As they traveled on the road leading to the Shrine of the Land of Demons, Kei listened to the shrine maiden bodyguard, Ashigi, who walked beside him. While the bodyguard introduced the unique governance system of the Land of Demons, he couldn't help but secretly admire Miroku's foresight.
The Land of Demons was different from most countries in the shinobi world.
During the Warring States period, when the borders of various countries were still unclear and the Land of Demons had not yet fully formed, this place was less of a nation and more of a sealed land for malevolent spirits.
Affected by the aura of these spirits, hundreds of years ago, this land was barren, filled with a miasma of corruption. It was the shrine maidens, one after another, who continually sacrificed themselves to seal away these spirits. Only then did the land slowly regain vitality, becoming suitable for cultivation, covered with flowers and shrubs.
The nobles of various nations despised this place for its filth and feared that if the seal on the malevolent spirits were ever broken, they would be the first to suffer. Thus, long ago, this land had always been under the management of shrine maidens.
In other words, the Land of Demons had no nobles, no monarchy—it was a theocratic state.
The highest authority was, naturally, the reigning shrine maiden. Beneath her were eight officials responsible for managing various institutions and affairs.
Although shrine maidens did not directly govern, in a land where the people devoutly worshipped them, a single word from the shrine maiden could earn unconditional support from the vast majority, influencing the direction of the entire nation.
As soon as Miroku heard the news of the unification of Konoha, Iwa, and Suna, she immediately had her guards deliver an official diplomatic document to Konoha.
She directly stated that the Land of Demons was willing to accept Konoha's rule and would unconditionally comply with any of its decisions, requesting only that Konoha preserve the shrine and, within its capabilities, assist in sealing or handling malevolent spirits.
While the majority of rulers and nobles in the ninja world indulged in pleasure and failed to see the bigger picture, Miroku, as if she had foreseen the future, submitted such an official document. And when there was no response, she continued sending letter after letter, repeatedly humbling herself.
He didn't know whether Miroku had truly foreseen the future, but her attitude, as well as her repeated mentions of the malevolent spirits, were certainly reasons enough for him to make this journey.
Walking along the stone-paved path, passing through dense forests and gates, he arrived at a shrine of modest scale, built against the mountains, exuding a tranquil atmosphere.
At the top of a long staircase, Miroku, dressed in a white robe with golden embroidery, watched Kei's arrival. The tension on her face finally eased into a relaxed smile.
Golden light shimmered from the crown atop her head as she gracefully floated down to the base of the staircase.
"Lady Miroku." The bodyguard, Ashigi, who had led Kei here, knelt respectfully on the ground.
"You've worked hard, Ashigi. Go and rest."
"Yes." Ashigi bowed deeply again before retreating a short distance, then turned and left.
Kei could feel the power emanating from Miroku, the same energy as this shrine itself, and was inwardly amazed. No wonder he couldn't locate this place the first time he used Yomotsu Hirasaka for spatial transfer.
This was a force beyond normal spatial rules, existing between illusion and reality. And the entire shrine was enveloped in the power of past shrine maidens. As long as she remained inside, someone unfamiliar with this energy would never be able to find it.
"Kei-sama, welcome to the Land of Demons."
Miroku slightly bowed in greeting. Her voice was gentle, her demeanor elegant, carrying an indescribable warmth that made people feel at ease.
"Uh… you don't have to be so formal. I'm not a fan of excessive politeness." Kei returned the greeting, deliberately adopting a more relaxed posture.
The shrine maiden before him seemed only a year or two older than him. Yet, when she maintained her shrine maiden demeanor, her limbs and expressions had a certain stiffness, as if she wasn't entirely comfortable with such formalities. It was clear that she wasn't used to social interactions .
"Phew~ Then, thank you." Miroku sneakily glanced in the direction her subordinate had left, let out a quiet sigh of relief, and then smiled brightly.
