Chapter 62: Controlling Risk

According to the Shinto system of the island nation, "death" generates impurity. The earliest recorded ritual involving the removal of impurity was the misogi purification ceremony performed by Izanagi at the Misogi River upon returning from Yomi, the underworld, after escaping the pursuit of his dead wife.

A graveyard is, naturally, a place of "impurity" and a site to be shunned.

For this very reason, even within Kasumi City, those of noble status were not buried within the city walls after death, let alone at the Sacred Cherry Blossom Head Shrine, which was regarded as a holy place.

"However."

Hanzou Sentarou gazed at Shiraishi's tombstone.

"Even the esteemed former Grand Shrine Maiden was merely buried in such a desolate place after her death. The people of the Sacred Cherry Blossom Head Shrine are truly heartless..."

Holding a wooden ladle, he scooped water from a wooden bucket and gently poured it over the tombstone.

When this step was completed, he began silently using a cloth to wipe the tombstone clean.

As the manager of a large trading guild, sweeping the tomb did not require him to do it personally; Hanzou Sentarou was accompanied by dozens of servants and guards.

Three puppet maidens dressed in various styles stood behind him. A bit further away from the tombstone, a group of male bald-headed attendants with their eyes blindfolded by deep purple cloth stood neatly, all equipped with sabers.

Considering the constant risk of assassination, Hanzou Sentarou was not without guards.

He had spent a heavy sum to purchase three autonomous combat puppets capable of tearing apart a human body with their bare hands, shattering rocks with their fists, and fitted all over with various hidden mechanisms. While it was hard to say how they would fare against yōkai, they proved extremely troublesome when facing human enemies.

As for the saber-wielding bald attendants, they were no pushovers either. In terms of defensive strength, it could be said to be quite abundant.

After all, Hanzou Sentarou was a merchant, not an exorcist; he did not need to run into extremely dangerous places to deal with demons and ghosts.

Even if someone intended to kill him, they would mostly be dealing with ordinary humans. Theoretically, as long as Hanzou Sentarou stayed as close to urban areas as possible, the risk would not be that high.

On the other hand, despite having so many subordinates around him, this man always performed the grave-sweeping himself every single time, never delegating it to others.

"I have come to disturb you once more, Lady Miyo."

Hanzou Sentarou clasped his hands gently and spoke as if in prayer: "I went to see that child in advance. Counting it, more than ten years have passed, and she has grown into a fine young woman, simply like you in the past."

He muttered under his breath: "She has also grown up healthy and is nearing the age where she might be married..."

After rambling on for a while, Hanzou Sentarou's voice suddenly stopped.

"You idlers... at least let me finish sweeping the grave before making your entrance, won't you?"

"That won't do."

The speaker let out a cold laugh.

"If Lord Hanzou were to pass the word along and summon outsiders, there would be no chance for us left."

Two figures walked slowly out of the dark night.

One of the figures wore a kimono with wide cuffs.

He was a young man with a pale face and small, round, black sunglasses.

The other was a tall, robust brute with a mop of slightly messy, sky-ward-pointing black hair, draped in wild beast pelts, looking very much like a savage from the mountain forests.

"I am Jinno, representing 'Reverse Fortune' from the Eight Blessings Society."

The young man in the blue kimono stated his origin.

"This is my companion, his name is Kuki."

Casually introducing the person beside him, the young man calling himself "Jinno" smiled. His complexion was pale and bloodless, yet his teeth flashed with a fierce light.

"Our coming here this time is to invite Lord Hanzou for a chat. If this matter can be settled without resorting to violence, that would be for the best—"

In an instant, a white substance rapidly expanded outward.

"Fog!?"

While Hanzou Sentarou was startled, within the span of just a few breaths, this sheet of white fog had sealed off the graveyard and the mixed woods.

'This kind of barrier... is this my first time seeing it?'

Unnoticeably, dense fog filled the surroundings. This was clearly not a naturally formed mist.

Ghostly white fog expanded in an instant, surrounding the area, and even the scenery outside the graveyard appeared hazy and indistinct.

"This must be a formation akin to the Qimen Dunjia arts, right? You've certainly made thorough preparations!"

Hanzou Sentarou could only offer a bitter smile.

Looking up, he realized that the thick fog had even sealed off the night sky.

He knew well that this was an advanced sorcery passed down from the Central Plains region. Combined with a formation and a barrier acting in concert, this area had been completely locked down.

"I have no wish to make things too big."

Jinno unfolded the fan in his hand.

"However, Lord Hanzou wishing to leave this place is equally unrealistic."

He waved the fan in his hand, and the soil around the graveyard churned violently as countless skeletal hands reached out.

Skeleton after skeleton crawled out from the ground. Their bare bodies absorbed the surrounding earth and stone, slowly transforming into flesh and blood before reverting to their appearances before death.

