[Part 1/4]
"Is the chaos finally settling down?"
The mayor in the government office of Shiromoku-kan city looked down at the city where smoke and flames were rising and he breathed a sigh of relief.
The exorcists from the Joraku delegation and the military in the city were getting rid of the youkai, troublesome creatures. Most of these creatures were wiped out. Some parts of the city were on fire or destroyed, but it didn't matter much.
Rich areas, factories, markets, and government buildings were safe. The damage was mostly in the poorer areas and the Refugees section. Many of the victims were probably from there. But this didn't bother the city officials.
"Minister of the Left's assistance has been crucial. We've caught the rebels' pawns with this damage."
"And it's a warning for the troublemakers."
"They've seen the power of our government. They won't do anything foolish."
"Minister of the Left is sly too. He plans to use this to control them completely."
"Not destroying them shows some mercy. Let's see what a cunning Minister of Strategy can do..."
Other officials in the room shared their thoughts. There was admiration, surprise, arrogance, and mockery in their attitudes.
"...And how's the princess?"
"Wait... She's safe, we protected her."
A woman behind the mayor answered his question. Onitsuki Sumire, an exorcist present in the room, calmly replied.
"That's good. Even though she's from Ezo, she's a princess and important to the Emperor. We can't let her get hurt."
The mayor sighed with relief again. He felt annoyed being caught up in this plot.
...Well, in the past three years, he hadn't realized the monsters being created in his area.
"Minister of the Left said not to blame the locals. He himself only knew because of the imperial diviner, Miyataka."
Lady Onitsuki, wife of the head of Onitsuki, defended the mayor. She felt annoyed too, but she didn't show it like the others.
The story goes back ten days. A messenger reached the mayor secretly, as the representative of the Joraku delegation, and to the city's army. This was the beginning of the gruesome plan.
The Omnyouji Bureau, with shrine maidens and diviners, predicted and prevented disasters. But accuracy depended on talent, and not all disasters could be predicted. Some saw it as unreliable. It had been considered for removal before.
One of the Miyataka diviners predicted a coming disaster. The Minister of the Left got the prophecy and gave secret orders.
And this is the result. At first, it seemed risky... yet everything went as planned. It seemed possible to gain maximum benefit with minimum losses.
"The prophecy mentioned... not only this city but even the capital would face a disaster, right? Really scary. Given the chaos, it's hard to believe it's all a coincidence."
The mayor hadn't been told all the details of the prophecy to avoid uncertainty. But with the monsters in the city, that hardly mattered anymore. He knew one wrong move could have irreversible consequences.
"Yes, it was quite a task."
"It was tough coordinating with Ezo and acting like we didn't know. It was nerve-wracking and amusing."
"Not knowing the full story initially was uncomfortable... but it might have been for the best. Dealing with these folks so far, there was also a risk of them prying into our memories."
They had to pretend to be "clueless officials" during discussions with Ezo and other exorcist families, as well as when planning the search for the missing Ezo princess. It was tough. While they might match the description of "officials who know nothing," it's different from being incompetent. Personality and ability aren't always linked, and those who climb the ranks in Fusō's competitive government aren't foolish.
"...Everyone, remember, keep quiet about this. We can't let it slip that we knew everything in advance."
The mayor turned and stressed the point. No one needed to be told. Everyone nodded.
Dealing with the rebel factions, secretly pressuring the Saeki White Dog Clan, political strategies... only a few were aware. Most thought it was coincidental. The court needed to seem like a victim and a gracious ruler.
"The trouble lies with those two troublesome deities."
The Military Commander's tone was heavy. The room tensed. Deities... it was as if they suddenly remembered the dangers they posed.
"About protecting the princess... Can we assume the deity that infiltrated Tamamo's side is dealt with?"
The Military Commander asked Sumire. It was a check. It was one reason for their elaborate plan. They couldn't just remove a deity by the princess's side. They didn't want to worsen relations with the White Dog Clan.
"We've taken care of it. Disposing of it is a matter of time, no need to worry."
Sumire's response eased the tension. They couldn't confirm it now, but she seemed honest. Those in politics had a keen eye for others.
"That's a relief."
The Military Commander, the questioner, was sincere. This statement acknowledged if the exorcists failed, they'd be the ones to face the brunt next.
"Now, where's the other deity?"
Another attendee asked. Reports said there were supposed to be two deities from the rebels. Ancient beast gods... quite a feat to gather them.
"Don't worry, we've dealt with that too. They won't enter the city."
Sumire's confident smile reassured them.
"That's good to hear."
The mayor murmured. He seemed to doubt Sumire's attitude... but understood it wasn't meant to deceive.
The exorcists' world was like the court, full of plots and power struggles. Using this situation to trap someone wasn't strange. But it didn't matter. As long as it didn't hurt the court or them... monsters in disguise could fend for themselves. A monster's enemy was another monster.
"Remember, even with corrupt deities... handle the aftermath carefully."
"Of course. Everything's planned, don't worry."
The lady's calm response ended the conversation.
"If that child is brave... everything will be handled perfectly..."
As she gazed at the Southern Region's mountains, her voice held pity...
"Please. Can I handle the final part of this matter?" Hotoya Tamaki earnestly asked, but the curse caster raised an eyebrow in clear disagreement. It was understandable because Tamaki's words could make a situation worse that was already being managed.
"Deal with it, do you say?"
"Miss Tamaki, are you making light of the actions when killing a deity?"
The curse caster from the Miyataka clan smiled in an amused way, and the Ako clan's youngest daughter looked annoyed as she gave a warning.
"If you said that without thinking, you should take it back. I don't know your plans, but you're being too naive."
Murasaki explained, emphasizing the need to be very careful when dealing with killing a god.
Why are gods called gods? Because they have special powers. Just like spiritual power and youkai power, they can change the rules of nature. They're the highest-quality and strongest form of this. They take a lot of "energy," purify it, and use it.
This is why a deity want to find places with a lot of energy (spiritual veins) and people who believe in them. The spiritual veins provide an almost inexhaustible supply of spiritual energy. Youkai that meet certain conditions can become gods. From these places with energy, they get a lot of spiritual power. Gods can curse people through their connections with believers and take away some of their life energy.
The super-concentrated energy is called divine energy. It's produced by thoroughly compressing, concentrating, and extracting the large amount of spiritual power taken away, and it's different from spiritual or youkai energy and can do things that those can't. It's like the power of gods.
For non-human creatures to control this power... that's scary for humans, especially when it can cause harm.
Sometimes exorcists and youkai put curses on people who hurt them before they die. But making a curse that lasts a long time after people die is hard. Regular exorcists and weak youkai can't do it.
But for gods, it's easier. They can make even worse curses. It's like a punishment from a god. It's revenge. It's payback for hurting a god.
In old stories, people who killed gods suffered a lot. If they just died from a curse, that would be better. But sometimes their families suffered too, and many people died from strange illnesses. Gods caused youkai to appear, and they caused tsunamis, earthquakes, famines, and heatwaves.
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