I Became the Final Subjugation Target of That Era’s Light Novel

I actually didn’t believe in luck.

As an atheist, of course I thought the world operated based on the phenomena explained by scientists, with no room for words like fate.

Well, if we dig deeper, there are those who say things like there’s no free will and that the world is just a series of cause and effect, but I never felt the need to go that far.

My job didn’t require it. I only needed to know where the water flows, how to effectively water plants, and what measures are necessary to make a person’s heart beat again. That sort of knowledge was all I needed.

Um. But, you know…

“Ah.”

Right now, I was in a state of almost believing in fate.

No, well, maybe not fate, but at least it seemed clear that that Kudan guy could really read the future.

Just how far did he predict? He must have expected us to follow. The timing of his escape seemed way too good.

Did he anticipate that the church people would come after us? That the two groups would waste time clashing while I slipped through and followed Kudan?

I wondered if he had predicted that my foot would smash against a rock and I’d stumble forward, or if I would end up rolling on the ground like a tumbleweed.

I was curious if he had foreseen me rolling down the mountain, hitting trees, and almost passing out before collapsing at the edge of consciousness.

“…….”

Thinking back, I realized I didn’t even have a flashlight. I should’ve picked one up when I left the car.

Guh.

Finally managing to get up, my back felt like it was going to split in two.

But hey, I wasn’t dead yet. My injuries hadn’t healed, but still.

Normally, wounds heal in an instant, but in this situation tangled up with Jjapgurasu, the healing speed was significantly slower. I didn’t know why. Maybe it was because of Jjapgurasu’s desire.

Breathing heavily, I rummaged through my pockets.

Fortunately, my phone was snugly in my pants pocket.

My phone doesn’t have a flashlight. But even so, in such pitch-dark darkness, I could still use the screen brightness to illuminate the floor a bit.

So, I aimed it at the ground.

My jeans were torn here and there, with blood seeping out from the gaps.

I touched my leg with my hand. Good. With this kind of injury, I shouldn’t have a major problem walking. Of course, a normal person would worry about infections or something, but I didn’t have to worry about that; my injuries would all disappear once the job was done.

I tapped the ground lightly with my toes. There didn’t seem to be anything wrong with my senses. At least, it looked like my spine wasn’t out of alignment.

Slowly, I raised my phone.

But you know…

Thinking again, it seemed like I was still in a mess of a situation.

If I couldn’t find Kudan, it meant I might just end up dying here, stranded on a mountain that was only an hour and a half away by car from Tokyo.

Damn—

As I thought that while scanning the area with my phone…

“……!”

I had to force myself to bite my lip.

It was a human face.

A middle-aged man’s face.

A middle-aged face with horns like a cow’s on his forehead, hair all ruffled up, staring at me without blinking.

The chill creeping up my back made me momentarily forget the pain that surged through my entire body. I wasn’t thankful at all.

Once again, the word “fate” came to mind.

Thanks to Jjapgurasu’s interference, or maybe Kudan’s prophetic abilities. I had just rolled down a hill, yet here I was stopping right near the forest where Kudan was supposed to be hidden.

From this distance, I couldn’t see his face clearly, but…

Have you ever seen the pale face of a man peeking through the branches in a dense forest at night, where the light of the moon or stars barely penetrates?

Even if I vaguely knew what it was, it was still incredibly terrifying. Moving my feet just a few millimeters toward that face sent chills down my spine that wouldn’t stop.

No, upon thinking again, it didn’t seem like this chill was just because I was scared.

But still, right now, Kudan was genuinely the scariest yōkai I had encountered so far. It wasn’t his appearance, but rather his presence.

Ah, should I ask him to make me a knife?

I seriously contemplated that.

Now, I didn’t even have that. Maybe I was running low on blood to craft something new.

“… E-excuse me?”

I knew he was newly born. But somehow, I didn’t feel like talking informally. Was it because he had the face of a middle-aged man? That might be part of it, but…

The face of a cow is obviously larger than a human face. Any bulky guy I knew would obviously have a smaller head than a cow.

But how big would his head be if a human head were on a cow’s body?

