Chapter 57 — The Cursed Spirit Bath
After leaving the sauna, Maki wrapped herself in a towel and returned to her room.
She gulped down cold mineral water in large mouthfuls, replenishing the fluids she had lost. Only after finishing the entire bottle did she toss it aside and collapse onto the bed in satisfaction.
Heat still lingered in her fingertips and toes, and sweat continued to bead across her body.
First the hot spring bath, then the sauna—right now she felt completely loose and relaxed, warmth filling every inch of her body, as if the gloom that had built up inside her for years had finally been washed away.
Of course… it wasn't just the hot spring and sauna.
A bright, sunny smile suddenly drifted across her mind, along with the boy's clear voice.
A deeper heat began rising from within her body.
Maki's cheeks flushed slightly as she shifted on the bed and let out a soft hum.
Suddenly—
Click.
The sound of a doorknob turning.
Maki frowned.
"Ren?"
Logically speaking, Ren shouldn't be here.
Although that damned Zen'in Mai had maliciously booked only one room for them at first, their luck had turned out surprisingly good. The inn's landlady had told her earlier that a guest had canceled at the last minute, so they were able to get an extra room.
That guy…
She curled her lips slightly.
He couldn't possibly be careless enough to walk into the wrong room, could he?
Creak—
The door slowly opened.
But no one appeared in the doorway.
Maki's expression changed instantly, her entire body tensing.
Just as she was about to reach for the glasses on the bedside table—
The door opened a little wider, revealing the inn's landlady, Satomi, standing in the doorway with a basket of fruit.
"Miss Maki," the elegant middle-aged woman said with a polite bow and a smile, raising the fruit basket slightly.
"This is a complimentary gift from our inn. It should have been prepared earlier, but we were short on supplies before. My apologies for delivering it only now."
"It's… it's fine," Maki said, retreating slightly back onto the bed.
The landlady stepped inside and placed the fruit basket on the table by the wall.
Then she turned around, smiling warmly as she asked,
"Forgive me for asking, Miss Maki, but… why aren't you staying in the same room as your boyfriend?"
"Boyfriend?!"
Maki's face instantly flushed bright red, her eyes widening.
She stammered, about to clarify her relationship with Ren—
But the very next second, her expression changed sharply.
Her body sprang upward from the bed in a swift leap, landing off to the side.
Whoosh—
A sudden gust sliced through the empty air.
Then—
Smack!
Something struck the headboard where Maki had been leaning moments earlier.
Seeing this, the seriousness in Maki's face deepened.
The moment she landed, she rolled forward and reached for the glasses on the bedside table—
But another gust came rushing toward her arm.
She quickly pulled her hand back.
The next instant—
CRACK!
Her already battered glasses were smashed to pieces on the bedside table.
Damn it!
Maki's face changed dramatically.
Without those glasses, she couldn't see cursed spirits at all.
But she didn't have time to hesitate or panic.
The moment she froze, another whistling gust came sweeping toward her waist.
Maki flipped sideways, leaping toward the clothes placed on the nearby table.
This time, the attack didn't stop her.
She successfully grabbed her clothes and pulled a bronze ruler-shaped weapon from her belt.
Another rush of wind followed immediately.
She twisted her wrist and slashed backward with the ruler.
Resistance traveled through the weapon.
The air filled with the sound of something being cut—followed by a piercing shriek.
Maki immediately flipped backward to create distance, her eyes scanning the room.
Even though she couldn't see the cursed spirit directly, she searched for the slightest disturbance in the room that might reveal its position.
Her hearing sharpened to its limit.
At the same time, the bronze ruler rose high in her hands, guarding her chest.
The bronze ruler in Maki's hand was also a cursed tool.
Whenever she traveled, she always carried at least one cursed tool as a precaution. She was different from ordinary sorcerers. Without cursed energy, she could not harm cursed spirits at all unless she used cursed tools.
However, carrying regulated weapons like naginata or swords everywhere was extremely inconvenient. That was why she chose this bronze ruler—it looked harmless and could easily pass through security checks.
Now it seemed that precaution had been incredibly wise.
Still… if only her glasses were intact.
From the speed and strength of the attack just now, the cursed spirit's grade probably wasn't very high. As long as she could find a way to pinpoint its location, she was confident she could exorcise it.
"Pain… it hurts…"
A voice suddenly came from the corner of the room.
Maki's heart jolted in shock.
A cursed spirit that could speak?
"Damn woman," the voice continued, "why would you hurt Lord Bath? Lord Bath… only wanted to bring you happiness!"
Maki's expression changed drastically.
The voice was constantly revealing the cursed spirit's location—but she didn't dare move recklessly.
A cursed spirit capable of speaking, and speaking so fluently at that, meant only one thing:
Its level was far from ordinary.
Her memories of the events at Jujutsu High resurfaced in her mind.
The plan has changed.
She needed to move—now.
She had to regroup with Ren as quickly as possible.
This was not a cursed spirit she could defeat alone.
"But…" the voice shifted to another location, speaking again in a sticky, wet tone that made her skin crawl.
"Lord Bath won't be angry."
"Your body is beautiful. Among all the treasures in Lord Bath's collection, it is the finest."
"Lord Bath will cherish you well… repaying your cruelty with endless love."
The moment the words ended—
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Several gusts of wind attacked her from multiple directions.
Maki swung the bronze ruler, slicing through several incoming strikes. Then she flipped backward, narrowly avoiding two more attacks that came from either side of her body.
"Tch," she spat.
"Disgusting."
There was no more time to hesitate.
Without being able to see the cursed spirit, dealing with it was extremely difficult. Its attacks weren't strong right now—but that was likely because it didn't want to damage her "body."
And with a cursed spirit of this level, there was no telling what hidden tricks it might have.
She remembered what Ren had experienced before.
One mistake could lead to irreversible disaster.
She had to regroup with him first.
"Miss Maki—!"
Just as she made that decision, another voice suddenly rang out.
The inn's landlady stood nearby, pale-faced and trembling uncontrollably.
"H-What's happening…?" she stammered. "Th-That voice just now… w-was it an evil spirit?"
She staggered toward Maki.
"Miss Maki… p-please save me."
Maki grabbed her arm and immediately turned toward the balcony.
It should be fine.
With her physique, carrying one extra person wasn't a heavy burden at all.
Right—she had nearly forgotten there was another person here because of the tension.
She had to take the woman with her to meet Ren. Leaving an ordinary person here alone—
Suddenly, Maki felt her body locked in place.
"Lord Bath… I've caught her. Heehee."
A voice whispered right behind her—so close it was almost touching her ear.