Chapter 60 - Renovation.

Accompanied by the roar of explosions, Miketsu began testing the mass-produced exploding talismans. The final results were very satisfying; the power of these stamped talismans was no less than that of the original prototypes.

After the successful testing of the detonating talismans, Miketsu finally had another means of attack.

To be honest, while the Light Spell Miketsu first learned was powerful, it had many drawbacks. Firstly, the incantation preparation time was too long, requiring about thirty seconds to cast one spell. Secondly, the accuracy was a bit problematic, mainly due to the lack of a targeting sight. Aiming with a finger was truly difficult; you might feel you've hit the target, but the actual shot would be far off. It was fine against large enemies, but hitting smaller enemies became a serious issue.

The Golden Light Spell could be used as an unexpected ultimate move but not for regular output; this was a conclusion Miketsu had reached long ago. Now, she planned to use these detonating talismans to fill the gap in her regular output, but there were still many problems, the biggest of which was the lack of a projection method for these talismans.

How to accurately throw these talismans at enemies was a big problem. Miketsu's initial idea to solve this was to wrap them around stones and throw them, or tie them to arrows and shoot them, or simply use them as landmines.

However, considering this world has various spells, perhaps the Onmyoryo holds Onmyojutsu that could compensate for this.

With this thought, Miketsu decided to visit the Onmyoryo's archives again tomorrow morning to look for any Onmyojutsu she could use.

Having planned her next day's itinerary, Miketsu went to bed early and woke up very early the next day. She retrieved the exquisite cloth bag brought from the Onmyoryo the day before. Inside, she found the Onmyoji uniform Fujiwara no Saneyori had given her.

Miketsu took off her miko attire and put on the uniform piece by piece: the sashinuki trousers, the hitatare inner garment, the kariginu outer robe, and the tall eboshi cap. Once fully dressed, a beautiful young female Onmyoji appeared.

Wearing an Onmyoji uniform for the first time, Miketsu felt a sense of novelty. She examined herself from all angles in the bronze mirror, finding the outfit surprisingly well-fitting. She mused that it was probably custom-made by the Fujiwara clan with a rush order.

"Lady Uka, this outfit truly suits you," Tsuruha remarked, standing indoors and evaluating Miketsu. She didn't mind her deity having an Onmyoji identity; after all, it was all about fighting against the Demon Realm and its yokai.

Finished with her self-admiration, Miketsu and Tsuruha began their descent. In a secluded spot, Miketsu put on the magatama she was supposed to wear, and Tsuruha, as usual, slipped into Miketsu's sleeve.

Once again immersing herself in the Human Realm, Miketsu, familiar with the route, headed straight for the Greater Imperial Palace in Heian-kyo. Along the way, her Onmyoji attire attracted many passersby's attention. The common folk had seen male Onmyoji from the Onmyoryo, but female Onmyoji were almost unheard of, let alone one so young.

Immediately, many passersby began to privately discuss the young Onmyoji girl among themselves. Many believed she might be a favored young lady from some official family causing mischief.

Completely ignoring the stares of the onlookers, Miketsu quickly walked along Suzaku Avenue, arriving in front of the Greater Imperial Palace. She pulled out her identification tag and, amidst a chorus of surprised gazes, entered the palace. Following the route she had memorized the day before, she headed directly for the Onmyoryo's Archives Bureau, attracting almost all the Onmyo-sei's attention along the way and sparking a flurry of discussion.

"Hey! I'm not mistaken, am I? That woman is actually wearing an Onmyoji kariginu!?"

"So young... a Junior Assistant? Which family has produced such a genius young lady now..."

"There's no family crest on her. Could this uniform be fake...? Who would be so bold as to wander around the Onmyoryo in this attire?"

...

A group of Onmyo-sei, all around twenty years old, gathered together, buzzing with discussion about the young girl who had just hurried past. Such a young age, yet dressed in a formal Onmyoji uniform – this came as quite a shock to this group of not-so-young Onmyo-sei.

"Hey, you guys wouldn't know, but a few days ago, Lord Saneyori gathered several other Senior Secretaries and Lord Kamo to jointly discuss and formulate a special Junior Assistant position. It's said that to persuade the other lords, Lord Saneyori even specifically sought an imperial decree from His Highness Tadahira," a seemingly well-informed Onmyo-sei whispered among the group with a smug expression during the discussion.

"An imperial decree from the Kanpaku? Who could possibly make the Fujiwara clan take this so seriously?" As soon as Fujiwara no Tadahira was mentioned, the Onmyo-sei's discussion immediately became more fervent.

How could the appointment of a mere Junior Assistant involve the current Kanpaku!?

Seeing the reactions of the surrounding crowd, the well-informed Onmyo-sei smiled with satisfaction and continued.

"This matter is no longer a secret among official Onmyoji, but who this special Junior Assistant position is for, and why she obtained this position, has always been a mystery. It's rumored to be related to an unexpected incident that occurred during the recent selection trials, but unfortunately, information about that incident is too tightly sealed, and I don't know the specific details."

"What unexpected incident? What unexpected incident?"

"So, that Junior Assistant position was ultimately given to that girl who just passed by?"

"Hey, if you know anything else, hurry up and tell us..."

The Onmyo-sei all began chattering and discussing again, but outside the crowd, there was a figure who remained silent throughout.

Dressed in an Onmyo-sei uniform, with a hairpin in his hair and a wooden stick in his mouth, Morimura Saemon stood silently to the side, watching the crowd, his face gloomy, lost in thought. Read at Novels Haven (novelshaven.com)

...

Unaware that she was the subject of much lively discussion, Miketsu walked all the way to the Archives Bureau, arriving at the archives, ready to spend an entire day inside. However, the scene before her when she reached the entrance made her jaw drop.

"What the...? Closed for renovation?"

At the entrance of the archives, several samurai stood guard, and the main doors were tightly shut and locked. Miketsu stepped forward to inquire and learned that the entire archives was undergoing routine renovation work and was temporarily closed, a state that would last for at least four or five days.

With the archives inaccessible, Miketsu was momentarily at a loss. Her purpose in coming to Heian-kyo this time was to read and transcribe books there. Now, with the archives unavailable, she suddenly lost her objective.

What to do? Did I come all the way to Heian-kyo for nothing this time?

No, I can't have walked all this way for nothing!

Miketsu hesitated at the archives entrance for a while, then suddenly realized that she could accept tasks issued by the Onmyoryo. By completing tasks, she could accumulate merits and get promoted.

Currently, she could only access Junior Assistant level spells, and that amount was limited. To get more spells, she would have to be promoted to Senior Assistant, which was bound to happen sooner or later.

Therefore, Miketsu decided to go and see if there were any suitable tasks for her to take on. If she had nothing else to do, accumulating some merits wouldn't be bad. It was said that besides merits, there were also rewards, so why not earn some money?