Chapter 103: High Priestess
The bedroom was luxurious enough to rival the presidential suite of a five-star hotel.
Warm sunlight poured through the wide windows, bathing the room in a pale golden sheen. Within that light, faint traces of spiritual power drifted and circled like ripples across still water, shimmering against the sun until the room seemed wrapped in a dream.
At the center of that soft radiance, Gin Tsumugi sat cross-legged on the bed, quietly regulating his breathing.
His spiritual power flowed through his body in slow, even cycles. His physical strength, Spirit Insight Power, and mental state were all being sharpened and brought into alignment.
Tonight, he would be facing an existence at the level of a Great Yokai.
Even with Gin's pride, he did not dare treat such an opponent lightly. This was the first time he would truly confront a being of that rank. A single careless mistake could decide life and death.
After a long while, Gin exhaled.
The breath he released carried away the last of the stagnant air within him.
In only a few hours, he had brought himself to his peak state.
Now, all that remained was to wait for nightfall.
"From what I saw in A Dream of a Thousand Years, 'he' was indeed capable of fighting a Great Yokai alone."
Gin lowered his gaze in thought.
"But I should still make more preparations. Besides, those young women from earlier are not a small variable."
His fingers lightly tapped his chin.
The man behind Imai Takumi was Shinomiya Kaguya's elder brother, the eldest son of the Shinomiya Conglomerate, Shinomiya Ōkō.
As expected, none of the direct descendants raised by a conglomerate were simple.
Gin had to admit that Shinomiya Ōkō's methods were sharp, ruthless, and unpleasantly precise. If the person standing here were another National Level Onmyoji, that person might truly have capsized in the gutter.
The reason Gin had not told Shinomiya Kaguya about this was simple.
He had his own considerations.
That variable was extremely unfavorable to Kaguya, but to him, it was not entirely bad. With Zenki and Koki guarding him, and with a safe retreat already prepared, taking a calculated risk was not impossible.
"If I handle this well, my role-playing progress might surge the same way it did when I performed the Taizan Fukun Ritual at the Tsuchimikado clan."
A thoughtful gleam crossed Gin's eyes.
These past few days, although he had been buried under the Myriad Law Supernatural Department's affairs, he had still found time to eliminate several troublesome Yokai that the former authorities and the Onmyo Agency branch had been unable to deal with. None of them had woven a Spirit Domain, but they were hardly weak.
Gin silently called up the system.
[Abe no Seimei (Patriarch of Onmyōdō)]
[Role-playing Progress: Youth Period (42%)]
[Onmyōdō Framework: Myriad Laws (30%)]
[Character Abilities:
Basic Talisman Compendium (Great Mastery), Shikigami Contract (Great Mastery), Five-Pointed Star Incantation (Great Mastery), Spirit Word Technique (Minor Accomplishment), Uho (Minor Accomplishment)
Immovable Binding Technique (Minor Accomplishment), Fire Boundary Spell (Minor Accomplishment), Myriad Demon-Subduing Mantra (Advanced), Crucifix Sutra Thunder Technique (Advanced), Marīci Heavenly Mantra (Advanced)
Ghost-Averting and Evil-Dispelling Incantation (Minor Accomplishment), Acala Demon-Subduing Mantra (Advanced), Fudō Myōō Fire Boundary Mantra (Advanced), Trailokyavijaya Heart Mantra (Advanced)]
"A few decent Yokai only raised it by one percent."
Gin could not help sighing.
He had already known the difficulty had risen after the Nure-onna, but seeing it so clearly still felt rather merciless.
The Nure-onna had been second only to a Great Yokai, yet even she had only given him six percent.
At this point, if he wanted a large increase in role-playing progress, ordinary yokai would no longer be enough. He had to hunt beings at the Great Yokai level.
Normal training was almost negligible by comparison. Even if he pushed himself through a full month of sleepless practice, he might not gain even one percent.
"It's almost like the system is forcing me to challenge Great Yokai."
Gin smiled wryly.
"And if the role-playing system advances again, then what? Will I have to go after Shuten-dōji and Daitengu next?"
It sounded like a joke.
Unfortunately, Gin felt it was entirely possible.
When that time came, he could only hope the next advancement of the role-playing system would bring a transformation powerful enough to match the danger.
Bang, bang, bang.
A crisp knock sounded from the door.
Gin frowned slightly.
It was still early. Lunchtime had not arrived, and he had specifically told Hayasaka Ai not to disturb him before then.
Was it Furukawa Oishi or one of the other Onmyoji?
Gin stepped down from the bed and walked toward the reddish-brown wooden door.
Then his gaze shifted.
"Divine power?"
Before he even reached the door, he sensed an unmistakable aura.
