Miss Hebe is Slaying Her Way Through the Lostbelt!

Minamoto no Yorimitsu's young face finally showed a vivid expression of regret for the first time.

Fox Spirits, of course, cannot be treated the same as humans.

"Eat."

Hebe pushed the plate towards Minamoto no Yorimitsu, seeing the clear suspicion and fear in the girl's eyes.

"Today's lesson is over," Hebe said, pointing to the sunset that was about to disappear completely below the horizon outside the courtyard.

After being tormented all afternoon, Minamoto no Yorimitsu finally breathed a sigh of relief.

As night fell, the exhausted girl fell asleep early.

In her dreams, she seemed to possess the perspective of a third party, gazing at her own actions from the day. In this state, she easily grasped her shortcomings and could modify them.

'Demons must be killed.' Minamoto no Yorimitsu's voice echoed in her mind. In her dream, she began to instinctively rehearse: how to stealthily and maliciously curse and kill that troublesome Fox Spirit.

Fiery white lightning scars appeared on Minamoto no Yorimitsu's cheeks, and even in her sleep, her expression was ferocious, her teeth gritted.

Hebe watched the burning marks that flickered with her breath and tugged at the corner of her mouth.

She had known for a long time that another will, Ushi Gozen, resided within Minamoto no Yorimitsu, and that it was because of this latter will that Minamoto no Yorimitsu could grow at an unimaginable speed.

This was good for both parties in the struggle, as the closer Minamoto no Yorimitsu became to Ushi Gozen, the stronger she would become and the more efficiently she could eliminate beasts—but if she were to fully become "Ushi Gozen," she would then embody the will of the Cruel Wolf and plunge everything into the abyss of destruction.

This was a precarious tightrope walk; Hebe had to promote Minamoto no Yorimitsu's growth as quickly as possible, yet ensure she did not become Ushi Gozen's pure glazed puppet.

Hebe tore off some fluff from her fox tail and tucked it into the corner of Minamoto no Yorimitsu's clothing.

This could suppress the awakening of Ushi Gozen's true nature.

The price was that Ushi Gozen would constantly instigate Minamoto no Yorimitsu to kill Hebe, following the scent of the fox tail.

Of course, until Minamoto no Yorimitsu achieved her goal, she would become endlessly stronger.

—And this, coincidentally, was exactly what Hebe wanted.

75 My fists are getting hard, there must be Ushi Gozen around!

"Teacher, it's time to get ready."

The morning sun shone into the small room through the window. Minamoto no Yorimitsu bent down and offered an ivory comb.

Hebe turned her gaze, only to fall into a soft embrace.

Minamoto no Yorimitsu's body matured very quickly, partly because of the noble blood flowing within her, and partly because her suppressed true nature began to reflect in her physical form.

Upon realizing this, Hebe gradually restrained herself, deliberately maintaining a sense of distance from Minamoto no Yorimitsu.

However, Minamoto no Yorimitsu, whose mind had not yet caught up with her body, did not realize this. Instead, as Hebe retreated, she aggressively encroached further.

For example, every morning when they washed up, she would always hand the comb to Hebe.

But she never mentioned that it had been tainted with a secret perfume—a spice that could weaken foxes, gradually paralyze their limbs, and finally leave them at the mercy of the hunter.

Hebe held the comb and gently pushed the overly intimate Minamoto no Yorimitsu away.

"I can't breathe," she said, gently combing her own flaxen hair.

Minamoto no Yorimitsu reached out and helped her teacher tidy her hair, which faintly exuded a subtle fragrance.

Hebe's face was reflected in the mirror. Minamoto no Yorimitsu adorned her hair with hydrangeas still glistening with dew and tied the ends with a white silk ribbon.

The flower stems had been soaked in potent venom, and on the inner side of the hair tie, an onmyoji had embroidered a soul-suppressing spell.

"Teacher, what shall we do today?" she asked, moving closer to Hebe, her breathing clearly audible.

"Let's go fishing," Hebe said, shaking her shoulder.

They rode in an ox cart draped with blue curtains, traveling along the wide imperial road. This was the vicinity of Heian-kyō, and everyone wore talismans obtained from the Bureau of Onmyo and temples.

