Chapter 123: Kintarou's Wine Jug and Shuten-douji's "Invitation"

Chapter 123: Kintarou's Wine Jug and Shuten-douji's "Invitation"

[Seeing Kintarou's excited demeanor, you realize that the person he refers to as "Douji" could be someone incredibly important to him.]

[But you don't know exactly what that means.]

[You decide to find out more.]

"Kintarou."

Ian looked at the large, muscular man standing beside him, and once again spoke up:

"Perhaps I can help you."

"But first, you need to tell me clearly what this 'Douji' you keep mentioning really is?"

Hearing Ian's offer to help, Kintarou immediately became excited.

He tightly clutched the gold in his hands, gestured wildly, and pointed outward, looking incredibly animated.

"Over there! Over there!"

"Douji is over there!"

Ian followed the direction Kintarou was pointing to, and before him was the road leading out of the capital.

He quickly realized that the "over there" Kintarou referred to was somewhere outside of Heian-kyo.

To put it more simply: he wanted Ian to take him out of the city.

Frankly—

This was a rather risky move.

After all, as long as they were within the capital, keeping Kintarou in check wouldn't be too difficult.

But once outside, the potential variables would be much more unpredictable than imagined.

However, was it really necessary to be suspicious of him?

After giving it some thought, Ian decided to give it a try.

After all, if anything happened, he wasn't incapable of dealing with it.

"Well then—"

"Kintarou, can you take me to see it?"

"Of course! No problem!"

Kintarou hugged the gold tightly and looked absolutely thrilled.

[After quickly reporting the plan to Minamoto no Raikou, you and Kintarou left Heian-kyo the following day.]

[Since you had no idea where he was headed, you could only let him lead the way.]

[Fortunately, Kintarou was a simple man, transparent and straightforward.]

[He had no ill intentions; he was genuinely just guiding the way.]

[You followed him all the way to the foot of a mountain.]

[This was the place where your retainer, Usui no Sadamitsu, had once fought.]

"..."

The moment Ian set foot in the forest, he furrowed his brows.

He saw traces of destruction scattered throughout the woods.

There were terrifying claw marks on the tall trees, and fallen leaves nearly covered the entire path.

Clearly,

This battle had not been as simple as Usui no Sadamitsu had described.

He had deliberately omitted many details, only sharing the good news while hiding the more concerning parts, in an effort not to worry Ian.

Ian realized that the relationship he had with his adopted sons wasn't just based on utility.

He cared for them.

And they cared for him too.

"This way, this way!"

After shouting, Kintarou dashed along a small trail on the mountain.

Though he appeared to be a strong man, now he was as lively as a child.

Ian had no choice but to quickly follow.

[The two of you wove through the forest.]

[Returning to this mountain, Kintarou was so excited it was almost frightening.]

[Perhaps to him, this was truly the environment he was familiar with since birth.]

[You followed him for quite a while.]

[Finally, you both stopped in front of a wooden house.]

"This is…"

Looking at the wooden house before him, Ian was a little surprised.

This mountain didn't seem like a place where anyone would live, yet there was a house like this here.

It was quite strange.

While Ian was still pondering the reason, Kintarou quickly answered his unspoken question.

He happily pushed open the door and then shouted loudly into the house:

"I'm back!"

But—

There was no response from inside.

Looking at the empty room, Kintarou seemed a bit confused.

Seeing this, Ian spoke up:

"Is there… someone supposed to be waiting for you here?"

"Umu." Kintarou tightly hugged the gold, nodding slightly.

"The old woman should have been waiting for me here."

"..."

Ian realized something was off.

He hesitated for a moment before asking gently:

"Kintarou, is the 'old woman' you mentioned someone who looks like this?"

[You describe the appearance of the demon Usui no Sadamitsu once spoke of.]

[You hope the result won't match what you suspect.]

[But unfortunately, things unfold exactly as you feared.]

After hearing Ian's description, Kintarou clapped his hands in delight.

"Umu! Umu! Exactly like that!"

