Abyssal Sovereignty

“So, what are you planning to do next?”

“……”

Faced with Haru’s question, the girl remained silent.

“Hmm… The Shrine Maiden told me that you can stay here for a while. Use this time to try and regain your memory. I have other matters to attend to, so I’ll be going now, meow.”

With those words, Haru quickly disappeared from sight.

‘…Regain my memory…’

To be honest, she didn’t care much about that. After all, it wasn’t crucial for her revenge. The immediate priority was to become stronger; otherwise, staying here would be in vain.

However, she still had no clue how to proceed. This place had no opponents capable of making her stronger—either they were too weak or far beyond her abilities.

‘It seems like… I’ve faced a similar situation before…’

When she was still weak, there were also no enemies to fight and grow stronger. It was as if…

Her gaze fell on a stone in the shrine. For some unknown reason, an impulse drove her towards it, and she placed her hand on the stone.

Bang!!

With just a slight movement, the stone shattered into dust.

This made her remember that she had once attacked stones and wood repeatedly, refining her technique over time.

Inspired, she found a few more stones to practice on, but quickly gave up after a few attempts.

She realized that her body had become so accustomed to her techniques that they were now second nature. To illustrate, after practicing martial arts, a person would consciously control their attacks. But for her, these techniques had become automatic, and she was at a level where there was almost no room for further improvement.

Recognizing this, a word surfaced in her mind—‘bottleneck.’

“…If I can’t find a direction, should I understand my current situation from other aspects?”

“……”

The girl turned around to see Shirone standing behind her.

“I heard about you from the Shrine Maiden. She asked me to bring this to you.”

Shirone handed the girl an item, but before she could inspect it, Shirone grabbed her hand.

“Before that, come with me.”

Shirone pulled her towards a wooden building with a large sign reading ‘Bathhouse.’

“I initially thought your attire was due to some special tradition, but it turns out you don’t have proper clothes.”

In the Abyss, there were many races, each with different cultures. Over time, a habit of ‘avoiding questions about others’ unique features’ had developed.

Not only did Shirone misunderstand, but even the fishmen, goblins, and giant snakes thought the same way.

If it weren’t for Misako, who had knowledge from outside the Abyss and knew some of the girl’s past, she would have had to continue living in her current state—covered only by a few blood-stained and loose bandages.

Of course, the girl didn’t see it as a big deal; after all, even if she changed clothes, they would quickly be ruined in battle. In fact, she had grown accustomed to this feeling over time. It was just…

“Ah, who’s this little cutie?”

“Come here and let big sister give you a hug!”

“Isn’t this outfit a bit of a tease?”

In the bathhouse, there were other shrine maidens and staff working at the shrine. Perhaps because of Shrine Maiden Misako, they all seemed to have a special fondness for petite girls.

Especially with how the girl looked now, though slightly older in appearance than Misako, her attire made her look like a little girl wrapped in ribbons, saying ‘The gift is me!’

The girl’s instincts told her that this would become very troublesome if it continued, so she obediently followed along to bathe and change.

“How long has it been since you’ve bathed? Your hair quality has deteriorated.”

Shirone squeezed some shampoo into her hand and carefully washed the girl’s long hair.

To her surprise, the girl’s body wasn’t particularly dirty—apart from a strong smell of blood, her skin and hair were just in poor condition.

This was no problem for them. With the special maintenance solution, the girl’s skin and hair improved significantly, and thanks to Shirone’s skillful care, the girl didn’t resist at all.

“Hmm, no wonder Shirone, you’re truly a model of a good wife and mother.”

“Wha…!?”

In a nearby hot spring, Misako was lounging with a drink, watching them.

“Good wife and mother… I’m nothing like that…”

Despite her words, Shirone’s hands continued to wash the girl’s body without stopping.

“Oh, but I often see people from the shrine confessing to you~”

“Ugh…”

If there were a ranking of the most popular people at the shrine, aside from Misako, Shirone would be at the top. She was not only gentle and beautiful but also of the same race as Shrine Maiden Misako. As for feminine charm, Shirone would be more suited to be a wife.

As for Misako, those who liked her were generally drawn by the desire to be under her command; being trampled or led by her was something they wouldn’t regret in their lifetime.

“Hmm… Recently, I’ve noticed you’ve been close to Haru. Do you have any thoughts about her?”

“No! I don’t like her!”

“No need to shout so loudly if you don’t. And your face is so red.”

“Th-That’s just because the water is too hot!”

“Oh~”

‘But you haven’t even entered the hot spring yet.’

Despite her childlike appearance, Misako had lived for an unknown length of time and could easily read such feelings.

“Well then, I’ll tell Haru that you don’t like her…”

“Eh!? It’s not that I don’t like her… That’s not quite right…”

‘How cute, she’s so calm in front of Haru, but when she’s not around, she’s so shy. It’s like two extremes.’

“By the way, recently, whether it’s her heat or something else, she’s been lying down in front of me, pretending to be a cat and asking for pets.”

“What!? Please elaborate!”

Shirone’s eyes sparkled with interest as she stared at Misako.

“Well… I can’t give details, but every time I pet her, she seems to go blank, completely unaware of what happened.”

“Ah… I see.”

Shirone made up her mind to definitely try it when she saw her next. After all, if she blanked out, she could do whatever she wanted, right?

‘…I’ll set up a surveillance spell later~’

Misako was very much looking forward to seeing their reactions when they discovered the truth.

“Alright, let’s not dwell on that. You should have finished washing by now, so hurry up and get into the hot spring. I’m here with you, and if you want to drink, it’s allowed.”

“Um… If we’re drinking…”

Bang!

Suddenly, at the entrance of the bathhouse, a group of dark figures were crouched behind the door, their faces showing frenzied and obsessive expressions. Startled, Shirone quickly led the girl into the hot spring, trying to ignore what was happening behind the door.

As for the fact that some shrine staff treated this hot spring water as holy water, that was a story for another time.