Chapter 131: In the Mist, the Shinto Sect Reveals Itself

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Minamoto Kiyomoto’s plan succeeded.

The next morning, in a thick fog, Tazu interrupted the trio’s training.

“Your Excellency, the Divine Medium, Your Excellency, Ise, the children would like to hear stories of your past training. I wonder if I could ask you to tell them?”

Behind the Izumo Miko, a group of little shrine maidens looked on with anticipation, their eyes fixed on Kamibayashi Miko and Himegami Izayoi, like fledgling birds in a nest waiting to be fed.

“Okay,” Kamibayashi Miko nodded.

She was always a little more considerate towards the shrine maidens. Back at Ise Grand Shrine, she had also taught the apprentice shrine maidens archery.

“I’ll pass,” Himegami Izayoi said with a smile.

“I’ll go and listen,” Minamoto Kiyomoto stood up.

Amidst the excited footsteps of the little shrine maidens, the group arrived at the Kagura-den, with Kamibayashi Miko sitting at the head.

She didn’t talk about any “private matters,” only about training—her first contact with spells, what kind of enlightenment she gained from what kind of things, and her duties as a shrine maiden.

Because it was the Divine Medium’s class, before long, even the non-shrine maiden clergy, and even the nuns from the nunnery in Mount Hono, came running.

“Your Excellency, Lord Tsukushi-no-Kimi, shall we give our seats to these children?” Tazu said to Minamoto Kiyomoto.

Because of their high status, there was a circle of empty space around them, which could seat more than a dozen people.

“Okay. By the way, you can just call me Kiyomoto-kun,” Minamoto Kiyomoto seemed particularly approachable, his tone very friendly.

“Then please call me Tazu as well,” Tazu said.

The two of them stood up and left the Kagura-den, not going far, just under a pine and cypress tree near the main hall.

The cypress tree was tall and large, as thick as an adult man’s waist.

Under the tree were two stone-carved rabbits standing together. One was holding a book and reading, the other was carrying a bag, seemingly preparing to travel far away.

“Thank you, Kiyomoto-kun,” Tazu bowed her head slightly.

“What are you thanking me for?” Minamoto Kiyomoto was a little amused. “It’s just giving up a seat.”

The two stood side by side under the tree. Perhaps because of the crowd, the morning mist near the Kagura-den had dissipated a lot.

“But speaking of which,” Minamoto Kiyomoto looked at Kamibayashi Miko, who was admired by everyone, “the Divine Medium is cold, yet she agreed; the Ise Miko has a smile on her face, but she refused. One really can’t judge a person by their appearance.”

Tazu turned her face and looked at him.

“Did Kiyomoto-kun get some news? Did you find a hidden Shinto sect member?” she probed.

“It’s not that easy,” Minamoto Kiyomoto also turned his face. “I’m a person who likes to let my imagination run wild. The first day I came into contact with training, I was waiting for the train on the platform, and I pondered for a long time about the matter of ‘getting off before getting on’ the train. I also learned a lot about training and being a person from the stories in ‘Aesop’s Fables’.”

“If you have the chance, Kiyomoto-kun, please tell them about these things too.”

“The people who listen to my lectures are probably not very interested in my affairs. They just want to know more spells. A bunch of worldly people,” Minamoto Kiyomoto said with a laugh.

Tazu also laughed.

“I’m quite interested,” she said, looking at him.

“Then you’ll have to treat me,” Minamoto Kiyomoto’s gaze had already returned to Kamibayashi Miko.

“Treat you?”

“This isn’t a spell, so there’s a fee. By the way, I heard the white jade red bean paste near Izumo-taisha is delicious. Let’s have that.”

“White jade red bean paste?” Tazu was slightly stunned, and said with some nostalgia, “That was my favorite dessert when I was a child.”

“You don’t like it anymore?” Minamoto Kiyomoto asked.

Tazu was silent.

Besides the leader of Group Nine coming a few days ago and asking her where to find good food, which reminded her of the white jade red bean paste, she had almost forgotten about it.

How long had it been since she had eaten something she liked?
Tazu, who had been struggling and unable to sleep because of leaving Izumo-taisha, couldn’t help but admire the leader of Group Nine.

She was clearly a person who valued her family, was forced to leave home, and her family was even under surveillance, yet she still had the mind to enjoy delicious food.

“Afraid of getting fat?” Minamoto Kiyomoto asked in a probing tone.

Hearing this, Tazu couldn’t help but laugh a little.

“Lord Tsukushi-no-Kimi—”

“Didn’t I say? You can just call me Kiyomoto-kun.”

“I have something to tell Lord Tsukushi-no-Kimi,” Tazu stared at Minamoto Kiyomoto’s side profile.

Minamoto Kiyomoto turned his face and met her gaze, “What is it, so serious?”

Tazu took a deep breath and made up her mind, “Regarding the Shinto sect… I have something to report to you, my lord.”

Minamoto Kiyomoto sized her up for a few moments and said, “Speak.”