It was not weak.
Even without actively releasing his Ghost Insight Power, the divine presence was clear. Pure, solemn, and old. It carried the weight of ritual and accumulated faith.
Click.
Gin opened the door.
Standing outside was an elderly woman with white hair.
She wore a beautiful white ceremonial robe embroidered with gold thread. It was an ikan-tai, the highest grade of formal clothing worn by clergy during major rites such as Grand Festivals. A pure white ikan-tai signified ordinary clergy. One embroidered with gold thread could only be worn by clergy of high rank.
"Lord White Fox, please forgive my intrusion."
The elderly woman bowed first. Her posture was dignified despite her age.
"I am Ouchiyama Megumi, High Priestess of Ise Grand Shrine."
"Ise Grand Shrine."
When Gin had first sensed the divine power on her and seen her ceremonial robe, he had already made a faint guess. Still, hearing her identity confirmed made his eyes narrow slightly.
The High Priestess of Ise Grand Shrine.
That was one of the highest figures in Japan's shrine world.
Ise Grand Shrine was the supreme existence among Japanese shrines and the most special one. Since ancient times, it had been the shrine of the Imperial Family, enshrining the Imperial Ancestral Deity, Amaterasu Ōmikami.
Its clerical structure was also different from ordinary shrines.
In most shrines, the chief priest, or Guji, stood at the top. The Negi assisted the Guji, the Gon-negi served as intermediate clergy, and the Shushi were apprentice clergy. In Beppyo shrines, there was also a Gon-guji, similar to a deputy chief priest.
But Ise Grand Shrine was different.
Its highest representative was not the Guji, but the High Priestess.
Below her were the Dai-guji, equivalent to the Guji of ordinary shrines, then the Sho-guji, equivalent to a Gon-guji, followed by the Negi, Gon-negi, Miyatsukasa, and Shushi.
Among all shrines in Japan, only Ise Grand Shrine possessed the position of High Priestess.
Before the Meiji Restoration, the position had long been held by the Fujinami family. After the Restoration, the Fujinami family's hereditary position was abolished by the government. The role was later held by figures from noble houses such as the Konoe and Sanjo families, and eventually by women of the Imperial Family who had left the Imperial Register through marriage.
In other words, the old woman before him was not only the true leader of Ise Grand Shrine.
She had once been an Imperial Princess.
Gin had not expected Shinomiya Kaguya to invite someone of this level.
Setting all else aside, the divine power around Ouchiyama Megumi alone gave her combat ability second only to a National Level Onmyoji.
"Please come in."
It was rude to keep a guest of such status standing in the hallway. Gin stepped aside and invited Ouchiyama Megumi into the living room before brewing her a cup of green tea.
"Thank you, Lord White Fox."
Ouchiyama Megumi held the hot tea in her withered hands. Her cloudy eyes settled on Gin's face, and for a brief moment, confusion flickered within them.
Gin noticed it.
"Is something wrong?"
"Forgive me. I was rude." Ouchiyama Megumi lowered her eyes slightly. "Lord White Fox's appearance feels familiar to me. As though I have seen it somewhere before."
"There are many similar faces in the world," Gin said calmly. "It is not strange to find resemblance between unrelated people."
He understood what was likely happening.
As the role-playing system advanced, his appearance was becoming increasingly similar to "him." For an institution like Ise Grand Shrine, which had survived for thousands of years, it would not be strange if portraits of that person had been passed down.
"Indeed," Ouchiyama Megumi said softly.
She did not dwell on it.
Instead, she looked at the young man before her and could not help sighing with emotion.
"To reach such a height at your age, a height most cannot approach even after decades of effort... Lord White Fox is worthy of standing alongside the great Onmyoji recorded in history."
"You flatter me, High Priestess."
Gin's tone remained modest.
"But I assume you did not come here simply to exchange pleasantries."
"Since Lord White Fox has said so, I will be direct."
"I am listening."
Ouchiyama Megumi set down her teacup.
"I have heard that Miss Shinomiya invited Lord White Fox to act by offering a replica of the Yata no Kagami as payment. My purpose in visiting, shameless as it may be, is to ask whether Lord White Fox would be willing to exchange that Yata no Kagami with Ise Grand Shrine."
She reached into her sleeve.
"Naturally, Ise Grand Shrine will not ask for it without compensation."
Ouchiyama Megumi placed three divine talismans on the table.
Each talisman was painted with gold thread and radiated an extremely dense divine power. They possessed an ancient, solemn mystery, giving off the impression of vast majesty.
Then she took out a black ritual compass.
It was damaged in several places and looked plain at first glance. Compared to the three divine talismans, it was almost inconspicuous.