If he opened his mouth, I felt like my whole head could fit inside without any joke.

It was a bit hard to grasp. No matter how much you call it a cow, a calf should be much smaller than that.

The Kudan in front of me wasn’t just a calf.

… Could it be another one?

Another yōkai living in this forest?

There was no option to escape even in this situation. Honestly, even if I turned around right now, all I would find was the steep slope I rolled down.

And if it was a yōkai, it probably wouldn’t think about eating me. Usually, it would just spit me out after a single bite.

“… Kudan?”

Did it know the name it was called by?

Since I didn’t show any hostility, that pale, big face just continued staring at me with its black eyes.

“……”

And finally, I succeeded in getting close.

I slowly peeked over its face.

There it was— the body of a spotted cow.

… So it really was that breed.

I should have noticed when they mentioned a ranch.

What do I do?

If the other party was just a cow, or if it had at least a cow’s face, I might have tried petting it with my hand.

But… that… was a bit… weird, right?

Since it had the face of a broad man.

Wouldn’t it be a bit awkward to pet it?

“… A-are you understanding me?”

I awkwardly asked in a formal tone.

Kudan just stared at me, then abruptly turned its head.

And then it started to walk away.

It wasn’t running, so I quickly caught up.

Was it leading me somewhere? Or was it running away in its own way?

Kudan’s hair fluttered lightly as it walked ahead.

Zing.

The phone I was holding rang.

Even in the mountains, I guess because we were close to Tokyo, the communication network seemed well developed.

I picked up my phone.

[Kurosawa!? Where are you right now? Are you okay?]

Yūki shouted with a voice that didn’t sound okay at all.

I pulled my phone slightly away from my ear and spoke.

“I’m fine. Just lost my way a bit.”

[Where are you?]

I looked over at Kudan.

Kudan had stopped ahead and was looking back at me.

In the middle of a forest with no proper path, having a cow standing there staring at me was a bizarre sight. And it just had to have a human face.

…

Was that a bit of white hair peeking through?

Was that just my imagination?

I thought for a moment before I spoke.

“I found it.”

[What?]

Yūki sounded surprised. There was a brief commotion on the line. I heard grandfather mumbling, and it seemed there were a few other people with them.

Had they possibly made a deal with the church folks? No matter how good Yūki and grandfather’s skills were, I didn’t think they could win in a numbers game. Especially since neither side had the intent to kill.

“For now, just follow behind. I’ll let you know once I find out the location.”

How to inform them would be something to think about later.

[Wait, Kurosawa! Kurosawa!]

“I’ll talk to you later.”

I replied and quickly ended the call.

… Prophecy, alone.

… Did that existence already know even just that?

Waiting for me to finish the call, Kudan turned its head and continued walking in a straight line.

I hurriedly followed behind.

*

A few minutes before Kurokawa Kotone tumbled off the cliff—

“Kurosawa!”

Yūki lunged at the man who was blocking Kotone.

He didn’t plan to fight; he just wanted to somehow break through the situation and protect Kotone.

But even before Yūki could charge, the man’s knife stabbed into Kotone.

The blade, about 20 centimeters long, seemed to pierce near Kotone’s neck.

“What—”

Was all the man had managed to mumble.

From behind, a boy from the same school, one year above, was screaming. It sounded like he was yelling at the man for stabbing Kotone.

But before that, Yūki was already diving toward the man.

“Yūka! Don’t!”

Hearing grandfather’s shout, Yūki snapped back to reality and quickly turned his body to evade the man’s blade.

But he didn’t slow down.

The man tackled from behind by Yūki collapsed forward.

And that was just the beginning.

Bam!

Yūki swiftly dodged a punch that came flying at him, driving the grip of the knife into the man’s abdomen.

“Guh!”

The man grunted as he staggered but didn’t fall.

“H-huh.”

Yūki heard that sound behind him.

The man dropped the blood-stained knife to the ground, with a clear red hue on the blade.

Seeing that, Yūki’s heart sank.

It’s my fault.

That thought crossed his mind.

