Onmyoji, a nobleman in Heian-kyo

Page 916

Minamoto no Hiromasa accompanied the entire process and witnessed Seimei's indifference to the demon's repeated pleas for mercy.

As expected, he certainly has the charisma of a male lead.

Kyosuke Kosaka expressed his strong support.

This means he doesn't need to do much.

Aren't you going to ask?

"Asking will likely yield little result; let's continue searching for clues using the scent of these sea monsters."

"it is good."

Kagura obediently agreed and continued her search using magic.

Then, there was no result.

After a moment of contemplation, Kyosuke Kosaka decided to take Kagura and divide the area into zones for a thorough, door-to-door search.

Fifteen minutes later, the two were trapped in a strange illusionary barrier.

Kousaka Kyosuke destroyed it instantly!

"It's a trap targeting Onmyoji." Kagura quickly surveyed her surroundings.

Kyosuke Kosaka fell into deep thought.

"The skill in creating this illusion barrier is slightly inferior to the original 'Heart Demon Illusion' spell. It must have taken a lot of effort to set it up, and it's more than enough to deal with the vast majority of Onmyoji..."

Kagura reacted quickly: "It was a siren's doing specifically targeting you, Kyosuke. There's something wrong with Taira no Kouichi."

Kyosuke Kosaka nodded: "It's not necessarily Wei Heng's problem, but there's a high chance there's a mole in Kyoto. If so, then at least this mole knows about my relationship with Wei Heng and also knows the speed at which I'm traveling..."

That may be true, or it may not be.

Kyosuke Kosaka, however, knew very well that it was best to think of the worst-case scenario.

However, he decided to examine the situation more closely.

An hour later, after confirming that there were no problems, he gave the Taira clan members several insurance talismans and then quickly returned to Kyoto with Kagura.

He summoned Taira no Korehira to Fujiwara no Michitsuna to explain the details.

Fujiwara no Michitsuna smiled with great interest.

"I heard that the seriously ill Lord Raikou was assassinated by the remnants of the Tsuchigumo gang who infiltrated his residence."

“Seriously ill…isn’t he on his deathbed?” Kousaka Kyosuke’s lips twitched.

The rumors in Kyoto are just as distorted as those in the Yokai Market.

Ping Weiheng, who was initially a little anxious, quickly turned his mind around.

"The remnants of the Tsuchigumo clan were able to hide in Kyoto and even infiltrate the Genji residence to assassinate Lord Yorimitsu. Someone must have been assisting them! They are definitely traitors to humanity! Perhaps they are also related to this incident!"

Fujiwara Michitsuna said, "I'll inquire about it later."

Upon hearing this, Ping Weiheng finally felt relieved and looked apologetically at Kosaka Kyosuke.

Kyosuke Kosaka shook his head and smiled, indicating that he didn't mind.

"Among the sirens are many cunning strategists, just like humans. Even the seemingly barbaric leader, Ōtakemaru, will turn and flee when things go wrong. They are more difficult to deal with than you can imagine. Therefore, it is quite normal to be outmaneuvered by them."

There's a saying: "It's not that our army is incompetent, but that the enemy is too cunning!"

This is a very good excuse.

In any situation, they can always smooth things over.

"In short, there's a very high possibility that the remnants of the Tsuchigumo faction have joined forces with the siren, because there is indeed information that demons are following Suzuka Mountain..."

Fujiwara no Michitsuna continued speaking at a leisurely pace.

Kyosuke Kosaka said, "If that's the case, then I feel other excellent Onmyoji should also be careful. After all, it's quite frustrating to be assassinated before the final battle even begins; it's truly a case of 'a hero having no place to use his skills.'"

"Furthermore, we can't rule out the possibility of other high-ranking officials being assassinated. If that happens, chaos will erupt within Kyoto itself, which I find quite frightening. Thinking about it this way, I feel we need to patrol more thoroughly..."

