Yamiyo no Hotaru

Chapter 131

 "Is the chaos finally settling down?"

 The mayor in the government office of Shiromoku-kan city looked down at the city where smoke and flames were rising and he breathed a sigh of relief.

 The exorcists from the Joraku delegation and the military in the city were getting rid of the youkai, troublesome creatures. Most of these creatures were wiped out. Some parts of the city were on fire or destroyed, but it didn't matter much.

 Rich areas, factories, markets, and government buildings were safe. The damage was mostly in the poorer areas and the Refugees section. Many of the victims were probably from there. But this didn't bother the city officials.

 "Minister of the Left's assistance has been crucial. We've caught the rebels' pawns with this damage."

 "And it's a warning for the troublemakers."

 "They've seen the power of our government. They won't do anything foolish."

 "Minister of the Left is sly too. He plans to use this to control them completely."

 "Not destroying them shows some mercy. Let's see what a cunning Minister of Strategy can do..."

 Other officials in the room shared their thoughts. There was admiration, surprise, arrogance, and mockery in their attitudes.

 "...And how's the princess?"

 "Wait... She's safe, we protected her."

 A woman behind the mayor answered his question. Onitsuki Sumire, an exorcist present in the room, calmly replied.

 "That's good. Even though she's from Ezo, she's a princess and important to the Emperor. We can't let her get hurt."

 The mayor sighed with relief again. He felt annoyed being caught up in this plot.

 ...Well, in the past three years, he hadn't realized the monsters being created in his area.

 "Minister of the Left said not to blame the locals. He himself only knew because of the imperial diviner, Miyataka."

 Lady Onitsuki, wife of the head of Onitsuki, defended the mayor. She felt annoyed too, but she didn't show it like the others.

 The story goes back ten days. A messenger reached the mayor secretly, as the representative of the Joraku delegation, and to the city's army. This was the beginning of the gruesome plan.

 The Omnyouji Bureau, with shrine maidens and diviners, predicted and prevented disasters. But accuracy depended on talent, and not all disasters could be predicted. Some saw it as unreliable. It had been considered for removal before.

 One of the Miyataka diviners predicted a coming disaster. The Minister of the Left got the prophecy and gave secret orders.

 And this is the result. At first, it seemed risky... yet everything went as planned. It seemed possible to gain maximum benefit with minimum losses.

 "The prophecy mentioned... not only this city but even the capital would face a disaster, right? Really scary. Given the chaos, it's hard to believe it's all a coincidence."

 The mayor hadn't been told all the details of the prophecy to avoid uncertainty. But with the monsters in the city, that hardly mattered anymore. He knew one wrong move could have irreversible consequences.

 "Yes, it was quite a task."

 "It was tough coordinating with Ezo and acting like we didn't know. It was nerve-wracking and amusing."