Chapter 129. Another Demon, Could It Be Minamoto no Raikou?
"What do you mean?"
Ian immediately paid attention to Shuten Douji's words.
"What do you mean by an existence similar to Raikou?"
"Isn't this easy to understand?"
Shuten Douji raised her head to look at the man beside her, her voice carrying a hint of arrogance.
"Look, if it were me, why would I go through the trouble of sending demons like this?"
"These methodically disruptive incidents—no matter how you look at them, they resemble human military tactics more than those of demons, don't they?"
"You may not realize it, but when I was still at Ooeyama, I experienced something exactly like this before."
"..."
Shuten Douji was not wrong.
Compared to last time, when this Demon King of Ooeyama orchestrated a grand Hyakki Yagyō (Night Parade of a Hundred Demons)—
The disturbances caused by these demons now bore a striking resemblance to the strategies Minamoto no Raikou had once employed on the battlefield.
Moreover—
Ian recalled the places he had traveled through with Shuten Douji along the way.
He could sense that these demons, wherever they came from, were strangely familiar with Heian-kyo.
This was absolutely not something demons should know— After all, neither he nor Minamoto no Raikou would ever allow them to exist in Heian-kyo.
Of course.
Shuten Douji at this moment was an exception.
Aside from that, the current situation meant one thing.
There was a demon who knew Heian-kyo extremely well, secretly plotting everything.
If they could find and eliminate it, perhaps they could truly bring an end to the era of the Hyakki Yagyō.
But—
How were they supposed to find it?
Last time, they were able to locate Shuten Douji thanks to the chance encounter with Sakata Kintoki.
But this time, there was no way there would be another Sakata Kintoki, right?
Realizing this, Ian couldn't help but furrow his brows.
"..."
Seeing him like this, Shuten Douji hesitated for a moment before speaking up:
"Hey! Don't be like that!"
"Isn't it just a demon?! Do you really need to make that face?! Get back that spirit you had when you came to Ooeyama!"
"..."
"Are you trying to cheer me up?"
Ian looked at the small demon girl beside him.
"Don't flatter yourself."
Shuten Douji put her hands on her hips, glaring at the Grand Onmyoji before her with an expression full of disdain.
"I'm just returning the favor because you brought me sake."
"I am the Demon King of Ooeyama—how could I possibly cheer on an Onmyoji like you?"
"..."
Hearing this, Ian glanced at the bottle of sake in Shuten Douji's hand and quickly understood her true intention.
"So you just want to drink?"
Knowing she couldn't hide it from Ian, Shuten Douji admitted it immediately.
"That's right!"
"I love fine sake, and you said this is one of the finest in Heian-kyo."
"How could I not taste it?"
To be fair—
Shuten Douji knew that her request would most likely be rejected by Ian without hesitation.
But what happened next was not what she had expected.
Ian simply replied:
"Alright, then drink for a while."
"Eh?"
Shuten Douji couldn't believe her ears—did this man really just agree?
"Hey! I said I want to drink sake?!"
The small demon girl lifted the bottle to her lips, mimicking the motion of taking a sip.
"Don't you mishear me!"
"I didn't mishear." Ian said calmly, "I know you want to drink."
"Don't forget."
"I already told you, as long as you behave and listen to me, I won't treat you unfairly."
"..."
Shuten Douji's Face Turned Slightly Red
She murmured softly:
"You're surprisingly kind..."
[You have accepted Shuten Douji's request to drink sake.]
[You take her to the finest tavern within Heian-kyo.]
["Mountain and River Veil" has activated: Although Shuten Douji is a true demon, under your influence, no one perceives this as unusual.]
[She is regarded by everyone as your servant.]
[The tavern owner was initially shocked by your presence but quickly accepted it—merchants never miss an opportunity to do business.]
[You lead Shuten Douji into the largest private room in the tavern.]
[You deliberately avoid dishes that demons find repulsive and instead order a table full of food for her.]
"You..."
