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Chapter 14: The Strongest Onmyoji Cleans Up

　Early in the morning of the next day, after the victory.

　I was in the forest behind the mansion.

“Haa Ha……”

　It’s tough in the mountains where there are no animal trails.

　It’s even more so with the body I’m living in now.

　Fortunately, I knew exactly where I was going.

“…I’ve finally arrived”

　I take a deep breath and look up.

　What was in front of me was a huge human lying in the woods.

　He was a large, muscular man, perhaps five feet tall (about 15 metres).

　Around his neck was a huge string of prayer beads, and the only garb he wore was a tattered yama-hakama (mountain hakama) around his waist.

　Such a being lay on the mountain with its back turned towards me.

“Hey!”

　I shouted at the big man.

　Then the huge bald head turned around.

　A single eyeball in the centre of his face.

　It turned around and looked at me.

　The giant raises its body.

　The single eye that catches mine opens wide.

“Ooooooooooooooo!!”

　It was a loud cry.

　Surprised birds fly out of the trees one after another.

　The big man leaned his upper body forward.

　Then he put his hand close to me and pulled his huge bearded face toward me.

　His mouth opens.

“Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh! It’s been so long! Haruyoshi-sama!”

　I look up at the rugged bearded face and smile.

“Oh, Nyudo. Do you recognize me in this form?”

“How can I mistake it? Who could have made that hideous spell of power, if not Haruyoshi-sama?”

　The big man’s huge single eye spills tears.

“I’m sorry, you’re right. You’re one who serves Haruyoshi-sama…”

“Hmph, nyudo. Don’t get carried away. The first one to be called here was Yuki. ……Nyudo!　Are you listening to me, Nyudo?”

“Hmmm? You there, you’re the fox-girl! You look familiar, it’s been a long time……. I wonder, were you called here too?

“Hmph, of course. Yuki is the first!”

　I exhale in relief as I listen to the exchange between the yokai.

　This is how it looks. I was worried that they might underestimate me and go berserk, but ……it seems to be okay.

“I’m sorry for calling you out so suddenly, Nyudo. You must have been confused without me.”

“I don’t mind, Haruyoshi-sama.  But what exactly do you want ……me to do?

　Nyudo makes a troubled face.

“The place I came out to didn’t even look like Japan, let alone the capital. I was following the formula of Lord Haruyoshi, wandering from one place to another, but I couldn’t go any further in the boundaries here. I didn’t know what to do, so I just lay down… …… what should I do now?”.

“No, your work is done.”

　I say

“All I wanted was for you to follow the formula and roam the mountains — I just wanted you to drive random monsters out of their homes.”

“Monsters?”

“It’s like a demon. They were all insignificant to you, though, weren’t they?  Wasn’t there a guy like a big salamander?”

“Oh, yes, there were those beasts. I thought they were rare, but they were so cowardly that they ran away from me. ……Was that the kind of thing you wanted?”

“Yeah. You’ve been very helpful.”

　It reminds me of Grey, who said something like, if a monster just happened to appear and I couldn’t defeat it by chance.

　It’s funny.

　It couldn’t have been a fluke.

　I entered the mountain, placed the formula, investigated the monsters, put up a spell for the barrier to hide the appearance of the nyudo, and set up the door.

　I had been preparing for this for the past six months.

　Everything was in order to get my father to approve my request by doing well at this time when the entrance exam was approaching.

　Although there were some accidents, such as monsters heading towards the city, things generally went as planned.

　Incidentally, I only used a hitogata I had prepared for a long time for the curse I had planted in Grey’s hair.

　In case of an emergency, I prepared a cover for everyone in the mansion, including Luft, Blaise, and even the servants. And of course, I had prepared one for Ifa as well.

　Nine years after reincarnation.

　I’ve had plenty of time to prepare.

“Nyudo”

　I tell the one-eyed giant.

“I lost a lot of my strength in the last battle in the other world. In this life, my body is still that of a child. The Onmyoji who once boasted of being a matchless warrior is now a shadow of his former self —-but in this other world, I will surpass the me of those days. With a million demons following me, I won’t fear even the gods.”

“Hah… hah!”

“Stay with this supremacy in this life, nyudo. I need your strength.”

“Hahah――――!!”

　The one-eyed giant prostrates.

“So much fear, so much fear! It is nostalgic! How I long for those days. The days of Haruyoshi-sama, who kicked aside an army of 10,000 and subdued a mighty evil god, and slaughtered foreign heroes. Those days are coming back again. It’s going to be a great battle.”

“I will show you a new view. You can count on it.”

　I open the Hitogata door that I threw behind Nyudo.

　Light leaks out, space is distorted, and it covers the giant as well.

“I’ll call you again—until then, sleep in phase again.”

“Heh heh, Haruyoshi-sama. I’m always ready for your call……”

　Nyudo is sucked into the distortion of space.

　I finally took a breath when the gigantic figure disappeared completely and the door guard was back in my hand.

“Well, I guess that’s it.”

　The shikigami for warding, which had been affixed to a nearby tree, is torn into small pieces.

　The pieces of paper that fell off were lost in the underbrush. All of the other shikigami that had been associated with it would have ended the same way.

　The cleanup was now complete.

“Even so, you took a rather roundabout way, Seika-sama.”

　Yuki shows her face and says.

“A lukewarm world and powerless men. I think Seika-sama can do whatever he wants.”

“Have you forgotten, Yuki? In my previous life, I was killed by a powerless mortal.”

“Mmm, that’s…”

“Yuki, I… in this life, I want to be on that side. The majority of the weak people. One of them.”

　I’m sorry for Nyudo, but I don’t intend to follow the tyranny of violence like I did in my previous life.

　Not conspicuous.

　I will be good at what I do.

　And before I know it, I will have what I want.

　I think that’s the smart way to live.

　This time, it’s like a practice.

　The cunning that I lacked in my previous life――――Perhaps this is fine, right?

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