Demon Sword Maiden

Volume 13 - Takamagahara: Chapter 34 - The Escort Journey

Riyuki felt somewhat puzzled. Although it was true that if Ame-no-Tajikarao wished to interrogate Bishamonten personally, he could have easily informed Furaku directly. Yet, the timing of that command felt oddly out of place.

Bishamonten had been imprisoned for so many years, yet Ame-no-Tajikarao had never once taken personal action against her. Now, after summoning the master interrogator—an action that required considerable effort and resources—the progress in recent days had been remarkable. Why then would he suddenly decide to conduct the interrogation himself?

Still, Riyuki did not ask further. Instead, she obeyed the command and led several Celestial Maidens to escort Lily and her companions out from the deepest section of the prison.

At that moment, Riyuki’s stance was rather complicated. She couldn’t help but feel a sense of guilt toward Lily. Moreover, there was no solid evidence to suggest that anything was amiss. Besides, the ones on the other side were Furaku and Lily, if there really was deceit involved, opposing them would be dangerous. With so many factors clouding her judgment, Riyuki chose to simply carry out her orders without overthinking it.

As they walked through the long, shadowy corridor of the prison, they passed many cells. Apart from Bishamonten, there were other Celestial Maidens and gods imprisoned on the upper levels, some for rebelling against the Heavenly Order, others for attempting to rescue Bishamonten.

Through the bars, the prisoners watched in outrage as Bishamonten was led away in humiliation. Their voices rose in cries of her name, full of grief and righteous fury, accusations against the injustice of Heaven itself.

Lily longed to free them all, yet she knew doing so would ruin everything. She had no choice but to endure.

Along the way, several Dark Celestial Maidens cast suspicious glances at them. However, since Furaku was the warden of the prison, none dared to question her openly.

When they finally reached the exit, two Dark Celestial Maidens of the Celestial Stage stood guard.

“Madam Furaku,” they saluted respectfully. “May we ask why you are escorting Bishamonten out of her cell?”

“By order of Ame-no-Tajikarao himself,” Furaku replied with a steady tone. “He intends to interrogate these two women personally.”

The two guards exchanged confused looks.

“What’s wrong? Are you refusing my orders? Do you wish to experience my interrogation techniques for yourselves?” Furaku barked sharply.

The two Dark Celestial Maidens stiffened, their pride stung. They were Celestial Maidens, after all—how humiliating to be threatened by a demoness. Yet Furaku’s authority as the warden was not to be trifled with, and her imposing tone made them instinctively step aside.

Only then did Furaku allow herself a quiet sigh of relief. She was walking a dangerous line. She neither wanted to die nor be struck down by Lily again. If she mishandled this, even if Lily and the others failed to escape, she would gain nothing from Takamagahara and might even lose her life.

But if she ignored Lily’s group entirely and they did manage to escape, she would be harshly punished by the High Heavens. Her only option was to seize this fleeting opportunity to flee, and at least Lily had promised her some equivalent treasures in return.

Yet, deep within, there was another reason Furaku could not admit to herself. Perhaps Lily’s fierce counterattack and overwhelming dominance during their last encounter had left a mark within her heart; a strange, humiliating yearning. A part of her longed to submit to Lily, to be taken in as her subordinate, even as a lowly servant… or a slave.

It made little sense, even to herself. Staying in Yuten Castle would never reduce her to such a status, and yet, the thought of serving under Lily, of being punished and rewarded by her, stirred something irresistible within.

Lily was young and beautiful, possessing countless treasures. To become her slave might mean learning secret arts, or being rewarded with rare artifacts for good service. And if she failed, Lily could punish her again, harshly, but even that felt like a fulfillment of some hidden desire. Either way, Furaku couldn’t deny that such a life seemed both thrilling and… fulfilling.

Unfortunately, Lily appeared to have no interest in her whatsoever, perhaps even seeing her as unworthy to be a slave. And yet, that very disdain only deepened Furaku’s admiration for Lily’s noble spirit.

Furaku had always strived to grow stronger, to overcome her own weakness and corruption. Yet, now that she had truly been defeated by Lily, she found herself unable to resist the strange excitement that lingered in her heart.

As the two Dark Celestial Maidens stepped aside, the group passed through the prison gates.

“Please wait a moment.” A woman’s voice rang out.

Furaku’s heart skipped a beat.

It was the Celestial Maiden Yuko, approaching with several attendants.

“Madam Furaku,” Yuko said calmly, “while Ame-no-Tajikarao is indeed a domineering god, he has always valued his integrity and reputation. Though he ordered to imprison Bishamonten, he has never once laid a hand on her. For all these years, he has never personally interrogated her either. Yet today, the guards say he suddenly changed his mind. Tell me, why would such an upright Heroic God decide to personally question these two goddesses?”

“Yuko,” Furaku replied, feigning indifference, “that’s something you should ask Ame-no-Tajikarao himself. You know far more about the politics of Takamagahara than I do. Perhaps today he received a visit from an influential Kegaretsu friend who insisted on personally punishing the rebel Celestial Maidens?”

“Oh? Is that so?” Yuko narrowed her eyes.

“I’m only guessing,” Furaku said with a forced smile.

This Celestial Maiden Yuko was far from simple. When Riyuki had risked everything to summon Taira no Furaku, it should have been a great merit. Yet the primary credit was stolen by Kuromon, while a portion of the glory went to Yuko, who had escorted the master interrogator to Yuten Castle. The hidden dealings behind that arrangement were obvious enough.

