I ended up spending quite a while with the old man. We were trading stories until he had to get back to his regular duties. It's mostly just of maintenance and revering the kami, but it's still important to not skip out on. Consistency is key and all that.
I stayed a bit longer after, just helping him sweep the grounds and prepare his midday meal. It was nice to hear about his life as Minamoto no Tōru. He didn't really tell me anything exceptional, just normal things. Stuff about his family, the hunting trips he used to go on, how he was raised to support his brother instead of pursuing his own life.
In turn, I told him about my life, not that there was nearly enough to share on the personal side. I told him how I grew up in a world where information and misinformation was so readily available at my fingertips that I was left without purpose. Drowned under a sea of steel and concrete and lifeless constructs. About a life I lived that was closer to death than the act of dying.
It was.. Well, I'm not above being emotional. I'm not ashamed to say that I cried when he hugged me. My old man isn't necessarily too good with words, so he just let his guard down entirely. I could feel his emotions. The love and acceptance and genuine happiness in him that I have managed to escape those bitter memories and learn to be truly happy in this world.
I forgot to ask who his brother was though. Presumably some Minamoto, I'll ask again at some point.
Also, it was actually rather nice to just be home again. To see the Shinboku and pay my respects to the kami I grew up with once again.
I'm not sure if I was imagining things, but it felt like I could almost feel the kami returning my greeting. Like it was happy to see me. It was so faint though that I'm not sure if the feeling was even real or not. Maybe I've grown stronger and am only now capable of hearing it?
Who knows~.
Either way, I did eventually end up saying goodbye to the old man sometime around the afternoon.
With half my day already gone, I decided to put thoughts of how I came into being in this world out of my mind and just enjoy the scenery for a bit. It's not like we can confirm anything without Murasaki anyway, and it's probably going to be a while before I can safely visit Yomi to ask.
There's always the option of seeing if Izanami-Ōkami would be willing to help out, but this is the kind of conversation I'd like to have in person. Face to face. Especially if it's all true.
Mah mah~ such heavy thoughts~!
Let's just enjoy the day for now.
Heavy thoughts are more suited to the late evening. Makes it more dramatic. I could find some nice, secluded spot to sit and stare at the moon as I contemplate my existence and potential familial relations.
I hope Tsukuyomi-sama isn't the type to get upset about being stared at. I mean, he is the moon. Everyone stares at the moon. Why am I even thinking about this?
I shake the thought away and return my attention to the surroundings.
The capital is, obviously, way busier than anywhere else that I've been in this life.
Honestly, it might still be one of the most bustling places I've been to in either lives. I was a country boy, after all. I might have been to two cities in my entire previous life, and both times only for short visits.
So even if the population of Heian-kyō is only like, a few hundred thousand, that's still a lot.
It's also really interesting.
The streets for one are super wide, leaving them feeling spacious even with so many pedestrians. It's fully walkable after all. No cars. There is the occasional carriage, but it's not like they're fast, you can just move out of the way when they come.
But the smaller streets are all around ten metres wide, which I think would have been on the bigger end for a city street in places like the London I knew. However, the rest of the streets here are around triple that at thirty metres wide.
I don't know, it doesn't seem like that is a detail to focus on but I just think it's neat. Makes everything feel so much more.. natural? I don't feel like a rat in a maze searching for cheese or being herded to my designated station.
It's just nice. Trees line the streets between various buildings. Shops and bar-equivalents. There are vendors hawking a variety of wares, though not loudly. From clothes to food to cute little trinkets.
It's cool to be alive. Just living in these simple moments. No great battle going on, no evil Curses, no complicated politics or schemes or hot women propositioning me. Seriously, I'm all for being forward, but Nagiko really doesn't do things by half measure.
I shouldn't really be surprised about that though. She is a true Jujutsu Sorcerer. So selfish~.
And it isn't like I dislike any of those things, but you gotta take breaks.
Hence why I am here, wandering without direction under the afternoon sun.
My eyes turn up and I smile at the sight of her. It's summer right now, so the days are warm and the clouds are sparse.
Eventually however, my mindless wandering lead me to a street full of craftsmen at work, some working on open forges, some more hidden, only the sound of clanging and the smoke rising beyond the walls any hint of what they're doing. There are also some people tanning hides and other leatherworks that I don't know enough about to name.
