YM778.TV Chapter 23: Trap
There\'s no way my father would have missed them. Even if he did, it wouldn\'t be this many—maybe one or two at most.
"Aya-chan, let\'s get back in the car. If we stay outside, more monsters might come," I suggested.
"Y-Yes, you\'re right," she agreed, clinging to me as we returned to the car. While I understood her fear, it made moving a bit difficult.
After a few minutes, my father and Renji-san returned, covered in blood.
"We killed the bear. Was there any trouble here?" my father asked.
"Yes! Suddenly, we were attacked by monsters!" Aya-chan exclaimed.
"What?" Renji-san and my father looked alarmed as we explained what had happened—the sudden appearance of a horde of low-ranking monsters within the barrier and how I had dealt with them.
They listened silently and exchanged glances once I finished.
"Soichiro, we\'ve got a problem," Renji-san said.
"Yeah, it\'s a \'Hider.\' That\'s troublesome," my father replied nonchalantly.
Though they didn\'t seem overly concerned, they began setting up something with talismans, a map, and candles. Curious and a bit confused, I asked my father at a moment when he wasn\'t too busy.
"Dad, what\'s a \'Hider\'?"
"Hmm, I suppose you wouldn\'t know yet," he replied, drawing symbols on the map with Silveit.
"Some monsters can use magic, as you\'ve seen before."
"Yes, I remember."
The monster we fought at the house where we met Hina had used magic to send shockwaves. It was a powerful attack. That was when I first realized that monsters could use magic, and it motivated me to become stronger.
"A \'Hider\' is a type of monster that can conceal other monsters with magic," my father explained.
"Can they really do that?" I asked, astonished.
"Yes, but only monsters ranked Fourth Tier or higher," he said.
...Really?
I almost asked again, thinking I had misheard. A Fourth Tier monster was incredibly rare, even among humans—a true genius. And now, one of those monsters was here in this forest?
What I thought would be a simple camping trip suddenly felt a lot more serious.
I looked around nervously at the forest, while my father and Renji-san continued their preparations with calm efficiency. Their demeanor made me realize how commonplace such situations must be for exorcists.
"Come here, Itsuki," my father called.
"Aya, you too," Renji-san added.
Startled, Aya and I approached. Renji-san picked up Aya, and we gathered around the map on the ground.
"We\'re going to use a spell to find the monster using the \'Hider\' magic. Pay attention; you\'ll need to know this," my father said.
"Does that mean we\'ll be fighting more strong monsters?" I asked.
Renji-san chuckled. "Itsuki-kun, you\'re a Seventh Tier exorcist. You\'ll definitely face more of these situations."
"Ugh," I groaned.
It made sense. Only a few exorcists could handle Fourth Tier monsters, and even fewer could deal with anything higher. As a Seventh Tier, I would undoubtedly be called upon.
I clenched my fists, renewing my resolve to become stronger.
My father continued explaining as he drew intricate geometric patterns on the map with Silveit.
"To counter a \'Hider,\' you need to use more magical power than what they\'re using to hide. We\'ll create a magnet that reacts to magic."
"Magic magnet?" I repeated, puzzled.
"Yes, a magnet that responds to magic," he confirmed.
A concept I had never heard of, but magic could create things that didn\'t exist. I made a mental note to remember this technique.
As I watched, the talisman floated up and moved toward the mountain, passing through the forest and heading into the city.
...Toward a densely populated area.
Realizing the danger, I felt a cold sweat. If that monster reached the city...
"Renji, we need to move now," my father said.
"Understood. Let\'s go," Renji-san replied.
"What\'s happening?" Aya asked, confused.
"Aya, we\'ve been lured here. The main monster is heading toward the city to avoid detection and feed on magic," Renji-san explained.
"We were baited?" she asked.
"Exactly," he confirmed.
I marveled at the cunning of the monster. It had drawn us here with a lesser monster to distract us while it moved toward its true target.
We quickly got back into the car. Renji-san started the engine, the vehicle\'s lights flickering to life as we sped down the road.
"Contact the Kamiazuki clan, Soichiro. We need all hands on deck," Renji-san urged.
"Got it. But first..." my father began, but then a deer suddenly appeared in our path.
Before anyone else could react, I used Silveit to disintegrate the deer into mist.
Blood sprayed, then evaporated as the monster was vanquished. As the car sped through the clearing mist, Renji-san let out a sigh of relief.
"Thanks, Itsuki-kun. You saved us," he said.
"You\'re welcome," I replied, but I had a more pressing question.
"Dad, why are there so many low-ranking monsters? Something feels off."
"...I was planning to tell you later, but this is a good time," my father began, exhaling deeply.
"Monsters ranked Fifth Tier or higher can create lesser monsters," he revealed.
"...What?" I blurted out, shocked.
Monsters could create other monsters? That was news to me.
"If left unchecked, a high-ranking monster can spawn countless lesser ones, becoming the master of a vast horde. This phenomenon is called \'Hyakki Yagyō\'—a night parade of a hundred demons," he explained.
"A night parade..."
"The \'Hyakki Yagyō\' can wipe out entire populations, turning the dead into more monsters. I fought one in Kyoto once... it was hell," my father said, his voice cold and serious.
I clenched my fists, determined to prevent such a disaster. We couldn\'t let this monster reach the city.
But what could I do from here?
Wait, there was something I could do.
"Dad, Renji-san, I have an idea," I said, as a sudden realization hit me.