After everyone returned...
"Paimon: Why are you the only one here? Where are those two who were bothering you earlier?"
"Heize: I told them if they didn't leave, I'd draw my sword, and then they left."
"Indeed, that was much easier than trying to convince them with words."
"Lumine: Actually..."
Lumine told Heize about the Treasure Hoarders and the general store...
"Paimon: That's pretty much it. You really did distribute 'relief food,' it's just that you paid for it yourself."
"Heize: How could that be... Was I that kind of person before...?"
"Qixuan: Alas, losing one's Vision also means losing the wish they've always held onto."
"Heize: I... I have no impression of it at all. Even if you tell me about it, I can't remember."
"The old me... Why would I do such a thing? Wasn't that just asking for trouble?... It's truly incomprehensible..."
"However, when I first gripped this sword and threatened those two, I did feel my body's instincts resisting."
"Lumine: Can we take a look?"
"Heize: This is my old man's sword. I remember once when I was little, I stole this sword to show off to the neighbor's kids, and my old man gave me a good scolding."
"He told me... What was it he said...?"
"After my Vision was taken, I seem to have forgotten many important things. Most of my memories are blank, and I can't recall them no matter what."
"I only remember my old man saying that this sword held his life's creed, and before he left this world, he personally placed the sword in my hands."
"Paimon: Hmm... If you look closely, aren't there words carved on the hilt?"
"Lumine: It's 'Benevolence and Righteousness.'"
"Heize: 'Benevolence and Righteousness'... Now that you mention it, it seems to make sense."
"To make others happy, even at the cost of being deeply in debt, that must have been my greatest wish once."
"But what did I get in return? In the end, I couldn't be a good person... nor a thoroughly bad one."
"Paimon: So, losing one's wish is such a terrifying thing..."
"Qixuan: Let's go, there's only one person left. I actually think this Vision Hunt Decree will end soon."
"Lumine: I hope so."
....................
"Paimon: The last person to lose their Vision seems to be a master swordsman. I heard he's the current head of the Ming Jing Zhi Shui Style. He sounds really impressive..."
Everyone walked to a dojo...
"Paimon: This is his dojo. There's someone there, let's go ask them."
In the distance...
"Junya: Junior sister, don't be too sad. Master will definitely be fine."
"Those guys who came to challenge him before, no matter how strong they were, weren't they all beaten away by Master in the end?"
"Nanako: But I'm still a bit worried..."
"Because no matter how dangerous the situation was before, Master never wavered, but now..."
"Junya: That's because Master is possessed! After this exorcism ritual, Master will surely recover smoothly."
"Paimon: Um, what happened?"
"Junya: Who are you?"
"Whether you're idlers or guys trying to cause trouble while Master is possessed, get out of my way!"
"Otherwise, don't blame my sword for being impolite!"
"Qixuan: How arrogant."
"Lumine: We're here to become disciples."
"Junya: Disciples?"
"Paimon: Yes, yes, yes. We heard that the head of the Ming Jing Zhi Shui Style is very powerful, so we specially traveled a long way to become disciples and learn from him."
"Junya: Looking at your clothes, you certainly don't seem to be locals."
"I'm very sorry... Because too many people have been coming to cause trouble recently, we have to be careful."
"You've come at a bit of an inconvenient time. Master unfortunately became possessed recently, and his body hasn't recovered yet, so he can't take you as disciples for now."
"Lumine: We won't leave until we successfully become disciples."
"Junya: This... Seeing how devout you are, my junior sister and I will first introduce you to Master's situation. Our Master is named Domon. You should have heard of that name."
"After achieving mastery in swordsmanship, Master once consecutively defeated many famous swordsmen, never suffering a single defeat."
"Master once said that his goal was to become the 'greatest swordsman under heaven.'"
"While training us, he continuously honed himself, and we were also inspired by Master's passion, desperately trying to catch up to his footsteps."
"But..."
"Nanako: But some time ago, Master's Vision was taken, and his entire personality suddenly changed drastically."
"Not only does he often mumble strange things, but he also forbids us from practicing swords..."
"My senior brother and I discussed it and felt that Master must have been possessed by an evil spirit, so we specially invited a Shrine Maiden from Narukami Shrine to help with the exorcism."
"But honestly, I'm not sure if Master will get better..."
"Paimon: Narukami Shrine, what's that?"