The capital is split into two halves, the Sakyō and Ukyō. East and West, or otherwise known as the Left Capital and Right Capital, based on the perspective of the Emperor in the centre.
My walk started out in the Sakyō, because the Eastern side is where all the upper-class, fancy stuff is. The entire capital is built on what could more or less be described as spiritual ley lines. Very feng shui, very harmonic.
But with all the prosperity on the East, it leaves the Ukyō, the West, for the common folk. Labourers, craftsmen and the like.
To be honest? I prefer the feel of the Sakyō. I won't lie about that. The energy there has been carefully curated since this city was founded. Feng shui isn't something I really thought about before, but clearly it has some truth to it in this world.
That being said, I still think I prefer being on this side regardless. The people just feel more like people here, instead of pieces of art masquerading as humans.
A growing need for food is what eventually brings me from my mindless walking to something with more purpose behind it. Soon enough I find myself being guided by my nose like some kind of cartoon to a nice little stall selling the most classic street food of them all.
Mystery meat on a stick.
Realistically, it's probably rabbit. Probably.
Shrugging, I head over, quickly gaining the attention of the young lady behind the stall. I've basically had eyes on me the whole time I've been here, since other than my scarf, my clothes are higher quality than everyone else around here. Not quite high enough to be considered noble though, so the stares have been limited.
"Welcome, Okyaku-sama," the woman greets me with a bow, and though it's subtle, I do notice a faint nervousness to her tone. I suppose living in the capital would make one more weary of those of a higher social status, so I pay it no mind. "How may I serve you today?"
"I'll have two, please." I try to reassure her with a smile as I pull out my coin pouch, and I think it works somewhat.
Funny thing about money here is that they've somehow managed to make an actual fiat currency by complete accident.
See, typically money used to be coins made from precious metals like gold and silver, or more simple ones like copper or tin or whatever. The point being that the coin itself had an inherent value that was used for trade. I mean, before coins, commodity currency, which is still what is mostly being used everywhere except the capital, is stuff like arrowheads and rice and still gold, because gold will always have value.
However, the Imperial Family's currency experiment has mostly been a failure. They were coming out with a new coin of vastly greater value every couple decades or so, and it was just all around a big mess.
These days, the experiment has mostly been given up on, leaving everyone trading with rice and arrowheads again. Coins for the nobility have pretty much just become IOUs.
Two nobles make a trade involving X amount of rice as payment, and a number of coins cross hands to basically sit as a reminder that they still owe someone their rice.
Among the common folk however, the different coins basically just all have the same value, and that value isn't set.
Here for instance, I only need to give a single coin for each stick. Which coin or what supposed value the Imperial Family has given it isn't relevant. People are just using them to help make trading easier.
Thus, it is a fiat currency, which I find to be incredibly amusing.
By trying and failing to make currency work, the nobles have accidentally made currency work. Just that it only works for the commoners and not for them. It's ironic.
"Do you mind if I ask you a question?" I ask the lady as she cooks my skewers on a small little grill.
She seems a bit startled by me starting a conversation, but my expression seems to reassure her. Though her constant nerves kind of makes me think of her like a rabbit.
"I am at your service, Okyaku-sama," she demurs, keeping her eyes low.
It's a little uncomfortable honestly. I'm not too fond of people acting like I'm above them. Unless it's about Jujutsu of course, because then it's only natural since I am The Strongest.
But other than that, I'd rather be a friend than a superior, y'know?
Still, I don't bother saying anything. This isn't really the kind of thing that goes away when you ask it to. Like if a guy covered in blood and holding a knife told you he's a pacifist. It'd be tough for those words to challenge the visual perception.
So I just ask.
"I am looking to purchase a tachi. Do you know where I should go?" I gesture to the various buildings around the street with my question.
Katana haven't been invented yet, but ancient swords will always be a collector's item!
It's not like I need a sword for fighting, and even if I wanted one, I'd need a Cursed Tool. Anything mortal hands will make would probably just break under the strain of my swing.
However! I have already decided recently that I will live forever now. Thus, I need to be thinking about the future, and right now is the only time I can get a sword that I will be able to proudly show off in one thousand years as a sword with a thousand years of history to it.
