The Old Tale of the Sack Grandfather (2)
I panted heavily, chest heaving. Forcing my tails back in was no easy task, and the strain showed on my face.
Mangtae Grandfather watched me struggle, his expression shifting into one of exaggerated concern as he spoke.
"Miho, dear… couldn't you possibly tuck in just one more tail…?"
"…"
Oh. So it wasn't actual worry after all.
"Heh heh heh. If you tuck in just one more, I can start the next part of this old tale with even more thrilling detail."
What a perverted old man obsessed with kids. Even in the middle of all this, he was trying to coax me into shoving another tail in. I was already at my limit with three tails. How the hell was I supposed to fit one more?
Besides, three tails already turned me into a ten-year-old girl. Adding another would push me into an age that felt way too awkward to even call a child anymore.
"…Just shut up and start the story, old man."
"Heh heh heh. How could I possibly refuse a request from our lovely little Miho?"
The appearance of the Taija Shin-gi brought upheaval to the world.
Yokai who followed the Taija Shin-gi and evil spirits who opposed it. Beasts seeking ascension and those who did not. Taoist masters who wielded Taoist Arts, along with the mysterious race known as goblins.
At first glance, the world seemed far more chaotic than before. But in reality, that wasn't the case.
Had Dueoksini written the Taija Shin-gi to protect balance? Unlike the past, when yokai had slaughtered humans without restraint, countless factions now existed, creating a kind of equilibrium.
Of course, the true rulers of the world were undoubtedly the yokai who pursued ascension. Their power was so overwhelming that no one dared challenge them. It was only natural to call it their era.
Yet for some unknown reason, those ascension-seeking yokai treated one another as enemies. Was there only one seat of ascension? Most yokai who had not earned the qualification could not know the truth. All they could do was speculate.
Time flowed on and on.
Eventually, the moment arrived when those who sought ascension stood on the very threshold of achieving it. Whether they would succeed or not became the primary concern of every living being in that age.
What exactly happened when one achieved 'ascension'? Did it mean shedding one's mortal body and finally joining the ranks of the gods?
No one could see the future, so everyone turned their full attention to the yokai standing at the precipice of ascension.
But then… an entity appeared to block their path.
The dark side of the demigod Dueoksini. The evil god Eoduksini rose from the shadows.
It was the end of the world.
"Isn't that a bit dramatic?"
"…"
The end of the world? Give me a break. I was standing here perfectly fine in the Hidden World of Jirisan. That was way too much exaggeration.
"Plus, you're still in one piece, old man. All your limbs are attached."
"Heh heh heh… You shouldn't judge things you've never experienced yourself, Miho… Eoduksini truly was the end of the world."
"And why's that? Did he massacre yokai and humans or something? If he had, it would've been recorded somewhere."
Ever since I'd possessed this fox yokai body, I hadn't gone out into the human world to search the internet. Still, if this Eoduksini had been such an overwhelmingly powerful evil spirit, there was no way Depo—the biggest information broker in the Hidden World of Jirisan—wouldn't have known about him.
Depo had never once mentioned Eoduksini to me.
Which meant this being had never been recorded in history.
My question was reasonable, and Mangtae Grandfather nodded in acknowledgment.
"Just as you said, Miho… the dark aspect of the demigod Dueoksini, Eoduksini, did not kill people or massacre ordinary yokai. He did not cover the land in darkness, nor did he destroy nature."
"Then why…"
"Instinct."
The old man's body began to tremble violently. Mangtae Grandfather's face took on an expression I'd never seen before as he continued.
"I knew it by instinct. That being was the end of the world. An existence that could not be opposed. One that would eventually swallow the entire world in darkness."
"…Did you see him yourself?"
"No, I did not see him directly. However, when he tore through the darkness and awakened… every yokai, including myself—perhaps every living thing—could sense his presence. Because…"
He glanced around, then fixed his gaze on the shadow of a tree cast by the moonlight.
"All the darkness existing in the world was under his domain."
"…"
"We could not see him, but we could feel him. We wanted to reject him, but we could not. About one meal's time after he revealed his presence, I sensed that the great yokai possessing enormous demonic energy were vanishing one by one."
"…By great yokai, you mean the ones who were aiming for ascension, right?"
"Yes. Their demonic energy was so powerful it could be felt anywhere on the continent. But after Eoduksini appeared…"
Had Eoduksini devoured the yokai who sought ascension?
I fell into thought for a moment. It didn't seem like the old man was lying. After all, just thinking about that 'Eoduksini' made his body shake with visible terror.