"These three divine talismans are treasures passed down through Ise Grand Shrine for thousands of years. Each one can defend against one attack at the level of a Great Onmyō Art."
Ouchiyama Megumi gently touched the black compass.
"As for this ritual compass, it is said to have been left at Ise Grand Shrine by a certain Great Onmyoji. It has a strong auxiliary effect on astrology."
"Three divine talismans capable of withstanding Great Onmyō Art, and an astrology compass left by a Great Onmyoji."
Gin looked at the items on the table.
"Ise Grand Shrine is quite generous."
When Ouchiyama Megumi had appeared, he had already guessed why she had come.
The Yata no Kagami held a different meaning to Ise Grand Shrine than it did to anyone else.
Even so, the conditions she offered surprised him slightly.
If judged by practical value alone, the three divine talismans were already enough to rival the Yata no Kagami in his possession.
After all, even at the cost of its own destruction, the Yata no Kagami replica could only block one attack at the level of Great Onmyō Art. The divine talismans before him could block three.
Add the astrology compass, and Ise Grand Shrine's offer already exceeded the current value of the Yata no Kagami replica.
"Lord White Fox should understand what the Yata no Kagami represents to Ise Grand Shrine."
Ouchiyama Megumi smiled bitterly.
The symbolic meaning of the Yata no Kagami far surpassed its practical effect. For Ise Grand Shrine, it represented faith itself.
This trade was a severe loss for them.
But there was no other choice.
If the Yata no Kagami were in someone else's hands, perhaps they could have negotiated more easily. Unfortunately, it had fallen into the hands of the current White Fox, one of the Twelve Divine Generals and a rising star of Onmyōdō. If Ise Grand Shrine wanted to retrieve it, they had to offer a price high enough to show sincerity.
The Yata no Kagami that had originally been enshrined at Ise Grand Shrine had long since shattered amid historical upheaval while defending against an external yokai threat. What remained there now was merely an antique shell without divine power.
Previously, when Ise Grand Shrine learned that the Shinomiya Conglomerate had obtained a Yata no Kagami replica by chance, they had spent part of their foundation to shield Shinomiya Kaguya from Shuten-dōji's mark. In exchange, they had intended to receive that mirror.
No one expected Kaguya to burn her bridges.
She had directly offered the Yata no Kagami as payment to invite the current White Fox, one of the Twelve Divine Generals, to resolve the supernatural incident surrounding her.
That had far exceeded Ise Grand Shrine's expectations.
"I apologize, High Priestess."
Gin shook his head.
"I cannot agree."
"Lord White Fox, this is already the greatest price Ise Grand Shrine can currently offer." Ouchiyama Megumi hurriedly tried to salvage the matter. "If you are dissatisfied, so long as we can provide it..."
Before she could finish, Gin interrupted her.
"High Priestess, it is not that I am dissatisfied with Ise Grand Shrine's conditions."
His voice was calm.
"The Yata no Kagami has other uses for me right now. More importantly, for the Myriad Law Supernatural Department in its current stage, it is an extremely useful tool."
Whether from his own perspective or from the perspective of the Myriad Law Supernatural Department, the Yata no Kagami had far greater practical value at present.
Especially when handling supernatural incidents, it could greatly reduce casualties among Onmyoji.
Back when Iwanaga Kotoko had kept the Yata no Kagami in the White Fox Office for shared use, that had been precisely the reason.
As for the three divine talismans and the ritual compass before him, they were undeniably valuable.
The talismans could block attacks at the level of Great Onmyō Art.
But with Zenki and Koki guarding him, their effect on Gin himself was limited. As for the Myriad Law Supernatural Department, they were even less useful than the mirror.
The ritual compass was the same.
For astrology, it might be a treasure.
For his current needs, it was not enough.
"I see."
Ouchiyama Megumi saw the firmness in Gin's attitude and sighed softly.
"If Lord White Fox ever intends to transfer the Yata no Kagami in the future, please prioritize Ise Grand Shrine. I would be deeply grateful."
After speaking, she rose and bowed deeply.
"I will."
Gin nodded.
That was as good as an agreement.
Since she could not accomplish her goal, Ouchiyama Megumi did not stay any longer. Gin saw her to the door and watched her leave.
Only after the wooden door closed did Gin withdraw his gaze.
"Shinomiya Kaguya truly has ability."
He murmured to himself.
"She traded away the Yata no Kagami that Ise Grand Shrine desperately wanted, used it as payment to hire me, and still managed to invite the High Priestess to help handle this supernatural incident."
Sure enough.
Whether it was Shinomiya Ōkō or Shinomiya Kaguya, the direct descendants of conglomerate families were all troublesome characters.
.....
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