Late at night in Heian-kyo, Upper Capital District, at the Minamoto clan's residence.
In the dimly lit underground, only a few flickering lights illuminated the surroundings. It was a cold, damp rock cave, and inside, two figures were present.
One standing figure was Minamoto no Yorimitsu, the eldest grandson of the Minamoto clan. Before him sat a woman with long black hair, dressed in luxurious clothes. She sat on the ground, drawing layer upon layer of densely written spell arrays that spread out from her center.
At this moment, the woman's eyes were tightly shut, but her mouth continuously spoke, and Minamoto no Yorimitsu listened with a smile on his face.
"The Seimogura has been discovered, and it has now been sealed by a Fujiwara onmyoji using a talisman..." After saying the last sentence, the woman fell silent. Then she opened her eyes and looked at Minamoto no Yorimitsu, who stood and gazed down at her, her eyes betraying a hint of fear.
"Oh... the Seimogura was actually discovered? As the eyes and ears of the gods, how could mere humans and yokai in the mortal world possibly find it?" Minamoto no Yorimitsu said with interest after hearing the woman's words.
"I... I don't know either. I only saw a mysterious person, completely hidden in a black robe and wrapped in bandages, point out the Seimogura's presence. Then it was immediately caught by a dog yokai and subsequently sealed by a Fujiwara onmyoji..."
"Is that so..." Hearing the woman's words, Minamoto no Yorimitsu took two steps forward, staring at her with sharp eyes from a closer distance. The woman instinctively avoided his gaze.
"How could something like a Seimogura be so easily discovered? Is this the whole story? You're not deliberately hiding anything, are you, Lady God...?"
As soon as Minamoto no Yorimitsu's words left his mouth, the woman's pupils suddenly dilated. She immediately turned her head and shouted at Minamoto no Yorimitsu.
"No! I didn't! I didn't hide a single thing! I've told you everything I heard... Aaaah!"
The woman's words were cut short as Minamoto no Yorimitsu silently recited two incantations. Immediately, all the spell arrays around the woman simultaneously glowed, and arcs of electricity sprang up, striking her body. The woman instantly let out a painful scream.
The electric arcs lasted only a few seconds. After a few seconds, the arcs dissipated, and the spell arrays returned to calm. The woman lay twitching on the ground, her body transforming. Her originally smooth skin grew thick fur, and her hands turned into claws.
The air was filled with the stench of burnt fur, and wisps of black smoke rose from the woman's body. She whimpered in pain, covering her now mutated face with her beast claws.
Minamoto no Yorimitsu silently watched the woman lying on the ground below him for a long time before slowly speaking.
"No matter how brilliant your outward appearance, no matter what esteemed title you bear, a wild god is still just a wild god. In the end, you are nothing more than a yokai with some followers... It helps to clearly see your true form to understand your place."
"I... I... I really didn't hide anything... I've told you everything..." The woman, now in her true form, trembled, her voice laced with whimpers.
"It seems you weren't lying this time..." Minamoto no Yorimitsu continued, observing the woman's reaction. Then he turned and walked towards the cave's exit.
...
"What? Fujiwara no Kanehira is colluding with yokai?" In the Minamoto clan's mansion, within Minamoto no Mitsunaka's bedroom, Minamoto no Mitsunaka, who had just woken up, sat on the tatami mat, looking at his son.
Just moments ago, his son had brought him unexpected intelligence.
"Yes, I used the Seimogura for investigation, and it can be confirmed that Fujiwara no Kanehira is secretly plotting with the dog yokai of Harima, intending to forge an unprecedented sword..." Minamoto no Yorimitsu sat before his father, reporting the intelligence obtained by the Seimogura.
"Hmph... That old man Fujiwara no Kanehira is still so obsessed with forging, isn't he? I had long anticipated that he would eventually dabble in dark arts because of it."
"You did very well this time. Next, you must closely monitor Fujiwara no Kanehira and find evidence of his collusion with yokai. We can use this to attack the Fujiwara clan." Minamoto no Mitsunaka nodded, very pleased with the intelligence his son had uncovered.
