Part 3
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 practitioner 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 assert that he had never regretted the life choices he had made in the past. He could calmly accept his current circumstances. 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 assertions, Tadanori held reverence for the monumental Jougen as a lower-leveled practitioner.
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 passage 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 [43] 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 shikyakumon [44] 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 shikyakumon stood in the middle of this backdrop.
Also--
A small darkness appeared as if cutting through space on the dim side of the mountain forest.
It passed through the standing cedar trees, flying over the top of the shikyakumon 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 passed 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." [45]
He chanted the mantra of the Myouken Buddha, the principal 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 practitioner. 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 Japanese 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 practitioner 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 attitude.
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, clustering 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 attitude, 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 nobody. ......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 [46] , 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 that's strange......"
Though Miyoshi pondered this, only pure curiosity could be felt in his words, unlike Yuge's.
He was so talkative at a time when they clearly couldn't guarantee their own safety. It was truly a critical situation, but he felt so leisurely. Could this be viewed as confidence in Yuge's power?
Similarly, the people who felt troubled by the name of Master naturally included Harutora himself.
"Priest Jougen, I'm naturally very happy to be welcomed, but I don't remember becoming the Master, you know? I was indeed thanked for looking after Seishuku Temple, and though people joked and said 'why don't you be the Master'..."
"This monk heard it from the last words of the dying Priest Shinra."
"That person...... Doing whatever he wants on his own again."
"More importantly, Harutora-dono responded to the message of this monk. Seven days ago, this monk lit the homa [47] during the dead of night. Though it took some time, you appeared in this temple like Priest Shinra said. This can be seen as your committing to the agreement of becoming this monastery's Master."
"Well, even if there were arrangements, there are actually a lot of things to consider."
The boy - Harutora - looked troubled.
Upon calm observation, it was a truly inexplicable scene. A conversation between a still young and rather casual boy and a quite stern, about fifty-year-old monk. However, the one being polite was the latter. The former never acted impolitely, and rather, his methods of interaction felt extremely natural. These two were indeed 'communicating with each other'. Perhaps it was due to common information that only the two of them knew.
Tsuchimikado Harutora.
At the same time as he was the former student raised by the branch family, Tsuchimikado Harutora, he was also the great Onmyouji who had revived magic during the war, Tsuchimikado Yakou. The conversation between the two made that 'truth' gradually feel real to the third party Yuge.
"Harutora-dono."
Jougen called out to Harutora - and also Yakou.
"I have no other reasons for inviting you here. I know of your activities, and it is the truth that you are undoubtedly Tsuchimikado Yakou's reincarnation - and therefore the Master of this monastery as well. At the same time, in light of the current situation of the magic community, this monk believes that right now is a suitable time to call you back as the Master of this monastery."
"......Truly quite incredible. Then what do you mean by 'suitable time to call me back'?"
"Harutora-dono, this monk need not explain the machinations of the Onmyou Agency. Allow me to speak freely. This monastery is on thin ice. If this goes on, the history of Seishuku Temple that has been handed down for hundreds of years will meet its end within several years."
"......"
Jougen asserted without changing his expression. Harutora didn't say anything. But the people of the monastery clamored loudly as they watched this. They clearly couldn't conceal how shaken they were by Jougen's direct words.
Jougen continued speaking, unconcerned about their shakiness.
"The Onmyou Agency has their own plans. This monk does not know what they are based on. We are separated from the world. We occasionally accept 'work', but we only hope for the opportunity to exercise our skills, and we are merely a ring of training practitioners. But the Onmyou Agency is threatening us with that, not letting us be - but that is all trivia on the 'surface'. Both sides have no reason to resent the other, much less reason for hatred."
But - Jougen continued speaking.
With a flat yet somewhat crazed tone.
"If the Onmyou Agency wishes to interfere with this monastery, that is unacceptable and cannot be permitted. How can we become meat on their chopping block? Indeed, this monastery might be the poison of the magic community. But poison can become medicine sometimes. In the first place, magic is both yin and yang. Abandoning either one side is absurd. If we sit and do nothing, those actions will bring about the disruption of yin and yang!"
Jougen spoke powerful words. Those words held lofty self-confidence. Like an enlightened monk expounding the essence of the world.
Yuge showed a sour expression as if she had eaten a lemon. Miyoshi muttered to himself from behind her back: "It looks like we're quite reviled."
"I cannot deny that the Onmyou Agency is extremely powerful. This monastery cannot oppose it. As for our options...... you are the only route this monastery can still take, Harutora-dono. Outside of having you as our Master to lead us in confronting the Onmyou Agency, there is no alternative."
"......"
"In addition, this isn't purely for the benefit of this monastery. Right now, you are crossing blades with the Onmyou Agency alone. Although this humble monk is ignorant of your reasons, this monastery will provide significant assistance in your contending with the Onmyou Agency. Please join hands with us and become the poison, the yin. Then, as this poison, this yin, we will right the Onmyou Agency's foolishness for becoming purely yang and extend the prosperity of the entire magic community. Harutora-dono. Please, you must accept the position as this monastery's Master!"
Strength swelled in Jougen's old body as he straightforwardly made his request. Even after his words were spoken, the clear sound still reverberated in the mountain.
...To think he was this ridiculous...... Tch.
She had imagined this during his dispute with Rian earlier, but as expected, Jougen was truly preparing to oppose the Onmyou Agency. That definitely wouldn't be overturned as long as he was still the actual decision-maker of Seishuku Temple.
Yuge immediately thought of it. If perhaps Tsuchimikado Harutora truly joined hands with Seishuku Temple, then what level of threat would they pose to the Onmyou Agency?
But, faster than she could reach a conclusion:
"Sorry, I must refuse."
Harutora replied calmly and quickly.
Jougen's expression was unmoved, as perhaps he had anticipated this. But unstable fluctuations palpably appeared in the swelling strength filling his body.
"......Would you inform this monk of your reasons?"
"I didn't plan on that in the first place. Also, sorry, but if I wanted fighting power against the Onmyou Agency, Seishuku Temple is unable to become my strength. I'm trying to lay as low as possible right now, you know? The moment I come out of hiding, that's equivalent to making my move. Though I don't know what you expect of me...... I'm not as omnipotent as you imagine."
Harutora shrugged as he said this.
His words and actions weren't arrogant, nor was he self-abasing. In contrast, his natural, always-casual attitude made Yuge somewhat fearful and anxious as she stood in the position of his enemy.
Even so, Harutora still spoke with a familiar, natural attitude.
"Actually, I responded to your 'summons' because I have some business at Seishuku Temple. I plan on leaving soon after I finish that business - though I must apologize to the people of the monastery."
"......May I ask what that is?"
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