Chapter 140. The Grand Onmyoji's Lover Outside?
"My dead...?"
Tamamo no Mae looked at the Grand Onmyoji, her lips slightly parted, an expression of surprise appearing between her brows.
"Abe-sama, what do you mean?"
"It's very simple."
Ian adjusted Tamamo no Mae's clothing in front of him.
"Tamamo, if you were the one responsible for the investigation—"
"When patrolling without obtaining any results, what would you think is happening?"
"..."
Tamamo no Mae seriously considered the Grand Onmyoji's line of reasoning.
Very quickly, she had her answer.
"Then I would start to suspect that someone is hiding somewhere, right?"
Ian nodded.
"Tamamo, you truly are very intelligent."
"So—"
Before the Grand Onmyoji could finish his sentence, a commotion erupted outside the shoji door.
It seemed that someone was preparing to break in by force.
"..."
Tamamo no Mae looked at Ian beside her, her beautiful golden eyes revealing a hint of worry.
"It's fine."
Ian patted Tamamo no Mae's head.
"As long as I'm here, nothing will happen."
[You have arrived outside the residence.]
[Just as you had Tamamo no Mae speculate earlier, the ones who came are indeed a group of ashigaru (note: were infantry employed by the samurai class of feudal Japan) hunting under the orders of the Tenno in Heian-kyo.]
[They had no idea that you would appear here.]
[Their expressions clearly show their surprise.]
"Abe-sama... Why are you..."
The leading ashigaru clearly had not expected Ian to show up at this moment.
"Were you planning to search my residence while I wasn't here?"
Ian glared at the ashigaru in front of him and asked.
Although he was not normally the type to flaunt his status, when questioning someone, he still exerted considerable pressure.
The ashigaru being questioned began to feel somewhat guilty.
However, staying silent would only make things worse.
"Apologies, Abe-sama."
"Although this may be a bit abrupt... you are also aware that Tenno has been hunting for that courtesan lately."
"The places that needed patrolling have already been searched countless times, so we can only suspect that she is hiding in some deserted residence. We have no intention of offending you."
Just as Ian had predicted.
If the patrols yielded no results, the next step could only be to search through desolate residences like this one.
"I see." Ian nodded.
Seeing that the Grand Onmyoji's tone had softened somewhat, the leading ashigaru tentatively asked,
"Then—"
"Abe-sama, may we enter and conduct a search?"
"Wait a moment."
[You return inside the residence.]
[Tamamo no Mae is waiting anxiously.]
[During the time you spoke with the ashigaru, she had already wiped away all traces of what had just been 'played with.']
[You tell her about the ashigaru wanting to come inside to search.]
"This..."
Tamamo no Mae grew increasingly tense.
She hadn't expected Ian's words to come true so quickly.
"Then should I hide now?"
"No."
Ian shook his head.
"Even if you hide, you won't get far."
"Moreover, if you're discovered, explaining things will be even more troublesome."
"Then, Abe-sama, what should I do now?"
"..."
Faced with this question, Ian looked around, thought for a moment, and then answered,
"Tamamo, just stand next to me in a moment."
"Don't say anything, and don't make any unnecessary movements."
Although she was full of doubts, Tamamo no Mae did not ask any further questions. She simply nodded lightly.
"I understand."
[You have a plan.]
[You return outside the residence.]
[You allow the ashigaru to enter and search.]
[They quickly take notice of Tamamo no Mae's presence.]
[You prepare to execute the plan you had already devised.]
At this moment, Tamamo no Mae had changed back into the outfit she had used to hide earlier.
Her adorable fox ears and fluffy tail were completely concealed.
This way, her identity as a fox spirit remained undiscovered for now.
However—
Under these circumstances, the presence of a woman dressed so unusually was still far too conspicuous and could not escape scrutiny.
The gazes of the ashigaru quickly converged on Tamamo no Mae.
Doubt and murmurs arose in an instant.
Tamamo no Mae felt somewhat afraid.
After all, in a way, she was now facing the very thing she had feared most.
A single misstep, and she could very well be captured.
But at that very moment—
Tamamo no Mae felt a warmth spread through her hand.
She turned her head slightly and saw that the Onmyoji standing beside her had taken hold of her hand.
"..."
"..."
Tamamo no Mae was stunned.
