Onmyoji, a nobleman in Heian-kyo

Page 444

"...I should have gone."

"You can't swim."

"..." Yu Xing remained silent, lowering his head in shame.

If he can swim.

It should be possible to try throwing a makeshift, homemade incendiary bomb at that monster spider by oneself.

That way, Mikado won't be blamed; it'll all be his fault for being useless.

"Then I'll be going." Mikado waved casually.

The moment he turned around, the relaxed expression on his face turned serious.

He then walked towards the safe residential area without looking back.

The residential area is the safest area in Kyoto Port.

It was heavily guarded by several Onmyoji and samurai.

Even Mikado could assert that.

If only half of these people were to engage the Earth Spider, they could win with absolute ease.

But Mikado would never say something so foolish.

It took fifteen minutes.

Mikado returned to his residence.

What they found was a fierce-looking mother and her twin sister.

"Mikado!"

"Mikado!"

"It hurts! It hurts, it hurts, it hurts—"

The mother, Runzi, scolded him.

The elder sister, Zhenfei, twisted him to the ground, stepped on his back, and pulled him backward by his hands.

"I heard you're very brave, going to fight a spider monster in a boat?"

"No, no, no, listen to me! I just planned to throw a simple incendiary bomb from a distance and leave. I didn't intend to do anything else!"

"Heh, you think you can do whatever you want just because you're a good swimmer?"

Zhenfei was disappointed in her son, her sharp canine teeth revealing her ruthlessness.

How can ordinary people possibly resist monsters?

My brother is such an idiot!

You big idiot!

If it weren't for my retainer coming to report...

She had no idea that her younger brother was doing something so dangerous!

Thinking about this, Consort Zhen exerted herself even more.

"Ahhh-"

Mikado tried to gain sympathy by screaming.

Then, as if encouraged, Princess Zhenfei put in even more effort.

Finally, Mikado was completely withered, as if he had lost his soul.

Only then did Consort Zhen release her younger brother.

"You're so impulsive! There's a limit to stupidity!"

"...Before, at the dock, A-Ye and A-Gao died because they were pierced by the spider silk of the monster while protecting me."

"But we can't just do whatever we want!"

Empress Zhen spoke just as decisively, though her tone softened slightly.

Runzi, the mother, said calmly:

“Mikado. If you die, their sacrifice will have been in vain. At least you should think about their families.”

"..." Mikado looked speechless.

He immediately understood the underlying meaning in his mother's words.

If I die, my subordinates' families will only be worse off.

Now that he's alive, he can take good care of her.

Princess Zhenfei understood, and she stopped scolding her younger brother.

After all, it's definitely not pleasant to witness someone you know die.

"Don't go out unnecessarily these days," Runzi added.

Mikado paused for two or three seconds before speaking:

"Mom, at least let me tell A-Ye and A-Gao's parents."

Runzi didn't refute, but simply asked:

"Think carefully again about how you can make their parents' lives better in the days to come."

Mikado fell silent again, and after a long while, he nodded.

He acquiesced to his mother's decision.

Indeed, he cannot continue to act on emotion.

Otherwise, it will only make things more difficult for family members and those around them.

"Yes, just keep calm like this," Junko said softly.

Mikado rubbed his face and responded with his eyes lowered.

"Mom, I know..."

In the past month or two, there have been more monsters attacking Kyoto Port than usual.

It was a time of great turmoil.

The father was very busy, and so were the retainers.

It's simply unforgivable to make things worse by doing it yourself.

He needs to calm down.

We must stay calm!

"Mikado, you should get some sleep," Princess Maki advised again.

Mikado's lips twitched: "...I don't want to sleep."

Every time I close my eyes, I see images of several acquaintances dying tragically.

Zhenfei revealed a sly smile: "Want me to sleep with you?"

"Sister, you've grown up."

"...It would be more appropriate for me to say that."

"Yes, it is."

Seeing her sister's smile fade, Yumen quickly lowered her head and admitted her mistake.

Runzi found it amusing to see the two siblings bickering and quietly left.

Only the two siblings remained in the hall.

Mikado couldn't help but ask his older sister about the situation.

How is Father doing?

"What else could happen? With Onmyoji and samurai protecting them, how could anything go wrong?"

"……that's true."

"That's why you shouldn't always go to the port to join in the fun; you just cause trouble for others."

"...I won't dare to do it again."

“But we can’t entirely blame you… You also have work to do,” Maki sighed.

Maki's full name is Shijo Maki.

About half a year ago, my family and I came to this peaceful era, a time filled with gods, monsters, and evil spirits.

And all four members of the family have identities in this world.

Among them, the father was a high-ranking official in the government, holding the rank of sixth.

Therefore, they were considered one of the better-off families in Kyoto Port.

However, living well is only relative.