[During the Heian Period]
The sun had set, marking the time when youkais and monsters became active.
In a certain ancient temple, there was a vast amount of sinister magic hanging in the air.
Only the light of candles illuminated the interior of the temple.
Several dozen youkais trembled intensely, looking down and avoiding eye contact with them.
A man with a long nose and wings spoke in a deep voice.
“Abe no Seimei cannot be defeated anymore.” (?)
He picked up a bottle of sake and emptied the cup in one gulp.
The youkai who boldly gulped down the sake was named Asura Tengu.
He was the one who first proposed caution and suggested killing Abe no Seimei, who was just born into this world.
The youkais gathered here were not just ordinary youkai.
They were Tengu, Kitsune, and Oni—known as the Three Great Youkai of Japan.
The kitsune opened her fan, concealing her mouth.
“How timid of you.” (Kitsune)
“Hahaha! Timid or not, I’m just stating the facts! Tenko1, what do you intend to do about Seimei?” (Asura Tengu)
“Well… I don’t really intend to fight.” (Kitsune)
“…If we don’t kill Abe no Seimei, we may perish ourselves.” (Asura Tengu)
Asuura Tengu had long feared that this would happen.
“Even so, having that crazy onmyoji by his side makes it impossible to do anything.” (Oni)
Asura Tengu fell silent.
Indeed, there were significant obstacles to reaching Abe no Seimei.
They had to defeat that crazy onmyoji first. If Seimei continued to grow under his hands, he would become unbeatable in every sense.
Each time Asura Tengu remembered this fact his drunkenness would get blown away.
“That’s right! That’s right! Why is there such a crazy onmyoji! Why did Seimei have to go to that onmyoji in particular!” (Asura Tengu)
“Perhaps it’s fate.” (Kitsune)
Tenko had just suggested that it was fate orchestrated by the gods to protect Seimei, but…
“What?! An onmyoji like him who knows no common sense!? Isn’t he an outcast among onmyojis? When I tried to extract information about Sora or whatever from that onmyoji I fought before, he warned me not to speak his name and said that getting involved would drive one mad!” (Asura Tengu)
An onmyoji who knew no common sense.
That was a common understanding of him among the youkais.
However, there were very few who actually knew much about Sora.
This was because all the youkai who had faced Sora had────disappeared.
Yet, the information that did surface was mostly about him being crazy.
“…At this rate, we’re doomed, Lady Kitsune.” (Oni)
“Even if you say that. I have no interest in onmyojis.” (Kitsune)
“You’re a selfish Kitsune, you know.” (Oni)
“Well, sometimes selfishness in women can be considered cute.” (Kitsune)
Asura Tengu let out a sigh.
There was no point in getting angry at Tenko, who always acted like this.
“…But if it’s my son, he might be able to reach that crazy onmyoji.” (Asura Tengu)
“Chitose Tengu…?” (Kitsune)
With sharp eyes, Asura Tengu smiled.
“My son is the strongest Tengu in this world, you know. Even if he’s a bit crazy.” (Asura Tengu)
“He possesses five feathers, doesn’t he?” (Oni)
“That’s right, that’s right! Kahahaha!” (Asura Tengu)
Proudly, Asura Tengu raised his five-feathered fan.
Later on, Asura Tengu’s proud son would be sealed by the grown-up Seimei.
The name of Chitose Tengu would be quickly forgotten even by the youkais.
＊
[Present day]
Chitose Tengu was sealed a thousand years ago.
No matter how talented Abe no Seimei was, a thousand-year seal wouldn’t last forever.
It would decay, and develop cracks, and those would become openings for Chitose Tengu to exploit.
In the local folklore, there were mountains where Tengus were believed to exist. In one corner of those mountains, Chitose Tengu was there.
“Father’s feathered fan has woken up! Father’s feathered fan has woken up!! Kakkakka!” (Chitose)
TL Notes:
Thanks for reading!
Sorry if this was confusing. It looks like Chitose Tengu already broke out and was waiting for his father.
Firstly, Kitsune was actually referred to by either Lady Kitsune or Tenko. I am assuming Tengu called her Tenko while Oni called her Lady Kitsune because it’s kinda hard to tell who is talking.
Secondly, yeh Chitose sounds like a girl’s name because I think it is. Chitose can also be translated to Thousand-Year so maybe Thousand-Year Tengu would have been better? It’s just that the name was too long to put into the speaker brackets.
New series yay! This one is a laidback slice-of-life harem story. This one is called
“I Got Fired from the Hero Party, So I Went Back to My Hometown, but All the Party Members Followed Me“
And here is the first chapter.
Thanks for the new chapter!