Chapter 3
[Warning]
Late in the evening on Friday the 18th. Tatsuya paid a visit to Kokonoe Temple. Responding to a summons by phone call from Yakumo.
Three years ago, in July, they had fought a serious battle as a result of their opposing intentions regarding Minoru who had become a Parasite, but there was no resentment left between them. They still practice with each other from time to time, though not as frequently as in the past.
However, for Yakumo to be the one calling Tatsuya for a meeting was quite unusual.
Tatsuya couldn't help but become rather tense, wondering what exactly he called him for.
A disciple awaited him at the temple gate. That person led him up to the main hall. It was there that Yakumo was waiting in the inner room.
"Master, excuse me."
"My bad for calling you at this hour. It's just that there's some bad news that I had to tell you right away."
Tatsuya was sure that something urgent had come up when he was told "I need you to come here as soon as possible" and "I can't talk over the phone."
"Is that bad news for me? Or is it a big problem for you, Master?"
Although he asked, Tatsuya didn't think that Yakumo had fallen into any sort of difficult situation.
"Well, for both of us, I guess."
That's why this answer came as a considerable surprise to Tatsuya.
"As Tatsuya-kun knows, while I am a shinobi, I am also a 'heretic monk’ of Hieizan."
"…Profane?"
"The profane kind that is reeking of blood."
"……"
When Tatsuya deliberately remained silent, Yakumo gave him a nihilistic smile.
"As an organization grows, it will eventually need people to take on responsibilities that cannot be made public. It's the same in the monastic world."
"I don't think it depends on the size of the organization… but I understand."
Tatsuya's expression suggested he was on the verge of letting out a sigh, but his tone was nonchalant as he ministered an offhand remark.
"Well, it's a kind of necessary evil. Though, I can't say it's all that necessary."
Yakumo let out a sigh, though probably not for the same reason as Tatsuya’s.
"And this time, the troublesome thing is that a younger disciple of a 'heretic monk’ got an absurd request. The Honzan is having a hard time wrapping its head around it."
It was quite uncharacteristic to find Yakumo showing genuine signs of being at his wits' end.
"Even though it's an absurd request, it's something that can't be rescinded, even with the power of Hieizan?"
"Exactly."
Yakumo nodded profoundly at Tatsuya's guess.
"Is the client that big of a deal?"
"I'd say he's kind of a big shot, but the real problem is the referrer rather than the client themselves."
"…I feel like it would have been better if I hadn’t asked, but I suppose in this case that isn't an option."
"Unfortunately for you, I'm afraid it isn't."
This time Tatsuya really let out a sigh.
"──Please tell me who it was."
After gathering his resolve, Tatsuya asked.
"It's the one of the Four Great Elders from the Senate, Kashiwa Kazutaka-dono. He’s referred to as 'Sensei'."
Yakumo replied straight away, without any pretense.
"One of the Four Great Elders, like His Excellency Toudou…?"
There was no shock or panic crossing Tatsuya's mind, but rather the question, "Why"?
Since he had been called here to hear of this, he guessed that he himself must be the objective of the "request". But why would one of the Four Great Elders like Toudou target him?
Well, it's not that he doesn't have any idea of what the reason could be. The other day he had Fumiya capture the leader of the New Humanity Front, a magic supremacy extremist organization, who was being harbored by Izayoi Shirabe, who he now knows was acting under the orders of Kashiwa Kazutaka of the Senate.
However, he wondered if such an influential person on the same level as Toudou would even conspire to retaliate for something as minor as that. He couldn’t believe it was for such a minor reason. ──So, Tatsuya thought, with his head tilted in contemplation.
"I have no idea what the reason is either."
Reading the subtle change in Tatsuya's expression, Yakumo anticipated the unsaid question.
"But no matter what his intentions may be, not even the Honzan can cancel a request that came by letter of introduction from the Senate after accepting it. No matter how absurd the request may be."
Apparently, it seems like this was something that couldn’t be ignored ── with that in mind, Tatsuya steeled himself.
"Please tell me about the nature of the request."
