"Hello. We've been expecting you," the onmyoji politely bowed his head, greeting Stas as an equal.

"It's nice to hear," Ordyntsev replied in kind.

"Please follow me. And a big request: if you see something strange, it's most likely the spirits at play, so please don't react to them too harshly."

"Alright," Stas drawled slowly, quickly scanning the surroundings. He immediately noticed how the bushes to the left rustled suspiciously - as if someone made a quick getaway.

"By the way," the onmyoji nodded towards the hiding Leviathan. "I sense some disturbance over there. Is that your magical animal?"

Ordyntsev's nod completely satisfied the escort.

The spirit enchanter turned out to be quite taciturn.

He simply strode ahead, jingling rings on his staff, paying no attention to Stas.

Nevertheless, more than enough occurred around to occupy Stas's attention.

As soon as they crossed a certain boundary, the trees along the road seemed to come to life.

Branches began to move against the wind, and leaves sometimes turned to follow the earthling.

Not to mention a family of possums that rose from the grass and watched their company with curious glances.

But the looks on their faces when they suddenly realized that a giant white snake had grown behind them were something to see.

Their eyes rolled back in sheer fright.

Luckily for them, Leviathan felt only merriment, not hunger, so she calmly slithered on, leaving the particularly impressionable animals to bask in the sun.

At that moment, from a nearby oak, a small white human-like creature with unevenly distributed black dots for eyes on its round head emerged.

Its head cracked and twitched every couple of seconds before becoming still again.

Off to the side emerged another spirit.

Soon, the whole clearing was in little white creatures. Some sat on flowers, others swung on tree branches, and others peeked out from the bark.

They exchanged glances.

'Warmaster.'

'Yes.'

'Magical beast.'

'Yes.'

'Caused no harm.'

'Interesting.'

'Unusual.'

"The forest likes you," the onmyoji's words made Stas start. He was just watching a pair of trees, and he could have sworn he saw deer legs and a female figure there.

The events around him evoked a sense of a fairy tale in Ordyntsev.

All his knowledge gained in this world screamed that everything unknown and incomprehensible was dangerous.

'Summon your prana. Unleash the devouring serpents, use the destructive stone technique. Flatten everything to the ground,' that's what his subconscious whispered.

But his heart suggested that he had no enemies here. Unknown how things would turn out in the onmyoji village, but right here, no one intended to harm him.

"What do you mean?" Ordyntsev inquired, focusing on the black figure ahead. "Are you talking about some powerful spirit? The master of this place?"

"The Forest has no master," the onmyoji corrected after a moment's thought. "This forest has no master. Here, anyone can find shelter, but no one can command."

"And I thought you, onmyoji, like to bend all the surrounding spirits to your will and control the situation. But the more I look around," Stas nodded to a couple of blurry figures in the foliage, who giggled together and scurried away. "The more I realize it's not so."

"Some clans indeed do that," the escort nodded. "But we, Shigero, believe that violence should only be used as a last resort. We are all guests in this world, hence we shouldn't impose our rules. Live and let live - that's the spiritual principle of our clan."

"A convenient position," nodded Stanislav. "I even find it somewhat close to my own views."

"If that's the case, then I'm glad it was you who were sent to our village."

Suddenly, an actual apple fell right in front of them, which rolled a bit and stopped at Stas's feet.

Ordyntsev looked up and found no fruit-bearing trees around. No branches overhead, either. So, where did this apple come from?

"If you ever want to rest and find shelter, this forest will give you refuge," the serious voice of the onmyoji was his answer. Nearby, Leviathan's face appeared, and in her mouth was the twin brother of the first fruit. "The forest, for some reason, deems both of you worthy."

The onmyoji was well composed, but Stas caught a fleeting irritation on his face.

However, the earthling had no time to dwell on the jealous spirit enchanter.

'Why has this forest decided to trust me?' Ordyntsev did not consider himself a good person. Deep down, he comforted himself with the thought that he was just not bad, but certainly not good. 'So why? Why did this heap of plant biomass give me a pass to its domain? And judging by the onmyoji's behavior, they find it just as strange.'

Stas stopped paying attention to the whispering foliage and curious glances.

'Could it be because of the otherworldly scent? But that has already been tested. Over the past years, it has completely dissipated.'

Then, at the edge of consciousness, a vague guess dawned.

'I think I understand. What if the surrounding forest can feel emotions, or rather attitude? Being here, I was in awe of it, like a living fairy tale that escaped from the frames of Hayao Miyazaki. I didn't want to destroy this place. Moreover, I wasn't even interested in how it worked. Because if you find out, the fairy tale disappears.'

