"Ah, Uraume really is far too loyal. She wouldn't rest even when I told her to. As a curse user, she doesn't need much rest, but prolonged activity can still wear down the brain, and the brain is a sorcerer's most important organ." With a soft sigh, Yuki watched Uraume leave.
Meanwhile, inside the government office, a frozen corpse lay on gruesome display before everyone.
"This must have been Sukuna's doing. This is the first person he's killed since coming to Heian-kyo."
Several jujutsu sorcerers had gathered in the government office around Yorozu's corpse. After her beautiful body had been frozen and tossed out, flesh bulged from the hideous wounds covering it, looking as fresh as if she had only just died. Even her blood still gleamed bright red. Anyone who didn't know better might have thought she was still alive.
"Has anyone notified the Fujiwara Northern House? This is their young lady. They should retrieve her themselves and prepare to face Sukuna's wrath."
"Only a maid came. Apparently, their main forces withdrew from Heian-kyo long ago. They probably only left this young lady behind for the ritual. Unfortunately, they chose the wrong person. How could a loose woman like her ever catch Sukuna's eye?"
The jujutsu sorcerers spoke calmly. After all, this was Heian-kyo. Even if it was Sukuna, they didn't believe he would dare go on a killing spree here. Clearly, they had never witnessed his cruelty and bloodlust.
"Have the maid take the body back. She was still a member of the Fujiwara Northern House, so we might as well show them that much courtesy."
At that, several bailiffs brought a maid inside.
"My lords, please return Lady Yorozu to me." Not a flicker of emotion crossed the maid's face.
"Oh? It seems you don't care much whether your young lady lives or dies." The leading jujutsu sorcerer looked amused. His eyes rested on the frozen corpse below, and his lips curved into a strange smile.
"Please tell me the name of the person who killed my lady. I will report it truthfully to the head of the house."
"Our divine lord, of course. Ryomen Sukuna. Wasn't your head of the house the one who invited him here? Your lady has only herself to blame for courting death by provoking him."
"She was merely a pawn the family had discarded, not a blood relation of the Fujiwara Northern House. My only task was to keep an eye on her. In that case, I can now give the head of the house my report." Without even raising her eyes, the maid hoisted Yorozu's corpse with both hands and left the government office.
The leading jujutsu sorcerer narrowed his eyes as he watched the maid leave the office. He made no visible move, but the strange curve of his lips grew wider and wider.
Soon, the maid threw Yorozu's corpse into a large pit that had already been dug. She hurried away before she even had time to cover it with earth. The ritual was about to begin!
The pit lay silent, screened by dense woods. Only the buzzing of summer cicadas could be heard. Suddenly, a ghostlike figure appeared at its edge. It was the leading jujutsu sorcerer. He raised his hand and made a strange gesture. Yorozu's corpse vanished, and the pit was completely filled in, leaving not the slightest trace.
"The show is about to begin."
"My lord, the ritual is about to begin. Please take your seat upon the divine dais." Holding a paper bag in her hands, Uraume bowed respectfully.
"Oh? What are you holding? Some delicacy you found for me?" Sukuna asked casually. He didn't know how the plot would unfold from here anyway, so he might as well follow his whims, as long as he stayed in character.
"Yes, my lord. I found a delicacy for you. These are sugar-roasted chestnuts from the great eastern nation next door. Would you like to try them now?"
"Oh, sugar-roasted chestnuts!" At the mention of them, a hint of excitement crept into his voice. He hadn't expected to taste a familiar treat from home in such a backward era. This was simply wonderful.
Hearing the change in Sukuna's tone, Uraume hurriedly offered him the chestnuts. She had peeled every single one by hand, without even using cursed energy to help. After all, this was a delicacy she had found for Sukuna!
The plump, rounded chestnuts before him each gave off an enticing fragrance, far more appetizing than the grilled fish slices he had eaten over the past two days. His mouth promptly began to water. His throat worked as the sugar-roasted chestnuts went down one after another, and he made sure to tuck away the tongue sticking out of his abdomen. That would ruin his image.
