Chapter 5

After a day's work—deep into the night.

Koibito arrived at the designated place at the time she was instructed by Bakurai, as she was told to do in the evening.

It was one of the palaces where the consorts reside, within the harem.

Currently, the 12 consorts favored by the emperor represent the 12 provinces that make up this summer country.

The 12 palaces where the 12 consorts live are named after their respective provinces of origin.

This is the palace of Kinwa, the consort from the Flame Ox Province.

The Flame Ox Palace.

Incidentally, this was the palace where Koibito had cleaned the garbage room during the day.

(...Was there a reason he was wandering around here during the day?)

She recalled the encounter with Bakurai in the corridor of this palace in the evening.

At that time, he told her a message from the Chief of the Water Chamberlain's Office.

It seemed that as a condition for the major criminal Koibito to continue living in the harem without being punished, she was demoted to a miscellaneous duties position and, in addition, was to work as an Exorcist at night.

And this time, the person she was supposed to work with was...

"Hey, you're right on time."

He—Bakurai, the wolf.

As soon as Koibito finished her recollection, she arrived at the designated place—the pavilion at the end of the Flame Ox Palace.

There, the young guard—Bakurai—was waiting for her.

With his black, wavy hair and challenging, droopy eyes, his energetic aura was still palpable even in the silent night when the trees were at rest.

"If you had been even a second late, I would have knocked you out."

"Ah, yes, thank you (??)"

Not knowing how to respond to such a conversation starter, she replied casually.

His rough demeanor was fitting for a military officer.

"Hey."

Then, Bakurai handed Koibito something that was on the table in the pavilion.

It turned out to be a steamer basket.

A faint, delicious aroma wafted from it.

"What's this?"

"Didn't you get worked to the bone as a miscellaneous duties person during the day?"

When Bakurai opened the steamer basket, baozi appeared inside.

There were about four of them.

"If you're too tired to be of any use later, it'll be a problem for me. Eat something—"

"No, I'm fine."

Koibito said to Bakurai with a carefree expression.

The nagging of the palace maids and the physically demanding miscellaneous duties were nothing to her.

She didn't get tired from such things, and she even enjoyed doing them, so there was no stress.

"...What, I thought you were worried about your current situation, so I brought this as a snack."

Then, Bakurai turned his face away, looking sulky, and muttered.

What a guy.

Maybe he's not so bad after all.

"But I appreciate your kindness, so I'll eat it."

"Ah, okay."

Koibito took one of the baozi from the steamer basket and took a bite.

As expected, it was a dim sum made by the palace chefs.

The soft, chewy, and sweet skin was filled with juicy pork fat.

(I could eat this all day...)

"Hey, don't eat them all. Half of them are mine."

(...He's eating them too?)

After that, the two of them finished their munching time together.

"Alright, it's time to work."

"What do I need to do?"

Koibito asked Bakurai, who was stretching and doing some warm-up exercises.

"...Recently, there have been a series of mysterious deaths of palace maids in this Kinwa consort's palace."

Koibito followed as Bakurai started walking.

"The incidents seem to happen at night. There are no witnesses. The consorts and maids are all scared. That's why I volunteered to patrol at night."

"Hmm..."

"One day, while patrolling the palace at night, I happened to witness something."

"Something?"

"...A flying severed head."

Bakurai muttered with a deep sense of revulsion.

"A human head was flying in the sky."

"......"

"That night, one of the maids in this palace was found dead. It was almost certainly a demon, and the culprit behind these serial mysterious deaths."

However, no one believed his eyewitness account.

His fellow guards dismissed it as a mistake made while half-asleep.

"That's where you come in. You can sense demons, right?"

"Um, well..."

"There's no need to hide it. I've heard from the Chief of the Water Chamberlain's Office about what happened with the Moonlight Consort."

There, Bakurai stopped and turned to face Koibito.

"This is fortunate. Use your power to find the demon. Once you do, I'll take it down with my own hands."