"Father, I believe perhaps we should allow Fujiwara no Kanehira and those yokai to proceed with their plan." Minamoto no Yorimitsu continued, his words greatly surprising Minamoto no Mitsunaka.
"Allow him? Why would you think that?" Minamoto no Mitsunaka asked. He knew his son's thoughts and insights were extraordinary, and he wouldn't say such a thing without reason.
"Father, please consider this: even if Fujiwara no Kanehira's crime of colluding with yokai is truly proven, how much loss would that inflict upon the Fujiwara clan? Based on the intelligence gathered so far, this matter is Fujiwara no Kanehira's personal doing, not the will of the Fujiwara clan as a whole. This means that even if we have sufficient evidence, we can only attack Fujiwara no Kanehira alone, unable to spread the blame to others.
"For the Fujiwara clan, at most, they would simply discard Fujiwara no Kanehira. Such a loss is entirely bearable for them. Fujiwara no Kanehira holds no other important position besides being the supervisor of the Spirit Tool Bureau, and the Spirit Tool Bureau is where the Fujiwara clan's influence is strongest, making it impossible for us to interfere. One Fujiwara will simply be replaced by another Fujiwara."
Minamoto no Yorimitsu analyzed the situation for Minamoto no Mitsunaka, who listened carefully.
"Therefore, my suggestion is to let Fujiwara no Kanehira do what he intends, to let him escalate the matter until the entire Fujiwara clan cannot escape responsibility, and then we make our move."
"Escalate it until the entire Fujiwara clan cannot escape responsibility? Hmph, it's just forging a sword; how big can this matter get?"
"Fujiwara no Kanehira intends to use the Vermilion Bird Seal."
"..."
Minamoto no Mitsunaka, who had just been saying that Fujiwara no Kanehira's affair couldn't get too big, immediately fell silent upon hearing Minamoto no Yorimitsu's next words.
"Are you serious?"
"Absolutely true."
After confirming it once more, Minamoto no Mitsunaka's expression became strange. After a while, he continued.
"It seems my initial prediction was not entirely accurate. I underestimated Fujiwara no Kanehira; he's truly mad for forging..." As he spoke, Minamoto no Mitsunaka redefined Fujiwara no Kanehira in his mind. In his view, colluding with yokai was nothing compared to secretly using the Vermilion Bird Seal.
Minamoto no Yorimitsu smiled faintly, looking at the pensive Minamoto no Mitsunaka, and then continued.
"If Fujiwara no Kanehira wants to use the Vermilion Bird Seal, he will inevitably have to lift the protective barrier guarding it. What would happen if yokai were to attack the Vermilion Bird Seal at that moment? Fujiwara no Kanehira colluding with yokai and betraying Heian-kyo's most fundamental sacred defense? What an enormous crime that would be! Can Fujiwara no Kanehira bear it alone? At that point, the entire Fujiwara clan will have to shoulder the burden!"
Upon hearing his son's suggestion, Minamoto no Mitsunaka's eyes widened.
"No! If something were to happen to the Vermilion Bird Seal, the consequences would be unimaginable! More importantly, if we directly intervened and incited a large number of yokai, the commotion would be too great, and we would ultimately leave evidence. Such a plan is far too risky!" Minamoto no Mitsunaka said, genuinely startled by his son's plan.
"Don't worry, Father. I've already considered this aspect. We don't need to act personally in this matter; there are more suitable candidates to take the lead for us. We only need to operate from behind the scenes and control the situation, perhaps giving a push at a crucial moment. Furthermore, if these individuals are controlled well enough, the danger can be minimized."
Minamoto no Yorimitsu was confident in the face of Minamoto no Mitsunaka's concerns, which again left Minamoto no Mitsunaka puzzled.
"Suitable candidates?"
"Father, are you aware of the sworn enemy of the Dog Clan, the Leopard Cat Lord of Harima, the Yokai Lord Oyakata?"
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