Tokyo Ravens

Chapter 48

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It was the worst occasion to slip up. Natsume gritted her teeth, glaring at the suit-wearing young man - Yamashiro.

She had gone to such lengths to slip into the monastery concealing her ident.i.ty, but her true self had been noticed by a National First-Cla.s.s Onmyouji Mystical Investigator. That kind of thing was stupid as well as having the worst possible timing.

Yamashiro had surrept.i.tiously drawn closer to Natsume. In other words, she was being watched to some degree. Natsume had avoided contact with the Divine Generals, and she originally thought she had concealed her aura quite well, but that had been too naive.

Though Natsume was angered at her inability, she immediately composed her feelings and focused on the situation before her. Fortunately, Harutora would appear at the dark temple today. She just needed to buy time until he appeared, and she had the magical tools that she needed for that.

......Right. Even if the opponent was a Divine General. She could only take a shot. Natsume instantly adjusted her mind to an alert state, letting magical energy swell up from her entire body.

"......Hmph." Yamashiro snorted upon "seeing" Natsume"s state.

But on the other hand, Natsume couldn"t ignore Akino whom she was sheltering behind her. Akino was tense, her body stiff. There was no helping that.

Though the "disciples" of Seishuku Temple constantly underwent magical training, Natsume knew after being with Akino the whole day yesterday that she hadn"t received training as a pract.i.tioner.

She couldn"t involve her in this, and she had to consider the possibility that she would be captured to be used as a hostage. If possible, she wanted to change the location of the battle, but it was unknown whether she would have such an opportunity.

Then, there was one more thing to remember--

"......That Tengu probably isn"t your shikigami."

Yamashiro slowly turned his gaze towards the tengu shikigami. Of course, Yamashiro had recognized the existence of this Tengu beforehand, and he had been able to conclude that the shikigami probably wasn"t Natsume"s.

"Could it be that brat"s shikigami? She"s quite a "strange" kid, that"s for sure."

Now that he mentioned it, Akino"s rabbit ears were out. Akino went stiff, frightened by Yamashiro"s tone.

Natsume immediately said, "...Tengu? Can I entrust Akino"s safety to you?"

"H-Hokuto?"

Akino had said that the tengu shikigami obeyed the orders of people in the temple. Natsume had just entered the monastery, but this shikigami seemed quite familiar to Akino who had grown up in the monastery.

As expected, Tengu slowly nodded to express acquiescence. She was extremely grateful. But she couldn"t just drop her guard like this. Tengu"s strength was still unknown, and she wasn"t sure how much she could entrust it with. Moreover,

"You"re also quite strange, Tsuchimikado Natsume." Yamashiro said this to the intently-staring Natsume. Moreover, he used a leisurely, chatting tone. Natsume"s expression became sharpened at Yamashiro"s words.

"You stayed at the Onmyou Academy until last year, and you were together with Tsuchimikado Harutora in the forty-seventh cla.s.s of students if I remember correctly. In other words, you guys are my kouhai. Actually, I was also a student of the Onmyou Academy, of the forty-fifth cla.s.s."

Natsume fought back from letting her eyes twitch. A difference of two years, or in other words, this man had already been a third-year when Natsume had entered the academy. Though there was very little contact between first-years and uppercla.s.smen, she ought to have heard something like rumors about someone with the level of ability to gain "First-Cla.s.s Onmyou" qualifications.

Probably antic.i.p.ating Natsume"s suspicions, Yamashiro spoke.

"Originally, I no longer had anything to learn after my second year at the Onmyou Academy, but if I knew that someone from the Tsuchimikado family - or that Tsuchimikado Yakou"s reincarnation was entering the academy - it wouldn"t have been bad to stay for another year. How regrettable."

That meant that he had left by the time Natsume and the others entered.

The Onmyou Academy graduates mostly entered the Onmyou Agency for work, and it wasn"t strange for the Mystical Investigators to have academy graduates.

"How unexpected for fellow academy members to meet in this kind of "filthy" monastery. How ironic."

A look of "irony" also appeared on Yamashiro"s face as he said this. It was indeed "ironic", but Natsume didn"t have the leisure for jokes like that. The opponent was a professional at human-targeted magic along with a Divine General. Natsume knew quite well exactly how strong their powers were.

"But why are you here? I was guessing that you were definitely acting together with Tsuchimikado Harutora. Did you come beforehand to do scouting work?"

"Well, whatever. We don"t have that kind of time either."

Yamashiro said this to the completely-silent Natsume, also losing his interest in further pursuing the subject. Yamashiro had a clear confidence on his face since he started thinking, and Natsume judged that this wasn"t "faked". It was a good sign that the enemy was careless.

Outside of its relation to Harutora, the fact that he mentioned the Onmyou Academy topic was probably because he was a bit interested in Natsume as an Onmyou Academy kouhai. She was truly grateful that she was being looked down on at this time.

"......H-Hokuto."

Akino called out quietly from behind her back.

Her body was shaking. Natsume"s heart was filled with apology towards Akino. She had just been granted the goodwill of her naive, brilliant personality, and in the end she had pulled her into a troublesome situation. But those thoughts also stopped there. She had a duty to send her back safe and sound.

"Akino, leave me and run back to the monastery with the tengu shikigami. It"s alright, you should be able to get there in a flash with your speed from before."

"How can I! I-I can"t leave Hokuto here alone!"

Just as Akino tried to speak frantically.

"...!? Order!"

At the same time as Natsume instantly put up a defensive wall by throwing out a protective charm, the Unmoving Golden Chains that Yamashiro released hurtled towards her. The magical wall shook intensely because of the magic collision.

...So fast!?

He hadn"t needed to speak an incantation, he hadn"t formed a hand seal, and he hadn"t refined any magical energy. Though the magic was relatively incomplete, the victor would probably be decided if she took one of those to the face.

"Hey, don"t make me waste time for no reason."

As Yamashiro spoke with a calm tone, he casually shortened the distance between the two.

Akino"s wails sounded from behind her. Natsume changed the position of her arm that maintained the magical wall while refining magical energy. Then, she threw out a second protective charm, but this time she interfered with and rewrote the magic. She connected the magic to the magical wall she had put up before. She purposefully "disrupted" the magic.

"Deflect! Order!"

The magical wall from before instantly swelled up after absorbing the second protective charm. A projectile magic that attacked with a magical wall. She forced the magical wall to go out of control, and it defended against the Unmoving Golden Chains that constantly shot out while moving in the direction of the attacks.

"......Tch."

Yamashiro clicked his tongue while turning to avoid the magical wall. She let the out-of-control magical wall fly at him directly as a means of attack. It seemed that there wouldn"t be enough time to deal with each and every magic she used. Yamashiro "watched" Natsume with a cold gaze.

