The Fox Shrine's Guardian
I'd figured Ia wouldn't try anything funny, and sure enough, she didn't lay a finger on me.
Come to think of it, her behavior stood out sharply from most of the other women I'd met in this world.
Unlike the rest, who panted after me like bitches in heat at the slightest provocation, she treated me like a real big brother.
So, naturally...
I couldn't help but like her.
I appreciated her mature, intelligent demeanor that belied her age, but the way she handled me with such care probably played a big part in why I held her in such rare affection.
And then.
'Little sister, huh.'
...Thinking of something like that,
it wasn't as if nothing came to mind.
She naturally drew more of my attention than the others.
Anyway, since she wasn't all that skilled at riding, Ia had me ride double with her as she guided the way.
The place she brought me to was
a forest on the outskirts of a rural village.
"Break it off from this tree, big bro."
"You even know about a weird spot like this? Impressive."
It was filled with ancient conifers on all sides,
exuding a gloomy atmosphere that seemed to promise no human would ever set foot here.
Fierce beasts could leap out at any moment,
and a quick search of the surroundings might turn up a corpse or two.
So I indirectly praised her for somehow scouting out a place like this, and
she just bashfully smiled, averting her gaze for a moment.
"It's really well hidden here, so unless you're one of the old folks around these parts, no one really knows about it. I haven't told a soul—not family, not anyone from the palace."
Well, I'd tagged along with Ia more out of a casual outing vibe anyway.
Mysterious as it was, I didn't expect anything major to happen, so I just kept a casual eye out for potential dangers.
"But you'll definitely like it once you see it."
Ia seemed to value this place highly,
standing tall with her chest puffed out and hands clasped behind her back in confidence.
"Looks like it's pretty precious to you."
"Of course, big bro!"
"And you're sharing this treasure with me? Why's that?"
"I hate pointless stuff too. But I figured there's something here that the current you—Valter—would be interested in."
"...Me?"
"Yeah, you."
With that, she took the lead,
striding through the forest that twisted like a natural maze.
She looked just like an excited kid,
and even though I didn't show it, watching her put me in a pretty good mood.
"...Hey, I've noticed something lately."
"What?"
But then,
my expression hardened at the words she brought up next.
"You've been investigating the Sword Ghost from 300 years ago lately, right, Valter bro?"
"...Heh, you're so sure of it there's no point denying it. What makes you think that?"
I'd warned Valeria in no uncertain terms to keep my true identity under wraps.
I trusted that she, obsessed with me as she was, wouldn't betray that.
And sure enough,
it was just a deduction from clever Ia.
"Simple. I've heard you've been poring over world maps lately, focusing on one spot in the demon realm."
"Word travels fast, huh."
"Others don't even know what that place is, but I do. You know my hobby."
"The library stuff?"
"Yeah. I vaguely remember seeing it while deciphering some old family tomes."
"...Oh ho."
"That's where the Sword Ghost from 300 years ago met his end. You've been hitting the library a lot lately too, so you must've seen it. Got interested in him and started digging, right?"
Telling her the actual truth would complicate things too much.
My descent as the Tak family's long-cherished wish was a secret known only to the family head, like my mother.
My unprepared sisters knew nothing of it.
So her guess was probably spot on.
Let her think whatever; I'd roll with it for now.
But still.
Why bring that up suddenly in a place no one ever visits...?
What was she getting at?
"That's why I wanted to show you this place. ...To help you out, bro."
So when her next words dropped,
I had no choice but to listen closely.
"From what I know, this is a shrine housing an item used by the Sword Ghost himself."
"...What?"
She was saying one of my old items was right here?
That realization hit me,
and before any spark of interest, confusion crashed in.
No way.
'What the fuck—why'd they build something like that...? And it's survived intact for 300 years, no less.'
Why the hell would I let them build a shrine like that for 300 years?
Thinking back frantically, none of my gear seemed shrine-worthy.
The only valuable thing was that red sword with the evil spirit inside.
The rest? Handmade junk weapons, rags—that was it.
Humans these past 300 years must've been bored out of their skulls.
"Lucky it survived. As you can see, it's so remote, and being in Tak territory helped it escape the Great Revolution's chaos."
Beaming happily,
Ia brought up the Great Revolution,
info she'd shared with me a few months back.
It was a marathon of a story, so I'd asked for the short version:
'Roughly, after killing me, Seradion threw his tantrum to tarnish my name, right?'
Well, it made sense in hindsight.
He'd killed me out of jealousy to begin with...
So after I was gone, that was all he could do.
