162 – Touhou (2)
“…… Hey.”
“Yes.”
“Is this correct?”
“… ….”
“Is this right…? ….”
I couldn’t answer Tsumei’s trembling question.
What and how can you answer?
Of course, I knew in my head that this was the best way, but apart from that, I couldn’t help but feel shame.
Whether it’s me or Tsumei.
Still, it would not be easy to carry Yongyong, who is over thousands of years old, on his back, and it would not be easy for Yongyong, who is over thousands of years old, to be carried on his back by a boy who is only nineteen years old.
As if she could no longer bear the stares of those around her, Tsumei buried her head in my shoulder with her face probably bright red.
“I’m going crazy, I am.”
“…… “Let’s just be patient.”
That was the only thing I could say in return.
Because this is an unavoidable process.
After putting my arm between Tsumei’s legs and thighs and fixing her body a little more properly, I moved her legs briskly, trying not to be conscious of the touch of a thousands-year-old girl.
So, why are Tsumei and I walking down the main street of the East like this?
It would be a long story to explain this bizarre combination, as well as the outrageous postures and contacts.
First of all, it was the purpose.
What was the reason me, Tsumei, and Flügel came to this Touhou in the first place?
This is a journey to greatly twist one axis of the Dragon Emperor’s plan.
Shiryong (屍龍).
It literally means a dragon made from a corpse.
Undead dragon, zombie dragon, or bone dragon. No matter what it was, there were many words that could be expressed, but in this world, it was a sea dragon.
The dragon race was almost exterminated a hundred years ago.
And where are the hundreds of corpses of the dragons who died like that at this point?
Despite the fact that the species was annihilated, the fact that no corpses could be found was one of the game’s shortcomings.
‘After the Dragon Emperor begins his activities in earnest, the sight of him leading an army of corpses at once is an unforgettable scene.’
Basically, it takes a long time to manufacture a sea dragon.
Because they were not ordinary corpses.
As with Bahamut’s Dragon Heart, the first step is to remove the dragon’s ego and residual thoughts that may remain within the corpse.
Then, the body was treated with drugs to prevent it from decomposing for decades to come.
Then, the parts that are unnecessary for battle are boldly cut out and then forcibly transplanted with the body or characteristics of another monster.
In addition, it was a single Shiryong that was created through various modifications.
‘It’s probably almost finished by now, I guess.’
Even though there was no definite statement, there was enough room for speculation.
Less than two years later, Yongje appears.
In that case, isn’t there a high probability that the Lord’s Army will be half completed by now, or in the worst case, more than 90% completed?
So what we should aim for was not to prevent the production of Shiryong.
Since it is impossible to stop the production itself, which has already reached its final stage, the practitioner who will be using such dragons must be destroyed.
What we need to catch is a woman named Eonhwaryeong.
If the devil from the imperial family is attached to the devil, it feels like the dragon emperor has her helper.
Born into a family of coroners, she learned the art of esoteric medicine and also had natural talent.
However, such talent soon went to waste and destroyed Eonhwaryeong’s life, and the family’s extinction was primarily due to her mistake.
Did they try to turn a former master from one of the most prestigious families in the East into a bloodthirsty warrior?
Of course, that prestigious family decided to completely erase her family name.
Even so, since it was a family that dealt with sinister technology, it was justified.
As a result, the Eon family went extinct.
The only one who survived was Eonhwaryeong.
After barely escaping from the East, she wandered around the continent and honed her martial arts skills.
Nevertheless, in the end, she could not give up her regrets.
The desire to create a greater Gangshi.
It was the origin of a girl from the East holding the hand of the Dragon Emperor, and the reason why the Dragon Emperor made the East his home and went into seclusion.
‘If we can deal with that woman, Shi-ryong doesn’t have to worry anymore.’
The production of the Siryong Corps was generally carried out under the command and ability of Eon Hwaryeong, and in fact, it was okay to say that it was done almost entirely dependent on her.
In fact, in the eighth episode, it was Eunhwaryeong, not the Yongje, who led Shiryong.
Coming back to the point, that was the fundamental reason why I was walking around the streets of Touhou carrying Tsumei like her younger sister.
So to speak, it was a trick to meet Eunhwaryeong.
You can say it’s shallow.
But it will be effective.
I didn’t know where or how the hundreds of sea dragons were manufactured.
To store corpses of that size, a large space would be needed…….
First of all, I didn’t know of such a place in the East.
‘Still, I know where Eonhwaryeong is staying.’
Instead of wandering around looking for a location where I don’t even know the approximate area, the next best option I chose was to visit Eonhwaryeong directly.
I know her abode where she is staying at this time.
It was a time when I returned to my hometown, pretended to be a medical doctor, and lived as quietly as if I had died.
I couldn’t figure out what kind of mentality they were providing for free.
However, as a result of searching around for two days after arriving in the east, we were able to find a doctor who was probably Eonhwaryeong’s.
He made Tsumei a patient.
She can freely control the state of her body according to her will. If necessary, it was the dragon’s remaining talent that could create a pseudo-death state.
Roughly speaking, it causes the body to heat up, worsens the respiratory system, and causes coughing.
If you want to visit a clinic, you don’t have to become a patient, but you never know.
This was to avoid arousing unnecessary suspicion.
If we ever contacted the Dragon Emperor, we would be in trouble.
In that regard, our goals were three-fold.
First, accurately identify the location of Eonhwaryeong.
Second, if possible, find out the sea dragon’s hiding place.
‘And third.’
…… If you feel like you won’t be able to destroy the sea dragons, make killing Eunhwaryeong your top priority.
Excited, excited.
