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“The balance of the five elements has collapsed, and the geomancy has become strange?”

The Master grimaced slightly at the man’s words.

It felt as if they were stuck in a vile land that wouldn’t accept even their charity.

“I think that’s the case.”

“Hmm.”

The Master silently urged him to continue speaking.

“As you well know, Master, the five elements influence each other. The same goes for Earth, Wood, and Metal.”

“Hmm.”

The man began to elaborate on the five elements.

“Earth produces Metal. Just as earth turns into metal underground, Earth helps generate the energy of Metal. And Wood restrains Earth while Metal cuts down Wood! Much like how trees dig into the ground with their roots, they suppress the energy of the earth, and like how sharp metal cuts down trees, that sharp energy prevents the tree from gathering its energy and growing. This is the mutual nurturing and mutual restraint!”

“So, what does that have to do with here?”

“It actually does.”

The man beamed, pointing at the land and the trees around them.

“Here we have the land, and over there, more than 10,000 trees, countless in number.”

“Then isn’t it just Earth and Wood?”

“No, there’s Metal. This mountain itself is brimming with Metal energy.”

“This mountain?”

The next Shinto Priest pointed to a peak in the distance.

A black peak that rose sharply and had a blade-like shape.

“This mountain is called Kurotsurugi Mine, right? The name itself is linked to the sword, thus it embodies Metal, and since its formation is like a sharp sword, it too embodies Metal; and the way it pierces the sky, that also embodies Metal. Plus, its location in the west further carries the properties of Metal. Moreover, there are warriors practicing Shiheng Style inside, wielding swords! One could say it perfectly represents the essence of Metal!”

“That makes sense.”

The Master nodded as if he understood the man’s explanation.

“This mountain has embraced the properties of Metal, Wood, and Earth, yet it has probably maintained a proper balance. Given how strong the Metal energy is, it would have supported the Water energy finding a place here, and with so many trees, the Fire energy likely remained in appropriate amounts. We can say it’s precarious but not bad.”

But precarious means that even a small incident could shatter that balance.

“However, due to some sort of event, this balance must have been disrupted. And the delicate balance shattered, leading everything into catastrophe. Only mutual rising and mutual contempt remain!”

Mutual rising.

The party responsible for restraint in a conflicting relationship grows overly strong.

Mutual contempt.

The restraint in a conflicting relationship fails.

“With countless trees rooting themselves, the nutrients of the soil are depleted, leading to Wood overcoming Earth. The trees have grown too strong, rendering them uncuttable by ordinary metal; that’s Wood overcoming Metal. The shade of the trees blocks the sun, hindering and monopolizing the Yang energy, so negative energy is likely swirling within, while the remaining metal energy dazzles, enchanting people. A perfect environment for spirits to thrive.”

His explanation was detailed and easy to understand.

Yet ironically, because it was so easy to comprehend, the Master had nothing to say.

“And given this environment, even spirits that can’t become evil spirits might exert their strength. Naturally, they wouldn’t wield power on par with evil spirits, but they could imitate something like them.”

“Spirits, huh.”

“When you think about it, everything fits perfectly. Why wasn’t the security system able to detect anything? Of course! It was targeting evil spirits; how could it catch spirits that haven’t turned into evil spirits? Playing with mold? In such an abundant negative energy environment, it would easily play with them. The absence of human traces? Naturally! If it wasn’t human-made, it couldn’t leave traces, could it?”

“…That’s true.”

“You mentioned a warrior was mesmerized? That too is understandable. Even if it couldn’t become an evil spirit, wouldn’t its temperament remain unchanged? With insufficient strength, it would try to frighten him to lure him in. After all, you never know how brave a warrior of Shiheng Style might be.”

“That’s right. Our clan’s warriors would never succumb to such petty things.”

“And not being mesmerized proved to be a loss in itself. Had they been mesmerized, the traces left would have allowed for quick identification, but because they weren’t, it became harder to trace the source of the issue. When you think about it, everything—everything fits perfectly.”

The Master seemed genuinely pleased as if the man had just exposed his inner thoughts.

“Hahaha! This is amazing. Solving something that has troubled people so much in no time at all!”

“You’re too kind. Anyone could have figured this out.”

“Tch, unlike those who came before, you’re entirely different. Your skills are impressive.”

“The previous visitors could have figured this out too. If they had just looked from a slightly different perspective, they would have realized it easily.”

“Hahaha. That’s impressive. Creativity isn’t something everyone possesses!”

The Master looked at the next Shinto Priest with eyes full of goodwill.

“Yet it’s not certain yet. To firmly prove my hypothesis… Ah, by the way, would you be able to speak to the warrior who witnessed something unusual?”

“Speak? Absolutely! Oh! Right! That guy heard a wild story from a college student who trespassed on the day of the incident and then had a sketch made of that student. I almost forgot in the chaos; I’ll bring it right now.”

The Master said that and dashed to the training ground using his light-step technique. Moments later, he returned, clutching a rolled-up bundle of paper and approached Jinseong.

“This is the sketch of that college student. I haven’t confirmed it yet, but how about we take a look together?”

“The college student who told the story? I’m curious.”