Shuten Douji stared at the feast before her, lips slightly parted, looking utterly astonished.
"What are you doing?"
"I just wanted to drink sake. Why did you order all this?"
"..."
Ian looked at her, puzzled.
"Is this not how you usually drink?"
"Of course not!"
Shuten Douji shot back.
"When drinking, you just drink! Who goes through all this trouble?"
Realizing the difference between human and demon customs, Ian let out a small smile.
"Then perhaps today, you should try drinking with food."
"I guarantee you'll have a new experience."
Although she still harbored doubts about Ian's words, in the end, Shuten Douji decided to trust him this time.
After all, in some ways, this man was practically her natural enemy.
But everything he said had never been wrong.
"Fine, I'll reluctantly go along with you this time, oji-san~"
A few minutes later.
"Ehh?!"
"T-This—!"
Shuten Douji waved her chopsticks around, her soft cheeks tinged with a happy blush.
"What on earth is this?!"
"Why does it taste so good when paired with sake?!"
"This is sake accompaniment."
Ian answered straightforwardly.
"Something the people of Heian created to go with their drinks—there are actually even better pairings, but I figured you'd find them disgusting, so I skipped those."
"Disgusting?"
Shuten Douji paused mid-bite.
"What could possibly disgust me?"
"Because they're things meant to exorcise demons." Ian didn't bother to hide the truth.
"If I told you to eat them—"
Ian didn't finish his sentence, but Shuten Douji understood immediately.
Her current powers had already been "confiscated" by the Onmyoji before her.
If he made her eat something specifically meant to exorcise demons, it would undoubtedly be a fate worse than death.
Shuten Douji glanced at the man across the table, her violet eyes glinting with a hint of appreciation.
"You're surprisingly considerate."
"No wonder that big-breasted hag likes you so much."
"My matters with Raikou are none of your concern." Ian cut off the topic at once.
"All you need to understand is that as long as you listen to me, I won't treat you unfairly."
"..."
Shuten Douji lightly licked her lips.
"Nee oji-san~, your thoughts on demons seem to have changed quite a bit~"
"In the past, you would've drawn your blade and pressed it to my throat without hesitation, giving orders immediately, wouldn't you?"
"But now..."
"Don't overthink it." Ian downed a cup of sake.
"My thoughts have never changed."
"Demons must be eradicated. That will never change."
"But I must also keep my word."
"Until I fully understand my current situation, you fall under my protection."
[Shuten Douji hears your words.]
[Her expression becomes somewhat complicated.]
[She seems like she wants to say something, but in the end, she remains silent.]
"Being Considered Someone to Protect by an Onmyoji... How Embarrassing."
Shuten Douji pouted.
"But since you've said so—"
The petite demon girl glanced at Ian.
"That power the big-breasted hag unleashed back then... what exactly was it?"
"Don't call her that anymore."
Ian stared at Shuten Douji with a serious expression.
"Her name is Minamoto no Raikou."
"Alright, alright, Minamoto no Raikou." Shuten Douji corrected herself. "Then what was that power she unleashed back then?"
"I don't think that was a normal state."
Shuten Douji remained firm in her belief—that she wasn't defeated by Minamoto no Raikou herself but was instead overwhelmed by some unknown power that emerged from her.
Yet, she couldn't deny one thing.
Stubborn as she sounded, her reasoning wasn't entirely wrong.
Because as Minamoto no Raikou's husband, Ian had never seen her display such an ability before.
"This is one of the things I want to find out as well."
Ian made no attempt to hide his thoughts.
"From what I observed, it seems that power only manifests when she's extremely agitated."
"Extremely agitated?"
Shuten Douji scratched her cheek.
"If that's the case, doesn't that make Minamoto no Raikou no different from a raging bull?"
"Just provoking her a little can bring about terrifying lightning."
"..."
"Why are you looking at me like that? Your gaze is terrifying."
Ian shook his head.
"It's nothing."
"Just that... if what you said is true, then things could become very dangerous."