Her once-rigid posture also relaxed. Due to their sacred duty, shrine maidens typically didn't live long. Forced to study shrine arts and knowledge from a young age, growing up near the shrine, she was, at heart, just another girl longing for freedom and a carefree life.
"You shrine maidens… do you have the power to see the future?" Kei casually waved his hand and stepped forward, walking alongside Miroku toward the shrine.
"To be precise, it's a vision of an illusory future, a future that has a probability of occurring…" Miroku ascended the steps slowly, explaining the source of her power.
The nature of malevolent spirits was highly unique. They were ancient demonic entities that drew power from humanity's wicked thoughts. Because they gathered the collective evil of all humans, they naturally possessed the ability to glimpse illusory futures through their own power.
One shrine maiden after another had continuously sacrificed themselves to reinforce the seal on these spirits. Over time, they became inextricably linked to them. And as someone who inherited the power of the shrine maidens, when she pushed this power to its limits, she too could glimpse fragments of an illusory future.
Kei's eyes showed a look of understanding.
At first, he thought this was some high-level power related to time. Turns out, it was just a probability calculation, like a shadow version of big data analysis? This malevolent spirit's ability was actually kind of interesting.
"What kind of future did you see?"
"A lot of things, very chaotic. But there were two futures that appeared the most frequently."
"Tell me about them?"
"The first… in that future, you never came to the Land of Demons. Instead, you disappeared somewhere unknown, and I gave birth to your child…"
"Wait, wait, wait! Where did this child come from?! I never even came to the Land of Demons!"
"I borrowed a little shrine maiden trick." Miroku smiled mischievously as she met Kei's bewildered gaze.
Every shrine maiden outwardly claimed that they conceived divine children under the guidance of the heavens.
But in reality, to ensure the birth of stronger shrine maidens capable of suppressing the malevolent spirits, they would extract the bloodline of the strongest individual of their era, whether it be hair, nails, or even dead skin cells… As long as there was a trace of someone's bloodline, the shrine maiden could integrate it with her power to conceive the next generation of shrine maidens.
And in this era, the strongest individual was undoubtedly Kei.
"…What the hell?!" Kei wanted to say something, but after holding back for a long time, he could only curse.
These shrine maidens… could they not be so ridiculous?! Would it kill them to at least ask the guy before having his kid?! Wasn't this basically forcing it?!
"I couldn't see too far into the future, but the child had golden hair and was very good at acting spoiled."
Miroku spoke with a playful smile, as if she had just successfully pulled off a prank. She clasped her hands behind her back proudly, looking quite pleased with herself. As they continued toward the shrine, she went on.
"The second future… you came to the shrine, and then all the illusory futures abruptly ended."
"That means… the malevolent spirits died?" Kei pushed aside his chaotic thoughts.
Since the shrine maiden's ability to see illusory futures came from the malevolent spirits, if the visions suddenly stopped, the only explanation was that the spirits had perished.
However, given the connection between the shrine maidens and the spirits, wouldn't she also die in the process?
"Yes! The same spirits that foresaw this future have recently been attacking the seals left by past shrine maidens. The seals that were supposed to hold for many more years will, at most, last only one more year. If you don't arrive within ten months…"
Miroku pulled out a finely embroidered charm bag from her robes. Her expression was light, yet tinged with regret and deep reluctance as she handed it to Kei.
"…My hair." Kei's eye twitched violently before he snatched the charm bag and stuffed it into his Infinite Realm.
Damn it! If he ever went to a barbershop again, he'd be a fool! What if he suddenly ended up with a kid out of nowhere? How was he supposed to explain that?!
The old-timers from his past life were right after all— A man should always protect himself when he leaves home!
"How nice… If the malevolent spirits are completely destroyed, there will be no need for shrine maidens in the future…"
Reaching the final step, Miroku turned around, spread her arms wide, and lifted her face to the sky, closing her eyes to savor the warmth of the sunlight against her skin.