Lancer didn't know much about anime, but he knew a bit about "Touhou." The background world of the story was created by that "Great Youkai Sage, Yukari Yakumo."
Her signature ability was "Gaps," but the power shown was far removed from the woman in the purple kimono before him. Although she was a "Gap Youkai," her most broken ability was actually manipulating "Boundaries."
"Boundary" didn't refer to the strength of one's power, but to the original meaning of the word: "border, frontier." Simply put, her ability was to interfere with the "boundaries" of everything. Everything in the world has a "boundary," like the outlines in a painting that distinguish things. Without boundaries to distinguish them, everything would return to chaos. This shows how broken her ability is.
Her ability can interfere with many opposing concepts, such as "water and fire," "life and death," or "reality and illusion."
Her so-called "Gaps" were actually a convenient way to use this ability.
Though such power isn't without a price, and her current ability couldn't truly return the world to chaos, it was already terrifying.
The more Lancer looked, the more she resembled the "Youkai of Boundaries" he knew.
Long golden hair, a curvaceous figure, a deceptive smile, sensitivity about age... the last one didn't count, as most older women are sensitive about that topic.
But there were many differences. She didn't wear a hat; she wore a kimono; her hair was a simple shoulder-length style; she had no parasol...
However, some of these differences could be ignored due to the time factor.
While Lancer was observing her, Yukari—her face slightly flushed from the sake—noticed Lancer odd behavior.
First, his eyes kept scanning her as if inspecting something. Simultaneously, she felt a bit lightheaded. She even wondered if there was something wrong with the sake; she had never drunk anything this strong. Because of her ability, she had stolen all kinds of wine, from imperial collections to the treasures of other youkai.
Just as he was looking at her so much she suspected he might pounce, Lancer let out a sharp breath. Her heart leaped into her throat.
But then Lancer waved his hand, and the roaring fire on his right arm went out completely. Lancer simply sat on the ground, gasping for air.
Beyond that, he didn't say a word.
Why remain silent?
Setting aside that these were just guesses, even if 99% matched, he couldn't get a direct answer without key evidence. More importantly, what could he say? Tell her the direction for developing her abilities?
Lancer wasn't a philanthropist. Why should he tell her?
What benefit was there in increasing her strength? He only had nine months left in this world. Whether he would need her help in those nine months was unknown, and how much her strength could grow in that time was also a mystery.
So Lancer decisively chose to keep what he knew to himself.
On the other side, the previously tense Yukari saw Lancer just sitting there tending to his wounds and felt a surge of annoyance.
Except for her messy clothes, she was unaffected. Yet Lancer looked as if he had been drained, gasping for air like a flopping salted fish. But the outcome of the battle had been the complete opposite.
She was the loser, and this bedraggled man was the winner.
She considered insulting him, but realized that the more she mocked him, the worse she looked. In her view, insulting an enemy who had defeated her served no purpose other than to humiliate herself. Victory and defeat cannot be swayed by words, especially since her "weakness" was still in his hands.
The "Shikigami" ritual itself was unfair. If Lancer forcibly destroyed the ritual, she would likely fall unconscious instantly, leaving her at his mercy.
The "not allowed to harm humans" clause also prevented her from striking him directly. As for indirectly? She couldn't harm him, and she actually had to protect his safety. If she were in his position, would she let an enemy go when facing a lethal threat?
She didn't want to be buried with Lancer.
Although the battle between them had been short, part of the Tengu library had been destroyed. In the ruins, a strong man gasped for breath while a disheveled woman remained silent, until—
"I think we can have a proper talk now."
"What do you want to talk about—Master?"
Yukari sudden words made Lancer pause. It wasn't that her acceptance of the situation was incredible, but the title she used made him remember a golden-haired girl. Lancer fell silent again.
"No need to call me 'Master.' Use something else. Call me Lancer, or even Red Oni. I don't care about those things."
Lancer answer seemed normal, but Yukari was willing to bet her thousand years of wisdom that the title "Master" held significant meaning for him.
However, she didn't want to provoke him right now.
"Fine. Then, Lord Red Oni, what do you wish to talk about?"
Though she used an honorific, her monotone delivery made it entirely unrewarding. Lancer didn't care. If someone just lost part of their freedom and was still overjoyed, they'd either have a brain problem or be plotting something. Her reaction was exactly as he expected.
"It's simple. Why did you target me? Even if you think I'm an otherworlder, why target me? For a youkai, where I come from shouldn't matter much, right?"
Yukari hadn't expected the first question to be so direct, but there was no reason to hide it.
"I wanted to know the method of traveling to other worlds from you."
Lancer had many guesses: she found the system, she wanted information about other worlds, or she just wanted to taste an otherworlder. But he never expected she wanted to cross worlds.
Could it be—
"Do you have any grievances with this world?"
To Lancer, her idea was irrational. People who want to cross worlds are usually dissatisfied with their situation and powerless to change it. Why would someone with a good life want to cross over?