Natsume ran to the right in a flash in order to put some distance from Akino, taking advantage of the opening from interrupting the Unmoving Golden Chains. It was because Yamashiro wasn"t the kind of opponent that Natsume could deal with while protecting Akino at the same time. The tengu shikigami started approaching Akino as it had promised, as if taking Natsume"s place. Akino was currently unable to move because of fear and nervousness, so it was better to have the shikigami move her to a safe place.

Yamashiro called out irritatedly:

"I said, don"t make your senpai waste time for no reason, kouhai."

Yamashiro maintained his slightly forward-leaning posture as he said that, pursuing Natsume with agile steps.

He took out two charms from the front pocket of his suit and tossed them out. They were shikigami. Two completely blue catlike shikigami appeared. "WA2 Cat Bandage", a Witchcraft Corporation binding shikigami that the Mystical Investigators commonly used. The two Cat Bandages leaped from the ground into a dash right after forming. Though they were just ordinary, commercial manmade shikigami, their aura and mobility were definitely on a different level under the control of a Divine General. The two split up to attack Natsume, like hunting lions.

Natsume ran while forming a seal. "Suzaku! Genbu! Byako! Koujin! Nanto! Hokuto! Sandai! Gyokujo! Seiryuu!"

Natsume suddenly stopped and turned her body, forming hand seals at the two shikigami. At the same time, a grid pattern filled with magical energy flashed with white light in front of Natsume. Kuji-kiri. Her black hair floated behind her as if blown by a strong wing. The two pouncing shikigami stopped because they collided with the kuji-kiri. But,

"Flow and bind. Order."

Yamashiro"s attack came a split-second after the two shikigami were stopped. He held up a charm with two fingers, hurling the charm while chanting an incantation. It was a water-element charm. The magic became a torrent that rushed along the ground, approaching Natsume.

Though she reflexively wanted to take out a wood-element charm, Natsume immediately antic.i.p.ated the entirety of the opponent"s magic from the enemy"s goals and magic. She pulled out a metal-element charm, throwing it as if to scatter the approaching charm magic.

"Metal conquers wood! Order!"

The magical torrent Yamashiro had unleashed was about to crash down on top of Natsume. The instant she thought that, the torrent instantly became a net of vines. The net of vines carrying water-aura was a magic formed on the basis of the Five Elements Mutual Generation concept of "water generates wood".

But everything was broken off by the sharp shard of metal that the metal-element charm Natsume threw out turned into. Five Elements Conquering - metal conquers wood. However, the wood aura"s might had been empowered because of its generation from the water aura, and Natsume"s metal aura couldn"t completely neutralize it. The cut vines started growing from their severed ends. The movement of the growing vines rushed towards Natsume as if flying through the air.

...In that case!

"Om bishibishi karakara shibari sowaka!"

Her fingers fluidly jumped from a Dharmacakra seal to a seal of magic binding. Unmoving Golden Chains. This time, the movement of the vines were finally stopped after that magic bound the opponent"s magic.

But just then, the two Cat Bandages had already regained their mobility, and Yamashiro"s next magic had already been released.

"Solidify and harden, Order!"

Yamashiro crouched down to stick a charm on the ground, an earth-element charm this time. Five Element Mutual Generation, the same as before. In other words, earth generates metal.

After she leaped back, sharp metal shards shot up from the place Natsume"s feet had just been, and those earthen teeth constantly reached up as they pursued in the direction Natsume escaped.

The earth aura summoned by the magic became metal aura underground. As expected, it was the same Five Elements Mutual Generation as before. But it was no use even if she saw through the opponent"s repeated magic. Right after Natsume avoided the attack from under her feet, the two blue cats immediately closed in on her from the left and right. Even if she could use the same defensive methods to neutralize the magic, she wouldn"t be in time to deal with the two shikigami. Moreover, Yamashiro had already casually taken out the next charm.

His continuous, wanton waves of attacks were purely to seal Natsume"s actions, and the follow-up attacks were just to back Natsume into a corner, not to deal with her instantly. His tactic was to apply pressure on her bit by bit, in order to keep her alive and not kill her.

...If that"s what the opponent intends!

She would win with this. Natsume made her decision and stopped evading. She poured all her focus into her magic, refining magical energy, and forming a basic seal.

"Noumaku saraba tatagyateibyaku saraba bokkeibyaku sarabata tarata senda makarosyada ken gyakigyaki saraba biginnan untarata kanman!"

This was Acala"s Fire Realm magic.

The flame that burst from Natsume"s body swirled into a vortex centered on the girl. Her black hair lifted above her head, blown against gravity by the heat.

The metal aura"s magical energy piercing through the ground dissipated harmlessly after encountering Natsume"s flame. Fire conquers metal. The two approaching "Cat Bandages" were also scorched and forced to retreat from the intense lag. The pillar of fire reaching into the sky began churning up the dim clouds. Yamashiro stopped.

"...Ho." Yamashiro narrowed his eyes and spoke. The cold, mocking smile had finally vanished from his face.

"...Makarosyada ken gyakigyaki saraba biginnan untarata kanman!"

Natsume unleashed her ferocious Fire Realm magic at Yamashiro. At the same time, she cast stealth magic. From the start, she hadn"t needed to defeat him. She just needed to escape until Harutora arrived.

Using the Fire Realm magic could also blind the opponent"s eyes. As long as she took advantage of this period of time to escape into the mountain forest--

"You already want to escape? You"re too naive, thinking you could win with that."

Yamashiro"s voice came from the direction of the Fire Realm magic, and Natsume, who was about to run away, turned her head to "see" Yamashiro without slowing down.

Yamashiro had put up a barrier to defend against the Fire Realm, and destroying it was completely impossible since she had completely released control of the Fire Realm magic. However, the fire realm magic she had poured all her strength into still sustained its power. Yamashiro ought to be unable to release the barrier and attack Natsume from inside the Fire Realm magic. She could escape! Natsume believed this.

Suddenly, something flew like an arrow from overhead. Reflected in Natsume"s eyes after she spun towards it was the figure of a blue bird tearing through the clouds.

"A "Swallow Whip"!?"

She wasn"t in time to instantly evade it. When the blue swallow was about to crash into Natsume"s chest, its longest feathers became whips that extended out to entangle Natsume"s body.

"Ah!?"

Her feet left the ground and immediately afterwards, she felt the impact of falling down throughout her body.

The Swallow Whip was the representative binding shikigami that Mystical Investigators used, on par with the Cat Bandage. Just like its name implied, its feathers became whips that entwined around Natsume"s body and bound her. Natsume struggled as if rolling on the ground.

When Natsume managed to struggle to her feet, she felt the Swallow Whip"s wings extend and twine around her knees to bind its target. Come to think of it, Swallow Whip wings were set up with a weak Unmoving Golden Chains magic by default, which was low-powered in order to be activated frequently against the target. Once one was bound, it was difficult to escape.

