Chapter 99: Independence Approaches (1)

Rise muttered like that for a while, then made her tails transparent and turned around. Narumi, who had been grooming the tails with a high-quality comb, didn't panic even though the tails suddenly disappeared, but carefully gathered the hair caught in the comb and wrapped it in a clean cloth, then placed it neatly in a small, luxurious-looking box.

Rise, who had been blankly watching this, felt a small vibration and took out her smartphone to check a message.

『 The matter in Russia will be wrapped up soon. Are there any problems? 』

Rise sent a reply with a bright smile as if happy to have received a message.

『 No problems. The politicians are so absorbed in the dolls given by Kannushi-sama that there are no more scandals about women appearing in the newspapers. Thanks to the Elder's efforts, many yakuza have been eliminated. Both shrines are running to some extent, but because my father and Chief Priest Yoshiaki are showing interest in other places, we're barely maintaining the status quo. 』

『 What about the spiritual spots? 』

『 We've secured a total of 5 locations. We bought land and buildings through a construction company and set up security to control access. No one can enter without Kannushi-sama's permission. And as you said, we've set up barriers by hanging sacred ropes so that the beings inside can't go outside. 』

『 What about opening branch shrines? 』

Rise glanced at Narumi.

"Narumi."

"Yes, young mistress."

Narumi, dressed in clothes that a maid might wear, answered Rise's words politely.

Her actions were polite, and her tone was full of respect, but her expression was so expressionless that it seemed devoid of any emotion.

"Are you happy?"

At that question, Narumi trembled for a moment.

But soon she spoke firmly.

"I am happy."

Hearing that answer, Rise called a Saetani and attached it to her.

The Saetani, making itself invisible, moved around her. It circled around Narumi upside down, and crawled up her body like a bug climbing a tree, using its limbs to reach her head and do a handstand.

After repeating such bizarre behavior, the Saetani grinned and shook its head back and forth.

And then it moved its mouth distinctly to say:

Not.

True.

At this sight, Rise stiffened her expression and approached her.

Then she placed her finger under Narumi's lowered chin to lift it up, and looking straight at Narumi's expressionless face, asked again.

"Really?"

"Yes. I am happy."

"What makes you happy?"

"I am so happy that I can serve Kannushi-sama."

If one only listened, it would sound like a tone of loyalty coming from the heart, or reverence coming from instinct. But outside Rise's line of sight, Narumi's clenched fist was trembling slightly, partially expressing her emotions.

"You're happy?"

"Yes. Being able to serve such an excellent person is happiness itself."

At her words, Rise tilted her head and then looked up as if thinking about something.

The Saetani kept shaking its head.

Moreover, unlike earlier when it was moving its mouth slowly and distinctly, it was now speaking in a voice that only Rise could hear.

"Lie."

"Lie."

"It's a lie."

"She doesn't think she's happy she doesn't think she's happy."

"She resents you."

"She resents Kannushi."

"She resents the sudden calamity that befell her."

"She thinks she doesn't understand why this happened to her. She wants revenge."

"She's jealous of you."

"She's jealous of you she's jealous of you who gained excessive power by flattering the strong she's jealous and angry that a worthless person like you suddenly stand above her this woman–"

"This woman."

"Is full–"

"Of discontent."

Rise nodded without showing any reaction to the Saetani's voice.

"I suppose such happiness can exist."

"Yes."

"Serving an excellent person. Yes. I swore to serve Kannushi-sama, and said I would dedicate everything to him. And although I don't know much about him... he was certainly an excellent person."

Rise glanced at Narumi.

"A bit extreme, but... At least he, yes. Since he said he would make me happy, he must be an excellent person."

"Of course."

Narumi continued to answer Rise expressionlessly.

And as if responding to that expressionlessness, Rise smiled faintly.

"But it seems Kannushi-sama can't be an excellent person to you."

The faintly drawn smile disappeared in an instant.

Like snow falling on a cold winter day melting in water that hasn't frozen yet, like a cold wind brushing past bare trees.

However, just as snow falling on unfrozen water turns it into ice, and a cold wind freezes the trees it passes, the coldness remained and froze Narumi.

"Liar."

"What?"

Rise's eyes were empty.