I'm so smart.
"I do not know," the meat lady replies as she offers both meat sticks to me. "Shigeo-dono could tell you better than I, Okyaku-sama."
Along with her words, she gestures to one of the buildings opposite that has smoke rising from the back.
"Thank you!" I beam a smile her way, which finally has her relaxing enough to look at me like I'm not in a different social strata to her.
Then, just because I noticed some little carved trinkets sitting around her stall as decorations, I put both meat sticks in one hand and reach into my sleeve with the other.
In the darkness, my hand falls into my shadow and grabs one of those little statues I made a while back when I was helping that one woman was giving birth. I made a few of them since there was another similar encounter that had me doing the same thing.
Pulling it from my sleeve, I wave it a little to show it off to her and then place it down next to the other little figures on one side of her stall with a smile.
Without giving her a chance to say anything about it, I simply bow in thanks and turn around, munching on the meat sticks as I do.
They are in fact, rabbit. I really am so smart.
I start humming a pleasant tune to myself as I move to cross the street. Almost immediately, I have to take a quick step back as a small group of laughing children rush by, chasing one another with sticks, oblivious to the world around them.
All except for one, a boy perceptive enough to notice how they nearly ran me over. However, that perception only causes him to jerk unnaturally, resulting in him falling over.
Half the kids don't even seem to notice, but a couple do slow to a stop, turning around to take in the sight of the kid on the floor and me standing there with half a skewer in my mouth.
The worried looks that the kids pass between myself and the one who fell draw a chuckle from me, but I otherwise ignore them as I move to crouch next to the boy who fell.
"Hey there kid. You hurt?" I ask rhetorically, having already noticed the small scrapes on his hands and knees.
It's kind of nostalgic actually. My wounds these days tend to be rather a bi more sever than just little scrapes.
It's been a while.
"I-I'm okay mithsta'!" The kid chirps, smiling innocently up at me. I notice the lisp. He's clearly just trying to put on a brave face through the pain, but I'm hardly going to call him out on that.
"May I see your hands?" I ask, and after only a moment of hesitation, he complies. Holding them out and trying to pretend that the scrapes aren't hurting him. It's cute.
Still smiling reassuringly, I plant both my skewers into the earth beside us and take one of his hands in both of mine, cupping around the tiny limb entirely.
"Do you want to see a magic trick?" I ask, and the boy's eyes widen dramatically before he is nodding his head rapidly, seeming to have forgotten his pain entirely. I resist the urge to coo and pet his head for being so cute.
Fucking paternal instincts need to go away. They're seriously distracting.
Ah well.
Reverse Cursed Technique falls from my palms and covers his hand, recovering it in only a moment.
"Voilà!" I exclaim as I free his hand like I'm presenting a prize.
"Woah!!" The kid almost yells, staring at his hand in shock, and I use his distraction to quickly brush my hand over his other little scrapes to remove them.
Picking my skewers back up in one hand, I rise from my crouch, the act pulling the kid from his reverie. I hold my free hand out to him and he takes it, letting me pull him to his feet.
"Here," I say, offering him the skewer I haven't touched yet, and he eagerly accepts in that way kids do when they haven't been taught about politely refusing stuff yet. It makes me chuckle again, so I ruffle his hair. "Go play along now. Try not to trip in the future, yeah?"
"Okai!!" He yells back up at me, all teeth as he smiles.
And then he is off, running to meet back up with his friends, all of whom take off after the rest a moment later.
I'm shaking my head and returning to my walk when I hear the meat lady whisper something behind me.
"Jizō-sama." Her tone is almost reverent, and I turn to see her staring at me in shock, alternating her sight between myself and the little statue I gave her in her hands.
I have no idea what she's talking about though, so I just send another smile her way before turning back to my destination.
The building itself isn't really any different to the rest lining the street. Simple work, mostly wood and straw. It's too far from the richer areas to have a full tile roof, but I like it. It feels homely. Not quite run down.
The door slides open to the sound of a familiar voice.
The front room is a simple affair. It is not particularly large and features only a few swords as decorative pieces, as well as an ornate helmet situated on the wall behind the front counter.
Also behind that counter is a man that I can only assume to be Shigeo-dono, engaged in conversation with another man, presumably a customer, whom I find to be strangely familiar looking.
