Kays Translations

Chapter 16: The Strongest Onmyoji Complains

Near the corpses, a yellow-green light danced.

“These fireflies here have a rather eerie quality, don’t they?”

Yuki peered down from above and commented.

After the conversation had ended, everyone had taken a break.

I had come to the makeshift corpse storage area outside the town.

There were primarily two reasons for this. One was to investigate the corpses more thoroughly, but… due to the late hour, I somehow lacked the energy to do it properly.

Yuki continued speaking.

“Gathering around corpses, are they? Perhaps they’ve come to feast on dead flesh.”

“…Fireflies, when they become adults, seem to only drink water.”

I responded quietly.

“So, they might have come for the blood.”

“In any case, it’s quite eerie.”

“The first time we defeated a group of undead soldiers, they were flying near a cluster of corpses the next morning. Maybe they’re common in this region.”

The charming lights, when seen in a place like this, began to resemble wandering spirits.

Upon closer inspection, it seemed a bit out of season for this time of the year, as it was becoming chilly. Perhaps it was that type of firefly.

“Well. Leaving that aside…”

Yuki changed the tone of her voice.

“Is there something you wanted to discuss with Yuki?”

“…”

It seemed like she had sensed the other reason.

I responded somewhat awkwardly

“Not really… I just wanted some time alone to think.”

“I see. Then Yuki will simply listen to Seika-sama’s thoughts to herself.”

“…”

In the past few years, Yuki seems to have become quite talkative.

Having lived for nearly a hundred years, has she grown up… or is it more that I’m showing my incompetence, and she can’t help but be more assertive?

“Well, please feel free to say whatever you like.”

“…This turned out to be more troublesome than I imagined.”

I unintentionally spoke my thoughts aloud.

“Where did I go wrong… You told me to withdraw, but looking back, I can’t imagine withdrawing peacefully from that situation. I had intended to keep my distance from the court, but I ended up getting involved quite deeply… Since my reincarnation, it feels like I’ve fundamentally gone wrong in some way.”

Sensing that Yuki was about to point something out, I preemptively spoke.

“I understand what you want to say. You want to point out that the source of the problem was my uncharacteristically clever attempt to use the hero. That’s certainly true. However, at that time…”

“No.”

Surprisingly, Yuki flatly denied my words.

“I don’t think that’s the cause. It’s more fundamental… I believe it’s a matter of your resolve, Seika-sama.”

“My resolve?”

“Yes.”

Surprised by her unexpected words, I stammered as Yuki nodded and asked

“Why is it that Seika-sama helps those connected by fate? Why does someone with the power to break castles, defeat supernatural beings beyond human capability, and even quell disasters use that power for the sake of others?”

“Well…”

It’s because it’s human nature.

Even if someone commonly referred to as a villain were to help a fallen child, while many might find it surprising, few would see it as abnormal.

Humans, to some extent, inherently possess the inclination to help others.

I am just one of those ordinary humans.

However, it was clear that Yuki wasn’t seeking such commonplace answers.

I responded with the answer I had once arrived at within myself.

“…It’s not a big deal. Breaking castles, defeating powerful enemies, quelling disasters… For me, it’s akin to extending a helping hand to a fallen child.”

Many people help a fallen child.

On the other hand, those who take care of them until their injuries heal are few.

There are limits to the effort people can expend for others.

As for me—especially when it comes to violence—I have much higher limits than ordinary people.

Because I’m the strongest.

That’s what I desired, and I reached the pinnacle.

Just that.

“That’s why… Seika-sama, you should not have tried to help people in this world.”

Yuki said quietly.

“It was necessary to limit yourself to just helping a fallen child. When the Jashi of Malevolence died in the exhibition match, when the hero’s daughter was kidnapped, what did Seika-sama do? The power you wielded at those times went beyond the range of an ordinary person, didn’t it? Did you even consider giving them up for the sake of your own life this time?”

