prying, so I focused on what needed to be done.
“Alright, that makes two. But I can’t move with just this, can I?”
I’m also holding that cow mask from before, but I wonder how much the 蛇 from the cow implies.
“…The color is different. Does the color change depending on the animal?”
And what bothers me isn’t just the pattern, but the color as well.
The snake mask that the young man wore was black.
Naturally, one would assume each animal has a predetermined color, but if that were the case, there would be no need to distinguish between animals and assign roles.
Furthermore, the trio who had the same color despite having different animals cannot be explained.
The conversation between those three sounded as if they were equals.
From that, we can deduce…
“…A rank?”
The dungeon environment has many fatal flaws if one lacks keen observation skills.
Specifically, when searching for monster characteristics, even their weaknesses, I, as a frontliner, must observe them meticulously.
Exploiting their weaknesses makes the攻略 easier and, most importantly, reduces the danger.
Thanks to that, I’ve started paying attention to even casual characteristics.
“If it’s distinction by color, then it’s that…”
I continue to layer conjecture upon conjecture, but extrapolating from the animals I just saw, the Chinese zodiac, i.e., the twelve animals, and the red and black colors, it leads me to predict a ranking system, perhaps the twelve levels of court rank.
The twelve levels of court rank also incorporate the five elements, with the lowest rank being black and the highest being purple.
This implies a division.
I believe it’s related to Onmyodo as well…
If this conjecture is correct, then the red rank of this cow must be quite high.
“Haa, whether I’m lucky or unlucky, this means I need to hurry.”
The possibility arose that I happened to capture a high-ranking official. If, hypothetically, a high-ranking official went missing, what would his subordinates do?
The answer is obvious: they would search for him.
This means the cow mask cannot be used.
How can I possibly infiltrate while using the equipment of such a conspicuous, high-ranking individual?
“Well then, let’s hurry and catch another one.”
With that decision made, I thought there must be others still searching the surroundings. So, I abandoned the cow outfit as if it had escaped into the forest and moved in a different direction.
And then.
“Higuah!?”
Easily, I found another individual acting alone and subdued them using the same method.
“This is like something out of a horror movie.”
Suddenly leaping out from seemingly nowhere and dragging them into the darkness. If you look behind you, the person who was with you just moments ago is gone.
A shadow creeping from the darkness, these are words that could be used in a horror movie trailer.
The actions I’m taking, the creepy forest setting, it all fits perfectly. I switched my mindset, thinking what am I doing in a place like Aokigahara Forest, which seems to match this eerie atmosphere. To do so, I firmly tightened the arms of the person struggling in my grasp and knocked them unconscious.
And then, after processing the third person, I checked the mask.
There was a snake pattern on it, and the color was black.
If my guess is correct, it’s a low-ranking mask.
And with my objective achieved, I ran towards Mother.
Dodging the surveillance eyes along the way, I returned to the forest where Mother was hiding.
I felt a presence for a moment and sent the designated hand signal in its direction.
“You’re late, Jiro.”
“It took longer than expected.”
Then, Mother descended from a tree.
“It seems you acquired what we needed?”
“I did, but… will this work?”
Originally, the plan was to steal a costume and infiltrate without being noticed, but based on the feeling of infiltration, I don’t think disguises are necessary.
So, I showed her the yukata-like outfit, which isn’t suitable for combat, and the mask that conveniently conceals the face, and spoke.
“Excellent, excellent. Now, let’s get changed.”
“Are you going? How do you plan to carry the bomb? There’s no place to hide it.”
The clothing looks like it will reveal any bulge.
Even if it’s a thick garment, it can’t hide everything perfectly.
“Don’t worry. Just trust your mother.”
Saying that, Mother smiled and reached for her clothes, but…
“Jiro.”
“Yes.”
The smile that had been on her face moments before disappeared, replaced by a stern expression.
“Did we make a mistake?”
“Perhaps. I’m sorry.”
“It’s alright. I also take responsibility for being greedy. Don’t worry about it.”
Did the first man we subdued notice? Or were they already conducting a search around the area?
All I know is.
“It seems we’re surrounded.”
“Yeah.”
The encirclement wasn’t complete yet, but I could sense their determination not to let us, their targets, escape.
“And it looks like they’re here to greet us.”
“Troublesome.”
My gun barrel glinted, and I saw it aimed at us.
Even Mother doesn’t seem inclined to move rashly in this crossfire.
They appear to be tightening the encirclement gradually, intending to capture us.
“Should we surrender obediently?”
“If the people who could guarantee our safety afterwards were here, surrendering might be an option, but that doesn’t seem to be the case.”
“It doesn’t seem so.”
Sighing inwardly, knowing what would happen after capture,
“Are you ready?”
“So it comes down to this, huh?”
“I don’t dislike this kind of thing. How about you?”
“Unfortunately.”
I crouched down.
And with a grin, I said,
“I’m Mother’s son, after all.”
Without waiting for the right moment, we both dashed out simultaneously.
“I’m enjoying this!”
“Ahahaha! That’s good to hear!”
Towards the center of the plaza.
Mother, laughing merrily, threw something behind her as if it were a souvenir, operated her smartphone, and said,
“Now! Let’s make it a blast!”
And so, she detonated it.
Behind us, chaos ensued.
And we charged into the ritual plaza, the explosion at our backs.
Today’s word:
It’s not good to do things you’re not used to.
That’s all for today.
Thank you for your usual corrections of typos and your comments.
If you enjoyed it, please leave a review, rating, or bookmark!
*The first volume has been decided to be published by Hayakawa Bunko JA.*
*It was released on October 18, 2018.*
*The e-book version was released on October 31st of the same year.*
*Additionally, the second volume was released on December 19th.*
*The third volume was released on February 20, 2019.*
*The content has been revised and expanded from what was posted on Shousetsuka ni Narou, with the addition of unpublished intermissions.*
*Please do check out the new releases!*
*Furthermore, a comic adaptation has been decided for Kodansha’s “Young Magazine The Third.”*
