Aoki Shrine (Part Three)

Once they reached the main sanctuary, the Spellcaster glanced around to make sure no one had followed them, then quietly pushed open the wooden door and led Han inside. A shrine's main sanctuary was not a place people could enter at will; it was where the deity worshipped there descended. But desperate times called for desperate measures, and Han could not afford to worry about that now. After paying their respects to the Sacred Rock enshrined within, they settled beneath a window where they could keep watch on the grounds outside.

The handsome young Spellcaster relaxed as well. The Miko before him was still young, yet she had been able to see a barrier that ordinary Miko and Spellcasters could not. He therefore suspected that she possessed exceptional gifts, since barriers were normally invisible-even to the person who had erected them.

"How did you get on those people's bad side?" the Spellcaster asked quietly.

"They seem to be working with a Monster," Han answered just as quietly, then asked, "What brings you here, honored Spellcaster?" Shrines usually housed only priests and Miko. Spellcasters generally belonged to the Bureau of Yin and Yang or cultivated at temples, rather than shrines. Perhaps he was passing through, Han guessed. Spellcasters and Miko were equals, but out of gratitude for his rescue, she still addressed him respectfully as "honored Spellcaster."

"I'm only spending the night," the Spellcaster said. "You don't seem to belong to this shrine either, miss?" Otherwise, she would not have been running through it in such a sorry state.

"That's right." Han felt rather ashamed that a Monster had driven her back, even though it had actually been humans who had done so. "Do you know anything about the Monster in this shrine, honored Spellcaster?"

The Spellcaster knitted his fine brows and stroked his chin with one hand. "I'm afraid not [note 1]. I only arrived last night myself." Then an easy, carefree smile returned to his face. "Please stop calling me 'honored Spellcaster,' miss. My name is Miya. You can just call me that."

"All right. My name is Han. It's a pleasure to meet you." Han smiled too. There was not enough room beneath the window for a proper formal greeting, so she bowed to him from her kneeling position.

"The pleasure is mine," Miya replied, returning her bow.

Still bowed toward each other, they exchanged a spontaneous smile. The atmosphere grew warmer, and only then did they truly feel acquainted.

Once they had grown a little more familiar, they told each other where they came from. Han naturally said she was from Kiyomori Temple and explained that White Rabbit was her Shikigami, while the Spellcaster said he came from Ginkai Temple in Izumo [note 2]. As the legendary home of many deities, Izumo Province appeared frequently in myths. Han had also heard of Ginkai Temple. It was said to enshrine a golden image of Kannon that no evil could violate.

Still, Izumo's most famous landmark had to be its namesake, Izumo Grand Shrine. Of course, Izumo Shrine and the Izumo Office shared its name as well, but Izumo Grand Shrine was the best known, both as the largest shrine in the country and as the oldest. It was also renowned for matchmaking: single men and women who prayed there could find their beloved, a reputation that had spread throughout the country. Miya added with a smile that many noblewomen visited to pray for a good marriage, giving rise to all sorts of romantic rumors about princesses. Those stories convinced still more people, who then flocked to Izumo Grand Shrine.

Miya was talkative without being frivolous. His casual comments about his homeland made Han laugh aloud before she hastily fell silent. They shared another knowing smile, then lowered their voices and began discussing the strange circumstances at Aoki Shrine.

When Miya first requested lodging, a Miko had firmly refused him, but he had eventually persuaded her. At this point in his account, he unconsciously waggled his eyebrows, then abruptly remembered that he was speaking to a Miko who was still only a child. With an awkward smile, he tried to steer the conversation casually back to the matter at hand.

