"Asakura Hao? An Onmyoji?"
Hearing Miketsu's words, waves surged in the dog yokai's heart. He had not expected an Onmyoji from Heian-kyo to appear before him like this.
"An Onmyoji? An Onmyoji from the Onmyoryo? M-Master, run! Your wounds aren't healed yet, you absolutely must not fight again!" At this moment, another voice came from the dog yokai, which slightly surprised Miketsu.
There's another yokai on this dog yokai? And he's injured?
Miketsu curiously observed the dog yokai before her. Sure enough, she noticed its left forearm was trembling slightly and unnaturally. The white fur on it was disheveled, and in some places, the flesh was even exposed.
"Don't worry, Myoga. If she wanted to attack, she would have done so already. There's no need to specifically warn me," the dog yokai continued in a deep voice. Despite his words, the wariness in his eyes had not diminished in the slightest.
"That's right, I'm not here to subjugate you. I merely wanted to see what kind of yokai would actively protect humans," Miketsu continued unhurriedly. From the traces left at the village entrance, she deduced that there wasn't just one being from the demon realm present in Shenmu Village.
The yokai in the Morita Residence was an evil spirit, formed from human resentment. It wouldn't make beast-like noises. It mainly attacked villagers by possessing changguai, so it wouldn't cause such a huge commotion at the village entrance, nor would it leave white fur.
All these signs indicated that another yokai was involved in this incident in Shenmu Village. However, it was in opposition to the evil spirit in the residence, even intervening to stop the evil spirit from attacking the villagers. The evil spirit retaliated, and the two fought a great battle near the village entrance. The result was that the villagers heard a huge commotion outside, but no one died that night.
Hearing Miketsu's words, the wariness in the dog yokai's eyes receded slightly.
"To recover from my previous injuries, I preyed on the villagers' cattle. This is merely a small repayment.
"That evil spirit was no match for me outside, but it became quite troublesome after retreating to its lair. I had originally planned to forcefully enter its lair once my injuries had healed a bit more, but I didn't expect an Onmyoji from Kinki to possess such power."
Staring at Miketsu, the dog yokai continued.
"So, what do you intend to do now, Onmyoji? You're not really just here to look around, are you?" The dog yokai's vigilance had not yet disappeared. For an Onmyoji, a powerful, injured yokai like him could be very useful, for example, by forcibly subjugating him as a shikigami...
He had long heard that in Heian-kyo, there was a group of Onmyoji who used coercive methods to capture powerful yokai from all over the country and turn them into shikigami through various means.
"Don't worry, I won't do anything to you. I merely wish to express my gratitude to the villagers you protected."
"Gratitude? To me, a yokai? But you are a human Onmyoji..." Hearing Miketsu's words, the dog yokai was clearly surprised.
"What does it matter if I'm a yokai, or an Onmyoji? They are merely labels and identities. Ultimately, what matters are the actions taken." Miketsu continued with a smile. This time, the dog yokai did not immediately reply, but Miketsu could tell from his expression that his previously tense emotions had relaxed considerably.
"Actions taken, huh... What an interesting human..."
Recalling the dog yokai's previous words, Miketsu had some thoughts.
"Speaking of which, you're not a yokai from near Heian-kyo, are you?" Miketsu said. Just now, the dog yokai referred to her as an Onmyoji from Kinki, which wasn't something a local yokai would say.
"You are correct, I am not a yokai from Kinki. I needed to come to Heian-kyo for some matters, but I didn't expect to be ambushed by an enemy along the way. I couldn't find a Ghost Market to heal my injuries for a while, so I had no choice but to hide here, hoping to patiently wait for my wounds to recover."
The dog yokai replied, and his words made Miketsu's heart stir.
A Ghost Market? He must mean a secret realm of the demon realm where yokai gather. Such places are like human villages and cities in the human realm. Coincidentally, I know the location of a Ghost Market. Perhaps I can help him.
"You helped the villagers of this settlement despite your injuries. As a reward, I can tell you the location of a Ghost Market. You might be able to quickly recover your wounds there."
"Are you serious?" Hearing Miketsu's words, the dog yokai was startled. He had only hoped that this Onmyoji wouldn't be hostile towards him, let alone help him.
"Of course, it's true. It's merely a small favor." As she spoke, Miketsu pointed her hand to the east, in the direction of Heian-kyo.
"Continue heading east, towards Heian-kyo. Near the southeastern outskirts of Heian-kyo, at the foot of a mountain, there's a human settlement called Fushimi. From Fushimi, continue southeast until you reach a forest by a river. Hidden within that forest is a Ghost Market named Choyo-machi."
"As long as you're in the demon realm nearby, you'll see many yokai coming and going. It should be easy to find."
After Miketsu finished speaking, the scene fell into silence. Neither side spoke further.
"I trust you... Onmyoji. I will depart immediately to search for the place you mentioned." After a moment, the dog yokai spoke again, stating his intention.
"M-Master, you can't trust an Onmyoji's words! That might be a trap!" At this moment, the sharp voice came again. Only now did Miketsu realize that there was another yokai on this dog yokai, though she couldn't observe it from her current distance.
"No need to worry, Myoga. Since we've already helped humans, we can also try to trust them." As he spoke, the dog yokai turned around, facing the direction Miketsu had pointed.
"Thank you, unknown human Onmyoji."
"My name is Asakura Hao. This is merely a trivial matter for me," Miketsu said with a smile, looking at the dog yokai about to depart.
"Asakura Hao, huh... Heh..."
"I am Toga. Until we meet again, Asakura Hao!"
With that, the white figure named Toga swiftly ran into the distance, leaving Miketsu standing there, watching the direction he disappeared.
"Yes, until we meet again. Perhaps we truly will meet again in Choyo-machi, but by then, I will be in a different guise."
Miketsu thought to herself. At this moment, Tsuruha, who had been silently in her sleeve, spoke, her voice carrying a hint of emotion.
"I truly didn't expect it... There really are yokai in this world who would actively protect humans."
"That's why I said, Tsuruha, you can't view yokai with fixed notions. Yokai are a very vast group, and the differences between individuals are immense," Miketsu said. Initially, when she presented her conjecture to her divine messenger, Tsuruha wouldn't believe it at all.
"You are right, Lady Uka, but Tsuruha still believes that even if benevolent yokai exist, they are a very small fraction. For beings from the demon realm, it's best not to interact with them, as you are, after all, a deity."
"Yes, I understand. I will discern carefully," Miketsu said. She wasn't in a hurry to influence Tsuruha's views.
"By the way... Tsuruha is very confused about one thing now. Lady Uka, how did you know there was a Ghost Market to the south of Inari Mountain?"
"Eh..." Hearing Tsuruha's question, Miketsu froze completely.
Rate on N.U.
