[243]: Chosen One

Back at his shrine, Cyr threw the sword into the ground.

"What are you doing?" asked the silver-haired boy calmly as the sword's hilt whipped near his face, burying itself deeply.

"Try lifting it," Cyr invited Satoru Haru to test it.

Haru, sensing what had happened, reached out and picked up the sword. The moment he grasped it, the blade relaxed obediently.

"'Chosen child of Amaterasu'?" Cyr scoffed.

The mystery is solved: Ame-no-Murakumo shift from prideful to respectful likely stems from the Six Eyes.

Because a barrier set by Tengen in Japan caused most Cursed Spirits to be born there and few elsewhere, the Six Eyes emerged to maintain balance.

Thus, the Six Eyes can only appear in sorcerers from Japan—prophecy-born saviors.

"Hmm… actually, I've seen Ame-no-Murakumo before," Gojo Satoru said, spinning the blade lightly in his hand.

When he was young, though already head of the Gojo family, he was restless in spirit and couldn't stay confined indoors. With his Six Eyes and Jujutsu ability, he could use teleportation and traveled far and wide—to shrines, mountains where gods or youkai dwelled, forests, even noble residences.

He went everywhere.

When he encountered legendary artifacts—like Yasakani no Magatama, Yasakahime Mirror, Ame-no-Murakumo—they responded at his approach, often alarming priests and shrine maidens.

At that time, he assumed the blade was merely defending itself against an intruder.

But now he realizes… maybe it reacted because it recognized him?

Cyr squinted at the sword.

At that moment, Haru let go: the blade hovered in the air, then floated over to Cyr, obediently settling into his grip.

"It seems to like you more than me," Haru teased with a grin.

"If it doesn't like me, good luck to it," Koen quipped beside them.

So this is a divine weapon? Not so impressive.

"Woof woof woof—" two small furry pups ran over to Koen, barking frantically.

Koen listened for a moment, then scowled.

(Master, why aren't you saving us?)

(Master Koen, why are you tiny again?)

(Master, did you lose to a human and got captured too?)

(Master, you always say you're powerful.)

"Kid, get lost," Koen snapped, sweeping the puppies aside with his tail. Fortunately, their thick fur cushioned the fall and they rolled unhurt on the ground.

"You brought them only so they can train with those human girls?" Koen asked sharply.

"I don't need them for anything else," Cyr shrugged casually.

Koen thought it over, then nodded in reluctant agreement.

"Works for me. Those human girls won't live centuries—maybe a hundred years. They'll only need sparring partners for a few years. After that, they'll need new opponents." His mature tone didn't match his cute appearance.

Also, the puppies are too young to go into heat, so they won't form attachments to the human girls.

"We must keep them separate early. Even if they remember decades later, it'll just be playful memories. The Inuyōkai clan has plenty of playmates."

"That's true. They'll provide sparring partners for a year or two—enough to be useful," Cyr nodded slightly.

That's his plan—what actually happens remains to be seen.

"That's not necessarily the case."

"Considering their future sparring partners, human opponents might be better," Koen suggested with a hint of meaning.

After all, humans understand how to fight other humans. Engaging with youkai doesn't teach one nearly as much as sparring with people. In terms of cunning and brutality, even a powerful youkai often bows to human intellect.

"There's no one of appropriate age in Heian-kyō," Cyr sighed. You can't go picking grown adults to spar with these little kids—they'd be too offended to accept.

"But their weapons… they're just a burden for them now, right?" Koen commented, eyeing the duo struggling to hold swords and bows larger than themselves. Swords they can't swing, bows they can't draw—what's the point?

"…Maro," Cyr sighed, calling over the young blond attendant who'd been monitoring their training. "Have them practice sword swings and horse-stance with buckets for one hour each, daily."

An hour of sword work, an hour of stance training—two hours a day should be manageable. Once they adapt, ramp up the intensity. The rest of the time, let dogs chase them to build speed in running.

"I understand, my lord," Marro replied without protest. The girls merely nodded quietly—obedient.

Meanwhile, elsewhere...

"Why are those people arguing and fighting in your shrine?" Koen asked, perplexed at a cluster of scholars skulking in a corner.

"That's normal for researchers—some debate turns into hands-on aggression," Cyr answered blandly. But if they don't produce results soon, he won't stand for it. They're noisy, late into the night, rushing out to knock on each other's doors to shout new ideas.

A bit like scholarly lunatics.

"What are they researching?" Koen inquired.

"Barriers," Cyr revealed. Since Koen has become his watchdog, there's no point hiding it.

He continued: "I intend to set a barrier starting from the shrine's torii gate. Anyone entering without permission will lose their life." The disdain for life was evident in his cold tone.

Fortunately, the group around him was either youkai uninterested in human affairs, academic madmen, or similarly detached people—none likely to care about the threat.

"Can't you set the barrier yourself?" Koen was puzzled. After all, setting barriers is something gods excel at. Nearly every shrine has one to keep youkai out—why not the Moon God shrine too?

And as the Moon God, Cyr should certainly be skilled at barriers.

Silence fell.

°°°

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