After having dropped the bomb and escaping from inside the temple, Asahiko finally realized a problem… Yes, the dozens of stares were hard to ignore.
Those stares obviously come from the soldiers resting in front of the temple grounds, the same ones who never saw him enter or even be around here, making it very clear that he has a problem or is an intruder.
"Stop right there!"
Unsheathing the deteriorated sword hanging from his waist, along with all the men who can still stand, an already older man threatens Asahiko.
Such a thing surprised him briefly, they are basically about twenty armed men with a rather… Terrifying appearance, to put it lightly so as not to hurt their feelings.
"Come on, come on, calm down, I'm your good friend Asahiko~"
Raising his hands as if surrendering at the sight of the sea of swords, Asahiko smiles softly and uses charm on all of them without hesitation. But it backfires, since although they are affected at first, they quickly come back to their senses along with the rustling of paper.
That rustling, minimal and even so detected by Asahiko thanks to his supernatural senses, comes from multiple talismans that all of them carry in their clothes or broken armor.
"Oh, don't give me—"
"Defend the priestess!"
"Let's take revenge for our fallen brothers!"
Seeing how the human wave looms over him with dull swords and broken armor, even though they should be running like sheep at the sight of a wolf, Asahiko snaps his fingers calmly.
It was a simple sound but one that leaves the minds of the furious men blank, making them go from an angry mob to a group of drunks who hit each other and the ground.
With that now easily solved and without leaving anyone injured, he turns and tries to open the sliding door of the temple, although that is unnecessary because Kikyo is already there.
"It's not my fault! It's your fan club that is too extreme and has no manners"
"… I understand, their first reaction upon seeing me was the same. Can you perhaps erase their memories? It would be a problem if they make a scene when they come out of that state"
Looking away from the group of drunks laughing at their own swords, Kikyo steps out from behind Asahiko and walks toward the wounded men with the stone mortar still in hand.
Inside it there was a truly disgusting greenish mixture, but it also gives off a strong medicinal smell that makes Asahiko's nose wrinkle. But ignoring him, who holds his nose and follows her while modifying the drunks' memory thanks to charm, Kikyo begins to apply the ointment to the wounds.
"My God, it is harder now that they're like this than before when they were normal. So what is happening here, Kikyo?"
"Can't you see it?"
"Ha, ha, very funny. I'm talking about the soldiers gathered here, those talismans they carry and you acting as a priestess"
"Nothing too important, they were only attacked by a group of… Yokai cats?"
Doubting even herself how to name that variety of yokai, Kikyo finally decides on the old reliable physical description, making Asahiko open his blue eyes.
He had had problems with those cats before coming here, well actually it wasn't like that, but he had indeed followed their trail and that of the human army… Which he had considered completely eradicated, but apparently here there are some remnants.
"So they are the remnants of the army I had been following… Things from before arriving, nothing important. But is it normal for yokai to be so organized? They had looted a village and I think they even had carts with them"
"The most I have heard of is the Hyakki Yagyō, a parade of hundreds of yokai under a demon leader. They normally occur in places with large populations, I had never heard of them attacking villages or carrying carts like human armies"
Finishing applying the ointment over the open section, Kikyo takes out a clearly homemade bandage and applies it masterfully, sealing the wound easily.
After that she rises from the seiza position she was in, quickly moving to the other wounded man next to her and begins to tend to him with the same dedication.
"Ugh, all of this is Inuyasha and his father's fault… I'm going to have to give him a good beating when I run into him again"
"… When you run into him again? Do you plan to do so?"
"Of course, they are quite… Pleasant; when Inuyasha isn't shouting, Miroku isn't talking about women and Kagome isn't trying to hit me. Yes, yes, a very pleasant group"
Nodding several times with his gaze lost on the horizon, Asahiko steps aside at Kikyo's sudden movement, almost crashing into another of the wounded.
Luckily for that unfortunate man, our protagonist is not human, so he avoids stepping on him by twisting his body in a superhuman way.
"Tsk"
"Did you really do that on purpose? Poor man, what has he done to you?!"
"I thought you already knew me, but if you don't like it you can always go with them, I'm sure Kagome will welcome you with open arms"
"Wow, wow, calm down. They are momentary, but you are eternal… Both literally and figuratively speaking"
Whispering the last part to himself, since he had spoken a bit too much, Asahiko puts his arm over her shoulder and with the other hand creates a group of floating words.
Obviously they are an illusion/transformation created with his energy, but the important thing is the message; They are momentary, but you are eternal, he only did it to give more impact to his words.
"Do you know that they will wake up very soon?"
"Then I knock them out again, it's not like it's very difficult if they don't have those talismans. By the way, since when do you know how to make them? I've never seen you use them or even give me one"
"It was part of the training when I was a shrine maiden apprentice, although I was never good at their creation or application"
"… I don't know whether to say you are being humble or you are making fun of my abilities, since those 'crude' talismans were able to stop my attempt to charm them all"
Shaking his head full of golden hair, and also removing his arm from Kikyo's shoulder before she does it for him, Asahiko steps aside and lets out a resigned sigh.
"To a large extent it was because you used little power considering they were ordinary humans, and the talisman was focused on mental defense, so it all comes down to your misinterpretation of the situation"
"Ouch, what a way you have of comforting someone, Kikyo"
"I wasn't doing it, I was just explaining it to you"
"Alright, alright, whatever you say~"
Shrugging at her "denial", Asahiko looks at the men still on the ground and snaps his fingers, creating a noise similar to a gunshot.
That wakes them instantly and they all instinctively look toward him because of the noise, which makes the task of using charm on all of them much easier this time instead of going one by one, since before he modified their memory but did not add himself as their "friend".
Of course, learning from the previous situation, which was a complete fiasco, Asahiko uses a greater amount of energy in his words this time.
"Ahem, ahem. I am Asahiko, her bodyguard, and I have always been here since you arrived, capiche?"
"Ca-capiche?"
"Yes, forget that and act as you normally do"
Blushing briefly for having made that "gesture", Asahiko coughs a couple of times and sends a new order, leaving everyone present even more dazed.
But at least his pride remains intact, and that is what really matters, not the part about altering people's memory at will according to his needs… Yes, that never happened.
"Are you done yet?"
"Of course, just look at them, they are in perfect condition"
"… Are you sure?"
Following the pale finger of Kikyo pointing to the side, his blue eyes crash into what they are doing normally… Basically some are walking, others are eating grass and there is even one running in circles.
Maybe they took the "normally" too literally, since they are indeed doing what they would commonly do in their daily lives, but this is not at all what he meant.
"Small miscalculation, but everything will fix itself over time… Or maybe by modifying their memory more?"
"Suit yourself, I've already finished what I had to do here"
"Ha, ha, ha"
Watching Kikyo close the door behind her, Asahiko looks at the idiots still doing stupid things and seriously considers hitting them a little.
Not because he is aggressive, it's just so they don't keep living in their current embarrassment, it is obviously all for a just and pure cause… Damn, he's going to have to sleep outside tonight.