The Fierce Saintess

Episode 36: Joukyou 3 (1686) - Part 7

Your gift will give me the strength to post the next chapter, the next story.

*****

After taking breakfast at the inn the next morning, they immediately crossed over to Yamazaki by boat and headed northwest along the foot of the Nishiyama mountains. The mountain path was cool, and the three of them—Tomonobu and his companions—walked while munching on red bean cakes (azuki-mochi) they had purchased after the innkeeper recommended them as a local specialty.

Passing through several settlements, around noon the target temple finally came into view. Shōji-ji Temple, also known as the "Flower Temple," was said to attract large crowds of sightseers from afar during the spring cherry blossom season, but during this time of year, visitors were likely few and far between. The stairs leading up to the temple were completely deserted, without another soul in sight.

At the top of the stairs stood a somewhat faded vermilion building.

「This temple was entirely burned down in the previous war (the Ōnin War) and rebuilt afterward, but only the Niōmon Gate you see up there escaped the flames, so it remains just as it was back then.」

Looking up at the stairs, Kisuke offered the explanation, which Kohiru listened to with admiration.

「Father, you are so knowledgeable.」

「It is a temple associated with Kamo no En no Kimi, after all. I came here once before.」

「Well then, shall we go?」 Kisuke began stepping up the stairs, but Kohiru stopped him.

「Um, right here is fine. I cannot impose on your time any further...」

Both Kisuke and Tomonobu were surprised by those words, as both had intended to accompany her all the way to the grave. However, because Kohiru obstinately declined, they ultimately parted ways right there.

Kisuke, who had been worried about her return journey, was reluctantly convinced when she explained that after visiting the grave she would be stopping by an acquaintance's house nearby, and that she could ask the temple staff for directions if needed.

Still worried, when Kisuke looked back after walking a short distance, Kohiru was still standing in front of the stairs seeing them off. Concerned by her lingering, bittersweet figure, he walked a few more steps and turned back once more. This time, he saw her slowly ascending the stairs.

(Perhaps she didn't want anyone interfering...)

Tomonobu had been thinking that perhaps Kohiru harbored feelings for Akitaka that went beyond that of master and servant. If so, it made complete sense why she had wandered for a hundred years bound to memories of her master.

Perhaps out of concern for Tomonobu, who walked alongside him lost in gloomy thought, Kisuke suggested taking a break at the next village.

Fortunately, there was a small teahouse in that settlement, where they ordered eggplant dengaku—listed as a local specialty—and tea. While they filled their bellies and slaked their thirst, Kisuke said nothing and asked no questions, a silence for which Tomonobu was deeply grateful.

Before long, they set off again, but by then mid-day had passed and the sun beat down mercilessly. However, there was still a considerable distance left to walk to Hachijō, where the Tsuchimikado residence was located. From there, the two walked in silent resolve. Thanks to their steady pace, they arrived in front of the Tsuchimikado estate by the seventh hour of evening.

「Well then, I shall take my leave here.」

「Ah, thank you for your hard work.」

Kisuke was to stay at a familiar inn for the night and begin his journey home early the next morning. Watching his retreating back for a brief moment, Tomonobu bowed to a familiar gatekeeper and passed through the gate alone.

The moment he returned to his own room after so long, Tomonobu let out a sigh at the contrast with the grand estate room he had occupied until yesterday morning. However...

'Thank you for everything, Tomo. I will definitely come see you soon.'

Recalling those words whispered in his ear as they parted, the hope that he might become Kohiru's master lifted his spirits.

(Besides, if I manage to become the master of a divine messenger, I should at least be treated on par with an apprentice...)

He had heard that apprentice rooms were two *ken* square and even came equipped with a chest of drawers. On top of that, although shared among several people, male servants were assigned to them, meaning he wouldn't have to handle minor chores himself.

A room wider than his current one, better treatment... and above all, just imagining himself as the master of a Mark-Bearer divine messenger sent Tomonobu's heart soaring.

However, after two or three days, Tomonobu gradually grew restless. By the fifth day, he was fidgeting and constantly glancing toward the estate gates. By the tenth day, he had begun thinking that he might as well go to Fushimi Inari himself tomorrow.

