Chapter 71: Entering the Enma-tei

Chapter 71: Entering the Enma-tei

While everyone else stared up at the massive building in shock, Benienma had a proud, almost smug look on her face as she crossed her arms and puffed out her chest. She had been waiting to demonstrate the splendors of the Enma-tei from the moment Thomas first summoned her, so she was happy to have finally been given the opportunity.

Just as Benienma was about to urge everyone into the front lobby, the doors to the Enma-tei opened to reveal someone she hadn't expected to encounter. The smile on her face immediately vanished as she surprised everyone present by muttering, "Hahaue(Honorable Mother)..." in a sober tone.

Despite standing a mere 149cm tall, the woman Benienma had addressed as 'mother' exuded equal parts femininity, regality, and 'menace.' She had bone-white hair styled in a complex oiran hairstyle, a complexion akin to fine porcelain, and piercing golden eyes that could give a snake a run for their money. Her outfit consisted of an ornate crow-themed headdress, while her body was garbed in a predominately white jnihitoe-style dress with crimson trim, accented by black and gold feathers.

Instead of acknowledging Benienma's words, the petite woman directed her gaze at Thomas, freezing him in place as she adopted a sly smile and said, "You're quite the generous man, entrusting such a large sum of gold to this one's daughter. Tell us, what is it you 'desire'...?"

Without conscious thought, Thomas opened his mouth, his voice a lazy monotone as he answered, "I want to stand at the pinnacle of everything. I don't want to be ordinary..."

Narrowing her eyes in amusement, the woman mused, "And ambitious to boot..."

Directing her gaze to Benienma, the woman's expression became severe as she revealed, "Due to the size of your offering, His Majesty, King Enma, has bestowed you the rank of Oo-okami(Grand Proprietress). Continue to work hard, and serve your Danna well..."

Finished with what she had to say, the white-haired woman briefly eyed everyone present before settling her gaze on Thomas. As she did so, her body abruptly dispersed into a murder of shadowy ravens, disappearing moments later.

Feeling as though a tremendous weight had been removed from their bodies, Thomas, Nami, Vivi, and Illya exhaled the breaths they didn't even notice they were holding. The woman that had appeared was Datsue-ba, one of the very first denizens of Hell and King Enma's wife. She was the second-highest-ranking Oni in Buddhist Folklore, Benienma's adoptive mother, and the woman considered to be the origin of the Japanese term for 'money grubber.' More importantly, she was 'very' powerful...

Needing to vent her frustration, Caenis manifested her spear and threw it toward the horizon as she shouted, "Fuck...!" at the top of her lungs. Since the Enma-tei was considered a 'Domain of Hell,' the power and abilities of Spirits were drastically reduced. This was especially true for Spirits whose 'origins' stemmed from a foreign Pantheon, so Caenis had effectively been reduced to a mortal in Datsue-ba's presence.

Looking at Thomas with crimson eyes, Caenis growled, "You need to give me permission to use my power on the Enma-tei's grounds! Right fucking now...!"

Raising his hands, Thomas replied, "You have my permission..." without hesitation.

Exhaling a frustrated sigh, the crimson hue gradually faded from Caenis's eyes as she responded, "Good..." in an uncharacteristically faint tone. She hated feeling powerless more than anything, but she also recognized she might have gone overboard by 'snapping' at Thomas. She would never say sorry, but she at least 'felt' apologetic.

As he had gotten pretty good at ascertaining Caenis's thoughts, Thomas lowered his hands, adopting a faint smile as he suggested, "Shall we head inside...?" Trying to console Caenis would have the opposite effect, so he chose to change topics and divert everyone's attention away from her.

Recovering from the shock of her mother's appearance and sudden promotion, Benienma perked up and replied, "Allow me to show you the way, dechi...!"

