There's a special legend about the Bamboo Forest of the Lost.

It's said that a group of specialized youkai exterminators, separate from the villagers, lived hidden there, with the ability to move quickly, yet silently, and use various kinds of sorcery like youkai, and went after and exterminated particularly strong and dangerous youkai, though their existence has been questioned recently (*1).

However, with the recent discovery of Eientei in the Bamboo Forest of the Lost, the possibility of such a group's existence seems more plausible.

About that time, I encountered a person who is probably a descendant of such a group.

That person is Fujiwara no Mokou.

She is human, but they say she never ages and cannot be destroyed. Because she has lived for so long, she has learned various kinds of sorcery, and can be said to be on equal footing with youkai.

Because she's human she exterminates youkai, she won't attack without reason, and primarily rescues lost humans from the youkai.

It's said she doesn't mingle with youkai or the humans from the village, but primarily lives hidden in the Bamboo Forest of the Lost.

When asked about her connection to the legendary exterminators, she feigns ignorance.

She doesn't seem to concern herself much with humans, and leaves without saying a word even when she rescues lost people.

1: They're often thought of as a group of ninja.

She possesses a body that doesn't age and cannot be destroyed.

She is a so-called immortal.

Her body heals unusually quickly, and even severe injuries will be completely healed in a matter of days (*2).

However, as she still feels the pain of her injuries it is called the melancholy of immortality.

It's said that humans can only achieve immortality by becoming a celestial, but somehow she has managed to become immortal through other means.

She seems to appear before others more often recently, but it's unknown as to why.

She never speaks even when posed this question, so it remains a mystery.

2: It's said she could regenerate if even a single hair remains.

At this point, she seems to have come into some sort of agreement with the villagers, and will serve as an escort through the bamboo forest to anyone who asks.

She can be relied on to lead villagers to Eientei such as in the case of sudden illness.

She will lead you to Eientei without fear of being lost or accosted by youkai.

During that time, she'll remain fairly reticent (*3) about herself, but she seems to be happy to listen to others talk about their own affairs.

She may be immortal, but since she's not a celestial, her way of thinking is similar to most humans.

We may be able to learn more as she becomes more accustomed to speaking with others.

3: All she says is, "I'm a health nut that runs a yakitori stand."