A Journey Unwanted

[Realm: Álfheimr]

[Location: Heart Kingdom]

[Pulchritudo]

Shuten-dōji naturally assumed the lead.

Without so much as asking, she drifted to the front of their small group, her pace neither hurried nor leisurely. Gretel found herself falling behind the oni almost instinctively. She still had no clear idea what Shuten-dōji intended to accomplish, but there was an assurance in the spirit’s movements that made questioning her seem almost unnecessary.

A few steps behind them walked Echidna.

Unlike the other two, the Mother of Monsters still carried herself with indifference. Nobles, merchants, guards, and servants passed by in every direction, yet none of them seemed worthy of more than a passing glance.

"If someone truly is following us," Echidna mused at length, folding her hands neatly behind her back as she continued walking, "then I know of methods far more efficient than wandering about and waiting for them to make another mistake."

A small, almost lazy smile tugged at her lips.

"Collapse a handful of buildings throughout the district," she suggested as though discussing tomorrow’s weather. "Panic spreads remarkably quickly among humans. Whoever is hiding would either reveal themselves in the confusion..." Her emerald eyes narrowed slightly. "...or be buried alongside everyone else. Either outcome would solve the problem."

Gretel resisted the urge to sigh.

Shuten-dōji, meanwhile, merely smiled.

"Your solutions possess a certain decisiveness," she admitted pleasantly. "Though I fear reducing half the city to rubble is somewhat excessive for locating a single observer."

She glanced back over one shoulder.

"I require something considerably simpler." Her red eyes drifted across the moving crowds. "I merely need to feel that gaze once again. Once our observer allows their attention to linger..." A confident smile appeared. "...that alone will be enough for me to trace them."

Echidna clicked her tongue lightly.

"I still think my approach sounds considerably more entertaining."

("More psychotic than entertaining,") Gretel thought dryly; she wisely kept that observation to herself. Her attention shifted forward just as Shuten-dōji slowed to a stop before another passerby.

This gentleman appeared considerably younger than the last.

His short black hair had been carefully groomed, while an expensive black suit threaded with fine golden embroidery sat on his frame.

The man noticed them almost immediately.

His eyes widened upon seeing the oni.

"My... how absolutely stu—"

The compliment never reached completion.

Shuten-dōji calmly raised a narrow paper talisman between two elegant fingers until it hovered directly before his face.

"Charm."

She spoke only a single word softly.

The talisman dissolved instantly.

Rather than burning, it unraveled into countless tiny motes of violet light that drifted forward like glowing flower petals before washing gently across the gentleman’s face.

The light lingered for only an instant, then it vanished. So too did the man’s confusion; his entire expression softened and his posture straightened. A broad, blissful smile spread naturally across his features as though greeting an old friend he deeply admired.

"Why..." he exclaimed with almost theatrical enthusiasm, placing one hand over his chest before offering an elegant bow. "My most glorious lady! What tremendous fortune has blessed this humble day! Pray tell, what assistance might I possibly offer someone as magnificent as yourself?"

Several pedestrians slowed long enough to glance in their direction.

One or two exchanged puzzled looks.

Yet the city was busy enough that no one lingered for long.

Gretel blinked.

"That worked far better than I expected."

Shuten-dōji offered the enchanted noble an elegant smile in return.

"Then allow me to rely upon your generosity for but a single matter," she replied, matching his refined tone with one of exaggerated nobility. "Would you be so gracious as to tell me where one might procure reliable information within this lovely city?"

The gentleman’s grin somehow widened further.

"But of course, my most glorious lady!" he declared eagerly. "Pulchritudo hosts a fair number of information brokers. They can be found throughout several districts depending upon the nature of one’s inquiry."

"Oh?"

Shuten-dōji hummed with polite interest.

"And among them..." She tilted her head slightly. "...which would you consider the most reputable?"

"That would undoubtedly be—"

The gentleman stopped, not because he wished to. Shuten-dōji had suddenly lifted one finger before his face. The abrupt interruption drew matching looks of confusion from Gretel and Echidna alike. Neither understood why she had cut him off just as he was about to answer.

Shuten-dōji no longer seemed to be listening.

Her smile disappeared.

"There." The single word escaped almost as a whisper; her red eyes snapped upward toward the rooftops lining the street. "There you are."

Before Gretel could even process what had happened—

Shuten-dōji vanished.

The stone beneath her sandals cracked ever so slightly as she launched herself upward. A violent rush of displaced air swept across the street, tugging at cloaks, skirts, hanging signs, and market awnings.

Nearby pedestrians stumbled in surprise.

"What—?!" Gretel instinctively threw an arm across her face as the sudden gust whipped blonde hair across her vision.

The enchanted noble blinked in utter confusion; Echidna merely watched with mild curiosity.

In the blink of an eye, Shuten-dōji landed soundlessly atop a short black building overlooking the street below. Her red eyes locked immediately onto a solitary figure waiting upon the rooftop. Without the slightest hesitation she attacked. The roof fractured beneath her feet as she surged forward once more, covering the distance in an instant.

Her left arm shot outward in a perfect straight punch, but the strike never reached its target. An open, gloved palm rose calmly to meet it.

