Demon Sword Maiden

Volume 13 - Takamagahara: Chapter 15 - The Suspicious Celestial Maidens

“Ah, I see. Many thanks, elder.” Lily bowed again in gratitude.

The old man’s face broke into a delighted smile. Inwardly, he thought, ‘How many years has it been since I’ve seen a Celestial Maiden treat us lowly commoners with such courtesy? She must be a young one, just venturing into the outside world. Any Celestial Maiden with true standing would never spare us commoners a second glance.’

After bidding farewell to the elder’s caravan, Lily and Rei found themselves in a dilemma once more.

Bribing someone to get a passage permit might still be possible, or at worst, they could snatch one from a hostile clan of Celestial Maidens. But the gates of Yuten Castle were firmly sealed, unyielding to all. Whether one carried valid documents or not, none were permitted to pass. What could they possibly do now?

“Lily, don’t you think the Celestial Maidens who traveled with us earlier were rather strange?” Rei asked.

“Yes… I thought so too. Greed in itself isn’t surprising, but why were they able to pull out fake identity tokens so casually? They claimed their destination was Homura Castle, yet ever since we parted ways at the checkpoint, no one has mentioned Homura Castle at all. If they truly intended to seek employment there, why have they never discussed it among themselves?”

“Exactly. I even tested one of them on the subject of Homura Castle, and she stammered with no clear answer,” Rei replied.

“Could it be… that their true goal was not Homura Castle, but something else?” Lily’s eyes lit up at the thought.

Where those Celestial Maidens had gone after skirting around the massive Yuten Castle remained unknown. So Lily and Rei, hand in hand, flew through the mist, circling around the towering castle. Only then did they feel the full might and grandeur of Yuten Castle.

Behind the colossal castle loomed several Hakanajima and Hizan. In the distance, before a layer of dark storm clouds, lay a gigantic fire-red toad sprawled across the cloud sea with its gaping mouth wide open. Countless small caravans and traveling parties flew straight into its maw.

This enormous toad was but a statue, stretching several thousand meters high, its open mouth alone spanning a full kilometer.

“There’s no thundercloud gorge on this side. These caravans are actually entering through the toad’s mouth. I wonder if it conceals a passageway or perhaps a teleportation array,” Rei mused.

“Sister Uesugi, look over there.”

While Rei’s attention was fixed on the colossal toad, Lily noticed something else. The gates on this side of Yuten Castle were still shut tight, with guards standing watch. Yet from the castle’s direction, two Celestial Maidens were flying toward them, barely a few kilometers away.

Lily instantly recognized them. Weren’t these two from the very same group of Celestial Maidens they had traveled with earlier?

The two women, upon spotting Lily and Rei, also froze in surprise. Unsure of what to do, they decided to pretend they hadn’t noticed and continued flying past.

But Lily and Rei flew up to meet them, feigning ignorance as Lily called out, “Oh? Sisters, weren’t you headed to Homura Castle? Why are you here?”

By now, considerable time had passed since they parted. At the speed Celestial Maidens could fly, they should have long left this area.

Startled, one of them blurted out a counter-question, “You… weren’t you going to Yuten Castle? Why are you still wandering around here?” Her voice betrayed clear unease.

“Isn’t Yuten Castle closed to us? We thought to check if another gate might be open,” Lily replied naturally. Indeed, their reasoning was perfectly sound.

“Then you two keep looking.” With that, the pair tried to take their leave.

“Sisters, are you heading for Homura Castle now?”

“Don’t follow us!”

“Sisters—”

The two Celestial Maidens suddenly sped up and flew away. Their behavior was undeniably suspicious. Yet if Lily pursued further, she risked arousing their wariness and ruining any chance of uncovering the truth.

So, appearing somewhat dejected, she and Rei flew off in the opposite direction. What the two Celestial Maidens failed to notice, however, was that a single sakura petal had adhered to one of their strands of hair.

With Lily’s power, it was all too easy to hide a fragment of her soul domain within a Big Dipper-stage Celestial Maiden. They would never sense it.

Those two Celestial Maidens still carried flight arrays. Even apart from their formation, they could remain airborne for an entire day. After all, in battle or ambush, would it not be fatal for Big Dipper Maidens to fall from the sky the moment they separated? The formations of Celestial Battle Maidens were designed with practicality in mind, never so foolish as to ignore real combat.

By now, dusk had fallen. Pinpricks of firelight dotted the vast Yuten Castle, and the caravans in the vicinity had all departed.

It was no longer wise for Lily and Rei to linger so near the castle airspace. They instead concealed themselves upon a small Hizan, scarcely a hundred meters across.

“Those two Celestial Maidens have stopped moving,” Lily murmured.

Rei nodded.

Shrouded by the night, under veils of dark-blue cloud and mist, Lily and Rei quietly closed in on their quarry. Their destination was a vast forest of towering trees. Suppressing their auras, they stealthily advanced.

Deep within the woods, they saw it at last—Asazora, leading that entire group of Celestial Maidens, gathered together. Indeed, they had not left at all, but were secretly convening here.