It takes me a moment to place him, and it is only when they turn at my entrance that it really clicks.
It's the funny lines guy! "You're ruining my saké." That guy!
Man, small world, huh?
"Saké-san!" I cheerfully greet him, though his expression upon seeing me could not be more opposite to my own. "We meet again!"
"Saké-san?" Saké-san echoes, his voice carrying an impressive amount of incredulity and offence in equal measure. "You little shit, I remember you now. You still have not learned any manners in this time, I see."
I don't even know why I've randomly decided to be annoying to this guy, but it just feels right for some reason. Like he's someone that can take a ribbing, despite the glare he's throwing my way as I have the thought.
"My manners are rather hit or miss, I have been finding." I respond as I walk up to the counter besides him, sending a brief nod to the worker. "How have you been? What brings you here? Did you get drunk and lose your sword?"
His eyes narrow on me, but I don't feel any actual intent to draw the sword still sitting on his hip at me. And yes, I can see the irony of asking if he's lost his sword when he is very clearly wearing it.
"I fail to see how my business is any of your concern, Boy."
I deliberately pout at him. "C'mon now, are we not friends? And you do not have to call me boy, my name is Narauko. You can call me Na-sama~."
"We are not friends," he immediately denies, his left eye twitching at the thought. "You have a talent for being irritat—wait. Your name is Narauko?"
"Yeah?" I tilt my head at him, wondering about his reaction to my name. He asked that like my name is weird or something. "I forgot yours though, Saké-san."
His eye twitches again and he visibly bites back a retort. A breath goes in and leaves. Calm.
"I am Taira no Yoshikane," he says, looking at me deeply. "Takiyasha-chan is my niece."
"Ooooh!" My eyes light up as I start noticing the similarities between them. "I would not have expected that, since she is so strong and all."
His blatantly apparent insult at my implication makes me laugh, which actually does seem to calm him somewhat, interestingly enough.
"I dislike you greatly," he informs me, to which I smile brightly. "However, this is fortuitous in a manner. Tadatsune-sama should be seeking you out for a meeting. Perhaps I will forgive your insults if you do not ignore him."
Bleeeh, I figure I already know what they want to talk about. Carrying a sword shouldn't be indicative of a marriage proposal.
The fact that I was thinking about annoying parental instincts literally just a minute ago is pushed aside and ignored.
"I'm exploring today," I inform Yoshikane. "If he sends someone to my room at sunrise then we can talk then. I'll probably be busy the next day with the competition though."
It's not like I would have blown him off anyway. Meeting with some super important Clan Head sounds interesting. I wonder if I'll get Godfather vibes from him. That'd be cool.
"Good." Yoshikane nods. "Takiyasha-chan speaks highly of you."
My attention is immediately piqued, and I feel a cheshire grin grow on my lips. "Oh~? What did she say?"
"Hmph," he looks at me with amusement but shakes his head. "As amusing as it would be to tease her, I will be the one suffering for it."
"Tsk. Well whatever. You did not answer my question earlier, how have you been? What brings you here?"
He raises a brow, staring consideringly at me as if trying to figure out what my angle is here.
Joke's on him though, I don't have an angle. I just don't really have anything else going on right now—admittedly because I am ignoring stuff I do have going on by running out into the city, but meh. Why not make a new friend?
Eventually however, after staring at me or a long moment Yoshikane seems to have what I can only call a 'fuck it' moment and actually answers.
"I am here to ask Shigeo-san here about certain delays in his duties." He doesn't say how he's been doing, I notice. He also turns hard eyes onto Shigeo as he speaks, making the man sigh with resignation.
"I have already explained, Taira-sama. I can only forge the blade. Without Kanta-dono to polish them, there is nothing that I can do." The man shakes his head helplessly, though it seems to do little to appease Yoshikane.
"I tire of excuses," Yoshikane ripostes, voice sharp. "You made a commitment. Gave your word."
"Hey, Shigeo-dono!?" I cut in, interrupting their conversation without a care by flopping myself onto the counter, resting my chin on my crossed arms. "Sounds like something is going on with Kanta-dono, is he in trouble? Can you not make swords without him? I came here because I was hoping I would be able to take part in the manufacture of a sword of my own?"