(No, if I do that, she'll think I don't trust her. I have to believe in her and wait!)

Holding himself back, on the evening two days later, a gardener informed the impatiently waiting Tomonobu that a woman named Kohiru had arrived asking for him.

Visitors coming to see mere apprentice candidates were never allowed inside the estate and were customly made to wait outside the gate. Running in haste out of the estate gate, Tomonobu found Kohiru standing right nearby.

Upon spotting Tomonobu, she offered a smile and gave a polite bow.

「I am so sorry to bother you when you are busy, Lord Tomonobu. Thanks to you, I was granted an audience with Lady Komachi. It seems I will be able to return my previous name. It will still be a little while from now, but if you do not mind, would you consider thinking of a new name for me?」

Holding Kohiru's hands as she spoke so happily, Tomonobu was rendered speechless by overwhelming joy. He could do nothing but nod repeatedly as he listened to her story.

According to Kohiru's explanation, she had to go to the Hermit Realm for several months to cleanse herself of worldly defilement.

「I expect it will take some time, but will you wait for me?」

Asked with a touch of anxiety, Tomonobu replied with a beaming smile:

「Of course!」

◇＊◇＊◇＊◇＊◇＊◇＊

December

As the end of the year approached, unsettling incidents were already prone to increase annually, but this year was marked by a string of bizarre occurrences—such as the carp in the pond at Nijō Castle vanishing overnight, or a horse intended as a dedication to Kifune Shrine being stolen.

Consequently, a directive was issued stating that the Year-End Great Purification ritual should be performed on a grand scale, leaving the Tsuchimikado family swamped with preparations.

Because this Great Purification would take place not in the Omima Hall used for annual events, but in the South Court in front of the Shishinden Hall, the number of participants was vast, making the preparation of paper dolls for the ritual a monumental task in itself.

However, to Princess Kana and those around her, the physical condition of her mother, Chino, was of far greater concern. Although Chino herself smiled and insisted she was fine, for the past month or so she had spent much of her time lying down, and the sound of thunder was heard with unusual frequency.

(Could it be that the cold is taking a toll on her?)

For that reason, reciting Shinto prayers for safe childbirth morning and evening had become the princess's daily routine as of late—a practice that brought about a new realization within her.

「...May the mother suffer no illness, and may the unborn child suffer no ailment; may both together grow beautifully with each passing day, free of misfortune and prospering abundantly—with awe and reverence, I humbly pray.」

(By reciting them daily, one draws closer to the gods; by imbuing the words with heart, they manifest the power of kotodama. Perhaps this is what it truly means to pour one's heart into a prayer...)

＊＊＊

Tomonobu pulled out the note in his breast pocket over and over, gazing at it again and again. Each time he did, his cheeks softened into a grin.

It was something a maidservant had brought him yesterday after returning from an errand, saying someone had handed it to her outside the front of the estate.

— To Lord Kōtokui Tomonobu,

I humbly request to visit you five days from now, on New Year's Eve at the sixth hour of dusk.

Kohiru —

Though it contained nothing more than those brief words, to Tomonobu, it was a letter like a treasure, symbolizing the joy of finally being able to meet Kohiru and the hope of becoming a master to a divine messenger.

And then came New Year's Eve.

Likely because many Onmyouji had departed since morning for the Great Purification ceremony, Tomonobu felt that the Tsuchimikado estate was unusually quiet.

To be sure, the servants were busily occupied with preparations to welcome the New Year, but as there was little business around the rooms of the apprentice candidates, there was almost no foot traffic, making it peaceful.

Having cleaned his room even more thoroughly than usual, Tomonobu had nothing left to do, leaving him fidgety and restless by past noon.

He had already secured permission from the Onmyouji overseeing the apprentice candidates, having informed him in advance that an acquaintance would be visiting and that he wished to show them into his room.

Sitting still made time feel as though it were dragging, so he repeatedly stood up and sat down in agitation. Past the seventh hour of evening, unable to contain himself any longer, he stepped outside the gate amidst light fluttering snow and began walking circles around the perimeter of the estate, yet the appointed hour still seemed agonizingly slow to arrive.