“When I was a bell-ringing shrine maiden, there was an apprentice shrine maiden named Kyoko in the same period. She was usually a very kind and cheerful person. Everyone liked her, and she was my good friend. But because she was scared, she ran away during a yokai subjugation and was executed.”

“After that incident, I wanted to find a place in this world for these people who had done nothing wrong and just wanted to live in peace.”

“Lord Tsukushi-no-Kimi, I am the leader of the Shinto sect’s Group Four.”

Tazu closed her mouth, bowed her head slightly, and waited quietly.

“Are you trying to surrender?” Minamoto Kiyomoto’s expression showed neither surprise, nor sympathy or anger. He didn’t even seem interested.

“It’s not just about surrendering,” Tazu was surprised by his reaction, but at this point, she had given up on all other thoughts.

She continued:

“Before I became the leader of Group Four, I was determined to one day remove the practitioners in the group who did evil things and didn’t join the Shinto sect simply out of fear. But after I became the leader, I hesitated before making a decision.”

Tazu looked at the little shrine maidens in the Kagura-den, who were listening with great interest.

She suddenly understood.

Even if she trained hard and became one of the Twelve Shrine Maidens, possessing the power to move mountains and overturn seas, she was still that bell-ringing shrine maiden, Little Tazu, who ran in the mountains and fields with a Kagura bell.

“I was afraid that if these people went to other groups, they would be suspected of being spies, would not be protected, would be ostracized, and would be deliberately sold out to the government.”

“I was also worried that the people who stayed behind would become helpless and their situation would become more dangerous because they had lost their companions—they were all fugitives from the government, and their identities had already been exposed.”

“‘Let’s not worry about the present. In the future, I’ll only accept children like Kyoko,’ I comforted myself.”

“But things changed again.”

“In order to make Group Four better, to make everyone safer, or because I was persuaded… I recruited some practitioners who were powerful but not kind.”

“In this year’s Shinto sect martial arts competition, in order to win more funds for my group members, I recruited a practitioner who, although his cultivation was outstanding, his character…”

Minamoto Kiyomoto remembered. It was that guy named Terusaka Kei, who had almost been able to sleep with the leader of Group One, and had defeated seven people in a row.

Tazu continued:
“I’m not doing this for myself, but for those ignorant children who joined the Shinto sect with nowhere else to go. I am willing to help you, Lord Tsukushi-no-Kimi. I don’t care what happens to me, but when you become the Honshu Shinto Lord, please give them a chance.”

Minamoto Kiyomoto didn’t respond.

“The Shinto sect is not a good place to be,” Tazu’s tone was sad and pitiful. “In that environment, even the kindest person will fall and release the beast within. I am one of them.”

She looked up, her eyes full of expectation as she looked at Minamoto Kiyomoto.

“I have met many children who regretted joining the Shinto sect. Some risked going back to find their families, and some committed suicide… they came here because they were afraid of death.”

She fell silent. The two of them stood in the thick fog, as if at the bottom of a silent sea.

“I can promise you,” Minamoto Kiyomoto finally spoke. “You give me a list, write down the names of some people who have never done anything evil. These people, I can guarantee you, will be fine.”

“Thank… thank you,” Tazu’s eyes welled up with tears.

To be able to go home;
To be able to see their old friends again;
To be able to walk freely on the streets, without having to hide in the bottom of the sea, in the forest, or in dark lairs all day… how happy those children would be.

“Although they will be fine,” Minamoto Kiyomoto continued, “after they come back, they must participate in subjugations.”

“Of course,” Tazu’s voice was a little choked.

“But because of them, we can prevent such situations from happening in the future… do you understand what I mean?” Minamoto Kiyomoto looked at the Izumo Miko.

Hearing this, Tazu finally felt at ease.

“I understand.”

She took a deep breath, composed herself, and told Minamoto Kiyomoto the Shinto sect’s plan in great detail.

“Take Kyushu? And then what?”

“And then?” Tazu didn’t understand Minamoto Kiyomoto’s meaning.

“The Shinto sect has occupied Kyushu. If a yokai appears in Kyushu, how do you plan to deal with it? I am about to become the Honshu Shinto Lord, so I’m quite interested in this aspect,” Minamoto Kiyomoto said. “There are many selfish people in the Shinto sect. How will they allocate manpower?”

Tazu hesitated.

Finally, she said:

“The original plan was to use the demonic dragon nails to drive away the yokai that appear in Kyushu.”

“And where will you drive them to?”

“…To fend for themselves.”

“Near Kyushu is Korea. If Korea can’t hold them back, China will intervene. What’s your response?” Minamoto Kiyomoto asked again.

“…”

“Or will you drive the yokai to Honshu and bully your own people? Or release them into the sea and build a global yokai park? And incur the wrath of the world?”

“…”

“Miss Tazu, I am criticizing you, but the method of self-criticism can only be used internally—I see you as one of my own. As for persuading all the members of the Shinto sect to be kind and turn back from the shore, it is impossible. Some people have to die.”

“I understand,” Tazu said with her head bowed.

