The storehouse was more organized than I had expected. Aside from the damages, the worst part of it was the dust and dirt that had been left untouched for hundreds of years.
Some areas of the storehouse had been repaired, so it didn’t seem like everything was exactly as it used to be.
“Hey, aren’t you going to wear a mask? It’s so dusty.” (Zashiki)
“I don’t like masks…” (Sora)
“You really nothing like a modern person…” (Zashiki)
…Well, it’s hard to breathe while wearing them.
Then, Akari brought some boxes in front of me.
I decided to take a look inside. After all, it’s easier to livestream from here instead of going deeper.
『Sora is quite fearless, huh?』
『The atmosphere there gives me an unpleasant feeling…』
“The Mikage clan’s storehouse is actually not that scary. It is filled with proper barrier techniques and seals, so it’s quite safe. The things that make me a little scared are places like the shrine at midnight.” (Sora)
『Ikr. Shrines at midnight are spooky.』
『I went to one for a test of courage a long time ago, and it was super scary lol.』
『I’m more scared of temples.』
Temples are often places of worship, so there’s usually no need to be too scared of them.
On the other hand, the most unsettling places are often neglected and abandoned shrines that haven’t been taken care of in a while.
『What’s the scariest place Sora has ever been to in the past?』
Well, if I were to think about the scariest place I’ve been to in the past would be…
Honestly, there have been quite a few, so it’s hard to pick the scariest one.
“Hmm~ I’ve generally had some unsettling experiences with places related to ancient deities.” (Sora)
『By ‘ancient deities,’ do you mean gods?』
『!?』
『This discussion has suddenly escalated a lot lol.』
While occasionally answering comments, I continued to inspect the cursed items inside the box.
It seems there aren’t as many dangerous items as I had thought.
This one is a Shimenawa1… and this one is a Noh mask2…
The Shimenawa has the power to automatically restrain targets and bind them.
And the Noh mask has the power to trigger the emotions of a person wearing a mask to explode.
I continue rummaging through the various items.
“Hmm, what’s this? The Tale of Genji3?” (Sora)
It’s a book with a blue cover.
『Huh!?』
『!?!?!』
『Comments are getting wild lol.』
『It’s just an old book.』
『Nonono! This is more than that!』
“Akari, is there something special about this?” (Sora)
“Well… I don’t know either.” (Akari)
According to the comments, it seems to be quite a treasure.
Oh~ so this is what a treasure looks like.
Alright, what’s next?
From there, more magic and cursed items and first editions of famous people’s works started to appear. They all seemed to have historical value, and the comments from experts in the field were overflowing.
Well, since it belongs to the Mikage clan, it’s not really any of my concern.
“I guess this is it… Although, there is one thing left that I can’t bring out since it’s big.” (Akari)
“Shall we take a look at that, then?” (Sora)
『I’m getting tired of commenting…』
『This is a different kind of shock compared to a battle, lol.』
『Why are they so unfazed…』
『Ignorance is truly frightening…』
While guided by Akari, I entered the deepest part of the storehouse.
There, something was covered with cloth on what looked like a sword rack.
I had a familiar feeling about its shape.
I had thought that all the tools I had used in the past had disappeared.
Recreating them from scratch would be nearly impossible.
I instinctively reached out my hand.
“Sora?” (Akari)
The Seventh Technique… is one which utilizes fire.
It was something I had developed with reference to the power of Sumeragi, who I had befriended after saving the Mikage clan from their cure.
The Sixth Technique was also created in a similar way. Actually, all subsequent techniques were inspired by my shikigamis.
Seimei, you’ve been preserving this for me huh?
When I removed the cloth, there was a bracelet there.
“Nostalgic…” (Sora)
I know what this is.
I have used this before.
“────It’s the tool for the Ninth Technique.” (Sora)
Without hesitation, I put it on my wrist and reveled in the long-forgotten sensation.
However, I noticed something strange.
“…Hmph!” (Sora)
Even when I channeled my magic to it, there was no response.
“Huh?” (Sora)
I tapped the bracelet.
『What are you doing lmao』
『Using the TV repair method of hitting it? 😂』
『LOL』
“This is broken…” (Sora)
How unfortunate…
“Sora, is this also one of those cursed items?” (Akari)
“Well, it’s not a cursed item, but it’s similar. It’s a pretty handy device.” (Sora)
I suppose when over a thousand years have passed, it’s inevitable.