At long last, the bell for the sixth hour of dusk chimed. As he waited anxiously in front of the gate, he spotted Kohiru striding quickly in his direction. Upon catching sight of Tomonobu, she rushed over with a beaming smile.

「Lord Tomonobu! I received permission from Lady Komachi. She said that once the New Year holiday period has ended, we may perform the Naming Ceremony!」

「Is that true?! Then I will truly become your master, Kohiru!」

「Yes. And since we must also perform the ceremony to return my previous name, I wished to speak with you about that... Um, would it be alright if I stepped inside the estate?」

「Ah, it's fine. I've already secured permission. This way.」

Beckoning for Kohiru to follow, he passed through the side gate. After taking about three steps, a voice echoed from behind him.

「Ah, I finally made it inside...」

It was a terribly raspy voice.

(Huh?)

Turning around in shock, what Tomonobu saw were long, sharp claws extending from hairy fingers. Behind *that*, which seemed poised to pierce his left eye at any moment, stood Kohiru, smiling.

Although he could not comprehend what had just happened, his body went cold to its very core. His heart throbbed painfully as if gripped by a vice, and cold sweat poured without stopping.

(...What... is...)

All he understood was that the entity currently standing before his eyes was some 'thing' completely different from the Kohiru he knew. Beyond that, however, his mind was paralyzed by terror and shock. His entire body trembled as a wave of self-doubt washed over him—had he committed an undoable, terrible mistake?

The 'thing' bearing Kohiru's face grinned sinisterly, and from it issued a grating, raspy voice.

「Boy, I express my gratitude to you for inviting me inside. But inconveniently, it seems there are other barriers in place as well. I would love to devour you right this moment, but I think I will have you guide me a bit further.」

(No... way...)

Only then, trembling violently, did his voice manage to squeeze out.

「W-What... what did you do to Kohiru...」

「That pitiful fox? Why... I devoured her.」

Before Tomonobu could even process the meaning of those words, the 'thing' lowered the position of its finger slightly, and—

*Plink.*

It pierced Tomonobu's cheek.

「Gah!」

Along with the pain, an even deeper terror seized Tomonobu. He grabbed the finger with both hands to pull it out, but it didn't budge an inch.

Furthermore, the 'thing' pressed its finger in with malicious delight, twisting it back and forth. As the wound burned with agonizing pain, the creature's previous words echoed repeatedly inside his head.

'I devoured her.'

A crushing pain swelled in his chest as tears welled up.

「You... ate her...? Kohiru...? That's... impossible...」

Seeing Tomonobu's utter despair, the 'thing' chuckled wickedly.

「Indeed, I devoured her. Heh heh... but...」

The laughter grew even more gleeful and boisterous.

「That was over fifty years ago!」

(What...?)

At those words, everything inside Tomonobu's head blew away, halting all thought. Gazing with amusement at his stunned expression, the 'thing' continued:

「When I found *her*, she was wandering the mortal world, scheming to bring a dead man back to life and seeking a vessel to host him. Having lost her power as a divine messenger, she was eating snakes just to glean a tiny drop of demonic power.」

As the 'thing' spoke, its skull split down the middle from forehead to head with a sickening tearing sound, and a hairy entity poked its face out.

Eight eyes of varying sizes rolled independently in all directions, while a fanged mouth made a dreadful clacking noise.

(A spider... monster...)

The finger impaling Tomonobu's cheek was yanked out, causing blood to gush from his cheek and both palms. Losing all support, his body collapsed onto the ground.

「So I devoured her. However, her feelings for her master were far stronger than expected, leaving me bound to that land for a long time. But thanks to your convenient appearance, I was able to break free—and now I have entered a place overflowing with a feast.」

The face of Kohiru peeled away, tearing through her shoulders and bursting out through her chest and belly as multiple hairy legs sprouted forth.

「Then Kohiru was...」

「Gone. From the very beginning, the one standing before you was me, wearing her memories and skin like a coat. At first, I thought to devour you two during your journey, but then I realized there was an even finer prey to be had. So I decided to keep you alive until I could feast upon it.」

「...Prey...?」

「The Tsuchimikado infant. Boy, you are going to guide me right to it.」