"This demon... it couldn't be a fox spirit, could it?" Retsu's eyes lit up, and he couldn't help but rub his hands together as he asked, his tone filled with anticipation.
"Humph!" Kikyo glanced back at him with a playful look in her eyes and said irritably, "Maybe it really is. How about I let her be your maid once she's caught?"
"Uh... No, no need! I-I'm just curious!" Flustered by Kikyo's half-smiling gaze, Retsu immediately waved his hands.
"Oh? You actually considered the 'maid' thing?" Kikyo caught the slip in his words and looked back at him with a roll of her eyes.
"..." Retsu instantly shut his mouth, thinking to himself that things were going south. If he continued this topic, he would only make it worse, so he simply stopped talking and sat up straight in silence.
Kuro Maru was extremely fast, and before long, he had brought the two of them to the vicinity of a Village at the foot of a mountain.
To avoid Kuro Maru's appearance scaring the villagers, the two of them dismounted at the Village entrance.
Kikyo raised her hand to recall Kuro Maru, who instantly turned into a small wooden carving that she tucked into her sleeve. Then, the two of them walked into the Village side by side.
Retsu quietly observed his surroundings and noticed that the men in this Village were indeed pitifully few, especially the strong young men; even the young people working in the fields were mostly female.
It didn't take much effort for the two of them to find the woman who had previously commissioned Kikyo to exorcise the demon.
This woman's husband, like the other men in the Village, had gone into the mountains some time ago and never returned.
Normally, Kikyo should have come with this woman, but since this demon hadn't actively invaded the Village to kidnap men, but rather specifically targeted males who entered the mountains, the situation wasn't urgent. Therefore, Kikyo, who had received the commission two days ago, only arrived today with Retsu after finishing her other business.
When the other villagers heard that a priestess and a samurai had come to help find the missing men, those with missing relatives flocked over, surrounding the two with eyes full of hope.
"Lady Kikyo, it's right here! The people of our Village all enter the mountains through this path.
Since then, the men who entered the mountains have never come back out..." A villager said, leading the two to a small path at the foot of the mountain and pointing to the trail winding deep into the forest.
This path appeared well-trodden, likely the usual route the villagers took to go up the mountain.
"Don't worry," Kikyo turned and solemnly assured the surrounding villagers, her voice soft yet carrying a convincing firmness, "If we can find those missing men, we will definitely rescue them safely."
"We're counting on you! Please, you must save them!" The villagers immediately bowed in unison, their voices filled with entreaty and gratitude.
"Oh, right! Rumor has it that the demon in the mountains who abducts men is a peerless beauty!" Just as Retsu and Kikyo were about to turn and enter the forest, a villager's voice suddenly rang out.
This sentence caused Kikyo to pause mid-step. She tilted her head and gave Retsu a subtle glance.
"Hey, Kikyo, what's with that look?" Retsu immediately noticed her gaze and said irritably as he followed her into the forest, "Do I look like the kind of pervert who can't walk when he sees a beautiful woman?"
"I remember someone saying that the demons we met before weren't cute at all, complaining about why there weren't any cute girls with beast ears," Kikyo said, showing no mercy as she exposed his past remarks. "Maybe this time you'll get your wish?"
------------------------
I've posted 40+ chapters in advance on Patreon.
Webnovel updates will still be daily, as usual.
It might not seem tempting right now but who knows what the future holds?
[email protected]/DaoistRoeoNQ
"And If you're enjoying it, drop a Power Stone for me!"