Retsu closed his eyes, sensing the Natural Energy flowing around him, when suddenly, several unfamiliar presences entered his range of perception.
[Remember this site's domain name: Taiwan Novel Network. The experience is great and super powerful.]
One was a pure and warm Miko Spiritual Power, while another was a demon's Demonic Power. However, unlike the pure Demonic Power of the demons he had encountered before, this Demonic Power carried a distinct human scent.
"Is this a Half-demon?" he understood in his heart. "No wonder many demons can quickly tell Inuyasha is a Half-demon upon meeting him; this Demonic Power mixed with a human scent is indeed too obvious."
He opened his eyes, stood up, and lit the oil lamp in the room. The dim yellow light dispelled the darkness as he walked to Tsuyu's side and lightly tapped her forehead with his fingertip: "Release!"
Tsuyu's brow furrowed slightly as she slowly opened her eyes.
Her vision gradually focused. First, she saw the dim light, then she met a pale face marked with several long cracks and a pair of grayish-black eyes, conveying an eerie feeling that did not belong to the living.
"Ah—!"
A terrified scream pierced the silence. Tsuyu's eyes rolled back, and she fainted once again.
Retsu was stunned for a moment, then smiled helplessly. Just as he was about to wake her again, the sound of several approaching footsteps came from the distance.
Clearly, Tsuyu's scream had attracted Inuyasha's group. He simply stopped what he was doing and sat back in the corner, waiting for them to arrive.
A few minutes ago, in the night outside the castle.
Inuyasha, Kagome Higurashi, Myoga, and an anxious Amari Nobunaga were sneaking into the castle under the cover of night.
But after entering the castle, they found that everyone—samurai, soldiers, and servants alike—had fallen into a deep sleep.
"Young Master Inuyasha, be careful! These people have been hypnotized by sorcery!" Myoga the flea said solemnly, perched on Inuyasha's shoulder.
"My Lady! Lady Tsuyu! Where are you?" Amari Nobunaga called out loudly, his heart burning with anxiety as he looked around.
"Is it really okay to shout so loudly?" Kagome couldn't help but complain. "What if you attract a demon?"
"What's there to fear?" Inuyasha said indifferently, twitching his ears as he observed the surroundings. "Everyone's hypnotized anyway. If we make enough noise, maybe the demon will come to us."
Just as he finished speaking, Tsuyu's scream suddenly echoed from deep within the castle.
"That's Lady Tsuyu's voice!" Amari Nobunaga's expression changed.
"Kagome, something's happening. Follow me!" Inuyasha's dog ears perked up instantly. Without another word, he turned and dashed toward the source of the sound.
"Hey! Inuyasha, wait for me!" Kagome hurried to catch up, with Amari Nobunaga close behind. Myoga clung tightly to Inuyasha's fire rat robe, afraid to let go.
Turning a corner, a dimly lit room appeared before them.
The door was wide open, and the dim yellow light spilling out cast a long patch of light on the corridor floor, where the faint silhouette of a person could be seen inside.
"Be careful!" Inuyasha's nose twitched, and his brow furrowed as he drew the tessaiga from his back. "There's a strange fellow inside. He has a demonic aura, mixed with the scent of the dead!"
He spoke warily as he slowly approached the room. Kagome followed behind him, her palms sweating slightly as she gripped her bow and arrows.
"Come in. I mean no harm."
A calm male voice suddenly came from inside the room.
Inuyasha and Kagome exchanged a look. Just as Kagome was about to warn him to watch out for traps, Inuyasha had already strode inside.
"Inuyasha!" Helpless, Kagome could only follow him in.
As soon as she stepped into the room, Kagome was so startled by the man sitting in the corner that she hid behind Inuyasha.
The man wore strange, deep blue clothing in a style different from the attire of this era. Even more bizarre was his body.
Whether it was the skin on his face or the surface of his clothes, there were numerous cracks, like porcelain on the verge of shattering.
What made her hair stand on end the most were his eyes; the sclera were grayish-black, and the depths of his pupils held a faint, grayish decay, looking exceptionally eerie in the dim light.
"Lady Tsuyu!"
Amari Nobunaga, the last to enter, spotted Tsuyu lying on the floor and was about to rush over in excitement when Inuyasha grabbed him by the collar and pulled him back.
"Don't move!" Inuyasha held the tessaiga in front of him, staring warily at Retsu. "Who are you? The lord here?"
"My name is Retsu. I am not the lord here. I simply discovered that the lord of this place was possessed by a demon and had ordered his soldiers to capture girls from the surrounding Villages, so I stopped by to take a look."
Retsu stood up, his gaze sweeping over Inuyasha and Kagome. This was his first time meeting the two protagonists of this world.
The boy standing in front, with long white hair and two furry dog ears on his head, must be Inuyasha.
He wore the iconic red fire rat robe, and the long sword in his hand was surely the tessaiga.
Retsu sighed inwardly. It was a pity he was a boy; if he were a white-haired, beast-eared little girl, it would have been perfect.
And the girl hiding behind Inuyasha had long, jet-black hair and wore a sailor suit that was completely out of place in this era.
With her white long-sleeved top and green pleated skirt, fair skin, lively eyes, and youthful aura, she must be the girl from the future—Kagome Higurashi.
"The woman on the floor is someone I found in this room. If you know her, go ahead and wake her up."
Retsu pointed to the unconscious Tsuyu and took a few steps back, signaling that he meant no harm. "I have already dispelled the Illusionary Art on her, but when she woke up just now and saw me, she fainted from fright again."
Kagome watched him step back. Though still wary, saving the person was more important. She tugged on Inuyasha's sleeve: "Inuyasha, bring Lady Tsuyu over first."
"Got it." Hearing Kagome's words, Inuyasha didn't act out. He cautioned, "Stay here and don't move."
Then, while keeping a close eye on Retsu, he walked quickly to Tsuyu's side, picked her up, and retreated swiftly to Kagome and Amari Nobunaga.
Throughout the entire process, Retsu just watched quietly, making no unnecessary movements.
"Lady Tsuyu! Lady Tsuyu!"
Finally seeing the Tsuyu he had been longing for, Amari Nobunaga held the girl in his arms, his voice urgent as he called her name over and over. Finally, Tsuyu slowly opened her eyes, her gaze still a bit dazed.
"My Lady!" Amari Nobunaga shouted in surprise as he saw Tsuyu wake up.
"Nobunaga? Why are you here?" Tsuyu asked in confusion, having just woken from her faint.
Suddenly remembering something, she sat up abruptly in Nobunaga's arms. "I... I think I saw a demon just now! Nobunaga, did you see it?"
"Lady Tsuyu, I am not a demon. I am just a passing samurai who discovered that the castle lord here was possessed by a demon and came to exorcise it."
A calm voice spoke up then. Tsuyu looked toward the sound and saw the man she had seen before, now standing not far away, watching her.