Miya had set out from Izumo Province, passing through Inaba, Tajima, Echizen, and other provinces before taking the route through Kai toward Musashi, where he intended to retrieve a treasure. Although he had only reached Kai, what he had seen along the way had already given him plenty of experience. Even when a Miko had a secret affair, she would usually conceal it. He had never encountered an entire shrine becoming complicit, nor Miko, humans, and Monsters colluding with one another. His wording was tactful, but Han understood his meaning well enough. After discussing it, they agreed that the key lay with the boar Monster known as the Mountain God, whether it had claimed that title to deceive the humans or the humans had mistaken it for one. The Spellcaster had also observed that the nobles and their attendants usually left before dawn. Some of those attendants were even retainers of military commanders, so they apparently did not fear attacks by Monsters in the middle of the night. The two therefore decided to take turns keeping watch and resting through the night, then test the Monster during the day.

Dawn was approaching.

Some of the noblemen left directly from the kagura hall, while others emerged from individual rooms in the rear hall. Led by their attendants, they boarded their ox carts from the back [note 3]. At the drivers' quiet commands, the large but docile black oxen pulled the carts out of the shrine one after another.

Han and the Spellcaster waited patiently inside the main sanctuary.

The pitch-black sky gradually brightened, taking on the pale white of a fish's belly.

The Miko responsible for cleaning had risen as well, and one of them approached the main sanctuary.

Miya pointed at her and silently mouthed something. Han nodded, and the two quietly took up positions beside the door.

Outside, the Miko covered her mouth to stifle a yawn, then patted her cheeks to wake herself up. Holding a broom in one hand, she pushed open the sanctuary door with the other.

Once Han confirmed that there were no traces of a curse mark on the Miko, she nodded to the Spellcaster. Miya understood. As the Miko stepped inside, he swiftly clamped a hand over her mouth. Han promptly closed the door, drew out paper talismans, and erected a barrier around the three of them as he had taught her.

"Don't bother calling for help. You've heard of a soundproof barrier, haven't you?" the Spellcaster whispered in the Miko's ear. She nodded, but her expression remained blank, and Han stayed on guard beside them. "If you're willing to answer our questions, nod. Otherwise..." He offered a mild threat, and the Miko nodded silently.

"Good. Then the first question: where did the Monster in this shrine come from?" Having asked, the Spellcaster slowly removed his hand from her mouth, though he kept it poised at her neck as a precaution.

"Lord Earth Defilement!" the Miko shouted the instant she had the chance. The sound spread out and struck the barrier, sending watery ripples across it.

Since they could not yet trust each other, they naturally would not reveal all their cards. The barrier was one of them. It was not merely soundproof; it was a shielding barrier that blocked both spiritual power and demonic power. Although an advanced barrier like this consumed more spiritual power as time passed, its area was small, and Han's reserves were unusually abundant. Thus, Miya and Han had chosen it without hesitation. The Miko had shouted the Monster's name in an attempt to make it sense her call, but she had unquestionably failed.

The Spellcaster restrained her again. "You'll make things very difficult for me if you refuse to cooperate, miss... I might have to do something unpleasant to you." He deliberately spoke with malice, and the Miko's face went white.

"You'll cooperate with us, won't you?" he asked softly.

Although fear showed on the Miko's face, she seemed unmoved. Instead, she squeezed her eyes shut, as though she would rather suffer humiliation than reveal the truth.

Miya and Han exchanged a glance. A Miko who responded to neither persuasion nor threats was proving difficult to handle.

Han drew a deep breath and said solemnly, "I only want to ask you one thing. Are you worthy of the Miko robes you wear?" The Miko shuddered.

"Do you still remember the vow you made before Amaterasu when you became a Miko?" The Miko opened her eyes, which were filled with anguish, and hesitation crossed her face. Their shrine served Amaterasu Hi-no-Mikoto. When the senior Miko had first acknowledged her, she had stood before Amaterasu with a heart full of devotion and reverence, swearing to serve the deity for the rest of her life. Now almost every Miko in the shrine had fallen into this miserable predicament. It was not that she felt no pain, but since she could not escape, she could only numb herself. Yet now this little Miko stood before her and challenged her, and she could not answer. This little Miko was just like her former self...

