Demon Sword Maiden-Novel

Volume 11 - Yamata no Orochi: Chapter 38 – The Dark Izumo

Yoritomo’s whereabouts remained a mystery, leaving Lily uneasy. She pondered why he had left Heian-kyo, especially considering his ability to summon a powerful sextuple-soul big dipper Yomi demon through just one of his clones. If his main body had been present in the battle, the outcome could have been drastically different. What was his strategy?

Lily suddenly remembered Momiji, who she had inadvertently forgotten about. Momiji was still detained in the sedan parked beside the Heian palace. Entering the sedan, Lily found Momiji imprisoned but surprisingly untroubled.

“Where is Minamoto no Yoritomo?” Lily asked directly.

Despite her restrained hands, Momiji responded with a teasing smile, “How’s your body? Better? Do you need my help? After all, I’m more skilled at the method I taught them.”

“Answer my question!” Lily demanded, pressing the edge of her cursed blade against Momiji’s throat.

“Ahhh, why so ferocious? You know I like you. If you want to kill me, then do it. Dying by your hands would be satisfying for me.”

Lily knew Momiji’s words were a mix of truth and manipulation. Despite Momiji’s cunning nature, her crimes didn’t warrant death. Unable to extract useful information, Lily withdrew her blade, preparing to leave.

Momiji then posed a question, “Miss Lily, if you were Minamoto no Yoritomo’s subordinate, would you know where he went if he disappeared?”

This made Lily pause, considering the logic in Momiji’s query.

“So, you really don’t know anything?” Lily pressed further.

“I don’t know, but I can offer you other assistance,” Momiji suggested.

“What kind of assistance?”

“Without me, there are many things you won’t be able to accomplish in the current situation.”

“Momiji, what are you plotting? Do you think I would trust you?” Lily responded skeptically.

“Why don’t you first listen to what I have to say? You won’t lose anything, will you?”

“Go on…”

“Do you think simply occupying Heian-kyo will grant you control over the world? You have the support of martial families, but what about the demons? Lady Tamamo has high status but is injured. It’s not suitable for her to handle such matters, but I can. The world has changed, and the demons have grown stronger. You won’t achieve much relying solely on humans. However, I can help stabilize your position in both the human and demon worlds.”

Lily pondered deeply. She no longer viewed the world’s demons as enemies, considering archdemons like Tamamo-no-Mae, Sugawara no Michizane, Taira no Masakado, and Hashihime as allies. Without their support, or if they had opposed her, her success at Heian-kyo might not have been possible. In the current world, the demons, born from the world’s laws, were tolerable as long as they didn’t harm the world. ɴᴇᴡ ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀʀᴇ ᴘᴜʙʟɪsʜᴇᴅ ᴏɴ novelenglish.net . Fire(.)nᴇt

“You would help me so easily?” Lily questioned Momiji.

“Why wouldn’t I?”

“What’s your motive? What are you planning?”

Momiji responded with a hint of frustration, “Why are you so heartless? Don’t you understand why I’m doing this?”

Lily felt inclined to leave, yet if the demons began causing chaos, building the thirty-six altars would become an impossible task. Trusting Momiji was a gamble she was unsure about.

“Yes, Momiji, what you said is true, but you may not be the best person for this task. I don’t question your abilities, but I do question your motives,” Lily expressed her skepticism.

²

³

“Lady Ayaka, even with the capital being so busy, you seem to be in a good mood,” Shimizu, clad in a black suspender chest wrap, commented.

“Miss Shimizu, as the new Rokuhara Tandai, aren’t you quite at ease with all the new cases and demons in Heian-kyo?” Ayaka retorted playfully.

“That’s not true. Today, I will be treating sister Lily,” Shimizu replied.

“Hm? Am I not doing the same?” Ayaka asked, surprised.

“Eh? Isn’t it Miss Rei’s turn?” Shimizu queried.

“Don’t try to fool me. I might be busy, but I remember everything clearly,” Ayaka said, puffing out her chest proudly in front of Shimizu, as if to display her advantage.

However, Shimizu didn’t see femininity as an advantage in their friendly rivalry. Meanwhile, Uesugi Rei, with her hair coiffed up, meditated on a rock.

“Miss Uesugi…” Shiina watched Rei from a distance in the hot springs, her face flushed.

After enjoying the hot springs, the sisters donned beautiful yukatas and spent the night at Kiyoszawa, sleeping under the moonlight.

“Sister Lily, can we sleep together?” Nanako asked quietly.

“Mm,” Lily nodded, gently hugging Nanako from behind, causing Nanako to blush.

“Sister Lily, will I disappear one day?” Nanako asked with concern.

“Hm?” Lily was taken aback. “No, definitely not.”

Nanako had been less present as Kagura’s personality recently, making it harder for her to see Lily.

“One day, if Kagura fully recovers, will there be a reason for me to exist?” Nanako questioned, her voice tinged with sadness.

“Why not?” Lily replied, turning Nanako over and embracing her. Nanako was momentarily distracted from her sadness by the intoxicating feminine fragrance.

“Nanako is Nanako

⁴!” Lily affirmed warmly.

Footnotes:

Robinxen: I am not sure what to make of all this honestly, but author has plans.

Silva: I wonder if this picture belongs in this chapter

Robinxen: I can’t remember if discord blocked hotlinks or not now, so this may vanish, I’m too lazy to find a decent place to post it though.

Robinxen: The legal loli is the legal loli!