Crown Master

"Huh? Nishimura and Beiben asked for leave?"

The girl wearing glasses said worriedly: "I heard that I have caught a cold. It's really strange. Doesn't it mean that idiots don't catch colds?"

Natsume smiled absent-mindedly, remembering that it was the curse that Nishimura and Kitamoto contracted together at that time, and couldn't help suspecting that the so-called "cold" was actually a symptom that humans could not understand.

Thinking of this, he hurriedly said: "Squad leader, I'll go and see them after school."

"Oh? Can you? Do you want me to go with you?"

"No, I can do it alone." Natsume quickly refused, and hurriedly left under the monitor's suspicious eyes.

After school.

Teacher Cat and Natsume were on their way to Nishimura's house. When Natsume shared her concerns, Teacher Cat narrowed her eyes.

"It is indeed possible that it is a cursed relationship, after all, those things are harmful."

Natsume Takashi became anxious all of a sudden.

Mr. Cat is holding his big head with his little paws.

"But you don't have to worry, there is that 'guy' here, curse or something... Hey! Natsume! Natsume!"

The chubby cat began to trot all the way on the wall, catching up with the owner who quickened his pace and started trotting.

After arriving at Nishimura's house, it was easy to see Nishimura who was said to be suffering from a cold.

As soon as the fellow boy who was wearing a mask and coughing lightly appeared, Natsume saw the dark aura lingering around his body, Natsume's pupils tightened suddenly, and he didn't even have time to listen to what Nishimura said.

The same is true of the Kitamoto family after that.

The two were haunted by an ominous curse, and as time passed, they didn't know what would happen.

Natsume, who had been relaxed, became tense again. That night, he approached the girl who was resting barefoot by the river, and told her about the situation of Kitamoto and the others. The effect on you will be weakened, but your two friends are ordinary people, and their physique is not as good as yours."

Natsume urgently said: "Then it is even more necessary to lift the curse as soon as possible! Please, please help me!"

"..." The girl looked at him, her non-human vertical pupils were like the eyes of a god observing a human being, cold and without any emotion, but her tone and demeanor sometimes made Natsume mistakenly think that she was a "human being" ", rather than some kind of "something" that exists ambiguously.

Natsume Takashi looked at her, felt the calm atmosphere surrounding her, and calmed down unconsciously.

The girl then said: "Let me tell you an ancient story. There was once a monster who was enshrined as a mountain god by human villages..."

In the shrine of the mountain god, there are pure white and red maidens.

The maiden is usually pure white like a flower slowly blooming in the mountains, so white, but after the festival begins, the maiden will wear red and dance Kagura like a pillar of flame.

People believe in gods and respect witches.

The village protected by the mountain god lives peacefully and gently among the mountains and forests.

But one day.

A witch falls in love with a human.

……

"A priestess who serves the gods must maintain a pure heart, but love will make the maiden's heart no longer pure, so the villagers who discovered that the priestess had betrayed her faith killed her."

When the girl said this, Natsume's expression tightened, and she couldn't believe that someone would take the life of a young girl for such a reason.

Seeing his heavy expression, the girl smiled lightly and said, "It's been said that it was a very ancient time. The witch was made into a human pillar, burned to ashes on the red pillar, and the remains were buried in the forest, and she lovers are nowhere to be found.”

Natsume Takashi said in astonishment: "I don't know where...you mean that the two of the witches never showed up?"

Girl: "Yes, although there are other reasons, but when 'he' comes back, it will be too late. Witches are made into pillars to suppress evil spirits, and new witches are selected in the village. Only he lost his lover, and the witches Lives lost."

Teacher Cat said with disdain for what humans did: "Ah, is it caused by humans again? So what does this have to do with the curse on Natsume?"

Teacher Cat's question seemed to be exactly what she wanted, and the girl laughed happily.

"Because the miko's lover is a mountain god, isn't it interesting? She is a god, but she falls in love with her own shrine maiden. She is a shrine maiden, but falls in love with the god she serves. Then the two are separated by the human beings who protect them, and one is in the hot Enduring severe pain in the flames became a human pillar to suppress evil, a demon who degenerated into evil in extreme hatred."