...But, how? When had he used it!?

Natsume ought to have not been careless anywhere. There was no reason she shouldn"t have noticed if Yamashiro had summoned a Swallow Whip.

But, "......I had it wait in the air before coming in contact with you. I have the upper hand now, right?"

The power of the Fire Realm magic Natsume had released had started to fade now. Yamashiro deflected it outward with a barrier as if mimicking Natsume"s methods, fending off the Fire Realm magic.

Yamashiro smiled knowingly.

"Well, that"s pretty good for a student who withdrew in her second year. With that kind of skill, you could even get qualifications as a professional Onmyouji. ......But I"m not sure whether the subject of forbidden magic would work at the Onmyou Agency."

Yamashiro shrugged his shoulders with a leisurely smile as he said this.

Natsume ground her teeth as she lay collapsed on the ground, her black hair scattered over her face. The Fire Realm magic from before had already used all of Natsume"s power. But Natsume couldn"t "see" any traces of disturbance in Yamashiro"s aura after resisting it. It was as if he hadn"t even gotten serious. Even though he was young, his position as a Divine General wasn"t unwarranted.

"In any case, you"re a kouhai, so I don"t plan on treating you roughly. Behave yourself and sit still."

Yamashiro spoke haughtily to Natsume as he stuck his hands into his pants pockets. His expression carried the cold, penetrating gaze unique to professional Mystical Investigators.

However, when Yamashiro walked towards Natsume, he suddenly stopped and showed an abnormal expression.

Akino sprinted in front of the immobile Natsume. The tengu shikigami was together with her.

"Wha!?" Natsume was completely speechless.

Natsume had focused her mind on Yamashiro since the magic battle had started, and she had believed that the tengu shikigami had acted to bring Akino back to the monastery. Right now, Akino was spreading her arms and confronting Yamashiro without even hiding her rabbit ears solely to protect Natsume.

"Akino, no!"

"T-Tengu-san! Please help me release Hokuto"s bindings."

"Why did you come back?"

"Isn"t that obvious? We"re friends!"

Natsume could only grit her teeth tightly and glare resentfully at Tengu at Akino"s words. It obeyed the orders of people in the temple, so in other words, perhaps it had already brought her back and then had been ordered by Akino to bring her back to Natsume. Though she had thought it had consciousness, it seemed like it wasn"t wise enough to read the situation yet.

On the other side, Yamashiro expressionlessly gazed at the interrupting youngster and shikigami.

He snorted emotionlessly, his hands still stuck in his pockets.

Then, the two Cat Bandages that had been scorched into lag by the Fire Realm magic closed in on Natsume from the left and right. They planned on binding Akino and Tengu as well.

Did she have no other choice but to use it? Natsume thought with a slightly bitter expression.

"......Akino. Please leave me."

"No!"

"In that case, please hide behind Tengu and crouch down on the ground."

"Eh?"

"Hurry!"

As Natsume"s shout rang in Akino"s ears, she instantly moved with a speed that left afterimages. It was a high speed that even made Natsume who had instructed her to do so doubt her own eyes. Even the expressionless Yamashiro berated himself for being careless.

After Akino returned behind the tengu shikigami, she carefully got down on the ground as Natsume had instructed.

Natsume raised her head from the ground after confirming all of this, looking at the two Cat Bandages.

Then,

"Hekireki. I"m counting on you!"

Instantly--

With a crashing explosion of sound, Natsume was covered in a blinding light. The Swallow Whip binding her body instantly turned to ash. Then, intense lag also appeared all over the tengu shikigami to her side. Akino who lay on the ground also wailed "Eek!?" from fright.

"What!?"

Yamashiro reflexively changed his stance as Natsume leaped up, released from her bindings. As she stood up, her body was laced with discharging sparks. Sparking electricity constantly coursed through the jacket she wore.

It was lightning.

"Could that be? Lightning magic!?"

Yamashiro moved his hands, instantly forming a seal. The instant he put up a barrier--

"Hah!"

Natsume swung out with her gloved right hand.

Flash.

Bright yellow lightning from Natsume"s right hand left scorched traces between her and Yamashiro. Then, a thunderous rumble rang out. A jarring sound of impact came immediately afterwards. The lightning"s might shoved the barrier and Yamashiro"s feet slid backwards. Taking advantage of that opportunity, Natsume swung both her hands this time, and countless bolts of lightning instantly tore through the air. The Cat Bandages that had been on standby dropped down towards Natsume"s head, but like the Swallow Whip, they were instantly turned to ash along with their shikigami charm.

"You didn"t even use a charm - No!? A shikigami! A defensive shikigami!?"

Yamashiro shouted out the correct answer. This was a high-level manmade defensive shikigami of her original creation, Hekireki. It wasn"t materialized, it was just a special shikigami that followed its master"s instructions and released several preset magics. It hadn"t originally been Natsume"s shikigami. It was a defensive shikigami that had been specially lent to her from an extraordinary former exorcist - who was currently acting as Natsume"s master[1]. It was one of Natsume"s trump cards.

"Tengu! Please leave with Akino now!"

The smell of burned air spread. It was true that Hekireki was quite a powerful shikigami, but its abilities were extremely specialized and thus its scope was limited. In the first place, lightning magic was known to be quite difficult, and the difficulty of controlling Hekireki was evident. That was why controlling it was a difficult technique.

That said, lightning magic was different from most other magic. The outcome was visible the moment after usage, and it was a magic that activated in one fell swoop that was impossible to change or adjust. It was a magic that couldn"t be properly grasped without proper resolve.

But right now wasn"t the time to hesitate.

"Noumaku sanmanda botanan indoraya sowaka!"

She formed the seal of Indra, the G.o.d of lightning, and chanted his mantra to strengthen her link of spiritual power with Hekireki. She poured her magical energy into Hekireki and attacked through the shikigami"s magic.

Raging lightning a.s.saulted Yamashiro.

"Tch!"

Yamashiro maintained the barrier while running to the open mountain ground. But the lightning magic attack would hit its target the instant it was case. "Evading" it was impossible in the first place.

Yamashiro narrowed his eyes.

"I remember that there was something in Imperial Onmyoudou - Got it! Akada of the east! Shiyutakou of the west! Satsuteiro of the south! Sodamani of the north!"

He chanted the incantation of a "lightning-repelling" magic of Imperial Onmyoudou. Though it was a bit rare, it was indeed a conventional method of dealing with lightning magic. But this wasn"t a magic that sealed lighting magic. In the end, it was just an "avoidance" magic.

But it was alright if Natsume couldn"t hit. She constantly released lighting strikes without any reservations. Raging thunder flooded his hearing and made his skin vibrate. The flashes scorched his retinas and his sight turned white. It was alright if she couldn"t hit him directly, it was enough to just barrage him.