The ashigaru were also taken aback.
But their thoughts at that moment were entirely different.
Tamamo no Mae suddenly understood.
Ian had told her to stand beside him so that he could take her hand right in front of the ashigaru.
That way—
They would mistakenly assume that she was his lover outside of marriage.
Which, in truth, was exactly the case.
The ashigaru glanced at Ian and Tamamo no Mae's tightly clasped hands, then looked at the still-steaming dishes and the half-filled sake bottle on the table.
No matter how foolish they were, they could tell that they had come at the wrong time.
As a result, their subsequent inspection became much more perfunctory.
"Forgive us, Abe-sama."
The ashigaru leader looked at Ian, then at the woman beside him, his expression somewhat complicated.
"We have disturbed the two of you."
"It's nothing." Ian shook his head.
"This is your duty. I don't blame you."
The residence quickly returned to tranquility.
Tamamo no Mae let out a sigh of relief before turning to look at Ian.
"Abe-sama, I truly thank you."
"If you weren't here, I wouldn't have known how to handle this."
"No need."
Ian released Tamamo no Mae's hand.
"I believe that even without me, Tamamo would surely have found a way to deal with this situation."
"...Perhaps."
Tamamo no Mae looked at her now-empty hand, feeling a slight sense of loss.
But she quickly remembered another issue.
"Abe-sama."
"Although this matter has been resolved for now."
"If things continue like this—"
"Your wife will eventually learn about what's happening between us… By then, won't it be difficult for you to explain?"
"This is all my fault, acting foolishly in the moment… insisting on inviting you to this meaningless banquet."
"Tamamo, you're starting again."
Ian looked at Tamamo no Mae, who was blaming herself, and slipped his hand beneath her robes, gently caressing the treasure that had once spilled waves of pleasure.
"Haven't I already told you?"
"The breathtaking scenery of your lands is more than satisfying for me."
"So—"
"Everything that follows is simply part of what's meant to be accepted."
"Besides, it's not as if I can't explain things clearly to Raikou."
"Eh?!" Tamamo no Mae was slightly startled. "This can still be explained clearly?"
"It can." Ian nodded confidently.
"As long as Tamamo doesn't pull any more tricks, when you play dead, everything will be taken care of perfectly."
"…I understand."
Tamamo no Mae responded to the Grand Onmyoji like that, and then from her treasure, a few drops of dew flowed down, tracing along the opponent's fingers.
She realized that she seemed to somewhat enjoy the feeling of being caressed like this.
[The investigation is still ongoing.]
[But there is not the slightest panic in your heart.]
[Because in your mind, you already have a complete plan.]
["Father of the Four Heavenly Kings" has been replaced with "Heian-kyo Famous": Thanks to the pursuit, your reputation is no longer dependent on the four adopted sons; you have become an extremely prominent figure in Heian-kyo.]
[You often, intentionally or unintentionally, let others see you entering the building where Tamamo no Mae is hiding.]
[This is part of your plan.]
[As for the rest, you need to continue learning more about Tamamo no Mae.]
Inside the hiding place.
Tamamo no Mae's everyday clothes had been neatly folded and set aside.
As for herself, she was kneeling down on the ground, raising her lower body and tail.
On her snow-white back, a few ropes had been placed.
Ian stood behind, looking at the curves of the fox spirit before him.
But what he focused on was not Tamamo no Mae herself, but rather that fluffy tail.
"Tamamo, I'll begin now."
"I… I understand."
Ian took a deep breath, then gently grabbed Tamamo no Mae's raised tail.
Snap!
The Grand Onmyoji plucked out a strand of fur.
Tamamo no Mae's entire body trembled, and she cried out.
"Mikon!!!"
"..."
Ian paused and asked:
"Tamamo, does it hurt a lot?"
"A little…" Tamamo no Mae's eyes welled up with tears. "But I can endure it!"
"So——"
"Please continue, Abe-sama!"
"…I understand."
[You plucked a few more strands of fur from Tamamo no Mae's tail.]
[Her cries of pain echoed throughout the building.]
[Hearing it, you felt a little sorrowful.]
[But you knew this was something that had to be done.]
Everything eventually came to an end.
Tamamo no Mae lay flat on the ground.
