The First Woman, Shimegamamo 2

* * *

A touch-and-go situation.

An unsettling tension hangs in the air of the peaceful, rural towns main street.

Kalamaruyu doesnt even try to hide his hostility towards Shimegamamo, and the two adventurers acting as guards dont lower their fighting stances.

The few residents who were on the street, sensing danger, quickly hid inside their houses.

The three town guards, who should be the first to protect Kalamaruyu, began to distance themselves from him, nervously.

Kuku, Barbarian, huh? Those are harsh words, brother-in-law, for your brothers wife.

However, in that tense atmosphere, only Shimegamamo remained calm, smiling quietly.

Whos your wife!? Our countrys law doesnt recognize your marriage to my foolish brother!

But according to our clans rules, my husband, Wakiteryu, and I are already married. Unfortunately, he passed away before I could bear his child

Dont say such ridiculous things! What clan rules!?

Kuku, thats right theres only one of us left in our clan. Its hard to talk about rules in such a situation Even I understand that.

Kalamaruyu was furious, shouting, while Shimegamamo didnt seem to care about his anger at all.

Their conversation, going nowhere, echoed clearly through the windless street, with no one there except for them and the guards.

But as the last Shimegamamo I have decided to live according to the rules Therefore, brother-in-law

Here, Shimegamamo erased the smile she had been wearing, no matter what was said to her.

And looking at Kalamaruyu with her straightforward eyes, she said clearly, in a gentle voice, like a mother admonishing her spoiled child

Stop ravaging the Great Grassland of Beginnings.

A breeze blew through the street under the blue sky.

That cool breeze, carrying the scent of the grassland, incongruous with the atmosphere between the two, ruffled Kalamaruyus coat and Shimegamamos reddish-brown hair.

For a moment, there was silence.

Haa! What would a barbaric woman who knows nothing about politics say!?

And the one who broke the silence was Kalamaruyu.

Do you even know!? I doubt you do! How much our First Viscounty is looked down uponas a backwater! We need to change! How many hundreds of years have we been stagnant!? We need a revolution!

Kalamaruyu, his face flushed red, shouted, trembling!

He continued spitting out words, driven by his emotions!

And you barbarians are always getting in the way, talking about rules! If you dont want to suffer the consequences

Brother-in-law.

Shimegamamo stopped Kalamaruyus angry words

With a single word, spoken clearly, a troubled, wry smile on her face.

And then, she stretched her left arm straight out.

And then, the vine wrapped around her left arm

Started growing rapidly, and in an instant, wrapped itself around one of the adventurers guarding Kalamaruyu!

Wha!?

The adventurer, taken by surprise, was helpless!

And then, with an unbelievable force, he was pulledflying towards Shimegamamo

GYAAAAAAAAH!?

And he was easilycut clean in half by her cleaverlike a blade of grass!

P-Partner!?

The other adventurer screamed in shock and grief, but he should have taken some action, instead of just standing there, dumbfounded.

Because the next moment, Shimegamamos vines completely wrapped around him!

U-Uhyaaah!?

And he too, screaming pathetically, was pulled towards Shimegamamo, and cut in half!

Blood gushed out from the severed parts of the two adventurers bodies.

And then, surprisingly, the pool of blood that spread out on the streetquickly turned into green moss, from the edges inward.

The bodies, cut into four pieces, also quickly turned into lumps of moss, and grass started growing from them and they transformed into small bushes.

The traces of the carnage were quickly transformed into a peaceful thicket.

!!

Kalamaruyu, seeing the sudden carnage, and the supernatural phenomenon, his face turned pale.

He desperately gritted his teeth, and didnt scream.

H-Hiiih!

Please spare me! Please spare me, Shimegamamo-samaaa!

Shimegamamo-samaaa!

The remaining three guards, trembling, prostrated themselves on the ground, their foreheads rubbing against the dirt, desperately begging for their lives.

Brother-in-law, I really didnt want to do this.

Shimegamamo spoke gently to Kalamaruyu, watching the men.

But there are rules. Those who break the rules will not be forgiven Even if its you, brother-in-law.

She said that gently, gently, with a smile.

Stop ravaging the Great Grassland of Beginnings.

And then, she emphasized that one last time, and

Shimegamamo turned on her heel, and disappeared into the shadows of the buildings.

* * *

Haa! Haa, haa, haa

A few seconds after Shimegamamo left.

Kalamaruyu resumed breathing, which he had forgotten, gasping for air.

Tomandon Jemizogu

And then, not caring that his clothes were getting dirty, he knelt on the ground, and called out the names of the two adventurers who had turned into bushes.

They were two trustworthy people whom Kalamaruyu had known for a long time.

Whenever Kalamaruyu went out on field work as a researcher, he always asked them to be his guards.

They were serious, and good-natured people.

And yet!

Kalamaruyu looked up and glared at the direction where Shimegamamo had disappeared.

He stared, and stared

And there was a pair of blue eyes, watching him from the entrance of a shop facing the street.

At that point,

He wasnt aware of that.