“…”

“For others, helping people might be insignificant for Seika-sama… but wielding tremendous power inevitably attracts the attention of rulers. Regardless of involvement with the hero, Yuki thinks it was only a matter of time.”

“…”

“Ordinary people are weak beings. They have no way to resist disaster or violence. Seika-sama… like them, didn’t have the resolve to kneel. You didn’t have the resolve to accept pain. In my opinion, in your past life, your death might have made Seika-sama somewhat suspicious, but it didn’t instill the resolve to watch loved ones die and be haunted by regret… At that point, living an ordinary life was impossible for you.”

Yuki spoke with a clear voice.

“If there was a mistake in this life, I believe it’s because you didn’t decide to live with the resolve to be a weak existence.”

I remained frozen, my mouth slightly open.

While I didn’t expect Yuki to go this far… the content of her sermon was so indisputably logical that I couldn’t utter a word in response.

I involuntarily groaned.

“I… I can’t argue with that. Looking back, it’s completely true…”

The frustrating and intractable feeling that I had been experiencing was neatly articulated by Yuki’s words, and it felt like a weight had been lifted off my chest.

To not realize until Yuki pointed it out… am I foolish?

Yuki, in a composed tone, remarked

“I’m glad you took it so openly. I feel relieved to have expressed what I’ve been thinking for a while.”

“If you’ve been thinking about it, you should have said it earlier…”

“To be honest, from the very beginning when you were summoned, Yuki had been quietly tilting her head in confusion. However, that’s Seika-sama we’re talking about. I thought you might have some profound thoughts, so I refrained from overstepping. If I could turn back time, I would probably convey it sooner.”

“Wait a minute. Now that I think about it, during the time with Lakana and in the demon territory, weren’t you actually encouraging me to help them? I was hesitating on whether to go that far.”

“I believed that abandoning them at that time wouldn’t lead to a change in Seika-sama’s way of life.”

Yuki continued

“If someone with a thin connection can be abandoned, but if someone like the hero’s daughter being kidnapped were to happen again, Seika-sama would undoubtedly wield your power without hesitation. Otherwise, it would be meaningless. They also don’t deserve to be abandoned.”

“…”

“In that case, it’s somewhat better to leave no room for regret. I advised you with that in mind. Yuki didn’t have much confidence in the beginning, but now I believe it was not a mistake.”

I remained silent, gazing upward at Yuki above my head.

This creature… seems to be observing me more closely than I thought, pondering various things.

I reached out and gently stroked Yuki’s slender body as I spoke.

“You’ve somehow started thinking about such complicated matters. When I brought you to the mansion, you couldn’t even speak human language properly.”

“Yuki has been growing as well. Being among disciples and hearing discussions has allowed me to grasp even Confucianism.”

“…Is that so?”

A small smile unintentionally escaped me.

Those were events from before the reincarnation.

“Well then… what should we do from now on?”

“Yuki doesn’t understand complicated matters.”

When I asked on a whim, I received a curt response.

I felt like stumbling.

“Well, that’s not helpful.”

“Nevertheless, since it’s practically impossible to live as an ordinary human, it seems you’ll have to find a way to get along with the politicians.”

“Get along, huh…”

I sighed.

It seemed quite difficult. I’m not suited for understanding people’s intentions or plans.

“If only everything could be solved with violence…”

“The human world is not that simple.”

“It’s no use if you’re told that by a youkai.”

“For now, why not deal with what’s in front of you? The horde of the dead still seems like something that could be handled with strength.”

“…It’s not that simple on this side either.”

I couldn’t help but make a bitter expression.

Yuki said in surprise

“Is Seika-sama giving up in a comparison of curses?”

“The other side has the advantage.”

I explained almost as if making excuses

“With this many corpses prepared in advance and the ability to hide, there’s nothing we can do.”

“Can’t you trace the location from the corpses?”

“…Frustratingly, the opponent is skilled in that. Every trace has been erased to the point where it’s almost as if there’s an aesthetic obsession with it.”