At that time, I suddenly felt my heart beating faster.
Am I nervous?
Although it was said in a different way, such as ‘defeating’ or ‘treating’. Ultimately, the goal is to assassinate Eonhwaryeong. In other words, it was murder.
To put it simply, it means killing.
‘Can you do it?’
A question arose. If it’s obvious, it’s pretty obvious.
This is a fact that has been ignored until now.
I have lived my whole life as a modern person, and even now, I have felt deep down that my sense of ethics is much closer to that.
Although it was changing a little after going through some union with Dante’s consciousness-.
Even so.
I feel rejected.
There was a time when I promised myself that one day I would kill Duke Blake with my own hands. Even now, that decision has not faded.
But what comes to mind is other things.
An opponent for whom I do not harbor strong murderous intent. A person who cannot be embraced.
But what if it is something that must be killed?
Do I really have the courage to take action?
It would be different from killing a monster.
‘…… I am.’
Tub!
It was then.
I felt a hand clearing my complicated mind in an instant.
“You don’t need to think about anything else.”
“…… “Dean?”
“If this guy really needs to be killed, and if it’s a situation where he has to be killed, I’m the one who steps forward.”
“… ….”
The words continued to make me keep my mouth shut without realizing it.
Tsumei spoke while stroking my hair.
“You’ve never killed anyone, right?”
It was the perfect answer. I couldn’t answer anything and stayed silent.
She laughed as if she knew Tsu Mei would do that.
“It’s obvious, well. “The expression on his face was as frightened as that of a child who didn’t know anything.”
“You’re a kid… ….”
“Then isn’t it?”
I was annoyed for no reason and asked in a bitter voice, but Tsumei hugged my neck tighter as if to ask if there was a problem.
And without forgetting the concept, I cough. Cough, cluck.
At that time, I was just staring straight ahead with a mysterious expression on my face.
“…… “Someday, the time will come when you too will have to kill someone.”
Tsumei muttered in a low voice.
“I don’t have to feel responsible for killing again, but it might not be the case for you. You don’t have to force yourself to commit murder that is unacceptable based on your values. “Because this is essentially ‘my’ job.”
“… ….”
“I’m not saying you should live without committing murder. Rather, I’m just saying that putting it off as long as you can is not a bad choice.”
After saying that, Tsumei sighed deeply. It was a sigh of some sort of dissatisfaction.
“I really like seeing the foolish way you live so brightly and without thinking.”
And what he said next was such nonsense.
I paused and gently tilted her head. Dean…… ?
“Not being able to see that would be like losing one of the few pleasures of my long life.”
Even though my gaze was quite stinging, Tsumei did not bother to erase the sly smile on her lips.
“Well, if you really want to ask for a favor? I could always be by your side and bleed for you. “What do you want to do?”
Then again, what I said was nonsense.
“What do you mean by that?” ….”
“I’m serious.”
But the voice that followed was strangely serious.
I flinched and turned my head once again.
There, there was a dragon with its eyes very magically open…….
“Would you like to give your remaining 100 years to me?”
“…… Yes?”
“I can give you my short hundred years too.”
At that very moment, Tsumei and I arrived in front of the Eonhwaryeong medical clinic.
“Ah, we’re all here.”
“Dean??”
“Okay. “Then shall we go in?”
Tsumei pushed my back as if nothing had happened, as if she had not said anything.
I had no choice but to step on the lawmaker’s door without any hesitation.
…… What? Did I hear it wrong?
That was my thought.
I guess it was my own effort to try not to be conscious of something I was already conscious of.
Maybe it’s just that I got scared and took a step back as usual.
“… ….”
It was because I did that.
Because of my enthusiasm.
Because there was my pulse.
At the time, I really didn’t realize that it wasn’t just me.
*****
It was a shallow feeling.
It is a shallow feeling.
It was a love that probably wasn’t that deep and wasn’t as great as it was with other children.
I guess that’s what a dragon’s emotions are all about.
‘Still, what’s wrong with that?’
Tsumei didn’t want to think of it as being behind.
It may just be a feeling of seeing a child as cute.
Is this perhaps how parents view their children?
She still wasn’t able to clearly distinguish between her emotions, so it must have been a cloudy worry.
‘What’s the big deal about marriage? ‘If you want to do it, you can do it.’
What is clear is Tsumei, the slayer dragon who has lived for thousands and tens of thousands of years. She had never once harbored these types of feelings for anyone.
What if the other person is a much younger boy of 19?
Anyway, by that time he was an adult even by human standards.
If there are no problems in concluding a marriage, that is fine.
To repeat, it was a light feeling. Plus, it’s a light decision.
It would definitely not be possible to call it desperate.
Even so. What we can say for sure is that Tsumei feels affection for Dante, as well as her grace.
It could be love or motherly love.
First of all, I put a little more effort into the former, but the latter wasn’t all that bad because it had a strange sense of immorality.
Anyway, the conclusion was simple.
‘Should I make a child like my sister?’ ….’
The dragon, who had lived single for thousands of years, wanted to find a mate, even if it was belated.
The only suitable subject for that purpose happened to be Dante.
Let me tell you in advance, she does not feel lust for humans much younger than herself.
It just so happened that the person I fell in love with was a boy.
‘Hmm.’
No one said anything, but Tsumei just mumbled her words to herself as if making excuses and then buried her head deeper into Dante’s shoulder.
Is it because I became a Yongin?
…… It is hard despite its delicate appearance. I could feel the muscles and it felt somewhat sturdy.
“… ….”
Tsumei decided to just enjoy the boy’s hand, which happened to be touching her thigh, without any filtering.
It was lust.