Natsume checked Akino"s current condition. The tengu shikigami had judged that being next to Natsume was very dangerous, so it had carried Akino back and put her low to the ground. If she just continued suppressing Yamashiro with all her power like this, she would be able to stop his pursuit. Then, she could escape by running into the mountain forest with Akino and Tengu. But,

"I really underestimated you, kouhai! I"ve changed my opinion of you, so I"ll also start fighting for real."

Even while he was avoiding lightning strikes, they ought to have conveyed huge impacts to him just by striking randomly nearby.

However, the Mystical Investigator released his barrier. Several charms appeared in his hands. Shikigami charms.

Then, he infused the charms with magical energy--

Natsume inadvertently became fearful upon feeling a disgusting presence.

"Come! Evil spirits! Order!"

Yamashiro didn"t throw out the magic charm. Rather, he gripped it tightly in his hand, and then dense black miasma poured from the gaps between his fingers. It formed irresolute blobs, and it seemed that a terrifying pulsation was born in that black fog. Though they were clouds, they seemed to have a viscosity like molten metal. Moreover, Natsume remembered the feeling of this miasma extremely clearly.

"Kodoku!? To think you"re using forbidden magic."

Natsume had witnessed a Yakou fanatic Mystical Investigator controlling a kodoku before. But the kodoku at that time was undoubtedly different from the one Yamashiro controlled in terms of number or miasma quality.

The kodoku were br.i.m.m.i.n.g with antic.i.p.ation. When she thought that, their surfaces suddenly split and giant eyeb.a.l.l.s appeared in the black fog.

The eyeb.a.l.l.s that were flickering back and forth all turned to focus on Natsume.

"Go."

The kodoku practically cried out as they rushed in Natsume"s direction.

Gooseb.u.mps had risen all over Natsume"s body, but she engaged the group of kodoku without a shred of cowardice. With a rumbling roar, she constructed a barrier of lightning. At the same time as it stopped the kodokus" advance, it began burning them from the outside. But,

......This is bad. If this goes on......!

Lightning magic was usually "inactive" relatively often. It couldn"t be continuously cast without quite some spiritual power. Though Hekireki"s existence more or less compensated for that fault, it was quite an intense consumption. If she didn"t hurry up and resolve things, Natsume"s spiritual power would burn itself out.

"...Hmph. You"re still too young."

Yamashiro smiled proudly, and Natsume suddenly realized.

One kodoku had circled around to Natsume"s right side and was closing in. She hadn"t expected him to cast stealth magic on a kodoku. Natsume"s right hand reflexively slashed out and electricity ran along the surface of her pants. Lightning released from her gloved fingers struck the kodoku.

But the power was too weak. The wriggling black fog was only half-blown away by the lightning. The remainder glided through the air as it approached Natsume.

She was going to get hit. When Natsume thought this, her body was suddenly lifted up from behind.

...Eh!?

Her body dangled in the air, pulled up by a powerful strength. It seemed like she was floating on the wind. When she came to her senses, she was already flying backwards. She desperately turned to look and saw the tengu shikigami behind her holding Akino with one hand and holding her by the collar.

"You?"

The tengu shikigami dropped lightly on the ground behind them, carrying Akino and Natsume.

"Hokuto!? A-Are you hurt!?"

"Akino......"

Yamashiro on the other side clicked his tongue magnificently. "Tch!" She had been saved with the best timing. Natsume thanked the tengu shikigami with extreme grat.i.tude.

"H-Hokuto, you"re incredible! So amazing. I didn"t know you were so strong. You"re really, really amazing."

Akino rambled on. Natsume had just been saved from a crisis, so all she could feel was helplessness.

Even so, Natsume inadvertently smiled wryly.

It was because Akino"s rabbit ears looked so cute jumping back and forth.

"......Call me Natsume."

"Eh?"

"It wasn"t a lie to call myself Hokuto, but that"s what I was always called."

Akino was dazed for a while at the start, then nodded continuously.

"Natsume, you"re really amazing."

"No, I"m not much. Also, it"s not over."

Then, Natsume turned her gaze in Yamashiro"s direction.

Yamashiro looked at the tengu shikigami as if sizing up the new fighting power. Then, he regrouped the group of kodoku, preparing to find the opportunity to attack again.

Natsume adjusted her stance after breathing deeply again. She ignited her fighting spirit again and focused her consciousness on Hekireki.

"On saraba tatagyata hannamanna nou kyaromi!"

The seductive - yet biting cold - female voice sounded in the minds of everyone present.

"Oh my......"

Miyoshi raised his head and murmured in surprise as he sat on a wicker chair reading a book in the lounge of his living quarters.

"It seems like it ended up turning into a magic battle."

A storm"s coming, Miyoshi said to himself in a muttering tone. Yuge was meditating next to him, or perhaps it could be said that she had been asked to wait at his side for the whole time.

Her eyes widened with an "eh" and she turned her face towards Miyoshi.

"Yamashiro?"

"Yeah. It looks like he was unable to request a.s.sistance with gentle means. Well, that was antic.i.p.ated."

Miyoshi showed a look of seeing far in the distance. Then, Yuge asked seriously.

"Is the opponent really Tsuchimikado Natsume?"

"Though I can"t say for sure, it"s ninety percent certain."

The forbidden magic that Tsuchimikado Harutora used was the "soul" magic that was especially taboo among forbidden magic - the Taizan f.u.kun Ritual.

And the person he had used the Taizan f.u.kun Ritual to resurrect was a girl also from the Tsuchimikado family - Tsuchimikado Natsume.

Because of the Onmyou Agency higher-ups - or to be direct, Chief Kurahashi"s influence - that matter was still strictly controlled information even one year afterwards. That said, the tables had already turned. The Kurahashi family had originally been a branch family of the Tsuchimikado family. He had probably decided that it wasn"t such a good thing for the main family"s secrets to be exposed.

In any case, Tsuchimikado Natsume was a key individual if they wanted to contact Tsuchimikado Harutora, that was for sure.

"Should we go over too?"

"If Yamashiro-shi"s there, it"s already enough."

"But."

"First, even if we hurry over now, it"ll just make chaos."

"I see."

"Also, if you go, who"s going to protect me."

"......Haahh."

Yuge was more or less used to Miyoshi"s always-calm tone when he spoke. Actually, Yamashiro was a National First-Cla.s.s Onmyouji Mystical Investigator, a professional at magic against humans. As a Special Senser, Miyoshi didn"t matter as much. The Mystical Investigator Yamashiro and the exorcist Yuge, who was used to spiritual disasters as opponents. Obviously, the former was more competent in this type of magic battle.

Never mind Tsuchimikado Harutora with his two powerful shikigami for now. There was no reason that he would be unable to capture Tsuchimikado Natsume with just her as his opponent.

"Also, we also have our own visitors."

