The master’s words about risking his life.
That phrase, which resonated deeply with the elder and Kazuo, effectively conveyed the master’s resolve, laden with enough emotion to warrant a second chance.
However, no matter how packed with determination the voice was, it couldn’t sway everyone’s heart.
“Risking his life?”
From far away at the shrine, Jinseong recited the master’s declaration of risking his life with an expressionless face. Even though he spoke the words aloud, it seemed they didn’t move his heart at all.
“Ah, risking his life, huh? Truly an impressive resolve.”
As Jinseong muttered quietly and opened his eyes, flickering flames danced before him.
The gleam in his eyes, which appeared in the light streaming in from outside, shimmered like wild flames, thrumming as if to evoke fear. It danced and curled, creating sparks as it collided and shattered, igniting small embers around the edges of his pupils.
“Though he says he’ll risk his life, he secretly wants to save his life and get everything done. It’s just that his honor and pride come before his life, hence such words.”
Jinseong gazed at the master with the perspective of an insect.
Over there in the dojo, the master who received another chance appeared to relax, but whether that was due to the release of tension or because the dogeza stance had strained his muscles, he wobbled as he stood. Moreover, the determination apparent on his face was smeared with blood, his hair matted with it, creating a horrifying and nauseating sight.
Jinseong looked at the pitiful state of the master and muttered to himself.
“Cleanup, cleanup. I shall gladly grant your wish.”
With that murmur, he closed his mouth.
The space around Jinseong fell silent, and the light seeping in from outside began to gradually dim, filling the room with darkness. When even Jinseong’s eyes closed, the pair of flames flickering in the air extinguished, casting the room into an unexpected night.
Yet, while waiting for something, Jinseong immersed himself in the darkness, being careful even with his breathing.
Driiing—
After a brief moment, Jinseong’s wait bore fruit.
His phone began to ring loudly.
Seeing the number displayed on the phone, Jinseong smiled slightly and waited a moment, as if to tease before answering.
“Hello?”
[ Ah, greetings. Is this the next Shinto Priest, Saigo? ]
“Ah, yes. Your voice… it must be the master. What brings you to call…?”
[ Hoo, well… ]
The caller was the master.
[ Have you heard about the landslide? ]
“Yes. It’s truly unfortunate that the mountain collapsed… But thankfully, due to the divine protection, I heard that there were no casualties.”
[ That’s right. However… ]
It seemed it was difficult for the master to bring up his next words, as he hesitated repeatedly.
But, as if resolute, he began to speak in a firm tone.
[ Hoo. I’m not from Kyoto, and I don’t particularly like to beat around the bush, so I’ll get straight to the point. Have you seen any other news? ]
“Ah, yes. I saw. Journalists have been bustling about the Ksitigarbha stories and curses, writing numerous articles. I just saw them discussing that on the news a moment ago.”
[ …I see. Well then, the landslide… ]
Hearing the master’s words slow down, Jinseong casually threw out a question.
“Are you asking if the cause of the landslide is due to spirits?”
[ Uh, ahem! Yes, that’s correct. ]
The master, flustered at having his intent snatched away, coughed awkwardly. He nonetheless composed himself and affirmed Jinseong’s words but…
“I don’t know.”
Once again, the master could only feel flustered by Jinseong’s firm statement.
[ You don’t know? ]
“Hmm.”
Jinseong paused, as if struggling to explain, then opened his mouth.
“For now, I think as I previously mentioned. The curse from that spirit has a high likelihood of being ineffective. How could a spirit cause a landslide when it’s not some great evil or spirit? If merely a spirit could invoke such a disaster, humanity should have been extinct due to the evil spirits and ghosts that emerge during world wars.”
[ Hmm. ]
“However, it’s also puzzling; I read in the news that before the landslide hit, several villagers had prophetic dreams. In those dreams, Ksitigarbha appeared with just his face and unleashed curses… something along those lines. Master, is this true?”
[ …Yes. It is true. ]
“According to my common sense, it shouldn’t be the spirit causing the landslide, yet hearing about those prophetic dreams creates a strangely ambiguous feeling where it seems to fit perfectly and yet does not… This is quite a conundrum…”
Despite his emotionless face, Jinseong spoke with a peculiar voice, sounding somewhat troubled.
“For now, I’m inclined to think it’s not the spirit’s curse, but the constant talking in the news makes it confusing. It’s quite troubling.”
[ …Do those prophetic dreams hold significant meaning? ]
“Significant meaning, you say… Well, it’s debatable. For prophets and those using special abilities through dreams, it does hold great importance, but… hmm…”
Trailing off, Jinseong finally asked the master in a questioning tone.
“By the way, I wonder how many people had those prophetic dreams?”
[ I’m not sure, but judging from the news, about five? Six? It likely won’t exceed ten. ]
“At most, not exceeding ten…”
Echoing the master’s sentiment, he muttered and then spoke significantly, as if understanding something.
“I can roughly glean it.”
[ Glean? ]
“The prophetic dreams blared in the news, I think it’s safe to disregard them.”
[ Disregard them? What do you mean by that? Are they fake? ]
“That’s right. Well, to precisely put it, they’re not so much fake as likely — a small number of people might have had similar dreams.”
The confident words emerging from his expressionless face pierced through to the master’s ears over the phone.
“They could simply be ordinary nightmares, or intuitions invoked by genuine protective spirits or supernatural power, or even warnings echoed by animal instincts in the subconscious. Yet, one thing is for sure: the number of people who had such a dream will likely be small.”
[ Then…? ]
“Yes. Contrary to the claims blaring in the news, ‘common dreams among many people, could it truly be a curse?’ ‘Ksitigarbha’s blood tears and curses, a warning to the villagers!’ It’s not an event that would warrant such titles.”
[ … ]
“It probably started with the complaints of those who had nightmares. But those complaints must have lodged in the subconscious of those who heard them, then slipped into their minds amidst the confusion of the colossal calamity called the landslide.”
[ … ]
“Of course, the majority probably ended with just ‘someone had a dream.’ But those who are easily relatable to others, or those with vague dreams might have altered their memories to say, ‘I had such a dream too.’”
[ Is that possible? ]
“Yes. It is. Humans are surprisingly susceptible to suggestion. There are plenty of similar cases too.”
Jinseong concluded his thoughts.
“The conclusion is that this is a media blunder.”
[ Ah, I see. ]
It’s not your fault.
Hearing Jinseong’s words, which held that meaning, the master muttered in a somewhat watery voice.
“There’s likely someone among the interviewees who, not having had such dreams, claims they did it just to be part of the commotion. For those seeking attention, the current situation would likely be akin to a scene straight out of a dream.”
[ Then… ]
“Yes. However… hmm, this is ambiguous. It doesn’t seem to involve spirits or curses, nor does it seem tied to prophetic dreams… So it’s likely not a supernatural event but a simple natural disaster or a calamity directly caused by people.”
A calamity caused by people.
The master reflexively inquired on those words.
[ A calamity caused by humans? What do you mean? ]
“Uh? Ah. Oh no, that was a somewhat misleading way to put it. What I mean is not that someone committed a terrorism act.”
[ Then…? ]
“I’m referring to a calamity caused by humans, like a human error. You know, like buildings collapsing due to shoddy construction or pollution due to improperly discarded waste, which we call a human-induced disaster, don’t you?”
At his words, the master seemed to sense something, muttering.
[ Human-induced disaster… ]
As he quietly repeated those two words, something suddenly crossed his mind.
[ Speaking of which, the landslide occurred near a solar energy facility…? ]