Deeper than Narumi's, who had become empty after losing what she had, and full of emptiness that seemed to suck one in if you looked into them. However, at the very back of those eyes was a clouded light, similar to a fanatic who blindly looks at and prays to only one thing.

Rise looked at Narumi with empty eyes and reached her hand behind her.

Then the slime shook its body once and plucked a thorn from its body to hand to her.

Screech!

An enormous amount of divine power concentrated on the thorn in Rise's hand.

"You made me unhappy. You spread bad stories about me to people, threatened them not to talk to me. Whenever I was about to become close to someone, you pressured that person to make them distance themselves from me. That's why I'm not close to other shrine maidens. No, I couldn't become close."

"I-I'm sorry. But now I'm regretting..."

"That was certainly a painful thing. But I wasn't thinking seriously about being a shrine maiden. I didn't think much about serving someone, and the divine power given by Mukurikokunoinugami was no different from air to me, so I didn't feel its preciousness. Yes. Perhaps this attitude of mine might have irritated you. Anyone can be dissatisfied with someone who doesn't take their work seriously, and has the freedom to express that dissatisfaction. Yes. That's what I think."

Narumi looked at Rise's eyes as if entranced.

She felt that something was wrong, but she could only freeze, unable to properly control her body due to the aftermath of the enormous divine power gathering in Rise's hand.

"But you know. I want to exercise my freedom to express dissatisfaction now. Yes. I have a complaint about you now."

"P-pardon?"

"You lost the god you were serving. That's why you became unhappy. But I told you this. Even though you made me unhappy in the past, you have the right to be happy. That I would give you a chance to be happy. That I wanted you to take that chance seriously and find happiness. That since we came to serve Kannushi-sama together, I would bury the hard feelings. Remember?"

"Yes, yes."

"Then why does Kannushi-sama's consideration, my consideration... why does it seem one-sided?"

A strange madness was emanating from Rise as she asked with an expressionless face.

"I said that if you just serve Kannushi-sama, serve a new god, you could be happy. So you said you would serve the new god with all your heart, that you would help Kannushi-sama... but it was a lie."

"W-wait!"

"I told Kannushi-sama this. That I would manage well while he's away for a while. That I would do my best to prevent problems, and pay attention to everything without missing anything. But I wasn't even managing the successor who would become Kannushi-sama's shrine maiden properly."

"Wait, Rise! Listen to me!"

Narumi shouted urgently.

She had noticed what Rise was about to do, having seen what she did to people who seemed likely to cause problems.

"Rise, no, young mistress! I didn't lie! I...!"

"Really?"

Rise said to her with a face devoid of any hint of a smile.

"Then it must have been because your sincerity was lacking."

Stab!

Rise stabbed the thorn in her hand into Narumi's chest.

And as if it had been waiting for this, the Saetani revealed itself and danced, smiling as if its mouth would tear. Then it stopped abruptly and grinned at Rise.

"She's."

"Gone."

"She'll."

"Come."

"Back."

The Saetani, smiling bizarrely, opened Narumi's mouth wide. Then it pushed its head into Narumi's mouth, forcing it in.

Although the Saetani's head was the size of a child's, it was not a size that could fit in a mouth, but it started to enter Narumi's mouth, changing its shape as if stuffing a deflated balloon into a small space.

Narumi's throat moved up and down, and her skin moved in bulges as if a snake had entered her body. In this way, the Saetani completely entered Narumi's body.

Rise, who had been quietly watching this scene, sent a message to Jinseong.

『 I'm sorry. Not yet. But I'll take responsibility and educate her. 』

『 I'll trust you. 』

Rise smiled slightly at the returned message.

"Yes. Please trust me. I'll trust you too."

*                     *                     *

The wind in Russia was cold, but the atmosphere in the hotel was warm.

Like feeling drowsy when basking in the warmth in front of a fireplace, the spacious suite was filled with a warm atmosphere.

Ella had gained a sister she didn't know about, and Anastasiya was running around causing mischief. Lee Arin was happy that she had more people to dote on and clung to both of them.

That boisterous scene seemed to embody happiness itself.

But just because they were happy didn't mean everything was over.

"Now it's your turn. We will perform a ritual, so abstain from eating meat today and purify your bodies through ablutions."

Jinseong hadn't forgotten the reason he came to Russia.