[210]: Kappa

After three or four days, Cyr finally got to enjoy a hot bath. He scrubbed himself so hard it was like he was trying to peel off a whole layer of skin. He bathed three times in a row, only stopping once the scent of his body wash was the only thing left on him.

His old clothes were burned on the spot. He changed into a new outfit—styled to fit an ancient aesthetic, though more like hanfu than kimono.

A high collar with knotted buttons, wide-sleeved outer robe, all in black and red tones, embroidered with red flowers. A jade pendant hung at his waist. No matter how he looked at it, he looked ridiculously cool.

Wearing this in the Hunter world might've been over-the-top. But in this world… okay, still a little over-the-top.

As he passed by the plainly dressed locals, Cyr lifted his chin higher.

Who's the most handsome man in all of the land? Him. Obviously.

"Where… are we?" Maro frowned, his expression puzzled.

This backward aesthetic—it reminded him of NGL. But… compared to NGL, which at least used horses for transport, this place seemed even more primitive. And poorer, too.

"No idea," Cyr replied casually.

"Looks like something went wrong, and we ended up in another world." That was all he offered.

But after what they'd seen in the Hunter world—especially on the bizarre Dark Continent—Maro and Sora were used to weird phenomena. They could fill in the blanks themselves.

"Maybe we triggered some kind of rule, or a condition for an ability… and that caused a transfer to another world?" Maro guessed.

"Maybe," Cyr shrugged.

"So what do we do now?" Maro asked, a bit anxious.

He didn't particularly miss the world they came from—as long as Cyr was with him, it didn't matter where they went.

"Just treat it like a vacation. Wander around, see the sights," Cyr said, yawning.

Honestly, the scenery around here wasn't much to look at.

Low-level cursed spirits were everywhere—weak enough that even if you didn't bother killing them, they wouldn't do much harm to humans.

Every now and then, though… you'd run into a yokai.

"Help… help…"

Cyr narrowed his eyes at the creature limply calling for help on a nearby path.

It was about a meter tall, had a Mediterranean-style bald patch, and was completely green. Not quite human, not quite monster—just plain creepy.

That thing… looked like a kappa?

Cyr slowly walked over and poured some water on it.

The kappa, who looked like it was about to dry out and die, suddenly sprang back to life after being doused.

"Uwaaah… you're such a kind soul, I'll definitely repay your kindness…" the kappa squealed tearfully in a high-pitched voice.

So Cyr held out his hand. "Treasure."

The kappa froze.

"Isn't it common knowledge that when you save a yokai, they give you a treasured item?" Cyr said, dead serious.

Some yokai even offer themselves as spouses—though that's usually fox spirits or snake demons. Kappa? Nah. Zero market value.

"But… but… I don't have any treasure…" the broke kappa mumbled shyly, rubbing its hands together.

"Tch."

The white-haired youth stood up and turned to leave without another word.

Even his back radiated disdain.

The kappa remained frozen in place, somehow feeling like its soul had just been deeply wounded.

"Note to self: don't save kappa next time. They're broke." Cyr mentally filed the intel away.

But one thing didn't sit right with him.

This was supposed to be the Jujutsu Kaisen world, right? The whole system here was supposed to be curses and sorcerers.

So why were there yokai?

If yokai existed here… then maybe there were onmyoji too?

Ha… ha… ha…

Heian era… Heian-kyō… Abe no Seimei?!

Could Abe no Seimei actually be real here? Wouldn't that be the perfect chance to get a selfie for the collection?

Japan's number one onmyoji, after all—and a popular NPC in countless novels and games.

Of course, the first step was figuring out how to get to Kyoto…

Cyr stopped walking, took a deep breath, and decided to find some unlucky soul—ahem, lucky person—to ask for directions.

Using the Six Eyes to sense his surroundings, he located the place with the largest nearby gathering—and just so happened to catch an "event."

A woman in a gaudy kimono was bound at the wrists and ankles with hemp rope, a white cloth stuffed in her mouth, and carried by four short, middle-aged men heading toward the mountains.

Cyr quickly recognized it as some sort of sacrificial ritual. Well, it was ancient times—human sacrifices to river gods, mountain gods, sea gods, and the like were all too common.

Foolish and ignorant villagers… or maybe not.

In this world, those "gods" probably actually existed.

Still, Cyr preferred to call them yokai rather than gods.

After all, not just anything gets to be called a god.

If this were the part where some heroic character was supposed to step forward and save the innocent girl from ignorant villagers, well… that wasn't happening.

First, Cyr wasn't that kind of hero.

Second… the girl wasn't exactly what you'd call a beauty. At least, not by common standards.

Her face was caked with lead-white powder—so pale it was scary. Her eyebrows and teeth had been painted black, and bright blush made her look like a paper doll at a funeral.

Even Cyr couldn't lie hard enough to call that beautiful.

But hey, not his problem. He was just here to ask for directions.

As the villagers cheerfully marched off to offer their village's "pure maiden" to the mountain god as his bride, a tall man stepped out from the roadside.

He was dressed in elegant, luxurious clothing, with long white hair and red eyes. Following behind him was a six-meter-long savage beast, and a blond, blue-eyed attendant.

One look and the villagers knew—this was not someone to mess with.

"Does anyone know the way to Kyoto?" the untouchable nobleman asked.

The villagers looked at each other in silence, no one daring to speak.

"…Tsk." Cyr shook his head.

Alright then. Maybe commoners weren't the right target for this kind of question. Time to adjust the strategy.

"How about… which direction is the nearest town?" he asked again.

Most lords of towns were at least minor nobles—surely they would know how to get to Kyoto.

"M-Most nearby city is that way," one villager finally piped up, pointing. "About a five-hour walk from here…"

Five hours—pretty close.

Riding on Sora would be even faster. With his current physique, even if they hit some trouble on the road, it wouldn't be a problem.

Especially if he had Limitless activated—then nothing would be a problem.

Cyr gave a small nod and was about to leave—when suddenly, an elderly woman rushed up and dropped to her knees in front of him with a thud.

"My lord…"

"Please… please save my daughter," she wept, her voice trembling with grief. She never once dared to reach out and touch even the hem of his robe.

°°°

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