Kotone had been tormented by something throughout the semester. It wasn’t just from yōkai, but also due to various other troubles.

Grandfather thought that Kotone had dealt with the mysterious yōkai that had suddenly disappeared while Yūki was out and about.

That wasn’t exactly a strange deduction. Yūki had seen her grab the knife she made after reading about a monster in the newspaper and go out to take care of it.

In the midst of a horrific situation, she quietly helped people with whatever she could do.

And that method was making her already terrible situation even more dreadful.

After hearing the sound of wind, there was a clashing sound of metal against metal.

The swords clashed, but it wasn’t just swords colliding. Grandfather had shot an arrow to knock the man’s blade to the ground. Yūki seized the opportunity to leap back and create some distance.

Then he looked in the direction where Kotone ran. Kotone was already out of sight.

I have to go.

After all, she was a kid without a flashlight. If she got lost in the mountains at this point…

But even when he tried to dash forward to follow her, there were still those in his way.

“Get out of the way!”

Yūki shouted while aiming his sword at them.

“Everyone stop!”

At his shout, the men froze.

Yūki turned to look back.

The upper-classman quickly headed towards the spot where the man had dropped his sword.

Bending down, he picked up the weapon.

The thick blood that had clung to it dribbled down the blade.

The woman’s face was also covered in blood so much that if anyone passing by saw it, they would definitely have called the police.

“……”

Yūki glared at the woman as well.

What exactly happened here?

Had Kotone sprayed blood? Or did that woman…?

“Why did you do that?” The woman asked.

“I didn’t stab her—”

“You aimed the knife at her.”

“You were holding it too!”

In response to Yūki’s words, the woman looked back at him.

“You were holding a knife too.”

“I wasn’t planning to stab! I didn’t stab! She threw a… balloon at me? Anyway, I blocked that!”

She coldly spoke to Yūki.

“That’s not it. You’re the ones who hurt her that badly! Why? Was there some ritual? Is that prophecy really that important? To go as far as making that girl bleed?!”

“……”

At her words, Yūki felt as if he had been hit in the head again.

“That girl was bleeding profusely! In this situation, she would have collapsed soon. We need to find her first! There’s no time to fight!”

The woman spoke calmly.

“But Kudan—”

“……”

At her words, she kept her gaze fixed on the man’s face.

The man fell silent.

Yeah, it’s true.

It was Yūki who called for Kotone.

It was Yūki who made her bleed. Even more, he had prepared a first aid kit and a bucket in the car.

Kotone, when she got in the car, had placed a shopping bag that looked precious in the seat’s corner. As if she didn’t want it to get stained with blood.

And she even mentioned she had an appointment on Thursday.

… She must have known everything. That she would bleed, and perhaps she would end up hospitalized.

She knew everything and still followed Yūki’s words without telling him what to do.

What made her think like that? Did she believe that even if there was a ‘disaster,’ stopping it was the priority even if it meant sacrificing Kotone?

…

No, that’s not right. It felt more like…

As if that thought had naturally occurred.

Like when facing a yōkai, the chill ran down my spine.

Who even was the monster here?

“Yūka.”

Yūki’s grandfather’s voice snapped him back to reality.

“First, let’s check if we can make contact.”

At grandfather’s prompt, Yūki quickly retrieved his phone from his pocket.

He immediately searched for Kotone’s name and dialed.

“Kurosawa!? Where are you right now? Are you okay?!”

Kotone said she was okay.

She even said she found Kudan.

But she didn’t say where she was before the call ended.

Upon hearing Kotone’s story, the men’s expressions, which were somewhat dubious, shifted.

But Kudan had long since vanished from Yūki’s mind.

He started running. He could hear the sound of people following behind him in a rush.

Everything had turned into a huge mess. There was a chance that the church could kill Kudan before they could even hear the prophecy, and the Miura side might respond.

But—

That didn’t matter anymore.

What mattered more was that he had put his friend in this kind of situation.

But as he ran along the trail left by the blood,

There lay a steep slope leading down—one that an unprepared person shouldn’t descend.

And near that slope were signs of something having been dragged.

Further down, the trail of blood continued.

