Demon Sword Maiden

Volume 13 - Takamagahara: Chapter 84 - Is There Really Nothing Hidden in This Gourd?

Lily and Ayaka danced, while the city lord drank wine at his leisure, watching them with apparent enjoyment. From time to time, he even took out a map of Tsukushi Island, studying it as though pondering some matter.

Although Ayaka did not use the Heavenly Charm Dance, this city lord seemed entirely absorbed in his own drinking, paying little real attention.

‘What exactly is this guy hiding? Why hasn’t he shown his true colors yet?’ Lily thought irritably as she continued to dance.

If he would just reveal himself sooner, she could act and subdue him. How much longer was she supposed to keep up this pretense, dancing for that old man?

After several rounds of dancing, a few attendants brought over tea.

“Ladies, your dance was truly exquisite. It is rather stifling here, and you must be tired. Please, have some tea,” the city lord said.

Lily’s gaze fell upon the tea placed before them. A city lord inviting dancers to drink tea… such etiquette did not exist in the Heian Dynasty.

‘Sister Ayaka, be careful. There’s likely something mixed into this tea,’ Lily transmitted.

Ayaka replied through spiritual transmission, ‘Without using divine power to probe, it’s difficult to detect. But if we limit ourselves to a small-scale scan, that grand formation shouldn’t notice.’

Indeed, if they unleashed divine power recklessly, it would certainly be detected. But such a minor, localized probe would likely go unnoticed, unless the formation was unimaginably profound. Even if it were detected, they would simply appear as two ordinary experts among the countless on Tsukushi Island.

Ayaka examined both cups. “I don’t seem to find anything unusual.”

“Are you not thirsty, ladies? Why not drink?” The fat, big-eared man stared intently at Lily’s beauty. It was impossible that he felt nothing.

‘Could it really be that nothing strange was added?’ Lily found herself growing wary instead. ‘Or perhaps it’s some exceedingly rare and sophisticated concoction that our basic inspection can’t detect!’

‘Whatever. Even if there is something in it, I can refine it into fluctuations of the Charm Path. What is there to fear?’ Maintaining perfect grace, Lily lifted the cup and drank.

“……” After finishing, her expression turned complicated. It was… actually just ordinary tea.

“Th-Thank you… for the tea, my lord,” Lily said, barely restraining herself. She had the urge to act immediately, to press a blade to his throat and interrogate him on the spot.

But nothing had been confirmed, and the other party had not committed any wrongdoing. By her own account, she was merely a wanderer who had arrived here. He had arranged respectable work for her as a dancer, personally served her tea, and treated her with courtesy. From any perspective, it all seemed like goodwill.

If she acted now, would that not be repaying kindness with hostility?

‘Sister! What on earth is this city lord thinking? He doesn’t act according to any logic at all!’ Lily complained through transmission.

‘What he’s thinking, I don’t know,’ Ayaka replied calmly. ‘But Lily, you don’t have to assume every man you meet is a lecher. Yes, this old man may have some thoughts about us, but that’s not entirely unreasonable. And so far, he hasn’t done anything improper.’

“……”

At that moment, the old man finally rose. His gaze swept over Lily’s somewhat revealing attire as he spoke with layered meaning, “Miss, would you step into the inner room with me for a moment?”

‘It’s finally coming!’ Lily’s heart jolted. ‘I’ve been waiting for you to show your true nature, you old b̲a̲s̲t̲a̲r̲d̲. Hiding it so well, and now asking me into a private room? Just the two of us, what else could it be?’

“Th-this…” Lily feigned hesitation.

‘If you want to put on a show, I’ll play along to the end!’ Lily thought, her pent-up irritation finally finding an outlet.

“Miss, I truly have an important matter to discuss with you.”

After several rounds of polite refusal, Lily shot Ayaka a glance before finally following the old man inside. The inner chamber was dimly lit. As expected, the old man closed the door behind them.

Though she did not know his exact strength, Lily was confident she could subdue him using only her physical power. The old man looked her up and down, his breathing growing heavy, while Lily pretended to be uneasy, waiting for him to make a move.

‘Show your true face, you old b̲a̲s̲t̲a̲r̲d̲!’

Panting slightly, the old man strode forward with urgency, closing in on her.

‘As expected, men of the Heian world are all the same!’

Just as Lily was certain he was about to make his move, the man suddenly produced a coarse rope and waved it in front of her.

‘B̲a̲s̲t̲a̲r̲d̲! He wants to tie me up? Not just lecherous, but a pervert too?’ Lily’s consciousness had already locked onto the short blade within her mirror, ready to strike at any moment. Yet outwardly, she feigned fear, clutching her chest as her eyes trembled. “M-My lord… what are you doing?”

“Ah…” The old man glanced at the rope and seemed a little embarrassed. “Miss, do not be afraid. This rope is a low-grade spirit treasure. No matter how powerful a person is, once bound by it, they cannot break free.”

“Ah… th-then…?” Lily replied with a trembling voice.

“But miss, look!”

Suddenly, the old man grabbed the rope with both hands. Veins bulged across his forehead as a surge of powerful divine energy erupted from his body.

Crack! He tore the rope apart.

“Eh?”

What on earth was this old man doing?

“Miss, have you witnessed my strength?”

“My lord’s divine power is indeed rare in this world. This humble girl is impressed,” Lily said, speechless.

“Hehehe, to be honest, I only used seventy percent of my strength,” the old man said proudly.

“Wow… amazing,” Lily forced a weak smile, responding perfunctorily.