"You know the Old Woman!"

"..."

Ian didn't know how to respond immediately.

He hadn't expected his description to match Kintarou's "Old Woman."

But it seemed they were indeed the same person.

This meant one harsh truth.

The yokai that had been killed by Ian's adopted son, Usui no Sadamitsu—

Was the "Old Woman" who had lived with Kintarou on this mountain.

She truly had done something wrong.

But at the same time, perhaps she had only done it for Kintarou.

And he had no idea about any of it.

After realizing that Ian seemed to know about the "Old Woman," Kintarou immediately became eager.

"Where did the Old Woman go?"

"..."

Ian wasn't sure how Kintarou would react if he told him the truth.

For now, he decided to divert the conversation.

"Oh… she went to a very distant place, and it will be a while before she can return."

"That's also why I had someone take you back to Heian-kyo."

This was a lie.

But Ian knew that if he didn't say it, things could become much more complicated.

"Is that so!"

Kintarou didn't doubt Ian's words at all.

After all, to him, Ian was someone like himself—also possessing gold—so he couldn't possibly be a bad person.

"I hope! She returns soon!"

"Perhaps."

Ian knew this wasn't the right topic to continue on.

He quickly steered the conversation elsewhere.

"Kintarou, so where is this 'Douji' you're talking about?"

"Douji!"

Kintarou looked around, as if searching for something.

Before long, he pulled out a wine jug from a corner of the room.

"What's this?"

Seeing Kintarou with the wine jug in hand, Ian felt a bit suspicious.

"Douji gave it! A good thing!"

Kintarou stared at the wine jug as if admiring a bar of gold.

Clearly, it was something he treasured deeply.

But in Ian's eyes, this wine jug had a different purpose.

"Kintarou, may I take a look at it?"

"..."

After a brief hesitation, Kintarou happily handed it over.

"For you."

[You take the wine jug from Kintarou's hands.]

["Grand Onmyoji++" has been activated: You begin using the yin-yang technique to inspect the wine jug.]

[As you expected.]

[This wine jug is far from simple.]

[You can sense the 'demonic aura' emanating from it.]

["Eternally Concealed Secret+" has been activated: Just like before, you sketch the form of the demon in your mind.]

[It becomes increasingly clearer before your eyes.]

[Finally, you get a name.]

"Shuten Douji."

Ian unconsciously spoke the name that surfaced in his mind.

"Aha!"

Kintarou stared at Ian, growing even more excited.

"Good friend! You know her?"

"… Perhaps."

After confirming that the "friend" Kintarou spoke of was actually a demon, Ian's emotions became complicated.

But he knew well—as an Onmyoji, he could never afford to hesitate in such matters.

Demons were born from negative thoughts and resentment, and a single moment of hesitation could put an Onmyoji in danger.

"Kintarou, do you have a way to find her?"

"No need to find her!" Kintarou burst into hearty laughter.

"She will come on her own!"

"She will come on her own?"

"Umu." Kintarou nodded. "Just fill the wine jug with water, and she will come!"

[You realize this is an excellent opportunity.]

[As an Onmyoji, you cannot let any chance to eliminate a demon slip by.]

[You decide to make full use of this wine jug.]

"Then, Kintarou, shall we fill the wine jug with water right now?"

"Alright!"

Clear mountain spring water was poured into the jug.

Ian also began setting up an incantation formation—this was a type of Onmyodo (note: Onmyojutsu, yin-yang spell...etc) that ordinary yokai could not possibly withstand.

Kintarou eagerly awaited Shuten Douji's appearance.

Meanwhile, Ian silently observed everything.

As the strongest Onmyoji in Heian-kyo, he was confident he could kill this demon on the spot.

But things did not go as planned.

Even though the wine jug had been filled exactly as Kintarou described, Shuten Douji did not appear.

Ian didn't believe that Kintarou was lying—his mental state didn't allow for such deception.

That left only one possibility.

The wine jug… never actually had that function.

"Why isn't she appearing…?"

Kintarou looked a little disappointed.