"Eh?"

The moment Yuge replied this, she also noticed the movements nearby. She immediately put up a barrier inside the room.

But,

"Yuge-shi, the barrier only needs to cover you and me. They won"t be able to come in if you seal even the room."

"......Is that alright?"

"The people there won"t take any actions to provoke the Onmyou Agency."

Come to think of it, the visitors were from the reformist faction. Yuge adjusted the range of the barrier and limited it around her and Miyoshi.

Afterwards, people of the monastery entered the quarters and rushed into the lounge with pattering feet.

Yuge slowly stood up from her chair.

There were eight in total.

Though they were dressed in various colors, they all carried powerful aura. Perhaps they were all ajari. It was Rian who entered first, his eyes glinting in his pale face. As they had antic.i.p.ated, he led the primary members of the Seishuku Temple reformist faction.

Rian spoke to the sitting Miyoshi.

"Excuse me, Miyoshi-san. Could I ask where Mystical Investigator Yamashiro is?"

"He just left."

"Where did he go?"

"He should be by the edge of the monastery right now. He has some business to attend to."

"d.a.m.n, at this kind of time!"

The silent Yuge rapidly stepped forward towards the cursing Rian. Just that movement made the ajari tense up.

"Could I ask what your business is? Don"t you think it"s a bit absurd to barge in with so many people in these circ.u.mstances?"

"If that"s what we"re talking about, your declaration earlier was far more absurd. To think you would accept Tsuchimikado Harutora whom the Onmyou Agency designated as wanted. What exactly are you intending by doing such a thing?"

"I don"t remember saying anything about acceptance. In light of your situation, the three of us said that we would acquiesce to your methods. But if the dark temple truly accepts him, the Onmyou Agency won"t dare to look down on Seishuku Temple any longer. You can probably imagine what kind of countermeasures the Onmyou Agency will take."

"......Yuge-shi, you don"t need to bring up your own speculation."

"Yes, my apologies."

Yuge admitted her fault quite readily. That said, anyone could see that they were just acting. The latter half of her declaration had been a suggestion as well as a warning. Those words were better said from the position of an individual. Yuge herself had considered various means of dealing with Seishuku Temple.

But Rian turned back to look at his comrades behind him after hearing Yuge"s words, not even seeming to let Miyoshi"s exhortation of "Did you hear clearly?" enter his ears.

"As expected, the Onmyou Agency won"t ignore the problem of Tsuchimikado Harutora. Seishuku Temple"s fate will be chosen today. We can"t let Jougen do what he wants even for the future of Seishuku Temple."

The ajari roared loudly as if to reply to Rian"s rousing words.

Yuge put on an expression of incomprehension, but Miyoshi silently sat there watching Rian.

"Priest Rian, could I ask what you plan to do?"

"Miyoshi-san. ...No, "Divine Eye" Miyoshi Tougo. Also, "Binding Princess" Yuge Mari. Please lend us your strength. We will resist Jougen"s tyranny and help you arrest Tsuchimikado Harutora."

"Oh my, that"s quite troublesome."

Miyoshi replied straightforwardly, putting on a troubled appearance.

"I think we said in the courtyard that we would cooperate with your actions."

"I realize your true feelings from hearing Yuge-san"s words from before. You originally said you would follow the monastery"s policies, so you should try to listen to our opinions as well, right? The monastery isn"t all composed of stubborn ajari like Jougen. All of the ajari standing here agreed to your proposal."

"How unfortunate. The three of us only recognize Priest Jougen as the representative of Seishuku Temple. Though we"re talking with you right now, you might not realize that in the end, we need to focus our negotiations on Priest Jougen."

Miyoshi"s tone couldn"t be called polite no matter what. That said, his tone wouldn"t change towards Jougen either. He didn"t particularly intend on belittling Priest Rian. Though he thought this, the face that Rian looked at Miyoshi with was pale and filled with humiliation and anger.

But right afterwards, Priest Rian swallowed his anger and turned it into a gloomy smile.

"I see, perhaps the current circ.u.mstances are indeed like that. Jougen is the actual monarch of Seishuku Temple. But that will change in the future."

Rian took out an envelope from inside his clothing as he said this. Yuge reflexively infused the barrier with spiritual power to strengthen it. However, Rian was unmoved, taking out a sheet of paper that seemed like stationery from the envelope and then pa.s.sing the stationery to Miyoshi with a flickering gaze.

"You"ll be able to understand just by looking at this message that I"ve already made contact with Chief Kurahashi Genji of the Onmyou Agency. He"s already answered me, saying that I will be in charge of the temple after Seishuku Temple merges with the Onmyou Agency."

Rian spoke overbearingly, a confident look of from-behind victory on his face.

Yuge inadvertently looked at Miyoshi"s face. Miyoshi breathed helplessly out of his nostrils, and finally stood up from his chair.

He silently took the stationery and spread it open, looking at the contents and then raising an eyebrow. After Yuge glanced slightly at the contents, her face became hard out of shock.

"Officer. This is."

"I can say that it probably wasn"t direct from the source. It was through some sort of intermediary." Miyoshi responded to Yuge"s suspicion.

"What?" Then, Rian asked with a cloudy expression.

"What are you trying to say? Are you saying that we can"t trust the veracity of this message?"

"That"s right, just like you say. You can"t trust it."

"What nonsense! Properly look at the end of the message, it has the Chief"s own signature."

"That... Alright, why don"t you let your comrades standing behind you confirm the latter portion."

Saying this, Miyoshi spread the message he had taken in front of them.

After Rian glanced briefly at the message, his lips twisted as if mocking Miyoshi"s farce. But the expression of the ajari behind him changed drastically when they saw the contents.

"W-What! Hey, Rian. What"s going on?"

"What exactly do you want to do? Don"t joke around during this kind of time. Where"s the real message?"

"W-What?"

The pale-faced ajari restlessly questioned Rian. Rian frowned, putting on a surprised expression of incomprehension.

His gaze returned to the contents of the message.

"Is there something strange about this message? It came directly from the Onmyou Agency chief."

After she looked at him double-checking the contents of the message with a serious face, the bespectacled woman who had stood next to Rian yesterday spoke in a slightly shaking voice.

"Rian, can"t you "see" it?"

"...He probably can"t.[2] As expected, this message was just a pure catalyst. The illusion magic was only cast on Priest Rian himself."

Miyoshi a.s.serted this and then folded the piece of paper - or rather, the "magical pattern covered by marks of ink" - back to its original state, giving it to the bespectacled woman. She accepted the message and then immediately opened it up among her companions, checking it again. Then came the angry shouts and moans of the ajari. Rian finally understood the situation after witnessing his comrades" reactions.

"Illusion magic? How? T-That Mystical Investigator Yamashiro definitely told me that letter came from Chief Kurahashi yesterday."