"That village was destroyed in the end, and the human pillar was also shattered in the day-to-day confrontation. The god who lost his mind will never return. This is the ending of this ancient story."

"The curse on you and your friend is the resentment of this god day after day, so the curse will not be lifted unless the 'lover' is returned to him."

The girl quietly looked at Natsume Takashi whose expression was getting sad, and joked with a light smile: "It's already a very old story, you just listen to it as a legend, the important thing is to find all the things in order to transcend that God."

Natsume: "... Is there anything I can do to help?"

The girl said softly: "No need, even if you need help, it's too late."

Too late.

The girl loved by the gods has become unrecognizable in the flames, and at the same time, the gentle god who sheltered the mountains and villages has also become a curse of hatred and hatred.

With pieces of fiery red pillars and threads woven of medicinal herbs, they once again came to the place of the curse.

I haven't noticed it before, but this time I looked again and found that many stones and trees here have chaotic shapes. Perhaps it is the moonlight and night that make them show their true "appearance", whispering ominously, like a confused person The vague whispers that came out, if you listen carefully, you will find that they are all curses.

Natsume Takashi's body tensed up, and he looked around nervously. Mr. Cat immediately turned into a big monster, a pure white beast, with noble and powerful demon patterns on his face, and a strong demonic aura, arrogant and domineering. In this chaotic and evil atmosphere, there is a gesture.

A strong gust of wind blew past, and Madara, who had returned to her original form, said in a deep voice, "It's coming, Natsume."

Natsume Takashi said seriously: "Yes, Mr. Kitty—ah!"

"Why did you get tricked just after you finished speaking? What a troublesome guy!" Madara distorted his face speechlessly, and then sent his claws to the black gas that wrapped around Natsume's neck. The chaotic and evil breath was in the powerful Under the demonic aura, it burned into dots of azure flames.

Natsume Takashi got up from the ground while coughing, "Teacher..."

Madara said: "Don't be careless, that guy's breath is still around... Hey! Are you not ready yet?"

Surrounded by this powerful and depraved aura of gods, the surrounding towering trees and the sky were all distorted into a muddy shape. They seemed to be trapped in another different space, and they must be of the same or even a higher level. Only by taking action can the situation be resolved.

And the person Madara called, no surprise, was that girl.

Madara's voice fell, and the mysterious and melodious singing resounded gently in the forest.

"Son of man... gather grass to make a ring, light the flame of Suzaku..."

"O son of man... gather the pillars and pile them up at the sealed portal..."

"Son of man... when the song resounds... when the moon sets..."

"The Spring of Tang emerges from the ground, washing away the filth..."

……

"Mr. Cat, look!"

Natsume covered his throat that had been eroded by evil spirits, his hoarse voice was full of shock, reminding the big monster who was looking at a high place.

There was a hint of shock in Madara's narrow eyes.

On the originally flat ground, it seemed as if a moon had sunk in. With the sound of singing, streams of hot air and shimmering spring water burst out from the depths of the ground.

The indescribable sacred aura dispelled the ominous evil in the forest.

Natsume Takashi said: "Mr. Cat, what is that?"

Madara suddenly said: "Is this Tang Zhiquan? It does have extraordinary power, but that alone can't purify that guy."

Natsume Takashi: "Teacher, be careful!"

"Well!"

The black evil spirit suddenly jumped out from a corner of the bush, and the speed that almost distorted the figure made it pounce on his face before Madara could react, and then came the erosive and terrifying attack.

The invisible force turned into a soft rope, binding his mouth and nose, no matter how the huge beast swung its claws and scratched, Madara, unable to get rid of the evil spirit, gradually lost his entanglement strength.

Seeing this, Natsume was very anxious and wanted to help, but just as he stretched out his hand, the evil spirit left a dark scar on his hand.

"It hurts!" Reflexively withdrawing his hand, Natsume searched for a solution in panic, and suddenly saw Tangquan bubbling spring water in his eyes, and immediately trot towards it, pocketed the hot water with his clothes, and poured it in the direction of Mr. Cat.

"... Natsume!" The evil spirit immediately melted away as if encountering a natural enemy when it met Tang Quan. Mr. Cat took the opportunity to open his mouth, and the powerful evil spirit turned into a powerful ray of light, dispelling the black evil spirit wrapped around his body.