The impact detonated through the air; the collision sent a deafening shockwave rolling across the rooftops. Dust exploded upward and loose roof tiles shattered. The surrounding air visibly rippled outward in every direction as though the sky itself had been struck.

Below, countless civilians froze in alarm.

Windows rattled and birds scattered higher into the heavens.

"Hoho." For the first time since entering the city, genuine intrigue crossed Shuten-dōji’s face.

Her brows lifted slightly and her red eyes lingered first upon the gloved hand that had stopped her blow without yielding even a fraction.

Only then did her gaze slowly travel upward to the individual responsible.

Standing before Shuten-dōji was a young woman of striking, almost unnatural beauty.

Long sheets of ashen hair flowed freely down her back, the silvery strands gradually fading into red at the very ends as though the color had been brushed across them. Framing her face were delicate features that seemed perfect. Her skin was flawlessly fair without the slightest imperfection, smooth enough to resemble porcelain, lending her an almost doll-like look. Long eyelashes framed a pair of pale, nearly white-grey eyes whose most unsettling trait was not their color, but the complete absence of visible pupils. They were beautiful eyes.

Empty ones.

Rather than looking directly at Shuten-dōji, they carried the strange impression of gazing somewhere beyond her, as though forever focused upon something no one else could perceive.

Her lips, painted a rich red, provided the only warmth upon an otherwise dull complexion.

Her attire suited Pulchritudo’s noble districts perfectly.

A sleek black dress clung elegantly to her figure, tailored with obvious care and expensive craftsmanship. The deep neckline revealed part of her décolletage, its edges decorated with black lace that softened the design. Draped over her shoulders rested a lustrous red bolero, its fabric decorated with elegant black swirling motifs. One side of the dress split high along her thigh, revealing patterned stockings secured neatly by garter straps, while elegant black gloves concealed both hands from wrist to fingertip.

She looked every bit the image of refined nobility.

Yet...

Despite every luxurious detail, there was something profoundly unsettling about her.

It was not because she appeared threatening; it was quite the opposite.

She stood perfectly still; her breathing was almost imperceptible. Not a single unnecessary movement accompanied her posture. Even after intercepting a blow capable of splintering stone rooftops, her body remained utterly relaxed.

Her gloved right hand remained raised, her open palm still catching Shuten-dōji’s fist as though it had weighed nothing.

"It seems I’ve been found."

The woman spoke first.

Her voice was velvety, possessing a soothing tone that clashed strangely with the emptiness in her pale eyes.

She regarded the oni without hostility or surprise.

"If I were to explain..." she continued evenly, "...would you perhaps believe me if I said that watching you wasn’t quite the same as spying on you?"

The suggestion itself bordered on absurd.

Yet she delivered it with such complete sincerity that it almost ceased sounding like an excuse.

Shuten-dōji slowly withdrew her fist from the woman’s unmoving palm. Rather than attacking again, she simply regarded her. A small smile gradually returned to her lips.

"I imagine", the oni mused pleasantly, "that whether I believe such an explanation depends entirely upon how interesting the one giving it proves to be."

Her red eyes wandered calmly over the woman’s figure, studying not merely her appearance but the minute details of her posture.

"You’ve certainly made an impressive first impression," she admitted. "Stopping my strike so effortlessly..." Her smile widened just slightly. "...that is no small accomplishment."

She folded one sleeve over the other.

"I wasn’t reinforcing my body with Spiritual Energy, it’s true." Her eyes narrowed with open curiosity. "But even stripped of that advantage, very few people would have intercepted that punch so cleanly."

The woman’s expression remained unchanged.

"I suppose," she replied quietly, "...I was fortunate." Her tone carried neither pride nor false humility. "You chose not to strike with your full strength." Her pale gaze remained fixed upon Shuten-dōji. "And because you exercised restraint..." She paused briefly. "...I happened to benefit from it."

Not a trace of triumph entered her voice.

"As for my reasons..." she continued after a short silence, "...I truly did not mean you or your companions any harm." She inclined her head ever so slightly. "I understand how my actions must have appeared. But appearances and intentions are not always the same."

"Hm." Shuten-dōji did not answer immediately; instead, she simply watched carefully. Her red eyes lingered upon the woman’s face.

Then her shoulders, then her breathing and then the position of her feet.

Nothing.

There was no stiffness in her posture, concealed aggression or tightening of muscles before an anticipated strike.

Even her heartbeat—what little the oni could perceive of it—remained remarkably steady.

("Interesting...") Shuten-dōji reflected silently. ("She isn’t displaying the smallest trace of tension. Not in her face, not in her body, not even after blocking my attack.")

Her smile softened.

("Whether that’s because she’s speaking honestly, or because she’s simply mastered hiding every emotion...")

Her eyes settled once more upon those unnaturally pale irises.

("...even for someone who has lived as long as I have, that’s surprisingly difficult to determine.")

Silence lingered between them as the wind drifted across the rooftop, carrying loose strands of ashen hair through the air.

Finally, Shuten-dōji spoke.

"Very well." Her voice remained as warm as before, though there was curiosity beneath it. "If we’re to continue this conversation..." She tilted her head slightly. "...then let’s begin with something simple." A small smile touched her lips. "Tell me..." Her red eyes met the woman’s pale gaze. "...what is your name?"

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