Chapter 328
Chapter 328
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 329
Chapter Title: The Yokai's Secret
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I was momentarily taken aback by the message saying [Character Insight] couldn't be used.
Until now, it had never failed once against anyone in human form.
When [Character Insight] didn't work, it was usually like this.
Cases that weren't "human-related races," like humans versus demons.
That meant the Abeno Gensaku standing before me was something else disguised in human form.
"......You saw something in me, didn't you?"
Gensaku scanned my expression and spoke first.
Since the other side seemed to have caught on anyway, I cut straight to the point without dragging it out.
"You're not human."
"......How did you know?"
Ren turned to me with surprised eyes.
From the looks of it, Ren had already known Gensaku's true nature.
Elin, meanwhile, didn't seem to grasp the situation and was glancing back and forth between Gensaku and me with a puzzled "Huh?"
"Heh heh. To think you'd figure it out so quickly. As expected...... You're right. I'm not human."
Gensaku flashed a smile that looked genuinely amused.
"I'm a yokai. My species is a nurari...... Nah, no need to get into that."
"Yokai?"
Yokai referred to the unique monsters born in Japan.
They were typically highly intelligent and cunning, but not all yokai fit that mold.
At Gensaku's words, Elin assumed a ready stance, entering full alert mode.
I turned to her and signaled that it was fine.
My instincts weren't picking up any hostility from Gensaku.
Especially considering his attitude toward Ren, the guy was friendly toward humans.
I went ahead and asked him what was on my mind.
"How is a yokai taking on a human appearance?"
"Our ancestors were cursed by the Mystery long ago. Because of that, our clan lost most of our power and took on forms like humans."
Cursed by the Mystery?
"Wait, what do you mean 'cursed by the Mystery'? How did that even happen?"
Gensaku pondered for a moment, glancing between Elin and Ren before speaking.
"You seem to have a lot of questions. Since you're intriguing to me as well, I'll answer. We were cursed because we rejected the offer to become apostles of the Mystery."
"......Apostles of the Mystery?"
"Indeed. In the distant past, the Mystery offered several chosen races the chance to become its apostles. Those who accepted gained immense power and became known to humans as 'disaster-grade magical beasts.' Those who refused, like us, received curses like ours."
I stared at Gensaku in silence.
Subjectively speaking, he didn't seem to be lying.
And there was one part of what he said I couldn't just gloss over.
Among the disaster-grade magical beasts was Cruas, the evil dragon who killed Lee Seo-jun—the cause of my regression.
With Cruas's subjugation as my top priority right now, I needed to pay close attention to his words.
"Do you happen to know the evil dragon Cruas?"
At my question, Gensaku let out a short groan.
"Cruas...... The king of all apostles and the vanguard of the Mystery."
"I know that much. More importantly, what does it mean to become an apostle of the Mystery? Do you know Cruas's goal by any chance?"
In my previous life, observed through dimensional observation, Cruas had been waiting for his encounter with Lee Seo-jun.
What I wanted to know was why he was targeting Lee Seo-jun.
Gensaku thought for a moment before replying.
"Sorry, but I don't know."
I furrowed my brow.
"As I said, we rejected the Mystery's offer. And with the curse, we lost most of our power, so my knowledge has its limits."
I bit my lip.
I'd hoped some questions about Lee Seo-jun's death might be answered here.
Ren and Elin, who had been quietly listening to our conversation, wore baffled expressions.
"......What are you two talking about? Cruas? What's that?"
"I don't know either. Seems like the leader of the evil group that Master is chasing."
"Evil group?"
Ren tilted his head at Elin's mutter.
At that moment, Gensaku smiled.
"You seem full of curiosity. If you help us, our clan might regain some of our lost power, and in return, I could share some information."
Gensaku continued.
"Well, it'll be part of the process to access Genya's journal anyway. Follow me."
Gensaku started walking ahead.
Ren and Elin glanced at me before following him.
I stood there for a moment, lost in thought, then called out to him.
"Gensaku. One last thing I'm curious about."
He paused and turned at my call.
"Why did your ancestors reject the apostle offer?"
"The reason we rejected it......"
Gensaku gazed up at the sky as if deep in thought.
"Because we foresaw a future where we would be destroyed by Chaos far in the future."
Following Gensaku, we arrived at a small shrine.
Long, stretching stairs led up to what looked like an altar.
The place emanated some mystical power.
And as the outsider's blessing activated, a powerful barrier spread out before the stairs became visible to my eyes.
"......A barrier."
"As expected, you notice right away. Correct. Genya had a barrier sorcerer create it to prevent casual access to the journal."
I turned to Ren.
"So that's why you called me and Elin. To break this barrier."
Ren stared at me steadily before nodding.
"......If Master is truly the attendant of the Rune Clan, I thought you could dispel it."
From the looks of it, he still didn't fully believe I was the Rune Clan's attendant.
Well, I hadn't shown any real abilities yet, so that made sense. Not that I actually was one to begin with.
I looked down at the barrier.
It was shaped like a complex spell, but upon closer inspection, it was simpler than it seemed.
Elin examined the barrier closely and muttered.
"Hmm. Looks more complicated than I thought. This'll take some time."
"I'll do it."
I stepped up to the barrier and inspected the spell on the ground.
Then I placed my hand on the floor.
