炎の戦争; 赤い 蓮の子 (Flames of War; Child of the Crimson Lotus)

(七) Chapter-Seven; Human-Fish

The band of six was traveling southeast for several weeks. Then one night, while Lingren was out searching for fish in a nearby river. He stabbed his spear into the water and lifted it up to find a strange creature. The creature had dark green scales and a body around one meter in length and fifteen centimeters in width. It also had a hideous, deformed human face, long, bony, humanoid arms and hands, while its hair was dark and unkempt. Lingren had never seen anything so unsightly, yet he couldn't help but wonder what exactly that was. The creature quickly pulled the spearhead out of its bleeding stomach and swam back into the river.

Following seeing that bizarre creature, Lingren immediately returned to his party's camp. Tetsuya gazed upon him there with disappointment, for the foreigner returned empty-handed. While Hinatsu, Sakura, and Akamaru were surprised to find him there early. Meanwhile, Fan was indifferent.

"Mr. Junshigoto, weren't you tasked with gathering fish for tonight's dinner? Why must you return empty-handed?" Tetsuya inquired sternly.

"I found something interesting in the river. It was a fish with human characteristics, looked atrocious, and was about two-thirds the size of Hinatsu." Lingren explained, to the confusion of everyone else listening to him.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Akamaru spoke while scratching his head.

"I don't think that I've ever heard of there being a fish with human characteristics," Hinatsu replied with confusion.

"Mr. Junshigoto, please describe this creature in more detail," Sakura asked, earning herself a nod from Lingren.

"It had a mutated face, long, humanoid arms, and hands. Also, its hair was dark and messy." He explained as Tetsuya and Sakura's eyes widened upon realization.

"You found a ningyo!" The two exclaimed in unison. Akamaru and Hinatsu looked at the shrine maiden and the kitsune with curiosity.

"So, that's what it's called," Lingren replied nonchalantly.

"What is a ningyo?" The young rounin questioned Sakura and Tetsuya.

"It's a bad omen that you should avoid," Tetsuya answered simply.

"It is a creature that, if you try to wound or kill, it will curse you. Although, some say that if you eat its meat, you will gain immortality." Sakura chimed in, which piqued both Hinatsu and Lingren's interest. The foreigner immediately ran into the distance and called for Fan in his native tongue.

"Come back here, Mr. Junshigoto!" Hinatsu exclaimed angrily as she chased after Lingren. However, Sakura grabbed her by the arm before she could get very far.

"Let him go. He needs to learn from his mistakes somehow, even if it happens to be the hard way." She said softly, as the young rounin looked at her and slowly nodded in response.

Meanwhile, Lingren and Fan raced toward the nearby river with the hope of finding the ningyo. Unfortunately, the two searched for the creature for hours without results. Then suddenly, a mysterious man dressed in a long, gray cloak grabbed Lingren's arm, causing him to instinctively turn around to look at the person. The stranger stood at around one and three-fourths meters in height, their hands gloved, and their long, gray cloak covered most of their body. However, one could catch a slight glimpse of a white mask covering the stranger's face.

"You there, young man! What brings you out here this late at night?" The stranger inquired, with a masculine voice. Lingren grew slightly suspicious but didn't jump to conclusions immediately.

"I'm searching for a ningyo, as it's called. Do you have any problem with that?" The foreigner asked, with an almost mocking tone. This piqued the stranger's interest.