She suddenly looked up, “But, Lord Tsukushi-no-Kimi…”

“You can just call me Kiyomoto-kun,” Minamoto Kiyomoto interrupted her.

“Kiyo-Kiyomoto-kun, there are still some people in the Shinto sect who have not done bad things for their own selfish desires. They are willing to come back.”

“Mhm, I understand, and I believe you. Those people under you,” Minamoto Kiyomoto said with a laugh.

“No, not just them.”

“Oh?”

“Tsukushi… Kiyomoto-kun, the leader of Group Nine walked the path of cultivation by chance back then. She had no choice but to join the Shinto sect.”

“For her sister and family, even though she knew the Shinto sect was full of criminals, she still chose to join. She will definitely be able to join the government for the freedom of her family and atone for her past!”
“And, unlike me, she did not compromise. Even though she only had a few people under her, she still did not recruit practitioners of low character to provide them with shelter.”

“Mmm—” Minamoto Kiyomoto pondered.

“I can help you persuade the leader of Group Nine. You’ve dated her, so you should know her character. I’m confident I can persuade her!”

“…Then I’ll leave it to you.”

“Thank you, Lord Tsukushi-no-Kimi!” Tazu bowed deeply.

She looked up and took a deep breath:
“After this is over, I don’t care what happens to me. It doesn’t matter if I’m executed. As the Izumo Miko, I should have protected this place, but I killed many upright and kind people who were running for their lives for the sake of the Shinto sect.”

“There’s something I need to apologize to you for. I’m sorry,” Minamoto Kiyomoto suddenly said.

“What?” Tazu looked at him blankly.

“I thought you were doing it for yourself, that you couldn’t bear to leave Izumo, so you chose to surrender.”

Tazu gave a bitter smile, knowing that Minamoto Kiyomoto had already seen that her mood was off.

“I can’t bear to leave,” she murmured, looking at the little shrine maidens who were raising their hands to ask questions.

The children in the back row, in order to see the Divine Medium they admired, put their hands on the shoulders of others.

The children further back, their view blocked, had to stand up to see better.

Overlapping, it must be very warm, right?

If she could, she would like to lead them in their morning prayers for the rest of her life.

When the Shinto sect’s plan was thwarted, it would be time for her to be executed.

It was clearly death, a more difficult situation than going to Kyushu, but for some reason, Tazu felt surprisingly at ease.

These children would no longer walk the path she had walked. Cowardly people also had the right to live.

Tazu could even calmly think about who the next Izumo Miko would be.

The two children who danced the Kagura were both good.

Their capacity was either gentle or majestic. If nothing unexpected happened, the future Izumo Miko would be chosen from among them.

But, could it be the bell-ringing shrine maiden, Sakura?
But that child was mischievous, loved to sleep, and had no worries. No matter how you looked at it, she didn’t seem like a candidate for a shrine maiden, just like she had been back then.

Minamoto Kiyomoto looked at the Izumo Miko’s side profile, a hint of a smile in his eyes.

A ray of sunlight suddenly dispersed the morning mist and shone on Tazu’s face.

“It’s morning,” Tazu turned around and said to Minamoto Kiyomoto with a smile.

“Hmm?” Minamoto Kiyomoto was puzzled.

If it’s not morning, could it be dusk?
He was about to speak when he suddenly heard a familiar voice.

“Ah, the sun is out!”

“Are we the first to worship?”

“It says on Instagram that Izumo-taisha is very effective for matchmaking, and the first person to worship in a day will have better luck!”

“Who do you want to be matched with? Let me guess, him?”

“Oh my, he’s still a high school student. How could it be him!”

“Your face is all red, and you still say it’s not.”

“If I say it’s not, it’s not. You’re the one who wants to be matched with him, right? You, a single mother with a child! You’re actually thinking about a high school student! Evil! Lewd!”

“So energetic. Ah—, so sleepy.”

“I wonder if I can be matched with Eriri. If not, Platelet is fine too.”

“Platelet?!”

The sunlight dispersed the mist, and the air became fresh. Yuka, Rabbit, Koi, Horse Face, Fatty, and the others walked from the end of the long approach.

“Stop it, stop it!” Yuka pushed away the angry and embarrassed Rabbit. “We’re almost at the main hall. Let’s walk faster and be the first to—”

She turned her head and looked at the gradually dispersing mist. She trembled and froze there.

“What’s wrong?” Rabbit couldn’t help but ask, and also looked over.

In the hazy mist, a very handsome and refined young man was watching them with a faint smile.

Minamoto Kiyomoto!
At this moment, Rabbit didn’t know if her heart had stopped or was about to jump out of her chest.

Her whole body was paralyzed.

Without thinking, based on instinct, she grabbed Yuka and ran back.

Yuka let her pull her along, her body stiff with fear, like a frog frozen in an ice lake in winter.

“Hey, what’s wrong?” Fatty and the others had not yet entered the range where they could see Minamoto Kiyomoto clearly.

“Go!” From the mist, came Rabbit’s torn voice.