Seeker 329

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Chapter 329. The Sword Saint And The Princess

Mikoto left the bath, hastily dressing her flushed body, and departed the bathhouse.

She then strode briskly down the hallway.

Her destination was the main keep where the general resided.

On the way, she nearly collided with a maid at the corner of the corridor, causing the maid to shriek and fall on her rear.

Ordinarily, Mikoto would have apologized and offered a hand, but now, with her fierce expression, she had no such composure.

Ignoring the terrified maid, she continued walking down the corridor.

(Why did I say such things to the princess? I know well that the princess herself is truly suffering. Fool!)

Mikoto cursed herself in her mind.

Yet, her irritation did not subside.

Mikoto couldn’t forgive Kushina for having hope but not seizing it.

Caught between the desire to protect Kushina and the inability to forgive her, Mikoto felt a deep, indescribable frustration.

Mikoto first met Princess Kushina when she was a seventeen-year-old swordswoman — around the same age Kushina is now.

At that time, Kushina was a mere six-year-old child.

Under the general’s command, Mikoto was assigned to guard, babysit, and tutor Kushina, struggling daily with these unfamiliar duties.

Perhaps it was due to Mikoto’s desperate efforts.

The young Princess Kushina grew very attached to Mikoto.

On the other hand, Mikoto came to adore Kushina like a much younger sister.

Despite being called a princess, Kushina was raised like a boy as the only heir of the general's family.

This was because the general, after losing his wife in childbirth, refused to take another wife, but later changed his mind, and now a male heir had been born, relieving Kushina of her role as the heir.

Mikoto and Kushina’s bond began to wane at some point.

It happened when Mikoto, serving as a warrior in the castle, took on a certain mission.

By chance, Mikoto ventured alone into an uncharted dungeon and disappeared.

More than a month passed, and when everyone believed she must be dead, Mikoto returned to the castle.

During her time away, she fought monsters day after day in the dungeon, barely surviving.

She had nearly died multiple times.

Yet, Mikoto conquered the dungeon and returned alive.

When asked how she survived, she answered that she subsisted on mysterious fruits and spring water found in the dungeon.

Upon her return, Mikoto had gained strength unparalleled by any other warrior.

By defeating countless monsters in the unknown dungeon, she had achieved a significant 'limit break'.

Eventually, Mikoto came to be known as the “Sword Saint” and became a pillar of defense for the Yamatai nation.

She was heavily relied upon as a combat force in all situations, and other warriors took over the minor duty of guarding Princess Kushina.

About ten years had passed since Mikoto first met Princess Kushina.

Now, Kushina herself had gained warrior skills and fought monsters.

In recent years, Mikoto and Kushina often undertook the same monster-slaying missions.

As a warrior, Kushina looked up to Mikoto as her master, and Mikoto cherished Kushina as her beloved disciple.

One day, the monster Yamata no Orochi was revived.

The legend said it would revive after about a hundred years, passed down through generations, but it was still an unexpected event for the people.

According to books and oral traditions, Yamata no Orochi would fall into another hundred-year slumber if eight maidens were offered as sacrifices every seven days.

The maidens who could be the sacrifices had certain conditions.

They had to be young virgins and have their birthdays on the specified day.

The previous seven maidens were chosen from girls across the nation meeting these conditions, each with their own story, but it was all in the past now.

The eighth maiden had only one candidate who met the conditions.

By some twist of fate, it was Princess Kushina, the general's only daughter.

The general’s attempt to slay Yamata no Orochi might have been influenced by this fact.

The current general wasn’t such a noble ruler to completely separate public duty from personal feelings, as shown by allowing Kushina’s last journey respecting her wish as the eighth maiden.

But regardless, these attempts at slaying the monster ended in disastrous failure, causing unnecessary casualties.

The sense of powerlessness from being unable to defeat that monster was overwhelming.

Various attempts to slay Yamata no Orochi continued, but none succeeded.

Offering the prepared maiden as a sacrifice was the only way to protect the nation’s people.

And tomorrow was the eighth day when Yamata no Orochi would awaken.

The destined day when Kushina would be offered as a maiden.

“I won’t let it happen. I’ll find those adventurers no matter what.”

Mikoto glared ahead with determined eyes.

It was the gaze of someone resolved to shatter fate.

Even if those adventurers were found, if their skills didn’t meet expectations, they might not be enough to slay Yamata no Orochi.

Or they might not even agree to help.

The battle would undoubtedly be life-threatening.

Everyone values their own life.

Unlike the warriors with the mission and pride to protect the nation, adventurers were not known for such qualities.

But even so, if there was even a fragment of hope—

Sword Saint Mikoto hurried to the general to mobilize the capital’s forces to find the adventurers.