Though she could ordinarily move faster than the eye could see, the default rules of the Enma-tei limited Benienma's running speed to that of an ordinary human child. As a result, she appeared to scamper forward excitedly, passing through the entrance of the Enma-tei before turning around and dropping to her knees, sitting in seiza with an expectant smile on her face. This chapter is updated by nov(e)(l)biin.com

Suppressing his 'many' questions, Thomas's smile broadened as he led the group into the Enma-tei. The interior was spacious enough that even someone of Whitebeard's stature would be able to wander around freely, but the first thing everyone noticed was the statue of a fat, happy-looking sparrow and a large bulletin board listing various rules.

Bowing forward and placing the tips of her index and middle fingers together, Benienma's voice was calm, level, and courteous as she said, "Welcome, esteemed guests. Though we ask that you follow the rules, please make yourselves at home."

Ignoring the kitsune's remark, Benienma looked up at Thomas and said, "You need to bind her with a name before she gets too out of hand. After that, I will show you how to summon additional servants and employees. This branch of the Enma-tei has 163 individual rooms and baths, sixteen kitchens, three communal facilities, nineteen banquet halls, and a theater. The Hell Sparrows can handle the menial labor, but we need at least one attendant for every private room."

Inserting herself into the conversation, the purple-haired kitsune said, "We also need a personal attendant to train as our junior. As we are also charged with 'guarding' Goshujin's bedchamber, we'll need someone to manage the Enma-tei and its personnel while we're indisposed..."

Raising his brows, Thomas questioned, "Why would you need to 'guard' my bedchamber?"

Answering in the kitsune's stead, Benienma revealed, "The waters of the Enma-tei serve as boundaries between the mortal world and Hell. Certain kinds of yokai can cross over these boundaries, and they have a penchant for possessing humans to feast on their psyches. That's why it's important to have an attendant assigned to each room. They serve as eyes and ears to prevent any 'strays' from doing as they please..."

Nodding her head, the purple-haired kitsune added, "And we have the duty of exorcising or devouring any who appear. We hold the rank of myobu, so your chambers serve as consecrated ground so long as we're 'enshrined' within."

As he had no idea what a myobu was, Thomas exhaled a tired sigh before shaking his head and asking, "Are you fine with any name...?"

Adopting a naturally seductive smile, the purple-haired kitsune replied, "We would be honored by any name our Goshujin gives us, so long as he also calls us his..."

Interrupting before Thomas could speak, Benienma warned, "Be careful. She is attempting to bind you with a secondary contract to afford herself greater freedom. Any yokai that enters into Master's service through the utilization of my Skill is currently serving penance in Hell. Even if you skin her alive, boil her, and serve her to the guests, she will neither die nor will the weight of your sins increase. If you go easy on her just because of her appearance, you will be affording her mercy she had yet to earn..."

Clicking her tongue, the purple-haired kitsune averted her eyes from both Thomas and Benienma. She was currently serving a 32,418-year sentence for impersonating Inari, the Goddess of Foxes, Fertility, and Rice. She had used that status to devour the spiritual energies of more than a thousand men, so she was fated to serve others in increments of 32 years until her karmic deficit was balanced. Then she could become a true, albeit lesser, Goddess.

Crossing his arms, Thomas tried to recall the names of a few famous fox girls from his previous life before garnering the purple-haired kitsune's attention as he asked, "How about Senko? Or maybe Holo...?"

Regaining her alluring smile, the purple-haired kitsune replied, "Either is fine by us. It is ultimately Goshujin's decision to make. Even if he were to name us Gomi(trash), we would cherish it."

Though he had no idea what Gomi meant, Thomas got the impression it was something profane or inappropriate. Thus, after several additional moments of deliberation, he said, "Then let's go with Koharu. You remind me of a nine-tailed fox woman named Kohakuren, but I'd like to give you something more unique. I'm not entirely sure what it means, but it sounds nice enough."

Narrowing her eyes in amusement, Koharu replied, "It means Small Heart or Late Summer. It's also surprisingly close to our true name, so we would be happy to receive it, and anything else our Goshujin deems appropriate to give..."

Moving her right leg in a way that gave the tiniest glimpse of her panties, Koharu made it clear she was prepared to serve Thomas in any capacity. What she didn't expect was for him to directly request, "Can you show me your true form? I'm curious..."

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(A/N: (O w O)...)