Upon resurrection, expressions of resentment surfaced on the faces of the dead. They possessed a natural hatred for the living, craving the flesh and vital energy of living human beings.

"The art of soul-returning?!"

Hanzou Sentarou's complexion turned ashen.

"That's right, it is the soul-returning art created by the Monk Saigyō."

Jinno said with a smile: "Lord Hanzou, you should recognize this person, shouldn't you?"

A woman dressed in a white kimono walked slowly over.

"N-No, impossible..."

He widened his eyes, unable to believe the scene before him.

"—Lady Miyo."

Hanzou Sentarou's body stiffened.

He stood entirely immobilized, as though trapped by icy shackles.

……

It was almost time to begin.

The moment the dense fog formed, Hyakusuke knew that the assassination attempt targeting Hanzou Sentarou must have commenced.

'Although I don't know the exact time, the game stated he was attacked while grave-sweeping. All I had to do was find out when he goes grave-sweeping...'

He understood this clearly in his heart.

However, Hanzou Sentarou's daily itinerary was closely guarded, and outsiders had no way of knowing when he went to sweep graves.

Therefore, for Hyakusuke to figure this out, he had to ask Kuzuhana for help. Only she possessed the connections capable of inquiring about Hanzou Sentarou's schedule.

Sure enough, Kuzuhana did not expend too much effort to quickly obtain the crucial intelligence.

Hyakusuke was immensely shocked by this as well.

'Miss Kuzuhana... I heard that the staff of the Hanzou Trading Guild are tight-lipped. Exactly what... no, I mean, what kind of methods did you use to pry into such confidential information?'

'I would never use crude methods.'

Kuzuhana snorted coldly: "Besides, I am well aware of how tight-lipped the people of the Hanzou Trading Guild are. In the past, trying to bribe them with money never succeeded either... As for methods like torture, brainwashing, or bewitchment, they also have specialized sorcerers performing regular inspections. Moreover, the guild members usually live together, so finding an opening is not easy."

Even so, she still had her ways.

"Then, how on earth did you manage it?"

"I found that little girl."

"Huh?"

"That brat named Futaba. I had her leak the information to me."

"Futaba... But why would she do such a thing?"

Faced with Hyakusuke's question, Kuzuhana smiled without answering.

In truth, she hadn't spent much effort.

At the exact moment she left the trading guild earlier, she had secretly hidden a tiny shikigami on the girl.

After all, the other party was a potential romantic rival (though rather young, precautions had to be taken in advance), making monitoring her a necessity.

Furthermore, aside from eavesdropping, that tiny paper shikigami possessed the function of transmitting messages.

Kuzuhana simply picked a moment when Futaba was alone and used the shikigami to secretly converse with the girl.

"I've got a small matter to discuss with you~~ little brat."

"Y-You, who are you?"

Futaba stared vigilantly at the shikigami suspended in mid-air.

"No, I remember your voice. You're the noble lady from the Kurohime Mountain family yesterday?"

"Good memory."

Kuzuhana praised her.

Only then did she realize this little girl possessed a remarkably sharp mind. While the young miss pretended to converse with her unconcernedly, she secretly reached into her sleeve to shake a bell—a bell capable of transmitting warning alerts to the sorcerers responsible for guarding the trading guild.

‘...That bell is useless. I've set up a barrier to block the signal.’

Kuzuhana said leisurely.

‘Listen well, little brat. What I'm going to say next concerns him. If you aren't interested, you can leave. This shikigami will destroy itself, and even if you go to Hanzou Sentarou to point the finger at me, without any evidence, no one will believe you.’

Her tone suddenly shifted: "However, if you genuinely want to help that person, you might as well hear me out to the end..."

The girl blinked, said nothing, and quietly listened to the entirety of Kuzuhana's words.

……

"Truly a smart girl."

Afterwards, Kuzuhana had to admit that communicating with intelligent people made things convenient.

Once Futaba heard her words, she understood the second young lady of the Kurohime Mountain family's intentions.

"You... intend to make me your inside person?"

"Don't put it so crudely. This is merely mutual cooperation."

"You're inquiring about President Hanzou's itinerary—are you planning to do something?"

"No, quite the opposite. I'm going to do him a favor."

"Then... what benefit do I get out of this?"

When Futaba uttered those words, a crafty glean flashed in her eyes. It was not the gaze of a little girl at all, but rather resembled a shrewd fox.

Hmph!

Kuzuhana sneered inwardly.

She knew this would happen. If left alone, he would simply attract bees and butterflies and bring about these troublesome fellows.

Therefore, the risks had to be kept under control.

The corners of her mouth curled upward into an icy smile.

"I will lend him to you... However—"

"Only for one day."