The Healer in a Japanese-Style Game World: Mastering Healing to Save My Favorite Character in a Brutal World, Only to Find Everyone Around Me Becoming Obsessed - Chapter 16: The Village of the Lunar Eclipse

Chapter 16: The Village of the Lunar Eclipse

Note: I’ll be fixing the name of the village from Tsukishoku to Gesshoku.

Four days after leaving the province of Shinano, we finally arrived at the base of the mountain where the Village of the Lunar Eclipse was said to be located. According to the coachman, this mountain was the largest in the Musashi province, standing at about 1,500 meters.

Although it wasn’t a volcano, it was reportedly very dangerous due to the high number of yokai, so we could go no further by carriage.

“Thank you very much. Umm, you’ll be back in a week, right?”

“―Yes, Yomi-dono. Please be careful.”

Makami and I got off the carriage, thanked the coachman who had accompanied us this far, and parted ways with him before heading into the mountain.

After a while of walking in the mountain with the carefree Makami exploring beside me, I remembered that the village was located halfway up the mountain. 

Considering our stamina, we should reach our destination in about an hour. There were many things to investigate, but first, there was something on my mind.

“…It’s clearly noon right now.”

Looking up at the sky, it was surprisingly clear.

The sun was shining brightly, and it was quite hot, likely due to it being summer. I didn’t know the exact temperature, but it felt like it was around 23 degrees Celsius.

“I heard the sun doesn’t rise here.”

“Yeah… there’s no way Ryusui-sama would get that wrong.”

It was a little past noon. 

We had been walking in the mountains for quite a while, and if we kept going, we should reach our destination before nightfall. However, the fact that the sun was shining contradicted the information we had, creating a sense of unease.

We could hear the cheerful calls of the cuckoo, making it seem like a completely peaceful mountain. We hadn’t encountered any of the powerful yokai said to be around, so both of us felt something was off as we continued walking. After a while, we saw the sign for the Gesshoku Village. At that moment, the space around us distorted.

The air changed, and the first thing we noticed was a chill—summer’s warmth was gone, and the birds’ chirping had completely ceased. 

We surveyed our surroundings, alert to the obvious abnormality. 

Worried, I looked at Makami, who was walking a bit ahead. She had stopped and was looking up at the sky.

I followed her gaze and saw—

“A total lunar eclipse?”

In the dark night sky, a faintly red full moon shone.

The mountain, which had been bathed in morning sunlight just moments before, was now cloaked in nightfall, making it look like night no matter how you saw it.

“Master, this… barrier.”

“…Let’s take a look.”

Noticing that Makami had sensed something, I lightly examined the boundary we had crossed earlier. 

There seemed to be a highly advanced barrier that I couldn’t fully perceive.

It was indiscernible and detailed. When I tried stepping back, it was still midday on the other side, meaning it was a barrier that allowed free passage. But it felt like there was more to it than just that.

“…Is this the cause of the night?”

“…Master, I have a bad feeling.”

Amidst the incomprehensible situation, we understood that there was a master of this unexplainable barrier—and that with nightfall, it was now the time of the yokais.

As if to test us, it appeared.

“Fugogg—gyaa!”

The yokai that appeared was a bipedal, boar-faced creature.

It held a crudely made weapon, likely fashioned from tusks, and it exuded an aura of madness. It looked wild and emitted a miasma stronger than that of an ordinary yokai, its eyes bloodshot.

“Master… leave this to me.”

“No, I’ll fight too.”

“It’s alright, Makami is strong. Just watch.”

The moment she said that, her figure blurred.

The next time I saw the yokai, its head had disappeared and was rolling on the ground—done so silently. The severed head bore five claw marks, as if it had been forcibly torn off.

Seeing this scene, I wondered deeply how I had managed to defeat her before. 

If she had done something like this, I would have been killed instantly. I was grateful for the restraint Makami had shown when we first met in the forest.

“—It’s over.”

She quickly returned to my side after saying that, lowering her head to signal she wanted to be petted. Her behavior was adorable, but remembering her earlier actions made my cheeks twitch a bit.

“Makami, strong?”

“Yes, strong… very strong. Can I rely on you from here on?”

“Yes, leave it to me, Master!”

Makami answered cheerfully, wagging her tail. 

On our way to the village, several strong-looking yokai appeared, but she defeated them all in an instant. I began to worry about my own usefulness.

Thanks to her, we reached the village without any problems, but I started feeling guilty about relying on her so much.

“…I wonder if I’m even needed.”

“Master, if you weren’t here, I wouldn’t be motivated.”

“I see… then I am needed.”

Even if I wasn’t sure of my purpose, it was clear that thanks to Makami, we were able to progress without much trouble. I decided it was a good thing and planned to thank Makami properly later.

“I can see the village now.”

“There are guards.”

“Of course there are. I’ll go talk to them.”

We finally arrived at Gesshoku Village. 

As expected, there were guards protecting the village due to the high number of yokai.

“…Who are you? What business do you have in this village?”

“We’re here on behalf of Ryusui-sama. Haven’t you heard anything about us?”

“Ah, so you’re the investigators from the shop we’ve been waiting for. I’ll take you to the village chief.”

As expected of Ryusui-sama.

She must have informed them beforehand, as we were allowed into the village right away.

As we were being guided through the village, the guard seemed to remember something and spoke up.

“Well, before anything else… welcome to Gesshoku Village. There’s not much here, but we hope you can relax. May the blessing of the Fox Deity of the Lunar Eclipse be upon you.”

TLN:
I didn’t mention this before, but Yomi’s shop is generally called Yorozuya Yomi, which means ‘house of 10,000 businesses.’ I’m still wondering if I should use ‘Yorozuya’ or simply call it ‘shop.’