"The ritual has begun. Uraume, stand behind me. That need not change," Sukuna said mildly. As more and more memory fragments had merged with him lately, he couldn't help complaining inwardly that the body's original owner had truly been a bloodthirsty maniac! He had killed practically every woman and child he came across and frequently slaughtered entire villages, one after another. Who knew how many Japanese people he had massacred during this Heian Period? Yet precisely because they were Japanese, he wasn't particularly shaken. Instead, he accepted that fact quite easily. There were only two years left anyway. By now, it should only be a little over a year. After all, summer was nearing its end, and winter would soon arrive. Once winter came, could the next year be far away?
"Yes, my lord." Uraume still kept her eyes tightly shut. Anyone who didn't know better might have thought she possessed the Six Eyes.
Once he was seated high upon the altar, a heavy curtain screened his view. Incense smoke swirled around him, turning his surroundings into a white haze.
I have to admit, sitting up here on this lofty divine dais really broadens my view. No wonder the original owner insisted on sitting on a throne piled with corpses even inside his innate domain. This feels incredible. I seem to be growing more and more like Sukuna.
"Let the ritual begin!" At the officiant's loud proclamation, the long lines waiting outside Yuki's entrance filed in, one after another. The emperor of the Heian Period entered first, leading his ministers.
"Ghost King of Mount Luofeng, we beseech you to protect Japan." As the emperor knelt first, the ministers behind him followed suit. Countless offerings were placed on the offering table. Long incense sticks were set in place, followed by elaborate, obscure prayers.
Although they were all speaking archaic Japanese, he had absorbed some of Sukuna's memory fragments. Their words seemed to translate themselves automatically in his mind, as though he had learned Japanese long ago. He might even have understood more than some illiterate Japanese people.
The ritual would last three days, which meant he would have to sit here for three days. Still, being above everyone else felt wonderful, especially with so many Japanese people kneeling before him. In his heart, he could only silently say, You may rise. To those outside, however, the burly figure whose features they couldn't make out sat cross-legged upon the altar, his four powerful arms forming different hand signs. Sukuna had only assumed the pose unconsciously, yet it still drew gasps from the people below.
"H-he's Ryomen Sukuna!" someone blurted out in terror. Instantly, the room erupted. A foul smell of urine even rose from the official who had spoken. He might have been one of the very few officials who had witnessed Sukuna killing people and survived, so nothing frightened him more than this appearance. The moment he saw those terrifying four arms, he wet himself.
At his startled cry, the ministers began whispering among themselves. Even the guards who had entered tightened their grips on their samurai swords. Ryomen Sukuna's infamy had long since spread to every corner of the Heian Period.
"Oh my, am I really that famous? You recognized me right away." A soft chuckle came from atop the divine dais, his tone almost flippant. Yet those few casually spoken words instantly silenced everyone below. They looked at one another, unsure what to do.
"Insolent fool! Drag him out! How dare he disrespect the Ghost King of Mount Luofeng? Take him outside and hang him!" At the emperor's command, a group of guards hurriedly dragged away the official who had wet himself. The ritual resumed, with everyone proceeding cautiously. This time, however, no one dared whisper below. Such was the advantage of overwhelming strength. No matter how wicked someone was, nobody dared risk their own life just to run their mouth.
Only two hours into the ritual, everyone below already felt cold sweat soaking their backs. They were even more cautious than during the previous rituals. None of them wanted to displease the two-faced monster before them. Gambling with their own lives would be the height of stupidity.
After the emperor left, officials from other regions entered one after another to pray for divine protection. This time, however, they didn't dare look toward the divine dais, afraid they would see something that would give them nightmares once they returned home. Atop the dais, Sukuna yawned in boredom, constantly chewing the sugar-roasted chestnuts Uraume had brought, along with the pork head meat, roast chickens, and Japanese sake offered by the regional officials. Unfortunately, there was no such thing as cola in this era. Otherwise, I might go right back to living like a shut-in. Sukuna gave a self-mocking smile. He had finally accepted his identity completely.
"Let me drive this whole story forward!"
"Hahaha!" At his delighted laughter, the officials below became so frightened they seemed to forget how to walk. All they could do was inwardly curse their rotten luck.