I Was a Small Fish When I Reincarnated, but It Seems That I Can Become a Dragon, so I Will Do My Best - Chapter 498
11-13. Shrine
We managed to finish all the rice harvesting in just one day.
In the morning, we all chatted while cutting the rice, had lunch with the food the women brought, and in the afternoon, we put on a final spurt to harvest the rice and perform the husking.
We finished everything before sunset.
It was the same as always, but this time there was a bountiful harvest, so without Thekil and his tools, the sun would have surely set.
I’m really glad we finished it by then.
Since everyone was tired that day, the rest of the day followed the pattern of having dinner individually and going to sleep.
I also feel like I slept really well.
And in the morning… I’m already sitting in the living room.
My lower back hurts a bit.
When I put my hand on my back and stretched, it made a cracking sound.
“Wow… everyone’s amazing. Their posture is really good.”
“Is this your first time doing fieldwork, Ouren?”
“Yeah. What about Houen?”
“My grandpa was a farmer. I used to help with rice harvesting and husking during the harvest season.”
“Is the dialect really unique?”
“A bit. I never thought it would come in handy, though.”
“Is it Atrak?”
“Yes.”
They say Atrak’s dialect is quite unique, so I wanted to hear it at least once.
“Now, Ouren. Today is about preparing for the festival.”
“Yeah, but there’s nothing I can help with even if I go.”
“Me too. But there’s no other choice. The festival will be held tonight.”
“You’re right.”
Currently, the Oni Village is in the midst of preparing for the festival. They are securing food and setting up stalls early in the morning to host various events. The main event is the Taiko drum performance. Since Raiki can’t participate this year, I wonder who will play that huge Taiko drum?
Well, with that said, there are hardly any people in this mansion today. Uchikage and Hime-sama are also out for preparations. Only Raiki is here, I guess.
It’s okay to relax until the festival starts, but that would be too boring.
“Oh, that’s right. Let’s go to the White Snake Shrine.”
“The White Snake Shrine?”
We’re planning to transfer Karna and Yuuzen there.”
“Is it called ‘transference’ when you send them to the future…? Well, it’s easy to understand, so I don’t mind.”
“I want to get a sense of the place. I don’t want them to end up in the wrong place.”
“I see. Let’s have Raiki guide you. I’ll call him. You should wait outside for now.”
“Understood.”
So, I’ve decided on today’s plan. Well, I’ll probably finish looking at the White Snake Shrine in no time, so after that, I’ll take a stroll around the village.”
??
After that, Houen and I walked through the Oni Village with Raiki.
We were currently in the outer perimeter of the Oni Castle’s third bailey, and following this path would lead us to a cave.
It seems the shrine is located in a slightly deeper place.
Not a mountain cave, but a subterranean one. There seems to be a reason for that.
Raiki, who was in a wheelchair, explained this to us.
“The previous White Snake-sama is said to have emerged from that cave.”
“But I heard he was in the current Oni Village…”
“Yes, well, I believe that is because he moved there after becoming a snake. The shrine has an underground lake. Maybe…”
“Ah, I emerged on land when I evolved from a fish to a snake in a river. But I wonder if that lake was an underground lake.”
That would make sense.
So, they built the Oni Village near the cave. Maybe Hiwa mentioned this.
But didn’t Hiwai erase their existence and memories…?
Then why is the White Snake still remembered in folklore? Did he only erase the human memories?
“What do you think about that, Houen?”
“The White Snake legend was probably separate from Hiwa’s memories. He thinks the same race as him existed at that time, so his scope of erasure was likely vague.”
“I see.”
When you put it that way, it does make sense. Perspective and knowledge could vary across eras, and he probably didn’t have such knowledge.
“Alright, we’ve arrived.”
Houen and I stopped.
There was a huge gate with dozens of padlocks, and there was a latch at the bottom center of the gate.
It was quite heavily secured, and I was a bit surprised.
Houen tilted his head as he looked around, apparently noticing something.
“…Is this Ushitora?” (? Ushitora = northeast, stopper. Something that have yin yang motif on a gate)
“Yes, it’s known as the ‘Oni Gate’ as well.”
“A gate that never opens… Why is it placed here?”
Ushitora, corresponding to the current northeast. I’ve heard one theory that the gate in the northeast of a castle was called the “Oni Gate,” and it was never opened… but I never expected it to exist here.
And to place such a gate in front of the cave where the previous White Snake would have emerged… It’s not what I would expect from someone with faith.
“Why is it sealed like this?”
“Do you remember? It’s said that the previous White Snake Lord had the skill of curses.”
“Oh, right…”
“When I was a child, we once discussed what to do with this shrine. In the end, because we were afraid of the curses, we decided to seal it. But the techniques left by the White Snake Lord were splendid. That’s why it’s still being passed down. He was an amazing snake with terrifying skills.”
I see… That’s right, I remember Tenda wanted to cut my stomach because of that.
Oh, it’s such a long time ago. It’s really a story from the early days. (From the first time he encounter Hime-sama and Tenda)
But based on what Dacia said, he didn’t possess such skills, nor did he seem inclined to use them. Everyone respected Hiwa, and Hiwa got along well with the devils. Even if he did have those skills, he probably wouldn’t have used them.
So, why do these legends exist?
“I don’t know either. It might be a good idea to ask Dacia.”
“She doesn’t seem to know either.”
“Or it’s possible that this information is false. It could be a consequence of Ouryuu’s Judgement.”
“Things are really getting all over the place… But that would make sense.”
“Leaving aside the truth behind all of that, Houen-dono, this key…”
“Yes.”
Raiki handed a bundle of keys to Houen. He proceeded to unlock each padlock one by one and finally removed the latch, opening the gate.
Behind it, there was an empty hole leading further into the depths.
Houen lit a lantern, took the lead, and I pushed Raiki’s wheelchair, following behind.
We continued through a straightforward cave, a single pathway. I felt the breeze. Perhaps if we went deeper, we might find another exit.
While thinking about this, we entered a slightly larger space. There was an underground lake, its water glowing green, probably due to moss or something. It emitted enough light that we didn’t need any additional sources.
Clearly, there was a small stone wall, seemingly man-made, with a shrine placed on top. It was a small structure, but its construction was intricate, with multiple layers of roofs, resembling the complexity of the Great Taki Shrine in Japan.
“What’s this… it’s incredible…”
“It was built by the current head craftsman. He should be around 402 years old.”
“Amazing…”
How skilled is he? Not only that, how did he construct this with materials that look like thin branches? Everything is so precisely assembled, without the use of adhesive or nails.
It must be fun to make something like this. I could never do it, though.
“Ouren, what you need to see is not here.”
“That’s right.”
Heeding Houen’s advice, I turned around.
In such a spacious area, this should be more than sufficient to transfer those two. I’ve also memorized the location, so we should be fine.
The fact that no additional light is needed is a plus. Being suddenly thrown into complete darkness would be scary. Since there seems to be a breeze here, using fire should be no problem.
…The rest is up to Uchikage.
“Alright, I understand.”
“It’s said that lingering here for too long is not good, so let’s go.”
“Understood.”
Just having a grasp of the location is enough. We’ve seen something amazing, but now it’s time for the festival. Let’s enjoy it!