In the northwest of Fuyuki, within Kyoto—the oldest city in Yamato, once known as the ancient capital Heian-kyō—Sesshōin Kiara stood atop a lofty hall, monk's cap upon her head, palms pressed together, radiating the bearing of an enlightened ascetic. If not for her unusually youthful, motherly features, and the sensuous curves of her figure that even heavy priestly robes could not conceal, one might truly mistake her for a saint who had transcended worldly attachments.
Seated in the depths of the great hall, she listened quietly to the reports of the shrine maidens before her. A smile curved her lips:
"It seems our 'Lord Lucan' has more or less settled matters in Fuyuki, hasn't he?"
Tokiomi Tōsaka had been subdued.The Matō family swept away.Both of Fuyuki's native magus lineages had been resolved. The remnants of the Church's local authority could scarcely raise a storm.
"Yes, Lady Kiara," replied a young shrine maiden seated below her. Long black hair spilled over her shoulders, her gentle expression framed by the sacred red-and-white garb that marked her as a divine attendant. "According to reports from the Yakō family, the 'Lord Paramount' may soon depart Fuyuki—and make his way here…"
Here—the Heian Palace.
"How swift!" Kiara remarked, her gaze lingering on the maiden before her. "Then we must hasten our own pace."
"They say that aside from the Yakō family, who have proactively sworn allegiance after receiving my message, the other seven shrines of Yamato have also responded, haven't they?"
The sects that relied upon the esoteric system of the Divine Organ Casting ([神脏铸体])—no matter what forms they had assumed across the ages—were, in essence, all shrines. Ancient dwellings of gods.
Even the Yakō syndicate, now a yakuza clan, traced its roots to Izumo Taisha in Shimane, where Ōkuninushi was enshrined.Even the Sugawara Academy, headquartered in Heian Jingū, venerated the Peacock King who suppressed the fox spirits.And so it was with the others.
"Of the seven great shrines, only the Tsuchimikado family—the core of Onmyōdō, who revere the Lord of Mount Tai (Taizan Fukun) and dwell in the hidden valleys of Mount Hiei, straddling Kyoto and Shiga—have yet to stir."
"The rest include:
Ise Jingū in Mie, along the Isuzu River's forested banks, enshrining Amenominakanushi.
Itsukushima Shrine in Hiroshima, standing proudly amidst the waves of the Seto Inland Sea, devoted to Hayatsuhime no Mikogami.
Kashima Jingū in Ibaraki, deep in Kashima's sacred forests, guarding Takemikazuchi.
Asama Shrine on Mt. Fuji's volcanic peak, consecrated to Konohanasakuya-hime.
Kasuga Taisha in Nara, nestled against the primeval Kasuga Mountain forest, dwelling among the thousand divine deer with Kasuga Daimyōjin.
Usa Jingū in Ōita, overlooking the plains of Usa and the Usa River, where Hachiman Daibosatsu is worshiped."
"All six have extended branches toward Kyoto, some openly, some in secret."
The shrine maiden's voice was calm yet solemn as she recited the ancient, noble names and their domains.
These seven great shrines represented the seven primal divinities of Yamato—And with them, seven fragments of divinity.Together with the Yakō and the Sugawara Academy, they formed the final, fractured remnants of Japan's native Mystery.
Hearing this, Kiara's smile deepened, benevolence tinged with playful insight:
"Oh? It seems the Tsuchimikado intend to remain neutral. The others, however, are not without their clever minds… Well, the agents of Taizan Fukun have their reasons.""And since the Peacock King and Lord Seimei were close, it is unwise to move against them hastily.""But those six branches that have stretched toward me…"
The tips of her joined fingers shifted slightly, as though plucking an invisible blossom:
"I shall cut them off—on His Highness's behalf."
The candlelight flickered, casting her seated silhouette against the wall behind—divine, saintly, yet more akin to the descent of a heavenly demon.
The thousand-year shadows of Heian-kyō seemed to stir within her serene smile, gathering and flowing in silence.
This woman, Sesshōin Kiara—She could hardly wait for the whole of Yamato to plunge into chaos.
"Wake up already!"
On the third morning, the rising sun broke over Fuyuki, and the penthouse of the Winterwood Grand Hotel was shaken from its calm by a boisterous voice.
Lucan cracked his eyes open, greeted by the lazy warmth of sunlight through the window. Stretching, he yawned languidly.
After his busy first night, he had spent the whole of the second day holed up in the hotel—partly setting up the El-Melloi family's magical workshop, but mostly… just slacking off.
Workshops, after all, were trivial to him now. With his command of magecraft, he could weave incomprehensibly intricate systems with a thought, even transform this entire hotel into something like a pocket dimension in minutes.
Furnishing the penthouse alone? That took less than a minute.
He had even replicated the Threefold Magus Furnace, the Lemonhead family's inherited core, hiding it within dimensional folds to endlessly channel magical energy.
And during all this? He had slept soundly.
Nothing was more blissful than slacking off during "work hours."
Even one who had no need of sleep could savor the comfort of it.
So, after a full day and night's rest, Lucan rose lazily at the pounding of fists on his door. He dressed, opened it—and nearly caught Aoko Aozaki's punch square in the face.
She just barely pulled back.
"Do you always walk without making a sound?!" she snapped, arching a brow. "And didn't we agree to explore all of Fuyuki today? It's already late! Enough sleeping!"
Aoko stood there, brimming with energy, her anticipation palpable. Though she had been a recluse in Misaki City until now, stepping out seemed to awaken her "traveler's spirit." Outings alone filled her with boundless vitality.
This morning, she looked truly ready—
The morning sun poured through the hotel's corridor windows, gilding her in light.
A fitted crimson dress hugged her well-developed figure: her chest pressed taut against the fabric, her waist surprisingly slender, her hips swaying as she stomped in frustration.
Her long legs, sheathed in glossy black tights, gleamed in the sunlight. Between hem and stocking shimmered a teasing band of bare skin.
Her damp hair, still carrying traces of her morning wash, clung to her flushed cheeks as she pouted and stamped. Her full lips shone faintly pink with gloss, catching the light like dew.
"W-What are you staring at!" she barked, ears tinged red, though she deliberately thrust her chest forward, curves even more pronounced. "Don't tell me you're planning to laze around again, you slacker!"
Her feigned bravado betrayed the truth—she was so excited for today she had barely slept at all.
Her chest rose and fell with quickened breath, the cinched waistline accentuating the dramatic curve of her figure. Her legs shifted restlessly, stockings pressing into the soft flesh of her thighs, leaving faint indents.
Strong on the surface, but restless underneath. Lucan couldn't help but laugh softly—then glanced past her, toward Alice Kuonji.
She stood quietly in the hallway's shade, clad as always in her black dress, short dark hair framing her pale, porcelain-like skin.
The fitted bodice emphasized the striking contrast of her slender waist and full chest. While her attire seemed unchanged, Lucan noticed the subtle sheen of gloss upon her lips.
Her fingers idly traced the silver chain at her skirt's edge as her gaze lingered, betraying anticipation.
She too was only a student, after all.
Lucan smiled:"Then, just as we agreed yesterday. From the Winterwood Grand Hotel—"
"…our journey ends at Fuyuki's Ryūdō Temple."