Ordyntsev smiled in his usual way and shook his head.

He definitely liked it here. It was so... peaceful. Such a contrast from his usual life.

This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.

Lost in thought, they reached the onmyoji village.

At the entrance, they were greeted by huge wooden arches, which one had to pass through to get inside.

Stanislav looked around with curiosity.

The first thing that struck him was the modesty of the people living here. It didn't mean they lived in poverty. The houses were beautiful and well-kept.

But they were rarely two-story, although the owners could clearly afford it.

Apparently, the people living here were not chasing wealth.

What a stark contrast to the warmasters, who literally shoved their wealth in everyone's face, buying the most expensive things they could get.

"Warmaster-san," the escort spoke up. "Order your pet to follow us closely. Nothing threatens you here, but there's no need to frighten the people living here."

"I understand you perfectly," Stas smiled.

'Levi, come back. We won't be exploring their village.'

After passing a couple of houses, Stas came upon a small trampled hollow surrounded by decorative bushes.

At that moment, some training was taking place there.

Children of various ages, with legs tucked under them, placed their hands on their knees and, with eyes closed, breathed deeply in and out. Every ten seconds or so, a venerable old man in front of them tapped his staff with copper rings on the ground. At such moments, the ringing of the copper strangely resonated in the surrounding air, becoming quieter or, on the contrary, gaining an inexplicable depth.

A few times, they encountered villagers hurrying on their errands. Each time, they watched the earthling pass with surprise. Clearly, visitors were rare here.

Stas anticipated to be taken to someone who decided matters, but what he didn't expect was to meet the village head himself.

It was an incredibly thin elder with prominent veins on his neck and arms. One glance at his face, resembling a shriveled, dried fruit, was enough to understand that he was very old.

In this world, reaching such an age was a rarity, a privilege few could claim.

"Come in, young warmaster," the head's voice was surprisingly steady. It carried power, revealing why he still ruled this mystical place. "Sit down."

Stas promptly occupied the seat indicated to him.

The door to the room opened, and in walked a woman of stunning beauty, such that could not possibly exist in reality. Snow-white skin, silver hair, and piercing blue eyes, so similar to ice chips. She was dressed in a blue and white yukata.

The air grew slightly colder.

In her hands, she held cups of tea, which she set before the head and Stas.

"Thank you, Yumi. Your tea, as always, is the most delicious," the old man thanked her.

The Yuki-onna, for it was undoubtedly her, coldly nodded, accepting the compliment, and moved away.

Stas, out of curiosity, took the cup and tried to sip the drink, only to almost choke.

The liquid was incredibly cold!

'Who even makes tea like this?! Is this a canned cold tea to her? And why the heck did he even compliment her?'

Suddenly, the Yuki-onna slowed her pace and stopped - just as Stas froze in an attempt to suppress a cough.

"Delicious tea," Stas forced out with a crooked smile, feeling the temperature in the room plummet. "I would drink it forever."

Satisfied, the Yuki-onna gracefully exited, quietly closing the door behind her.

"If you don't want to, don't torture yourself, young man," the head sighed heavily and set his cup on the table. Stas quickly did the same. "We had a quarrel, and now she is taking revenge on me. I don't want outsiders to suffer because of our disagreements."

Stas just politely bowed, not knowing what to say. The local society's principle was roughly the same – if you have no idea what to do, just bow. A foolproof tactic.

"But let's leave that. My name is Hidoro Shigero, and I am the head of the Shigero clan, spirit enchanters, long-time allies of the Sumada clan. What's your name, young man? What can you tell about yourself?"

"Shiro, master. I was sent to you to help figure out the strange behavior of the magical beasts. The completion of this task depends on my promotion to an advanced warmaster."

"So young and already an advanced rank?" the head feigned surprise. "Well, let's set that aside. What do you say about our home? Any thoughts?"

"Very... peaceful place," Stas answered honestly. "It's nice to be here."

"Ho-ho-ho," Hidoro laughed. "I'm beginning to understand why the Forest gave you its fruit. And don't be surprised; there's little in this world that I can miss."

'What does he mean?' Stas tensed up, 'How annoying these powerful and wise masters are, possessing a great multitude of hidden talents and knowledge. And how, one wonders, to do business in such conditions?'

"And your reflections are more worthy of a life-experienced warrior than such a young man as you."

'Curse it! Is he hinting that he felt my real age or just being polite?'

"It is an honor to hear such from someone like you," Stas effused in gratitude. "Is there anything I should know before embarking on this mission?"

