Chapter 175
How long had he walked like that?
A stone statue of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva appeared before Jinseong's eyes.
Was it roughly 1 m?
The Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva, which must have once been carved from good stone, was covered in mold and moss all over its body, perhaps due to lack of proper maintenance. Moreover, as if it had been directly exposed to the elements, it was broken in many places, and the lower part where a lotus should have been carved was buried in rotten leaves.
One hand of the Ksitigarbha was in a half-palm position, and the other hand was holding a long staff.
The staff had six rings, and interestingly, it wasn't carved from stone but made of metal. However, this too seemed to be on the verge of falling apart, covered in rust, probably due to lack of proper care.
Jinseong went in front of the Ksitigarbha and examined it carefully.
Then he slightly frowned as if disappointed.
"It's just been erected."
As expected, although he had anticipated it, the Ksitigarbha had no connection to sorcery.
It seemed to be a stone statue erected not for sorcery, but to suppress the ominous rumors about Kurotsurugamine and to console those who had died wandering in the mountain.
Jinseong, upon realizing that the Ksitigarbha statue had no relation to sorcery, turned his back without hesitation and moved his steps elsewhere. His steps had no set direction, and were unhesitating as if it didn't matter if he got lost in the forest.
And was it perhaps a gift from heaven for such unhesitating adventurousness?
Another Ksitigarbha stone statue came into Jinseong's view.
This statue that appeared was broken.
The second Ksitigarbha statue, whether due to some disaster or perhaps vandalized by some ruffian, was headless. The neck part was shattered, and the head separated from the body had either rolled away or been buried, impossible to confirm with the naked eye.
This Ksitigarbha statue also seemed to have not been properly maintained, as it was very dirty, covered in bird droppings and emitting a foul odor.
However, unlike its foul-smelling exterior, its surroundings were quite neatly arranged.
Unlike the previous Ksitigarbha that was completely covered in rotten leaves, the soil was exposed as if someone had swept with a broom.
Not only that, but turning one's head, traces of people coming and going could also be seen. There was a small path, marks as if people had grabbed with their hands, and unnecessarily protruding branches were well-trimmed so as not to catch on people's bodies as they passed.
Must be the work of Shigen-ryu.
And had Jinseong's thought become a seed?
A human presence was felt from far away.
Jinseong straightened his posture at the sound of rustling leaves, and relaxed his facial muscles. Then he pretended to be intently looking at the Ksitigarbha as if he hadn't noticed the human presence.
"Who are you?"
And when the person arrived and asked Jinseong a question.
The expression on his face had become appropriate for his age.
"Huh?"
Jinseong turned around with a flustered expression, as if caught off guard, and as if he had been caught committing a crime.
What appeared when he turned his body was a man wearing kendo uniform.
The man with a shaved head and a fierce expression reminiscent of a yakuza was looking at Jinseong with irritated eyes. And as if preparing for any possible situation, he had his hand on the handle of the wooden sword at his side, ready to draw and swing it at any moment.
Jinseong slightly made an expression as if somewhat scared by the man's appearance, hesitating, and raised both hands while shouting:
"W-wait a moment! I'm not a suspicious person!"
"Why did you come in here?"
"Th-that's..."
Jinseong rolled his eyes at his question. He looked at the rotten tree on the left, and at the rock on the right. Then, as if he had made some decision, he looked at the martial artist, then slightly lowered his eyes and said quietly:
"Th-that... Actually."
"Actually?"
Huuuu.
Jinseong sighed lightly, and then slowly spoke as if he had no choice but to tell the truth:
"I wanted to experience some spiritual..."
Various emotions were embedded in that voice.
The resentment of having to go through such hardship for such a trivial matter.
The embarrassment as if he had been caught trying to sneak in and out.
The fear that the martial artist in front of him might do him harm.
And even the shame of having to leave his fate to the person in front of him without being able to speak up.
Jinseong's voice, Jinseong's acting, was the very embodiment of 'a thoughtless college student caught by the caretaker after sneaking into private property for a spiritual experience'.
The martial artist frowned deeply at Jinseong's words.
"Spiritual experience?"
The martial artist sighed heavily as if trying to suppress his irritation and looked Jinseong up and down.
