The Holy Grail of the Heian Era

[Oni Island is on the verge of collapse.]

[You return to Shuten Douji and Ibaraki Douji as quickly as possible.]

[You need to get them out of there.]

"You're back?!"

Shuten Douji's eyes were fixed solely on Ian as he approached.

She breathed a sigh of relief.

To be honest, during his absence, she had imagined all sorts of worst-case scenarios.

Like him never returning;

Or being killed on the spot by the being called Ushi-Gozen;

Or even abandoning her and Ibaraki there—after all, it was Oni Island, wasn't it natural for oni to stay?

Yet, none of those outcomes came to pass.

Ian returned, just as he had promised, back to the oni that a great onmyoji should despise.

"Yes," he nodded.

"I'm back."

"Now—"

Ian was about to speak when he noticed Ibaraki Douji's puzzled gaze.

Recalling the Great Oni King of Mount Oe's desire to save face, he changed his words:

"Master, I think we should leave this island it's about to collapse."

"Eh?!"

Shuten Douji and Ibaraki Douji exclaimed in unison once more.

However, Shuten Douji quickly realized she couldn't continue like this or Ibaraki Douji would suspect something.

"He wouldn't lie to me."

With that thought, Shuten Douji readily agreed to Ian's "request."

"Alright!"

"Let's go!"

[You lead Shuten Douji and Ibaraki Douji back the way you came.]

[Since Oni Island is laid out like Heian-kyo, the journey is straightforward.]

[You board the ship with them.]

[As the ship departs, you see Ushi-Gozen.]

[She stands on the shore, watching you leave.]

[The waves ripple, the sea swells.]

[After the ship has traveled some distance from the shore.]

[Oni Island vanishes.]

The dark clouds gradually dispersed.

Light from the sky slanted across the sea, creating a stage-like spectacle of white.

And there—

Where an island should have been.

"It's gone..."

Ibaraki Douji stared at the empty sea, at a loss for words.

Just moments ago, she had been running barefoot across it.

Shuten Douji's reaction was similar.

She rubbed her eyes, unable to believe what she saw.

"Hey, what did you do?!"

Ian glanced at Ibaraki Douji, still gazing at the sea, then spoke:

"Shuten, here's what happened."

[You recount the events Ushi-Gozen told you to Shuten Douji.]

[You also show her the golden goblet Ushi-Gozen asked you to take.]

[You hope she might know something about it.]

[But it seems she doesn't.]

"This..."

Shuten Douji's mouth hung open, her expression incredulous.

Clearly, she was far from knowing anything, still trying to process what Ian had just said.

"Is this goblet really that powerful?"

"To sustain an entire island and do so much more?"

"I don't know."

Ian honestly admitted his feelings.

"I had the same thought at first."

"But since Ushi-Gozen said so, I think it's not something to doubt."

"..."

Shuten Douji's expression was subtle.

She hadn't met Ushi-Gozen, so even knowing she looked like Minamoto no Yorimitsu, she couldn't immediately believe it.

She looked at the golden goblet, pondered, and then asked:

"Well—"

"Can I touch your goblet?"

Ian handed her the golden goblet.

"Of course."

Ushi-Gozen hadn't said anything about not letting others touch the goblet.

Besides, Ian hoped Shuten Douji might provide some useful information.

If touching it could achieve that, all the better.

[Your hopes were high.]

[But the reality didn't quite match.]

[It was even a bit unexpected.]

Shuten Douji reached out her delicate hand to touch the golden goblet.

But—

The moment her hand made contact, she recoiled as if electrocuted.

"What... what is this?!"

Shuten Douji frantically blew on her hand, like a child who had been burned.

"It hurts!"

"Hurts?"

Ian looked at Shuten Douji, puzzled.

"What happened?"

"Well—"

Shuten Douji looked at the goblet, her expression aggrieved.

"There seems to be some kind of strange spell on it."

"Like something that says 'oni are forbidden to touch' or something."

"Hey! Are you trying to trick me?"

She exclaimed with aggrieved tone.

"Do you think I need to?"

Ian retorted Shuten Douji's suspicion, then looked at the goblet Ushi-Gozen had given him.

There was a spell on it?

Who had placed it there?

[Talent Depleted Holy Grail Activated: You realize this goblet may have been tampered with.]

[You wonder who did it.]

[But you have no way to find out.]

[After all, this is your first time touching it.]

"..."

Seeing Ian's furrowed brow, Shuten Douji quickly realized he wasn't lying.

He had no reason to deceive her.

"Hey," she said.

"Since you didn't do it, could it be Ushi-Gozen?"

Shuten Douji's words made sense.

After all, apart from Ian, Ushi-Gozen was the only one who could have touched the goblet.

But Ian shook his head.

"I don't think so."

"She slays oni day and night... oni wouldn't dare approach her, so why would she put a spell like this on a goblet?"

"True... if no oni dare approach, there's no need for protection."

"Wait!"

Shuten Douji suddenly thought of something.

"Could someone else have given her the goblet?"

"Given her?"

"Yeah!" Shuten Douji nodded. "Just because she can slay oni doesn't mean the person who gave her the goblet can, right?"

