With an effort of will, I created two clones, who immediately set to work, which would be enough to get the entire infirmary back on its feet. I looked questioningly at the high priestess.
"Thank you, Nara-dono," she bowed. 'Now, if your personal presence is not required here...?"
"It is not,' I confirmed.
"Then we can move to a more comfortable place to talk," suggested Miroku.
"As you wish."
The priestess, guarded by kunoichi who were literally beaming with joy, led me to something like a living room, where servants quickly brought tea and pastries to the table.
"So what's going on here?" I asked, paying tribute to the fragrant drink and the buns with berry jam. "I know some of it, but not the whole situation."
"Perhaps we'll have to delve a little deeper into the history of the country," sighed the priestess, sipping her cup.
And she told a very interesting story "Oni no Kunii is not called that for nothing. Since ancient times, when some terrible battle took place here, demons began to appear in a fairly large area. Mostly small ones, incapable of harming an adult, let alone incarnate or take over a body. Temple talismans were quite effective against them, and after a few days, the world destroyed or drove them out on its own. The stronger ones were dealt with by the priests of the local temples, who actively sought out the invaders themselves or with the help of the alarmed residents, but sometimes, about once every few decades, serious creatures broke through the border of the world, not only possessing impressive strength, but also some intelligence.
Such creatures were crushed by a dynasty of high priestesses who had been cultivating spiritual power for hundreds of years for this very purpose.
Miroku herself had never encountered any intelligent ones, just like her mother, destroying mostly demonic beasts that were dangerous but acted on instinct, which made them much easier to detect.
The current demon, named Morieu, turned out to be very strong and intelligent, figuring out how to hide, restoring the strength he had spent on his escape, and buying the local clan of shinobi with sweet promises, mostly luring the hidden village to his side.
Under their protection, Miroku had no chance of getting close enough to the demon to banish him in a moment of weakness, and now he had set his sights on the priestess's young daughter, in order to obtain a body that could not only withstand his power, but also hide him from the pressure of a world that sought to expel and destroy the stranger.
She herself fends off the attacks of stone idols and waits for Numa no Kuni to gather his troops — because her homeland has been effectively captured — to help her reach the demon and seal him away.
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