The Youko flipped over and, with its own weight, deeply pierced itself with the dagger.
The Monster Fox’s body, engulfed in flames, gradually shrank and transformed into a mere fox with two tails.
“It gets this small? How anticlimactic.”
Veronica smirked at the sight of the small fox.
“Grrr, you damn brats. You better remember this, damn it! I didn’t want it to end like this~”
The small fox gnashed its teeth in frustration. Why, of all places, was a monster from Hinokuni here?
“Hey, why did you come out from your homeland? Wouldn’t it have been better for you to stay there?”
“What?! You don’t understand anything, brat! I didn’t come here just for fun! When I was summoned, they promised me power if I accomplished my goal. Listen, it’s not enough for monsters to just live long lives!”
The Youko then grumbled on. Living long does grant some power, but there’s always someone stronger. To surpass them, power is needed, and it seems that power comes from faith or the cursed power I mentioned earlier. That’s why it devised a plan to use us as its nourishment.
“Why don’t you just be a guardian deity at a shrine? You know, like how foxes often guard them?”
“I don’t want to live a leisurely life! Ah, this sends me right back to square one again…”
Speaking of which, what happened to the cursed object? I happened to glance at the floor and saw a blood-stained dagger rolling there. Did it absorb power through this?
“Ah, that’s the cursed object! That’s mine! Give it back!”
I grabbed the fox’s tail as it started to move towards the dagger. I wanted to take it back, but I had a feeling I shouldn’t touch it carelessly. Right, the saline solution the Jarrot couple brought must still be around. I found the saline solution that had rolled into a corner of the room and poured its contents onto the dagger. It hissed, and white smoke rose.
“Whoa, whoa, whoa, what are you doing, you fool!!”
“You’re the fool. Hurry up and take this, and go back to your homeland. And hand it over to your superiors, and I’ll let you go.”
The Youko reluctantly sheathed the dagger, took it in its mouth, and disappeared. Just as I thought it was over, exhaustion washed over me. At the same time, my whole body ached, especially my left side where I had been cut.
“Ah, it’s open. Everyone can leave now.”
The Youko’s control must have dissipated. The Jarrot couple arrived then.
“Are you alright? We came because the noises stopped, but it seems there’s no damage.”
As they said that, I looked around. That’s right, despite all the chaos, not a single scratch. It was exactly as it was when we arrived. So we had returned from the alternate dimension created by that fox. Ias ran over with a smile.
“Thank you. Actually, the people who were unconscious have woken up. They were injured, but they are safe. Oh, Arisugawa, you’re injured!”
Her husband also approached, asking if it was true. They both winced at the wound on my side.
“This will need stitches. The wound has reopened. And you have bruises all over your body. You should rest here.”
I was at a loss at what they said. While they were right, I couldn’t afford to rest here. When I refused, they insisted that I at least let them treat my wounds.
I had my wounds promptly treated on the spot.
“Dark Harpy, are you alright? Come on, let me see.”
“I’m fine. More importantly, you should take care of that child over there.”
That’s right, Kalm had also taken a lot of damage. She was getting her wounds treated, looking quite embarrassed. Veronica, taking a moment’s pause, took out a cigarette from her pocket.
“No smoking inside the hospital!!”
Ias’s clear voice echoed through the waiting room. A vein throbbed on Veronica’s forehead, almost audibly. “Now, now,” Reirio said, placing a hand on his wife’s shoulder.
“It’s alright. They’re our saviors. Just one puff…”
“No, it’s forbidden!!”
That level of strictness was probably necessary to be a nurse in such a large hospital.
