During the day in Heian-kyo, within the armory of the Minamoto Residence in the Upper Capital District, Minamoto no Mitsunaka stood clad in short training clothes. He brandished a tachi through the air with fluid, sharp strokes. Fine wrinkles lined his face, and strands of silver were woven through his hair and beard.
Despite the biting winter cold, Minamoto no Mitsunaka wore only a single thin layer of clothing. His continuous, relentless strikes had not caused even a single bead of sweat to form. After several dozen minutes, he slid the tachi back into its scabbard with a sharp click. He slowly turned his head toward a young man sitting formally on the floorboards at the side of the armory: Minamoto no Yorimasa.
"How is the progress on your end?" Mitsunaka asked, his gaze drifting toward his son from the corner of his eye.
"To answer you, Father, the majority of the candidates for the Chigo Miko in the original plan have been secured. At present, there should be no remaining targets in Heian-kyo that meet the criteria," Yorimasa replied respectfully to the inquiry.
"The majority... meaning those targets snatched away by the Ubume still haven't been found?" Mitsunaka’s brow furrowed as he spoke.
"We have yet to successfully track the Ubume’s trail. The targets she took beforehand remain missing..." Yorimasa continued, his tone laced with apology.
"The Ubume used our accidentally lost scroll to identify her targets. Just yesterday, she snatched the very last one, so she shouldn't be making any more moves now. Including that one, she has stolen four targets from our grasp. The shadow guards are currently exerting every effort to investigate her whereabouts..."
"My apologies, Father. The Ubume’s sudden interference was indeed an oversight on my part. The plan was nearly complete, and I did not expect such a variable to emerge..."
Minamoto no Mitsunaka’s expression did not flicker at Yorimasa's words. He paced slowly toward the wall, placing the sheathed tachi onto the weapon rack. When he spoke again, his voice was measured and calm.
"Since you used the rumors of the Ubume as cover this time, you should have considered the consequences. You should have anticipated what would happen if those spreading rumors drew out a real Ubume, and how to deal with it. That should have been a core consideration in your planning." Mitsunaka’s tone carried a clear note of instruction as he looked at Yorimasa.
"Father is right. This was a lapse in my judgment..." Yorimasa responded deferentially. Mitsunaka turned around, waving a hand with a slightly softened tone.
"Hmph. Actually, you needn't dwell on it too much. The Ubume's sudden interference might not be a bad thing for us. While you used her legend to mask the seizure of the infants, the ruse wasn't exactly subtle. If Kamo no Tadayuki hadn't become half a cripple, he likely would have exposed the discrepancy with a single divination. There are many in Heian-kyo who were already skeptical of the so-called Ubume rumors. If anyone had investigated thoroughly, we might have faced significant trouble.
"But now that a real Ubume has gotten involved and the Night Watch has actually spotted her, those suspicions will dwindle. Going forward, you can simply find a way to pin everything on the bird-demon and let her take the heat for our complications."
As he spoke, a faint smile played at the corners of Mitsunaka's mouth. In his eyes, the Ubume’s intrusion had turned out to be an asset.
"Father speaks the truth, however... what if the Ubume is caught by the Onmyoryo? If they learn the facts from her mouth, what then?" Yorimasa asked with doubt, to which Mitsunaka immediately replied.
"Don't think too highly of the Onmyoryo. Without Kamo no Tadayuki's divination, they're no better than blind men regarding intelligence. That Ubume is secretive and swift; even your Hidden Guards couldn't handle her for a while. You expect them to catch her? Hmph..."
Disdain was evident in Mitsunaka's voice. The standing forces of the Onmyoryo were comprised of members delegated by various great clans, with the Kamo Clan always doing the heavy lifting. Mitsunaka knew exactly what they were worth.
As Mitsunaka expressed his lack of faith in the Onmyoryo’s capabilities, Yorimasa gave a quiet nod of agreement. Then, Mitsunaka shifted the topic and asked Yorimasa directly.
"Where are the infants now? How many are there?"
"In a secret base of the Hidden Guards. There are eleven. Once we reclaim the targets from the Ubume, we will send them all to the Forbidden Grounds together."
"Forget the ones the Ubume has for now. Send the ones we have to the Forbidden Grounds first..." Mitsunaka paused to think, his brow knitting slightly. "On second thought, you continue searching for the Ubume. I will personally deliver the infants to the Forbidden Grounds. The elders are already pressing us; this matter cannot be dragged out any longer. We must finish this quickly."
"Father... intends to deliver the children to the Forbidden Grounds personally?" Yorimasa asked, confirming the order.
"Yes, just to be safe... In any case, you focus on investigating the Ubume. Whether you find her or not can be dealt with later..."
"Understood..." Yorimasa said submissively. Just then, a flurry of bird cries sounded outside the window. A crow flew into the room, flapping quickly to Mitsunaka. It dropped a small scroll of paper in mid-air. Mitsunaka caught the scroll and unrolled it. As he skimmed the contents, his brow tightened, and his entire face darkened with anger.
"What happened, Father?" Yorimasa asked, noticing the shift in Mitsunaka’s demeanor.
"Word just came from the Onmyoryo. The Ubume has been caught..." Mitsunaka growled, crushing the paper into a tight ball.
"Caught... who in the Onmyoryo is that capable? Was it Abe no Seimei?" Yorimasa looked utterly incredulous. They had just been discussing how impossible it was for her to be caught, and now this news arrived instantly.
"It wasn't Abe no Seimei... it wasn't even the Onmyoryo. The one who caught the Ubume... was Owl," Mitsunaka said, an unnatural edge in his voice.
"Owl? A yokai captured a yokai?" Yorimasa's eyes widened with disbelief.
"That's not the problem... Owl has been playing at being a Yokai Ninkyo. In the process of ruling the demon realm of Heian-kyo, the number of yokai he has captured or killed is not small... The issue now is that after catching the Ubume, Owl actually sent word to the Onmyoryo, saying he would hand her over to them for disposition! If they succeed... the Ubume will likely fall into the hands of Kamo no Tadayuki's faction. If that happens, it will be disastrous for us..." Mitsunaka spoke with absolute gravity, his expression grimmer than it had been all day.
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