But still… if such an incredible being had shown up…
"Then why wasn't it recorded? Why did he disappear without a trace? Why are you still fine, old man? And why did the world stay exactly the same?"
"I don't know."
"What?"
"Just as I said—I don't know. About two meal's time after Eoduksini awakened, his presence gradually grew faint… and then it vanished completely."
"…Does that even make sense?"
"That's why I said I don't know. According to the rumors I heard, a winged Taoist master and the king of Yuldo Kingdom joined forces to exorcise Eoduksini… but rumors are just rumors. Nothing was ever properly revealed. Heh heh heh."
Mangtae Grandfather stroked his beard and continued.
"After that, Dueoksini vanished overnight. It was only natural that the goblins, having lost their lord, faced extinction."
"Depo told me the ones who wiped out the goblins were that Taoist master and the king of Yuldo Kingdom."
"That too is nothing but hearsay, Miho. Since I did not witness it myself, how could this old man believe such words? Who knows? Perhaps they took their own lives to follow their lord. Or maybe they hid themselves away to plan for the future."
"…"
"In any case, the goblins disappeared, and the world lost its balance once again."
"The Taija Shin-gi… what about the Taija Shin-gi?"
"On the very day Dueoksini vanished, the Taija Shin-gi disappeared along with him. As if it had never existed in the first place."
In other words, to the yokai, Dueoksini had been their savior. The Taija Shin-gi had been their scripture. Since their savior had disappeared without a trace, it was only natural that the scripture he had written would vanish as well.
"Heh heh heh. From here on… this is a story you already know, Miho."
"Yeah. More or less."
Just like Mangtae Grandfather said, I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, so I couldn't be certain. But the story went that the king of Yuldo Kingdom and the winged Taoist master began hunting down the great yokai who sought ascension, one by one. In the end, all of them failed to ascend… something like that.
I finally understood the core of the tale.
Eoduksini. The king of Yuldo Kingdom. The winged Taoist master. They had all desperately tried to prevent the yokai from ascending. Only the demigod Dueoksini had actively encouraged their ascension.
Ascension. Ascension was the key.
What the hell was so special about this ascension that everyone was losing their minds over it?
I had found the heart of the story, but without the actual book called the Taija Shin-gi, I felt incredibly frustrated. Still, thanks to the old man, I at least realized what I needed to do right now.
Hiding away in the Hidden World of Jirisan, chatting with Depo and wasting time wasn't going to get me anywhere. I had to go outside.
I needed to dig through the internet, search libraries, or maybe storm into that Yokai Hunter Department in Jirisan that I'd saved and threaten them: 'Give me information as payment for saving your lives.'
I had to gather information from the human world.
No matter how much of a yokai I was, I was still their benefactor—the one who had saved their lives. If they had any conscience at all, they wouldn't treat me with hostility.
I'd made up my mind. I would head to the Jirisan National Park Yokai Hunter Department.
If they came at me with hostility… I'd give them a taste of my foxfire and run like hell.
Even though he was a perverted old man who loved children, I wasn't the kind of trash yokai who forgot kindness. So I offered him my sincere gratitude.
"Thanks for telling me the story, old man. I really mean it. If you ever need anything from me, just say the word."
"Heh heh heh… Then could you tuck in one more tail and come inside this old man's sack?"
"Fuck off."
I shouldn't have bothered thanking him.
To show my refusal, I immediately released six tails, transforming into an adult form. I grew taller. The baby fat disappeared. My breasts became full and prominent.
…Yeah, this form still felt unfamiliar.
Five tails felt just right, but I couldn't control my demonic energy properly, so I had no choice.
As I was lost in those random thoughts, the old man spoke to me again.
"Miho."
"Ugh, I know, I know! You're about to say something like 'I don't care if you suck the life force out of human men and die from exhaustion,' right? Don't worry, I'll leave right now—"
"Miho."
"…?"
"Be careful. Heh heh heh. The path you're about to walk is surely the road to hell."
Uh… His completely unexpected words left me momentarily stunned. I wasn't in my child form anymore. I looked at him with a slightly touched expression.
"Old man…"
"Get lost!!!!"
"Old man…?"
"If you understood, then get the hell out of here! My head is spinning from all the yin energy pouring out of your body! Go suck the life force out of some human men already. Shoo, shoo!"
"Ah, damn it."
Of course. You can't change a person's—no, a yokai's—true nature.
As I turned away from him, my expression… for some reason, I was smiling brightly.