"Yeah. Then as expected, it was Yamashiro-shi"s mischief. I see, you secretly met with him."

Miyoshi spoke while taking on an indifferent demeanor. Perhaps he already understood the entire situation to a significant degree. Yuge suppressed her inner displeasure. Though it had been part of his mission, she couldn"t get used to those kinds of tricky "politics" regardless.

"Mischief?" Rian muttered as if he had lost his soul from across him.

"T-Then what about the negotiations we had before?"

"You mean the ones before the three of us came here? Well, although Yamashiro-shi"s a Mystical Investigator, it was probably a pure concoction that the commander of the Mystical Investigators Chief Kurahashi was contacting you in the first place. Perhaps it was even an "informal" agreement."

"T-Then what about the treatment we were guaranteed before!?"

"Alright, what we said about Onmyou Agency"s conditions yesterday are true - at least at this point. As for your individual treatment, I haven"t received any information from the Onmyou Agency."

Rian froze motionlessly upon being informed this in Miyoshi"s cold, businesslike tone. Some ajari shook in anger, some sighed, some froze out of surprise at the outcome, and some were speechless.

The ajari were all outstanding pract.i.tioners. Yuge didn"t dare be careless. But they didn"t seem p.r.o.ne to an outburst at all.

It was fortunate that they could get over this peacefully. But on the other hand, she also understood that they couldn"t oppose that Jougen no matter how many people of this level they gathered. Though she didn"t know what devilish ideas Yamashiro had. They were probably involved in his plot.

The moment she sank into thought.

"...Yuge-shi."

Yuge"s hands formed Ucchusma"s seal faster than Miyoshi"s notification.

"On shurishuri mamarimari shushuri sowaka."

With no regard for the panicked stances of the ajari, she chanted a mantra and strengthened the barrier in a flash.

Then, at the same time,

"Are you satisfied, Rian?"

A voice sounded. The ajari looked around. Apparently, the lounge of the quarters were connected to the hall at the entrance by a sliding door. Right now, this sliding door and the door to the entrance were opened and a robed monk wearing a kasaya stood outside. He was Jougen.

The ajari immediately seethed with killing intent, but turned back as if they had been chased into a corner rather than taking stances to "oppose" him like Rian spoke of. Jougen was equanimous towards the young ajaris" killing intent.

"......Jougen." Rian"s face twisted as he called out.

But Jougen warned him calmly.

"Please be aware. The Onmyou Agency is a nest of demons where many crafty pract.i.tioners are gathered. They"re not opponents that you fledgling novices can compare to."

"S-So what. It"s better than having the Onmyou Agency as an enemy. Your methods will end up leading Seishuku Temple to ruin."

"It"s as you say. That is why I need Tsuchimikado Harutora-dono."

"W-What?"

Rian and the ajari were all stunned. Even Yuge doubted her own ears, and Miyoshi showed a surprised look as the barrier protected him.

But Jougen formed a binding seal in place of a reply, his wide sleeves slowly swaying.

"Noumaku sanmanda bazaradan sendamakaroshada sowataya untarata kanman..."

He chanted Acala"s... salvation magic. Magical energy instantly burst out from his body with no warning. The refined magical energy swelled up in a flash. The heat wave it brought with it pressed back on the room. At that point, the ajari hadn"t completed their magics in time.

"Huh!? This guy."

Jougen, who was chanting the mantra, wasn"t rushed, nor did he have any intention of speeding up.

"Order."

The ajari approaching the entrance released magic in unison since they were being taken lightly. But the attack was ineffective.

The magical energy dispersed around Jougen as he used his magic itself formed a tough barrier that blocked the attacks.

Jougen, his eyes half-closed, watched the ajari like that, calmly switching hand seals.

From a sword seal to a blade seal. A Dharmacakra seal. A divine salvation seal. Following that order, he slowly chanted a mantra.

"...On kiriun kyakuun..."

Spiritual binding, or the so-called Unmoving Golden Chains magic. The Unmoving Golden Chains commonly used in General Onmyoudou had taken in the features of the Shugendo system of magic and increased its usability. But what Jougen used was a Vajrayana prayer.

Rian and the others, who realized that their attacks were ineffective, continued to form seals with pale faces. They put up barriers to resist the magic.

Then, the Unmoving Golden Chains bound them and the barrier together and tightened around them.

"Urgh!?"

They were immobilized like that, still in their postures of making various seals and completely unable to move. It was as if the air had solidified. Whether their limbs, or their skin, organs or bones, their entire bodies were all bound mercilessly and tightly. The only thing that endured Jougen"s power was the Ucchusma barrier that Yuge put up.

"Jougen, you--" Rian gritted his teeth and said.

But not even now did Jougen change his expression. He just switched to another seal without pausing, as if carrying out some sequence as part of repet.i.tion training. He repeated a magic of Acala again.

"Noumaku sanmanda bazaradan sendamakaroshada sowataya untarata kanman."

The prayer was complete. In the end, even the consciousness of the young ajari was bound and they fell one by one. Though Rian desperately struggled against Jougen until the very end, the victor had undoubtedly been decided when his movements had been sealed. After crying out hatefully, he fell onto the ground like his other comrades.

A clean sweep. As ajari, their powers were no less than professional Onmyouji. But Jougen had easily toppled them single-handedly with an overwhelming strength. Miyoshi could definitely judge that Jougen was extremely strong.

Yuge"s expression tensed. But Jougen released his seal after rendering all of the ajari unconscious, lowering his hands.

Jougen spoke in a cold, indifferent tone:

"本寺无方，汗颜之至，皆系拙僧无德，于此告罪了." [3]

"H-How do you plan on treating these people?"

"It won"t be much. They"ll continue to train, as they"re all people who haven"t completed their training. Also, even without these people, the "strength" of this monastery won"t change."

With half-closed eyes, Jougen arrogantly eyed the ajari collapsed on the floor. That expression felt more emotionless than stern. A chill ran through Yuge"s back.

"Quite a wonderful technique." Miyoshi said straightforwardly.

"Nothing but a lowly trick."

"You"re too modest. Just the fact that they became ajari is enough to prove that they"re quite capable. Especially that Priest Rian, isn"t he quite powerful? But they"re useless in the eyes of Priest Jougen. Truly quite remarkable."

"This monk is undeserving of your praise."

"Still speaking politely--"

"This monk"s power is unremarkable. Sir, you should know of the true monster who left this mountain."

Yuge was taken aback by Jougen"s words. She understood who the monster he spoke of was.

"This monk has a question. May I ask you to enlighten me, sir?"

"Feel free, Priest."

"Why is the envoy a.s.signed to Seishuku Temple not "Enma" Miyachi?"

"If you really want to know," Miyoshi concealed his own expression, and then continued to speak boldly.

"Quite unexpectedly, we were worried that he would feel "homesick"."