Natsume Takashi hurried over, "Teacher, are you okay?"

Madara said: "It's too tricky, this kind of thing can't be grasped, bitten into pieces, and can't be eaten, it can only be dispelled!"

Natsume Takashi said anxiously: "The spring water of Tangzhiquan has an effect on it!"

Ban said: "But that guy won't stay still, the speed is too fast!"

Natsume frowned with a headache when he heard the words, it is indeed so, how to get it into the soup spring?

Looking around, the weird evil atmosphere has not disappeared. The ominous evil spirit and the whispering of curses have been lurking in the darkness of the forest, like a beast that will attack at any time, quietly spying on its prey.

Natsume was on guard nervously, and Teacher Cat said in a deep voice, "This god was quite a high-ranking existence before he fell, otherwise he wouldn't have possessed such a level of power after so many years."

Natsume asked, "Is there no way?"

Ban Dao: "It's not that there is no... Hey, stop singing, think of a way!"

Natsume Takashi: "Teacher?——" Ah!

A gentle laugh fell behind his back. Although he didn't look back, he just felt that at this moment, there was only him and that girl between the heaven and the earth.

The figure has become bigger than before, and the soles of her feet stepped on the surface of the spring that exudes golden light, just like stepping on a gem made of light. She laughed in a light tone, and a powerful breath erupted from her body .

Scary...but sad.

It seemed that the stories that happened to her could not make anyone look good.

What was your past... like?

Natsume Takashi couldn't help thinking this way.

After the girl appeared, the "silk thread" in her hand automatically lengthened and grew, and the evil spirit that would dissipate at the touch of Madara's claws was traced by the thread, and there was no way to get rid of the net woven by the "moonlight". Struggling in the "net" was very intense, and she was about to break through the shackles of the silk thread. At this moment, the girl threw the red stone in her hand into the spring.

The girl with a calm expression said: "Go, she is here to find you."

Aw————! !

There was a roar that only Natsume and the girl could hear, mixed with heart-wrenching grief, and the condensed evil energy plunged into the soup spring that seemed like an action to it without hesitation, and the water splashed everywhere, and the scattered rays of light and water droplets , a man with white hair and double horns on his forehead was holding the crimson pillar tightly.

Under the disheveled hair, there are sacred lines on a handsome side face, and the pale golden eyes are full of sadness.

The girl sat on the stone in the soup spring, with a complex expression mixed with relief, and said calmly to an acquaintance.

"God, I have done what I promised you."

"...Thank you, Gudazi."

Only then did Natsume know the girl's real name.

In the water vapor of Tangquan, his figure is thin, but after approaching, he can easily feel his huge god slowly saying in the golden water: "Natsume Reiko?"

Natsume Takashi: "That's my grandmother."

Shenyu didn't seem to be surprised, he said softly: "Well, it seems that this is a long time for human beings... I met Suzuko when I still had some consciousness, and I told her my request, she Promised to help me find Baixia, but since that day, she never came back, and my consciousness also lost its final freedom while waiting, but an agreement is an agreement, so when you come here with your friends, I Instinctively entangle you with your own 'power'."

"I'm sorry, Suzuko's grandson, my curse didn't mean to hurt you, I'm really sorry..."

In the light, Shenyou's figure began to collapse. It was a miracle that he could persist until now. Now, under the purification of Tangquan, he is returning to a purer form.

The pale golden light spot rose to a high place, but what is worth noting is that the light will always wrap its power around the crimson pillar before it dissipates.

The light of Shenyu disappeared, and the stone became its original appearance.

"It's just an ordinary stone now." The mysterious girl whose real name is Gudazi picked up the stone and put it into the soup spring. With the light of the spring water, Natsume once again saw her long and narrow eyes that were not human-like. There was always a slight doubt in my heart, "Why did you help him?"

Gu Dazi: "A promise is a promise. It seems that as long as you become a god, a monster or something like that, you can't go back on your promise. If you make a promise, you have to keep it. It's also very troublesome."

Natsume Takashi: "Since it's so troublesome, why did you agree?"

"...Because, there are reasons for him to become like this." Gu Dazi said with a wry smile.

