“Confess?” Ayaka looked at Lily’s ashamed and guilty expression and was unsure of what she wanted to say, “Lily, what exactly do you want to confess to me?”
Lily walked into the room and sat in a kneeling posture timidly. Ayaka shook her head, came over to her, and sat down together. Only then did Lily tell the story. She explained how she stole a lot of materials and treasures from the Bureau of Divination’s treasury when she was working as Onmyo no Jojo.
That being said, Ayaka was stunned.
“I can’t believe it. Lily… you actually did this?” Ayaka’s face became stern and cold as she looked at Lily1.
“I always thought that it was the people from the Bureau of Divination who framed you in order to cover up the loss of the treasury. Lily, how could you do this?” Ayaka spoke in a lecturing tone.
Lily naturally couldn’t talk about her senior sister or her arrival from another world. Other than that, she truthfully said, “My training requires these materials and treasures.”
Ayaka’s eyes blazed a little as if wanting to see through Lily, “Training resources, is that a reason?”
“Lily knows that it’s wrong to do so, but Lily doesn’t regret it. Even if Lily is given the choice again, Lily will not change her decision!”
“…” Ayaka’s anger was reflected on her usually expressionless face. She hadn’t shown such a look to Lily before. This little woman had grabbed her attention again, but she couldn’t be bothered to worry about this matter.
“You are really…” Ayaka sighed helplessly, “No matter. If you didn’t take those treasures and materials, they would’ve been squandered and embezzled by those corrupt guys. At least your contribution in the battle against the Rashomon spirit can be regarded as making up for it. Regardless, your actions were wrong, do you understand?”
Even though Lily had a thousand reasons, she was unable to say anything in front of a woman like Ayaka.
“Lily knows that she was wrong.”
“You are now one of my people and your mistake can be attributed to my lax discipline and me indulging you. I even issued a decree to help you! Lily, listen carefully. This time, for the sake of our first meeting and your first offense, I will forgive you, but if you do any wrongs again in the future, I will punish you personally. The first punishment will serve as a reminder for you, and if you make another mistake, you will receive a heavier punishment! You hear me?!” Ayaka’s gaze seemed to melt Lily’s skirt as she coldly said.
Punishment… punishment from Lady Ayaka herself? Lily didn’t know what kind of punishment it would be, but she felt that it may not be easy for her to work under Ayaka.
To be honest, Lily had a strange thought in her heart. Big Sister Ayaka might as well punish her now instead of making her hang like this. Not knowing what the punishment would be…was very distressing and unsettling.
“Understood.” For some reason, Lily could only act obediently in front of Ayaka. Was this the so-called ‘one thing subverts one thing2?’
“But how did you solve this matter later? I didn’t write the decree at that time only to help you. I originally wanted to blow up this matter by using the phantom thief to bypass the big case where the Bureau of Divination’s treasury was emptied and directly point to the instigator behind the scenes. Later, the cloistered emperor obviously ordered the case to be closed quickly, but why did they let you go if you had really done it?” Ayaka asked.
“I don’t dare to hide this from Lady Ayaka. I asked Lady Kimiko for help at that time.” Lily said.
“Kimiko? Is that the woman from Kiyoszawa?” Ayaka seemed to become more displeased.
“Eh? It’s…” Lily didn’t know why Ayaka became upset after mentioning Kimiko. The usually lofty Lord Chief Advisor who talked in an elegant and leisurely tone looked overly agitated once Kimiko was mentioned.
“Lily, it seems that I really can’t underestimate you, but I have to remind you not to have too much contact with that woman in the future.”
“Eh?”
“There are many things you will understand later… Of course, that woman won’t exactly harm you,” Ayaka said, “I can probably guess her methods. This woman is very powerful and perhaps holds some evidence we do not have about the Heian Dynasty’s corruption. With only a small hint, those old guys at the top most likely panicked and hastily closed the case.”
“So that’s the case,” Lily now understood how Lady Kimiko took care of this matter. She felt that Ayaka knew Kimiko very well, “Lady Ayaka, that Lady Kimiko’s strength is unfathomable. I wonder what kind of deity she is?”
“Don’t ask what shouldn’t be asked.” Ayaka seemed reluctant to mention more about Kimiko.
“Yes…”
“Lily, from now on, you will live at my residence.” Ayaka said.
“Yes.” Lily replied obediently. Although Lily also liked the night market, it was better to listen to Ayaka at this time.
Ayaka nodded, picked up a book, and started to read it, neither letting Lily go nor saying that she should stay.
Lily sat there obediently for a long time, but Ayaka didn’t speak again so she couldn’t help but say, “That…”
“Hmm?” Ayaka put down her book to looked at Lily
“Lady Ayaka, Lily knows that it may be a bit abrupt to say this now…”
Ayaka smiled warmly and seemed to be in a better mood, “There is no need to be so formal, right?”