"O-Officer."

Yuge warned Miyoshi in a voice close to a groan. Even so, Miyoshi still looked at Jougen undauntedly, waiting for his response.

Jougen smiled bitterly for a moment.

"It would be joyous if he truly had those feelings."

That sentence was the reply that Jougen made to Miyoshi"s provocative-seeming statement. Then, Miyoshi continued speaking with a sharp voice.

"Could you clarify for me what you meant by what you said before?"

"What was that?"

"Please don"t feign ignorance. What exactly does the sentence "that is why I need Tsuchimikado Harutora" mean? Is it true that you suddenly received notice that he was coming to the mountain?"

"I shall be honest with you, it was indeed this monk who "invited" him. But I did not think that you would meet with "him" by chance."

Yuge was stunned by Jougen"s speaking in a clear tone. This was something that they couldn"t ignore after hearing no matter what.

"So Seishuku Temple plans on joining hands with Tsuchimikado Harutora."

Jougen didn"t reply directly to Yuge"s question. Miyoshi and Jougen"s emotionless, artificial gazes crossed in midair.

Just then, thunder sounded in the distance.

Miyoshi and Jougen averted their gazes at the same time, turning in the direction of the thunder.

"Thunder? ......No."

Jougen murmured quietly to himself, as if focusing his attention on clearly listening. On the other hand, Miyoshi gazed into s.p.a.ce with a serious look.

Yuge felt confused at the reactions of the two, but she immediately understood what was strange. The thunder didn"t stop.

The thunder continued, but almost never broke off. It was indeed cloudy right now, but they weren"t thunderclouds. This kind of sudden, continuous thunder was quite strange.

But Yuge had once encountered a "similar" situation to this.

"......Magic?"

After Yuge murmured that word, she thought of the magic battle that was going on right this moment. The magic battle between Yamashiro and Tsuchimikado Natsume. Right, that situation from before had involved a "Tsuchimikado" as well.

"O-Officer, could it be that Tsuchimikado Natsume--!"

Miyoshi didn"t respond, pulling his concentration from the faraway thunder back to Jougen who stood in the entrance of the quarters.

Jougen was the same, leisurely yet carefully watching the situation play out.

Then--

"That voice" resounded in unison inside the minds of the three of them.

Tadanori noticed the sound of thunder from afar right after he had walked out of the temple.

He reflexively looked up at the sky. Though the sky was filled with clouds, they weren"t at the level where they could make that kind of thunder. Or were thunderclouds floating towards them from somewhere? How inauspicious...... But maybe that was a weather befitting the current Seishuku Temple.

Though he didn"t look the role, Tadanori had been an exorcist during his youth. Due to his young arrogance, he had clashed with his boss over conflicting opinions and had retired from his Onmyou Agency job. Though he was confident that his ability wasn"t poor, he had underestimated how tough it was to be a pract.i.tioner trying to stick to the path of magic in this world. His vagrant life had continued ad infinitum, and before he noticed it he had joined the Seishuku Temple. It had already been ten years since then. He continuously lived through every dull day, and only realized that time had slipped by when he looked back.

He couldn"t a.s.sert that he had never regretted the life choices he had made in the past. He could calmly accept his current circ.u.mstances. Tadanori honestly admitted this, which probably meant that he had settled down.

He quite enjoyed his calm life at the monastery. He had long since stopped pursuing thoughts of change by now, not to mention thoughts of returning to the Onmyou Agency. Hence, Tadanori, who was basically maintaining a moderate position, approved of Jougen"s thoughts this time. Though he had definite suspicions about Jougen"s a.s.sertions, Tadanori held reverence for the monumental Jougen as a lower-leveled pract.i.tioner.

But on the other hand, he could vaguely feel it. The Onmyou Agency"s influence was constantly spreading alongside the reform of Onmyou law. That was an unstoppable pa.s.sage of time that Jougen couldn"t resist with his way of life and policy towards the monastery.

After the Divine Generals had visited from their workplace yesterday, news that the Onmyouji rumored to be Tsuchimikado Yakou"s reincarnation was visiting had arrived today. He had the premonition that it was some kind of fateful revelation. Maybe that was proof that he had converted to Buddhism - though perhaps just on the surface.

He had entrusted himself to the seasonal cycle[4] and lived unchanging days.

But it had probably reached a time when he could no longer continue maintaining that kind of life.

Tadanori indifferently looked up at the sky and sighed, dropping his gaze to his feet.

Then - the start of "change" began at that appropriate moment.

"On saraba tatagyata hannamanna nou kyaromi!"

The voice resounded directly in his brain.

It was a woman"s voice, with an almost seductive charm. But the tone she used gave him a feeling of piercing clarity, like a cold flowing brook, and penetrated the listener"s thoughts.

The voice chanted an ordinary mantra. An esoteric mantra that was recited during prayer and training. Also, it was the incantation chanted here at the Shingon Seishuku Temple when the North Star King visited......

Tadanori almost unconsciously cast his gaze to a corner of the corridor - the shikyak.u.mon[5] connected to the stairs stretching to the Mountain Gate.

The tall cedar trees stretched endlessly into the distance, creeping all the way to the foot of the mountain. The ancient gabled shikyak.u.mon stood in the middle of this backdrop.

Also--

A small darkness appeared as if cutting through s.p.a.ce on the dim side of the mountain forest.

It pa.s.sed through the standing cedar trees, flying over the top of the shikyak.u.mon and silently reaching the courtyard.

A small darkness.

It was a raven.

But something was wrong. Tadanori finally realized as he unconsciously followed it with his gaze. This raven had three legs. Before he was able to consider this, his instincts that realized a step earlier sent a chill run through his entire body. The three-legged raven pa.s.sed over Tadanori"s head, silently flapping its wings. It flew towards the main hall in the interior of the courtyard, and then.

Tap.

The raven beat its wings powerfully, scattering dancing particles of light and black feathers as it landed in front of the main hall.

Tadanori inadvertently blinked. The raven beat its wings and landed - just as he thought that, the raven that ought to have landed transformed into a boy wrapped in a black coat.

The person that the raven became seemed to be unconcerned about the shocked Tadanori and climbed the stairs of the main hall.

He first put his hands together before he entered. He bowed deeply.

"--On sojirishuta sowaka."[6]

He chanted the mantra of the Myouken Buddha, the princ.i.p.al deity of the main hall. He didn"t look humble - rather, the way he chanted felt strangely friendly. That simple sincerity made the dumbstruck Tadanori more or less return to normal.

The person wrapped in the black coat finished chanting the mantra and bowed again.

Then, that person turned his back to the main hall.

He was a boy.

But he had an inexplicable air to him - no, it was more accurately described as broad-mindedness. He could feel an extraordinary breadth of mind to him. His unornamented posture made one feel a broad tolerance unbefitting his age.

