Chapter 36

-POV change-

I could not help but be astonished at the sight.

I was also awed by the fact that the Abe family’s eldest son, Haruku-sama, was able to manipulate the human-shaped dolls at will despite being only six years old, which is still understandable. The Abe family’s education for gifted children is tremendous, and all the children of successive generations of the Abe family are blessed with talent and have honed that talent from early on.

Hence, there are other reasons for my embarrassingly distorted face.

“Oh, who is controlling that doll talisman?”

“I don’t know. Among those gathered here today, the rumored children are, of course, the Minamoto family, the Kagura family, the Kami family, and the Nishikido family, I believe.”

“None of them are under the age of six, and even I couldn’t do those moves now.”

Oh, good. I’m glad to hear that.

It seems I was not the only one surprised.

Everyone who belongs to the Minamoto family is surprised.

I can’t blame them. You have to be really good at manipulating spiritual power to do such complicated moves, and even if you could, you’d probably run out of spiritual power and fall off.

He must have the appropriate spiritual power to match his skill.

I never thought I would see such advanced combat in a game of tag that I myself used to play.

“Calm down, folks. Let’s find the mother of the boy who is manipulating that doll.”

Following my instructions, everyone looks around.

Every adult in the hall has a look of astonishment on their faces. They are probably not the mothers of the operators.

Like us, a group of people looking for the mother of the sorcerer stops in their tracks. They are under the Nishikido family. They are also excluded.

Then, Ito-san, who belongs to the Minamoto family, sends us a signal.

“Mistress over there, she is not surprised at all.”

After she had whispered in my ear, I looked at her and sure enough, there was a woman with a face that seemed to say “of course” at the sight in front of her.

She must be the mother of that doll operator.

“Let’s go, everyone.”

With such a promising boy and a family that did not belong to any faction, there was no way I would not be able to bring them in.

I led a faction of the Minamoto family consisting of about 10 members and surround the woman in question.

“Excuse me, is that doll talisman owned by your son?”

“Yes, without a doubt. It is my son’s doll.”

I have never seen her face as she answered me in this way.

This must be her first time attending this get-together. She is still young, and more and more men are marrying ordinary women these days, not those in the Onmyoji world. Many women who were not closely associated with the Onmyoji world are new additions like this.

“So very talented. I am looking forward to seeing what the future holds for him.”

“Yes, our child will definitely become a genius Onmyoji who will leave his mark in history.”

As proof of this, this woman is completely unfazed in front of me.

She probably does not know that I am from a branch of the Abe family, which stands at the top of the Onmyoji world, and that I am the wife of the head of the Minamoto family, who is the right-hand man of the Abe family.

If they don’t know, they just need to be informed.

We are going to have a long relationship from now on.

“By the way, does your son already have a fiance?”

“What, a fiance, you say?”

Yes, the general public is not familiar with such a custom.

But in the Onmyoji world, it is still well known as common knowledge.

Onmyoji talents are often inherited, and children born to gifted men and women often have abundant spiritual power.

Even if one parent is an ordinary person, a gifted child may be born by chance in this way, but it is still a world where the thickness of blood is respected.

“My daughter is four this year, how about that one?”

“He’ s four years old. Um, it is indeed too early to get engaged.”

“That’s not true—‘No, no, no, it’s a good opportunity, and I don’t want to miss this chance.’ My child is also four years old, so why don’t you consider her?'”

Damn, the circle of encirclement has been broken.

It was the slut of the Nishikido family, a traitor with a taste for luxury, who came.

“Well, nowadays, we have freedom to love—‘Freedom is important, of course, but it is also a mother’s duty to take care of the family.’ A powerful boy brings with him a certain amount of commitment, so don’t you think you should also provide him with the grace to match?'”(T/N – If you didn’t already figure out author put the thoughts they have in the middle of their talking so for that I marked it with {‘})

There was no way the Nishikido family would let such an excellent asset get away.

How could I let this woman, who doesn’t listen to others and doesn’t know the meaning of elegance, take it away from me?

“Nishikido-san, you are being very pushy. Unlike us, this woman is an ordinary person. How about not imposing our common sense on her?”

“Oh, dear, you are talking nonsense. This is the center of the Onmyoji world, the Abe family. There should be no outsider here. This person is also a related person, so it is only natural that we should be the first to present a wonderful proposal for the betterment of our relationship. In the first place, wasn’t it you who first proposed the engagement?”

This b*tch…….

I have not liked her for a long time, but this sidestepping is beyond revolting.

It is a laughable joke that the Nishikido family, who drip poison into the heart of the Onmyoji world, is talking about the Abe family.

“You would be wise not to listen to this woman’s words, or you will be saddled with debt and your precious one will be used as a puppet.”