"I want you to listen calmly to this."
Yakumo stated upfront with a serious expression.
"Of course, I'm not going to lose my temper."
"Well, I don’t think you’re the only one who would in this case … First of all, the client is the National Defense Army’s Intelligence Department."
"The Intelligence Department?"
Tatsuya didn’t find this surprising at all. He had a dispute with the Army Intelligence Department three years ago.
"──The details involve placing a curse on your friends."
"…What is the intended purpose of the curse?"
Tatsuya’s manner of speaking remained composed. Still, the tone of his voice had clearly dropped.
"It’s not a curse meant to kill per se, but the sort of curse that drains people of their vital energy and leaves them physically weakened. Naturally, it’s not a technique that directly affects the person, it does however weaken the body, making it more susceptible to disease and accidents from lack of attention. If it lasts long enough, eventually the person might not be able to get up, and even if they don't die, there could be severe after-effects."
"When you say my friends, who exactly is to be targeted?"
"The younger disciple isn’t stupid enough to mess with Miyuki-kun or Lina-kun. Kitayama Shizuku-kun and Mitsui Honoka-kun are also unlikely to be targets since the Honzan wouldn't want to offend Kitayama-shi."
"So, other than them, you're saying that anyone else could be targeted?"
"It seems so."
Even under Tatsuya's sharp gaze, Yakumo remained unfazed. The only difference from usual was a faintly puzzled smile on his face.
"The Intelligence Department probably wants to put pressure on you. After all, putting the curse on them is practically the same as taking hostages."
They didn’t want to kill them nor seriously injur them, but rather to torture him slowly. On top of that, if he wanted to lift the curse, he’d have to follow what they said. Indeed, putting a curse on them was practically the same as taking a hostage.
He would dare to say that the Intelligence Department wasn’t concerned about magists traveling abroad, but rather about the fact that there are magists outside of the government’s control. To them, a magist is an asset of the military. The idea of taking the family or friends of a soldier hostage because of doubts about their loyalty in order to prevent them from deserting is something that an old-fashioned authority figure would think of. ──So, Tatsuya thought.
Even though he could understand the intentions of the other party, there was no logical reason why Tatsuya would have to give in to it.
"Master. I assume that dealing with the practitioner that is this younger disciple who accepted the request is a bad idea, right?"
With the blatant way he said it, it was no wonder that even Yakumo couldn't maintain his calm outlook.
"I really wish you won’t try that."
His lips and the corners of his eyes traced the shape of a smile, but there was a slight twitch around his temples.
"Old organizations have a lot of built up pride, you know. This could lead to war with the Ogamiyas ."
"I see… I understand. But if I don't erase the practitioner, then it will make things difficult to deal with. The case also being that curses don’t leave any trace behind."
"Hahaha… Well, I guess you can erase the corpse, the evidence, and everything else without a trace."
Yakumo let out a dry laugh.
"If that were the case, you wouldn’t have gone through so much trouble to quickly bring me here."
Seems like Yakumo's goal on this was to prevent a civil war between Tatsuya and the Esoteric Buddhist sect of Ancient Magicians.
Perhaps he had been asked to do this by the leaders of the Hieizan, or perhaps by the so-called dark side of the Hieizan sect. All to prevent a major catastrophe from being caused by a rash member of the same organization, one way or another.
"I think it would do you some good to consult with the boy of the Yoshida family to deal with this. He's also probably going to be involved too."
"I think it would be a very stupid idea to try to target Mikihiko, though."
Mikihiko, who’s an Ancient Magician, is without a doubt familiar with the fundamentals of curses. He surely would also know very well how to break them.
"I'm sure he also has someone he cares about as well."
"Indeed."
Tatsuya nodded in agreement to Yakumo's suggestion. Certainly, if Mizuki ends up becoming a target, Mikihiko will get involved himself. Consulting with him about this in advance would be as much of a plus for Mikihiko as it would be for Tatsuya.
"I understand. I'll talk to him as soon as possible."
Tatsuya bowed to Yakumo and left without even taking a sip of the tea he was served.
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