"Very dangerous?"
"Umu." Ian nodded.
"Didn't you say before that the one orchestrating the demon attacks on Heian-kyo has many similarities to Raikou?"
"That was just my impression."
Shuten Douji quickly distanced herself from the statement—she didn't want to take responsibility for mere speculation.
"There's no way to confirm whether it's actually true, right?"
"No." Ian shook his head again.
"Of course, I wouldn't jump to conclusions based solely on your words."
"In fact—"
Ian traced a few lines on the table with his finger.
"If you think back to all the places we've been, you'll notice that they were all near noble estates."
"Now, combining that with what you just said..."
"..."
Shuten Douji fell into deep thought.
She quickly pieced things together.
"Doesn't this mean there's someone incredibly similar to Minamoto no Raikou, but at the same time, harboring hostility toward her?"
"Exactly."
Ian looked straight at Shuten Douji.
"And combined with their ability to control demons—that's where the real danger lies."
"Wait a second!"
Shuten Douji raised her hand, stopping Ian.
"How did this even come about? You're making my head spin."
[You fall silent.]
[You look at Shuten Douji in front of you, hesitating for a long time.]
[You decide to tell her a little more.]
[You recount what Minamoto no Mitsunaka once told you.]
[Shuten Douji appears utterly shocked.]
The Demon King of Ooeyama now had a completely stunned expression.
"That musclehead has been carrying something like that on his back?"
"I never even considered this possibility."
"In truth, the greater danger lies elsewhere."
Ian gazed at the petite demon girl before him, his expression more serious than ever.
"What do you mean?" Shuten Douji pressed.
"Hmm... if we can confirm that this isn't the doing of the demons from Ooeyama, yet it still actually happened."
"Then—"
Ian locked eyes with Shuten Douji.
"It may have some connection to the power Raikou used."
Shuten Douji froze for a moment before quickly understanding.
"You mean, because Minamoto no Raikou used that power to cut me down, it led to the birth of that 'existence'?"
"Exactly." Ian nodded. "That's what I believe."
The sequence of events had become clear.
The Hyakki Yakou had disturbed Heian-kyo, leading to the punitive expedition against Ooeyama.
During that battle, Minamoto no Raikou, desperate to rescue her husband from the inferno of Shuten Douji, had unleashed that power.
And after that—
Came the situation they now faced.
It was obvious.
The power residing in Minamoto no Raikou was far from ordinary.
"Hey!"
Shuten Douji sounded irritated.
"The way you're putting it, isn't everything my fault?"
"I've done bad things! But not all bad things are my doing!"
"That's not what I meant," Ian replied.
"Besides, if we really have to place blame—"
"If I had been strong enough to defeat you, Raikou wouldn't have needed to use that power."
"It's my fault."
"Huh?" Shuten Douji blinked, then immediately responded.
"No, it's because I'm too strong!"
"Shuten Douji, you're wrong. It's because I'm too weak."
"No, it's me!"
Shuten Douji threw her head back and gulped down the sake Ian had given her, her boldness increasing with each sip.
"This only happened because I'm too powerful!"
"..."
Ian smiled faintly.
He didn't continue the debate over who was stronger.
"Alright, at this point, there's no point arguing about it."
"From now on, I hope you'll keep helping me uncover the truth."
Whether it was the alcohol or something else, Shuten Douji's face was now flushed red.
"You don't need to say that. I was going to do it anyway."
"Of course, as long as there's enough sake!"
"If you help me, you can drink as much as you want."
[Minamoto no Raikou was extremely busy.]
[So, you chose to handle these matters in the shadows yourself.]
[You and Shuten Douji began a deeper investigation within Heian-kyo.]
[You discovered that the Demon King of Ooeyama wasn't as difficult to deal with as you had imagined—she was just stubborn.]
[However, this brought no major breakthroughs in the investigation.]
[Until that day.]
[A letter arrived at the Genji estate.]
[It appeared to have come from a place known as "Onigashima"—Demon Island.]