"If you truly repent, tell us how all this happened." Han's voice carried firm conviction. "Will you trust me to destroy this Monster?" She gathered an immense amount of spiritual power in her hand, its pure green color visible to the naked eye. Spiritual power could only manifest like this once it had been concentrated to a certain degree. Although spiritual power was not everything, it was enough to persuade this Miko. "Only by killing this Monster can you receive the deity's forgiveness."

The Spellcaster quietly released her. The Miko sank weakly to her knees before Han, covered her face with both hands, and wept silently. "Can you really do it? Can someone like me still be forgiven?"

"Yes," Han answered. She lowered herself onto one knee and took both of the Miko's hands in hers. "Once the Monster is killed, you will all be able to be purified."

The Miko raised her head and gazed through tear-filled eyes at Han's composed face. "Yes. Thank you."

It seemed the Miko was finally willing to tell them. Behind her, Miya let out a long, silent sigh.

"I'm afraid that Monster has already gained power from people's faith. Perhaps, given a little more time, it will truly become a Mountain God." The Miko began with these words. Seeing no fear on Han's face strengthened her confidence in the two of them.

She continued, explaining that her name was Chacha and that she had grown up in this shrine. Although it could not compare to the great shrines, it enjoyed a modest reputation in the surrounding area. Even deep in the mountains, it received a steady stream of worshippers, including many noblemen and noblewomen.

She hesitated for a moment before saying that there had reportedly been rumors of a powerful Miko who guarded the shrine secretly carrying on an affair with a nobleman. This was a disgrace to the shrine. Although similar rumors surrounded many shrines, and even Miko of imperial birth who devoted themselves to serving the deity at Ise Grand Shrine were said to have illicit affairs with other men (really), with many poets even using such stories as the subject of famous poems, it was still an undeniable scandal for the shrine itself. No wonder this Miko was hesitant and evasive.

She went on to explain that no one knew when this Monster, whose true form seemed to be a boar, had first come to the shrine. Initially, it had appeared as a nobleman, using that identity to befriend other nobles. It had declared its intention to undertake devout spiritual training at the shrine, and the Miko had naturally accepted it. Yet at some point, by the time she noticed, many of the Miko were already under its control. Perhaps because her own spiritual power was weaker, its influence on her had been limited. As the Monster gradually took control of the entire shrine, it began inviting noblemen to visit at night and amuse themselves with the Miko. The guests differed from one occasion to the next, while the Miko could scarcely control themselves. Whenever they even thought of resisting, the Monster tightened its hold, and so they gradually succumbed, growing increasingly numb. Afterward, the Monster became bolder and bolder, sometimes even revealing its true form. At first, the nobles who came for pleasure were frightened, but it called itself a Mountain God and behaved no differently than before. They relaxed and came to believe it completely. Though the Miko sensed that something was wrong, they could not even control themselves. What could they possibly do?

Unable to contain her grief, Chacha bowed to the floor and sobbed, leaving both the Spellcaster and Han speechless. The Spellcaster held her in his arms and comforted her softly, then reminded her to keep everything secret. Chacha agreed between sobs and left.

Notes: 1. Spellcasters don't necessarily all refer to themselves as "this humble scholar." I just thought it was adorable for our charming Spellcaster to call himself that, don't you agree~

2. I've made Miya the grandfather of Miroku, who appears fifty years later. The original never mentioned this. Miroku was born at Musō Temple in Musashi Province, while I've set Miya's origins at Ginkai Temple in Izumo. There's a story behind this. It isn't a continuity error. Ginkai Temple is fictional, but in my imagination it's modeled on Kinkaku-ji, also called Rokuon-ji-that glittering golden temple covered in gold leaf~ drool~ One possible error in the text, though, is that since the setting is the early Sengoku period, some of the provinces hadn't yet formed. Information and maps for that period were hard to find, so I had to use a map of the established Sengoku-era situation. I think I mentioned this before?

Since Ginkai Temple is made up, I borrowed elements from other temples. The golden image of Kannon mentioned in the text is enshrined at Sensō-ji. It is said that long ago, two brothers who fished for a living pulled it out of a river.

3. You board an ox cart from the back of the carriage and get off at the front.