"They won't work on you, Teacher," Minamoto no Yorimitsu teased in a low voice.

She wasn't just referring to the talismans people wore, which were said to repel "demons and ghosts."

"Indeed," Hebe replied absentmindedly, as if completely unconcerned by Minamoto no Yorimitsu's little tricks.

Minamoto no Yorimitsu smiled faintly, but her brow furrowed unconsciously.

In her mind, the voice identical to her own began to roar again, questioning why she wasn't acting according to its teachings.

Taming the will of Ushi Gozen was a difficult task. She needed to carefully maintain the boundary, not allowing "Gozu Tennō" to revive within her, yet she couldn't completely suppress it.

Ultimately, Minamoto no Yorimitsu knew that she and Ushi Gozen were souls born as one. She needed to borrow strength from Ushi Gozen.

Without strength, she would have nothing. The environment, which had just begun to improve, would only worsen.

More importantly, without strength, Teacher would definitely leave.

Deep within Minamoto no Yorimitsu's heart lay a fear and anxiety of that very moment.

Because of this, she gradually began to heed Ushi Gozen's voice, using curses, poisons, and schemes, desperately trying to render Hebe completely incapable of resistance.

If she could, Minamoto no Yorimitsu would not hesitate to sever Hebe's limbs.

This way, Teacher would have no choice but to rely on me... Only by relying on me could Teacher survive.

"Teacher belongs to me, and I absolutely cannot let her leave my sight."

In a daze, Minamoto no Yorimitsu felt a slight chill on her brow, pulling her out of a deep, dark fantasy.

Hebe said nothing, merely re-pinning the hydrangea.

The potent poison that had soaked the flower was now replaced by an elixir.

Minamoto no Yorimitsu's expression was a little subdued; she knew her trick had once again been seen through and even countered by her teacher.

She even suspected that her teacher had known all along about the will named Ushi Gozen residing within her, yet had never pointed it out.

This unspoken understanding made Minamoto no Yorimitsu feel both fearful and secretly delighted.

By the river, Hebe sat down with her fishing rod, while Minamoto no Yorimitsu sat beneath a tree, practicing the Kurama Yanagi-ryū sword techniques in her mind. She felt she had reached the threshold of some change, needing only a catalyst to truly transform the sword techniques taught by the Tengu into skills suitable for humans.

By the time the sun began to set, Hebe hadn't caught a single fish.

Hebe reeled in her rod and walked towards the Onmyoji fishing not far away.

The other man's fish basket was quite full.

"Can I buy one from you?" Hebe asked.

The tall, handsome Onmyoji in black glanced at her, looking quite surprised.

"Of course."

Seeing Hebe skillfully pick out a fish of moderate size, the Onmyoji's expression grew complex. "Aren't you going to ask me anything else?"

"Do you like fishing?" Hebe asked him.

"While I don't have many hobbies, fishing is indeed one of them," the Onmyoji replied. "Oh my, as the saying goes, the willing fish gets caught."

"I like it too, though my luck isn't very good," Hebe said.

The Onmyoji thought that perhaps it wasn't just her luck that was bad... but he didn't dare say it.

After all, the person before him, despite some superficial disguise, had revealed her true nature without any concealment.

The barrier of Heian-kyō was personally set up by that Master Seimei.

Just how terrifying must a Fox Spirit be to be able to disregard the barrier of Heian-kyō and reveal her true nature so openly... Just thinking about it made the Onmyoji break out in a cold sweat.

He had lived his life with caution, how could he encounter such a being while just fishing?

'Tomorrow, no, tonight, I'm leaving Heian-kyō!' the Onmyoji resolved.

After Hebe left with the fish, the Onmyoji stood by the river, his expression shifting between anger and gloom.

"Damn it, even such a being can appear in Heian-kyō. Something big must be about to happen!"

The more the Onmyoji thought about it, the more frightened he became. In the end, he didn't even want to return to Heian-kyō. He immediately took out several talismans, then leaped directly into the river, escaping by water.

When Hebe returned to the carriage, Minamoto no Yorimitsu was a little curious.

