Fangshan Castle

Why did such a prayer suddenly appear? Who was praying in the dead of night? What did she wish to ask of the gods? Why was her prayer so faint?

All sorts of doubts swirled in Miketsu's mind, but no matter how she pondered, she found no answers, for the sound of prayer had vanished, leaving her with no clues to pursue.

Finally, after much deliberation, Miketsu let out a deep yawn. She decided to temporarily set this matter aside and then lay her head back down on Tsuruha, falling asleep.

On the second morning, Miketsu awoke. After a simple meal of dry rations and a drink of water, she continued her journey on the donkey. Miketsu estimated that she had been traveling for nearly two days and should be nearing her destination.

Indeed, by noon, Miketsu finally arrived at the location for this mission: Fangshan Castle.

Fangshan Castle was built on a not-too-tall hill, with earthen platforms layered along the terrain. Ditches were dug at key points, fences and chevaux de frise were erected, and wooden watchtowers stood at higher elevations. Small paths and winding stairs led upwards to a large, flat earthen platform at the hill's summit, where castle towers and pavilions were constructed.

The entire mountain castle was not large, primarily built with earth and wood. Many sections appeared to have started with stone but were left unfinished, indicating that the mountain castle was not truly complete.

After a preliminary survey of Fangshan Castle from below, Miketsu rode her small donkey up the road. The soldiers guarding the city gate quickly let her pass after seeing Miketsu's attire. Miketsu thus reached the summit of the mountain castle without any hindrance. After dismounting before the final gate, the samurai on duty inquired about Miketsu's identity, then led her to the castle's main residence.

There, she heard a furious voice.

"So, what exactly is going on?! I asked for Onmyoji! Powerful guards with actual skill! Not these worthless nobodies!"

The speaker was a young man dressed as a high-ranking samurai. He wore a helmet and a great armor, with a sword at his waist, and sported two small mustaches on his face. Although he had a beard, he didn't look very old, not exceeding thirty.

Beside this furious samurai stood a group of samurai wearing armor similar in style to his, but with noticeably fewer decorations and protective areas. It was clear there was a significant rank difference between them and the first man.

At the same time, the keen Miketsu also noticed that the helmets of these samurai bore a distinct pattern: a butterfly with spread wings. Miketsu knew this was a family crest; they belonged to a noble clan.

At this moment, the leader of these samurai was extremely angry about something, cursing incessantly. Opposite him stood several oddly dressed individuals. Miketsu recognized them at a glance as Eccentric Practitioners from the Onmyoryo's outer bureau, who had taken the same mission as her and arrived earlier. Miketsu counted nine of them, meaning everyone who had accepted this mission at the Bumingtang had already arrived, and she was the last one.

The early arrivals stood with sullen faces, visibly displeased, watching the high-ranking samurai spit and curse at them. Almost all of them suppressed their anger, unable to vent it. Miketsu found this scene quite curious.

What's going on? That samurai is the client, right? He seems very angry. Aren't we here to help him? Why is he so furious with us?

Miketsu was very puzzled by the shouting samurai. Just then, the samurai who had guided Miketsu in approached the angry samurai leader and whispered a few words to him. The samurai stopped, his face grim, and turned his gaze towards Miketsu.

"A Junior Assistant? Or just a young woman? Hmph, which family are you from? To be able to send a daughter of your clan to the position of Onmyo Junior Assistant." Looking at the young female Onmyoji before him, the samurai leader spoke bluntly, his tone clearly contemptuous, which made Miketsu's forehead crease into a 'hash' mark.

What kind of nonsense is this? Such an attitude right from the start. I'm here to help you, you know.

"My name is Asakura Hao, and I received a mission from the Onmyoryo to come here," Miketsu said, suppressing her displeasure slightly.

"Asakura?"

Upon hearing Miketsu's self-introduction, the samurai leader pondered for a moment, then, seemingly unable to recall anything, cast a questioning look at Miketsu.

He had never heard of an Asakura family in Heian-kyo. Perhaps it was a branch family that had recently split off from some noble clan. In any case, he felt that although the young woman before him was an Onmyoji, her background and status wouldn't be very high.

"Hmph, never mind. If you're a Junior Assistant, then you should have some skill compared to those other fellows. Hmm? You even use a sword?" At this point, the samurai leader's gaze shifted to Miketsu's back, where a tachi wrapped in layers of bandages was strapped. An Onmyoji carrying a sword was not a common sight, especially a female Onmyoji.

"It's merely a medium for casting spells," Miketsu replied indifferently to the samurai leader's inquiry.

"Heh... spells cast with a sword? Don't tell me you won't even be able to hold it steady... Anyway, since you people are here, you'll defend this castle to the death!" The samurai leader said, glancing around at the other eccentric practitioners, then declared loudly.

"I am Taira no Kageyori! Son of the Kokushi of Shimosa Province in Kanto. I am escorting captured yokai to the capital, as per usual, to deliver them to the Onmyoryo. Due to some matters, I need to delay for two days in this Fangshan Castle. To strengthen the defenses, I wrote to the Onmyoryo to send more personnel, but I didn't expect to get you unorthodox practitioners... The Onmyoryo must have made a mistake somewhere."

With clear dissatisfaction, Taira no Kageyori continued loudly.

"I have already written to the Onmyoryo again, demanding they dispatch proper Onmyoji. Their arrival will take some time. In the meantime, all of you will obey my command and guard this castle. Once they arrive, you can all scram."

Taira no Kageyori spoke with great displeasure from above, and those below listened with equal displeasure. Many eccentric practitioners seemed ready to pull out talismans and summon shikigami, but upon seeing Taira no Kageyori and his retinue of samurai, they held back. This phenomenon made Miketsu quite curious.

Are these samurai perhaps very strong? Strong enough that these eccentric practitioners, who possess some supernatural power, dare not provoke them?

With this thought, Miketsu began to carefully observe the samurai wearing the butterfly-crested armor, noticing a faint spiritual power fluctuating from their armor and swords.

These fellows are not simple either. After all, if they can escort yokai, they should at least be able to subdue them. Humans in this world, besides the Onmyoji of Heian-kyo, also possess other powers to combat the demon realm.

Finally, Taira no Kageyori gave some brief instructions and then left with his samurai. Just as Miketsu was about to properly explore the mountain castle, a voice called out to her.

"Long time no see, Your Excellency."

Miketsu turned her head and saw a man distinctly different from the other eccentric practitioners. He was dressed cleanly, wore a small cap, and the attire of an Onmyo-sei. His expression was quite frivolous.

Miketsu recognized him; he was Morimura Saemon, the curse master from Omi Province who had tried to harm Yura during the selection trials.