“The defenses of Yuten Castle may seem like an iron fortress, but they are not without flaws!” Asazora said coldly, her expression stern. “According to our inside information, tonight a military courtesan ship will be allowed entry through a side gate of Yuten Castle. This may be our last chance. We must seize it! By sneaking onto that ship and using it to infiltrate the castle.”

The gathered Celestial Maidens each wore grim expressions, their bearing radiating valor, as if ready for battle at any moment.

From afar, concealed among towering trees, Lily and Rei observed everything clearly.

“The courtesan district of Yuten Castle is the most chaotic place within this otherwise disciplined city. Its very existence is the shameful hypocrisy of the Yuten army, whose soldiers pride themselves on righteousness, yet indulge in vice behind closed doors. Security there is lax, guards turn a blind eye for the convenience of the elites who patronize the place. That is the very breach through which one can slip into the castle’s depths,” Asazora declared.

“According to the latest reports…” Her face darkened. “That interrogator from the Demon Realm has already arrived in Yuten Castle. Lady Bishamonten’s situation has grown dire.”

“Unforgivable! Those vile demonesses dare to torture the leader of our Battle Maiden clan, oh Lady Bishamonten!” one Celestial Maiden cried out, stomping her foot in fury.

“I will kill that wretch myself!” another shouted.

“Remember, our sole purpose on this mission is to rescue Lady Bishamonten at any cost. We must not lose our heads and fight recklessly,” Asazora warned.

Her eyes grew misty, her voice trembling. The thought of their noble and powerful goddess—her lifelong idol, the revered leader of their clan—being subjected to the humiliations of lowly demonesses made Asazora’s entire body quiver with rage.

“We cannot allow those wretches to defile Lady Bishamonten!” Asazora cried with unyielding resolve. “No matter what it takes, we must save her!”

With a wave of her hand, she produced a translucent jade-green flask and a dozen small white porcelain wine cups. Each Celestial Maiden took a cup, and Asazora poured a measure of the cool, soothing liquid into them.

“This is the last half-flask of divine nectar. Sisters, drink this final half-cup. Once we do, we set out!” Asazora declared, her spirit brimming with righteous pride.

The Celestial Maidens drank the nectar, then smashed their cups to the ground.

“Better to die in glory than live in dishonor!”

“Die in glory!”

“Move out!” Asazora commanded. The night wind whistled through the sky as their feathered robes and long hair streamed behind them, the Battle Maidens taking their first steps on the perilous path to save their leader.

From their distant hiding place, Lily and Rei watched with heavy hearts.

“It seems… they are part of the rumored Celestial Maiden Rebels,” Lily murmured.

“No wonder they refused to travel with us. They intended to infiltrate Yuten Castle to rescue Mother…” Rei recalled how those Maidens had looked surprised upon first seeing her. Could it be that she bore a faint resemblance to her mother?

Yet she reasoned that most likely these women had never seen Lady Bishamonten in person, only portraits. Otherwise, their reaction would have been stronger than mild surprise.

“Sister Uesugi, those rebels seem well-versed in Yuten Castle’s weaknesses. They even have inside support. Their chances might be real. If we follow them, we might slip into the castle too,” Lily suggested.

“Absolutely not!” At that moment, Rinne’s voice resounded in their minds. “These foolish girls gravely underestimate the Great Imperial God’s formations and Ame-no-Tajikarao’s power. Do they truly believe they can rescue Lady Bishamonten with such meager strength? If it were that easy, would she still be imprisoned to this day? Bishamonten has countless believers across Takamagahara, and many Celestial Battle Maidens have already tried to save her. Yet she remains in chains, because they all failed. Yuten Castle’s defenses against Celestial Maidens are far beyond what these naïve girls imagine… ah, such recklessness.”

“What?” Lily gasped. “How could that be?”

“Even if their aim is noble, we cannot simply watch them march to their deaths. Lily, if Lady Rinne believes they have no chance of success, then they truly cannot succeed. Should we stop them before they act?” Rei’s heart was conflicted, but her character would never allow her to stand idly by while others went to their doom.

“…” Lily’s gaze followed the departing maidens, her eyes flickering, chest heaving with unspoken emotion.

“Lily?”

“Senior Sister, Sister Uesugi, I have an idea…” She revealed her thought to them.

“What!?” Rei’s eyes widened in shock.

“No! Absolutely not!” Even Rinne, rarely shaken, cried out in alarm. “Lily, do you realize what you’re suggesting? It’s far too dangerous! You could end up sharing Bishamonten’s fate, or worse!”

“Lily, you’re not some shallow, reckless resistance fighter. How could you take such a risk? You would be gambling with your very life and your honor!” Rei grabbed her hand in desperation.

“Sister Uesugi, you said it yourself…it’s a gamble. And if it’s a gamble, then there’s both risk and the possibility of victory. Senior Sister, Sister Uesugi, tell me honestly…do you truly believe my plan has no chance of success at all?” Though Lily’s face was adorned with lavish makeup, her voice rang out with unwavering conviction.

“It’s true,” Rinne admitted, “if those maidens are heading to their deaths, then your plan is indeed a reckless gamble… one with a slim chance of success.”

“That is enough,” Lily declared firmly. “As long as there is even the slightest chance, then there is still hope of saving her.”