"You don't seem to be an ability user..."
"Huh? No."
"Hah."
The martial artist removed his hand from the wooden sword after hearing Jinseong's foolish response.
Then he strode towards Jinseong and grabbed the nape of his neck firmly with his hand.
It was intended to prevent him from running away.
"Do you know where this is?"
"Huh? Well..."
"This is private property, private property. And it's private property used as a training ground by Shigen-ryu."
He growled at Jinseong.
"Private property of Shigen-ryu martial artists who carry swords and can cut anything with their martial arts."
"Yes..."
"Do you understand?"
The martial artist poked Jinseong's chest with his index finger threateningly.
"It might not be as serious as a Self-Defense Force base, but we're people you need to be quite careful around. What if you suddenly jumped out from the darkness and our martial artists reflexively swung their swords?"
He began to lecture Jinseong with a voice mixed with anger and irritation.
"If qi was infused, your body would be split in two, and even without qi, your skull would be cracked and you'd die. Or even if you barely survived, you might end up in a vegetative state, spending the rest of your life bedridden."
"Hiek."
"Moreover, it seems like you came in knowing it was private property... Is this what spiritual experiences are all about? Entering someone else's land for your own enjoyment, wandering around recklessly, is that okay?"
The martial artist dragged Jinseong, whose nape he was holding, towards a rock and forcibly sat him down.
Then he continued his lecture, bordering on threats, to Jinseong in an angry voice.
"And you're not even an ability user, do you have ten lives or something? Spiritual experience? You say spiritual experience, but aren't you just looking around to see if there are ghosts?"
"Yes."
"If an evil spirit or demon really jumps out, can you handle it?"
Jinseong seemed to flare up at the martial artist's words and pulled out a plastic bag from his pocket.
It was full of white salt.
"I brought salt too. This will keep me safe!"
"Huh? Salt? Wow... really..."
The martial artist was speechless at Jinseong's act of a thoughtless college student flaring up.
"You were going to exorcise with just salt, and not even a handful at that? This is crazy..."
"Why? I heard this would work!"
"Wow, my seniors sometimes said people like this come... but meeting one directly is really unbelievable."
The martial artist sighed heavily while rubbing his temples as if he had a headache, then grabbed Jinseong's collar and lowered his voice.
"You bastard. If you value your life, stop doing this stupid shit and live properly."
"H-hieek."
Jinseong made an expression as if scared by the martial artist's action.
"From today, just stop this nonsense. Got it?"
"I mean, why..."
"Why? Just stop it. If you don't stop? And if that reaches my ears or I see it? Then I'll break every bone in your body with my wooden sword. Understand?"
At the martial artist's threat, Jinseong slightly trembled as if scared and nodded his head frantically.
And seeing this, the martial artist seemed satisfied and released Jinseong's collar, and Jinseong slumped onto the rock as if all strength had left him.
And after some time had passed, as if he had calmed down, he put strength back into his body and resumed a proper posture, and while glancing at the martial artist as if checking his reaction, he sighed deeply and muttered:
"Huu... I just came because I was curious after seeing a story..."
Hearing this muttering, the martial artist asked curiously:
"A story?"
"Yes..."
"What kind of story?"
"Just a scary story."
"Where did you see it?"
"Huh? On the internet, of course."
The martial artist, as if his curiosity had been piqued, looked straight at Jinseong and gestured with his eyes as if to tell him to speak quickly, and Jinseong, while receiving that look, just tilted his head like a 'tactless college student'. Then, as if he couldn't stand Jinseong's behavior of not catching on despite being given hints several times, the martial artist burst out in anger.
"Tell me the story!"
"Oh, yes. Yes!"
Jinseong slowly opened his mouth at the martial artist's urging.
"Well, when was it... I don't remember the exact date, but it must have been when I was searching for scary stories on the net as usual..."
And so Jinseong's story began.
A story Jinseong had made up.
A story that would entangle Shigen-ryu and the politician Uchikawa Ryosuke, and create justification for the calamity Jinseong would create in the future.
A fictional story that, while infinitely close to superstition, would incite people and spread madness like wildfire through fear.