There were occasionally practitioners with an ascetic disposition who delved deep into a single curse like this.

Almost without exception, they were highly skilled, reaching realms beyond the understanding of ordinary mages.

Yuki growled

“Hmm. So, are we at a dead end?”

“…No, it might not be that simple.”

With a bit of hesitation, I continued

“There’s one thing that bothers me.”

“Oh? What is it?”

“The range they can control the undead is too wide.”

I continued

“Based on the reports, the rebel army is deployed over a considerable area. Regardless of where the enemy is, maintaining regular spells becomes difficult if they are too far from the undead.”

In the world where curses and magic operate, distance usually doesn’t matter at the first layer. However, if the address (connection) is too far, the relevance is severed, and the spell cannot be maintained.

That’s why spells that can influence far distances are rare. Any curse weakens after crossing a mountain, almost disappearing after crossing a sea. Objects with magical properties are no different. Even divine beings, using magical tools like clay tablets, communicated with the capitals of other races. However, their regular exchanges involved traversing the forest. Presumably, they paid a significant cost to escape the yoke of distance.

“Hmm. So, does that mean there are multiple enemies?”

“No.”

I shook my head in response to Yuki’s question.

“There’s no way there are two or three mages of this caliber. I’m absolutely certain there’s only one.”

“In that case…”

“There must be some kind of innovation, a way to pull off the impossible. If I can find that, maybe… I might be able to locate the enemy’s whereabouts.”

That was the only hope for resolving the current situation.

“Do you have any leads?”

“I think they might be relaying the magic through some method. Normally, it would be corpses, but… it’s better not to jump to conclusions. At least, they wouldn’t use such a method for communication with a collaborator.”

“A collaborator? Wasn’t there supposed to be only one mage?”

“The mage, yes. But there’s probably someone behind them, pulling the strings.”

I frowned slightly and continued.

“These seeker-like mages are usually not quite right in the head. You’ve encountered some in your previous life, right?”

“Yeah, I do remember a few. Mainly among your friends, Seika-sama.”

“Those kinds of people can’t achieve something this grand on their own. Just gathering information about the city would be a challenging task for them.”

Conquering requires knowledge of where and how many cities of what scale exist. 

But for that, you need a certain degree of social skills—talking to merchants, acquiring accurate maps, and such.

Just raw power won’t cut it. Some level of decency is essential for undertaking such a significant endeavor.

“I don’t know from which point they became corpses, but it’s too convenient that a group of slaves and believers were turned into undead soldiers. Most likely, someone is behind this, probably utilizing a necromancer, and they are likely still in contact for their purposes.”

Perhaps, they escaped from the constraints of distance using some kind of technique.

They probably won’t use ordinary methods like fast horses or birds, considering the relatively high position of the mastermind.

“The collaborator must be someone with at least enough power to know the geography of the empire and be capable of preparing corpses. Perhaps… they might have been in the imperial capital.”

“…A politician, you say?”

“Who knows. The initial rebellion was led by the second and third princes, so there’s a possibility. However, it seems more advantageous for someone like a merchant in this situation… No, it’s better not to jump to conclusions. In fact, we shouldn’t investigate recklessly. It might stir up trouble unnecessarily.”

In the world, there are things it’s better not to know.

The hidden circumstances this time are of that nature.

I sigh and say,

“I feel a lot of frustration, but… for now, as you say, we have no choice but to diligently defeat the group of corpses.”

Saying that, I stretch.

Before I knew it, I ended up talking quite a bit. I’ll postpone the corpse investigation until tomorrow; today, I’ll rest.

Thinking that, I turned on my heel, and at that moment,

“Seika-sama.”

Yuki suddenly called my name.

I instinctively stopped walking.

“Hmm?”

“Yuki mentioned it earlier, but… Yuki doesn’t think there was a mistake in Seika-sama’s recent life.”

Yuki said in a gentle voice,

“Various things have happened, but… I believe you are living very much like Haruyoshi-sama.”

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