Shigeo glances between myself and Saké-san, but seeing that the Taira is only glaring at the back of my head and not stopping him, he does choose to respond.
"A sword's creation is not a simple matter, Narauko-sama," the man addresses me with the same politeness as with Saké-san, though his stress is still evident. "It is a process that normally takes many months and passes through the hands of many craftsmen. Kanta-dono is the only man I work with who has the ability to complete the polishing of the blade. However, I have not heard from him in many weeks. I know not where he is nor what has happened to him, and so there is nothing I can do. Not until Kanta-dono either returns, or is replaced."
Wait it takes months to make a blade? I thought it'd take like a few days at most, damn. I wanted to have a sword that I could say I took part in the creation of, or made entirely. A few months is a bit much though, what with everything going on.
Ah well. Another time then.
Still, my ears perk up at Shigeo's words, because to me it sounds like something most interesting...
Do I see another side-quest before me? I think with an inward smirk. My attention flicks to Saké-san from the corner of my eye. It's even a companion quest! Will I be able to summon Saké-san once a day to help me in battle afterwards?
I snicker at the thought of treating Saké-san like a video game NPC but quickly move on from the thought.
"In that case, would you mind informing us as to where Kanta-dono's place of residence is? Or where we can find someone who might know what happened to him?"
The two of them both look at me strangely, leaving me to wonder if investigation is even a thing that has been practiced these days. I mean sure, they obviously don't have detectives, but c'mon! It's time to solve mysteries! Detective work!
I don't have a trench coat, but I could probably make one. Hat too, for the proper noir feel. I don't think I could get Saké-san to dress up though, so maybe some other time.
"What are you doing?" Saké-san asks me, to which I shrug and smile from where I am still slumped up to him.
"Investigation! You want your swords, right? What if Kanta-dono is stuck in a hole or something? So let's find him, two eyes are better than one." I pause and frown at my own wording. "Pairs, I mean. Two pairs of eyes are better than one. Neither of us has one eye."
Saké-san seems reluctant, but I don't care! Detective side-quest! Adventure!
In the end, Saké-san's desire to get his clan's swords beats out his desire to tell me to fuck off.
I am so going to make another friend today, whether he realises it now or not.
///
Kiyohara no Nagiko
///
Nagiko double checks the Script she'd written at the entrance of the small cave she has found herself in. She is only satisfied enough to move on when her eyes confirm that they will do as she intends of them.
She wouldn't want any prying eyes looking at her right now.
She quickly sends one more glance out at the sunny afternoon. Checking over the valley below her and the other mountain opposite.
Nothing pops out, so she nods, satisfied, and turns back to head deeper inside.
Not that this cave is particularly deep. There actually aren't a lot of cave systems in the mountains north of Heian-kyō. But finding a shallow one was easy enough, even if she had to make the journey with luggage.
Reaching the depths of the gave, her gaze brushes over the unconscious form of the nameless servant lying beneath her. There is a small pool of blood beneath him, a result of all of his tendons being cut.
He would not be able to escape even if he tried to run, but it would be annoying regardless if he made the attempt.
It's not like his injuries will matter for long anyway.
Not even Nagiko could get away with kidnapping a servant from the Imperial Palace without repercussion. Nothing severe of course, she is still a noble compared to this commoner, but still.
Best if he were to just disappear to save her the trouble.
Her foot stretches forward, and she pushes the teeth of her geta into the man's throat. Slowly beginning to suffocate him until with a sudden gasp, he shoots into a sitting position, moving with the speed of the dying.
At least, he tries to anyway.
In reality, he only ends up choking himself further against her boot.
"W-w-w-"
"Shhhh," she interrupts his stuttering, a delicate finger places against her lips, even as her eyes stare unblinkingly at him.
She doesn't need Cursed Eyes to know that he is terrified.
"I have some questions," she informs him, voice cool. "You will only speak to answer them, or provide additional information that you believe to be relevant to my questions. Do you understand?"
He nods. Rapidly.
She waits, and he eventually gets the hint.
"Y-y-yes. I un-understand."
"Good. Tell me who it is that you are loyal to."
He looks at her in confusion, as if her question has an obvious answer.
Perhaps if he was not so shaken already, she would have been able to believe it.
