Chương 66: The Peculiar Fox

They walked under the silver gaze of the moons, the path lit well enough for two powerful beings to see what's ahead.

"So," Galan said, "I still don't get why they bother killing the warriors who beat them. Bruised ego?"

"Doubtful," Zensuke replied.

"The spirits operate on strict principles. They target only the demonstrably guilty. When we investigated the fallen samurai, we found hidden stories—scorned lovers, ruined merchants, and horrific abuses hidden behind heroic facades."

"You can just say 'rape and murder,' y'know?" Galan interrupted.

"We're both adults here." Zensuke stopped dead. His fur bristled. He turned, his calm composure replaced by genuine shock.

"Such words are too crude. To speak of their suffering in such dispassionate manners... it is disrespectful. We prefer to handle these matters with a certain solemn regard." Ugh, why do they hate using the obvious words? Galan sighed. Whatever, I'll play along.

"Guess they got sick of the injustice and took their lives. And the ghosts recruited them." Zensuke's ears perked up. He's sharp for a foreigner.

"That is our theory as well," he admitted.

"We believe they build a list of perpetrators by recruiting the souls of the wronged." As much as I like this info, I hate how verbose this puffball is.

"You're very astute, Dear Fox." Zensuke whipped his head around, eyes blazing with offense.

"Do not call me that EVER AGAIN, Foreigner! My name is Zensuke, and you would do well to address me as Teacher Zensuke."

"Very well, Teacher Zensuke. I shall remember." Zensuke calmed down, continuing the walk.

"You should learn proper etiquette. There are those who would not hesitate to take a life for such a slight." Satanvubo, the Japanese are so serious. Galan bowed slightly.

"Arigatoo gozaimasu, Teacher Zensuke. I will remember your words with diligence."

"Now," Zensuke exhaled,"what else do you wish to know?"

"Oh, yeah. I still don't know if they recruit the samurai or just set them free."

"Our correspondents in the Spirit Realm have been keeping a tally," Zensuke explained.

"In regions where the ghosts are active, there is a significant drop in samurai souls crossing over. The more headless bodies appear here, the fewer souls appear there." These guys are using the same method I did, Galan thought, impressed.

"So the souls are trapped." If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.

"Yes. But the few souls that do return have no memory of their time as a spirit. It is as if that period were erased."

"Have you tried reading their minds?"

"Yes. We found nothing. Even our foreign investigators could not find any more leads for us."

"Yeah, that sounds tough," Galan mumbled while staring at the ground"Hmm… A case that involves the many using the resources of one being…" As they walked, Galan's mind raced, processing Zensuke's information. The disappearing souls, the memory wipes... it reminded him of the 'Mammonite Subjugation' case in Falerii, where a demon cult had used similar methods to cause miracles and gain followers and sacrifices. But the scale here was different. His thoughts drifted to the 'Silva Cimina Deception' case.

A corrupt Roman governor had manufactured a war against forest spirits to seize land. The spirits had combined their power to create a terrifying illusion of a single, vengeful god. Galan had exposed the lie, executed the governor, and forged a peace treaty that protected the forest forever. Different method, same principle, he realized. A manufactured threat masking a deeper purpose.

"I think I have an idea about their method," Galan said aloud.

"Please, share your insight," Zensuke projected.

"If I had to guess, the gathered souls are linked to a central entity—an Amalgamate—via a sort of attachable soul container. This lets the entity know exactly who to target only when the information from a specific soul is needed. Thus, when the operation is over, all the souls involved can easily be cleansed of their memory, since they're only a part of the onryoo itself for a few hours at most." Galan looked down.

"But at this scale, such a system would require tremendous trial and error, which implies that this incident started long before twenty years ago." Zensuke frowned.

"Could you provide a simpler explanation?"

"Think of the souls like spare wheels on a pushcart," Galan explained.

"The wheels are coated with layers of protection—the samurai souls wearing the living armor—to deal with obstacles on the ground. This allows the entity to swap the wheels—the victim souls—at any time with minimal wear and tear. That makes maintenance, or memory erasure, easy."

"And what of the one that moves the cart?"

"The Amalgamate. I think it's a mix of souls that haven't found peace, coalescing into one giant being after centuries of the cycle of vengeance. Either that, or a group of rogue sorcerers decided to set things right and spent decades building it." Zensuke raised his eyebrows. Impressive. He simplified his explanation in an instant.

"Thank you for the explanation. I shall write this into my report once we reach my abode." Not bad, eh, Puffball? Galan smirked. They reached the end of the path. A small stone shrine stood in a clearing, weathered but cared for. Fresh offerings of fried tofu and sake were arrayed at its base. But Galan's mindcast sensed more. The trees and bamboo around them were hiding something in plain sight. Ooh, a hidden domain?

"Traveler," Zensuke said, stopping.

"Do not move."

"Understood." Zensuke placed a paw on the shrine's base. He closed his eyes, releasing a pulse of magic. The air shimmered, and the solid wall of forest dissolved like mist, revealing a bustling village beyond.

"It's not far now," Zensuke said, walking around the shrine.

"What, you're not gonna eat the snacks first?" Galan teased.

"I prefer meals that are cooked fresh. The others can consume them on my behalf."

"Good policy. Can't have our divine fox getting sick from spoiled food." Zensuke exhaled a sharp breath of amusement. Why did that amuse me? That was not funny.

"Let us leave the discussion at that." So he DOES have a sense of humor, Galan thought, smiling.

"Alright, Teacher Zensuke. Whatever you say."