Moreover, Yuko was highly trusted by Tennin-Mikoto. She had originally been assigned to leave Yuten Castle and report back to her master, but Tennin-Mikoto had insisted that Yuko personally oversee this interrogation, to verify any secrets uncovered and report them directly. After all, no one knew how serious those secrets might be, and Tennin-Mikoto did not want to rely on secondhand information from Ame-no-Tajikarao.

Yuko turned her gaze toward Riyuki. “So you’re here as well. Don’t you find it odd? That Lord Ame-no-Tajikarao himself would suddenly wish to interrogate the goddess?”

Suppressing her inner turmoil, Riyuki replied coldly, “I merely follow orders. I do not question them, nor do I harbor any personal intentions.” She could easily guess the role Yuko had played in stealing her achievements, and thus she had no warmth in her tone.

Yuko chuckled softly. “Hehehe, forget it then. Bishamonten is, after all, the Goddess of War. Be careful on your way, Riyuki.”

“Hmph.” Riyuki ignored her and continued leading Lily and the others forward.

As Lily passed by Yuko’s side, Yuko’s eyes widened slightly in surprise as she stared at her, but she said nothing.

At long last, they stepped out of the prison and entered the wide corridors of Yuten Castle.

Along the way, they encountered a few Yuten soldiers. Yet most of these dim-witted men did not even recognize Bishamonten. Seeing a group of Celestial Maidens escorting female prisoners, they could not resist glancing at their legs a few times but dared not ask questions.

Yuten Castle was vast, and this long walk made the journey feel even more endless.

Just as it seemed they were about to leave the castle, Furaku suddenly turned away from the main gate and began ascending instead. The first stretch of road was the same path that led toward Ame-no-Tajikarao’s grand hall, but midway, she took a turn toward a sky courtyard built upon an elevated terrace. If they could just reach that courtyard, they could continue on foot and slip away unnoticed.

Ahead, the light from the grand hall filtered through faintly blue morning air, it was already dawn of the following day.

They could practically see freedom; they were about to walk out of Yuten Castle. However, just as they reached the sunlit sky courtyard, a tall dark shadow emerged from ahead. It was none other than the Yuten Army’s general, Hirotake.

“Not good.” Furaku’s heart tightened. Hirotake was one of Ame-no-Tajikarao’s trusted lieutenants. He would certainly know the lord’s affairs, and there was no way she could tell him she was escorting Lily to Ame-no-Tajikarao. Besides, the direction they were heading was clearly wrong.

Upon seeing Bishamonten being escorted out, Hirotake frowned and asked, “Madam Furaku, what are you doing escorting Bishamonten? Where are you taking her?”

Furaku’s chest rose and fell, betraying her nervousness. Lily, bound and silent, wished she could think of a reason for her, but as a prisoner, she could not speak.

“Ah… General Hirotake,” Furaku began with a forced laugh. “As you can see, my interrogation of Bishamonten has borne fruit. She’s been humbled and has agreed to confess. However, the secret she carries is too important, so I thought it best that Lord Ame-no-Tajikarao hear it personally. Besides, I imagine Lord Ame-no-Tajikarao also has questions he wishes to ask her himself.”

“Oh?” Hirotake raised an eyebrow. “So, you’re taking her to see Lord Ame-no-Tajikarao?”

“Precisely.”

Hirotake’s tone grew cold. “If you’re taking her to Lord Ame-no-Tajikarao, then why are you heading this way? Beyond here lies the open sky courtyard. What if Bishamonten were to escape?”

“Ah?” Furaku blinked, forcing a smile. “I was wondering about that myself. I’ve only been through here once before, and the roads inside Yuten Castle are terribly complex. This Celestial Maiden, Riyuki, I thought she knew the way, but it seems she’s new here too. It looks like we’ve taken a wrong turn.”

“That’s no trouble,” Hirotake replied. “Since I’m here, why don’t I guide you personally to Lord Ame-no-Tajikarao’s hall?”

“That… won’t be necessary. If General Hirotake could simply point us in the right direction, that would suffice,” said Furaku quickly.

“How could that do?” Hirotake said sternly. “As you said, the roads within Yuten Castle are intricate. It would be far better if I led you myself. Otherwise, if you run into another commander, they might think you’re trying to escape. That misunderstanding could cause quite the commotion.”

“Please,” he said firmly, his mustache twitching with authority.

Furaku’s expression darkened. If they followed Hirotake deeper into the castle, escaping would become impossible. They had already come this far, there was no turning back now.

“Hirotake, what do you mean by this?” Furaku snapped angrily. “I was appointed by Lord Ame-no-Tajikarao himself as the warden of this prison. Bishamonten is to be escorted by me! I merely took a wrong turn, and yet you question me? Are you doubting my authority?”

“I wouldn’t dare,” Hirotake replied stiffly. “I only wish to prevent misunderstandings. My offer to guide you was made out of good will. I fail to see why Madam Furaku insists on refusing.”

“Insolence!” Furaku barked furiously. “You clearly harbor suspicion toward me! I will find Lord Ame-no-Tajikarao myself, I don’t need your guidance! Whoever dares stand in my way, get out of my sight!”

As she spoke, a wave of divine power surged from her body, carrying the force of a Supreme God.

Lily and Bishamonten both sensed killing intent stirring within them. They were already at the brink of escape, there was no way they could turn back now. Each silently prepared to strike at any moment.

But then, an enormous and muscular shadow loomed behind them, dimming the golden light of dawn. A deep, thunderous voice rolled across the corridor, shaking the very foundations of Yuten Castle. “Who is it,” the voice rumbled, “that wishes to see me?”