Natsume's pupils shrank all of a sudden, and he looked at Gudazi whose form began to collapse in disbelief.

"You are... don't move!!"

Gu Dazi shook his head: "This is normal. I am an afterimage. I can't tell you what it is. The reason why you can see it is because of the predestined relationship between you and me. You provided the proof of my existence. Now Shenyou is gone, and I won't exist for long, after all, this world rejects me."

Natsume Takashi shouted anxiously: "Is there no other way? Don't give up so soon! What does rejection mean?"

Madara: "Stop talking about Natsume."

"But, teacher!"

"Look at him..."

After Natsume looked over, his pupils constricted, and he saw the girl smiling, which was different from every previous mischievous smile, this time it was like a sunflower in the afternoon, bright, warm, and able to illuminate even the dark night.

Gudazi: "I'm sorry for Shenyou. It's because he recognizes my existence that he becomes so chaotic. Even if he is a god, he will fall, and he will not become that indescribable filthy appearance. It is precisely because He took away part of my authority and endured the subsequent price that I can talk to you like this, otherwise you will go crazy when you see me."

"..." Natsume suddenly remembered the sense of crisis he felt when they met for the first time. Although after several contacts later, he thought it was just an illusion caused by nervous tension, but now it seems...it is not the case.

Gu Dazi: "He helped me, I have the obligation to help him find his true appearance, but... I still feel a little bit reluctant." She looked up at the sky, but what she stared at was not the night, but the various things in the past few days. Scene after scene, "I don't want to destroy this place, so the only choice is to leave. To be honest, I am very unwilling. I also want to meet more people and talk to more people."

By this time, Natsume seemed to have realized that it was irreversible, but he still tried his best to ask, "Can't you come back?"

"You can't see me when you come back."

"It sounds... going to be lonely."

"Yeah, it will be very lonely." Gu Dazi raised the corners of his mouth, chuckled, and drew a few random patterns with his fingers in the air in front of him, "So I won't come back, goodbye."

"Wait!" Natsume didn't know what he was anxious about, just watching her disappear like this, he felt very bad, very bad.

"Thank you." Gu Dazi said goodbye in a warm voice, and disappeared into the air with Tang Quan when Natsume pounced on him.

"Plop!" Natsume finally threw himself on the ground. After flattening out for a while, he turned around and looked at the bustling starry sky above his head that suddenly became lively, "Teacher..."

With a bang, Mr. Cat, who had turned back into a fat cat, moved to his side, "Huh?"

"Who do you say she is?"

"Noble big shot, someone who will never have anything to do with you, Bean Sprouts, in this life."

"You're lying, teacher, weren't we talking just now?"

"Yeah, so it's a bad fate, hum."

In the next few nights, Natsume dreamed of Shinyu and a girl in a priestess costume.

He thought, that should be the mountain god and his lover.

The two people in the dream looked very happy.

It's just why Shenyou left suddenly, and didn't regret it until his lover died?

This question was answered in the dream on the seventh day.

A girl dressed as a witch is worried about this year's harvest on the hillside. The lack of rain will make everyone in the village starve in winter, and the frail elderly may not survive spring.

The mountain god Shenyou heard her worry, and said with a smile: "I heard that the god on the next mountain has a bottle of nectar, and it will rain when you sprinkle it on the sky. I will ask him to give me some, so the villagers don't need to worry about the harvest .”

The witch couldn't help laughing happily when she heard the words, and then gently arranged the mountain god's clothes and sent him out.

In the next dream, Natsume saw how Shenyu passed the test of another god, got the nectar through untold hardships, and then rushed back happily. In grief, he fell into a cursed monster.

The crimson pillar suppressed the resentment of the mountain god for quite a long time afterwards, and in the persistence day after day, it collapsed into an ordinary mountain stone.

When the dream ended, Natsume seemed to hear a gentle voice thanking herself.

It was really a gentle voice like the bellflower after the rain, and one could imagine what kind of beautiful and tough woman it was.

Teacher Cat opened the window early in the morning, and the humid air and the smell of rain woke up Natsume, who was still a little confused. He walked to the bed and was surprised to see that the shape of the clouds in the distance looked like two people cuddling each other.

He thought: This is also good.