However... wise individuals are always in the minority. Although the youngster's words had brought a moment of clarity to the villagers, the old lady's subsequent speech swayed them back to her side.
"If we don't drive out this interloper," she warned, "even more monsters will invade our village. This time it's these outsiders before us, but what about next time? What if your loved ones become the victims?"
"Think back to the years before this interloper arrived," she continued. "Our village was free from the scourge of yokai. But since she came and disrupted the sacrifices to the fox god, this has already been the second such incident."
"When will the third and fourth strikes come? This interloper may be a godly being, but it's a malicious spirit. Only by driving her away and reinstating the offerings to the great fox god can our village return to its former state—safe and prosperous!"
-
As expected, the old woman's words left most of the villagers speechless.
Indeed... before Serenade arrived, no monsters had ever come to the village. Now that she was here... this was already the second time.
Last time, so many people died. This time, too, many have perished. Who knows how many more will die in the third or fourth attack?
Although venerating the fox god required sacrificing a girl, it only happened once every few years, and girls were...
Aren't girls just disposable goods? If they could make some contribution to the village before dying, it would be worth their price. As long as they weren't boys.
If the monsters continued to come again and again, even if the village shaman could slay them, she couldn't protect the villagers every moment of the day. Just like in these two attacks, who knows how many more would die before she could arrive on the scene?
And most of those who died were the main breadwinners of their families.
"But... she's a god..."
Even though most of the villagers agreed with the old grandmother's view and wanted to drive away this evil spirit, her divine status posed a significant problem.
"Leave that to me. We can first offer sacrifices and seek the blessings of the Fox God. Then, with his protection, we can drive her away. What do you think... with the Fox God's blessings, we'll be absolutely safe," the old grandmother said without hesitation.
Although they had never truly seen the Fox God, for the villagers of Yae Village, his existence was unquestionable.
"How should we perform the sacrifice? Do we need to invite a shrine maiden?" another villager asked.
"Don't go to the shrine maidens. The village's shrine maidens have betrayed the Fox God. Those two fallen maidens have already embraced the evil spirit and are no longer the Fox God's representatives. We must not involve them," the old grandmother promptly rejected the idea upon hearing the villager's suggestion.
"No shrine maiden... then how can we perform the sacrifice?"
"We can offer a private sacrifice ourselves. The Fox God will surely understand our heartfelt intentions," the old grandmother reassured them.
"Then... what about this time? Which family's child will it be?" A young villager posed the most critical question.
Even if it was the daughter of the person they were compensating, unless absolutely necessary... they wouldn't give her up so easily.
"My granddaughter will do!"
As the villagers began to speculate and waver, the old woman glanced around and suddenly declared.
"What?"
Everyone stared at the old woman in disbelief. Was she voluntarily offering her granddaughter as a sacrifice?
However, those familiar with the old woman understood. She had a granddaughter and a grandson. Her grandson... she cherished him like a precious jewel, while her granddaughter seemed almost like a foundling.
She was either being beaten or scolded...
"Very well... we'll proceed as you say." Hearing the old woman's words, and since it wasn't their own child being sacrificed, all the villagers immediately agreed.
Sometimes... human hearts could be this callous.
Especially in this era... among villagers with low education and ignorance...
The villagers were not all pure and kind-hearted...
Their... hearts were far more complex.
-
The trio remained unaware of the villagers' private affairs.
At that moment, Serenade sat in her room, holding a black box with both hands, her expression solemn.
It's been only one day... she thought, and yet the crack has grown so much.
It seemed... the Herrscher within the box had emerged, but... the seal hadn't been completely broken, so what had escaped... could only be a part of it.
The Twelfth Herrscher was different from the others; she was a virus.
She could split into countless viruses and spread outward...
Even if not entirely free from the seal, this was no trivial matter.
"O Herrscher of Corruption... you must be fully awake by now, aren't you? Do you dare... to converse with me face-to-face?" Serenade asked earnestly, holding the box and addressing it directly.
However, the box remained completely unresponsive.
After conversing with the box for quite some time, Serenade felt like playing a tune to a cow, realizing it was futile. she have no choice but to give up...
However, the seal on the Herrscher of Corruption had already been broken, and she couldn't help but worry about what it might do now.
She never anticipated that the box's seal would be broken so quickly—just a single day had passed, leaving her completely unprepared.
Once again, Serenade felt utterly helpless in this situation.
"I hope you don't harm Sakura, Rin, or Kallen; otherwise... even if Higokumaru is involved, I won't hesitate to punish you," Serenade warned as her final plea before reluctantly letting go of the box...
She firmly believed that the Herrscher of Corruption would eventually seek her out, since the box remained in her possession. After all, if the creature wanted to fully recover, it needed this very box.
-
Two more days passed.
Although a crack had formed on the black box, it seemed as though... nothing had occurred during these past few days.
Neither Sakura nor Rin showed any signs of abnormality. Serenade could confirm with certainty... that Yae Sakura had not been possessed by the Herrscher of Corruption, unlike her fate in the original work.
This left Serenade utterly perplexed; she couldn't understand what the Herrscher of Corruption intended to achieve.
Unable to comprehend the Herrscher of Corruption, Serenade decided to set it aside for now...
That day, the sss-rank Valkyrie's intuition warned her that something might happen in the village.
Serenade had great faith in her instincts...
For one's powers reach a certain realm, such intuitions are not mere flights of fancy.
Thus, Serenade prepared to take a stroll around the village, and then... Kallen, along with Yae Rin and Yae Sakura, who had nothing else to do, also decided to accompany Serenade. Naturally, Serenade had no objections.