“Lily heard that Lady Ayaka is the number one onmyoji master in the world. I wonder…I wonder if I can learn some arcane arts from the Lady3?”
Ayaka’s bright and icy-clear eyes looked at Lily, “You want to learn arcane arts?”
“Lily thinks that although she is a samurai, it would be advantageous to be able to use more methods to face danger in life and death battles. Moreover, I have fought samurai capable of using arcane arts before, and if Lily wasn’t slightly better, if not equal in strength, I am afraid that Lily would have suffered a loss.” Lily truthfully stated her desire4.
Ayaka nodded with satisfaction, “Lily, you are really obsessed with training. It’s admirable to be so motivated, but don’t resort to any means in the future, okay?”
“Yes… Lily will definitely keep that in mind.”
“Samurai who know arcane arts naturally have an advantage in battle over those who do not. Many samurai who stood at the peak of the Heian Dynasty were also proficient in arcane arts, such as the world’s number one hero, Minamoto no Yoshitsune.” Ayaka said with approval.
When Lily heard that Minamoto no Yoshitsune was also good at arcane arts, she became even more determined to put in the effort to learn arcane arts.
“Then, Lady Ayaka, can you also impart Lily with arcane arts! Lily wants to learn…” Lily was so eager to learn arcane arts that she even unconsciously sounded a bit petulant.
Ayaka smiled tolerantly, “Since you are one of my people, why would I not teach you?”
“Eh? This… Lily is a subordinate of Lady Ayaka.” Lily emphasised the word ‘subordinate’ and a part of the relationship between Ayaka and herself became a little fuzzy.
“However, I want to see if you have the talent to practice arcane arts,” Ayaka said and stood up, “Come with me.”
“Yes.” The corners of Lily’s mouth finally showed a smile.
Ayaka brought Lily to an open meadow by the lake.
“I have heard about your talent for swordsmanship for a long time so I don’t need to talk about it. Today, I will specifically look at how much potential you have for arcane arts. That said, I have never accepted students before. If you have poor qualifications, then I won’t waste time teaching you.”
“Lily understands.”
Ayaka’s gaze was somewhat critical as she looked at Lily’s figure, from her chest, to her waist, to her hips, but there weren’t any flaws to pick out.
“Lily, I roughly understand your realm of strength and there is no need to measure your level of spiritual energy reserves. It should be enough looking at your appearance.”
“Ah…oh.” Lily didn’t know how Ayaka could see her spiritual reserves.
“As a blade maiden, you also possess an advantage that ordinary onmyoji don’t have. Using arcane arts consumes quite a lot of spiritual energy and the ability of an onmyoji to sustain combat is less than a samurai. However, your spiritual energy can be replenished in battle so you don’t have to worry about depletion.” Ayaka’s long sleeves fluttered towards Lily and her slender jade finger pointed at Lily’s chest. Even though it was soft and elastic, her finger continued to press further.
“Ayaka… My Lady.” Lily was touched on the chest by this woman’s finger for no apparent reason. She felt puzzled and nervous. Was this the price of teaching her arcane arts?
Even if Lily really wanted to learn, she wouldn’t agree to such a condition. Otherwise, what kind of person would she become?
“Mind,” Ayaka said without distraction, “The key depends on whether your mind is strong.”
It turned out that Ayaka’s finger was pointing to her heart… Lily felt that her thoughts were too vigilant and complex5.
“Mind?” Lily asked back. She really didn’t know anything about arcane arts.
“The biggest difference between a samurai and an onmyoji is that a samurai fights, essentially relying on their body, while an onmyoji does not. An onmyoji casts spells without needing the power of the body, and in extreme cases, an old man with no hands can cast a heaven-destroying spell just as well.”
“Using the mind to manipulate your spiritual energy, combining it with incantations, arcane tools, or some materials to condense into a powerful force, and then casting it through the guidance of your mind. This is arcane art.” Ayaka continued to teach Lily.
“So, Lady Ayaka, does that mean the power multiplying sword technique that Lily has learned cannot be applied to arcane arts?” Lily asked.
“Of course, secret techniques like the Genji’s swordsmanship are based on the power of the body and cannot be applied to arcane arts. Onmyoji’s arcane power does not rely on raw strength at all. Under the same realm and perception, it depends on mental strength6! You can interpret it like this— the role of the mind in arcane arts is like the role of strength in wielding the sword.”
It suddenly dawned on Lily, “So that’s how it is…the source of the power of swordsmanship comes from strength. Even if it contains spiritual perception and the secret method of exerting power, it still depends on physical strength to perform in the end. The body is the foundation while the power of arcane arts depends on whether the mind is strong? Although spiritual perception, arcane mastery, and arcane tools can enhance the power of arcane arts, the mind is the foundation. Lady Ayaka, am I right?”
“Hm.” Ayaka nodded approvingly. Although she sometimes made mistakes, this girl was really smart and knew how to draw inferences from other things.
