Minamoto no Yorimitsu, with a smile, explained the reasons behind his command for the Demon-Faced Centipede to kill, while Minamoto no Mitsunaka listened in silence as his son finished speaking.
“Everything I did was for the Minamoto Clan and for Onmyodo. The balance of the three great families controlling Onmyodo must not be easily changed. Yet, the Kamo and Fujiwara clans actually want to bring outsiders into Onmyodo to fight against the demon realm. They don’t understand that this will sooner or later shake our foundations.”
“If these trials continue, and outsiders constantly enter the Onmyoryo, the Onmyojutsu that only the noble families can master will continuously leak out. In the long run, new Onmyoji families are bound to emerge. At that time, our monopoly over Onmyodo will be broken, and decline will be inevitable. By my estimation, this won't take more than one or two hundred years.”
“Furthermore... if these outsiders accidentally come into contact with secrets that only our noble families can access, what would be the consequences? Have you considered that, Father?”
After Minamoto no Yorimitsu finished speaking, the entire armory fell silent. Minamoto no Mitsunaka looked at his son, a glimmer in his eyes. Though he knew his recently-matured son was exceptionally intelligent and talented, a prodigy of the clan, his words had just refreshed his understanding of him.
“What you said is true... but you were still too reckless this time.”
“Heh heh... Father, your criticism is valid. I thought I had considered everything thoroughly, but I didn't expect to make a mistake in the one area where I shouldn't have. I didn't expect there to be a master hidden among those mountain peasants, a master so strong that even the Demon-Faced Centipede couldn't win when unleashing its full demonic energy.” Minamoto no Yorimitsu said with a laugh, and his words stunned Minamoto no Mitsunaka.
“What I meant was that you should have discussed the plan with us before acting, and let the clan elders deliberate! Not for you to reflect on where you made a mistake!”
“By the time those old fogeys finish discussing, this year’s trials would already be over.”
“You...”
Hearing Minamoto no Yorimitsu’s reply, Minamoto no Mitsunaka stood up in anger, pointing the book in his hand at Minamoto no Yorimitsu, who was still sitting on the tatami mat. He wanted to scold him but hesitated for a long time, unable to utter anything.
“Confined for a month, no going out!”
Minamoto no Mitsunaka slid open the door and stormed out, leaving Minamoto no Yorimitsu still sitting in the armory with a smile.
And so, Minamoto no Yorimitsu remained seated in the armory. A moment later, a completely black crow flew in through the armory window, a small slip of paper clutched in its beak.
Seeing the crow enter the room, Minamoto no Yorimitsu raised his hand and opened his palm. The crow placed the paper from its beak into Minamoto no Yorimitsu’s hand, then swiftly flew back out the window.
Minamoto no Yorimitsu unfolded the paper; only four characters were written on it:
Asakura Hao.
...
At the Onmyoryo’s Astronomical Pavilion, Kamo no Tadayuki was, as usual, in his place, researching among a pile of astrological charts and mathematical diagrams. The brush in his hand wrote exquisite small characters, forming neat and elegant lines of scripture.
What was different from usual was that his son, Kamo no Yasunori, was currently sitting by his desk, giving a detailed report on the investigation into last night’s incident.
“So, in the end, the origin of that yokai still couldn’t be clarified?” Kamo no Tadayuki said, continuing to write his scriptures.
“Yes, after we rushed back to the Onmyoryo, we reviewed the records overnight, but found no entry that matched this Demon-Faced Centipede.”
“Whether it was sealed yokai, famous powerful wild yokai from various regions, or the demon generals of various demon kings... we compared them all carefully, but found no commonalities. This is a powerful yokai never before recorded by the Onmyoryo.”
After hearing Kamo no Yasunori’s words, Kamo no Tadayuki’s brush paused.
“No record...”
“The matter is very strange. A powerful yokai, never recorded by the Onmyoryo, suddenly appeared around Heian-kyo without any reason. So I suspect... could it be an Onmyoji’s shikigami?” After hesitating for a moment, Kamo no Yasunori voiced his thought, which was met with a direct gaze from Kamo no Tadayuki.
“Don’t speak carelessly like that without evidence, especially in front of outsiders.”
“Yes... Yasunori understands.” Kamo no Yasunori bowed his head and replied respectfully, while Kamo no Tadayuki let out a long sigh.
“If we truly cannot investigate further, then let this matter rest. Continuing would only be a waste of energy.”
After hearing Kamo no Tadayuki’s words, Kamo no Yasunori was about to reply in affirmation, but suddenly he seemed to remember something and continued speaking.
“Perhaps, Asakura Hao might know something.”
“Asakura Hao? The young girl you mentioned who subdued the Demon-Faced Centipede?” Kamo no Tadayuki asked with a touch of surprise upon hearing Kamo no Yasunori mention the name.
“Exactly. She did fight that yokai directly, so she might have learned something from it. She will come to the Onmyoryo in three days; we can question her then.”
After hearing Kamo no Yasunori’s words, Kamo no Tadayuki remained silent for a moment. A short while later, he spoke again.
“Alright... but remember, the Fujiwara clan seems to hold her in high regard. You must be cautious when dealing with her.”
Seeing Kamo no Tadayuki nod in approval, Kamo no Yasunori was about to reply, when suddenly a voice came from the corridor outside the room.
“Then I shall be the one to meet her.”
Kamo no Yasunori and Kamo no Tadayuki simultaneously turned their heads towards the direction of the voice. There, a young man was standing.
With white hair and purple eyes, holding a folding fan and wearing a kariginu, the handsome young man stood at the doorway, smiling at the Kamo father and son.
“Seimei... when did you arrive?” Kamo no Yasunori asked curiously, looking at the newcomer.
“I was here from the beginning, you just didn’t notice.” Seimei said with a smile, looking at his friend. Then he turned his gaze to Kamo no Tadayuki, bowed, and continued.
“Teacher, may I take on the task of approaching Asakura Hao?”
“Of course, that’s fine. But I am curious, what about Asakura Hao has piqued your interest? It’s not just because she’s a young genius like you, is it?” Kamo no Tadayuki said, looking at his disciple.
“Of course not. I just feel that she might be my kind...”
“Your kind?” Kamo no Yasunori paused, then seemed to realize something.
“Could it be that you...”
“Yes, I think I have probably already met her.”
...
Also in the Upper Capital District of Heian-kyo, within the great residence of the Fujiwara clan, Fujiwara no Saneyori sat with a solemn expression behind a desk, diligently writing. He had been secluded in the room alone for nearly two hours now.
On the desk in front of Fujiwara no Saneyori, various items were laid out: turtle shells, copper coins, divination stick boxes, and a large pile of papers filled with all sorts of numerological divinations, scattered messily across the tabletop, with many even fallen beneath the desk.
“Can’t calculate it... still can’t calculate it... Heh... this is truly the first time I’ve encountered such a situation. I can’t see anything... no lines at all...” As if giving up, Fujiwara no Saneyori tossed his brush aside and sighed in resignation.
“Asakura Hao... just who exactly are you?”
Rate on N.U.