The black outer coat covering the boy was a black reflective color, seemingly woven from a large amount of raven feathers. Tadanori knew its name. "Raven"s Wing". Then the name of this boy went without saying.

Tsuchimikado Harutora.

No, that was wrong - Tadanori understood the truth extremely naturally.

He didn"t possess a powerful aura, nor was he awe-inspiring. It wasn"t a sense of greatness or his ability as a pract.i.tioner. There was an even more inexplicable but extremely convincing factor, practically an instinctive sense, that directly touched the soul.

That person - that great man was Tsuchimikado Yakou.

Then, the boy noticed the gaze directed towards him and looked at Tadanori.

But only his right eye looked over.

The boy"s left eye was covered with an eyepatch. An exquisite brocade slanted vertically to cover his left eye.

"Priest!"

The boy called out.

Tadanori looked left and right. Only after confirming that there was no third person here did he finally point to himself.

"Yes!"

The boy nodded.

"Is there someone named Jougen here? I"d like you to bring him a message. Tell him Tsuchimikado has already arrived."

His words were clear. Ahh. He couldn"t help but think that Yakou was this kind of person.

Suddenly, without any trigger at all, he recalled his memories at the Onmyou Agency ten years ago. He had some kouhai who were feverishly inclined towards Yakou back then. Makihara and Mutobe. Also, a kouhai named Eto - if he hadn"t remembered incorrectly - who was always with the two of them. He recalled the earnest descriptions of Tsuchimikado Yakou that they had weaved.

The founder of Onmyoudou, the ancestor of j.a.panese magic, a young great Onmyouji. A genius who had been called the reincarnation of Abe no Seimei, one of his ancestors. Even though he was a senior, they had fervently explained exactly how unmatchable his greatness was, their eyes flashing with light.

That great person was currently speaking to him. Tadanori could only stand in a stupor, feeling like he was daydreaming.

"......Hmm? Uh...... You"re an ajari here, right? I thought I sent a message, did it not make it here?"

The boy scratched his head, puzzled at the speechless and stunned Tadanori. Even so, Tadanori couldn"t break through the countless sad feelings rattling around intensely inside him.

The one before him was the symbol of change that he feared and avoided.

More importantly, the "foundation" of the world that he currently lived in had been established by this man.

He was just a shameful pract.i.tioner who had nowhere to go in the society outside and who had ended up setting foot in the dark temple. To think that all of a sudden, that historical figure who had been born from an ancient bloodline of magic was speaking to him with a casual att.i.tude.

He couldn"t even imagine that such a thing was happening.

Just then, people of the monastery continuously appeared from the temples and the gathering hall behind the main hall, cl.u.s.tering in the courtyard. Everyone focused on the boy stopped in front of the main hall, stunned and dumbstruck. The boy clearly became more and more troubled at the gradually increasing audience - though he was completely fearless - and a bitter smile appeared on his face as if to say, "Well, what do I do now?"

Just then,

"I"ve made you wait."

A deep voice sounded and entered their ears.

At that moment, even that voice had trouble hiding its excitement. Tadanori turned his head to the master of the voice - Jougen. He seemed to have come from the direction of the living quarters. His monk"s clothes were in a rare state of disarray as he ran to the courtyard.

After seeing Jougen, the boy revealed a cheerful smile.

"Tsuchimikado-dono, it is nice to meet you. This monk is named Jougen."

At the same time as he introduced himself, Jougen nimbly neatened his appearance. The boy returned a "Nice to meet you".

In contrast to when he had spoken to Tadanori, the boy"s expression had changed a bit. He still kept his straightforward, familiar att.i.tude, but a leisurely, unrestrained tinge had mixed into his smile. As if he had met a good opponent in a game, the heroic young man revealed a childish and unconcealed fearlessness from his heart.

The boy asked.

"Priest Jougen, can I view that "summons" as belonging to you?"

"Indeed. Even though it was tested by time, the ancient agreement should be enacted accurately. This monk is honored that you have come so far for a mere n.o.body. ......No, on this occasion, allow me to welcome your "return"."

Saying this, Jougen straightened his back, his priest"s clothing swaying elegantly as he lowered his head.

"North Star Mountain Master[7], Tsuchimikado Yakou-dono."

Jougen"s words impacted the people gathered in the courtyard. Tadanori was no exception, as he inadvertently let out an "Eh?".

The boy sighed and spoke, showing a "this is really troublesome" expression.

"Priest. My name right now is "Tsuchimikado Harutora"."

Jougen smiled slightly, raising his head.

"Then - Harutora-dono. As one of the ajari entrusted with watching over this place, allow me to extend my most sincere welcome to your return."

Yuge"s movements were a step slower than Jougen"s, obviously all because of Miyoshi.

"Yuge-shi! The chant just now was obviously the announcement of Tsuchimikado Harutora"s arrival to the mountain. If you run out without a plan, what will you do if you get dragged into a magic battle!? I won"t tell you to do anything else, but please be cautious and move carefully."

Hence, Yuge could only leave Jougen alone as he rushed to the courtyard. She first cast a tough barrier to protect herself and Miyoshi, and then cast stealth magic on top of that, and finally headed to the courtyard after the ajari"s trail. Also, she didn"t go directly, but rather circled around to the gathering hall behind the main hall, looping to the courtyard from the other direction.

The two of them reached the courtyard right when Jougen was bowing his head. Yuge hid behind the trunk of a cedar tree when she heard the ajari say "North Star Mountain Master Tsuchimikado Yakou" and rapidly turned her gaze to the main hall.

A black-clothed boy silently stood in the middle of the monastery.

He was the one-eyed boy that she had seen in the wanted pictures of the Mystical Investigators. He himself straightforwardly gave out the name that he was wanted by.

"Priest. My name right now is "Tsuchimikado Harutora"."

"Then - Harutora-dono. As one of the ajari entrusted with watching over this place, allow me to extend my most sincere welcome to your return."

That was Tsuchimikado Harutora.

The feeling of tension coursed through Yuge"s body. Then the black coat he wore on him was probably Yakou"s magical tool, the "Raven"s Wing" that had triggered a commotion at the Onmyou Agency last year. No, rather than that, where were his defensive shikigami? Where were the Hishamaru and Kakugyouki that served Yakou? Had they not materialized? He ought to have no reason not to bring them. Even as feelings of tension clawed at her, Yuge did her best to think for herself.

But.

...Return?

At the start, she thought she had misheard. But she wasn"t the only one surprised. The audience gathered in the courtyard in the middle of the monastery were similarly stunned at Jougen"s words.

He remembered that the so-called "Master" meant the person in charge of the sect. In other words, the Master Jougen spoke of was the sect leader of the Shingon Seishuku Temple.

"Yakou was the leader of the dark temple?"

"......It"s my first time hearing that kind of thing too. But th

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