Sei Shigeru and Tarou Sakagami’s argument had reached a stalemate. About ten minutes later, someone scampered anxiously up the mountain, her voice loudly announcing her arrival before anyone could even see her.

 “Ryou… Ryouhei… Why are you still here? Yuuta… Yuuta is dead!” Her voice was filled with intense grief and despair. Under the pitch-black night sky, her cry was so piercingly shrill and inconsolable.

 Everyone’s heart sank when they heard the upsetting news, especially a villager named Ryouhei. He trembled in shock and muttered in disbelief, “How… How did it happen? How?” Then, he turned his head around and looked at his wife. Obviously shaken, he immediately grabbed her hand with so much force that the veins in his arm popped out and hurriedly said, “G-Go home!”

 After that, he dropped everything and instantly descended the mountain with a ghastly pale expression. He climbed down the mountain so quickly, neither his wife nor the people behind could catch up with him.

 Even in the chilly night, everyone immediately broke into a cold sweat when they saw this scene.

 “Majin! It must be the Majin!”

 “All this while, the Majin has hidden among us. Now, it’s actually starting to hurt people!”

 “I knew it, I knew it! We shouldn’t have let the Majin out in the first place.”

 “It seems that the Majin had escaped when the seal was broken, but no one knew!”

 “Stop arguing!” Tarou Sakagami roared loudly and knocked his staff on the ground, trying to appease the uneasy crowd. However, he began to cough fiercely, seemingly having yelled with too much force. If it was not for the people massaging his back to soothe him, he would not have been able to take another gasp of air.

 However, Tarou Sakagami actually held no authority over the villagers, as everyone was equal in this cursed village. The chief was merely elected by the villagers for management purposes. Usually, everyone would listen to him, but everyone ignored him under the current circumstances.

 Some people had already begun to descend the mountain to return home as they were worried about their family. Since Ryouhei’s family had a tragedy, they too began to worry about the safety of their wives and children at home.

 The earlier discussion had thrown everyone into a state of panic and distress.

 Majin! The Majin has started to seek revenge now!

 In mere moments, only a few villagers were left on top of the mountain. Tarou Sakagami became extremely infuriated when he saw the scene. However, deep down, he knew that the Sakagami Village’s curse had always been an invisible fear weighing on everyone’s heart. Now that someone had died, despite not knowing how it happened, it was evident that it was an unnatural accident judging from the anxious and fearful look on Ryouhei’s wife.

 Uneasiness began to rise in his heart as he thought about the peculiar situation.

 Kimura Kazuki wanted to go down the mountain to look around, so he shot a glance at Sei Shigeru.

 Sei Shigeru took a step forward when he noticed his gaze, his expression heavy with unease. Then, he uttered, “Brother Tarou, something sinister has happened in this village, and it may be related to the Majin. Should we go down together to see what has happened? After all, all of us came to Sakagami Village for Unto Shrine. The Majin might be trying to cause chaos now, so it’s better if we go down earlier to investigate so we can prepare for it.”

 “No way! Quickly leave now!” Tarou Sakagami could not bother about the death of his son now. As the Sakagami Village’s curse had been passed down for many generations, he no longer perceived the issue of life and death with gravity. Instead, he believed that his son had escaped the curse when he died. Perhaps his demise was a blessing in disguise, as he would not need to be tormented by it anymore.

 However, if the secret were to be exposed and outsiders were to find out about the curse of Sakagami Village, it would truly be an unimaginable catastrophe. The village would be thrown into the spotlight and the scrutiny of the public’s eye if the media reported about it. People would watch them as though they were monkeys in a zoo, and most importantly, they would surely be subjected to gruesome dissection in some unethical laboratories. When that happens, the inhabitants of Sakagami Village would probably become test subjects, and it would truly be a greater horror than being cursed.

 Kimura Kazuki scrunched his brows tightly as he felt that the chief was obviously concealing something. It was evident that the village was at a crucial moment, seeing that somebody was just murdered and he wanted them to quickly leave the village. If they did not investigate soon, they would miss the golden opportunity and let the Majin escape.

 Hesitation and indecisiveness would invariably lead to disasters. He knew he must be decisive now, even though he might seem a bit overbearing. After his train of thought ended, he indifferently said, “The Shrine Administration Bureau has asked us to come here to investigate Unto Shrine. Since the incident in Sakagami Village is related to it, it is also within our parameters of investigation. Thus, the government would probably not allow us to leave. Even if we do, there will be other people coming!”

 “I don’t believe you!” Tarou Sakagami sneered. His utmost priority was to get rid of these people in front of him now, and he would not care if other people would replace them later. After all, he needed to carry out the ceremony to dispel the curse during these two days. Successful or not, Sakagami Village would surely undergo a complete transformation.

 Kimura Kazuki merely ignored him, he had already said what he needed to say. If he really left, he would have come for nothing.

 Furthermore, Kimura Kazuki did not lie to him. By hook or by crook, the Unto Shrine’s matter must be solved. The Deity Rising Palace would surely send other Onmyoji there if he and Sei Shigeru left. Even if the other Onmyoji were to be driven out, the Deity Rising Palace would definitely put pressure on Sakagami Village to cooperate with them.

 Hence, Kimura Kazuki took no notice of Tarou Sakagami. In the blink of an eye, he instantly disappeared from the crowd, speeding down the mountain toward Sakagami Village.

 Everyone was stunned and frozen in complete disbelief when they witnessed Kimura Kazuki evaporating into thin air in front of their very eyes.

 Tarou Sakagami could not help but shudder. He was stammering, “He… He…”

 He originally thought that these Onmyoji were normal humans, like those from Unto Shrine. However, Kimura Kazuki vanished in front of him in a fraction of a second, he was clearly not an ordinary man.

 Sei Shigeru was caught by surprise. When he saw that the villagers of Sakagami Village were staring at them with astonished expressions, he said with a forced smile, “We are here today because the Majin in the Unto Shrine has broken through its seal. Please tell us if you, the inhabitants of Sakagami Village, know anything about it. Only then, we would be able to deal with the Majin faster and lift the immense pressure that has been stifling Sakagami Village.”

 Sei Shigeru originally did not want to tell the villagers about the Majin, but the villagers had screamed its name in terror previously. Clearly, they knew more than them and did not blindly assume that it was merely a myth. Upon mulling it over, he recalled that the Onmyoji and shrine maiden of Unto Shrine were chosen by Sakagami Village. No matter how ignorant the villagers were, they would still understand the matters that were closely related to them.

 If so, why did Granny Sakagami tell them that these are all feudal superstitions? As Sei Shigeru thought about it, he inquisitively eyed Granny Sakagami who was standing beside Tarou Sakagami. She looked greatly troubled, clearly upset that there was a death and a disappearance in the village in just one day. She was too overwrought to notice Sei Shigeru staring at her.

 Sei Shigeru was not in a hurry to go down the mountain as well. As Kimura Kazuki had gone down to investigate, he believed that Kimura Kazuki would acquire every piece of information that was needed.

 Sei Shigeru still had great confidence in Kimura Kazuki. From his experience, he was not merely a reckless man who spent all his time practicing.