Woooooong
A powerful light burst forth at once.
Before long, the barrier was completely dispelled.
This much was basic.
"......Wow. That was so fast."
Elin looked up at me with sparkling eyes full of admiration.
The gaze made me uncomfortable, so I turned my head away.
With that, we climbed the stairs and reached the altar.
Atop it lay a single weathered book.
Ren picked it up and said.
"Lord Genya instructed that if someone deeply connected to Jin Cheon-woo appeared, they should be shown this journal. And the next day, he vanished."
Someone deeply connected to Jin Cheon-woo.
Was he referring to Kim Chang-hyun?
With that thought, I opened the book.
'My name is Nakiri Genya. I am the 13th successor of the Nakiri style. I intend to record everything I have experienced in this book.'
Long sentences in Japanese.
They detailed his birth and the life he had lived.
Skimming through the uninteresting parts, I flipped about 50 pages before finding what I was looking for.
'A man came from Korea. A man with talent as if bestowed from the heavens. He introduced himself as Jin Cheon-woo.'
When had Jin Cheon-woo visited Japan?
As I read on, the next sentence left me momentarily dazed.
'He was searching for a way to slay a disaster-grade magical beast called an apostle of the Mystery. When I asked why, he said it was to change his fated destiny.'
Jin Cheon-woo had been looking for a way to slay a disaster-grade magical beast?
I furrowed my brow and sank into thought.
To change his fated destiny, he needed to slay a disaster-grade magical beast......
It sounded almost like he knew in advance that Lee Seo-jun would die in the future and needed to protect him.
At the same time, Kim Chang-hyun's words to me resurfaced.
—Just do your role well. There are plenty of bad guys hidden in the world. Demons, Jauun, disaster-grade magical beasts, and such......
—You just take them down one by one, get stronger, and protect the people precious to you.
I pieced together the scattered puzzle fragments in my mind.
Jin Cheon-woo is searching for a way to slay a disaster-grade magical beast......
Kim Chang-hyun knows me well and wants me to take down a disaster-grade magical beast.
Jin Cheon-woo doesn't want Lee Seo-jun to die.
When Lee Seo-jun died, I regressed.
"......Master?"
Elin's call snapped me back to reality.
"Yeah, uh. No, it's nothing."
"You looked so serious......"
"It's nothing."
A ridiculous thought suddenly struck me.
What if I was part of Jin Cheon-woo's grand plan?
To escape his fated destiny, using me—a free 'outsider.'
But was that even possible?
A character in a novel using someone from outside the novel?
'There is a disaster-grade magical beast sealed in the Nakiri Shrine. While I was away, Jin Cheon-woo raided the place, killed my disciple, and broke the beast's seal.'
'Fortunately, Jin Cheon-woo resealed the beast. He must have had questions for it. I don't know what conversation they had, but when I met Jin Cheon-woo again, he seemed to have gained much from talking with the beast.'
The journal ended there.
Elin and Ren looked confused, not understanding the contents.
"It's kinda hard to follow. Destiny?"
"......Jin Cheon-woo broke the beast's seal?"
Ignoring their exchange, I turned to Gensaku.
"The sealed beast mentioned here—is that referring to your clan?"
"No. This refers to another great yokai who accepted the choice in our stead."
"......What happens if the seal is broken?"
"Who knows. Probably a massive disaster would befall this land."
A massive disaster......
"How strong is the beast?"
"Impossible to say. But after 200 years of sealing, it's weakened considerably. Probably half its peak strength, or less."
"......Master?"
Ren called to me.
Ignoring him, I asked Gensaku.
"So regaining your clan's lost power is tied to slaying the sealed beast."
"Correct. As expected, you catch on quick."
Then Ren spoke.
"......Are you planning to unseal the beast?"
I nodded.
"I'm tracking Jin Cheon-woo's traces. So at minimum, I need to know what conversation he had with the beast."
There was a high chance that crucial information lay in the conversation between Jin Cheon-woo and the beast.
To unravel the secrets of Jin Cheon-woo, Lee Seo-jun, and even myself that we didn't know, I had to hear it somehow.
But before that.
I needed to prepare thoroughly in case things went south.
Ren spoke up.
"No matter how weakened, you can't casually unseal a disaster-grade magical beast. It's too dangerous."
Elin nodded in agreement.
"I think so too. Way too reckless."
I thought for a moment before asking Gensaku.
"How do you unseal the beast?"
"The day it can be unsealed is fixed."
"When is that?"
"The day the sealed beast's yokai energy peaks."
The day its yokai energy peaks?
"The moment the full moon rises. Tonight."
At those words, I looked up at the sky.
The blue sky.
Sunset was still hours away.
So tonight was a full moon night, huh.
Elin muttered softly.
"......If it's a full moon night, wouldn't that make it even more dangerous? Stronger yokai energy means the beast would be stronger too."
"We should aim for later. Next month or the one after, once we're fully prepared."
If it weren't tonight, we'd postpone to next month.
But a month was too long.
Especially since I had to head to Aporia soon to stop Jauun's raid.
I might even encounter 'Jin Cheon-woo's soul' there.
In that case, gathering any information I could beforehand was crucial.
And besides. A full moon night might actually work in my favor.
I flashed a confident smile.
"No, we'll do it tonight."