Inside, however, she fumed, ‘With a rope like that, I could snap ten of them without even using divine power!’

Hearing such praise from a peerless beauty like Lily, the old man’s spirits soared.

He suddenly turned around, clasped his hands behind his back, and paced around the room once before waving his hand. The sliding door on the eastern side slid open, revealing the primeval forest and the vast, star-filled sky beyond.

Gazing into the stars, his eyes flickered as he spoke, “Miss, do you know how vast the world is?”

“Eh? My lord means…?”

The old man turned back, his sharp gaze fixed on Lily. “Miss, do you know that the ‘world’ you speak of, when viewed from the perspective of the Three Realms… is nothing more than a few floating islands?”

“Huh?”

“The world is far vaster than you can imagine, countless times beyond it. Its depths are so profound that even I have only grasped a fraction. Tell me, girl… would you be willing to go with me and behold the Three Realms together?”

As he spoke, the old man suddenly rose into the air, his entire body radiating a faint, sacred glow.

‘A Kegaretsu god of the Amatsukami lineage?’ Lily instantly recognized the nature of that divine power, though she chose not to voice it.

A distant gleam flickered in the old man’s eyes. “Girl, I see that you are a talent worth shaping. I may as well speak plainly, then. You… have encountered a great opportunity!”

“Eh?” Lily shuddered, a chill creeping down her spine.

“To be frank, I come from a place that exists only in the myths of your Heian Dynasty… Takamagahara! You may not believe it, but I am a god of Takamagahara! Countless years ago, I was born upon a massive moss-covered boulder there. I am the God of the Moss-Covered Stone!”

Seeing Lily at a loss for words, the old man slowly descended from the air and began pacing again. “Judging by how stunned you are, I won’t blame your lack of manners. After all, how could a young mortal girl with such limited experience ever have seen a true god?”

With heavy steps, he approached Lily, towering over her with imposing presence, his gaze shining with a patronizing sense of benevolence.

“Beautiful and fortunate girl, listen well. I intend to take you as my adopted daughter. Are you willing?”

“……”

“What is it? Overwhelmed with excitement, perhaps? I can understand. In all these centuries, not even your legendary hero Minamoto no Yoshitsune had the fortune to be taken in as a god’s adopted child. Girl, you have truly stumbled upon a great destiny!”

Lily nearly drew her blade then and there to cut this old fool down.

‘The ruler of Yomi-no-kuni, Izanami-no-Ōkami, has already taken me as her adopted daughter, and you, some insignificant stone-born god from a forgotten corner of Takamagahara, dare to say you’ll adopt me!?’

If not for the need to gather information, even if he didn’t deserve death, she would have already kicked him across the room. Yet amid her irritation, Lily realized that beneath his absurd ramblings lay a crucial question.

Though he seemed like an insignificant deity, the divine power he emitted still barely reached the Celestial Stage. How had he descended from Takamagahara?

Forcing herself to calm down, suppressing the urge to lash out with her long, powerful legs, Lily instead smiled sweetly and asked, “My lord, please don’t try to deceive a mere girl like me. If you have something you want me to do, why not just say it directly? Why fabricate such an astonishing story?”

“Astonishing, isn’t it?” the old man said smugly. “I know it sounds unbelievable, and you likely don’t believe I’m a god. But just now, I floated in the air. Do you not believe that either?”

“Well… I’ve heard that those at the Big Dipper Stage can also float in the air.”

“Oh? So you do have some knowledge. That makes me like you even more. You would surely be able to accomplish my grand plan!” The old man grew increasingly animated. “If you don’t believe I’m a god, let me tell you this. The city lord of Osaifu was not originally me. Not long ago, it still belonged to the Fujiwara Clan. But with just a bit of effort, I defeated them all and sent them to toil in mines a hundred kilometers away. Seizing this city, defeating and purging its strong, I and my men accomplished it all in a single night! Tell me, who in your mortal world could do such a thing?”

“In a single night…? I heard on my way here that Osaifu had several Big Dipper experts. Could it be they were all defeated by you?” Lily feigned astonishment.

“Hmph, of course. The two guards at my gate are both at the Septuple-Soul Big Dipper Stage. Either one of them would rival your strongest, Minamoto no Yoshitsune.”

“Th-That powerful…”

“Well then, do you believe I am a god now? Why not hurry and kneel, kowtow, and call me ‘father’? If you acknowledge me as your father, would you still need to wander about, worrying about being bullied?”

“What’s wrong? Are you so overwhelmed you can hardly believe it? Ah, and that companion of yours is quite beautiful as well. I am willing to take her in as my adopted daughter too, guiding you both with the pure and profound divine path of Takamagahara. Such a great opportunity is rare beyond measure. Why are you not kneeling to pay respects to this great god?”

Rumble—!

For no apparent reason, despite the clear moon hanging high above, a thunderous roar suddenly echoed from afar, splitting through heaven and earth. Even the so-called God of the Moss-Covered Stone trembled instinctively, nearly stumbling.

Embarrassment flashed across his face as he secretly glanced at Lily to see if she had noticed his momentary loss of composure. Fortunately, he had recovered his bearing instantly. With a mortal woman’s eyesight, she shouldn’t have seen it… and seeing Lily staring blankly at the sky, he felt a quiet sense of relief.

“My lord, you truly are a god who descended from Takamagahara?” Lily asked.

“Heh, naturally. As genuine as it gets.”

“But…” Lily spoke in a soft, coquettish tone, “this humble girl is ignorant. There are no visible steps across this vast starry sky, so… from where exactly did you descend?” That was the question Lily truly wanted answered.

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