At least for as long as it took her eyes to tell her the Truth.
"I-I am a servant working in the Imperial Palace. My loyalty is only to the Imperial Family." He says.
Is a servant working in the Imperial Palace. Isn't loyal to the Imperial Family. Her Cursed Eyes say.
Nagiko is more inclined to believe her own two eyes.
So naturally, she responds by flooding one of the man's legs with Cursed Energy.
A truly pathetic scream echoes through the cave before her Barrier Technique dampens it out and prevents the sound from travelling. It's like listening to a boar squealing as it dies.
Truly, so pathetic.
She waits until his leg is left as little more than a mush. Minced meat and sludgy blood. She only uses enough Reverse Cursed Technique to stabilise the injury.
"I forgot to mention," she says once his squeals have calmed down. Speaking lightly, as if the idea just came to her. "I will naturally hurt you when you lie to me. I am not particularly motivated to be gentle."
The servant opens his mouth, no doubt to plead, but her glare reminds him of her rules and he stops himself before he can.
"When we arrived, I noticed the attention that you paid to Narauko," she informs him and while he doesn't outwardly react, a monkey can hardly hide the Truth from her eyes. "I would rather the man die, you see. I do not want to see him gathering any more allies."
That is obviously a lie, but she believes that if she presents herself as an enemy of Narauko, he will be less likely to remain reticent. This man himself doesn't seem to really have any kind of emotional connection with Narauko, but he is a spy.
Of the people that would be able to have a spy within the Imperial Palace's staff, she believes that more of them would like Narauko dead than alive.
She highly doubts that any of them will succeed, but alas, the world is vast. Best to do some investigating and make sure.
"Who it is that you are loyal to?" Nagiko asks. She already knows his answer. Doesn't even need her eyes to figure it out.
His eyes widen as his body shakes intensely, fear flooding his veins.
They both know how this will go, but she will give him credit.
He doesn't hesitate for long.
"I-I am a servant.." he swallows a pained breath, "Working in the Imperial Palace. My loyalty is only to the Imperial Family."
A moment passes, his eyes staring up at her own, terrified, but resolved.
His screams are no less the second time.
However, Nagiko can recognise the futility of this course of action. He will clearly not speak of anything.
Unquestionable loyalty groomed since birth. Psychologically incapable of betrayal.
How annoying.
At least, this does narrow things down somewhat.
The number of people who have suicide agents prepared is limited. A lot of preparation and resources goes into that sort of training. From finding children with the right aptitude to training them and instilling enough loyalty that they will kill themselves merely because they were told to.
The annoying way it is, then, Nagiko thinks to herself with a restrained sigh.
Her foot is removed from his throat so that she can step over him, ending up crouched with her feet either side of his unmoving elbows.
With her face much closer to his own, there is not a twitch of muscle that her eyes will not be able to notice.
"You are not loyal to the Imperial Family," she states, watching him closely. "You are loyal to the Fujiwara. A Fujiwara. A Taira. A Minamoto. A Noble."
Nagiko frowns.
Nothing, huh.
The servant tries to speak, but she simply snaps a hand over his jaw and holds it shut.
He isn't going to say anything useful.
"You are loyal to a Shinobi? Yōkai? Kami?" Nagiko's incipient confusion freezes as she realises what is happening here. "Ah, I get it. You do not know who you are loyal to."
He does not answer, but he does not need to. Her eyes tell her enough.
How tricky. It seems that her foe here is of the paranoid sort.
Nagiko feels her lips quirk up despite the apparent severity of what she has stumbled into.
She cannot help herself though. It is rare for her to find a puzzle that she cannot solve at a glance.
This is fun.
"Will you tell me what you know of whoever it is you are loyal to?" She asks, just to check.
Naturally, her eyes confirm a negative. He is fully willing to lie about it, but she doesn't even want to hear what the lie would be.
Someone paranoid enough to build suicide squads that do not even know who they serve is certainly paranoid enough to be particular about what false information they reveal.
For instance, pinning the blame on one clan could incite her to investigate that clans enemies. However, she gets the feeling that that would be a red herring here. That hearing the lie would just leave her falling into the hands of some hidden mastermind. Make her actions more predictable.
No. Best to not allow her decisions to be influenced by prepared words for now.
