Chapter 59: A Wisp of Divinity
Ryūko Shrine.
Brilliant sunlight shone down upon the earth. Located on a high mountain peak, the scenery was pleasant and beautiful.
“Ryū” came from Natsuba Hanae’s glass-like (ryūri) eyes, and “ko” (fox) naturally referred to Tamamo-no-Mae herself, meaning that her Lady’s gaze was always upon her.
Tamamo-no-Mae lay lazily on the roof of the main hall, watching the endless stream of people at the shrine, her pink fox ears twitching.
She hadn’t expected to attract such a large crowd, even after building the shrine in such a remote location.
Since she had made a deal with the imperial princess and had the Ryūko Shrine designated as a Saigū (Imperial Shrine), the number of visitors had increased dramatically. This was a bit of a nuisance for her, as she preferred peace and quiet.
However, from the moment her Lady had announced the beginning of the celebration, she knew she had to expand her influence.
And turning the Ryūko Shrine into a state religion was undoubtedly the best way to do so.
Moreover, due to the nature of the Tamamo-no-Mae template, she possessed a series of “Fox Miko” abilities. The more famous the shrine became, the more powerful her “Fox Miko” abilities would be.
The healing of those difficult diseases was due to her use of “Prayer.”
“I wonder when I’ll see my Lady again…”
A look of nostalgia appeared in Tamamo-no-Mae’s beautiful purple eyes.
When her Lady stroked her head, her fox ears, the tip of her tail… it was… so comfortable!
A peachy blush appeared on her exquisite cheeks.
If it weren’t for the bigger picture, Tamamo-no-Mae would have already gone to the Natsuba conglomerate to find Natsuba Hanae, to wake up in her bed every day, to frantically steal…
No, to take the things Natsuba Hanae had used.
She used to have more, but after Natsuba Hanae found out, she was only left with a single handkerchief, which she had managed to save by hiding it in her… private place.
And Tamamo-no-Mae felt…
That since the beginning of the celebration, her Lady had officially begun to act. There would likely be another major move soon.
The day she would see her Lady again was approaching.
Just as Tamamo-no-Mae was thinking this…
Her pink fox ears twitched.
She heard an inharmonious, unsettling sound from within the shrine.
‘Laaaaaaaa—!’
Tamamo-no-Mae frowned, a look of confusion in her purple eyes.
“It sounds like the unconscious murmuring of a supernatural being, but why is it so quiet?”
“And…”
“If a supernatural being entered the shrine’s barrier, it should have immediately triggered the alarm and been attacked.”
Tamamo-no-Mae felt something was very strange.
But while the barrier could be deceived, her own fox ears would never lie.
She chose to trust herself.
Dressed in a white and red miko outfit, she leaped down from the roof of the main hall, landing in the main shrine. Her first priority was to check if the statue was alright.
The statue wasn’t made of gold, but of a more precious supernatural material, to enhance her use of “Prayer.”
The statue’s face was a brilliant, translucent silver-white, like a gem, with a faint glow. Although not extravagant, it possessed a dignified and elegant grace, a beauty both inside and out.
The statue’s figure was slender and graceful, clearly depicting a female deity.
And where its face should have been, there was an exquisite bird mask.
Adding a sense of mystery to the statue.
Tamamo-no-Mae looked around the main shrine. People greeted her from time to time, and she smiled and nodded in return.
And the sound, like a supernatural being, grew more distinct.
This meant that the well-hidden supernatural being was nearby.
But there were only people here, how could there be a supernatural being…
People?!
Suddenly, Tamamo-no-Mae’s pupils constricted. A flash of inspiration struck her, and her sharp mind quickly put the pieces together.
Could the supernatural being be inside a person?
She focused on listening to the sounds within people’s bodies and soon found an anomaly. A middle-aged man was walking quickly towards the exit.
And when Tamamo-no-Mae listened to his heart, she found a foreign object inside.
Listening more closely, she realized that the foreign object was a supernatural being, making a faint sound in his heart.
In an instant, Tamamo-no-Mae’s figure began to fade.
She followed the middle-aged man as he quickly left the shrine.
Until they reached a secluded grove on the mountainside. The man pulled out his phone and quickly made a call.
The moment the call connected…
Tamamo-no-Mae, hidden in the shadows, struck.
A fluffy, pink and white tail instantly materialized behind her, as sharp as a divine weapon, and stabbed towards the man’s heart!
“Squelch—!”
A large hole appeared in the man’s chest, and the supernatural being in his heart died instantly, without any warning.
A blue supernatural material rolled out.
Tamamo-no-Mae ignored it. This meant that the supernatural being hidden inside the man was only an elite-level one. But how had it been hidden inside a human body?
Tamamo-no-Mae picked up the fallen phone.
An unsettling, multi-layered voice, neither male nor female, came from the other end.
“May Bliss protect you.”
“How is the investigation of the Ryūko Shrine? Have you found anything noteworthy?”
“…”
After asking twice and receiving no answer, the person on the other end of the line clearly sensed something was wrong, and the call was instantly disconnected.
Tamamo-no-Mae frowned, her mind racing.
“May Bliss protect you.”
“Could it be the Blissful Truth religion?”
As Tamamo-no-Mae began to ponder the Blissful Truth religion’s purpose in coming here, and how they had managed to put a supernatural being inside a human heart…
In the distant sky, a crimson vertical pupil, as bright as the sun, appeared in her purple eyes.
The sunlight was dyed crimson.
A surge of joy filled her heart.
Natsuba Hanae was clearly making another major move.
Just as Tamamo-no-Mae was contemplating the purpose of this move, in a way only she could see, the crimson vertical pupil suddenly glanced in her direction.
In the next moment, a powerful, boundless gaze shot through time, carrying an indescribable, brilliant light, and surged towards the shrine.
Tamamo-no-Mae’s figure blurred, and she reappeared inside the shrine.
She saw the brilliant light from the gaze hit the statue directly.
Then, the statue’s jade-like color was infused with a hint of crimson.
The crimson, like a living thing, coiled and spread throughout the statue, then merged with it.
And the statue’s appearance became more lifelike.
Seeing this, Tamamo-no-Mae’s purple eyes widened. She pursed her lips and murmured,
“This is… divinity.”
“My Lady has already reached this level?!”
Now, the power of “Prayer” could be fully and completely activated.
…
