Chapter 40 - Minamoto Clan.

Yura finished complaining about Miketsu's handwriting and then began to ponder the information on the note.

The yokai had been exorcised. This meant the scroll she had left for Asakura Hao had worked. The other girl had successfully drawn the Concealment Formation, hiding their tracks until the onmyoji from the Onmyoryo arrived to provide support and ultimately defeat the yokai.

Yura naturally assumed this, but she didn't know that while her scroll had indeed worked, it wasn't because of the Concealment Formation.

Putting the note away, Yura picked up the small cloth pouch by her pillow. After gently unwrapping it, she saw more than ten magatama inside, which left her stunned.

"How are there so many? Where did that girl get them?"

Seeing so many magatama, Yura couldn't help but wonder. *That girl Hao should have been trapped in the Concealment Formation with me. How did she have time to collect so many magatama?*

*And what's with this strange smell on these magatama? What about these corrosion marks? Where did she get these things?*

With these questions in mind, Yura began to feel that what had happened last night after she fell unconscious was not as simple as she had initially thought.

*Next time we meet, I have to ask her clearly about what happened!*

With this thought, Yura gathered the pile of magatama, planning to go to the Onmyoryo later to see if she could submit them.

It would be a huge joke if they really didn't accept them past the deadline.

...

Upper Captial District, Heian-kyo. Due to its proximity to the Greater Imperial Palace, this was where the residences of many military commanders, ministers, and powerful clans were concentrated within the capital.

In an era where the noble class held absolute power, these influential and wealthy aristocratic clans owned vast manors and lands throughout the country outside the capital, and held countless important official positions within the imperial court. They controlled the mundane world in the open and the realms of humans, yokai, and demons in the shadows. Their influence extended to every corner of the Human Realm, making them the masters of this nation's mortal world.

The Minamoto Clan, a noble family that had branched off from the imperial line, was one of the most powerful among them.

Within the grand Minamoto residence, a young man in ornate clothing strode swiftly along a corridor. He had waist-length, flowing white hair, with a single lock hanging over his forehead dyed a striking red.

Though indoors, the young man's pace was exceptionally fast. He walked with his chest puffed out and head held high, a faint, detached smile on his handsome face, and a light in his eyes that seemed to pierce through people's hearts.

This was the eldest grandson of the Minamoto clan head, the most outstanding member of the clan's current younger generation, Minamoto no Yorimitsu.

As the surrounding servants bowed in fearful reverence, Minamoto no Yorimitsu walked all the way to a door. Pausing there for a moment, he spoke.

"Father."

"Come in."

A voice responded from within the room. Minamoto no Yorimitsu immediately slid open the door and entered.

It was an armory, displaying various sets of full armor, bows, arrows, swords, and spears. On one wall was a large painting of the Sasa Rindo family crest. Beneath the crest was a small table, and behind it sat a middle-aged man reading a book.

The man's face was sharp and angular, with a prominent scar on his left cheek. He had a mustache and beard, and his black hair was draped over his shoulders. Like the young man, a lock of hair over his forehead was dyed a striking red.

This was the heir of the Minamoto Clan, the father of Minamoto no Yorimitsu, Minamoto no Mitsunaka.

"Close the door. Sit..."

Glancing at Minamoto no Yorimitsu, Minamoto no Mitsunaka spoke. The young man did as he was told, closing the door and sitting opposite the man, his smile unchanging.

"Do you know why I called you here?" Minamoto no Mitsunaka asked directly, still looking at the book in his hands.

"It must be about the matter in the Forest of Transformation and Slaughter," Minamoto no Yorimitsu replied directly, his attitude neither servile nor overbearing.

"So you do know it's about the Forest of Transformation and Slaughter..." Hearing his son's reply, Minamoto no Mitsunaka's mouth twitched. He looked up from his book, his gaze turning severe as he continued to question Yorimitsu. Read at Novels Haven (novelshaven.com)

"I'm asking you, what is the deal with that Demon-Faced Centipede in the forest? Weren't all the shikigami and captured yokai supposed to have been moved? Why was such a powerful one left behind?"

"I left it there," Minamoto no Yorimitsu said calmly, as if speaking of something trivial.

"It really was you... What were you thinking, leaving something like that in there?" Although he had anticipated this answer, Minamoto no Mitsunaka still showed clear displeasure.

"Naturally, to lay some groundwork within the Onmyoryo that might benefit the clan in the future."

"Benefit? Hah... Because of what that Demon-Faced Centipede did last night, I was put in a very passive position at the Onmyoryo this morning. That bastard Fujiwara no Saneyori mocked me with snide remarks all morning! If Kamo no Tadayuki hadn't smoothed things over as usual, I wouldn't have had a way to save face!" Minamoto no Mitsunaka slammed the book down and said angrily.

"Father, please calm your anger. That things developed this way was also beyond my expectations." Although Minamoto no Yorimitsu said this, his expression held not a trace of apology or guilt.

"Beyond your expectations? Then what exactly did you expect!?"

Minamoto no Mitsunaka asked angrily, but Minamoto no Yorimitsu replied with the same smile.

"Father, aren't you worried about upsetting the balance between the noble families in the Onmyoryo and opposed to recruiting country commoners through the selection trials? We can use this to secretly sabotage the trials."

"As long as there are numerous casualties among the participants each time and few who pass, we will have reason to make the Onmyoryo, and even the Imperial Court, believe that these country commoners are useless and can't even handle a simple trial. In that case, there would be no need to go to the trouble of holding these trials anymore."

"That Demon-Faced Centipede is adept at concealing its demonic aura. It can go on a rampage in the Forest of Transformation and Slaughter without alerting any onmyoji, creating the illusion that they died during the trial. Furthermore, it devours humans, consuming the corpses that would serve as clues for an investigation."

"Once problems arise in the trials and the participants suffer heavy casualties, you, Father, can petition the Imperial Court. You can request a suspension of the trials out of compassion, to prevent further tragedy and harm to life. No one would find fault with such a reason."

"If someone were to demand an investigation into our clan, claiming that the tragedy only occurred because the trial location was changed to the Forest of Transformation and Slaughter, you, Father, could argue with them on the grounds of no evidence and muddy the waters. As long as the matter remains unresolved, the Onmyoryo cannot easily restart the trials, and your objective can be considered achieved."

"As for changing the trial location, not only is it time-consuming and laborious, but the Onmyoryo also has no other suitable place at the moment. The Demon-Rearing Ground they originally used can no longer gather demonic energy, so for now, the Forest of Transformation and Slaughter is all they have."