第４６６堀：酒呑童子の経緯と処分 (Part2)

第４６６堀：酒呑童子の経緯と処分 (Part2)

"Don't say such horrible things!!"

"You're a shitty woman!!"

"You're the worst!!"

"Shuten, come here. That old lady is scary."

"……Are you going to bully me?"

It seems things are already in that state over there.

"I'm not going to bully you. That lady is just being foolish."

Saying that, Seraria stepped forward.

Upon seeing her, Shuten-doji hid behind Hiiro.

"……Who are you?"

"I'm Seraria. What is your name?"

"Shuten. Written as 'Autumn Heaven' (Shuten). My mother gave it to me."

"I see. That's a lovely name."

I see, so "Shuten" was a forced reading too.

Well, that makes sense. A demon who loves sake wouldn't be stopped by mere poisoned wine, would they? It sounds like she was just a child with no tolerance for alcohol to begin with.

"For now, we will take her under our protection."

"Well, that seems appropriate."

"That would be for the best."

"Indeed. No wonder Lord Raiko had the head memorialized on the road. What pride is there in taking the head of a young girl like this? I feel no malice from her, and I have no objections. Perhaps it was that strange power, her hair that looks like autumn leaves, and the fact that she was a girl that led to her being driven out. The people in the capital are strangely sensitive about such things."

I agree with Terutora on that point.

If she possessed that many elements to stir up the anxieties of the time, that’s exactly what would happen.

"Come to think of it, why did she suddenly start crying the moment she turned back into a girl? She was an *aramitama* (violent spirit), wasn't she?"

"Indeed, if she were still an *aramitama*, it wouldn't have been strange for her to keep rampaging, but she calmed down the moment Yuki-kun threw something at her."

"What did you throw, anyway?"

"Oh, that's simple. I had Luna fetch her skull—or rather, her head—from the burial mound."

Naturally, via Luna.

With that, the regret of having her head taken should be gone. I thought that once the other four spirits returned and she could communicate, this would happen.

" "Ah, I see." "

"What do you mean 'I see'? How on earth did you go to a burial mound to get it? Is this place close to Hinomoto?"

It’s not close at all, but I don't think Terutora would understand even if I explained it, so I'll pass on that for now.

While we were talking, Shuten-doji—or rather, Shuten—was clinging to Seraria.

"What's wrong?"

"……You smell like my mother, Seraria."

"My mother's?"

"……Yes."

"I see. Then, I'll be your substitute mother for now."

As Seraria gently hugged her, Shuten began to cry with all her might.

"I was so lonely!! Ever since Mother disappeared!! *Hic, sob!!* Mother Orochi!!"

"It's alright. You're safe now."

Seraria comforted her with gentle strokes, but we weren't taking it quite as well.

"Um, Yuki-san. Just now..."

"You heard that. 'Mother Orochi'."

"In other words, what? Is the mother of that young girl the legendary Yamata no Orochi? No, Shuten-doji's parent is Orochi? I feel like I've read a document that said something like that."

……I remember that.

Legend has it that the escaped Yamata no Orochi impregnated a wealthy man's daughter, but it’s also quite plausible that she simply picked up an abandoned child and raised her.

"Well, many things don't add up, but if she is the daughter of that Great Serpent, her appearance and power make sense. Still, to think they would try to lay hands on the daughter of Orochi, who is also a water deity."

"But why does Seraria-san have the scent of Yamata no Orochi on her?"

"Well, it could be a misunderstanding, but it would be tactless to point it out now. Or rather, I can't just say it carelessly. It could lead to hostility."

While the three of them discussed this, I had already arrived at a conclusion as to why Seraria smelled like Yamata no Orochi.

While I was busy setting up barriers, I had looked into the lore of Yamata no Orochi and brought in various artifacts. It wouldn't be strange if that scent had transferred to Seraria, who was helping me.

……That’s what I want to believe.

I don't need any more trouble.

*Sigh*, summarizing this is a pain.

In short, Shuten-doji's parent is Yamata no Orochi, also known as Yamata no Orochi.

And that young girl is Yamata no Orochi, Chito.

As for the question of why Yuki didn't know? It's because Chito never told him.

She had been properly memorialized, and unless she had been resurrected, there was no reason to go out of her way to wake her up.

It wasn't an interesting story to tell, and even if Chito had told Yuki and the others, the outcome wouldn't have changed.

I had the mindset of answering if asked, but since the group kept causing one miracle after another, the topic of Shuten-doji never came up.

Yuki had vaguely sensed the connection to Yamata no Orochi from the documents, and when he prepared just in case, he hit the jackpot!!

The karma of rampaging in one's youth is carried over like this.

The scent of "Mother" on Seraria wasn't because Yuki had been rummaging through Yamata no Orochi-related items, but because the genuine scent had clung to her.

Ah, when I say scent, I mean spiritually.

Now, a supplementary explanation for Shuten.

As Terutora said, there are mysterious points, so let's explain them one by one.

1: What is the time gap between the Yamata no Orochi era and the Great Demon of Mt. Oe era?

Answer: It’s the time that passed while Chito was running away from Susanoo. She picked up Shuten along the way.

2: Why was she left at Mt. Oe?

Answer: She was entrusted to a wealthy man who gave her protection as a water deity, but she was discovered by officials in the capital, taken away, and because she was a girl with too much power, she ended up at Mt. Oe.

3: Why the name Shuten-doji?

Answer: It's not certain who used the sake, but it was likely Raiko and his men, and that became the origin. Also, her original name was Shuten (Autumn Heaven). It combined her hair, which was dyed like an autumn mountain, and "Doji" (child) because she was, as you can see, a child.

4: Isn't she calming down too quickly?

Answer: Because Yuki, a story-breaker, was there. Don't underestimate that group of four. They are acquaintances of Chito, and since even Chito can be completely shut down by them, they aren't enemies to begin with.

I hope you can accept it like this.

You can just think it's all the fault of that group of four.

However, the other three and Chito will not be involved in this "Invincible Dungeon."

This story is, after all, about Yuki, so please consider the above explanation as "outside the frame."