8 The Same Scent

After a brief exchange, Hana learned from the other party about the half-demon village. The village’s guardian deity was said to be a white snake, also the mountain god of this range, who mysteriously disappeared two hundred years ago.

Intrigued by the little one's mention of the village, Hana took the barely alive, badly wounded half-demon with her and arrived at the so-called half-demon village nestled in the valley.

Upon entering the barrier, Hana, with her human head and snake body, was warmly welcomed, greeted with eyes full of reverence.

“It’s the Mountain God!”

“Truly the Mountain God!”

“The Mountain God has returned!”

Various half-demons emerged from caves, thatched huts, trees, and even the earth itself. Their forms were wildly diverse and, though somewhat impolite, fascinatingly strange. Those slightly resembling humans were easier to accept, but some were downright humanoid bull demons and the like. Even Hana was startled and subtly took a step back.

Her mind involuntarily reflected that it was fortunate the canine general was strong enough; otherwise, if Inuyasha had been born in a canine-human form (like a werewolf), this story might never have begun.

Beside Hana, the half-demon holding her tail spoke softly, “This is Lady Hana; she saved me.”

“The Mountain God is Lady Hana—”

“We have our Mountain God again; how wonderful.”

The joyful cheers of the half-demons filled the air.

Even someone like Hana, who had no social anxiety, felt an urge to put the half-demons down and make a swift escape.

Some younger half-demons tentatively approached, curious, surrounding the Mountain God, eager to touch her tail.

When she was human, Hana disliked noisy children; now, as a demon, she was even more cautious. A careless flick of her tail could send these mischievous little half-demons to their ancestors.

She stayed perfectly still, tail raised high.

“Quiet—” an old, steady voice came from behind, and the noise gradually ceased as the half-demons respectfully parted to make way.

Looking up toward the source of the voice, surprise flashed in Hana’s eyes.

She saw a half-snake like herself, but this one was a half-demon.

Wearing a white short shirt, with black diamond-shaped scales on the lower body and brown scales mixed on the tail, the snake tail scraped the ground, leaving a groove. The elderly half-demon’s half-black-scaled face brought silence upon appearance.

The bloodline of the black-brown ornamental snake flickered in Hana’s mind.

“I am the village chief, Yū. Thank you for saving Hana,” the old woman said, pausing before inviting, “Would the Snake God honor us with a cup of tea at my humble home?”

Feeling that no demon here was stronger than herself and wanting to gather information, Hana gladly accepted.

Chief Yū led the way, with Hana and the half-demon following.

Stepping into the village’s interior, Hana realized it was quite large but somewhat dilapidated. The mountainous terrain offered little flat land, making farming difficult. The few scattered fields surrounded the village.

Most homes were thatched huts; some built nests in trees or carved caves into stone cliffs.

Overall, it lacked the neat planning of human villages, appearing messy and worn.

Chief Yū’s house was probably the best, made of wood and far sturdier than the thatched huts. Hana carefully entered, mindful not to let her tail touch anything.

Inside, it was warm. A fire burned in the center of the tatami room.

The chill was kept at bay, and Hana’s expression softened in comfort, her tail swaying slightly.

The half-demon she had saved bustled forward, adding food to a clay pot.

Curled up on the tatami, Hana asked, “May I ask—where is this place?”

Chief Yū paused, “We’re near the Nurarihyon group, in Kyushu, within the Four Mountains.”

The Western Sea Road.

The teleportation stone had sent her to the far westernmost part of the Western Sea, beyond which lay the ocean.

“…It really works,” Hana muttered in frustration. The Western Sea was no place for humans; demons roamed everywhere. The Nurarihyon group sounded familiar, but she couldn’t immediately recall where she’d heard it.

Human settlements were sparse here, and those that existed relied on powerful demons.

The Western Sea had been chaotic for a century. The Western Province’s capital was in the Southern Sea Road, nearby, but Hana wasn’t sure if the Shirakami clan or the Leopard Cat clan currently led the Western Province.

The Western Province was originally seized by the Leopard Cats who repelled the ruthless Shirakami and other demons.

Historically, this was not yet the Warring States era but the Northern and Southern Dynasties period.

The year was 1378; the Warring States would begin around 1500, over a hundred years away. The manga’s starting point was roughly 150 years later.

This timing fit the age gap between Sesshomaru and Inuyasha. Remembering how Sesshomaru was cast out after his transformation, Hana guessed that the conflict between the Shirakami and Leopard Cat clans was probably still unresolved.

Thanks to her previous life of privilege as a princess, she was well-educated. Counting roughly, the city where her mother resided was over a thousand kilometers away—from west to east.