"Junya: You don't know Narukami Shrine? That's the largest shrine on Narukami Island, and the head Shrine Maiden who manages the shrine is said to have a close relationship with Raiden Shogun."
"Junya: Although we couldn't get that head Shrine Maiden to act... even an ordinary Shrine Maiden from Narukami Shrine has absolute 'authority' when it comes to exorcism."
"Qixuan: (In this situation, inviting an adeptus from home wouldn't even help, would it?)"
"The exorcism ritual will be held tonight. If you're interested, you can come and watch."
"Paimon: Evil spirit possession: Does losing a Vision also cause this kind of problem? Then let's come back tonight to see."
Qixuan went to find Inazuma's specialty snack street, and after everyone ate their fill, they went shopping for a bit... Time quickly turned to night.
....................
"Junya: You're here? Shhh~ Luckily you came late and didn't see Master's madness just now."
"Just now, my junior sister was helping Master, and she accidentally heard Master quietly muttering some names."
"When my junior sister asked who they were, Master suddenly showed a terrified expression, pushed my junior sister away, and seemed to be in great pain, covering his ears, his eyes bloodshot, constantly looking around."
"Some we knew, some we didn't. They all seemed to be swordsmen Master had defeated before. One of them, named Anxi, was Master's former senior brother, but after being defeated by Master years ago, he's been wandering without a fixed home."
"Just now, Master called his name several times. Alas, luckily the Shrine Maiden from the shrine knocked Master out, so the exorcism ritual could continue."
"The ritual has already begun, so let's just wait for the result."
"I'll go get some water."
At this moment, someone next to them suddenly acted suspiciously, and then suddenly ran away.
"Paimon: Hmm? It seems a suspicious guy just ran past. Is he planning to disrupt the exorcism ritual?"
"Qixuan: No, he has residual 'wish' on him, but I can feel that the Vision wielder isn't him."
"Paimon: Ah? Then could it be...?"
"Lumine: Chase him!"
Everyone quickly caught up to the person.
"Anxi: You guys... How can you run so fast...?"
"Are you really Domon's disciples? Why do you feel even faster than Domon...?"
"Or has Domon's movement technique improved again after a few years?"
"Paimon: Hey! It should be us asking you now, who exactly are you?"
"Sneaking around, you don't look like a good person!"
"Anxi: Don't look like a good person? Hmph, when Domon and I were learning swordsmanship together, you weren't even born yet. Speaking of which, Domon should call me senior brother."
"Paimon: Senior brother? Could it be you are...?"
"Anxi: That's right, I am Anxi."
"Lumine: Then why did you run?"
"Anxi: Because I don't want to see Domon again, nor do I want to see anyone related to him."
"Back then, he and I studied the Ming Jing Zhi Shui Style together, under the same swordsman."
"I entered the school five years before him and was the steady and reliable senior brother in everyone's eyes."
"The Ming Jing Zhi Shui Style pursues 'a mind free of distractions,' so most disciples are indifferent to fame and fortune, and I was no exception."
"But Domon was different. The first thing he did upon entering the school was to ask Master with a smile, 'How can I become the greatest under heaven?'"
"Master scolded him then, saying that swordsmanship is not for competing for empty fame, and aspiring to be the strongest after only a few days of practice showed his inner impetuousness, meaning he would never learn swordsmanship well."
"At that time, I also thought so... But later, Domon's swordsmanship improved rapidly, even gradually catching up to me."
"It was then that I realized Domon had actually already achieved 'a mind free of distractions.'"
"His mind only had one thing: 'to become the greatest under heaven.' He pursued the ultimate in swordsmanship, and no matter how many setbacks he encountered, he could always pick himself up again."
"Qixuan: Is this what a genius is?"
"Paimon: He sounds like a very impressive person... But why don't you want to see him again?"
"Anxi: Because before he arrived, I was determined to inherit the Ming Jing Zhi Shui Style."
"After all, among Master's many disciples, I had the best Talents, practiced swordsmanship the longest, and carried everyone's expectations."
"His arrival changed everything. I failed, and later I heard that he went to challenge Master, and Master, being old, exhausted his last bit of vitality in that match."
"After that, I no longer wanted any interaction with him, but honestly, I still acknowledge his swordsmanship and his heart for pursuing swordsmanship."
"So when I heard the news that he had gone mad, my first reaction was that it was fake. How could he go mad? He was someone who carried the Ming Jing Zhi Shui to the extreme."
"So I wanted to quietly come and see if he was really mad, but I didn't expect him to still call my name... I thought he had forgotten me long ago."