Acting like a total ugly bastard,
slapping every filthy false charge on me he could muster,
and claiming my achievements as his own, the prick.
Of course, now Seradion—the ringleader—was sold off to the Demon King's castle, sparking humanity's downfall...
So with reality staring them down, people did some self-cleansing and reevaluated things somewhat fairly.
Still, the Great Revolution's fallout lingered,
leaving plenty who shuddered at the name Valter even now.
Valter, once a pretty common name back then, was apparently never used for boys nationwide anymore.
The sole exception?
Tak territory.
Because the nation itself owed its founding to me, after all.
So the first family head, Max—who lived in my era—hated Seradion's guts and preserved things nicely on his own.
Naming kids Valter was allowed,
and legends about me carried on relatively intact.
'Gotta pay respects to Max later. Reincarnating into the Tak territory he built was a real stroke of luck. If anyone badmouthed me to my face, I probably couldn't have held back.'
Anyway, pushing through the trees, we reached the shrine,
where a sinister vibe assaulted us on sight.
And at its center loomed
a moss-covered stone building.
With a fox statue shedding blood at its heart.
"...So this is the shrine holding the Sword Ghost Valter's possession."
"Ah, right! I forgot to mention!"
Seeing that,
I barely registered Ia chattering beside me.
"I-I don't actually know exactly where his item is. L-last time I came, I got scared and bolted. Did it disappoint you...?"
"........."
"B-bro...?"
But as I stared at the shrine with a sour look, silent,
Ia started fidgeting, trembling, thinking she'd failed my expectations.
But my silence wasn't because she'd let me down.
The fox statue bore an engraving in ghost script.
The evil spirit had once casually mentioned it was their race's tongue.
Seeing something so familiar,
I was just focused on reading it.
"When Valter returns, I shall open my eyes."
"'When Valter returns, I shall open my eyes.'"
"Eek, s-sorry, bro... I just wanted to help you because I like you..."
And at that moment.
Ziiing—!!
"Kyaa?!"
"...Yeah, since I'm here. Figures."
Suddenly, the statue's eyes I'd locked gazes with glowed red.
'Killing intent. Don't know who it's aimed at, but it wants us dead.'
My inner Sword Ghost senses quivered.
"Ia."
"Brooo...?!"
Grip—.
"Duck."
So I roughly yanked her head down,
and right after, a vertical red beam whirled from the fox statue toward where her head had been.
Its power was insane—
the nearby trees were sliced clean in two.
Rumble—!!
Dust and crashing timber echoed everywhere.
If I hadn't instinctively shielded us under the debris, Ia or I would've been smashed flat.
Our bodies were fine, but Ia was shaking all over, her spirit shattered, thinking she'd led us into danger.
I just gently stroked my little sister's head and instructed her.
"Ia, close your eyes from now on. Plug your ears. Stay put until I say it's okay."
She nodded frantically.
"Got it, I'll do that, bro...! But you..."
"I'm not someone you need to worry about."
Saying that, I drew my sword, slipped out of the debris, and headed toward the fox statue.
There, a grotesque beast lurked,
its fangs bared long like a predator's,
body writhing unnaturally.
Grrr, grrr—.
Judging by the spiritual pressure,
it was definitely some kind of vengeful spirit.
Freshly awakened after ages in the shrine,
was it hunting for prey?
It scanned around restlessly, searching for something,
and the moment our eyes met.
It had some intelligence, at least,
speaking in a twisted voice.
"Found you, fake...!"
As if to intimidate,
it grinned creepily and approached.
"The price for impersonating Him is steep. So, how should I kill you to satisfy Him? Ah, the oracle speaks! He says to rip your gut open with my claws while you're still alive!"
But.
I had no memory of issuing such an oracle,
and I didn't even have the power to meddle in spirits' minds.
Haa—.
I sighed in disbelief
and walked right toward it instead.
"Mind your manners."
"...Huh? When you should be running scared. Lost your mind?"
"You're the one who's lost it. I wondered what item was enshrined here, but up close, it's obvious. The Blood Jade."
At that,
its killing intent warped,
and it stumbled back in panic.
"How... do you know my essence...?!"
"Figure it out yourself."
"Ahh, Lord Valter...?! Are you truly Him?!"
"Your tongue's still too high for addressing me."
Boom—!!
"This wretched soul has sinned gravely!! Sword Ghost... true master of the Blood Apostles..."
"Cut the clueless bullshit and take this first."
Its earlier haughty air was gone in a flash.
The Blood Jade now cowered, looking up at me.
"A beaten dog needs the stick. Time for a whuppin'."
At my words,
it started trembling just like Ia had under its threat.