The more he talked, the more something felt off, and Kousaka Kyosuke secretly gasped.

Thinking about the worst possible scenario involving the siren at Suzuka Mountain, I realized I seemed to be in great danger.

After all, he was in charge of maintaining public order.

If some nobles of high status were assassinated, wouldn't they all have to take the blame?

"..." Ping Weiheng was also startled by Kosaka Kyosuke's speculation. "I, then I'll go back to the Taoist priest's place to keep watch as soon as possible."

Fujiwara no Michitsuna was speechless at Kousaka Kyosuke's "caution," but finally spoke up.

"There is indeed a possibility, so keep up the good work."

Kyosuke Kosaka nodded solemnly: "In any case, I'll take a look around first."

It turns out that this was something that only required other people to do, but it seems that I have to do it myself.

Now, he just wants to relax and slack off for a while.

I'm not in the mood to deal with this sudden trouble. Let's check it first!

"The possibility is low, but not too low either, so let's be on the safe side."

Kousaka Kyosuke secretly thought.

The situation in Ise Province, ironically, became part of a broader trend of overreacting.

I'm so frustrated.

And so, Kyosuke Kosaka began his patrol with Kagura, who hadn't uttered a single word throughout.

Taira no Kosaka was also depressed after saying goodbye to Kyosuke Kosaka.

Upon receiving the message from the Ise clan, they initially thought something terrible had happened.

Unexpectedly, he was very likely being used as a pawn by the sea monsters, and he even wanted to tear those sea monsters apart alive!

"Using money and grain as an apology is too disrespectful; sending concubines along with the offering would be more reasonable..."

Ping Weiheng pondered carefully.

He had once considered sending some of his close female relatives from collateral branches to Kousaka Kyosuke's residence to serve as maids or concubines.

This way, the relationship can become closer to some extent.

As for the women of the direct lineage, they are all engaged, so breaking off the engagement is definitely not advisable.

Even without a marriage agreement, Taira no Kosaka had no intention of marrying her off to Kosaka Kyosuke.

It wasn't that she looked down on Kyosuke Kousaka, but rather that she didn't want Kyosuke Kousaka to think that she had any intention of interfering with his right to succession.

In reality, Ping Weiheng didn't really have that idea.

At most, I just want the relationship to be a little better.

Getting involved in inheritance matters is easy to offend people; it's better to have some connection.

After thinking for a moment, Ping Weiheng decided to give it a try.

A verbal apology lacks sincerity.

An apology would only seem abrupt, and Kyosuke Kousaka doesn't lack that kind of thing.

Let's try a different approach then.

It was evening.

After returning from patrol, Kyosuke Kosaka talked to his companions about what happened during the day while they were eating.

Everyone was very surprised.

"The siren is too cunning! This kind of trick is completely impossible to guard against..." Su Chang frowned and clenched her fists to express her indignation.

Xiangzi said softly, "Lord Kyosuke, you and Kagura should be careful. There might be traps set by sirens in other places as well."

Su Yi seemed to be deep in thought: "Since there might be human spies in Kyoto, we need to be careful."

Fujishikibu suggested in a low voice.

"They might come up with even more despicable ideas, so everyone should be careful when going out."

A thought flashed through Mengye's mind: "It's possible that they might grab us and use us to threaten people..."

Chika's eyes widened: "How terrifying!"

Fumino, standing next to him, looked relaxed.

"It's alright. Usually, only Sister Suyi, Sushang, Yaodaoji, and Bailang go out. As long as we pay attention to the surrounding situation, there will definitely be no crisis in Kyoto."

Her parents live here, and she has hardly ever gone out since she married into the family. Her husband is also very gentle.

I'm very happy now.

Chika immediately snapped back to reality: "Oh right, we don't usually go out much, so the mansion is definitely safe."

In this era, the area north of the four main roads of Kyoto Sakyo was arguably the safest region.

Because it was full of nobles.

The mansion is especially safe because it has a very strong protective barrier!