“Please don’t make false accusations. My family has done nothing more than lend a helping hand to a family in need. We have done nothing to earn your gratitude or resentment.”

“Oh, who is it that is causing the poverty? Who is it in the west that is…?

“Oh, um, I’m not sure that you should be fighting over me.”

I shouldn’t have done that, I did a shameful act.

Returning my gaze to the talisman game that had been the source of all this, I was tempted to say, “You’re kidding”.

“Oh, he wasn’t serious yet with all that?”

“He’s playing with Haruku-sama: ……”

Yes, this was an even more advanced battle than the previous one.

This was no longer a game. It is a battle.

Even the shameless people of the Nishikido family were dazzled by the spectacle.

No, all the people in the room were watching the high-speed battle between the dolls, which they could barely follow with their eyes, and there was a complete silence.

Then the battle was over, and the scene was set in motion by Akari-sama’s words, “My brother has lost”.

“Let’s get him engaged to my daughter. I will invite you to my home afterwards. I would love to hear your views on raising a child.”

“Hey, you’re barging in and being too pushy – ‘Do you mind getting out of my way?’ Come on, please follow me.'”

The mother of a boy who would not only be a superior specimen, but a central figure of the next generation.

The Nishikido family even threw away the cat’s skin they were barely wearing and snatched her up in a factional human wave.

“By the way, where do you live?”

“I am free–”

I bit my lip involuntarily as they took the initiative—“Who the hell are you!”

“Nice to meet you. My name is Kyobe Sei, the eldest son of the Kyobe family. Please accept my regards.”

What?

It’s not at all the same as the name of his mother’s family, which I just barely heard earlier.

My fellow faction members shake their heads. They didn’t seem to have any idea.

I look around and see the Nishikido family and that mother who had stopped moving.

And right near the table where the Nishikidos and I had been sitting before we moved, there was a woman with a big smile on her face.

“Sei, you made a friend right away. I’m glad.”

There you are!

Without me having to give them any instructions, the Minamoto family members surrounded her.

She must have been surprised earlier at that sight, so it never occurred to me that she was his mother.

“You, what is your name?”

“Eh? Well, my name is Kyobe Reika. Nice to meet you. I am the wife of Kyobe Tsuyoshi.”

An unfamiliar name, definitely a regular person.

And the last name confirmed that she was the mother of that sorcerer.

“I apologize for not saying my name first. My name is Minamoto Aya, wife of the head of the Minamoto family, Minamoto no Aranran. I look forward getting to know you.”

I will not let them be sidetracked by the Nishikido family anymore.

They should just get along with the mothers who don’t even know what their children are capable of.

“By the way, it was your son who was operating that doll talisman, wasn’t he? He seems to have had a very good training.”

“Yes, I was surprised too. I never thought he could make paper dolls fly that fast.”

…… This mother also doesn’t seem to have a grasp of her own child’s abilities.

I wonder if the regular person wouldn’t be concerned about her own child’s spiritual power.

“What kind of education did you give him? I’d love to hear about it.”

Every woman around me listens. If their own child is even remotely close to a genius like that, what woman wouldn’t want the information?

So I won’t let her speak here.

“There is an empty room just over there, so let’s talk there. Reika, let me introduce you to my friends as well.”

“But the Sei is …….”

“If it’s your son, you can ask the servants to look after him.”

This is what happened when I thought there was no activity going on in the Nishikido family.

Right before our eyes, that boy was making his move again.

The paper, which must have been prepared by the servants, began to move all at once; as many as 30 large sheets of paper were folded to resemble butterflies. That alone was amazing, but the butterflies were all moving their wings as if they had a separate life of their own.

How much control does one have to have to be able to do something like that?

At least, a higher skill that even I, who have been active as an Onmyoji, cannot do.

Moreover, it is soaring down to the girls who are gathered at a distance.

All of them are precise, even the ones that are tucked in, they place it on their hands.

“Wow, a letter.”

A letter?

A boy of that age writing a letter to a girl?

Using a doll that resembles a butterfly?

When did he write these letters?

It’s not normal.

Not only in his actions and abilities, but even his thoughts are not those of a child.

I wonder if I should bring this boy in as an ally.

No, Shizuku is also quite mature, and I guess some boys are like that.

A little lost in my mind, I hear the voice of his unusual mother.

“Well, I can’t believe he gets along with girls too, he’s going to be a wonderful Onmyoji in the future, just like Tsuyoshi-san.”

No, this mother does not feel any sense of crisis at all.

A mother with a child of such potential could be taken advantage of if she is ignorant.

Let her be well educated and helpful under the protection of us, and by extension, the Abe family.

—

T/N – I really like when POV change happens and this was a long chapter. It is personally one of my favorite so far. If you notice any mistakes please tell me and I will try to fix it when I can. I hope you enjoyed the chapter :).