It was clear that he had used this item to summon Shuten Douji many times before.

"Perhaps it's just not the right time."

Ian comforted Kintarou, and while the boy's mood was still stable, he began searching the surroundings.

The logic was simple.

If Kintarou's wine jug truly had no effect, yet Shuten Douji still managed to appear before him—

Then—

There must be some other method nearby that allowed her to do so.

Who knows?

She might already be right here.

["Grand Onmyoji++" activated: You begin using your Onmyodo to investigate the surroundings.]

[You indeed find some traces related to 'demons.']

[But you quickly realize these are likely remnants left from Usui no Sadamitsu's battle with Yama-uba earlier.]

[This isn't something that can be removed in an instant.]

[Even for an Onmyoji like you, it would take a considerable amount of time.]

[But suddenly, the situation changes.]

[Because you hear an unfamiliar voice.]

"Oiya~, Oji-san, are you looking for me?"

A voice Ian had never heard before.

He turned his head and saw a small figure.

She stood barefoot on the forest path, her entire body wrapped in a large cloth.

A faint scent of sake drifted from her, as if she herself were a naturally brewed, fine liquor.

Her face was adorable, paired with a mischievous grin.

But the most striking feature—

Was the pair of horns protruding from her head.

"You are Shuten Douji?" Ian asked directly.

"Oho~, so you actually know about me?"

Shuten Douji crossed her arms over her chest.

"Looks like this oji-san has some knowledge after all."

"But an old man like you—"

"Why are you hanging around with that blonde brat?"

Even without needing further confirmation, Ian fully understood that the "blonde brat" Shuten Douji referred to was Kintarou.

Though, to be fair—

Hearing such words from someone as small as her was honestly a bit amusing.

"That has nothing to do with you."

Ian replied coldly.

He had never harbored goodwill toward demons.

"Mama~, don't be like that." Shuten Douji kept her teasing tone.

"You're an Onmyoji, aren't you? Can't I even ask a simple question?"

"..."

With just that one sentence, Ian immediately realized—

This Shuten Douji in front of him was nothing like the demons he had encountered before.

To be able to hunt demons, he had always concealed his Onmyoji aura. If he let it spread freely, even the weakest of demons would flee instantly.

And yet, Shuten Douji had already noticed it.

Even so, Ian felt no fear.

Because a demon was still just a demon.

Against someone who could manipulate the five elements and command the forces of yin and yang like him—

There would always be a way to kill her.

The air around them began to shift.

Shuten Douji quickly noticed the ground beneath her warping, as if trying to swallow her whole.

But she didn't dodge.

She simply let it happen.

Rumble—

Her feet were locked in place.

Just like that, the demons' greatest skill—escaping—was rendered useless.

Ian drew his small blade.

A weapon that had ended the lives of countless demons.

And there was no better use for it than to kill Shuten Douji.

Step by step, he closed in on her.

But then—

He heard a sigh.

"Tsk, seriously—can't you let me talk a little more?"

"At least before I die, tell me—what exactly is your relationship with that blonde brat?"

"You don't need to know."

Ian wasn't about to waste words on her.

He raised the small blade in his hand—

And drove it straight into Shuten Douji's chest.

Yet—

She didn't dodge.

The blade pierced through her—

But no blood spilled.

Instead—

Shuten Douji burst into laughter.

"Ne~, oji-san~ Did you really think you could kill me that easily?"

"If that's the case, I'd be pretty insulted, you know?"

—A clone.

Ian realized it instantly.

No wonder she hadn't bothered to dodge.

Because she didn't have to.

That also explained why she had been bold enough to appear before him so casually.

But then—

Why hadn't she appeared before Kintarou earlier?

"Hahahaha~"

Shuten Douji's laughter grew more and more delighted.

And just before she disappeared completely, she spoke:

"Oji-san, you don't look too happy about this, huh?"

"How about this~"

"That blonde brat once said he wanted to come find me, and you seem very eager to kill me."

"Then why don't you all come meet me at Ooeyama——!"