"It hurts so much…"
"You couldn't bear it, yet still stubbornly said you could." Ian gently stroked her long hair.
"How could it not hurt?"
"But this was something Abe-sama instructed."
Tamamo no Mae rested her head on Ian's lap.
"I must do my best to complete it."
After everything that had happened, Tamamo no Mae no longer dared to have any more cunning thoughts.
She confirmed that this Onmyoji was indeed her one and only savior.
"Umu… What you say makes sense."
Ian responded, then he gently turned Tamamo no Mae around.
At this moment.
The stunning fox spirit lay there, completely exposed before the Grand Onmyoji.
His gaze moved from bottom to top, scanning every inch of her skin.
Tamamo no Mae felt a little shy.
But she did not cover any part of her body, allowing him to gaze freely as he wished.
Only when the Onmyoji's eyes stopped did she softly speak:
"Abe-sama, have you finished looking?"
"Is there anything unclear… I can let you take a closer look."
It was not flattery.
Nor was it an attempt to curry favor.
Simply because the other party needed her to do this, Tamamo no Mae spoke those words.
"That's enough."
Ian replied.
"I have seen enough of your body."
"So then—"
"May I ask a small question?" Tamamo no Mae cautiously asked.
"Of course."
"Then, Abe-sama… Do I look beautiful like this?"
"..."
[You realize that this question is probably very important to Tamamo no Mae.]
[You think for a moment.]
"Beautiful."
Ian's gaze once again swept over the curves of her body.
"A body that embodies beauty."
"Therefore, to preserve this beauty… something must be done."
"Abe-sama…"
Tamamo no Mae was deeply moved.
Though the other party always spoke about exchanging benefits, in reality, he had taken considerable risks for her.
"Then what should be done next?"
"I will not slack off anymore."
"Tamamo, give me your hands," Ian said.
"..."
Tamamo no Mae sat up and obediently extended her hands.
Ian picked up the rope that had been placed on her back and tied her hands together.
"Tamamo, if you were bound like this, do you think you could escape?"
"..."
Though she found the question strange, Tamamo no Mae still answered honestly.
"If it's loosened a bit more, then maybe."
"Umu, that's good." Ian nodded as if calculating something.
"..."
"Although I may not have the right to ask this," Tamamo no Mae carefully spoke, "I still want to know Abe-sama's purpose."
"My tail fur."
"The shape of my body."
"And even this rope."
"Abe-sama, what exactly are you planning…"
Faced with Tamamo no Mae's question, Ian did not avoid it but directly explained.
"Tamamo, what do you think is the most direct way to confirm that a person is dead?"
"..."
Tamamo no Mae pondered for a moment before giving her answer.
"Finding the corpse, right?"
As soon as she finished speaking, she immediately realized something.
"Abe-sama… Are you planning to use these things to create a 'corpse' of me?"
Tail fur to simulate scent and identity;
The body shape as a necessary element to form the figure;
"Tamamo, you truly are intelligent." Ian praised, affirming her speculation.
"Then—" she pursued further.
"What is the purpose of this rope?"
"Because I need to show everyone that I have captured you, then, in front of them, 'kill' you—this way, news of your death will be solidified."
Tamamo no Mae naturally understood that the "kill" Ian mentioned did not mean truly taking her life.
If she pieced everything together—
It meant that this Onmyoji would stage her execution before everyone, but in reality, he would create a fake corpse to deceive them.
That way, Tamamo no Mae would be regarded as a "defeated yokai," and the pursuit against her would come to an end.
Thinking along this line… perhaps that previous hand-holding was also to attract attention.
This was a high-risk plan meant to fool everyone.
If any flaw were discovered, the consequences would be dangerous.
And all of this was solely to help her escape the hunt.
Tamamo no Mae looked at the man before her, and in her golden eyes, only gratitude and worry remained.
"Abe-sama… Isn't this a bit too dangerous for you?"
"Not at all."
Ian looked at Tamamo no Mae's graceful figure, showing not the slightest concern about facing danger.
"If I don't even have this bit of courage—"
"Then how could I be worthy of the title of Heian's Number One Onmyoji?"
Hearing those words, Tamamo no Mae's face flushed slightly as she softly murmured.
"Mm… Heian's Number One Onmyoji."
"A man truly worthy of my wholehearted devotion…"