*

It was about time I acquired different abilities.

Now that I think about it, isn’t the blade ‘made’ from my blood? Perhaps I could summon it in a different form.

Like a gun, for example.

After all, it’s a solid substance, right? If I imagined it like having a portable 3D printer, it might actually work.

… No, but that idea got shot down pretty quickly. A gun has too many parts, after all. More than anything, our mighty and noble external being, Jjapgurasu, probably wouldn’t allow it.

It was a thoroughly distasteful existence. It might just want to sprinkle my blood and summon something.

Back in the day, they sacrificed offerings to the Aztecs.

I don’t think the gods they believed in actually existed, but they insisted on that method. It’s not like they thought of just killing or preparing something beforehand. That was probably because they wanted to ‘look good’ in front of the gods.

And Jjapgurasu is an external entity. It might reject anything that doesn’t fit its desires or demand substantial penalties instead.

So what about a bow?

If I could shoot arrows, it would greatly help in the Lyju battlefield.

I could also probably find a way to use the persisting blood in some way.

… The big problem was that I had no reason to be involved in that harem meeting.

“… Ah.”

Kudan stopped walking, and I halted beside him.

“Where is this?”

It was a cliff.

Much higher than where I had rolled down earlier. If I misstepped once, I felt like they’d have a hard time recovering my body.

At night, I couldn’t see the scenery well. But I imagined it would be a splendid view in daylight.

Looking around, it didn’t seem like there were any guardrails, so it wasn’t exactly a developed tourist area.

And more than anything—

“The sea.”

I could see the ocean.

The midnight sea was beautiful.

The moon floated in the sky above the water, and the moon’s reflection danced upon the ocean’s waves.

The horizon stretched out surprisingly well even in the darkness.

“Was it to see this vista…?”

At my words, Kudan, who had sat down near the cliff, turned to look at me.

And I was stunned again by the sight of its face.

Kudan’s face had aged completely. During our time walking together, it had transformed into a wrinkled old man. The white hair flowing from its head wasn’t just my imagination.

“……”

Silently, I moved beside Kudan and sat down.

Perhaps it seemed like this guy wanted this from the beginning.

There was no reason to eliminate me. Unlike others, it didn’t try to capture me to hear the prophecy or eliminate me ahead of time.

What I desired was simply a few words to say before dying.

A comfortable death without being trapped or interrupted by anyone.

Since I was going to die today anyway.

We sat there in silence for a long time.

Knowing what I desired made it unnecessary to voice it at all.

If I had realized this earlier…

Before long, the goosebumps that had risen up my back began to fade.

With a thud, Kudan’s face fell weakly to the ground. It completely relaxed its legs, hunched its chin against the earth, staring blankly out at the far-off sea.

If only I could hold out for a few hours to catch a glimpse of the sunrise.

“… It’s time.”

Kudan opened its mouth.

It was an old man’s voice.

“Yeah.”

“I wanted to see the future that only came to my mind.”

“……”

“Now that I’ve opened my mouth, I need to speak the prophecy. I must speak before I die. If I don’t, I’ll be killed by those who come after me soon.”

“… I’m listening.”

“You don’t need to listen. Just stay far away.”

“But that will happen. And I’ve promised. I have to hear it.”

“……”

Kudan hesitated for a moment before finally opening its mouth.

“You will die.”

Death comes to everyone.

Every life ends in death.

Easily, no life is born to die, but…

“You will die… at the hands of the one you trust the most.”

Yeah, I figured that would be the case.

“I got it. Thank you.”

“Mm.”

Kudan responded.

And then, there was no more sound.

The goosebumps that had risen up my back completely vanished.

I continued sitting there alone, lost in thought.

Kudan’s prophecy wasn’t just for individuals.

The way to avoid the prophecy was to hear the prophecy from a female Kudan born with you.

… If those two conditions combined…

Did that mean that my death would bring a disaster upon this world?

Or perhaps inversely, was it a warning for those trying to save me to reconsider?

Slowly, the pain in my left wrist faded.

I remained in that position, hugging my knees, until I fell asleep.

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