The next Shinto Priest took the paper with anticipation and slowly unrolled it.

As soon as he unfolded it, he smiled, intrigued.

“This is surprising.”

The person drawn on the paper didn’t have a face.

Like an egg ghost, there were no features, just a smooth void where the face should be.

“Why does the face look like this?”

The Master muttered in disbelief and turned to the next page.

There, a face with only a mouth was drawn.

A face with just a single mouth.

It looked grotesque, like the lips were slapdash drawn by a child holding a pencil in a fist.

“This….”

The Master quickly turned to the next page.

The next page depicted a face filled with squinting eyes, resembling a grin.

Flap.

He flipped the page again.

One more page showed a face where the eyes, nose, and mouth were haphazardly placed together like a Fukuwarai game.

Flap.

There was another page showcasing a face floating above a neck, with no other features.

Flap.

There was a face with multiple mouths, conveying an exaggerated emotion.

Flap.

There was a face that barely resembled a human head, as if hastily smudged with charcoal.

Flap.

Flap.

Flap.

There were eyes.

Eyes that were curved, as if they were laughing.

Eyes soaked in derision, lacking any sharpness.

Eyes with ink smeared so much by repeated strokes that they sunken into the paper.

There were mouths.

Disordered and twisted.

Each one took on a shape not easily recognizable.

Many mouths that seemed to stretch or shrink just as they felt like speaking.

There was a nose that didn’t quite belong anywhere.

Ears that would stick to the forehead one moment then shift to the face the next.

Clothing and colors that changed with every sketch.

An utterly unbelievable montage that could hardly be believed to depict a person.

“So this isn’t a case of not being mesmerized. It’s more like being half-mesmerized. It seems they neither got fully entranced nor completely excluded, which explains the lack of traces.”

“This is truly….”

An act of a spirit?

The Master swallowed the question that tried to slip out.

Instead, he looked at the man as if to say he could handle it, and the man nodded confidently, as if saying to trust him.

“Don’t worry. Our shrine can easily exorcise evil spirits. But a spirit that hasn’t even become an evil spirit? This is no problem at all.”

“Are you sure?”

“The previous issues weren’t resolved because the source of the problem wasn’t identified. Yet now we’ve recognized the source, and we know it’s not that great a deal, so what could possibly be the problem? However…. Yes. The real exorcism ritual will likely take place at night, and I would like you to attend and witness the resolution with your own eyes.”

“I would gladly do so.”

The next Shinto Priest, full of confidence, reached out to the Shamaness behind him, who presented a bundle of paper and a thin thread.

“Talisman?”

“Yes. Just in case, I’ll be using the talismans and the gold thread to create a simple shrine and channel the Divine Power. No matter how much of a spirit it is, you can never be too cautious; we must be careful.”

“Excellent.”

The Master nodded approvingly, satisfied with the meticulous preparations.

Clunk.

Clunk.

The man affixed the talismans around various trees, stretching gold thread out across the ground, hanging talismans from it, and softly mumbled words as if praying to the God.

After repeating this process several times, a fairly plausible area was created.

“This is rather nice. Being here gives me a feeling of being protected by the divine.”

“Hahaha. As expected of a warrior, you have a keen sense! This place has truly become a simple shrine, and as a result, the God’s gaze is upon it.”

“Wow. That’s great. Ah, but….”

The Master tilted his head.

“It seems there’s a bit of a musty smell…?”

At those words, the man coughed awkwardly and cleared his throat.

“Since it’s been stored in the Divine Storehouse for a long time… there’s a bit of a moldy smell. But it doesn’t affect its efficacy.”

“Oh, I see….”

The Master looked at the next Shinto Priest and Shamaness with a slight sense of pity for a moment.

“Well, time will likely take care of the smell. Hm, then… should I come back here at dawn?”

“Yes. Ideally, I’d prefer if you arrived before the hour of the rat.”

“I understand. Ah! If you’ll be staying here, you must be getting hungry. Would you like me to bring you some food?”

“It’s all right. I need to keep my body pure before the exorcism ritual. I plan on fasting until it’s over and then eating afterward.”

“Hmm. I understand. In that case, I’ll prepare something delicious for you to eat after the exorcism ritual.”

“Ah, I appreciate the kindness.”

The next Shinto Priest expressed his gratitude and saw off the Master, who was returning to the training ground.

The Master’s steps seemed remarkably light.

As if he had just lifted a major worry off his shoulders.

The next Shinto Priest and the Shamaness observed him closely before unfolding the one-touch tent they had brought and stepping inside. As soon as they entered, they zipped it up, settling into the silence provided by the buffalo ring overhead.

In that silence, the Shamaness opened her mouth.

“What will you do?”

With the power of the buffalo ring, the sound lingered within the tent, dissolving into the air before vanishing, while Jinseong responded to Rise’s question.

“Abra-cadabra; as I speak, it shall come to be. The five elements will break, nature will be shattered, and disaster will ensue.”

He laughed.

“The one pointed out as the culprit,受 an enemy will be the other. One shall repel the enemy and strike without spilling a drop of blood, causing them to pay the price.”

Jinseong’s eyes sparkled with anticipation.

‘Mana, mana. I can’t wait!’

 

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