“But, I wonder if it can be fixed…” (Sora)
『It looks like some kind of tool.』
『Sora got new equipment!』
『Using old tools, that’s kind of like you.』
“Ahaha… but it’s broken, so I’ll have to fix it first.” (Sora)
It would be great if I had the right materials in the modern world, but repairing magic tools can be quite challenging due to their delicacy.
Akari tilted her head in curiosity.
“How are you going to fix something so old?” (Akari)
“Well, you see, the core of the ring is still intact, so I just need some emerald.” (Sora)
“Emerald… what’s that?” (Akari)
『It’s emerald.』
『Emerald is emerald.』
I wonder if Sakuya could prepare it for me.
Back then, emeralds were incredibly expensive.
They weren’t something you could easily come by, so creating magic items using them were a challenge.
…Well, I think I’ve finished searching the storage for the most part.
There were a few things where the seals were starting to weaken, but I’ve resealed them, and there didn’t seem to be any problematic cursed items.
I wonder if the Zashiki Warashi was knowingly protecting the bracelet all this time.
I thought there might be more useful pieces of equipment, but… all I found was the Ninth Technique. The other techniques might be stored separately.
But I’m glad I found the Ninth Technique at least.
This technique is the one that can save people the most.
Well, I’ll have to fix it first before I can use it.
＊
Ao, Gravito, and the Zashiki Warashi were exploring the storage together.
Whenever Ao reached out his hand, Gravito, who was perched on his head, would smack his hand away.
*Pam*
“Hey, Ao, don’t touch things randomly. We don’t know what it might do.” (Gravito)
“Gravito, you’re so strict.” (Ao)
“…These guys are scary.” (Zashiki)
The battle between Ao and Gravito continued, leaving the Zashiki Warashi stunned by their antics.
“Hmm? Gravito, what’s that?” (Ao)
Ao spotted a fan made of five feathers on a shelf above.
“What thing are you talking about?” (Gravito)
“That fan-like thing over there.” (Ao)
Gravito also seemed unsure and tilted his head.
The Zashiki Warashi provided an explanation.
“That’s a feathered fan that was used by Asura Tengu back in the Heian period.” (Zashiki)
It was a weapon used by a youkai.
In fact, it was once wielded by one of Japan’s Three Great Youkai during the time when Sora was alive.
Sora had never defeated the Asura Tengu. In fact, the three greatest youkai in Japan had been running away from Sora.
And now, after over a thousand years, someone with immense magic entered the storehouse.
Sora and Ao.
These two had acquired the ability to control their magic. However, they couldn’t completely suppress the high capacity of magic that naturally leaked out.
The few leaking magic filled the air inside the storehouse.
And with nowhere else to go, it was being absorbed by the feathered fan once used by the Asura Tengu.
TL Notes:
Thanks for reading!
I smell an incoming fight with Asura Tengu in the future. I wonder if his the youkai who gave Sora trouble because of the rules or whatnot.
The biggest headache of translating this series is differentiating between magic (呪力) and curse (魔力). ChatGPT keeps returning 呪力 as curse and now I’m starting to doubt myself if I got it wrong all along.
LMAO I just found out that you now need to be signed in to NU to click on the links to the chapter LOL. No wonder the number of people who come from Novelupdates.com dropped by 80%. Is this a bug or a bad feature? NU didn’t even make any announcement addressing this wtf?
Condolences to the bigger TL groups who are impacted more by this change/bug.
Edit: LMAO and apparently NU also broke their login somehow and there are people who can’t log into their NU account. But for some reason they can log in to their NU forums account. Wtf is happening?
Footnote:
- I could have mistranslated this and it’s not actually Shimenawa. Shimenawa are lengths of hemp rope used for ritual purification in the Shinto religion. They are believed to act as a ward against evil spirits.
- Noh masks are used in plays to signify the characters’ gender, age, and social ranking, and by wearing masks the actors may portray youngsters, old men, female, or nonhuman (divine or demonic) characters.
- The Tales of Genji is a classic work of Japanese literature written in the early 11th century by the noblewoman, poet, and lady-in-waiting Murasaki Shikibu. It is considered to be the world’s first novel… wow.
- I don’t really know what this means tbh.
Heck ye, Tale of Genji is the oldest JP light novel we ever know
Thanks for the new chapter!