"Who was that?"

"An Onmyoji who is as famous as Abe no Seimei... Hmm, he's a little different from what I imagined."

Hebe tucked her hands into her sleeves and said calmly, "But I've already noted his appearance and spirit. If he does anything that displeases me in the future, I can directly trace and kill him."

"Teacher, I still don't understand why you insisted on fishing," Minamoto no Yorimitsu hesitated for a moment before finally speaking. "Aren't you a fox?"

"Foxes and fishing don't conflict, do they?" Hebe looked at her, somewhat strangely.

"No, I mean, why don't you use Fox Fire to dry up the water and catch the fish directly?" Minamoto no Yorimitsu gestured with her hands.

Hebe's eyes turned dangerous. "Who taught you such a wicked way of thinking? I must correct your flawed ideas properly!"

"The main thing is, you haven't caught any fish either," Minamoto no Yorimitsu said hesitantly. "Isn't this just a waste of time..."

Hebe's expression gradually contorted.

Her fists clenched.

Damn it, how did Minamoto no Yorimitsu become like this? It must be Ushi Gozen's doing!

Hebe, with a dark expression, untied her hair ribbon, inscribed a charm in the air, and tied it directly onto Minamoto no Yorimitsu's forehead.

The moment the ribbon touched her skin, Minamoto no Yorimitsu's mind went blank. Then she realized that Ushi Gozen's voice had been blocked.

"Huh?"

She looked at Hebe in surprise and saw Hebe meeting her gaze seriously.

"Yorimitsu, don't say such things again," Hebe said earnestly. "Chat less with those disrespectful fellows."

76 The Long Shadows in the Library

Time was drawing closer to Minamoto no Yorimitsu's coming of age.

As dusk fell, patrolling the territory was a tacit understanding between Hebe and Minamoto no Yorimitsu.

The Onmyoji of Heian-kyō believed that dusk was the boundary between humans and demons, hence they called it the hour of demon encounter and needed constant vigilance.

"What the Onmyoji say is not wrong, but it's not comprehensive."

Hebe sat in a carriage draped with blue curtains, while Minamoto no Yorimitsu sat opposite her, listening quietly.

"I call this special time point 'Times of Evasion'," Hebe said, holding up four fingers. "They are sunrise, noon, sunset, and midnight. At these four times, all sorcery and rituals become smoother and more effective."

This knowledge had been accumulated across two Lostbelts, Albion and Egypt.

Minamoto no Yorimitsu's eyes held a hint of confusion. "Teacher, are you saying that the Onmyoji..."

She wanted to say the Onmyoji were incompetent, but it seemed unlikely that battle-hardened Onmyoji would be so.

The Seiwa Genji also had their own Onmyoji whom they worshipped. According to them, sunrise, noon, sunset, and midnight—these four cardinal times—were precisely when one should avoid performing rituals.

Unless one was a being of sufficiently high status, attempting sorcery and rituals at these four moments would not only fail to provide any boon but would also result in extremely severe backlash.

Minamoto no Yorimitsu organized her thoughts and voiced her confusion.

Hebe blinked in surprise.

She had truly never heard of such a saying, but after a moment's thought, she understood.

In Albion, she was the Great Sage Merlin; in the fertile lands of Egypt, she was the Scribe of the Heavens, Imhotep, the King of Ibis.

How could these Onmyoji of the Eastern Lands, who might not even have the Dawn, dare to perform rituals during the Times of Evasion?

"Ah, don't worry about that," Hebe said, pointing to herself. "I am not like those Onmyoji."

Minamoto no Yorimitsu was momentarily speechless.

"You are the same," Hebe told Minamoto no Yorimitsu. "Ordinary taboos mean nothing to you."

If there was any destined child in the Eastern Lands Lostbelt, it was undoubtedly Minamoto no Yorimitsu.

In other words, even if Hebe did nothing, Minamoto no Yorimitsu would eventually walk the path of purging all mysteries and ending the Heian period, where yokai and demons ran rampant.

However, Hebe did not delve deeper into this topic, instead turning her gaze towards their destination.

The Seiwa Genji had their own library.