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 21: The Fox God of the Netherworld

Chapter 21: The Fox God of the Netherworld

“Um… does it still hurt?”

The fox goddess, worriedly glancing at me but not meeting my eyes, asked. 

I wasn’t sure how to address her, but I decided to go with something safe.

“Uh, Oboro-sama… are you alright?”

“Me…? Yes, thanks to you, I’m feeling much better now. The miasma is no longer accumulating.”

“…So, I was able to purify it.”

I had made a choice during the final battle, seeing her in pain and deciding to save her by forcefully dispelling the curse. Knowing it worked was a relief.

“―Oh, I’m really glad to hear that.”

I let out a sigh of relief. 

I had seen her protecting the wild foxes despite being consumed by madness. It was a gamble based on my belief that she wasn’t truly malicious, and I was glad it paid off.

“―Um, why did you decide to save me?”

She asked, her voice trembling as she cautiously watched my reaction.

It pained me to see her so fearful, especially knowing her gentle nature from the memories I had seen. But I felt I owed her an honest answer, so I looked her straight in the eyes and responded.

“Well… I saw you protecting the little ones during the battle and trying not to harm nature. It seemed strange to me—”

“And you risked your life for that? To save me, your enemy?”

“Yeah… I guess so.”

Hearing her ask so directly made me realize what I had done.

But I was glad things turned out this way; I didn’t want to harm someone who tried to protect others.

“…We haven’t talked much yet, but you are quite the fool, aren’t you?”

“Wait, how did I become the fool in this conversation?”

“Fufu, it’s just something about you. But I understand why those guys and Makami-sama are fond of you.”

I didn’t get it. Even Kagura sometimes called me a fool… what was wrong with me? 

Calling me a fool seemed a bit harsh, considering I risked my life.

“By the way, is it just me, or is the air thin here? Are we on a mountain?”

“Yes, the Gesshoku Shrine is at the summit of Moonlit Mountain.”

“I see… I was wondering, where are Makami and the others?”

“Makami-sama and the others are likely gathering fruit in the forest. I wanted to help, but the wild foxes insisted I stay and watch over you.”

Oboro-sama raised a finger to her face as if trying to remember, telling me all this. 

Seeing her like this, it was hard to believe she was the same person I fought—it showed how severe the miasma’s influence was.

If that dream was real, she was the one who swallowed the impurity of a god. I couldn’t grasp its full extent, but considering how much she rampaged, it must have been substantial.

Her act of swallowing the impurity to save a god came from her kind and caring nature. Thinking about her gentle spirit and her concern for her friend made my chest ache.

“Um, I wasn’t waiting because I couldn’t gather fruit. The wild foxes stopped me because it was dangerous, and—ah,”

For some reason, she started explaining this and then blushed deeply, looking down in embarrassment. 

Her reaction was so different from the fierce image I had of her from our battle that I couldn’t help but laugh.

“Please don’t laugh—I can do things too, you know? I leave the cooking to the wild foxes and mostly just watch over them, but I can at least make tea.”

“No, it’s fine. Just calm down—you’re digging yourself a hole here.”

“You don’t believe me, do you? Fine, I’ll make some tea right now! Just wait here!”

“Wait—she already left…”

I was about to tell her that it was fine, but before I could, she had already gone inside the shrine, leaving me alone. 

Left standing there, I figured it might take a while, so I decided to explore the shrine grounds a bit.

“…It feels a bit bad, but I wanted to check out the mountaintop anyway.”

With that, I started looking around the shrine grounds to see if there was anything interesting.

To the right was a large sacred tree, near the torii gate were fox statues instead of the usual guardian dogs, and at the back of the shrine, there was a mirror.

I didn’t enter the main hall out of respect, but after a quick look around, I realized it was a pretty standard shrine. Thinking there wasn’t much else to see, I headed back to where I started…

“Is that… a wild fox?”

When I returned, there was a fox with fur the color of a full moon, looking very dignified. It had a moon-shaped ornament on its head and, after glancing at me, began to walk as if telling me to follow.

“…Should I follow you?”

“Of course, hurry up. Honestly, humans can be so slow.”

“Did… did you just talk?”

“Of course I can talk. Now, hurry. I want to speak with you before Oboro returns.”

Actually, it told me to follow it. 

Sure, I had seen the wild fox talking earlier, but it was still surprising to be spoken to out of the blue.

The fox appeared out of nowhere.

It seemed suspicious, and I should be cautious, but it possessed a bit of divine power. It didn’t seem hostile, and it appeared to know Oboro-sama, so I decided to follow it for now.

“…Alright, this should be far enough.”

The fox led me to a spot hidden from view, down the stairs of the shrine.

There was a small shrine, and as the fox sat in front of it, its form began to change.

The fox transformed into a young girl with white hair. 

She gave the impression of a smaller version of Kagura. As she looked at me, she arrogantly puffed out her chest and spoke to me, leaving me stunned.

“I am Tsukuyomi… um, a fragment of her. Now, human, let’s have a talk.”