Truth is everywhere within range

Practicing at the shrine is not easy.

At five o'clock, the bell rang, and Qiao Qiao got up, wearing a simple version of hunting clothes and practicing with the others.

The content is nothing more than meditation, spiritual exorcism teaching, explanation of magic techniques, weird knowledge, physical exercise, etc.

The group of people Qiao Qiao followed seemed to be considered semi-newcomers. They had been in the shrine for less than three years, and they were all working as odd jobs.

At Ise Shrine, newcomers need to practice for at least three years before they can obtain the official rank of priests. Miko is simpler and it takes one year to become a priest.

As for the temporary miko, she is just a wage earner.

Qiao Qiao was very serious in class and kept taking notes. Even if what the teacher said was somewhat inconsistent with the reality or what Qiao Qiao knew, he did not hastily raise objections.

Therefore, there is no plot unfolding where the teacher is slapped in the face and won awe.

During lunch time, Qiao Qiao sat alone at the table, eating lunch.

He ate a small piece of grilled fish, pickled vegetables, miso soup, boiled radish, and white rice.

"Qiao Jun, can I sit here?"

A man wearing the same clothes as Qiao Qiao asked while holding a plate.

"Please."

Qiao Qiao moved his dinner plate to make room.

"I heard that Qiao Sang came here from Tokyo for an internship. It's really hard work."

The man sat down, took a few bites, and sighed.

"It's not very hard."

Qiao Qiao raised his head and briefly recalled the other party's name.

Koji Tanizaki.

"Did Tanizaki-san grow up here?"

Qiao Qiao asked.

"Hey, do you remember my name? I want to introduce myself, haha. My father is the priest here, so I naturally inherited this job."

Koji Tanizaki smiled and said, he looked cheerful, which was probably why he was able to talk to Qiao Qiao.

"But I still want to visit Tokyo. Otherwise, when I become an official priest in the future, I will be stationed as a priest, and there will be almost no chance to go outside."

"Have you never been to Tokyo?"

Qiao Qiao was a little surprised.

He should have been to Tokyo at one time or another with most of the young people in his country, but he didn't expect that Tanizaki Koji, the second-generation priest of Ise Shrine, had not been there yet.

"Well, I was born here and grew up here. Since I am an only child, I naturally had to inherit my father's position. After graduating from high school, I stayed here to study."

He is a few years older than Qiao Qiao.

"If you become an official priest in the future, you will basically have no chance to leave the shrine, unless you are sent out to attend some meetings, but that won't be the turn of us little handymen. But, I'm okay, I have a cute My girlfriend has a stable job, so it’s okay to just stay here.”

"Does Mr. Qiao have a girlfriend or something? Girls in Tokyo are not easy to deal with, right?"

"No."

Qiao Qiao shook his head.

"That's really a pity. You should work harder while you're young."

Tanizaki Koji asked with some curiosity.

"I heard, Qiao Sang, that you are already a registered spirit remover from the Spirit Remover Association. Have you already done the work of removing spirits?"

"Um."

Qiao Qiao nodded.

"That's really awesome."

Tanizaki Koji put the rice into his mouth in a few mouthfuls, chewed it and swallowed it before saying.

"We priests actually don't have much chance to remove spirits. Like my father, who has been a priest for decades and has only eliminated one evil spirit. It's great to be able to remove spirits, eliminate weirdness, and help victims with our own hands. .”

Ise Jingu Shrine is responsible for the work of removing ghosts in the entire Mie Prefecture, as well as nearby Wakayama and Nara Prefectures.

However, since the total population of these counties is less than five million, and they are located under the radiation of Ise Shrine, it is difficult for evil spirits to cause trouble, so there is not much work to eliminate spirits.

There are so many priests and shrine maidens in Ise Shrine, plus the stragglers from other shrines, it is estimated that the resentful spirits will not be enough to share.

Therefore, Koji Tanizaki seems to be looking forward to the profession of spiritual exterminator.

Although Qiao Qiao felt that he seemed to be a little too idealistic and expelling spirits, he did not criticize him and only responded.

Be cautious in your words and deeds, this is the essence of internship summarized by Qiao Qiao.

Don’t worry about unnecessary things, don’t say unnecessary words, don’t look at unnecessary things, and spend the month peacefully.

Otherwise, if I make some big noise at Ise Shrine, my reputation in the entire industry will be damaged.

Nowadays, few of the priests and witches we get along with have carefully understood the dynamics of the spirit-killing industry, or they simply do not have the authority to know about things like the old gods, so Qiao Qiao is still just an ordinary spirit-killer in everyone's mind. The teacher was not the culprit who blew up half of Izumo Grand Shrine.

Qiao Qiao was very satisfied with this state.

In the afternoon, we went into groups to inspect the practice in Ise City.

To put it simply, this is just like the police patrolling their own jurisdiction. The priests and shrine maidens of Ise Shrine will patrol Ise City to see if there is anything worth noting. The main purpose is to familiarize themselves with the urban environment. Of course, Perhaps there are also factors that enhance the influence of Ise Jingu.

Qiao Qiao was naturally paired with Tanizaki Koji.

There was also a miko in the same group, and Qiao Qiao discovered that this was the one who sent the message to Kuroda Jun yesterday.

Makoto Kuroda, judging from the name, seems to be Jun Kuroda's sister.

"Ah, he's a violent and crazy spiritual slayer from Tokyo."

As soon as she saw Qiao Qiao, she exclaimed.

"Violent maniac?"

Tanizaki Koji looked at Qiao Qiao. Is this gentle-looking guy a violent maniac?

"Don't give people random nicknames."

Qiao Qiao didn't explain much.

It was probably Kuroda Jun who instilled that knowledge into his younger sister.

The three people are responsible for the area around Mt. Tigerio on the east side of Ise Jingu Shrine and along the Kintetsu Tori Line, roughly the area between Ujiyamada Station and Isuzu River Station.

Because there is a mountain, this place has always been a disliked patrol spot. Qiao Qiao was very unlucky and got this spot.

"That mountain is also called Fortress Mountain. It is said that a fort was built before, but now there is only a monument."

Koji Tanizaki acted as a tour guide and pointed to the low hills not far away.

"There was an animation about this place, and later a movie was made. I remember that there was a film crew who came over to film and asked us to be passers-by."

Qiao Qiao knew the animation that Tanizaki Koji was talking about, but he had only read the original novel as a learning material. Following Tanizaki Koji's introduction, he looked at the mountain.

It is not so much a mountain as it is a taller mound. Huwei Mountain is full of trees and lush. There is no blockage around it, but there is only a small road leading up to it. It does not look very flat.

"Let's go there last."

Tanizaki Koji suggested that if they climbed the mountain first, they would probably feel very tired during the rest of the patrol.

Makoto Kuroda and Qiao Qiao have no objections.

Two priests and a witch were walking down the street.

Today is Friday, and there are no people on the street. It is deserted. Qiao Qiao scanned the street with his spiritual vision and found nothing unusual.

Thinking about it, it would be too hard to think about the monster causing trouble in a place where you can see Ise Jingu Shrine when you look up.

After a brief inspection, the three of them climbed up Huwei Mountain along the path.

"?"

However, after a long trek, the three finally reached the top of the mountain, the monument.

But they found a body lying here.