Nagiko sighs again, this one actually leaving her.
This is going to be such a pain, she thinks to herself, despite actually enjoying the process.
It is going to get rather tedious though, she knows that much.
After all, she basically just has to keep making guesses about what this servant might know about their boss over and over until her eyes notice a reaction.
It'll be annoying in a fun way. She might even have to leave this man here and return in the morning.
Considering how annoying this is, she figures she will start with the most annoying potential option for the truth.
"Is your boss a Prophet?" She asks, immediately getting a reaction.
Huh... That was easy.
However, despite the early success, by the time that the sun begins to set, all that she manages to learn is that this mysterious leader has been perfectly accurate with his predictions. All the way until Narauko showed up at the capital instead of Sukuna.
And isn't that interesting?
It seems that Narauko has altered Fate.
She almost snorts. He probably doesn't even know that he is messing with some Prophet's plans.
She is curious what future this Prophet saw without Narauko's existence though. A future where Sukuna joined in the inter-school competition instead of being sent away.
Alas, her eyes have limits, and postcognition is not within her skillset.
It is a troublesome reveal however. Prophets are either barely more useful than their absence, or incredibly difficult to deal with.
Not that she has experience in the area, but it is just common sense really. Especially when dealing with a Prophet that is apparently capable of both making frequent predictions and accurate ones.
Though it is entirely possible that they have made more false prophecies and this simple servant simply is unaware of the fact.
It would even make sense, considering the number of prophecies that even this meagre servant had been told to create this level of loyalty.
Seers tend to come in one of two flavours after all. Either low frequency and high accuracy or high frequency and low accuracy.
She feels like she should assume the worst here though. Her future husband's life is on the line after all. Can't have anything happening to him before he can reach his full potential.
Nagiko shakes the thought away and rises back to a stand.
Her eyes fall down to the broken man beneath her, and then she simply presses her geta back on his neck and steps down.
A truly disgusting noise echoes through the cave as his head is near torn from his body under her cold gaze.
She had thought about maybe providing him with some final words. But really.. what would be the point?
Without so much as a glance back, Nagiko leaves the cave, disables her Barrier and sets out to sneak back into the Imperial Palace.
She doesn't intend to inform Narauko about any of this. She doesn't think he'd want to know, but mostly, she wants to root the problem out all by herself and then impress him by presenting this schemer's head to him.
He would certainly want to hear the story, and that means she could have him all to herself for at least an entire day.
After all, men like him do not tend to sit still.
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A/N: He~llo! Dear readers!
I have no idea what I am doing. :)
NEWS!!!
To make a long story short, I started writing an original and am going to post the first 11 chapters today! That's like, idk 40k words? I'll know once I've posted it.
If that interests you, then I'll expand. So, there is this sub-genre of isekai fiction I really really really like where a person gets inserted into their high level video game character, like Overlord or How Not to Summon a Demon Lord, and I guess Legendary Mechanic kinda fits the theme even if he starts out weak, but you could argue he has lvl 100 foresight lol.
But yeah, I love the genre in concept but in practice there are like 3 total novels in the genre that aren't complete dookie. It's hardly a populated genre in the first place and they almost all suck balls, so I hadn't thought about it in ages.
Then I came across this novel on SB called 'New Life As A Max Level Archmage' by ArcaneCadence and it reinspired me to just do it myself.
So for the opening chaps of 'Teaching Record of the Living Grimoire' (cuz isekai novels have to have long titles) you'll be able to see a lit of resemblance to ArcaneCadence's work, but I am very confident that from this point forward, our stories will be going in rather different directions lol.
But yeah, I've been having a lot of fun writing it, and now I'll be posting it publicly (in a couple of minutes for y'all psychos that read my chapters like within 2 minutes of me posting them) which I'm kinda nervous about ngl, cuz this feels different to posting another fanfiction lol.
Oh, and I should probably say but Ten Shadows is still gonna be my priority until I finish book 1, so don't worry about this being the prelude to a hiatus lol :)
(Story can be found on Webnovel, Scribblehub, Spacebattles and QuestionableQuesting under the names Bored_MC, IKilledBored_MC and z Suicide Eznutt z respectively(notice how my naming sense is thematic? Aren't I cool?))