“Quite a distance,” Hana sighed.

Across from her, Yū, stirring the soup, paused. The firelight flickered across her aged face, casting a half-shadow, half-light on her light brown vertical pupils, giving her a cold, aloof aura.

“Please have some soup.” As a snake, Yū, like Hana, detested winter.

Winter slowed them down.

Though not hungry, Hana accepted the steaming soup and listened to Yū’s introduction of the village.

This was a mountain village, far from human cities and demon territories, inhabited mostly by half-demons or humans caring for young half-demons.

Yū was the village chief, half-snake, half-human.

Unlike Hana, who could freely shift between human and snake forms, Yū could only maintain her half-human, half-snake appearance.

“Our village is under the protection of the Nurarihyon group and has not been disturbed by demons so far,” Yū explained.

Half-demons’ lifespans usually depended on their bloodlines. Yū’s was average; at over three hundred years old, she was nearing death. Thus, she desperately needed a powerful and gentle demon to guard the village.

The great demon before her seemed to fulfill that hope.

“If Lady Hana has nowhere else to go, you may stay in our village for the winter.” The firelight warmed her tail, and Yū’s once cold voice softened.

Seeing Hana’s gaze, she casually explained, “Winter snow in the forest grows heavy, and many demons appear—it’s dangerous.”

She hoped Hana would stay, even if only for one winter.

“Winter, huh.” Hana disliked the cold. Snakes hibernated during winter. Seeing the warm invitation, she had to remind them again, “I’m not your Mountain God.”

The half-demons here worshipped the Mountain God, a pure white great snake.

Perhaps eight hundred years ago, it was related to Hana’s father, but certainly not Hana herself, as her scales bore blue patterns.

“That’s alright. Having Lady Hana here makes everyone happy,” the little half-demon whispered. She was a weasel demon, timid by nature but fond of Lady Hana.

Hana hesitated. She wanted to return to the city—her mother was clearly strong and reliable. Over a thousand kilometers was not too far for demons. But Sesshomaru was unconscious, and she couldn’t fly that far with him. Moreover, the demon who broke the barrier seemed to be targeting Sesshomaru.

After pondering, staying in the village until Sesshomaru recovered seemed the best choice.

Waiting for Sesshomaru to recover.

Huh?

Sesshomaru?

Sesshomaru!

Suddenly recalling something forgotten, Hana shivered.

Goodness, she had buried Sesshomaru and forgot to dig him up!

“Oh no! I forgot about Sesshomaru!” She sat up abruptly, heart pounding, looking out as the sky darkened.

Kohana poked the fire, puzzled, “Lady Hana, what is Sesshomaru?”

“...A demon.” A fierce and dangerous one.

Not daring to gamble on whether Sesshomaru would awaken midway, Hana immediately prepared to retrieve him from where she had buried him. Kohana eagerly volunteered to come along.

Chief Yū watched their departing figures, glanced at the fire, and sighed deeply.

---

The forest at night was chilling and dangerous.

Following the trail, Hana easily found where Sesshomaru was buried, though the frozen earth was hard to dig.

“This is the place,” she said, tapping the frosted soil with her tail.

With Kohana’s wide-eyed amazement, her tail worked steadily until Sesshomaru was unearthed.

“Lady Hana, are you planting big brothers so more will grow in spring?” Kohana asked innocently, gazing at the demon brother pulled from the ground.

A chill ran down Hana’s back. More Sesshomarus?

“No, not at all.” One was enough; more would be a death sentence.

Dimensional heartthrobs were only alluring in their own dimension.

Sesshomaru’s silver-white hair was still dusted with soil. Nervously, Hana brushed it away, worried Kohana might blurt out something foolish. She quickly hushed the child, “This is a secret between Hana and me. Don’t tell anyone.”

In the real world, Hana wouldn’t dare have any improper thoughts about Sesshomaru, no matter how brave she felt.

Kohana tilted her head, recalling how she once buried candy in the soil, hoping many would sprout in spring, only to be laughed at by other half-demons. She nodded obediently.

“I understand,” she said.

Lady Hana surely didn’t want to be mocked either, Kohana thought silently.

With a perfect princess carry, Hana lifted the unconscious Sesshomaru, her heart racing with nervousness.

Kohana stayed close, sniffing, suddenly enlightened, “Sesshomaru-sama is Lady Hana’s husband, right?”

Sniffing again, she happily added, “Lady Hana and Sesshomaru-sama smell exactly the same.”

Hana nearly dropped Sesshomaru in fright.