Shinji Matou at Your Service-Chapter 971: Nighttime Slaughter

Often, place names reflect prominent local features. For example, the directional characteristics of Kanto and Kansai, or the nine provinces that makeup Kyushu—Chikuzen, Chikugo, Buzen, Bungo, Hizen, Higo, Hyuga, Satsuma, and Osumi.

Fuyuki City's Miyama Town is similar. It is densely forested, nestled against the mountains, and boasts a great living environment. However, the thick forests and complex terrain also provide cover for some of society's darker elements—such as a manhunt.

The targets of this particular manhunt are a mother and daughter. The mother wears a broad embroidered kimono, her long hair almost reaching the ground. She holds a dagger in her right hand while carrying her daughter in her left.

Compared to her mother, the daughter is dressed much more modernly, fitting for the time. She's bundled up in thick winter clothes, with a small leather hat and gloves, resembling a large, fluffy doll.

Indeed, these two are none other than the Ryougi family's mother and daughter, Ryougi Shiki and Ryougi Mana, who had recently arrived in Fuyuki City.

Over the past few days, they had been investigating the local vampire situation. Since the official commission was only to investigate and not to engage in combat, Shiki didn't take it too seriously and even brought her daughter along.

The results of the investigation were as expected—just some low-level Dead Apostles. There were a lot of them, but they were still within manageable numbers, nothing too serious. Relieved, Shiki decided to relax and do some sightseeing with her daughter.

However, just as they were about to head back, an unexpected incident occurred.

First, the car they were traveling in was immobilized by a sudden landslide. After sending off the driver and attendant to seek help, the mother and daughter were attacked by a pack of beasts.

At first, Shiki didn't think much of it. The area was surrounded by forests, so encountering wild animals wasn't particularly surprising. She could easily dispatch them—after all, with her skills, she didn't even need to use her Mystic Eyes of Death Perception to deal with wolves, tigers, or leopards.

But after casually killing a few beasts, Shiki began to sense that something was off—the composition of the beast pack was unusual.

It wasn't strange for wild animals to gather in groups. But seeing several different species of carnivorous predators banding together? That was strange. Moreover, the number of species seemed to be ever-increasing.

Even more bizarre was that all the beasts had black fur and red eyes. While black fur wasn't uncommon, the uniformity of their coloration, especially with the red eyes, was abnormal.

There had to be someone controlling the beasts—Shiki reached this conclusion.

"Mom, we need to run. Let's go in this direction," Mana suddenly spoke up.

Born from a mother directly connected to the Root, Mana had an innate sharp sense. What might seem like maturity beyond her years was just a manifestation of her natural talent. In this regard, even her mother, Ryougi Shiki, couldn't compare to her.

Shiki had seen her daughter's talents many times before. If Mana said they should run, then they needed to run—immediately.

Without hesitation, Shiki scooped up her daughter in one arm and, with a swift slash of her dagger, cut a path through the beasts.

Once again, Mana's intuition proved correct. The direction she pointed to was where the beast pack was weakest, and in just a few seconds, this weak point would have closed, leaving them in an even more dangerous situation.

For now, the immediate threat was cleared.

But only for now.

The ever-growing beast pack was still on their trail, driven by someone who didn't want to let them go. They only have two legs, while the beasts have four—and some even have wings.

Though Shiki had trained in martial arts since childhood and had mastered precise footwork, her physical strength wasn't much greater than that of an ordinary person, especially since she hadn't undergone the same kind of physical enhancements as Shinji. Moreover, she was carrying her daughter, so it wouldn't be long before they were caught.

With no other choice, Shiki had to rely on the special abilities of her Mystic Eyes of Death Perception, cutting down wave after wave of beasts before continuing to flee.

But it didn't take long for the next wave of beasts to catch up. Shiki found herself repeating the exhausting cycle of running, being caught, killing, and running again.

This wasn't a sustainable strategy. The continuous movement and combat were taking a huge toll on Shiki's body. If this continued, she would soon run out of stamina, while the relentless beasts showed no signs of tiring.

With a smooth arc of her dagger, Shiki sliced through two wolf-like beasts, leaving a flash of light in the night. Black blood splattered across her face, but she didn't have the time or energy to wipe it off. Gasping for breath, she muttered:

"Ugh~ How many more of these things are there? This is endless."

"I don't know," Mana, clinging to her back, shook her head.

"But I'm sure there are more than you've already killed."

"I've taken out over thirty of them by now, so that means there are at least forty more... This is such a pain."

"This is your fault, Mom. Dad told you to bring a phone, but you didn't. If you had it, you could've called for help from my future master, Aunt Sakura, or Aunt Fujino."

Hearing her daughter's complaint, Shiki retorted confidently:

"There was no place to put it!"

Shiki was wearing a traditional kimono, which had no pockets. The only place she could store anything was in her bosom, and that space was already occupied by her dagger.

"Then don't wear a kimono," Mana shot back.

"My little mom doesn't wear one, and she looks just as good."

"I'm not used to it!"

"Then get used to it!"

Shiki turned her head to glare at her daughter, her rainbow-colored eyes glowing faintly, but Mana wasn't intimidated and stared right back.

"..."

"..."

After a long moment of silence, Shiki finally turned her head, muttering grudgingly:

New novel chapt𝒆rs are published on ƒгeewebnovёl.com.

"I'll buy one when we get back."

"Okay."

It was hard to tell from their conversation who was the mother and who was the daughter.

"Which way next?"

Shiki asked.

"This way."

Mana pointed toward the slope of the mountain.

"Isn't that heading deeper into the wilderness? Are you sure it's safe?"

"Yes. I can sense it—someone is over there."

"Who would be in a place like this? Could it be the leader of these beasts? That would solve all our problems in one go."

Shiki's expression grew colder. Even though she was now a wife and mother, her bloodlust hadn't diminished much.

"No," Mana shook her head again.

"Even if it was, you wouldn't be able to beat them right now—I know. You're almost out of strength, and your hands are shaking."

"Hmm, I'm starting to understand how Mikiya feels now," Shiki muttered under her breath.

"What about Dad?"

"Nothing... Ugh, those relentless beasts are catching up again. You'll have to get down for a bit while I take care of them."

The fact that Shiki said this meant she was reaching her limit—she no longer had the strength to fight while carrying her daughter.

"Be careful, Mom. Once you take them out, we'll be safe," Mana cheered her on, pumping her tiny fists in encouragement.

"Haha, that's something to look forward to," Shiki wiped her face with her sleeve, then smiled lightly.

Shiki thought to herself: Mikiya, you were right. Maturity does have its downsides—it makes a child less cute. But it also has its upsides. It makes them reliable, just like you've always been for me.

Watch this, Mana—your mother won't fall here.

With a flourish of her sleeves and a flash of cold light, the beast's howls filled the night air.