Chapter 20: Forest Path
At the same time, on the other side, the Fujiwara couple drove out of a secret path in a carriage. Their faces were sallow and their hair was disheveled, but their eyes were filled with excitement.
"Great! It's finally here!"
"I've been so exhausted these past few days!"
Hearing her parents' exclamations outside the carriage, Minako lifted the curtain and stuck her head out. She understood one thing when these people got off.
For some unknown reason, my parents want to dedicate me to their leader, and before that I have to ensure my health and safety.
Therefore, regardless of whether there was enough food during the journey, the two of them always took care of her first and then solved their own needs.
So at this moment, Minako looked much better than the Fujiwara couple.
Leaning her head to look at the scenery outside, she saw a beautiful town sparkling in the sun, with exquisite ancient buildings surrounding a tall building that looked like a temple.
The strange thing is that the temple is tightly closed and no light can enter.
Just as he was curious, the Fujiwara couple who were driving noticed Minako sticking her head out, and they forced a smile and tried to dissuade her.
"Minako, please go back to the car and I'll pick you up when we get to our destination, okay?"
"Yes, yes, the sun outside is so strong that it cannot burn my lovely daughter."
The two said this but didn't think so in their hearts.
What if this girl remembers the road and runs away when they are not paying attention?
The usual gentle words now sounded so harsh to Minako, and the smile that became weird in her eyes made her heart ache secretly.
"Um..."
The other party's attitude was "if you don't go back, we will keep watching you", which left her with no choice but to respond in a muffled voice and retract her head.
And the Fujiwara couple got what they wanted and continued driving on the road towards the town.
Minako huddled in the carriage. She had no idea what was waiting for her next, but she could vaguely feel that it should be related to the monsters that Wolf had killed over the years.
Fear brought out her reliance on the wolf, and she couldn't help but clench the bag of sugar in her arms.
Mr. Wolf...where are you...if you don't come to Minako, I will never see you again...
As the carriage rocked, Minako, who had been unable to sleep peacefully for days due to fear, felt her eyelids gradually becoming heavy, and finally she closed her eyes and fell into a deep sleep.
…………
!!!
The shaking of the carriage woke Minako from her deep sleep. She was worried that they had reached their destination and her eyes gradually became sharp.
I can't just rely on Mr. Wolf. Even if I'm alone, I have to struggle and resist with all my might until Mr. Wolf comes to rescue me!
But she didn't sleep as long as she thought. Outside the carriage, Fujiwara's father's rough and nervous voice came.
"Who are you and why are you stopping our car?!"
Then a clear and gentle female voice sounded, and this voice calmed Minako's frightened heart a little.
"I mean no harm. I am just an ordinary traveler passing through here who wanted to enter the town but was not welcome. I wanted to follow you into the town."
"You must be joking. How could you, a tourist, come here?"
"Ah~ In that case, I'm sorry for being rude."
"Uh", "Hmm"
As the helpless female voice fell, two muffled groans were heard along with the sound of a body falling to the ground. At the same time, Minako clearly felt the sound of the man stepping onto the carriage in the carriage.
The footsteps were getting closer and closer, and the other person's figure was reflected on the curtain. A white and slender hand slowly pulled the curtain open.
The man did not expect it to be a little girl. She also had a smile on her face, but her eyes were gentle to the core, which was different from the Fujiwara couple who had fallen outside and covered their abdomens.
"Hello, little sister~"
For some reason, tears welled up from her eyes at this moment and dripped onto the wooden board of the carriage, scaring the tall girl opposite so much that she came over and hugged Minako, who was wiping her tears, in her arms.
Feeling the warmth of tears seeping through her uniform, Kocho Kanae had already guessed the general truth of the matter.
Those who come to this place where evil spirits live in seclusion are either evil people who are accomplices of the evil spirits, or innocent people who have been deceived into coming here. The little girl in front of him naturally cannot be the former.
Was he trafficked? No, it's more likely...
Looking sideways at the Fujiwara couple who were still wailing in pain behind her, Kocho Kanae's usually gentle eyes couldn't help but reveal a bit of coldness.
Then his tone became gentle again and he comforted Minako who was sobbing in his arms.
"Don't cry~, Sister Kanae is here to protect you~"
Kanae patted her back gently, waiting for Minako's sobbing to stop and her trembling little body to stop shaking.
Before she could let go of his embrace, Minako broke free with a blushing face, and played with her fingers in front of her with evasive eyes.
Seeing this little guy so cute, Kanae couldn't help but cover her mouth and laugh out loud.
The feather ornaments that resemble butterfly wings reflected brilliant light in the sun, and coupled with Kanae's beautiful smile, in Minako's eyes she looked like a beautiful elf.
"so beautiful..."
Hearing Minako's subconscious murmur of praise, Kanae's smiling eyes narrowed even further, and she looked at Minako's blushing face in front of her and spoke.
"Little sister, I have something to ask you."
Minako responded timidly with a blushing face.
"Just call me Minako. What can I ask you?"
Seeing Minako's slightly red face trying to look serious, Kanae felt that the little girl was sensible, but also felt heartbroken for her experience.
The question that was about to come to her lips was a little hesitant at this moment. She was so gentle that she didn't want to reveal Minako's scars.
However, her sense of responsibility as a pillar of the Demon Slayer Corps forced her to learn about this possible information about evil spirits.
Facing the little Minako in front of him, he squatted slightly and looked into her eyes seriously.
"Sister wants to ask you about the Eternal Paradise Cult."
Feeling Kanae's serious tone, the smart Minako could tell that the gentle older sister in front of her might not be an ordinary person. From the first moment she saw Kanae, she noticed the faintly visible samurai sword on her waist.
Moreover, the other person was obviously a girl like herself, but when they hugged just now, her body muscles were quite elastic, the calluses on her hands were the result of holding knives for many years, and the air she exhaled was also very hot.
Minako had met such a "weirdo" before, and this "weirdo" was none other than the wolf with whom she had lived for three years.
The other party's questions and serious expression at this moment also showed that he obviously knew that there was something strange about the Eternal Paradise Sect.
Minako gritted her teeth and told Kanae everything she knew and her own inferences. She believed that the other party was not a bad person, just like she believed that the wolf was not a bad person back then.
"I... I only know that my parents are fanatical followers of the Eternal Paradise Church, and... this time they went to the Eternal Paradise Church to sacrifice me to the leader... So I suspect that the leader is a man-eating evil ghost."
She frowned and listened to every word Minako said. At first, she felt guilty for making Minako recall her tragic experience, but the last sentence made her heart skip a beat.
"Minako...how did you know...about ghosts?"