The Yasha’s Princess (4)

“Here.”

The place Kyo led her to was a large hollow inside the trunk of a tree.

The moment Mei stepped inside, she was enveloped by air heavy with sweltering heat, and she grimaced briefly at how difficult it was to breathe.

“Forgive me. My father dislikes it when we lower the temperature. It may be a little hard to breathe, but please bear with it.”

“Yes.”

Several Karasu Tengu, all somewhat smaller than Kyo, were waiting inside the hollow. They cast suspicious glances at Mei, who had appeared so suddenly, but none seemed inclined to speak to her.

At the far end of the hollow was an area concealed by layer upon layer of white cloth hanging from the ceiling. The air there was so humid that steam seemed to hang in it, making it even harder to breathe.

“Father. How are you feeling?”

“Kyo, is that you? Not well… I do not have much longer. Do not trouble yourself so.”

A pained voice came from beyond the curtains. Mei caught her breath at the sound of something enormous shifting behind them.

“Please don’t say that. Our clan still needs you, Father! Listen—I found the Princess. With her here, your illness should be cured.”

“What…!”

Not only the being behind the curtains, but all the Karasu Tengu watching from a distance stirred at once. With so many expectant gazes turned toward her, Mei instinctively shrank in on herself.

“The Princess is here? Where in the world did you find her?”

At that question, Kyo looked flustered for just a moment before clenching his fists as though steeling himself.

“…She was with the Yasha.”

“What did you say?! Kyo, what have you done?!”

His thunderous voice shook the hollow so violently that it felt as though the entire world had lurched.

“You dared steal something belonging to that Yasha—to Lord Ryoga?!”

“I did not steal her. I merely… borrowed her for a little while…”

“Did Lord Ryoga give you permission?”

“…”

Apparently aware that he had, in fact, abducted her by force, Kyo fell silent.

“You fool! Return her this instant! Do you intend to bring ruin upon our entire clan?!”

The curtains rustled, and an enormous Karasu Tengu emerged from behind them. White feathers were mixed among what should have been black plumage, and his beak was dried out and cracked. The way he staggered and crawled forward made it painfully clear just how badly weakened he was.

Forgetting the situation entirely, Mei widened her eyes and rushed toward him.

“Oh no!”

She reached out to support his massive body, only to be shocked by how light he was despite his appearance.

(—He’s so weak.)

“Are you all right? You mustn’t move so suddenly.”

“You are… Lord Ryoga’s…”

“My name is Mei. Um, you’re Kyo’s father, aren’t you?”

“Yes… I am Jokyo, the chief who governs these Karasu Tengu. My son has done something truly outrageous.”

“Please don’t worry about that. Kyo already explained everything to me. Please, let me treat you.”

“But if I were to allow such a thing, I could never face Lord Ryoga.”

“You know Lord Ryoga?”

Mei was honestly surprised. As far as she knew, Ryoga rarely left his estate and did not seem to associate with anyone apart from the Aberrations who came seeking his protection or healing.

“We govern neighboring lands, so we have met several times. He has helped me in many ways.”

“I see…”

There was no malice or hostility toward Ryoga in Jokyo’s words. If anything, he spoke with the easy familiarity of someone reminiscing about an old friend, and Mei found it comforting.

“Then all the more reason. If you’re an acquaintance of Lord Ryoga’s, there’s no way I can leave you untreated.”

Knowing how kind Ryoga was, Mei was certain that if he knew of Jokyo’s condition, he would have asked her to heal him himself. The order of events was simply a little different; somehow, she felt she would have ended up coming here eventually anyway.

“Father, please. I beg you. You can scold me as much as you like afterward…!”

Kyo dropped to his knees and slammed his forehead against the ground. Hearing the repeated thuds against the floor, Mei could do nothing but give a strained smile. Even Gen was staring at Kyo with exasperation.

“Please, before Kyo splits his forehead open.”

“…Forgive me, Princess of the Yasha.”

Casting a disappointed look at his son, who continued pounding his head against the floor, Jokyo bowed to Mei.

The area that had been hidden behind the curtains appeared to be his sleeping quarters, and Mei helped Kyo carry Jokyo’s light body back inside. Numerous pots of water were being boiled around the room, filling it with steam to maintain the heat and humidity. It was muggy enough that sweat naturally began to bead on Mei’s forehead if she stood still, but Jokyo’s body presumably needed it. Gently stroking his dried, cracked beak, Mei examined his condition.

(—He’s terribly weak.)

After healing so many Aberrations at Ryoga’s estate, Mei had become able to sense how depleted an Aberration’s power was simply by touching them.

“How long have you been like this?”

“…The truth is…”

Looking toward Jokyo as he lay there, Kyo began speaking awkwardly.

“As the chief who governs this land, Father made rounds almost every day. One day, he discovered a rift leading to the other side.”

“The other side…?”

“A world governed by laws different from ours. Normally, the two are never connected, but on rare occasions, some chance distortion creates an opening between them.”

“Oh…”

In other words, it was likely a gateway to Mei’s own world.

“Traveling to the other side places an enormous burden on weaker Aberrations. Some lose their sanity, while others have their forms altered and are never able to return to normal. Several of our companions went there and never came back.”

Mei could not hide her shock at what Kyo told her.

The exorcist clans, including West Suo, believed that most Aberrations willingly entered the human world in order to cause harm. But if the reason for their behavior was that they had been changed by passing through those distortions…

(—Then what exactly have the exorcists been doing?)

It felt as though everything she had always been taught to accept as common sense was collapsing around her.

(—Lord Ryoga never said a word about this. Neither did Gen.)

She looked down at Gen, who remained poised protectively at her side. On the other side, Gen had been nothing more than a weak little beast, yet the moment he came here, he had taken on his current form.

“Father found the distortion and tried to close it. It happened to be a time when many young children had recently been born into our clan. An adult might survive, but if a child were caught in the distortion, there would be no question—they would die.”

Perhaps remembering what had happened, Kyo’s expression twisted with pain.

“It was difficult, but it was not beyond Father’s abilities. And yet…”

His tightly clenched beak ground audibly.

“Beast Aberrations hostile to us deliberately interfered. They tried to throw the children of our clan into the distortion.”

“That’s horrible…”

“Father shielded them and came into contact with the distortion himself. Most of his power was drained away. And then the beasts attacked him as well. We managed to drive them off, but… this was the result.”

Muffled sobs echoed through the hollow. When Mei looked around, she saw the surrounding Karasu Tengu shedding frustrated tears. Looking more closely, many of them were nursing minor injuries.

“Were their injuries from that battle too?”

“Yes. Unfortunately, I had another duty elsewhere and wasn’t there with them. If I had been at Father’s side, we never would have been caught at such a disadvantage.”

Tears spilled freely from Kyo’s eyes. He must have been deeply tormented by his failure to protect his father and his companions.

Mei’s chest filled at the strength and kindness it took to care so deeply for others.

“Princess of the Yasha… can you heal Father?”

At the anxious tremble in Kyo’s eyes, Mei nodded firmly.

“I’ll try.”

She placed her hand against Jokyo’s chest as it rose and fell shallowly. The thin sensation of his emaciated body beneath her palm was painful to feel.

(—It’s all right. I can do this.)

Taking a deep breath, she focused her awareness into her palm.

The healing power dwelling within Mei gathered there, glowing faintly as it flowed into Jokyo’s body.

(—This is incredible… My strength is being drained away completely.)

Jokyo’s injuries were so severe that she could tell her body could not replenish her power fast enough. The shock made her tremble, and her breathing grew ragged.

Even so, Mei did not take her hand away.