"Of course, it might not have been given directly."

"Just some precautions taken before the goblet reached Ushi-Gozen."

"Precautions?"

[You think Shuten Douji's words make sense.]

[Ushi-Gozen isn't an oni, so she wouldn't be affected by such a spell.]

[But this raises a new question.]

[Who did it?]

[You realize you left too hastily—you should have asked more.]

[You feel regret.]

Shuten Douji noticed Ian's disappointment.

She hesitated, then said softly:

"Don't be so down... I was just throwing out ideas, we don't even know if it's true."

Shuten douji said trying to make him less worried about the possibility.

However Ian had already thought of her Idea deeply.

"But Shuten, I think you're onto something."

"If Ushi-Gozen wasn't the first to have this goblet, then anything's possible."

"Shuten—"

Ian looked at the former Oni King of Mount Oe, his eyes filled with anticipation.

"Do you have any other ideas?"

"This..."

It was the first time Ian had looked at her with such expectation.

For some reason, she felt an urge to answer him.

"Wait, let me think!"

Shuten Douji cupped her face, rubbing it, occasionally patting it, as if to cheer herself on.

Seeing her like this, Ian found it amusing.

Finally, he spoke:

"Never mind, Shuten."

"If it's too hard, forget it."

"No!" Shuten Douji stopped him. "I'll figure something out, just wait!"

"..."

With her determination, Ian could only wait patiently.

However—

Oni ideas seemed to come in flashes.

Trying too hard only led to a blank mind.

In the end, Shuten Douji had to admit defeat, looking at Ian, she mumbled:

"I can't think of anything."

Shuten Douji was ready for Ian to say she was wasting time, but instead, he reached out and patted her head.

"It's okay."

"It's normal not to think of anything."

It was the first time Shuten Douji had been patted on the head.

She thought it would be an unpleasant feeling.

But actually—it was quite nice.

However, she quickly realized this was wrong and shook her head.

"Why are you patting my head?!"

"I'm the Oni King of Mount Oe!"

"Oh... you mind that?"

Ian withdrew his hand.

"Sorry, my mistake."

"..."

Shuten Douji felt a strange sensation in her heart.

She quickly changed the subject.

"Don't you have any ideas?"

"I didn't."

He replied and looked at the petite oni girl.

"But watching you think, I suddenly had one."

"What do you mean?" Shuten Douji narrowed her eyes. "Am I some kind of clue?"

"No," Ian shook his head.

"Your words made me realize something."

"If the first owner of this goblet wasn't Ushi-Gozen, it must be someone connected to her."

Hearing this, Shuten Douji made a guess.

"Are you thinking it's Minamoto no Yorimitsu?"

"No," Ian shook his head again.

"If it were Yorimitsu, things wouldn't be like this."

"After all—"

"She seems completely unaware of Ushi-Gozen's existence."

"...Right."

Shuten Douji scratched her cheek.

"Given her attitude towards you, she'd rather become Ushi-Gozen herself than let you take the risk."

"So, who is it?"

Ian didn't hide his theory.

"I think it's Yorimitsu's father, Minamoto no Mitsunaka."

"Minamoto no Mitsunaka..."

Shuten Douji muttered the name, then realized something.

"Wait! Didn't you say he's dead?"

"Yes," Ian nodded. "But it seems many things are still connected to him."

"For one, Yorimitsu's power is tied to his choices, right?"

"So, I plan to investigate this further when we return."

"..."

Shuten Douji was silent, hesitating to bring something up.

Finally, she asked:

"So, are you going to keep this from Yorimitsu?"

"Of course."

Ian smiled.

"If she knew her father made such a choice for the Minamoto clan... it wouldn't be good."

"..."

Shuten Douji sighed, putting her hands on her hips.

"I guess I have to keep helping you... these things can't be told to anyone close, can they?"

"Come on,"

Shuten Douji held out her hand to Ian.

"Take back my power, so you don't have to worry."

"..."

Looking at the outstretched hand, Ian hesitated, then pushed it back.

"Shuten, no need."

"You don't have to give me back the power."

"..."

Shuten Douji frowned slightly.

The rejected hand felt awkward.

"Aren't you worried I'll cause trouble?"

"Of course I am."

"But—"

Ian looked at the petite oni girl, his eyes friendly.

"If you intended to, you'd have left before I returned."

"Shuten, I have to admit something."

"You've changed my view of oni—you're not emotionless."

"And you know—"

Ian looked at Ibaraki Douji, still gazing at the sea.

"You know how to protect your friends."

"In that case, you're no longer my prey."

Shuten Douji paused, then asked:

"Are you giving up on slaying oni?"

"Not giving up, I'll still act when necessary."

"But—"

"I'm starting to think the Heian era might have a place for oni, that's all."

"..."

Shuten Douji looked away.

"You're an idiot."

[Talent Shuten Douji's Blessing Lost: You no longer seal Shuten Douji's power.]

[Talent Oni Treasure Obtained: You have become someone Shuten Douji deeply values.]

[She vows to investigate the holy grail for you.]