With a thud, Bakurai slammed his fist into his palm.

He was quite determined.

However, Koibito thought it would be difficult to take down a demon with just his fists.

"To go this far for the peace of the harem... You have a strong sense of justice."

"Of course. A military officer's job is to crush evil."

There, Bakurai stared intently at Koibito.

"But why did an Exorcist become a palace maid in the harem? Was the pay too low?"

"No, I'm not an Exorcist."

"Huh?"

"I didn't even know that Exorcists existed."

Koibito could sense and fight demons because she had grown up in the mountains since childhood.

Also, her father had taught her.

"By the way, if there are Exorcists, why don't they just hire them? There are deaths happening in the harem."

Koibito asked a natural question.

"...They don't."

Bakurai answered immediately.

"The court has been hesitant to recruit Exorcists for a long time. The main reason is that they can't be trusted. While there is indeed an organization of Exorcists in this country, they are suspicious and fishy. They often attribute everything to demons and meddle in unrelated matters to extort money. So, your ability to deal with demons might be a stroke of luck in an unfortunate situation."

"I see."

While talking, Koibito and Bakurai arrived at a room.

It was the room where the victim, a palace maid, had been when the incident occurred last time.

She was a dedicated maid of the fifth consort, Kinwa, who lived in the Flame Ox Palace, and was said to be very competent.

"The victim was killed here. Do you sense anything?"

"Hmm..."

Koibito focused her mind.

If a demon was nearby or was making a big show of its presence, she would sense it without trying (in fact, it would be no different from a human making a big show of themselves). However, if the demon was hiding and moving stealthily, it required concentration and mental effort.

She sharpened all her senses, strained her ears, and accelerated the blood flow in her brain—

"—!"

A needle-like sensation pricked her skin.

"It's over there."

"Alright, let's go!"

Koibito ran in the direction she sensed, and Bakurai followed.

However—

(...This presence is quite strong.)

The presence she sensed was as powerful as that of Daji.

What was waiting for them might be a big catch.

"Bakurai, be prepared."

"Huh?"

If anything happened, she would have to protect him.

With that thought, Koibito ran.

◇ ◆ ◇ ◆ ◇ ◆

Eventually, Koibito arrived at a garden at the edge of the Flame Ox Palace.

It was in the bamboo grove at the back.

"The presence is coming from this direction."

"Alright... stay here."

"Eh?"

Before Koibito could stop him, Bakurai marched straight into the bamboo grove.

"Come out, demon! I'll take you down myself!"

(...Uh, if you shout that loud, it might run away...)

Just as Koibito thought that, something flew out of the bamboo grove toward Bakurai's face.

"Wha—!"

Bakurai let out a yell, covered his face, and fell to the ground headfirst.

"Bakurai!"

The thing then jumped from Bakurai to Koibito—

—muff.

"Huh?"

A small, fluffy mass attached itself to Koibito's stomach.

Looking down, she saw a small, four-legged animal with white and black fur clinging to her torso and looking up at her.

"A... panda?"

"Panda!"

It was a panda.

And a baby panda at that.

"Why is there a panda here..."

Or rather, did this panda just say "Panda!"?

Pandas say "panda"...

Koibito was confused, while the baby panda rubbed its body against hers.

"Ah, it's warm... No, that's not the point."

"Hey, what's that thing?"

Bakurai got up, rubbing the back of his head.

"It's a panda..."

"Why is there a panda in the harem!? No, that's not the issue right now..."

At that moment, Koibito felt a tingling sensation on her skin again.

It was the presence of a demon.

"Bakurai, hide!"

Koibito, still holding the baby panda, jumped into the bamboo grove with Bakurai.

Then, she looked up at the sky.

Floating in the sky, overlapping with the full moon, something was flying.

Was that the source of the presence she sensed?

"...It's that thing!"

Bakurai also spoke with a trembling voice.

Looking up at the human head flying in the sky.

"Flying severed head..."

Seeing it, Koibito whispered.