"Just that, first and foremost, we want information about what's happening. This means that if the reason you find is too dangerous, return. We don't want the first warmaster who came to us in so many years to die."

"Believe me, I don't want that either," Stas joked, but the head's stony face killed all humor.

"One of my men will escort you to the mountains. If necessary, he will guide you to the affected villages."

"I'm very grateful," Ordyntsev beamed, cursing the old man internally. He already knew he had no chance to refuse this honor. "But let's limit it to just one village. I see no point in visiting them all."

"Don't misunderstand," the head raised his hands. "I'm not forcing you in any way. This is your mission, and it's up to you how to execute it."

From what Ordyntsev had seen, the local onmyoji held no overt prejudice against warmasters. Moreover, the head had not mentioned their alliance for nothing.

This was good news.

Stas was not at all surprised when the silent spirit enchanter turned out to be his designated escort.

"Excuse me, we still haven't introduced ourselves," Stas smiled.

"Oh, sorry," the onmyoji blinked, embarrassed. "This always happens to me. My name is Temotsu Shigero. And you..."

"Just Shiro. Nice to meet you."

'I thought warmasters were odd, but compared to these onmyoji, they're just the epitome of sanity. Maybe they're smoking something to expand their inner chakras? It sure seems like their minds are floating somewhere else.'

Because of the imposed escort, it was clear that going to Kaede was out of the question. Luckily, Stas had thought of this earlier and warned the yokai that she should leave in five days.

Perhaps he should have taken Mari, but Ordyntsev wasn't about to risk exposing his connection with this girl.

After all, the Shigero could report to the Sumada about an unknown warmaster working with Shiro.

That's why Stas specifically mentioned that he wanted to reach the northern part of the ridge and, accordingly, it would be better for them to visit the village located on the way there.

By sheer coincidence, the village where Kaede was to wait was as far from their path as possible.

*****

"What a sad sight," the onmyoji murmured quietly, holding back the urge to vomit. It was evident that the spirit enchanter was not accustomed to such sceneries.

For a moment, Stas felt a sense of superiority, having seen so many similar scenes that they no longer evoked any emotion in him, but then he realized what he was about to take pride in. His mood was thoroughly spoiled.

Ordyntsev did not want to become one of these savages. To avoid that, he needed to preserve something human in himself.

For example, not to rejoice in someone else's pain and death.

The village was utterly destroyed. The problem with magical beasts is that they have an excellent sense of smells, sounds, and sometimes even the life currents of living beings.

So where a warmaster might pass by and not notice a hidden cellar with women and children taking shelter, the beasts would definitely find it.

Stas touched one of the blackened beams, and it crumbled right in his hand. Whatever fire had acted here, it was clearly abnormal.

"Let's go. There's nothing to do here," Stas said to the pale onmyoji, heading towards the mountains looming over them.

Though they seemed close, looming over them like gray behemoths, the journey to them would be long.

*****

The path to the mountains was not without surprises.

When their destination was about an hour's walk away, a malicious growl came from behind a hill, and a wild dog charged at them. It was a huge, shaggy beast, apparently closely related to wolves.

What mattered, though, was that judging by its reddish fur, it was clearly not an ordinary animal.

Stanislav was about to extend his hand to "fondle" it with a Bloody Strike when the onmyoji beat him to it.

The staff struck the ground with a clang, and a sense of danger howled in the earthling.

In the air, a tall warrior with crow's wings on his back wove into being. He wore a red mask with a long nose and clutched two hooked swords in his hand. His clothing was a mix of armor and feathers.

The warrior, flapping his wings, hovered in the air.

But the onmyoji's actions were not over yet.

He pulled a blue paper from his bosom and threw it towards the approaching dog. The piece of paper, utterly ignoring gravity, swiftly flew forward. The dog's teeth clicked, but the paper ignited first, surrounding the monster with blue light.

In the same instant, the calmly floating Karasu-Tengu lunged forward and, in seconds, tore the dog to pieces, then, slightly lifting his mask and licking the blood from his hand, dissolved into the air.

'Interesting,' Stas calmly analyzed what he saw. 'Either the summoned yokai wasn't strong enough to fully manifest in reality, or Temotsu purposely helped the servant by placing the dog deeper into the spiritual plane using the charm. How fascinating their magic works.'

Without a word, the travelers passed the monster's remains and continued toward the mountains.

"Here I must leave you, Shiro-san," Shigero spread his hands regretfully.

"Don't apologize; this is my mission, after all."

"We will eagerly await your return," the onmyoji said as they parted.

'Well, time to confirm the advanced rank,' Ordyntsev thought, turning around. 'Knowing the esteemed elders, it just won't be simple.'