"Anyway, I have no intention of harming him, I just wanted to confirm it."
"Let's go back. I've said my piece. The exorcism ritual... should be over soon too."
"Paimon: It seems he didn't have any other intentions. We misunderstood him."
"But let's go see how the exorcism ritual is progressing first."
....................
"Nanako: What? You said Master isn't possessed? Did Master go mad on his own? That's impossible... I don't believe it, there must be something wrong!"
"Junya: Junior sister, calm down..."
"Inazuma Eimi: I apologize, with my ability, I truly cannot see Mr. Domon being possessed."
"Moreover, things may not be without a turning point. I just received news that Yae seems interested in meeting your Master."
"Junya: Ya-Yae? Is it the Yae I'm thinking of?"
"Nanako: The head Shrine Maiden of Narukami Shrine... Lady Yae? That's great, Master will definitely be fine now..."
"Inazuma Eimi: That's right, Lady Yae is knowledgeable about ancient and modern times, and has personally dispelled countless disasters and evil spirits."
"Whether your Master is possessed by an evil spirit or not, I cannot determine, but Lady Yae can give an accurate answer."
"Junya: May I ask if we need to make any preparations?"
"Inazuma Eimi: No, the only requirement is to arrive at Narukami Shrine on time. Lady Yae dislikes meaningless waiting. I'll leave now and see you at Narukami Shrine. I wish Mr. Domon a speedy recovery."
"Junya: That's Lady Yae! The great Shrine Maiden rumored to have a close relationship with Raiden Shogun..."
"Qixuan: Lady Yae? (Pffft, is it that trashy fox who constantly mocks her own Shogun?)"
"Junya: Yes, anyway, you should come tomorrow too. You've traveled thousands of miles to become disciples, so the Ming Jing Zhi Shui Style must give you an explanation no matter what."
"Lumine: Okay, we'll go."
"Paimon: Mm-hmm, we're also curious about who that Lady Yae is. Through her, maybe we can also find out some news about Raiden Shogun."
The next morning, everyone headed to Narukami Shrine.
At the entrance of Narukami Shrine, Yae Miko, dressed in Shrine Maiden attire, walked out.
"Paimon: I-Is that Lady Yae? Just like Junya said, what a powerful aura, and, did she just look over at us?"
"Lumine: You might have seen wrong. After all, it's our first time meeting."
Qixuan glanced at Yae Miko. Hmm... indeed very trashy.
Yae Miko also glanced at Qixuan. She couldn't feel any aura from her, even though the Traveler next to her was emitting some aura. Could it be... she's just an ordinary person?
Then she looked at Domon in the center of the area.
Domon was squatting on the ground, clutching his head, his face full of pain, muttering: Don't come over... Don't come any closer to me, I'm not practicing swords anymore, please just leave me alone.
"Inazuma Eimi: As you can see, Lady Yae, Mr. Domon has been in this state. He seems to be able to see the people who once lost to him, now surrounding him, cursing him, making him feel very painful."
"Yae Miko: ...Hmm, I'm afraid there's no evil spirit on your Master."
"Nanako: How can that be? Then Master, he..."
"Yae Miko: That's right, he became like this on his own, because he couldn't bear the immense pressure, his mind collapsed, his sanity was damaged, and then he became mad."
"Just like someone falling into water, struggling frantically, but eventually plunging into the cold, dark deep sea."
"As for the 'trigger,' I think it should be the loss of his Vision. Being deprived of a Vision also means being deprived of one's 'wish.'"
"Junya: But, even if one's wish is taken away, they just become an ordinary person, this..."
"Yae Miko: Your school is called the Ming Jing Zhi Shui Style, isn't it? But where in this world is there truly a 'clear mirror, still water'? A person who claims to be indifferent to fame and fortune will still leave in anger after being defeated by a junior brother. An elderly swordsman still harbors resentment, wanting to compete once more with the disciple he taught."
"So, did the person who appeared to have a mind free of distractions truly feel nothing when he personally defeated his Master and senior brother?"
"How simple it is. Only the wish to be 'the greatest under heaven' supported him in shattering others' dreams step by step, including those of his closest kin. But when that wish disappears, he will begin to doubt himself, struggling in pain and turning into this current state. Hehe... just like my good-for-nothing friend."
"Nanako: So... Master."
Just when everyone thought there was no solution, an unexpected person appeared on the scene...
